In
my line of work one often has to travel. Mostly short distances.
[Pointing to the
map of Thamul Eelam] From Tontaimanarru to Yarlpannam. Back to
Vanni; from there to Tirrukonamalai and to Mattakkalappu upto Amparaui.
Occasionally one has to journey long-distances either by auto-rickshaw,
car, coach, or even a Jumbo jet. My traveling circuits have some times
taken me far and wide. It has taken me less time to travel up here [to
New York] than to negotiate shorter distances within Elam through
various check points, death squads and danger zones! Most of these
travels take me to all sorts of meetings, congregations and gatherings.
Some are utterly boring and pointless; yet others are thought provoking and useful. Conferences; academic seminars; even talk shops and silent retreats. There is however always, one thing in common in all of this human interaction. People come up with intelligent questions most times except a few. Incidentally, they also reveal their received opinions by giving nearly always second-hand answers. One very quickly finds that there is a yawning-gap between their answers and the actual reality. People are often lead – “lead to believe” this that and the other; lead by the nose as it were, in order to arrive at a manufactured consent (a Chomsky term).
Pre-cooked Thinking
People find it much easier to not think. In all walks of life computer
does the job for us today and put us on a sleep mode. In this regard
Fallaci ─ a controversial, but dangerously honest figure, I know from
this city puts it succinctly. quote:
«Because the brain is like a muscle. And as any other muscle it needs to be exercised. If it is not exercised, it becomes lazy. Sluggish. It atrophies like my legs when I sit at this desk for months, for months I don’t walk. And while atrophying, the brain becomes less intelligent. Worse: it becomes stupid. Becoming stupid it loses the ability of reasoning, of judging, and delivers itself to the others’ already-taken decisions. To the others’ already-taken solutions. It surrenders to thoughts already processed and wrapped like pre-cooked food. Recipes, by the way other than thoughts. Indoctrination’s formulas, rather than ideas…» [Oriana Fallaci, The Force of Reason, NY: 2006; p.255]
My journeys have taken me to the West: to the U.K, the US, Canada and
Scandinavia etc. I find these places sophisticated and well-lit. People
are living a rat race and sometimes one finds them to be too stitched up
both in temperament and in temperature. Once these folks perceive that
you are from South Asia they ask whether I am a South Indian or Sri
Lankan. One finds it slightly irritating by their subtle enquiries and
alarming ignorance of all matters Tamil particularly among ‘educated
classes’. Often I find my self chuckle and respond “I’m a Tamil: I’m
from Eelam.” Each time this response brings identical reaction. They
frown and puff their lips. They perceive instantly where I stand
spiritually, politically and philosophically. They do not know where to
put me; or which compartment to consign to. We try to size people up
don’t we? You will find this uniformed reaction intriguing! The concept
of Eelam – a country in the making, becomes unmistakably an icebreaker
and always a good conversation point. The [Tamil] Tigers have certainly
placed the Tamils prominently on the world map. Recently a Sinhala
solicitor (incidentally he goes as Bala instead of the longer version
Balapitiya) told me that when he was in London [UK] he replied to some
one that he originates from Sri Lanka. Bala was promptly asked by that
English person whether he was a Tamil Tiger. Of course, what an irony!
Tolerance
At a seminar in Kensington, London, a German philosopher was my lunch
time companion. Hans was enjoying the “Today’s Special” in the menu:
steaming Basmati rice with mild chicken curry at the university canteen.
Yours truly of course, as an easterner, wanted to taste something
Western. So I was served with fish and chips (or “freedom fries”) with a
piece of lemon. It reminded me of fried cassava chips, dash of lime and
a sprinkling of Jaffna chilli powder we used to buy as school kids from
the road-side vendor named Serta – a Malayali [A man from Malayalam].
Uh! Mouth watering that…
At the table our conversation circled around the Tamil struggle for liberation. He queried: “In these situations which principle takes precedence – Human rights or religious rights?” Should we interpret the latter to be civil right and the first to be natural right? I should leave these questions to be dissected by a competent legal mind. Nonetheless I responded by saying, if we go down the “religious rights” path then the State religionist – in Sri Lanka it is the Buddhist Maha Sangha and its supreme Thero-monks which would have the “right” to exert negative influence over the state and inspire state terror against the Tamils. Such an argument would spiritualize and justify violence/force/aggression/terror against Tamils!
