Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 18 March  2015

Self-Employment and Self Governance Hero

Tamil Dependence on India

Yesterday I received the good news that the Health Workers who desperately went to Colombo to see the Minister in relation to their jobs have been informed that their appeal has been successful. It felt good. When we appeal through belief – we are actually praying. When we ask with belief and we receive – the credit goes to the source of our belief. If we attribute credit to the ‘seen’ and the ‘known’ instead of to the source of our belief – then our mind becomes unsteady. Often weak minded folks take credit as if they did the job once the outcomes are seen. This was the case with former President of Sri Lanka Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa.

In his Colombo Telegraph article ‘Establishing Accountability Is The Path To Reconciliation In Sri Lanka’, Dr. G.K. Nathan states:

‘The first time all the people of Sri Lanka joined together and made a similar election outcome was at the 1977 Parliamentary election in which Mr JR Jayewardene was elected as the Prime Minister with more than a two third majority. Unfortunately, Mr JR Jayewardene failed to usher in unity among people, instead grabbed power for himself as the President of Sri Lanka by proclamation of a new Presidential constitution at the expense of Parliamentary democracy.’

To what extent was Mr. Jayawardene responsible for the failure of Tamil leaders to hold on to their Equal Opposition position at national level? To my mind Tamils became Equal Opposition due to the abuse of power for selfish reasons by the Government headed by Mrs. Bandaranaike. Hence the 1977 Elections helped confirm the existence of Self-Governing Tamils in Sri Lanka. If they were indeed majority in the Tamil Community – Truth waits to manifest Itself when an appropriate surface becomes available  - including through the fall of Oppositions. Similarly – the contribution by the Tamil Community to the 2015 Presidential Elections happened due to the self-governing Tamils within the Community – including those who were expressing support for Mr. Rajapaksa – the known against Mr. Sirisena the unknown. Only those Tamils who pay their respects to those self-governing members of the Community – are entitled to claim common credit. Others are beneficiaries and not providers. It is our failure to respect those self-governing persons within the Community that led to LTTE taking over power in Tamil areas.

In his address in Sri Lankan Parliament on 13 March 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to challenges of Terrorism faced by Sri Lankans. To most minds that challenge was from the LTTE.  But there was no mention of the support that LTTE received from the likes of MG Ramachandran – then the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Are they not Terrorists supporters? If they are not – then there was no terrorism but only rebellion in Sri Lanka. As we go global – we need to use the substance on equal footing and not use the principle one way for one and another for another.

The Indian Prime Minister quoted Tamil poet Bharathiyar as follows:

‘I recall the lines of a famous song ‘Sindu Nadiyin Misai’ composed by the great nationalist poet Subramanian Bharati in the early 20th century: ‘Singalatheevukkinor paalam ameippom’(we shall construct a bridge to Sri Lanka)’

This is an incorrect translation/interpretation.  To Tamil poet Bharathiyar that neighboring country was ‘Sinhala Island’. We, the Tamils of Sri Lanka need to appreciate this reality including in the minds of  great Indian Poets like Bharathiyar.

Dr. Nathan states in his article mentioned above ‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to Sri Lankans at Sri Lanka Parliament, will that make the parliamentarians to seek to build a united, peaceful, equitable and prosperous Sri Lanka recognizing the rights of all people? Foreign heads of government visit to the North give the people hope, but so far nothing to date has restored their normal livelihood. Hopefully, some of the current initiatives by Prime Minister Modi in the North will lay the foundation for the future’

Foreigners are foreigners and this includes Mr. Modi who referred to LTTE as Terrorists. The reliability of our certificate of  someone / some group is based on the level of our investment in the issue. As stated in my yesterday’s article ‘Jaffna’s Lifestyle Choices’ our work relationships are in the following order :

1.      Those aimed at Economic Independence

2.      Those aimed at Status Independence

3.      Those aimed at Rights Independence

Around the same time Mr. Modi was referring to Terrorism – Australian Leader the Hon Christine Milne was referring to War Crimes by the former Regime of the Sinhala Island. The Truth in Poetry and Politics is that to those minds Ceylon / Sri Lanka is a Sinhalese country. Yet the coverage by even our social media is around those high status personalities who lack the real power to bring about transformations through God’s system of Natural Justice.

Those of us seeking to share at rights level would do in our own areas of expertise the parallel of what Sandeep Bacche – Mumbai’s Auto-Rickshaw man does:

 

1.      Every morning, Bacche puts the day’s papers in his rickshaw, and writes announcements of the day’s weather forecast     and economy updates on a board above the windshield.

2.      His rickshaw has a first aid kit as well as some spiritual first aid.

In the back is a donation box where you can pick up free candy in return for donations. All collections go to cancer relief.

3.      He gives discounts on rides to the elderly, the handicapped,          and the newlywed.

4.      And he donates a portion of every fare he receives to charity.

Bacche also goes home to home on Sundays, collecting old clothes and toys, which he then donates to shelters for the poor and to ashrams.

 The following service by  Sandeep was experienced by me through my own feelings in relation to the needy in Sri Lanka  - including the Women Health Workers mentioned above:

The writer who had the direct experience with Sandeep quotes :

“Then one day, I was driving my rickshaw and I crossed some construction work,” he told me. “I saw a poor Rajasthani woman with her young son. Both were crying. Everyone could see them but nobody asked why she was sad or offered to help.    In Mumbai nobody has time for anyone.” Moved by her grief, Bacche pulled over and asked the woman why she was crying. She explained that she, her husband, and their baby live on a footpath and beg for money, but that her husband squanders all their collections on alcohol.  

“I gave her three rupees and her face lit up. While I waited at the signal, I saw her buy a Parle biscuit and give it to her son. Her son held it with both his hands and devoured it. She looked as happy as if I’d given her a hundred rupees.”

“That’s when I realised I have nothing to complain about. There are people who struggle every day of their lives and they get so much joy from three rupees and a biscuit, so who am I to cry about my life? I have a roof over my head, I have a family, I have an income. Why not help such people? People whose lives have gone dark, why not bring some light into them?”

 Bacche’s charity work began then, and he started small – for three years, he handed out candy and food to beggars at signals and on sidewalks.”

Sandeep’s dream-plan  for the future  is also the dream-plan of the Common Jaffna Tamil:

 “I want my own house, with a letterbox and a nameplate outside,” he said. “And I want to make sure my son and daughter are educated. That’s my dream.”

Towards this we need to stop expecting from outsiders and do what we already can – each one in their areas of earned authority. Whatever others may say – as per my experience with the new regime – the above dream-plan is becoming a reality for many small groups in Jaffna. Those who are self-governing would naturally add their Energies to the needy. To the extent  LTTE were genuine in their  stated cause – they would add their own blessings to the current seekers. LTTE as well as Sinhala  Government’s Language bias  are fast becoming part of our genes. They must not be denied nor activated.  They could remain as ‘attitudes’ towards each other but not expressed in the current period within structures made by us and through which we are working for progress towards being global citizens with global powers.