Singing National Anthem in Sinhala only Tug of war continues over ‘Matha’ and ‘Thaaye’

Language debate can strike a wrong chord when singing for unity

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7 January 2020 

Singing ‘Sri Lanka Matha’ while standing to attention has always given Sri Lankans that sense of pride. Having graced many occasions since the islanders gained Independence in 1948, the song too has a history to itself.

From ‘Sri Lanka Matha Pala Yasa Mahima’ to ‘Namo Namo Matha’ and finally to ‘Sri Lanka Matha’, it’s lyrics have changed to the interests of the then leaders. The verses translate to ‘blessing the nation with peace and prosperity while giving knowledge, strength and wisdom to its people’. However, the existence of a Tamil translation to this Anthem has disturbed Sinhala-Buddhist elements for decades. The decision taken by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government to sing the national anthem only in Sinhala at the upcoming Independence Day Celebration too has sparked a debate among the Sinhala and Tamil communities. 

Hence the Daily Mirror sheds light on the journey the Tamil National Anthem has come thus far while penning a few thoughts shared by individuals from diverse backgrounds. 

‘Sri Lanka Thaaye’

The Tamil version of ‘Namo Namo Matha’ translated by M. Nallathamby, is said to be a word-to-word translation of the Sinhala version with the same music score. There is also another Tamil version translated by K. Kanagaratnam. Historical records prove that both Sinhala and Tamil national songs were sung at the 1949 Independence Day celebrations held at Torrington Square.  After Nallathamby’s Tamil translation was formally adopted, it continued to be sung, even after Sinhala was declared an official language, between 1956-1987. It was sung in predominantly Tamil areas including Jaffna, Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa. There have also been instances when state leaders walked out of functions when the Tamil Anthem was sung. One such incident was reported during Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s tenure. Thereafter both anthems were sung in 1998 during the 50th Independence Day celebrations and subsequently in 1999 during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Then again the National Anthem was sung only in Sinhala in 2010 and in 2016 it was sung in both languages at the Independence Day celebrations. 

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There is no nationalist or racist element in this song

- Prof. Ariyaratne

“When Sri Lanka became an independent state in 1948 there was a competition to select a national anthem,” recalled veteran lyricist Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne . “Hence the first national anthem was titled ‘Sri Lanka Matha Pala Yasa Mahima’ which was selected by the Lanka Gandharva Sabha. However by then Ananda Samarakoon’s ‘Namo Namo Matha’ was sung in school choirs and gained much popularity. But it wasn’t even shortlisted for the competition. Therefore, the Cabinet approved it to be the official national anthem on November 22, 1951. But Samarakoon didn’t receive the Rs. 2500 which the Government was supposed to pay for its author because by that time this song was already published in a book titled ‘Geetha Kumudini.’ Therefore the cash prize was given to the editor of this book,” said Prof. Ariyaratne. 

However, according to Prof. Ariyaratne, many groups claimed that the National Anthem brought bad luck to the nation. “This was because it started from the ‘Na’ sound and many claimed that it’s gana is malefic. Incidents such as the death of D. S Senanayake, the downfall of the Dudley Senanayake Government and the assassination of S.W.R.D Bandaranaike proved this claim. Thereafter, during the Sirimavo Government its lyrics were changed to ‘Sri Lanka Matha’. But even after that it didn’t bring much luck to the country. My personal view is that it is a song that could be sung by people of all ethnicities and religions. There is no nationalist or racist element in this song and therefore this song won’t hurt anybody’s feelings and perfectly suits the description of a National Anthem,” the professor said. 

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The National Anthem is one symbol 

- Prof. Coperahewa

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“When you talk about a National symbol, be it a flower, animal or flag there can only be one of them,” opined Prof. Sandagomi Coperahewa, Head of Department of Sinhala, University of Colombo. “Hence, there can’t be two or three national symbols. There may be two official languages, but the national anthem is one symbol and should carry the national significance of a country. If it is sung in another language there has to be a Constitutional Amendment as well,” opined Coperahewa. 
He further said that even in countries that have more than one language there is only one National Anthem. “Take India for example, it has Hindi and English as official languages but its National Anthem is highly Sanskritised Bengali. It’s not even Hindi, but all Indians sing it. In Singapore there are Tamil, English, Malay and Chinese people, but their National Anthem is sung in Malay. Translations could be there for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, but everybody should sing it in one language,” said Coperahewa.