Zahira College, celebrating 120 years of excellence, invited H.E. Ashok K. Kantha, High Commissioner of India as the Chief Guest for the Annual Inter-House Sports Meet of the primary school on 23rd February 2012. Renowned former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttaiah Devaraj, an alumni of Zahira College, was the Guest of Honour.

During his visit to Zahira College, High Commissioner unveiled a special logo designed to commemorate the 120th Anniversary of the founding of Zahira College, inaugurated a photographic exhibition titled “Islamic Monuments of India” and distributed prizes to the students at the Annual Inter-House Sports Meet of the primary school.

Zahira College, founded in 1892 in Maradana, is one of Sri Lanka’s leading schools. With over 4000 students, it is the largest Muslim educational institution in Sri Lanka. At its inception, Zahira College was founded to provide an English education to students while preserving the Muslim identity. The school was built on the grounds of one of the oldest mosques in Sri Lanka, the Maradana Mosque.

Zahira College is proud of its long and historic association with India. Proudly displayed on the boards at the College are the names of distinguished visitors to the Zahira College including eminent Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, father of the Nation, C. Rajagopalachari, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Mrs. Sarojini Naidu.

During his visit to Zahira College, the High Commissioner inaugurated a photographic exhibition “Islamic Monuments of India” The exhibition consists of 45 photographs of the vast and rich heritage of Islamic architecture spread from Kerala to Kashmir and from Tripura to Gujarat in India. The exhibition depicts how philosophy and the lifestyle prevalent at a particular phase in history affect the style of architecture. The Indian mainland was exposed to the philosophy and faith of Islam as early as seventh century A.D and although the Mughal architecture of north India is famous, the fascinating richness of Islamic architectural heritage in other parts of the country is not so well known. The exhibition portrays the richness and depth of the Islamic architecture in India and highlights the fact that India has more beautiful medieval Islamic architectural heritage than any other country.

In his address to the students, High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha complimented Zahira College for being an “institute of excellence for last 120 years” and for providing “quality education to the Muslim community”. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi from his address delivered at the College in 1927, the High Commissioner urged the students to follow the principles of “Truth and Innocence” advocated by Gandhiji and pointed out that the principles of Truth and Innocence translate into Non-Violence and Satyagraha, the tools used by Mahatma Gandhi to lead India towards her freedom. High Commissioner also recalled that Sarojini Naidu, during her visit to the college in 1922, had emphasized the role of education in leading to a fuller life for an individual and of harmony between races and religions. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India had spoken about the enduring friendship between the Hindus and Muslims and their joint struggle, under one banner, for freedom.

Recalling Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam's recent visit, High Commissioner reiterated that ignited minds of the youth is the greatest resouce of the Nation and called upon the students to play an important role in the nation-building of Sri Lanka. High Commissioner also invited the students of the Zahira College to utilize the nearly three-fold expanded Indian scholarship programme worth SLR 2.5 billion spread over the next three years, which was announced by the Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs of India at Galle on 19 January during his recent visit to Sri Lanka.

The High Commissioner presented a set of books on Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru for use in the Zahira College library. These also include a few titles on Rabindranath Tagore, another great icon of India, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated this year, and whose visits had led to cultural resurgence within South Asia including Sri Lanka.

The High Commissioner also announced that the High Commission of India would facilitate the visit of a group of students from Zahira College to India later this year; assist in the setting up of an India section in Zahira College’s library; and would organize a camp at the College to encourage students of Zahira College to utilize the scholarships to study in India under the recently-expanded Indian scholarship programme.

High Commissioner unveiling a specially designed logo to commemorate the 120th anniversary celebrations	Chief Guest High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha addressing the students
A board displaying distinguished visitors	Winners receiving their prizes from the Chief Guest
High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha and Principal Mohd. Jiffry inaugurating the photographic exhibition "Islamic Monuments of India"