Karthikai Poo
Tamil Eelam National Flower

Shankar - First Maveeran

Maveerar -
அணையாத தீபங்கள்...

Click & Light a Lamp

Paintings

Maveerar Naal Oviyam

மாவீரர் சுமந்த கனவுகளில் ஒரு தேசம் தெரிகின்றது...

Poems

என்னால் கவிதை எழுத முடியவில்லை...
சுப வீரபாண்டியன்

Writings

TAMIL EELAM STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

மாவீரர் -  Tamil National Heroes
மாவீரர் சுமந்த கனவுகளில் ஒரு தேசம் தெரிகின்றது...

உங்கள் உடல்கள் சாய்ந்ததால், எங்கள் தலைகள் நிமிர்ந்தன.. இன்று.. நாங்கள் வெறும் கவிதை பாடிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறோம்..நீங்களோ.. காவியமாகி விட்டீர்கள்..   - ManNin Maintharkal - A poem by Raj Swarnan

"Because you gave your lives, We continue to live...
Because your bodies have fallen, We stand perpendicular...
Today..., We..., We are simply singing poems
You..., You have become the song itself..., The time will come...
When your dreams, Your dreams for the freedom of your people,
Will become an enduring reality..., The time will come..."
Children of Our Soil

Maaveerar  மாவீரர் -  அணையாத தீபங்கள்

Nadesan Satyendra, 27 November 2006

All peoples remember, honour and mourn their war dead. The 11th of November is Remembrance Day for the countries of the British Commonwealth such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia and South Africa as well as for some European countries such as France and Belgium. The Cenotaph (meaning Empty Tomb) in London carries the simple inscription "The Glorious Dead" and it is here that a Remembrance service is held each year at 11 am on the Sunday nearest 11 November.

For the people of Tamil Eelam and for Tamils living in many lands and across distant seas, the 27th of November is the day on which they remember, honour and mourn those who have given their lives in the Tamil Eelam struggle for freedom from alien Sinhala rule. It is the day marked by the death of Shankar in 1982 - the first death of a cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Since then, more than 17,900 have given their lives so that their brothers and sisters may live with self respect and in freedom - in Tamil we say thanmaanam - தன்மானம்.

The Tamil people do not seek to glorify war because we know too well the pain and suffering that war brings in its trail. Neither do we seek to glorify our war heroes. To glorify is to boast and magnify. And we seek neither to boast nor to magnify. But we do seek to remember, honour and mourn our war dead - remember with gratitude, honour with humility and mourn from deep within our hearts. And, at the same time, we seek to re dedicate ourselves to the cause of justice and freedom for which our brothers and sisters, our udanpirapukal - உடன் பிறப்புகள்,  gave their lives. Those who have died shall not have died in vain.

The people of the United States honour their war heroes with burial in the Arlington National Cemetry. The people of Tamil Eelam have honoured their war heroes with burial, in துயிலும் இல்லம் -  Thuyilum Illam. Today many memorials (துயிலும் இல்லங்கள்) exist in Tamil Eelam where the war dead, the Maaveerars, have been buried. They are the resting places, the homes of those who will not die in our hearts - our அணையாத தீபங்கள்....

மண்ணில் விழைந்த முத்துக்களே... 

மதிப்பிற்குரியவர்களே!  இங்கே விதைக்கப்பட்டிருப்பவைகள் எமது மண்ணின் வீரவித்துக்கள். உங்கள் பாதங்களை மெதுவாக பதியுங்கள்

"ஒரு விடுதலை வீரனின் சாவு ஒரு சாதாரண் மரண நிகழ்வல்ல. அந்தச் சாவு ஒரு சரித்திர நிகழ்வு. ஒரு உன்னத இலட்சியம் உயிர் பெறும் அற்புதமான நிகழ்வு. உண்மையில் ஒரு விடுதலை வீரன் சாவதில்லை. அவனது உயிராக இயங்கி வந்த இலட்சிய நெருப்பு என்றுமே அணைந்து விடுவதில்லை. அந்த இலட்சிய நெருப்பு ஒரு வரலாற்றுச் சக்தியாக மற்றவர்களைப் பற்றிக் கொள்கின்றது. ஒரு இனத்தின் தேசிய ஆன்மாவைத் தட்டியெழுப்பிவிடுகின்றது." Velupillai Pirabaharan on மாவீரர்