State religious theology does undergird their violent rationale and
fans the belief that the Sinhalas are the sole sons of the soil (Pumi
Putras). So it is contrary to the inclusiveness of Woody Guthrie’s
unofficial US anthem: “This land is my land; this land is your land”. In
fact Sri Lanka is solely a Buddhist land; Period. Sinhala is the sole
official tongue. Unfortunately, Sinhalas are stuck in that mind-frame.
Any thing other than the state religion [Theravada Buddhism] is alien
and only to be “tolerated” with great discomfort – to put it mildly.
One finds the PC word TOLERANCE is an offensive description. It emanates
negativity. You tolerate something when you don’t really like its
presence. If you like something you accommodate and even embrace. The
Sinhalas don’t have to tolerate the Tamils per se. That is condescending
nonsense. Tamils are an indigenous people. The Anglo-Australians or the
Anglo-Americans/Canadians do not have to put up with or “tolerate” the
original people having stolen their land and slowly plundered and pushed
them to the brink of extinction!! The word tolerate subtly
differentiates between the “in crowd” and the out castes. The notion is
that it is the duty of the state religion (legal) to influence the power
structures. The non-state religions which are tolerated for the sake of
“civilized decency” -- what an absurdity.
Genocide
[Israeli exchange student-Kibbutzim majoring on international relations
stood up to ask a question. YR] He said ‘my grand parents witnessed the
depravity of humanity in Poland during Nazi reign of terror. My mother
told us, until my grand parents died they couldn’t help but would always
peep through the window before they went to bed each night to make sure
that the Nazi guards are not coming to consign them to the gas
chambers…’ [As he spoke he melted into tears; his voice choked. YR]
‘Even though they knew in their mind they were living in New York and
that experience was past…still they lived through the trauma each night.
They would recite the Torah with faith yet with shriveling fear. It has
left a deep scar…’ He asked, ‘Don’t you think there will be similar
experiences in your community as well?’ [The response was choking
silence: “Umm, umm…” YR]:
Why is it that we humans refuse to learn from our past mistakes? Sadly
the slow genocide of the Eelam Tamils is a reality. The tactic of the
Sinhala state since the 1940s’ is ethnic cleansing! I wonder why the
world wishes to remain silent about it…
[This gathering became very solemn like a religious worship service. It
was quite moving. YR]
Suddenly it dawns on us all that pain, grief and suffering - it is a
universal language and it unites people who have sensitive hearts and
minds. Truth is both subjective and objective. It is not purely
academic. One has to encounter, feel, experience and explore truth. It
is like music. Music can be academic and wooden. It is however, meant to
be much more than that isn’t it? They always ask how Beethoven could
produce such divine music even though he was increasingly becoming tone
deaf. Recently Daniel Barrenboim asked: “How could Wagner write sublime
music even though he was anti-Semitic?”
Music is amoral. It’s like a knife on the table he explained. You can slice bread with it and feed the hungry. You can also cut some body’s throat with it. What we do with the knife is the question. It is in that we make the judgment whether the act is moral or otherwise. Music is physical, ethereal, and even cerebral. It transports us from the temporal into an eternal realm. Like music; truth also has to be enjoyed. It unlocks our prophetic imagination and expands our horizons.
It churns our spirit and moves us emotionally. It takes us to
inexplicable heights from which we perceive boundless vistas of
possibilities. In a lecture given out side the walls of the Old City of
Jerusalem (meaning ironically the city of peace = both Hebrew Shalom and
Arabic Salam) when asked about the “Divan” a music-project [inspired by
Palestinian intellectual Said and Jewish Barrenboim] to bring the
Israelis and Arabs play together as an orchestra Barrenboim replied
“Divan cannot bring about peace; what it can do is to awaken curiosity
and then perhaps the courage to listen to the narrative of the other and
at the very least to accept its legitimacy.” That is of course a
spiritual and intellectual experience. Easterners would call it Rasa.
Out of that root up shoots the word Rasika. One, who perceives it
subjectively and also able to stand back, peel layer by layer, look,
observe and analyze objectively.
