President Gotabaya Rajapaksa attended the memorial service held in commemoration of his father (late) D A Rajapaksa which was held yesterday (25) at Temple Trees. First, a minute of silence was held in memory of Mr. and Mrs. D.A. Rajapaksa and the war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country followed by a floral tribute to the statue of Mr. D.A. Rajapaksa were conducted. Along with President Rajapaksa and first Lady Ioma Rajapaksa, a large number of dignitaries, including Honorable Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his wife Mrs. Shiranthi Wickremasinghe Rajapaksa , Honorable Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Former President Maithripala Sirisena, Ministers Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Hon. Prof. G.L Peiris, Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva, Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera, Hon. Douglas Devananda, State Ministers, Members of Parliament and Governors Hon. Roshan Goonetileke, Hon. Willy Gamage, Hon. Raja Collure, Hon. Mohamed Muzammil and ambassadors attended the Rajapaksa Memorial event. Sahithya Chakravarthi, Anunayaka thero of the Malwatta Chapter, Venerable Dr. Niyangoda Dharmakeerthi Sri Sangarakkitha Vijithasiri Thero who presided over the event and Other Religious leaders attended the Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture as well. Hon. Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena laid a wreath and Former Zonal Director of Education Mr. A. Weeraratne also paid floral tributes to the statue of late Mr. D.A. Rajapaksa. Students of Puwakdandawa Dhammapala Balika Vidyalaya- Beliatta sang the D.A. Rajapaksa commemorative song. Additionally, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa, Chairman of the D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Educational, Cultural and Social Services Foundation, invited Senior Lecturer Mahendra Gunawardena to deliver the Commemorative Lecture. “It is often said that the fate of a nation depends on socio-economic factors and not on individual activism. Throughout the history, however, we have seen individual actions that have had a profound effect on the fate of nations. The best-known example of this in the world around us is the historic decision taken by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to wage war against the LTTE," said Gunawardena. He also added that if DA Rajapaksa, a respectable paddy cultivator at the time, had not signed the nomination paper, the history of this island would have been different. "Referring to the topic, there is a strong link between plant nutrition and micro-organisms, so I would like to talk more today about the role of micro-organisms in plant nutrition. Today our focus is on bacteria and fungi. Both bacteria and fungi decompose plants, animals, and all other organisms into fundamental elements after death," Gunawardena stated. Backing the eco-friendly and organic cultivation initiated by President Rajapaksa, Gunawardena said that the ideas and initiatives done by the the President and the Rajapaksa family have helped revive the memory of late Mr D A Rajapaksa. "Late Mr. D A Rajapaksa has actually left us long back, but the question arises as to whether he really passed away. In my understanding, he lives among us in the form of his sons, daughters and grandchildren who work tirelessly for the people of this country, for our future, for the future of the new generations," said Gunwardena. Sahithya Chakravarthi, Anunayaka thero of Malwatta Chapter,Venerable Dr. Niyangoda Dharmakeerthi Sri Sangarakkitha Vijithasiri Thero said that “The end of three decades of war by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the fifth Executive President brought about a new awakening in this country and a new development path began. "The end of three decades of war by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the fifth Executive President brought about a new awakening in this country. A new development path began. The world started talking about Sri Lanka. We believe we were able to save this country. We need to study the past carefully. Although the kings who ruled this country suppressed the invasions of the country, the Tamil people were never considered as our enemies. We are going through a catastrophic time with the Covid-19 pandemic situation. From the sociological theory or from the theory of political analysis or from the common sense, we are confident that if this development process continues, our country will prosper.” said the Thera. Speaking at the event as well was Petroleum Corporation Chairman, Mr Sumith Wijesinghe. “Today is the 54th death anniversary of late Mr. D.A. Rajapaksa. He is the founder behind the building of Chandrika Wewa to meet the water needs of the people of Giruwapattu East. The people from Ruhuna used to called him “Punchi Ralahamy” and he was considered as a descendant of King Dhatusena," said Wijesinghe. He went on to say that D A Rajapaksa is the affluent force from the past to the present and from the present to the future. "We can clearly see that Fifth Executive President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mr. Chamal Rajapaksa and Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, are in line with his vision, and are currently working to elevate this country as a free and developed nation.” said Wijesinghe. Also, in attendance at the event was Mr. Gamini Senarath- Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Harsha Wijewardena-Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Kingsley Ranawaka-Chairman of the Ceylon Transport Board (SLTB) and Mr. G.L.W. Samarasinghe-Chairman of the D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Committee in Colombo. [foogallery id="176065"]