In Sri Lanka, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, the cultural arm of the Indian High Commission, celebrated the 576th birth anniversary of Srimanta Sankardev in Colombo. On the occasion, one of his Bargeets, “Narayan Kahe Bhakati Karoon Tera,” was translated into Sinhala and performed in the language. The event marks the first-ever translation and performance of a Bargeet in a foreign language. The Audio CD was officially launched by Dr Satyanjal Pandey, India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. Dr Pandey lauded the efforts of the centre in taking the teachings to an international audience by translating and performing the lyrical songs of the 15th-century saint.

The recorded performance was directed by Prof. Ankuran Dutta, Director of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Colombo, who also sang in the original Brajawali language and played the Khol. The Bargeet was lyrically translated into Sinhala by Prof. Upul Ranjith Hewawitanagamage from the University of Kelaniya. The Sinhala version was performed by Asith Athapatthu, a senior lecturer at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo. The music arrangement and recording were done by Milinda Tennakoon and Devin De Alwis.