Quality
Eelam cause is primarily ethereal as much as it is political. One has to
be objective not strictly in a clinical sense. In human realities; in
life and death situations; one cannot but be affected by fellow-human
emotions and painful articulations — that is human nature to be affected
by the subjectivity and the experientiality of the context or the
situation. In midst of it one strives to be an objective witness to
truth. Christ went through a subjective experience of human suffering on
the Cross and became the God-witness of truth. It is inaccurate to
believe that God is not affected by human suffering, grief and pain. The
incarnation of God in Christ questions that trend of thinking. To his
disciples Lord Jesus said, I am the truth. Yet when asked before his
crucifixion by Pilate – who “thought” he had the life of Christ in his
hands, “What is Truth?” he asked, Christ’s’ response was profound
silence. It is good practice in hermeneutics not to interpret from
silence. To remain silent is not a lie. Everything begins in silence and
ends in silence. Pilate was irritated or even might have felt insulted
by Jesus’ silent response.
Music is perceived sound. Not just to be heard and entertained; but
essentially to be listened to and to be refreshed in sprit, soul and
mind. Then there is silence. In the beginning there was sound; then the
magic of sound – music then follows eloquent silence. Silence precedes
and follows harmony. It is difficult and almost impossible to be
objective in the midst of subjectivity some might say. This is not a
precise science. We must uphold all liberation struggles as a moral
cause.
The reason for struggle is not party-political; the reason is purely
deeply spiritual because there is intrinsic discord; a break in harmony
in the community; people express their pain and suffering through soul
music, poetry, liberation anthems, resistance literature etc; People are
striving to cut fetters and emancipate. The suppressor will not like it
and will call these expressions “subversive” etc; in this very human
struggle things cannot be expected to be perfect. There might be moral
lapses. It is unrealistic to expect perfection. There will be human
fallibility. Mistakes can and will happen. But none can use this as a
justification to be duplicitous. If we stoop to such levels, then we
loose sight of our moral compass. We like the terror state are bound to
loose the moral weight. We should not compromise our integrity just to
win a battle. No; no, in the end the war of independence has to be won.
Interestingly again it is Oriana who points out that, in democracy votes
are counted not weighed. Which is why it’s argued, in democracy,
quantity ends up with being more valuable than quality.
Battle
Humans are born to be free! When our freedom is threatened or curtailed
it is our God-given moral right to fight for that inalienable right to
be restored. As much as we combat with physical forces we should not
fail to perceive that our battle is supremely spiritual. The battle is
both without and within — secular and deeply spiritual. In other words,
Eelam struggle is equally or if not more a spiritual warfare as much as
it is secular or political. Having said that I want to stress that there
is really no distinction, or compartmentalization of spiritual and
secular. Realistically speaking one merges the other. One influences the
other. There is really an over lap. If we approach it only on a secular
plane we may stall the fruition of liberation in its scope. Liberation
is not limited to be political only. St Paul had a brilliant take in
this regard. He said ‘Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this
darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places’ [Greek Testament, Ephesians Ch. 6:10ff]. These words speak for
it self.
In the Old Testament, we find in the Hebrew text of the Bible, a hint of
this hidden reality – I call it “reality” because St Paul says that what
we see with our naked eye can be deceptive; but the veiled reality, that
which we don’t see at present is more real than that which we can
comprehend. I read from the Old Testament: “Then he [Angel Gabriel] said
[to Daniel] ‘Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall return to
fight against the Prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the
prince of Greece is about to come. However, I will tell you what is
inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly
with me against these forces except Michael your prince’ [Guardian angel
of Israel YR].” I don’t wish to read too much into it except to say we
shouldn’t discard these as useless superstition when it does not fit our
rational thought. I suggest that there might be more to it than it
appears on the surface. Perhaps, we ought to be mindful of that; enough
said.
Spirituality
In my communications regarding the Tamil Tigers with a Western
academician, I put some simple questions and asked him to throw some
light. He wrote back rather impatiently “suspend your theology.” I put
to him “You can’t take Theo out of the Tamil people.” His later
responses contained much heat than light! Tamils are not merely a
religious people - Only interested in the “external form of religion”.
Solely occupied with rituals. All these rites are pregnant with
spiritual meanings waiting to be revealed and grasped. Tamils are, one
can safely conclude, essentially a deeply spiritual people. That is
where our real strength lies.
When asked whether the Jews kept their Sabbath during their exiles and exterminations, it was replied: It was the Sabbath that kept the Jews. Strength and power. Barrenboim explained this beautifully in the context of music. ‘The brass members of an orchestra are capable of particularly powerful sounds, but within an orchestra they must constantly be aware of and listen to the other members, and ensure that their strength is used as part of the whole ensemble’.
