With the elimination of LTTE – Tamils are finally free to express their thoughts
By Shenali Waduge
We would not be too far from the truth if we assume that for almost 3 decades the real thoughts of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka lay suppressed under the vicious presence of the LTTE and its leader. From the inception the people were well aware of the consequences of those that dared to oppose LTTE hegemony whether they lived in Sri Lanka or abroad. It was the comfort of making use of the opportunity to take up residence in foreign shores taking advantage of the LTTE’s promotions of Sinhala "discrimination" "genocide" that allow families of the 800,000 Tamil Diaspora to still feel a sense of "gratitude" towards the LTTE.
Yet, do they not spare a thought for the thousands of other Tamils who have had to sacrifice themselves to afford this "opportunity" for these handful of fortunate Tamils and are there not still many even in foreign shores who are aware of the farce that prevails but the fear for their lives keeps them silent? Now finally the Tamil people are free to express their thoughts openly and freely – what are they now thinking?
So, before we go on to addressing the "supposed problems" with the Sinhalese – it is of paramount importance that the Tamils sort out the problems that prevail amongst themselves. Of the 800,000 Tamil Diaspora we are all well aware that only a handful are using underworld methods to fill the LTTE kitty – any Tamil leaving for residence overseas is immediately contacted and a monthly "deduction" towards the LTTE fund is finalized – samurai attacks come courtesy LTTE for those who refuse. In these foreign countries these Tamils end up fearing their own – what an anticlimax! Many even fear to speak negatively about the LTTE even amongst their own. So when we have learned Tamils speaking in praise of the LTTE we should understand the enormity of the "fear" that prevails. Even upon foreign shores Tamils live in the shadow of the LTTE – how can the world ever accept the LTTE as the "sole representative" of the Tamil people by "democratic choice" at least?
So when in corners Tamils are found discussing the present scenario – it obviously means much more then the elimination of a brute force. For decades Tamils whether those in the North, East, in foreign shores or even in Colombo have lived in fear of the LTTE – for almost 30 years they could not think for themselves or express for themselves and they had to silently accept the LTTE voices that came out of the "feigned" Tamil representatives in Parliament. So for almost 30 years it is the LTTE that has denied the Tamil people any means to democratically participate in Governance. In the initial years it is true that many referred to the LTTE as "our boys" but soon these "boys" became traitors of their own people. Tamil people were told who they had to vote for – Tamil people were told what they should say….having broken this vicious 30 year old trend it is relevant that Tamil people be allowed to express themselves freely devoid of the presence of the Tamil "leaders" who have been merely leaders by name only and more often mere mouthpieces for the LTTE while the other Tamil leaders have had to remain under 24x7 security surveillance arranged by the GOSL…..a new set of leaders now need to emerge.
One of the first questions that the Tamil people need to now honestly answer and tell the world is whether there is any truth to the existence of willful discrimination by the Sinhalese against Tamils. This question was never asked and never answered and Tamils enjoyed hiding behind the LTTE avoiding answering it. But, for Sri Lanka to move forward this question needs to be directly asked and directly answered. Are there any provisions constitutionally and legally prevalent that intentionally denies Tamils any rights that the Sinhalese and other ethnic groups enjoy? Are Tamils treated differently before the law? Are Tamils denied education, right to employment, right to own property, live where they like, set up businesses – have any legal document or even secret Govt memo prevailed that has purposely denied Tamils these rights? Do Tamils not own property in Sri Lanka, climb the corporate ladder, get promotions, own businesses, hold professional memberships and hold positions in non-ethnic political parties? Had the LTTE not assassinated Lakshman Kadiragamar he would have become the first Tamil Prime Minister. Abstract opinions have been given undue prominence throughout the reign of the LTTE as it has provided meaningful coexistence for both the LTTE a handful of Tamils who benefited by using the "discrimination” tag. There are a handful who enjoy saying "Tamils are being discriminated" – if this be the case let the examples be specific….give the instances clearly.
We cannot move forward if there are some who desire to continue the charade. Isolated cases cannot be ground for a group to demand a separate state & for these to be addressed positively the authorities must be made aware of what these administrative hiccups are, Sri Lanka in a few days time will enter a very important phase and for post-war peace to move forward we need to be honest and one of the foremost questions that need to be addressed without delay is the question of "Tamil Eelaam". Whether this exists in the minds of a majority of Tamil people still or whether it was a concept promoted to curry flavor for international intervention…Sri Lanka now needs to ask of its Tamil friends whether they still aspire for a separate state. Without this question answered we realistically cannot move forward – mend the fences or espouse to achieve any of the compromises many of us are now contemplating.
