Review by Professor Bertram Bastiampillai:
"In a slim volume, Chelvadurai Manogaran, former Professor of
Geography and International Studies at the University of Wisconsin -
Parkside, endeavours to argue that the Tamils in the northern and
eastern province of Sri Lanka have
a
legitimate claim to the right of self determination. Manogaran has
written a book on *Ethnic
Conflict and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka in 1987 and co-edited a book
with Professor Bryan Pfaffenberger, *The
Sri Lankan Tamils : Ethnicity and Identity
published in 1994.
He is no newcomer to handling the ethnic problem in a study and the
conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the
Sri Lankan government's forces, about which he has comments to offer.
He traces briefly the antecedents of the Sinhala - Tamil problem and
enumerates some of the handicaps suffered by the Tamils in a section
on the "Majoritarian System of Government and Minority Rights." As he
asserts the "Purposes of the monograph is to show that Sri Lankan
Tamils have a long history of settlement, dating back to proto-historic
times..."
He refutes the view that the Tamils were late arrivals and bases his
contention on the similarity of the language and scripts used by
ancient South Indian Tamils and found in Sinhala writing. He cites the
example of the use of the script in the Kuchaveli rock inscription in east
Sri Lanka, and demonstrates that the scripts of the Sinhalese and
Dravidian languages like Telungu are alike indicating relationship.
Additionally, Manogaran advances the idea that along with Tamil
immigration to the island agricultural technology was transferred from
South India to Sri Lanka. His evidence, as he states, is based on
epigraphic records and ancient inscription which testify to a peaceful co-
existence to the Tamils with the Sinhalese. He claims that the term
Sinhalese is not applicable to the early period of the island's
history and the term Sinhala is even not mentioned in ancient
inscriptions. On the contrary, according to the author, inscriptions
reveal clear Tamil presence in the island in ancient times.
Manogaran furthermore devotes a few pages of his concise essay to the
Nagas of Sri Lanka. They are considered to be a discrete group but
like the Tamil speaking Dravidians of South India had continued to worship
Siva. They constructed Siva temples but were also instrumental in the
spread of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. He draws his evidence from the Tamil
epic Manimekalai, and the Mahavamsa when discussing the Buddha's
second visit to the island.
He concludes the final part of this account with a discussion on the
contribution of the Eelam Tamils to the development of Tamil
literature in the Sangam period. Manogaran states that "Tamil speaking
people formed the backbone of the island's society" until the 4th
century AD, "When their identity began to be gradually submerged
in Sinhalese - Buddhist society". The author also speaks of the
paucity of written history on Sri Lankan Tamils and their
tradition quoting Professor K. Kanapathi Pillai.
According to Manogaran there is an unwillingness on the part of the
Sinhalese scholars, especially later, to acknowledge the Tamil
presence despite evidence of an early settlement of the island by Dravadian
speaking people who had migrated from south India from prehistoric
years. He submits that only from the fourth century AD that the chronicles
began to portray the Tamils as enemies of the Sri Lanka state. It was felt
that the existence of Sri Lanka's Sinhalese Buddhist society began to
be felt to be under the constant threat of racial and cultural
assimilation from Dravadian South India, emphasis Manogaran. Hence the
animosity toward Tamil Hindus, he posits.
The extended essay by Chelvadurai Manogaran is bound to excite
interest as well as controversy. The author's views will be challenged and
criticized by some and there can be debate and discussion. But, as a
daily newspaper quoting Amartya Sen, warned "Do not mix myth with history",
and one should be wary about accepting what is conveyed as historical
facts in any controversy. Dr. Deraniyagala has correctly indicated
"that the picture of our country's early civilization is beginning to
drastically change as a result of tests and excavations carried out
here in recent years."
And history may need to rewritten in the light of new evidence and
argument. Much about Tamils needs to be unraveled and examined according to
the author who is convinced and tries to convince that Tamils had been in
the island from early years living peacefully with the Sinhalese. Animosity
against them arose later, affirms Managoran who dedicates the little
monograph "Toward hope for peace in Sri Lanka.""