Power is a matter of trying to control; strength shows what can be built up together in the tensions between the various components. This requires Barrenboim reasoned – “listening; painful listening”. If scholars fail to perceive these nuances, they will with their ‘puffed up heads’ unavoidably mislead their readers and misinterpret the Tamils and their struggle. I think sadly it is such misplaced politics, human greed and misunderstood reasoning that has made some countries including the US, Canada and the EU to proscribe our struggle! Very painful that. This morning a French Canadian brother – a close friend of mine e-mailed the response he had received from the Canadian minister of foreign affairs. Claude out of his deep spiritual conviction, a sense of moral rage, and incisive intellectual insight had penned a protest letter on Canada’s stand against our struggle. I shall now read to you the response he received from the minister Mr. Peter MacKay: Quote
“On April 8, 2006, the Government of Canada listed the LTTE as a
terrorist organization pursuant to the Canadian Criminal Code. The LTTE
was already listed pursuant to Canada's United Nations Suppression of
Terrorism Regulations since November 2001. Canada's decision to list the
LTTE as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code was based on its
commitment to protect Canadians by taking firm steps toward combatting
terrorism and, at this stage, it also emphasises Canada's commitment to
call on all Parties to renounce violence and focus their energies on
negotiations leading to a peaceful settlement.””Canada has played an important role in sustaining the fragile Sri Lankan
Peace Process through both political and diplomatic interventions. The
Government of Canada has also provided funding to the Forum of
Federations to supply the Parties with technical information and expert
advice regarding options for political power-sharing which could form
the basis of a permanent settlement to the conflict.””I wish to reiterate Canada's commitment to supporting a negotiated
settlement to the conflict which satisfies the legitimate aspirations of
all Sri Lankans, regardless of language, religion or ethnicity, while
preserving the country's unity and territorial integrity.” - Unquote [Dated 31st May 2006]
O! Why won’t the West “Listen” to our legitimacy? Don’t the Tamils
have “right to exist” with honorable peace? The Tamil Tigers have never
questioned the Sinhala nation of their right to exist. But the Tamils
feel and think that in light of our blood-soaked history it is only
right that we co-exist – but not under the same roof, as it were. We are
struggling for the human “right to exist” in our historical homeland.
What is so immoral about that? From when did the struggle for
self-determination was interpreted as terrorism? Why it is that no one
wants to talk about state terror? When the ‘new world’ fought for its
independence engaging in an armed struggle, the freedom fighters were
branded as terrorists and executed as traitors to the Crown. It’s
interesting to see how history repeats itself…
A bright young student asked me here during a poetry reading at
Fantabulous whether the Diaspora have a Tamil Lobby like the Israel
Lobby or the Jewish Lobby in order to counteract against the Sri Lanka
state propaganda. I’m not politically well-connected to answer that
legitimate query. Is there a distinction, he asked between the Tamil
Lobby and the Eelam Lobby. I can perhaps put it this way - in Elam there
is only one legitimate voice for the Tamils. And that is the Tamil
Tigers. They are our sole representatives. As for the Diaspora my
perception is there might be many voices – probably saying the same
thing without playing as an orchestra. Please don’t take my word for
granted on this matter. I might be wrong. But it is always good to play
together with insight, self-less spirituality, camera-shy strategy. Any
lobby, as we know, should be trained to choose words effectively. That
is their weapon.
|
|
We spoke about Tamils being essentially a spiritual people and our
struggle is first and foremost a spiritual struggle. A longing to be
free. A deep spiritual hunger for emancipation. It is therefore less
precise to engage in peace talks without taking in to account the
vital
element of spirituality [as opposed to religiosity].
Gandhi
obviously understood its significance. This ‘half-naked-fakir’ as he was
impolitely described by Churchill, toppled an empire not by talks only.
Mahatma adamantly refused neither to compromise his goal nor more
importantly Satya – the truth. He won the “war of independence” by sheer
spirituality and truth. The whole liberation/independence project was an
experiment with truth! I am not at all surprised that the Sri Lankan
peace talks are fraught with duplicity and serial folly. It is just
talks without any meaningful actions.
