ABSTRACT
George’s misgivings about the government would prove increasingly true and yet he chose to continue living in the land of his birth which had given rise to his art. When in 1961 the government announced a Sinhalese-only linguistic policy most Burghers were to leave the country and emigrate to Canada, Europe or Australia. As Khullar points out,
Their en masse emigration from the island stemmed from a loss of professional privilege and social prestige as the instruments of their ascendency, the English language and Christian faith, became redundant in a newly-independent nation committed to majoritarian (Sinhala and Buddhist) goals and advancement.2
