Commemorating the service rendered by the scholar monk, Ven. Walpola Sri Rahula Thera, his 118th birth anniversary was held on 24 May, in Colombo. 

Born on 9 May 1907, Rahula Thera was a trailblazing Buddhist monk, renowned academic and honoured as a champion for free education in Sri Lanka. 

The keynote address was delivered by University of Colombo Senior Lecturer Prof. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri, themed ‘The Free Education Struggle, Bhikku Politics in 1940s and Contemporary Sri Lanka’. Pointing out that it is the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who is the source that builds the world of ideas within Sri Lankans, Prof. Dewasiri emphasised that in such a background, to genuinely commemorate the teachings and guidance of Rahula Thera, is to find a path through a discourse on tradition and modernity. 

A panel discussion was held centred around the teachings and activism of Rahula Thera.  

Paying tribute to the teachings and the guidance of Rahula Thera, the organisers – the Walpola Rahula Institute, stated: “His interpretation inspired a generation of politically conscious monks and shaped Buddhist engagement in Sri Lanka’s post-Independence nation-building efforts. For Rahula Thera, good governance was inseparable from the dhamma, and his work laid a foundation for integrating ethical spiritual principles into public life without compromising monastic life.”

Prizes and certificates of merit were awarded to creative contributors to the ‘Walpola Rahula Thera Writing Skill Development’ programme coordinated by the ‘Heta Bhikshuwa (Future Monk)’ Collective.