The LTTE did not give birth to the concept of Tamil Eelaam therefore the theory that Tamil Eelaam or the desire for a separate state as an only resort to escape Sinhala discrimination becomes null and void. This fact immediately raises the question that asks the all important question of when was the Tamil Eelam concept coined and again it merits us to remember that it was not following the much argued Sinhala Only policy introduced by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. Those who enjoy using the Sinhala Only policy as a catalyst to argue and determine why Tamils embarked upon the Separate State concept will be surprised to know that the Tamil Eelaam concept emerged not as a result of Bandaranaike but with the formation of Chelvanayagam’s political party which was conveniently called Federal Party but its Tamil translation clearly stated Tamil Eelam – a desire for a separate Tamil state and for a political party to be formed to achieve this should raise more than an eyebrow to wonder what the larger motive was. So if the Federal Party was formed before any of the "Sinhala Discrimination" slogans that are being rampantly used is there after all any truth to these "discrimination" "genocide" quotients levied against the Sinhalese?
We can deal with the issue of Tamil Eelam emerging as a result of some Tamils feeling Sinhala discrimination and assuming that the only solution is a separate state for the Tamil people but when the concept of a Tamil Eelam is created no sooner the British hands over power to Sri Lankan leaders it merits to put the question directly to the Tamils and for a Yes/No response now that they are no longer living in the terrified shadow of the LTTE. Do majority of Tamils actually desire a separate state for the Tamil people (irrespective of whether there is Sinhala discrimination or not)?
It was the LTTE who hijacked the Tamil Eelam concept and turned it into a financially lucrative armed struggle that today accounts for USD200 to 300million annual turnover. It has escalated the living styles of a handful of Tamils while disintegrating and destroying thousands of other Tamils who have had to suffer & sacrifice their children, their lives, their livelihoods and their futures so that these handful of Tamils and their families could be better off….it is only now many of these "denied" Tamils can wonder what their lives would have been like without the presence of the LTTE….why would IDPs be smiling and voicing gratitude for the GOSL if they were living in concentration camps or not been looked after properly?
Why would the foreign representatives who have visited these IDP sites be stuck for words for obviously they arrived with a very different notion of what the camps were supposed to look like….all these should give enough of reasons for the international community those that persists in desiring to provide oxygen to a terrorist movement that Sri Lanka has the world’s top terror group now on its bended knees even going so far as to declare a unilateral ceasefire….there are many within the NGO bandwagon especially many of those who have directly had links with the LTTE that now enjoy forecasting the continued existence of the LTTE obviously desiring to have the money wheeling machine running as they have been beneficiaries. But what we can predict is that the very countries that have unabashedly favored the LTTE to continue will soon suffer in their own nations when large scale crimes will escalate when LTTE goons will not be able to force members of the Tamil Diaspora to contribute towards the LTTE.
The realism behind the concept of a separate state for a single ethnic group is interesting – in Tamil Nadu where 65million Tamil prevails more than half would bewail their plight of rights denied and have a plethora of grievances targeted at the ruling State Government….so all is not so rosy even in the State of Tamil Nadu where Tamils live as one community and are in a clear 100% majority. The same can be said of a woman leader holding the mantle of governance – does this equate to mean that this woman leader would provide each and every women all her due rights?
Thus the notion of a separate state providing and catering to all the "aspirations" in equal measure is somewhat of a fanciful notion and it is desired that those who promote this concept see the realism behind it. Similarly, all Governments cannot meet the demands or desires of all its citizens – therefore even the Sinhalese have enough and more reasons to find fault with its Government and this is only natural. Yet, we must all be magnanimous to praise the Government when it takes the right decision as well as find fault when it doesn’t. The Government for its role must ensure that their decisions are taken considering the merits and demerits and in national interest.
In the present context of the grossly mistimed situation for the LTTE which had enjoyed taking successive Governments for a ride…it now finds itself down to a few kilometers a major comedown from the 15,000 sq.km it reined supreme over and the thousands of deaths it has under its belt. All but a few of its leaders have deserted them and even though with blood on their hands the GOSL are treating leaders like Daya Master and George with dignity that they denied others.