I picked up the
following quotation from the tamilnation.org website. It reads:
'Sri Krishna, when he was being requested by Yudhistra to go as a special envoy to the Court of the Kauravas, was asked by Draupadi what his purpose was in undertaking so hopeless a mission. He replied, 'I shall go to the Kaurava Court to present your case in the best light; to try and get them to accept your demands, and if my efforts fail and war becomes inevitable we shall show the world how we are right and they are wrong so that the world may not misjudge between us.' All the secrets of diplomacy are contained in this statement of Sri Krishna... 'If my persuasion fails', said Krishna, I shall proclaim to the world your innocence and their crime. I shall make the world understand that you are fighting only for your rights'... [Principles and Practice of Diplomacy by K.M.Pannikar Asia Publishing House, Bombay, 1956]
Mahatma
I return to the Mahatma. E Stanley Jones [An American Priest], a close associate of Gandhi wrote, quote:
"Mahatma Gandhi had left the Ashram at Sabarmati on 12th March, 1930, to go on ‘The Salt March.’ He proposed to March to the sea, 150 miles distant, to Dandi, and there make salt, which was a Government monopoly, and thus civilly break the Salt Law and precipitate a crisis and go to jail, to be followed by tens of thousands of others…It was made more dramatic by the announcement as he left that he would not return to the Ashram until he had gained independence for India. It seemed completely absurd. Here was a man in a loin cloth and with a lathi (Bamboo walking stick) going out to do battle with the greatest Empire that ever existed [this is of course before the US expansion], and promising not to return until independence has been gained. Never were two sides more unequally matched…After a struggle seventeen years from the time he left the Ashram the battle was over." [ Stanley Jones, Mahatma Gandhi , First Edition September1948:London]
Tamils are an ancient people. Yet sometimes one can feel that we almost have renounced our essential roots and we might be holding on to token symbolisms of our rich heritage in the mighty rush to appear as ‘moderns’. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying we should remain archaic; being stuck in the stone-age past. But we can run the risk of having thrown the baby with the bath-water, can’t we? Or even more dangerously we might have kept the bath-water and thrown away the baby.
One discards the truthfulness of calling a spade a spade in order to be ‘sophisticated’. Truth is reality – Nijam - ground reality if you prefer. In order to obfuscate reality, you then acquire skills to garnish a lie as truth. You learn to beat about the bush and loose precision and sharpness and call it diplomacy. There is nothing wrong with being diplomatic; being polite, courteous; but for heaven’s sake be honest.
Don’t pawn the goal and loose the aim, put your foot in your mouth
and dare to call it diplomatic victory! We take refuge behind ‘isms’.
Euphemism – you take the sting out of the word and make it synthetic,
sanitized and impotent. Being economical with the truth is not a good
thing. Your conscience tells you that it is a lie. You can apologize for
not telling the truth and accept it as human fallibility. To say sorry
is not a weakness but it is an honorable thing to do. I take offense
however, when state officials or elected politicians or power wielders
with diplomatic inclinations are pretending to be infallible…O, what
hypocrisy!
Taraki
In response to state terror Tamil struggle has followed Netaji’s
path; however the Tamils have not fully forgotten the potent Gandhian
principles. The side opposite determines the mode of the struggle. Our
struggle accommodates both armed resistance force and soul-force as
strategies.
Recently I read the following words of the assassinated bright young
journalist
Taraki from Mattakallapu -
in the scholarly Tamil Nation website, excerpt:
‘We should remember the developments which led up to the Indo-Lanka Treaty and the arrival of the Indian Army. Then influential Tamils (fools and there are many of the educated variety among Tamils, Taraki fumed) propagated an illusion that ‘Mother’ India would save the Tamils as she did in Bangladesh. In the end what did the Tamils get? They got no political recognition or legitimacy from the Indians for their political resistance and no security guarantees for their lives from Indians or anyone else. Even if we are to discuss peace with Colombo for the next 100 years an acceptable political solution is not going to be possible’
In living memory of Taraki I wish to recite a poem from the Purananuru:
“When she heard the many voices saying, “That aged woman with dry,
veined arms where the soft flesh hangs down, she whose belly
is wrinkled like a lotus leaf ─ her son was afraid of the enemy army
and he showed them his back and ran!” then rage overcame her and she said,
“If he fled in the furious battle, I will cut off the breast
at which he sucked!” and she snatched up a sword and she
turned over every body lying there on the blood-soaked field.
And when she found her son who was scattered
In pieces, she felt happier than she had been the day she bore him.
