Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

18 September  2019

JUSTICE WIGNESWARAN’S GRANDSONS OR 

CHIEF MINISTER WIGNESWARAN’S GRANDSONS ?

No Big Brother ; No small brother

Last night  a distant relative from Northern Sri Lanka where the Mr CV Wigneswaran’s rally was held rang. The report on the rally was headed ‘Ezhuka Thamizh Rally Upsurge and Wigneswaran's Fantastic Speech & Families of Disappeared Condemn OMP’. When this relative rang – we concluded that it was his truth that arose from the grave of our past  relationship.

The relative wanted us to bring him a pair of hearing aids. He wanted us to bring it in the expectation that we would attend the wedding of a nephew whose family we sponsored to Australia but who did not treat us as elders even in public. I said we had a more important commitment to my side of the family whose wedding was also around the same time, here in Australia. That nephew who is getting married here in Sydney is also our student. Hence the relationship is stronger. My husband said that in any case – he did not owe anything to this distant relative who failed to show stronger relationship with us when we did help before. The decision was made to decline – on the basis of our own needs in that regard.  Mine is eyes and my husband’s is ears. We both have not had spare time and mind – to get the necessary aids. That was the yardstick used for those who did not have deep need.

To my mind – that is how politics would also lead to successful unity of the community – forming strong relationships on the way and eliminating  negatives. When we believe – we bring the junior into us and to the extent we also have that need – the light of truth shines on the common solution.  

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. The above pictures tell me a story of risks for the investment in Jaffna education that I have made – through myself as a student and now as a facilitator and trainer.  Last Sunday when our son rang from Melbourne – and I asked him about his second daughter – he said that she had stayed away from school because she was not feeling well. Our son said also that on Saturday when she wanted to go to work – his wife had said that  she should stay at home and recoup. I was happy with the ruling in terms of priorities.

What does the above picture show us? – that to the parents of these kids a political rally was more important than their children going to school. Our granddaughter mentioned above is 15 years old. The two boys holding placards in the above would be around 6 to 8 years old. Did Mr Wigneswaran’s children do likewise when they were that age? – say to abolish ‘Sinhala Only’

If the boy whose picture is being held up by the mother was a child militant – whose moral duty is it to ensure that justice was done? – the militant leader, the local politician or the judiciary? If on the other hand the young boy was a student and was abducted - would the recourse begin with the Administrative system, followed by judicial system and end with the Lord?

The fact that Mr CV Wigneswaran started the March from Nallur Temple confirms that to him also the Lord’s judgment is the Ultimate. That Lord is the Lord within us. When we bring Nallur Murugan within us – we bring the Lord of Jaffna within us. Since I am a deep devotee of Nallur Murugan – I would identify with others through that belief. Nallur is the Education Capital of our Hindu ancestors. Was it therefore appropriate for these children to be the servants of community political leaders ? When I worked with the LTTE through a UNDP project – they gave me a different message. Thamilvanan who later got killed in battle said ‘Ms – we are fighting so that our young ones would have a good education’.  Thamilvanan was specifically referring to his family juniors living overseas. This was brought out by Roger Ebert as follows in relation to the message through the film ‘The Terrorist’ – based on LTTE Assassination of Rajiv-Gandhi.

["Every time I see the film, I feel a great sadness, that a human imagination could be so limited that it sees its own extinction as a victory." ]

When we are isolated / disenfranchised,  liberating ourselves from servitude is likely to include killing of the body. They say that ‘all is fair in love and war’ In love that means we live through our souls – as One. In Love it is through common living. In War it is through death of the body.  The path of our truth is our personal  law. Those who were truly committed to fighting would bind themselves by their personal law. Suicide bombers therefore kill and get killed –i.e. - they judge and are judged at the same time. It is sad in a community that prides itself as an educated community.

Great Tamil Poet - Subramania Bharathiyar brings out the essence of this in ‘Thikku Theriyatha Kaatil’ song. The title means – In a forest where one sees no direction. In stanza 10 Bharathiyar says ‘Ehdi ! Sathirangal Vendhen; Ninathinpam vendumadi’  meaning – ‘I do not ask for rules; I seek to share bliss with you’. That is what guerrilla fighters enjoy – so long as they stay within their borders. What is therefore right for the guerrilla fighter would not be right for the government soldier nor for the judicial senior.

To the disenfranchised  person – for example – a guerrilla fighter – the rules of others regulated by different culture  do not apply. They live close to nature. Each one’s truth is regulated by their nature. This is confirmed by the pathway they travelled or are travelling along currently.

Justice Wigneswaran – to be a judge in the Sri Lankan system – needed to travel in the urban pathway regulated intellectually not only through  his personal law – but also those of his seniors – known and unknown. That was like the lady in the above song who says she was married and therefore how could she be the Hunter’s sweetheart? The lady addresses the hunter as ‘Anna’ / Big brother.

It is noted that Mr Wigneswaran did not address Velupillai Prabakaran as ‘Anna’ but as ‘Thambi’ . This means he has the duty to train the children of his ‘Thambi’ in the judicial pathway’ and not become a junior of guerrilla fighters.

Yesterday’s ‘crowd’ to my mind is best enjoyed by simple Tamils - through the song by Poet Kannadasan, which starts with ‘Annan Ennada ; Tambi Ennada ; avasaramaana Ulagathilae
Aasai Kolvadhil Artham Ennada; kaasillaathavan Kudumbathilae’:

(No Big brother ; No small brother in the haste driven world; No point in the desire of one without money)

The verse that best fits the group goes as follows:

‘Vaalum Naalileh Kootam Kootamaai vanthu Sergirar paarada;

Kai varanda veetileh udaintha paanaiyai mathithu vandavar yaaradah?’

(when one is rich crowds come in flocks and flocks;

Who respected the broken pot and came to the poor’s home?)

The rich in status here is Mr Wigneswaran. The poor in status is myself.

But since I became poor by renouncing the status I had and the opportunities to elevate it – I became the daughter of the Lord.  It’s interesting to note that someone in the crowd overrode the 13^th Amendment claim that North and East were One. At the rally – one of Mr Wigneswaran’s sons held up the message that said NO to the 13^th Amendment. When this son is in power – he will become the Tamil version of  Somarama Thero – who killed the 'Sinhala Only' Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike – who also deviated from his pathway to woo Buddhist voters.