"நாம் ஒரு இலட்சிய விதையை விதைத்திருக்கின்றோம். அதற்கு எமது வீரர்களின் இரத்தத்தைப் பாய்ச்சி வளர்க்கின்றோம். இந்த விதை வளர்ந்து விருட்சமாகி எமது மாவீரர்களின் கனவை நனவாக்கும்..." Velupillai Pirabaharan on மாவீரர்

"1995ம் ஆண்டு யாழ்ப்பாண இடப்பெயர்வுக்குப் பின்னர் சிறிலங்காப்படையினர் இங்கே உறங்கிய எம் மாவீரச் செல்வங்களின் கல்லறைகளை சிதைத்து அழித்தனர். அந்த கல்லறைச் சிதைவுகள் இங்கே சேகரித்து வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. சில நொடிப்பொழுதுகள் சிரம் தாழ்த்துவோம்."

"After our displacement in 1995, the Sri Lanka Army damaged and destroyed the munuments of our war heroes, treasured by us. The stone remains of the leftovers have been collected by us. Let us bow our heads and wait at this point for a few moments."

"Our tradition of venerating martyrs as war heroes has always irritated the Sinhala chauvinist state. ....they feel that this tradition has become a source of inspiration to the Tamil freedom movement. Impelled by this hostile attitude, they committed a grave crime that deeply offended the Tamil nation. ..... The enemy forces committed the unpardonable crime of desecration, disrupting the spiritual tranquillity of our martyrs. Their war cemeteries underwent wanton destruction, their tomb-stones up-rooted and flattened and their memorials erased .. ... This act cannot be dismissed as a wanton display of an occupying army. This is a grave act of terrorism which has left an indelible stain in the soul of the Tamil nation." Maha Veera Naal Address - November 1997 (see also Maveerar cemetery destroyed by Sri Lanka Military  for the third time in a week,  9 September 2006; Destroying Maveerar cemetery � an established tradition of Sri Lankan military, 10 February 2007)

Rajani, who was on the verandah of the main house, saw the army jeep entering their compound. She ran through the house to the back door and shouted, �Nirmala Akka, army jeep is coming.�

She warned her elder sister because she knew an LTTE fighter, Shankar, was in her house. Shankar had gone to Nirmala�s house to convey the message Seelan had sent from Tamil Nadu that he had reached India safely. Seelan had also informed Shankar to convey his thanks to Nirmala, her husband Nithiyananthan and Rajani for treating and caring for him for nearly two weeks after he was injured.

Nirmala insisted that Shankar should have lunch. �Today I have cooked chicken. You must taste it and say whether it is tastier than your leader�s (Pirapaharan�s) preparation,� she said. Seelan had told her repeatedly that Pirapaharan�s chicken curry was �tops.� Nirmala served two pieces of chicken and Shankar was biting the first piece when Rajani shouted about the arrival of the army jeep.

Shankar slipped through the back door and ran towards the rear wall and the commando who ran to seal off the back entrance of Nirmala�s house fired at him. Shankar was hit in the stomach. Holding the bleeding stomach tightly Shankar ran nearly three kilometers to reach a safe-house where he handed his revolver to his comrades and collapsed due to excessive loss of blood, thus avoiding capture by the army and saving the weapon, both priority items in the LTTE's code of conduct.

Shankar�s condition deteriorated fast and his senior colleague, Anton, whose real name was Sivakumar, undertook the perilous task of taking him to Tamil Nadu by boat. Anton took Shankar to Kodaikarai, one of the landing points of Tamil militants on the Tamil Nadu coast, kept him in a safe-house and arranged for a doctor to attend on him. Anton rushed to Madurai to arrange for his treatment, then he took Shankar to a private hospital in Madurai. Doctors there declared that his condition was too serious.

Pirapaharan, who was in one of the LTTE training camps, was informed. He returned immediately. Baby Subramaniam, who was at the hospital when Pirapaharan walked in, called the occasion poignant. Pirapaharan was highly emotional, he said. Pirapaharan, took Shankar�s hands into his, lifted them and pressed his cheeks on them. He put them back softly, went and sat near Shankar's head and took it to his lap. Then he gently stroked Shankar�s hair. Shankar looked up. He seemed to have realized that his leader had arrived. He started muttering �Thamby. Thamby. Thamby�� Pirapaharan was �Thamby� (younger brother) to all, even to those younger to him. Shankar was six years younger.