Therefore, there is much to look forward to – those outside the theatre of the conflict apart from the bombs and suicide attacks were never privy to the anxiety that Tamils who lived amongst the LTTE suffered from. When the Diaspora can collect millions in dollars for the procurement of arms for the LTTE to kill innocent people it is more than interesting why these front organizations have not even donated even a toffee for these IDPs. The majority of food, clothing, toys are being sent to these camps by Sinhalese and Muslims which shows the world the futility of these false notions of discriminations and genocide.
Why is it that Tamils escaping LTTE are getting fired at and a warm greeting awaits those who escape to the Government controlled areas? Thus, these false portrayals must cease & those who are projecting these vile notions must be legally dealt with. We are now entering a very docile ground situation – men and women who were armed for almost 30 years and controlled a vast stretch of land have almost been eliminated – the capture or death of the LTTE leader will mean much more than the capture and death of the JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera….today that JVP is contesting as a democratic party….though LTTE has been given many a chance to contest and enter mainstream politics its refusal was primarily as a result of its leaders reclusive tendency and the fact that the modern LTTE was being controlled by a group of people living on foreign shores – whether they are members of the LTTE or not we do not know but it is these invisible set of people who have remote controlled the state of affairs in Sri Lanka and it was these people who started to take over the LTTE’s dealings that finds us to presume that Prabakaran was actually taken for a ride by the Tamil Diaspora – its first ande biggest mistake being the assassination of the Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi….
With elections round the corner in Tamil Nadu the stepped up calls for Tamil Eelam by Tamil Nadu leaders should not be taken seriously at all by any of us. When India is well aware of the greater Eelam involving Tamil Nadu would India be remotely willing to accede its territory and 65million people and suffer future border issues if Kerala is suddenly made part of the Greater Eelam? Therefore as the Indian Premier declared India cannot walk its army into a sovereign state. India will never allow a Tamil Eelam certainly not in Sri Lanka for it will be only time that calls for an Eelam in Tamil Nadu would emerge.
For the Tamil people to live harmoniously there are some prerequisites that need to take pride of place – our national anthem and national flag must be given its rightful place – all communities must feel proud to sing the national anthem and it is suggested that the second verse be included in Tamil as a constructive gesture….all these are only symbolic gestures and they need to have an emotional attachment which translates to mean that all communities must be proud to display our national flag and sing the national anthem….can Tamils honestly and openly say that they take pride in displaying the National Flag or singing the National Anthem or do they not feel that property must only be sold to a fellow Tamil?….we all now need to seriously address some of the negatives that have prevailed and plenty of adjustments need to take place but these must be done steadily and at a reasonably slow pace leaving room for changes to take place as we move along – we cannot expect to have changes bulldozed upon us….administratively too there are only some adjustments that can take place & the remainder rests upon the shoulders of the people and their desire to make the most of the debacle that Sri Lanka has had to suffer.
With the elimination of the LTTE there is much we can hope for and much we should hope for. For decades we have lived in negative thought, we have been forced to accept LTTE as representatives of the Tamil people instead of declaring them to be terrorists. Even when the Al Qaeda has not killed and destroyed as the LTTE has done over almost 30 years we can but wonder why countries of the West barring a handful see fit to side with the LTTE.
Yet, finally we can feel happy that the Tamil people will be free to think and free to express themselves, especially those that lived amidst LTTE terror – those that now are smiling in the IDP camps happy to be free and happy to be alive and happy that they have no need to fear for their child’s life being turned into a child soldier. Many of the Tamils outside of these predominately LTTE held areas do not realize the agony that their own people had to suffer from – many unfortunately did not care….these barriers amongst the Tamils must end….Jaffna Tamils must marry and live with those in the East, Jaffna Tamils must allow non-Jaffna Tamils to purchase property in Jaffna and establish businesses…caste systems must not be so rigid….similarly the Government must ensure a more effective and efficient public sector mechanisms….with these hiccups properly dealt with we can surely be hopeful that we are on the right track towards prosperity and development.
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
Great article! There were
Great article! There were many important points brought up in this piece.
The most important question raised is, Whether there is willful discrimination of the Tamils by the Sinhalese people.
It is true that there have been very limited number of incidents in the past which may be relevant to this topic. The most often mentioned is the spontaneous retaliation by a few troublemakers as a response to a LTTE massacre in 1983.
Sri Lankans have learned to avoid such behaviour, to such an extent that numerous mass murders, sucide bombings etc. since then, by the LTTE, has not resulted in any violent response by the masses.