[278; Translated by George L. Hart and Hank Heifetz]
Let us hold silence for a moment please…
Think
Not too long ago, I found my self conversing with an Indian Columnist about the Eelam cause. Of course, he is entitled to his views as a journalist. He comes across as a gentleman and a humble person. That combination, it must be said, is a rare commodity among political writers. I might strongly disagree with some of his views and refuse to see eye to eye. Accommodation of opposite views instead of tolerance is civilized decency. He has filled considerable amount of column inches on the Tamil struggle. Having courteously encouraged him to “think out side the box” (to mean out side the Brahmanistic Madras mind-set) I privately urged him to give a genuine answer to an honest query. I asked him as to why the Chennai Brahmin media persistently opposes the Tamil Struggle. Is it a caste issue? He responded in writing with the following analysis. Because it was a private communication, with his permission I quote:
“As regards the Madras Brahmins, they are at the same time a ruling class and a deposed class! And they suffer from the complexes that afflict both these categories! They had lost their political and official power in Tamil Nadu due to the Dravidian movement, and are therefore a deposed class nursing a deep grievance.”
“But they made it in the private sector, independent professions and in Central government service. With the result, today, they are very much a member of the Indian ruling class. Despite the Dravidian movement, they are influential in Tamil Nadu also, though they are absent in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, Jayalalitha being the only Brahmin member.”
“Their propensity to acquire an education and migrate in search of employment (like the Jaffna Tamils) gave them new avenues of mobility to compensate the loss in Tamil Nadu.”
“However, despite the obvious progress they have made, they still feel deprived and always talk of the past when they were the "top dogs" in Tamil Nadu.”
“As members of the ruling class in India today, and like all ruling elites, they do not want any movement that upsets the existing order.”
“They fear that a resurgence of Tamil nationalism will accentuate their political marginalization in Tamil Nadu and therefore do not like the Eelam movement.”
“But they would like a Hindu movement in Eelam because then they can play a lead role in it given their high status in Hindu society the world over.”
These sessions will be hardly complete if I didn’t draw to a close without the reading of a Kasi Poem. It is entitled Koil. Temple.
Ceruppukalai veliya vittu
Ullai pogurathu
Alluku. [Kasi Ananthan narukkukal. Chennai: Naa. Arunasalam, 1999.]We leave our sandals ─ our foot wear out side and we enter the temple for worship [A worshipper entering a temple is shown in the sketch by Vira SandaNam for the poem on power point YR]. Now the ‘dirt’ has entered the temple.
I’ll encourage you to think about it. My concluding remark is –
action is the natural articulation of thought. WE should avoid the
danger of falling into the category of thoughtless actions. Think we
must; and let others to think and act. That is freedom, liberty…
Now let us hold silence in our hearts; minds; thoughts. And listen.
Meditate. Shalom! Vanakkam!
Music is played…
[At the
Court of the Chera King, Water Lily Acoustics. Track: Coming Home;
Vocal: Shweta Jhaveri (considered the foremost student of Pandit Jesraj)
– Khyāl, a form of Hindustani vocal music. In the sleeve-notes producer
Kavichandran writes: “The Cathars, who espoused the ideal of love, were
decimated not because they posed a temporal threat, but for their
spiritual beliefs”. YR]
Friends! I wish to begin this final session with silent reverence -
in honor
of my sisters and brothers – true heroes, women and men of courage
and self-giving, who have fallen as seeds of life in the battle field
for the cause of Munn Meetpu - freedom, liberty, justice and peace.
All Stand. SILENCE
Poem: They slept with a dream
As victors;
Whispering in their spirit
A song;
They did not lament
When they gave up their youthful life
For the freedom of many…
I lay Karthigai poo at the Nadukal
Soaked in tear- drops in memory of Maveerar
They have become parts of living history.
We shall re-member them; they are part of us.
In my spirit there is a prison-break
A bursting forth of a redemption song;
A ballad soaked in blood, sweat and tears
Awake! Awake!! Break the fetters
Touch the breeze of freedom
Sing my beloved…
Turn to the hills of Tirrukonamalai
Cry free at last! Thamil Eelam!
Constitution
Mr. Richler mentioned in the discussion this evening that without
tackling the constitution of Sri Lanka there is hardly any point in
advancing the peace talks. Being an academic in jurisprudence and a
radical intellectual he must be absolutely accurate in his analysis. I’m
not a lawyer but have consistently held a dim-view on the
Norway-initiated peace talks. My hunch and my pastoral instinct was that
this was not genuine attempt of peace making. Only very recently, in
discussing these matters with some EU affiliated English senior clerics
have I warmed up to the idea perhaps; the Brits who gave Lanka the
constitution in the first place could probably help us sort this mess
out. In order for that to happen some one has got to politely invite
them in order to sort the mess they left us in. We need not of course
tell them that…The Tamil exquisite approach can gently convict their
conscience. They ought to respond to that.
