Colombo: A group of students from Sri Lanka's top Muslim school, where Mahatma Gandhi had delivered an address in 1927, will soon visit India.
The visit by the students from Zahira College, which was founded in 1892, would be facilitated by the Indian High Commission here, Indian envoy Ashok K Kantha said. The date for the visit is yet to be announced.
Kantha, who visited Zahira College to address students, complimented the school 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 Indian High Commissioner urged the students to follow the principles of “truth and innocence” advocated by Gandhi.
He 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.
Kantha also recalled that Sarojini Naidu, during her visit to the College in 1922, had emphasised the role of education for harmony between races and religions. Late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had also spoken about the enduring friendship between the Hindus and Muslims and their joint struggle, under one banner, for freedom, he noted.
Founded in 1892 in Maradana, Central Colombo, Zahira College is one of island nation's leading schools. With over 4,000 students, it is the largest Muslim educational institution in Sri Lanka.
At its inception, Zahira College was founded to provide 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.
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