Sir Olcott remembered

By L.B. Senaratne

A bust of Sir Henry Steele Olcott was unveiled at Bogambara Grounds on Monday Feburary 19 to mark his 100 death anniversary.
The bust was thereafter taken in procession along the streets of Kandy to Dharmaraja College premises to be installed there.This statue is a proposal by Dharmaraja College Old Boy's Association headed by Jayantha Samarsinghe.

Sir Henry Olcott died on February 19, 1907 at Adyar in Madras, India. He was born on August 2, 1832 at Orange City, New Jersey USA to a Christian family.

It was in May 25, 1880 that he entered the Buddhist way of life by reciting 'Pansil' before Venerable Akmeemana Dharmaratna Nayake Thera of Vijayananda Vihare in Galle.

The Buddhist Theosophical Society which was formed in New York in 1875, had its founder as Sir Henry Olcott. A Russian - Helena Petrovna and three others drawn from other faiths.

Sir Olcott had joined the Army and rose to the rank of a Colonel and is also reported to be a reputed agriculturist. A commemorative meeting was held on the same day at Keppetippola Memorial Hall.