The Sri Lankan community in Qatar is all set to celebrate the 68th Independence Day (Nidahas Udanaya 2016) that falls on February 4. The celebrations are going bigger and better this year with the embassy of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Coordinating Committee (SLCC) planning cultural programmes. 
There would also be events for members of diplomatic community. A musical event has been organised on February 5 at Radisson Blu Hotel commencing at 5pm.
On February 7, under the patronage of the ambassador of Sri Lanka Dr WM Karunadasa, the embassy will host a cultural show for diplomats and invitees at the Sheraton Hotel, Doha. 
The Sparrows Dance Troupe together with actress Sheril Romen Dekker, singer Ruwan Hettiarachchi, Vishadara Jagath Wickramasinghe, Nihal Pathiranage (guitar), Sanjaya Sooriya Arachchi (tabla), Uditha Wijeratne (violin) and Hema Nalin Karunaratne (MC) will be flown in from Sri Lanka for the celebration on February 5. 
Students from the dance academy of Dinu Rangayathanaya will showcase their talents at both programmes. Sparrows are a leading dancing academy in Sri Lanka that started in the early ’90s. They perform traditional dances and have enthralled audiences across the globe with their scintillating performances on stage. The troupe has expertise in different fields of art and has multiple dance and music teams including the Dance Team, Kandian Dance Team, First Dance Traning, Dance choreography, African Jembe Drums Team, Indian Dhol Drums Team, Ashtaka, Jayamangala Team, DJ, Sounds and Lights and Dancing classes in Ballrooom, Latin, Salsa, Indian, Free style and Hip Hop besides Zumba.
This is their first visit to Doha and the audience can be assured of an entertaining evening of dance and music during the celebrations. Singer Ruwan Hettiarachchi and actress Sheril Romen Dekker will entertain the community with popular songs and dance.
Vishadara Jagath Wickramasinghe and his musicians will sing patriotic songs to mark the occasion. The tickets for the show are at QR100 and QR50 and will be available at all Sri Lankan outlets and at the gates. Gates open at 4pm. 
Last year, a 15-member cultural troupe from Sri Lanka’s Rivega Dance Studio had performed in a spectacular celebration of Sri Lankan Independence Day in Qatar. The troupe included choreographer Rangika Jeewantha, popular artistes Rodney Warnakula, Giriraj Kaushalya and Priyantha Seneviratne.
The programme was compered by Hema Nalin Karunaratne. Doha-based Sri Lankan musical band Black Cats Sri Lankan Music Fans Club had enthralled the audience with their music performance. The students from the dance academies of Senuranga Dance Troupe with choreographer Asanka Salwathura and Dinu Ranga Kalayathanaya and choreographer Dinuk Lawrance showcased their talents during the cultural-cum-variety programme.
In some of the previous cultural programmes on such occasions organised by SLCC and the embassy of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Community in Doha has witnessed some breathtakingly beautiful dance forms performed by famous artistes and dance groups. 
Wickramasinghe Academy performed Abishek, a dance form which is a combination of traditional music and drums beating to different rituals and dances carried out in Sri Lanka since the ancient times, in one previous celebration. 
Mayam was another dance form essayed by Sri Lankan girls dancing with water pots in yet another performance. It is a ritual dance. A dance act with sea horses and mermaids dancing at the bottom of the beautiful ocean surrounding Sri Lanka is another act.
The girls and a boy in costumes resembling peacocks followed in a performance entitled Ranamonaru. Peacock has a special place in Sri Lankan culture. Ves, a traditional dance from Kandy, performed at festivals and celebrations with drummers and dancers, has also been a part of the performances.
The variety in the colourful dances depict the richness of Sri Lankan culture. For event information, call Ranjith Gurusinghe 66580392 / 50409246, Dhammika Jayasena 55654241 or  Viddya Sri Shanthikumara 33058041.