Nedumaran was another who witnessed that moving scene. He has given a graphic description of that event in many interviews. In one interview he said, �They kept gazing at each other. It was impossible to guess what was going on in their minds. Pirapaharan kept looking at him intently, as if he was silently pleading with him not to go away.�

Pirapaharan was visibly shaken. He was seeing the death of one of his cadres for the first time. A 22-year old youth, blossoming into manhood, was dying sacrificing his life for the sake of the honour and dignity of his nation. Tears rolled down Pirapaharan�s plump cheeks. The flame of life in Shankar gradually quenched.

Shankar, who was reading the Russian novel One True Man�s Story when he set out to Nirmala�s house at Nallur on that 20 November morning died after seven days of agony on 27 November, the day which has become a day of remembrance of valour and self-sacrifice for the cause of freedom of the Tamil Nation and the man, Shankar, became another �One True Man�s Story� of courage.

Shankar�s body was cremated in one of Madurai�s cemeteries. Pirapaharan wanted to attend it. Others prevailed on him and prevented him from doing so. Pirapaharan's security was paramount, they argued. Baby Subramaniam, Ponnaman, Kittu and a few others attended. Nedumaran was one of them. That was a momentous day. The Sri Lankan Tamil freedom struggle had paid its first price with the life of an energetic youth.

Shankar's death was not announced publicly. Pirapaharan felt the announcement of the death would encourage the army and the police to hunt the militants. The LTTE then was a tiny organization. It had not more than 30 cadres. Announcement of Shankar�s death would demoralize the Tamil public and discourage youths from joining it. Shankar's father was informed, however. His father, Selvachandran Master, told me that two �Tiger boys� had visited him one night and told him about his son�s death.

The LTTE announced Shankar�s death on his first death anniversary. Jaffna�s walls were plastered with his photograph. Leaflets giving details about his life and exploits were distributed. Munasinghe told me that they knew about Shankar�s death a few months after it had occurred. The Defence Ministry, in its records, entered Shankar as the first Tamil militant to be killed by the army

First Maveerar Nal

Pirapaharan waited for seven years to proclaim the day Shankar died as Maveerar Nal (Hero�s Day). Pushed into the Vanni woods and surrounded by the Indian army, Pirapaharan needed more cadres and required a mode to motivate those who had stuck to him braving immense hardships and personal danger. Pirapaharan, well versed in classical Tamil literature and traditions, resurrected the well-treasured custom of honouring heroes fallen in battle and paying homage to them by erecting tombstones, the custom known as nadugal valipadu-nadugal means tombstone and valipadu worship or paying homage. Pirapaharan revived this tradition, well cherished in Tamil Sangam literature, as one of his motivation strategies.

The revival of nadugal valipadu has had the intended effect. It has transformed the attitude of the wives, children, parents and relatives of the fallen cadres from the feeling of deprivation and wailing to that of participation and pride. It brought the families of the dead fighters closer to the LTTE rather than estranging them from it. It gradually restored the martial culture of the ancient Tamil society. The uppermost aspect of this culture surfaced in the eastern province in the year 2000, when LTTE propaganda reminded the tradition of mothers sending their sons to battle, anointing their foreheads with sandalwood paste, veera thilagam, to replace their killed husbands. And many mothers were roused to do it.

Sinhalese and non-Dravidian Indian policy planers and commentators fail to understand and appreciate the roots of the martial culture of Tamil Dravidians. The spread of Aryan Hinduism and culture blunted the militaristic character of ancient Tamil society. Pirapaharan had gone to Dravidians' roots and brought out their inborn militaristic talents.

In 1989, Pirapaharan declared 27 November, the day Shankar died, as Maveerar Nal (Hero�s Day) and six hundred LTTE cadres, men and women, dressed in battle dress, assembled at a secret location in the Nithikaikulam jungle in the Mullaitivu district to pay homage to the 1307 martyrs who had till then laid down their lives for the cause of liberating the Tamil people. Photographs of those who had fallen were placed on a pedestal, flowers were sprinkled at their foot and coconut oil lamps were lit following the lighting of the main lamp by Pirapaharan. The ceremony, called Eekai Sudar Ettal, was the simple beginning of what has now grown into an elaborate ritual. Pirapaharan was moved by what he had initiated and, in that emotion-charged atmosphere, he delivered his first Maveerar Nal address extemporaneously.