The observations and conclusion from the community lifestyle of the Sinhalese is that as a core issue they do not have any discriminatory thoughts towards the Tamils.
However, it is easy to understand that in the context of LTTE recruitment of tamils for violence all over Sri Lanka, people would have had suspicion and aloofness towards tamils. This is purely a safety mechanism in an atmosphere of LTTE terrorism. If Tamil terrorism is absent, Sinhalese will not need to be suspicious of tamils.
As the writer has described so well, there are no legal, educational, employment or professional discriminatory mechanisms in the Government or private sector in Sri Lanka today.
If areas of discrimination are ever identified, they should to addressed and corrected.
If there is no discrimination, is there any need for all these remedies- right to self determination, devolution, creation of mono-ethnic enclaves, limited autonomy, federalism, separate state etc.?
We have all the fundemental ingrediants for a multiethnic democratic and harmonious country.
Outside interference by other countries,foreign organizations, Indian Tamilnadu, misguided misinformed and hateful Tamil Diaspora are the main reasons today why our goal has become difficult to achieve.
However, we have taken the crucial initial steps through the near-defeat of LTTE terrorism. All we got to do is to keep on working hard to rekindle goodwill and trust among ethnicities and continue to resist destructive manipulation from outside.
An excellent, well timed
An excellent, well timed analysis.
It is not the Tamil people...it is the Tamil leaderships who have led the innocents into this path of feeling they were being kept down by the Sinhalese whereas it was the pernicious CASTE system of the Northern Tamils that kept the lower castes from rising up. Times were different, and with the Tamil youth pushing for educational and economic opportunities, Tamils leaders very cleverly veered the resentment especially among the lower castes into revenge against the Sinhalese. This played well into the hands of Prabhakaran and his band who were smugglers and were being assailed by the Sri Lankan Army. The Army at that time used antiquated methods for capture and questioning suspects, no different to what took place in Western countries (after all, our Army leaders were Sandhurst-trained), which reinforced Tamil resentment and so the symbolism of the Sinhalese was etched into the young Tamil minds.
The subsequent 30yr of war have also etched mistrust of Tamils into the Sinhala mindset. There is much rehabilitation to be undergone by both communities, but much more by the Tamils of the North and those who have left the island and become the tools of the LTTE. It means the Sinhalese and Tamils will have to work hard at building trust - trust of Tamils in the South, and trust of Sinhalese in the North.
Both groups will have to extend hands of friendship. We already see the South extending its hand to the North, but will the North respond similarly is the BIG QUESTION.
The Tamil community wishes to feel equal - then they must act equal. Every citizen in Sri Lanka has the same rights, and should feel empowered to use those rights equally. If we insist on perceiving ourselves as Minorities, wherever the democracy maybe in the world where we live, it only takes us down a path of self-inflicted discrimination.
Thank you, Shenali, for
Thank you, Shenali, for highlighting the questions that have piqued me constantly, and asking them in a way that forces all Tamils to answer. But I must say, the answer must be given by responsible Tamil adults who lived and worked in Sri Lanka from the 60s to the 80s, and not by the generations of young Tamils, both in Sri Lanka and in the Diasporas who have been brainwashed by the LTTE propaganda. Can they truly say that there was discrimination of any sort then or now?
I
In fact, it was this lack of discrimination that caused the LTTE to invent a cause to base their call for a federal state. When the LTTE returned from Tamil Nadu in 1982 after being equipped with weapons and trained in terrorism by the Indian RAW, they found they were not only rejected by the Tamil people (because they had murdered many well-loved Tamil politicians), but also that ALL the demands so far made by Tamil politicians had been granted by 1979 and the Tamil United Liberation Front was the Parliamentary opposition and its Leader Mr Amirthalingam was the leader of the opposition. This is why the LTTE had to invent a cause, which they did by orchestrating the murder of the 13 soldiers in July 1983, having prepared to photograph the disturbances that were bound to be caused and which they set in motion by asking their criminal counterparts in Colombo to set fire to Tamil shops. No doubt Sinhalese and Muslim thugs loined in the looting later, but the infamous Black July stands fair and square on the shoulders of the LTTE. The LTTE in 1982 had no cause, and hijacked the Tamil Ealaam cause espoused by Chelvanayagam as the basis for a criminal campaign as they had nothing better to do. Rejected by the Tamils people of Jaffna, not willing to go back to their old Criminal and smuggling operations after having been trained and equipped as terrorists, this was the only thing they could do. Now they could rob Banks and pillage cooperatives in the name of fighting for a federal state, as otherwise they would be unemployed and unemployable.