Remember it is the Labour Government who in the end
sealed the independence deal with Gandhi. Labor PM Blair is looking to
finish his term with some honourable legacy. Why doesn’t the “Tamil
lobby” gently persuade him to seal the independence of Tamils? Why not
ha!
In regard to Mr. Richler’s point my readings on the subject has given me
the following information. Many scholars and expert practitioners in the
field of constitution seem to be of the mind that the current
constitution of Sri Lanka is really an obstacle to peace. I have even
heard in conversation a British liberal politician question the legal
validity of the
Sri Lankan Constitution. Many point to both Articles 9 and 18 as
problematic.
“9. The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the state to protect and foster the Buddha sasana, while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14(1)(e).”
“10. Every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of his/her choice”
14(1) (e) every citizen is entitled to - - - the freedom, either by himself or in association with others, and either in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching…” (Certified August 31.1978)
The Sri Lankan strand of Theravada politico-Buddhism
holds a foremost position and Sinhala is the only official language.
Please do not interpret that I am being anti-Buddhist. I am specifically
speaking here of politico Buddhism. The Buddhist Mahasangha makes
therefore a ‘legitimate connection’ between state religion with social
and political control. Hence the Sinhala state has a selective
interpretation of the constitution. Some scholars have opined that no
political solutions can eliminate the concept and practice of political
Buddhism which seem to have clear fascist traits. The state however will
protect only the interests of Buddhism and the Sinhala majority. Hence
the Unitarian constitution is nothing but an instrument of suppression.
Very much akin to the apartheid South Africa. All efforts of peace are
sadly based on flimsy grounds. As one senior diplomat observed the Sri
Lanka peace talks “at best would be gravely a tactical exercise; and at
worst a cosmetic farce.” The West has aided and abetted the Sinhala
state in its dilatory tactics. And in the end it is the [Tamil} Tigers
who get the blame.
Sri Lanka has signed up to the UN universal declaration of Human rights.
The violations of these above articles are also clear violations of
Article 18:
“Every one has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
In light of this article 18, the anti-conversation bill which Sri Lanka tried to push through parliament was a direct violation to this principle. In a Buddhist majoritarian state there is no liberty for the minorities, principal minority in particular. The Sinhala state while terrorizing the Tamils have almost managed to convince the international community that it is the [Tamil] Tigers who are trying to divide the country.
One has to be reasonable and ask is why that the Tamils
are struggling for their self-determination? Initially the Tamils
struggled non-violently for a federal set-up soon after the independence
[in 1948]. Why are they now asking for an autonomous region? I have said
before and I say hundred times again. [Tamil] Tigers are a consequence
of Sinhala hegemony and ruthless state terror.
What is happening today, even as I speak now in many parts of Tamil
territories? Multitudes of Tamils are being slaughtered like sheep. The
international community has chosen the ‘safe’ option of silence. That is
a deliberate sin of omission. Despicable act of double-standards. A
blatant breach of human rights!
New Constitution
If Talks are held to discuss a new constitution for Sri Lanka that will
be the day truly we can shout and be glad and say “Today we are tackling
the crux of the problem”. We do not want to scratch the surface when our
people are facing the danger of extinction. It is too late for that. If
the Norwegian envoy Mr. Erik Solheim is truly interested in getting some
acceptable solution to the crisis he should perhaps exert pressure and
put forward such a suggestion to President Rajapaksha. I think he knows
only too well what answer he would get. It must be noted however that
Mr. Solheim’s diplomacy miserably failed to achieve any thing
“substantial” in the Palestine-Israel conflict. The road-map to peace
has turned out be doom and gloom for the Palestinians. It is all a
dilatory tactic! Every one knows what is happening to a democratically
elected government in Palestine.
Talks on a new constitution to Sri Lanka! Will that day come is the big
question? Will the
Buddhist Mahasangha permit that to happen? Any other moves are just
an international eye-wash. Plutocratic piffles and so-called "diplomatic
victories" to pin on the lapel of your tail-coat; false starts and
ego-trips. Phew! I’ve got that off my chest.
Mr. Prabaharan
must have seen through these optical illusions of the rainbow. Many
experts believe the removal of [above mentioned] article 9 together with
article 18 in the “new constitution” is the beginning of the end of
Buddhist Sinhala hegemony. It will be seen as a great improvement and a
humongous achievement. An Armstrongian one step towards a giant leap!
