The students of the Indian Cultural Centre in Colombo put up a scintillating display of blossoming talent in North Indian classical music and dance “Nav Pratibha 2010” at Kularathne Hall at the Ananda College in Colombo on 26 March, 2010. The evening consisted of 20-minute performances in each of the five disciplines of Hindustani vocal music, Kathak classical dance, Sitar, Violin and Tabla. The teachers at the Centre under whose tutelage the students are learning are names of national repute in their fields: Dr. Premadasa Mudunkotuwa (Hindustani Vocal music), Ms. Moksha Samarasooriya (Kathak), Dr. Nirmala Kumari Rodrigo (Sitar), Visharad Somasiri Illesinghe (Violin) and Visharad S.W. Randoowa (Tabla). The mesmerized audience remained glued to their seats savouring the fruits of the long hours of hard work and training put in by the teachers and students. The renowned Sri Lankan classical musician Prof. Sanath Nandasiri graced the occasion as Chief Guest and enjoyed the performance along with High Commissioner Mr. Ashok K. Kantha.

The Indian Cultural Centre was established in 1998 with the aim of furthering cultural exchange and interaction between India and Sri Lanka and promoting cultural cooperation by building on cultural commonalities and creating an awareness of Indian culture in all its facets in Sri Lanka. The Centre is supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Within this short span of time, the Indian Cultural Centre has firmly established itself on the Sri Lankan cultural scene and earned a reputation for excellence through its wide ranging and multifaceted activities. The Centre offers classes in Bharatanatyam & Kathak classical dances, Hindustani & Carnatic vocal music, Violin, Sitar, Tabla, Hindi and Yoga. For this purpose, the Centre draws on a talented and committed group of Sri Lankan teachers, many of whom are alumni of premier Indian institutions in their fields. Over time, the Centre has gained tremendous popularity, with a large number of students enrolled in the various classes conducted at the Centre. Besides, the Centre is also active in organizing performances by Indian and Sri Lankan artistes, panel discussions, lectures, lecture-demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions etc. Over the last few years several well known artistes from India and Sri Lanka have performed at the Centre.

The Centre also maintains a well equipped lending library and reading room with a good collection of books, newspapers, periodicals and CD/DVDs. The reading room has Indian and Sri Lankan newspapers (Sinhala, Tamil and English) and Indian periodicals, magazines and journals in English and Indian languages (Malayalam, Urdu, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil).