Sri Lanka to erase 'Ceylon' from records

Colombo, Jan 3: Sri Lanka wants to create a new identity for itself after the numerous years of civil war in the country that took development back by a couple of years. Sri Lanka wants to re-position itself as an independent country with its own individual culture and heritage and wants to shed the colonial hangover.

The Sri Lankan government has reportedly decided to change the names of all state institutions still bearing the nation's former British colonial name, 'Ceylon'. The decision comes 39 years after the country was renamed Sri Lanka.

According to the BBC, Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka had submitted a cabinet memo this week to change the name of the Ceylon Electricity Board, whereupon President Mahinda Rajapaksa suggested the name Ceylon be removed entirely.

One ministry now has the job of ensuring that names and signboards are altered, the report added. The island's British colonial name was dropped in 1972 when the country became a republic and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state.

However, the name Ceylon has persisted in many institutions, including the Bank of Ceylon and the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation.

The Ceylon Tea label, however, is unlikely to change, as the industry believes it's a brand of quality for the country's most famous export.

ANI