Then of course, politico-Buddhism will be unseated from it mythological
status of claiming every inch of Sri Lanka to be solely a
Sinhala Buddhist Land - a private estate! (trespasses will be
electrocuted).
Will such genuine talks be kick started? Will the international
community propose such a move? Will the West drop the proscription on
the Tamil struggle? Britain has a moral obligation for having
ruled Ceylon as a former colonizer for over 100 years. Would Britain
take up this moral challenge? Will the Labor government initiate the
process of genuine change in Sri Lanka? Perhaps it will.
A host of scholars have reasoned that the new constitution will have an
explicit declaration of Sri Lanka as a multilinguistic, SECULAR, united,
not Unitarian Republic. If none can urge the Sinhala Buddhist to change
their ‘legal’ instrument which legitimizes the suppression and
oppression of Tamils in the name of Buddha then it is utterly and
completely immoral to threaten the Tamils to drop the demand for Tamil
Eelam. In essence the fracture of the island is already a spiritual and
mental and even a political reality. The late
Professor
Wilson foresaw that so many years ago.
The ground reality demands us to taking into
consideration the
defacto state of Tamil Eelam. The Tamils currently have legitimate
armed forces including the police, law courts etc to protect the land,
sea and the air and most importantly the dispossessed people. What is
immoral or “illegal” or “terroristic”about that when the Sri Lankan
State is
systematically liquidating its principal minority? Does the
international community want us to be slaves? Why should the Tamil
leadership in Vanni face restrictive posturing of the international
community? Do we call that the stance of the Free world, the liberal
West?
Peace is not just a theory. Peace must become reality in praxis. The
redrafting of the constitution has to be experimented and experienced.
Let us therefore stop engaging in theoretical conjectures and political
verbosity while multitudes are dying daily. If Sri Lanka needs to be at
peace with the Eelam people a new constitution have to be instituted.
Only then in this process can the institutional racism, politico
Buddhism, terrorism and fascism can be toppled, dislodged and
dismantled. Let’s tackle the bull by its horns. Will the Sinhalas see
that as a red rag to a bull? Gottcha!
The Tamils in Eelam are
not blind to supra national, and geo-strategic political realities.
There are positive signs to believe that Eelam will be a democratic
secular state. And the ancient port-city Tirukonamalai shall be our
capital. Enough said. Now I must switch the subject for health reasons.
Mother land
Let me read to you from
Kasi Ananthan short stories. These are little golden nuggets written
in beautiful prose in Tamil. I can only give you the gist of it in
English.
The first nugget is entitled in Tamil Tayi Agam = Mother land.
In the sea shore a crab asked the resting dingy boat “These people are catching beautiful and colorful fish why?” The boat was motionless and silent. After a while the boat replied: “All these colorful fish are kept in glass tanks…it seems.” ‘O, then?’ pondered the crab. The boat said: “These fish leap out from the enclosed glass tank looking and longing for the waves…”
Friends, the poet has captured in a few words the
longing of the people in exile.
Rights
Rain. Heavy shower. The frogs began to raise their voices. The river tortoise looked at the frogs and said: “Why are you all raising your voice? Shhh... Having heard your cry if the snake happens to feed on you what will be your plight?” The frogs had a throaty laugh! From the crowd a frog replied: “We will not be worried a bit.” Another frog said: “We might loose our life; but we ain’t willing to loose our right to speech.”
Skins
The snake peeled its skin and went into the fields where a flock sheep were grazing. The old Cockerel told a sheep that was alone: “Look, the snake is going towards your flock; watch it! It’s a dangerous snake. Even one was to touch its teeth its enough to kill. It’s poisonous.” In a short while the screams of the sheep was heard in the field. So, the Cockerel and the lone sheep went towards the place where “the fatal incident has occurred”. They saw two sheep were dead. The Cockerel said: What is the point of the snake shedding its skin or taking off its rattling tail? The point is the snake has not removed its poisonous tooth.
Conclusion
I think the story of the snake
says it all. That is the genius of poet Kasi. I am left only to say to
say a big “thank you” -- Nandree to Dr Yakov. A warm thank you to one
and all for listening.
The exilic Jews believed and looked for their
emancipation with great anticipation and expressed each year for many,
many years “Next year we shall be in Jerusalem.” Like wise I shall with
faith say “Next year we shall meet in Tirukkonamalai, Thamil Eelam.” Our
spirituality is our strength. God bless! Salam; Shalom; Vannakam!