In that brief address, meant to explain the reasons for originating the ceremony, Pirapaharan said: �Today is an important day in our struggle. Today we have started the Hero�s Day in order to pay homage to the 1307 fighters who had sacrificed their lives to attain our sacred objective of Tamil Eelam. We have started this for the first time. You know that many countries in the world honour their freedom fighters by remembering them. We too have decided to proclaim a day of remembrance. We have done so today, the death anniversary of the first hero who attained martyrdom.

�Our people are used to remembering only those who held high posts and who lived comfortable lives. We have decided that leaders should not be given a special treatment. We consider all combatants who sacrificed their lives in this sacred struggle equal. By remembering all those who sacrificed their lives for the struggle on the same day, we will be able to give the credit for the achievements of the struggle to every combatant. Otherwise, with the passage of time, the credit would be given to only a few persons and the sacrifice of others would be neglected and ignored. Any nation that fails to honour heroes, wise men and wise women would be a nation of barbarians. Our nation, more than the others, gives great respect to women. But it has not given similar respect to heroes. Today we have initiated a change. We have begun to give respect to our heroes.

�Till now, we failed to pay respect to the heroes. Today we have changed that. Today, we have allocated a day to pay homage to them. If our nation is able to keep its head high in the world, it is because 1307 heroes sacrificed their lives. It is because they fought without thinking of their lives we have won the respect of the world. Let us from today, observe the Maveerar Nal as an important day every year in our lives.�

That extemporaneous speech gave rise to the tradition of Maveerar Nal Perurai which means Hero�s Day Address. The annual address assumed importance and significance over the years, especially in the past few years; it has acquired immense political import. The celebrations, too, expanded from 1990 when, with the departure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) and the start of the Second Eelam War, Jaffna peninsula fell into the hands of the Tigers. From that year to 1994, the observances were held for a week, while from 1995, when LTTE lost the control of the peninsula, they was restricted to three days.

Activities connected with the Maveerar ceremonies commence at the beginning of November. Literary, cultural and sports competitions are held at village and district levels. Families of heroes, known as Maveerar kudumbamgal are given important places in these activities. The graveyards known as Maveerar thuyilum Illamgal (Houses where heroes are in eternal sleep) are cleaned and painted and readied for the final day ceremony. In a main location, Pirapaharan would take part and in others, area leaders conduct the rituals. Members of the maveerar kudumbamgal would stand in a line with flower trays and small earthen coconut oil lamps or candles depending on whether they are Hindus or Christians. The torch to light the main Flame of Sacrifice, the thiyaga sudar, is brought by LTTE cadres in a relay and handed over to Pirapaharan at the main location or to area leaders at other places. The Flame of Sacrifice is to be lit at 6.04 p.m., the time Shankar died. Then family members light lamps or candles they carried and place them at the foot of the graves of their dead relative.

27th November was made Great Heroes' Day from 1989 onwards to commemorate the death of Cankar. In Tamil it is called mavirar nal, "Day of the Great Heroes". This day was prolonged in 1990 to a whole week. The 27th takes the position of a national day in the present form of the anticipated nation�state of Tamililam. Its purpose is to channel veneration of all LTTE martyrs. It prevents commemorative rituals from being dispersed all over the year.

For a Westerner it can be shortly described as an agon of the LTTE in which the agony of the heroes' death is commemorated and transformed into a victory. Mavirar nal, "Great Heroes' Day'', is celebrated as elucci nal. This later expression has the double meaning of "Day of edification" and "Day of rising". The participant may choose either, one, or better both meanings, according to his or her understanding and liking. "Great Heroes' Day" is indeed a day of mourning, of agony, but it is transformed into a Day of edification and, or, rising.

Veluppillai Pirapakaran was very close to Cankar. There are many stories about the last hours between the two. The fact that there are so many stories about it and that 27th November has been made Great Heroes' Day and this day even the National Day of Tamililam, indicates that the death of Cankar was a key experience for Veluppillai Pirapakaran. We have to take this experience as the seal on the determination to kill and to get killed - to the last man.

The original experience and what really happened is today overlaid by levels of reflections in retelling the same story. Sankar is made a collective focal point to re�experience the mourning experience with its predictable outcome. The outcome is clear, to create a preparedness to kill and to get killed in the very act of killing.

One LTTE text prescribes that the week of the Great Hero begins at 9 am. followed by the hoisting of the national banner (the Tiger flag). The entire Tamililam having risen and put on beauty, shall shine in fullness, says the text. The entire Tamil population is in happiness.