Their initial call was for a Federal State. This became a call for a Tamil Homeland when they found they were wanted by Interpol and the law enforcement agencies of India and Sri Lanka, as only a separate homeland administered by them would keep them out of reach of these agencies. This is why, in later “Peace Conferences”, Prabhakaran refused to accept an Internal Self Governing arrangement or even a Federal State. They had to have a separate Homeland. The LTTE was never fighting for the Tamil people, or for a Tamil Homeland. They were fighting to carve out a mafia state for themselves where they would be out of reach of the world’s law enforcement agencies. Such a state also had the added attraction of being a base for their international criminal enterprises and a base for their lucrative sea piracy and drug running. The irony is that had such a state been formed, no honest Tamil would live there willingly. The LTTE would have had to build a wall like the Berlin wall to keep the Tamil people inside to prevent them from leaving their autocratic rule.
I would therefore like to add another question to Shenali’s question, was the LTTE the sole representative of the Tamil people? The answer to this is as obvious as the one about discrimination.
Jay de Silva
The author inquires as to
The author inquires as to what are these so called legitimate grievances of the minorities? Consider the following:
It was at the same time that the national Constitution was changed to a Republic Constitution in 1972 that the all of the following took place: (a) removal of the only clause from the previous Constitution that gave limited protection to minorities (b) inclusion of a phrase in the Constitution that gave Buddhism, the religion of the majority Sinhalese, an elevated place (d) embossing of the four bo leaves on the national flag - again, in the symbolic front giving a special significance to the religion of the majority.
Now, I respectfully and kindly ask my Sinhalese friends and family, if you were a Tamil person how would you have felt? My question is not a challenge, but a mere inquiry at the human level. How would you have felt? Some may suggest that this making a mountain out of a molehill. Perhaps one person's molehill may well be another's mountain, and often it is indeed the little things that matter. The fact remains to this date, none of the above three been corrected - to make our minorities any better.
The issue of discrimination is lot more complex than the simplistic explanation of the author. The reality is systematic state discrimination over 3 decades (from 1948 through approximately 1980) has caused severe mistrust between the Sinhalese and Tamils with the Tamils powerless to do anything about it due to their minority numbers. Most Tamils continue to live with the same suspicion that the Sinhalese could always use there large numbers to suppress the minorities wishes. This needs correction - perhaps through the introduction of a secondary body in the legislature.
The LTTE is the gross outcome of the nation's discrimination which has now been exposed to the entire world. A solution that establishes socio-political realignment is the immediate challenge. In this regard, Ms. Waduge's inquiry "what do you guys want?" is the key question to open the national debate. But hers and others assertion that most things are kosher with only a few things requiring correction is far from the truth - and at best simplistic and naive.
The challenge to every Sinhalese is what each needs to do, to not only make minorities feel as equals, but to do so in a manner that minorities feel NOT ONE IOTA LESS than the majority feel about themselves. In practical terms, this translates to tons of reforms to existing systems. The challenge to Tamils is what each needs to do to let the past go, heal, and begin to trust the majority once again to co-exist in a unified singular nation. While a challenge for both, the responsibility remains on the majority to be magnanimous, gutsy and creative in submitting contemporary new solutions. Whatever these may be, their basis certainly cannot be the present system as the one we have now is full of irreversible and uncorrectable systemic problems.
An excellent article. For
An excellent article. For those who still blame Sinhalese, I suggest they go and read Tamilnet of 24-4-09 where it was clearly stated that the ethnic crisis started in 1931, not by the Sinhalse. In fact, it started in 1919 -1920 during British time when Sinhalse had very little say.
Rather tham blaming each other, tamils must think whether they will ever get a settlement through terrorism. LTTE was given a number of oppotunities to state their grievences and negotiate a peaceful end. They failed the whole country, not just Tamils.
Even recently, TNA failed to meet the President over 5 separate calls.
Shelani can ask "What do tamils want?" To me the message is clear, they do not seem to like negotiations because they think they want to teach a lesson to Sinhalese.
Until Tamils abondon this concept, we will not see an end to this crisis. It is sad, but true.
Not a single tamil organisation in the world is even collecting money to support Internally Displaced tamils. Their interest is elsewhere.
