Tri services parade, 21 gun salute and colourful cultural paegeantry marked the 63rd Independence Day celebrations in Sri Lanka on Friday. The celebrations were held at the holy town of Katargama, which is sacred to both Tamils and the Sinhalese. The shrine of God Kataragama has been a symbol of unity for centuries in the country. Addressing the nation on the occasion, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasized on the need of enormous attitudinal change to achieve national development. He also stressed on the need for a building a law-abiding society and added that inconvenient and difficult decisions are necessary for the nation’s progress. The theme of celebration was ‘Protect the Rebuilt Nation’. Over 3,000 members of Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and the Civil Defence Force participated in the national day parade. More than 1000 school students also presented cultural items. The 2011 Deyata Kirula exhibition which will be held in Buttala, Moneragala parallel to the Independence Day celebration, will be inaugurated in the evening.