'Ma Piya Vandana' jointly organised by The Elephant Entertainment and The Blues Entertainments

'Ma Piya Vandana- Worshiping Parents' religious programme jointly organised by Elephant Entertainment and The Blues Entertainment was held recently at Sri Saddhatissa International Buddhist Centre (Kingsbury Temple) with the participation of religious leaders, members, their family members from the both parties and many invited guests.
This annual programme is started by the United National Party UK Branch led Elephant Entertainment two years ago to pass merits to their late parents and family members as well as to commemorate their past leaders who had links with the UK branch. This year the organisers have given prominence to the founder of the UNP UK branch and former minister and the Speaker of the Sri Lanka parliament M.H.Mohammed who passed away recently. They also remembered the late ministers Jayalath Jayawardena and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and United Peoples Freedom Alliance Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. Last year they have invited to the members of The Blues Entertainment and their family and friends those who wanted to commemorate former President of SLFP UK branch late Parakrama Ranasinghe.

This year representing Non Resident Tamils of Sri Lanka (NRT-SL), Director of the Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (TCB) Veerahia Ramaraj also joined the programme with few other members to remember their late parents and to commemorate their late leader and Illankai Thamil Arasu Katchi leader Appapille Amirthalingam.
President of the UNP UK branch Dinesh Kapukotuwa and the Secretary Azahim Mohammed have invited Janaka Alahapperuma, President of the British Sri Lankan Forum to welcome the gathering and explain the outline of the programme prior to conduct the religious activities.

Buddhist religious activities conducted by the Maha Sangha, headed by Aggamahapanditha Ven Galayaye Piyadassi Nayaka Thero, head of the Kingsbury Buddhist Temple. After observing Five Precepts and the Buddha Pooja, Ven Dr Handupelpola Mahinda thero delivered the dhamma sermon in relation to the purpose of the programme.
The Hindu religious rituals are conducted by Siva Sri Jothesa Siva Sri K.P. Ramanathan Kurkal, Head of the Seeradey Sai Baba Hindu Temple at Wembley. Muslim religious activities and the talk delivered by the Mr Anas Eliyas, Vice President of the Council of Sri Lankan Muslim Organisations in the UK (COSMOS).

The all religious leaders conducted their services with the intention of building up good relationship between parents and children to develop the bounden duties from parents to their children and from children to their parents that is vanishing by day by day from our society in the UK. All the late parents were remembered by reading out their names during the programme.

'Mā Piya Vandanā- Worshiping Parents' special Buddhist talk delivered by Ven Nepale Sumana Thero mainly aiming at young children those who were there at the temple. Ven Thero preached them the duties that should be performed by parent as well as by their children to lead a happy life. Finally they worshiped their parents by offering beetle leaves following the Sri Lankan tradition.

Dinesh Kapukotuwa, Thushara Ranasinghe, Azahim Mohammed, Lasantha Perera, Brixous Hettiarachchi, Lalendra Ekanayaka, Janaka Alahapperuma, Sudantha Zacharias, Heshan Perera, members from both parties, supporters and large number of people together with their children attended the event. All participants were served with refreshments at the end of the programme.