• The Audio Book contains 50 Jataka Tales, selected from Jatakakatha under the theme of ‘Good Advice’ and primarily caters to the hearing impaired

Marking the 75th anniversary of India-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations, the Jataka Tales Audio Book in Sinhala was launched at the Ruwanweli Maha Seya premises in Anuradhapura on Poson Poya, on June 14, 2022, a statement from the Indian High Commission said.  

The Audio Book contains 50 Jataka Tales, selected from Jatakakatha under the theme of ‘Good Advice’ and primarily caters to the hearing impaired. The first Audio Book was offered to the Venerable Mahasangha by Dr. Sushil Kumar, Counsellor, Technical Cooperation and Head of Chancery of the High Commission of India.  
The Audio Book was a joint collaboration between Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) and the Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies (CCIS), University of Colombo.  

Supervised by Ven. Rambukana Siddhartha Thero, several others including Dr. Rewant Vikram Singh, Director SVCC, Prof. Upul Ranjith Hewawitanagamage, Director of CCIS, Dr. W. A. Abeysinha and Ms. Wathsala Samarakoon, a popular TV and Radio presenter contributed towards the initiative.  

High Commissioner Gopal Baglay offered the Jataka Tales Audio Book as a dharma daana from the people of India to the people of Sri Lanka. He highlighted in his message that Buddhist heritage, including the Jataka Tales formed an important civilisational bond between India and many countries, of which Sri Lanka has a very special place as one of the first countries to receive the gift of Buddhism from India two millenia ago. Similar initiatives would help in strengthening the shared cultural heritage between the two neighbours.   The Government of India has taken a number of steps in the recent past to deepen linkages between India and Sri Lanka in the sphere of Buddhism.