Defence Secretary pays tribute to Colonel Olcott
Remembering the 117th death anniversary of Buddhist revivalist, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne paid floral tributes to the statue of the late Colonel Olcott opposite the Fort Railway Station, Colombo on Saturday (February 17).
A pioneer of the Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist movement, Colonel Olcott spearheaded the inauguration of Buddhist high schools in the main cities of the country, such as Ananda College in Colombo, Dharmaraja College in Kandy, Mahinda College in Galle, Rahula College in Matara and Maliyadeva College in Kurunegala.
He also established the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA), lobbied for recognition of the Vesak full moon Poya day as a national holiday and acted as an adviser to a committee appointed to design the Buddhist flag.
Principals of Ananda and Nalanda Colleges joined the Defence Secretary to pay floral tributes to the statue.
The former president of Ananda College Old Boys’ Association and Old Anandians’ Sports Club, Sithendra Senarathna and the members of Parama Vingnanartha Buddhist Society in Colombo also attended the occasion.
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Yes, in this day we remember Col. Henry Olcott for his part in Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist movement which paved way for establishing Buddhist educational institutes!