While endorsing most of what
While endorsing most of what the author has said, it needs to be pointed out that correcting some injustices (like making both Sinhala and Tamil official languages, removing standardisation by ethnicity for university entrance, just two examples that have affected many Tamils) came about not as a wrong that had to be corrected, but more as something that had to be done under duress. Just on the language policy, it took 30 years after Sinhala was made the official language for Tamil to be made an official language. I have referred elsewhere that the Tamil problem was a mole hill that others, mainly politicians made into a mountain. That position is still maintained. The reason being that in the 1930s and till very early years of independance, Tamils were members of the UNP and were in government having being elected by the Sinhala as well as Tamil people. True, the seeds of a Tamil identity and the seeds of a Fedaral State were sown long before Prabakaran or Bandaranaike, and in the 1930's when Sri Lanka was agitating for independance. But the point is that at that time, it was a mole hill compared to the mountain it became later, and a way could have been found at that time to address the issue without letting it fester over the years. Politicians of both sides are to blame for this.
However, having said this, one cannot keep on referring to situations and actions that may have had some relevance at the time. We cannot create that environment today or imagine what it was then, because most of us were not there at that time.
What is important therefore is to take stock of where we are today, and what needs to be done to move forward. In that context I agree with the author who has articulated well what younger generations feel about this issue today and their feelings as to the way forward. One can only hope that younger generations of Tamils also look at things that way rather than be guided entirely by what their elders may have had to endure many years ago.
Perhaps what should guide all of us, irrespective of which generation we belong to, is that what is right must guide our future. Equality in every sense of the word is what is right. This right also includes the right of all citizens to live anywhere they like in any part of the country.
The answer by one Dias to
The answer by one Dias to Shenali's question is the only one that comes even close to answering the question as to what else do the Tamils want?
The answer points to the removal of the clause from the Constitution that gave limited protection to the minorities, but protecion against what? Perhaps it was assumed that the clause was no longer necessary as ALL the demands made by the Tamils (at least) had been granted by 1979 (barring of course a Federal State, which was patently impossible to grant).
Buddhism being made the primary religion did no harm to any other religion, nor did placing four Bo leaves in the flag. These were just symbolic. Were any restrictions placed on Hinduism or any other religion? Are these two changes to teh Constitution to be removed because it hurts the "feelings" of a minority?
After all, its irrefutable that the tamils ARE a minority, maybe not the 4% that some else has mentioned, but not the 11% they were in the 1981 census as more than one million have left since 1983. The tamils are now probably 6.5 million, if we are to go by the CIA Worldbook.
If, as mentioned, it is the little things that matter, I can only ask, how petty can one get? Also, how is one going to eradicate "a systematic state discrimination" if nothing concrete can be identified? One cannot deal with "feelings" and "suspicions".
Finally, how were these suspicions and feelings created? Not by the Sinhalese, who actually could not have cared less. These "feelings" were created by Chelvanayagam's pathological aspiration for a Tamil State, to which end he kept goading the Tamil people to riots and demonstrations that kept the two communities at loggerheads.
Please don't blame the Sinhalese for anti-Tamil riots instigated and provoked by Chelvanayagam.
This is an interesting
This is an interesting article. You probably have to get the SL tamils to gather the answers(through perhaps their political parties) to the questions the author poses and conduct a dialogue. No one really likes to see their side as the bad guys so they cant really give an unbiased opinion on whether their side have discriminated.
I'm afraid the author has got it wrong on some matters concerning India. Though these are not central to her article's argument, I keep seeing these in other threads so I feel obliged to comment.
First Ealam is originally another name for Sri Lanka (the island). I'm not sure who/when came up with Ealam as a slice of north SL. But there definitely is no concept of a greater Ealam with Tamil Nadu inside it... that's just sheer nonsense.
Although Tamil Nadu is the third largest economy among the Indian states, it is only so because of its integration within India. Tamils (atleast I know of) in Tamil Nadu are proud to be Indian, and readily identify Gandhi as the father of the nation (who struggled for a united India). There are no secessionist sentiments here. The concepts of "liberation" and "nationalism" as used by TN political parties pertains more to social reform in caste system and prominence to tamil language (than the meaning of separate nationhood). The lack of importance given to these by the national parties in India is why they dont have strong followership within TN.
The author does get it right about ignoring political party calls for a tamil Ealam. This is just some pre-election babble.
Post new comment