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One Hundred Tamils of the 20th Century
நாட்டுப்பற்றாளர் -
Naatu Patralar
Annai Poopathy
3 November 1932 - 19 April 1988
 "Today,
we cherish the memory of a great martyr and salute her
supreme sacrifice. Mother Poopathi has earned our highest
esteem as one of the noble martyrs who have become legends
in the history of our liberation struggle. As a woman, as a
mother, as the maternal head of the family, Poopathi amma
transcended her ordinary life and the bonds of existential
attachment in sacrificing her life for the emancipation of
her nation. .."
Velupillai Pirabaharan on Second Anniversary of Annai
Poopathy's death, April 1990
Annai Poopathy's Fast for Freedom - Adele Ann Balasingham
Introduction
 The
history of the Tamil struggle for
national self-determination is a history of extraordinary examples of
courage, determination and sacrifice.
Thileepan, the
senior LTTE cadre who fasted to death in 1987 demanding the fulfilment
of promises made by the Indian government to the LTTE leadership, superseded
such historical figures as Mahatma Gandhi and IRA activist Bobby Sands, in
the use of fasting as a political weapon. Both Mahatma Gandhi and Bobby
Sands went without food during their fast, whereas Thileepan refused both
food and fluids.
Into the history of great feats of courage and determination must go the
struggle waged by a 56 year old mother of ten children and grandmother, Mrs
Kanapathipillai Poopathy. Mother Poopathy, as this extraordinary woman has
come to be affectionately known, went without food and fluids for thirty
days before her death on 19th April 1988.
Kanapathipillai Poopathy
When Annamuthu and his wife Periyapillai from the ancient Tamil village
of Kiran in Batticaloa looked down affectionately on their baby daughter
Poopathy on 3rd November 1932 it would never have entered their minds that
this child would grow up to become a legendary political figure, the first
woman in political history to fast to death for a cause; they did not know
their daughter would be venerated by millions of people.
There is nothing extraordinary in Poopathy's childhood. Her biography
reflects this history of her times. She was one girl among three, with two
brothers. The best interests for a girl the family held was to fulfil the
ideal type of life that prevailed at that time. Thus Poopathy, with basic
literacy skills, was withdrawn from school and married at the age of twelve.
Two sons were born from this union.
At a very young age Poopathy soon developed the emotions of a matured
woman. Married at twelve years of age, twice a mother and widowed all within
a short span of life. But Poopathy married again to Mr Kanapathipillai, a
widower with two sons and a daughter. Her family then expanded. Two more
sons and two daughters resulted from this marriage and Poopathy became a
mother of ten children.
Poopathy struggled to raise a family in the face of shrinking
opportunities for Tamil and Muslim children and mounting Sinhala State
oppression.
The young men of Poopathy's children's generation were targets of the
military operations by the Sri Lankan armed forces. Indiscriminate killings,
'disappearances' and torture confronted the generation of her children.
Eventually the horror and pain of military operations came to her doorstep.
Poopathy's 28 year old son was shot dead by the Sri Lankan army. She
tried to remove her family from the area of military operations by shifting
to Navatkerni near Batticaloa. Again however, her eldest son by the second
marriage was randomly shot dead by the Special Task Force.
Another son, arrested during round up operations, was held in Boosa army
camp and subjected to severe torture. Poopathy's response to the death and
pain of her children was grief and sadness. But grief and sadness, rather
than weighing her down in perpetual morbidity, turned to rage and
selflessness.
Poopathy amma transformed depressing, individual emotions into positive
social action. Poopathy knew that her experiences were the experiences of
countless numbers of women. She came into contact with the Mother's Front in
Navatkerni and through this organisation was able to support, help and
inspire other women who were going through the same traumas as she herself
had been.
Poopathy amma as a member of the Mother's Front, became a vociferous
critique of the military operations and widespread violation of human rights
by the Sri Lankan armed forces. Undeterred by the armed forces potential for
killing and maiming, Poopathy protested against the military atrocities of
the Sri Lankan troops. She often went to the army camp to enquire about the
disappearance of husbands and sons.
The height of Poopathy amma's political campaign against the oppression
of the Tamil and Muslim people and the violation of human rights came during
the occupation of the north and east by the Indian army. The outbreak of war
between the Indian army and the LTTE and the subsequent death and atrocities
perpetrated against innocent Tamil and Muslim people horrified Poopathy
amma.
Poopathy amma, with grave risk to herself from a ruthless army of
occupation, was determined to lodge her protest against the war and the
consequent death and mayhem caused by the Indian army. When political
activity was banned by the Indian army, Poopathy boldly ignored the orders
and organised demonstrations and protests against the atrocities perpetrated
by them.
Ultimately the Women's Front decided that it would use the weapon of
fasting to express its disapproval of the war against the people. Two Tamil
women, Mrs Annammah David and Mrs Nesammah Vadivel commenced a fast unto
death. The occupying Indian army severely embarrassed by the determination
of Tamil women to demonstrate their dislike of the presence of the troops
broke up the hunger strike.
Poopathy amma, however, outraged by this impingement on political
freedoms and determined to protest to the world the injustice of the war,
resolved to carry on the hunger strike to achieve her political goals.
On 19th March 1988 Poopathy amma took up residence at Mahmangam
Pillayar temple and commenced her fast. She put forward two demands:
(1)An immediate unconditional ceasefire between the LTTE and the IPKF.
(2)Unconditional talks between the LTTE and the Indian government.
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