The flood of more than life�size posters depicting Cankar on 27th November at the crossroads of Yalppanam is more than impressive; it is overwhelming. All the media are full of his life story, that touches a fundamental mourning behaviour in a martial society.

One LTTE text says that the tupis of the Great Heroes, houses, lanes, houses of learning, public places, the whole population indeed, and all people have themselves become holy on this day. According to this same text, the land of Tamihlam shines with new fullness, having become adorned for all these Great Heroes. According to this text, this kind of commemoration of the Great Heroes should not just be an event, but should develop into a cultural monument and become a cultural element.

During maravar nal cultural performances are arranged. "Cultural performance" is an English rendering for Tamil kalai nikaleci, which literally means "performance of erudition". It can be a drama, dance, song or all three, very often combined. The LTTE has many well�known poets writing in the spirit of the LTTE.

A dramatic performance of and together with a famous poem by Cuppiramaniya Parati (1882�1921) made into a recital called accamillayaccamillai, "fear is not, fear is not" or enru taniyaminta cutantira takam, 'When will the thirst for liberation be quenched?", last but not least as a teru kuttu, "street drama", is highly appreciated. It is worthwhile to look at the public recital in 1990 at one of these two poems by Parati, because both give a contribution to the concepts of heroism, which evidently have been incorporated in a cultural arrangement by the LTTE, recorded, relayed on Cutarcan Television, which is the local television of the LTTE in Yalppanam, and sent out in many copies to the Tamils in exile.

Parati was not only an Indian patriot; his poetic themes also show concern for the poor, the welfare of the common man, adoration of the ancients, confidence in the future generation, concern for women's liberation, children's welfare, and human values, but above all for India's freedom from slavery under colonial power. He became a makkal kavinar, '"people's poet". Although his poems were written in Tamil they became known in several Indian languages, and many a militant within the Tamil resistance of today knows his Parati by heart, in Tamil, of course.

Accamillayaccamillai (அச்சமில்லை, அச்சமில்லை...)  is the name of a poem created in 1914 by Parati, and is the first part of a refrain of that poem which is part of a larger text called Mata Mani Vacakam. The poem recited in Tamil in 1990 at mavirar naal goes like this (in the translation of K G Seshadri):

Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all,
Though all the world be ranged against us,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all!
Though we are slighted and scorned by others,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all!
Though fated to a life of beggary and want,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all,
Though all we owned and held as dear be lost,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all!
Though the corset�breasted cast their glances,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all!
Though friends should feed us poison brew,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all!
Though spears reeking flesh come and assail us,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all!
Though the skies break and fall on the head,
Fear we not, fear we not, fear we not at all!

In the performance of Parati's poem in Yalppanam in 1990, the poem speaks to the performers and listeners of the recital about liberation from slavery, implicitly, applied to the present situation, of the liberation from slavery of the Sinhala dominated administration in Tamil speaking areas. The poem is vague enough to find its implementation in a different situation than originally intended, in a different place and a different time from its origin. In Yalppanam, on mavirar nal, it was performed by actors of both sexes and all age groups on a stage, and the recital was in the rhythm of a march, indicating firm determination.

Another poet is Paratitacan (1891�1964), who contributed to the martial language of the Dravidian movement and influenced the writing of the poet Kaci Anantan, who is one of the most important living and active LTTE poets. Paratitacan was a promoter of Dravidian separatism from India.

There is a tradition of singing songs on many occasions, not only Martyrs' Day, celebrating the martyrs of the LTTE. They are now called pulippatukal, "Tiger songs", but they continue a tradition of parani patutal, "praising war", i.e. a genre of songs that glorifies the hero who killed elephants. This genre was popularised by parts of the Dravidian movement.

The tiger songs are distributed by the LTTE on cassettes and CDs all over the world to Tamils in exile. The most famous ones are by the poets Kaci Anantan and Putuvai. Both are highly active at present creating "martial poetry" or "poetry of resistance".

This constructive literary aspect of LTTE martial culture, being a kalai nikaleci, `'performance of erudition", is often forgotten in the image of the critics of the LTTE. It is very important to identify and highlight this aspect. It is both an expression and a mobilisation of the common thinking and liking of the people with the LTTE. On this level of kalai nikalcci the LTTE enjoys the strongest support from the citizens of Yalppanam. The LTTE may fail in its military adventure and experiment, but what it has achieved by its kalai nikalcci will certainly remain and be cultivated for generations to come. It will constitute the embers of resistance that no enemy will be able to extinguish.