The Writer Fighter
Have you become a lance corporal, wing commander, lieutenant, private, sergeant, major general? Or are you a writer transporting yourself into trenches to wield a saber against a vague menace, bespectacled, sitting…
Jaffna
School closed early today
Original photo from Ilankai Tamil Sangam School closed early today. Amma was looking very jumpy when she came to pick me up, but she wouldn’t tell me why. When we went to…
Jayasena and Rajakulendran: Heroes of a Lesser God
Wars are terrible things. They kill people, destroy their property and livelihoods. They also destroy people’s souls. Horrendous atrocities are committed against the defenceless, often in the name of the highest ideals,…
Lance Corporal
I’m tired. It’s midnight. I’m propped up Against the mud Like a cannon gun, To fight The battles you Criticise From behind Your trenches Of ink. My blood. Your right. That’s not…
SRI LANKA & TAMIL SELF-DETERMINATION
The announcement that elections to the Northern Provincial Council will be held in September 2013 has raised eyebrows in some quarters and generated criticism in certain others. As one who unfashionably –…
Buddhist monks and party politics in post-war Sri Lanka: In conversation with Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe MP
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, President’s Counsel, is a Member of Parliament from the United National Party, and currently President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. In the past, Mr. Rajapakshe’s also chaired the…
For the Blink of an Eye
Image courtesy Virtual Tourist I almost always enjoy my time in Jaffna. Riding on the AC-bus to Jaffna is a no-brainer for me. It’s a long ride; the extra 450 rupees is…
Land and the National Question in Sri Lanka
Image courtesy Sainthan Sivanesan on 500px I am thankful to the Norwegian Tamil Study Forum for inviting me to address this Workshop and am looking forward to listening to the main speakers. In…
From the Hold
I don’t merit praise, who am I to suggest inventing the west moon for the Lankan imagination, or that one day a Tamil child will rise from fires to claim the rights…
How Credible are the Latest Official Claims Concerning Troop Reductions in Jaffna?
Image courtesy Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone The extent of military presence in the North of Sri Lanka has understandably been the focus of much attention. This week’s edition of the Economic…
An Archive of Memories: Viewing War Footage Critically
Image courtesy Ron Haviv’s photo essay For many in Sri Lanka and around the globe, war is generic. Images of war victims are anonymous and nonspecific. If the caption on a photograph…
International Widows’ Day Celebrations of 2012 in Nedunkerny
A group of war widows in the Nedunkerny region of the Wanni District celebrated the International Widows’ Day on 22nd June, 2012 at the conference hall of the Nedunkerny Pradesa Sabai. This…
Post-war Sri Lanka’s Thought Police: The Rehabilitation of Ex-Combatants and the Denigration of Tamil Identity: Part Two
[Editors note: Read Part 1 of this series here] As mentioned by TSA,[1]the government has prepared a lengthy, heading-less, and inappropriate questionnaire[2] (in poorly written and, at times, incoherent Tamil) which has…
Sons of One Religion
Thirty years of civil war may have resulted in an awkward reconciliation process on racial fronts, but one thing it hasn’t diminished is our overlapping plethora of religious practices. We are born…
Post-war Sri Lanka’s Thought Police: The Rehabilitation of Ex-Combatants and the Denigration of Tamil Identity
Image courtesy [Editors note: Read Part 2 of this series here, with PDFs of parts A-C of the questionnaire] The defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May of…