The 13th Installation Ceremony of the Rotaract Club of the University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts

The Installation Ceremony takes center-stage in any Rotaract year and is also the major event conducted by the Club Service Avenue. In this vein, the 13th Installation Ceremony of the University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts was nothing short of opulence. Donned in teal green to match the theme of the event, Rtr. Gethmi Adhikari and her Board of Directors assumed their positions for the Rotary International (RI) year 2022-23 on the 29th of September 2022. The ceremony held at the New Arts’ Theatre was graced by our fellow Rotaractors, esteemed invitees, friends, and family and hosted by Rtr. Kusali Rupasinghe and Rtr. Lihini Jayawardena. Furthermore, the ceremony was graced by distinguished guests namely: District Rotaract Chair Rtn. Farzana Khan, District Rotaract Representative Rtn. Rtr. PP. Ahamed Hussein, and our Chief Guest for the evening Vice President of the Rotary Club of Colombo Uptown Rtn. Vishwa Lokugamage.

The Installation ceremony began with the traditional lighting of the oil lamp by the invitees, members of the faculty and the executive committee of the club, which was followed by the Sergeant-At-Arms Rtr. Ranmali Fernando calling the house to order. After which, the District Rotaract District Representative (DRR), the chief guest, and the club presidents (elect and past), Secretary, took their place at the head table. Subsequently after the Sergeant-At-Arms collared The Immediate Past President (IPP) of the club Rtr. Anudi Karunaratne, and she proceeded to call the house to order. The formalities of the ceremony continued with singing of the national anthem, the declaration of the Flag salutation, Rotaract invocation and the Rotary Four-Way Test led by the club’s Co-Editor; Rtr. Tharini Ratwatte, and the singing of the Rotaract song.

A Rotaract year is the culmination of efforts by many individuals who come from diverse backgrounds striving to work for a greater cause. The next item for the evening highlighted and reminded all those who gathered the mammoth tasks undertaken and completed in the RI year 2021-22, as the outgoing secretary for the year 2021-22 Rtr. Dulari Bookoladeniya read the secretary’s report. In light of recognizing fellow Rotaractors whose contributions led to the success of the preceding Rotaract year, the chief guest for the evening Rtn. Vishwa Lokugamage presented the outgoing Board of Directors and select Rotaractors of the club with their service letters. While the ceremony continued with its formalities, the next item on the agenda set the stage to bring in humor and nostalgia. The Co-Vice President Rtr. Kavindi Gunawardena took the liberty (and her “freedom of speech”) in introducing the President elect for the year 2022-23 Rtr. Gethmi Adhikari. Following which, after much anticipation Rtr. Gethmi was collared by the IPP Rtr. Anudi Karunaratne and assumed her role as the President for the RI year 2022-23. Thereon, the limelight continued to be on Rtr. Gethmi as she delivered her first speech as the President of the club which proved to be inspiring to all those gathered and gave a glimpse of what to anticipate for the upcoming year. Following which the Board of Directors for the RI year 2022-23 comprising 14 individuals were formally appointed to their respective positions.

The appointment of the Board of Directors was followed by the DRR Rtn. Rtr. Ahmed Hussein taking to the podium to inspire the incoming Board for their journey ahead.  The formal proceedings of the evening drew to a close with the District Rotaract chair Rtn. Farzana Khan sharing her words of wisdom with the newly appointed Board and their team of Rotaractors. An Installation Ceremony, specially one of such magnitude as that of Rotaract Arts, certainly takes a lot of effort and dedication; precisely why the road to installation was brought to life on stage – we must not forget to mention the iconic car ride with at least 10 passengers. In keeping with the spirits, Rotaract Arts also presented an entertainment item – which, when you have a Grammy-worthy singer on your team such as Rtr. Tharushika Peelikumbura is not something you’d want to miss. Following a show of appreciation for the invited dignitaries, a heartwarming array of good wishes, a photoshoot which lasted a good half an hour, and a chocolate fountain that nearly grabbed the spotlight, the 13^th Installation Ceremony of the University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts was brought to a close.

To access the official souvenir of the 13^th Installation Ceremony of the Rotaract club of the University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts, please use the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W_WXsjOH2Q0mgNVoxJZhiz5SydHJ5egZ/view?amp%3Busp=embed_facebook

The Co-Editors