Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

28 November    2016

Nainatheevu Amman Temple

Indian Tamil Taking-Over Jaffna Tamil?

I was in the 786 bus to come back to Vaddukoddai. A guy with amputated hands got in and because he said they were genuine disabilities in the war and if we felt like it to pay him,  I paid him. But soon he started talking about Prabhakaran and Great Heroes’ Day and I wanted him out of the bus. Others were indifferent. He said words to the effect ‘looks as if no one cares’. This was on 26^th. Yesterday I went to Nainatheevu Nagapooshani Amman temple to say ‘Thank You’ and to seek continued blessings for my family. On the way back the lady next to me on the bus shared with me her daily routine and said about others including her daughter who went to work – that they got paid for their work but not her. I said – that she got the uniting Energy /  Shakthi to keep the family together. We shared -  free of anxieties. At Nainatheevu – which continues to be monitored by the Sri Lankan Navy – the officers were unusually harsh. I got annoyed at first. Later I remembered that it was Heroes’ day and that they needed to be more alert than usual. Hence I accepted their harshness. After all,  the LTTE were more harsh in their monitoring of those within their area of control and we Tamils did not have enough strength to oppose it. Like in the case of those under magic spells – some of us went along with them to cure them.

The problem with memorials is that if even one person honors the dead genuinely – as per her / his true experience – the false memorials in that area would be returned to the claimants. I received expressions of appreciation, including from Australia and from Tamil Medical experts,  to my sharing that yesterday was a day of healing. I was however disappointed to read the following heading by Indian medium – New Indian Express:

[North Sri Lankan Tamils observe Great Heroes’ Day in memory of dead LTTE fighters]

Between my account as a Jaffna Tamil living currently in Jaffna as part of its current People – and the account  by Mr. Balachandran – an Indian Tamil – mine is the one that confirms self-governance, whereas Mr. Balachandran’s is largely intellectual. Majority Northern Sri Lankan Tamils did not observe Great heroes day – but went about their own daily chores – thanks to those of us who have redeemed ourselves from becoming another Cuba. On 26^th November, a young mother  who was part of the LTTE hierarchy and  lost her eye and had her nose flattened in battle came to buy clothes from our Opportunity Shop at Vaddukoddai junction. Unlike the above guy in the bus – this lady confirmed that she was growing vegetables for a living and that she refused to depend on anyone for her living. To me she was the real hero whose life needed to be celebrated. I gave her nothing ‘free’ but without it being obvious – I discounted her items drastically. Being an Opportunity shop our pricing is individual. The more the mind is shared – the less the money price. She was genuine in her fighting and even if she did it as a job – her return became self-governance to the extent she did not try to intimidate another in the name of Independence struggle.

When reading the role played by Fidel Castro – in Cuba – I felt that we Sri Lankans have saved ourselves from such suppression both in North as well as in South. In North it was Prabhakaran and in South it was Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa. There is nothing right or wrong but the pattern of leadership through family members first in an era of democracy.

Sri Lankans who allowed their minds to be taken-over by the stronger minded – are equally responsible as official leaders for the wars in Sri Lanka. Each one of us has the power to complete our governance by submitting to our Divinity / Truth / Love within. Once we do this – no armed leader could take-over our mind which through such submission is of Absolute/Common value. The youth here confirm that they wanted easy benefits and hence are easily lured by modern electronic tools and intoxicants. The fact that it is happening so soon after the LTTE confirms that theirs was the wrong type of takeover. If they are celebrated those who celebrate them are likely to be dictated to by their children/juniors. The way I see it – Northern Province of Sri Lanka would continue to be self-governing so long as it practices genuinely the religious pathways – which are diverse to Southern Sri Lanka which follows  largely the Buddhist pathway. That’s a natural separation we already have and unlike the armed pathway – we cannot be told by Sinhalese-Buddhist that we are right or wrong through a religion that is largely ‘foreign’ to them.

Within Nainatheevu temple for example – there was a board asking ladies to tie up / plait their hair and it said words to the effect ‘please’. Even though mine was covered by a shawl I quickly plaited it in addition,  to respect the order of the temple which showed ‘logic’ also. But if the Navy had asked me – I would have flatly refused – because they are not the developers of that temple nor are they owners through belief.  If they were they would have also said ‘please’ when asking me to move from one side to another in the queue to the ferry.

Fear is the other side of Desire. The armed forces in North are showing fear due to lack of feeling of ownership. Ultimately – they need to ask themselves whether they want their jobs at that cost. Give them someone with fighting skills – they would feel excited. But the believing owner without any weapons would defeat them by returning their desires as fears. An officer trying to administer a self-regulated devotee is effectively driven by desire. My experience in Jaffna confirms that we are returning to true self-governance at our respective levels. Would not have happened if we as a community were wrong for Sri Lanka.