Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

21 November  2019

TAMILS LIVING IN LIMINAL SPACE

Last night, when watching the Tamil Tele drama ‘Mouna Raagam’ (Silent Melody),  I made the comment about the lead female character Mallika that in her shoes I would not have come to house of the  second wife. My husband was in agreement with that. But I followed it by stating that I identified with Mallika’s pain through my own experience with my in-laws who treated me as an ‘outsider’ which was due strongly to this being my second marriage. My husband said the two were not the same. No – they did not look the same but they had the ‘commonness’ of victimization. Since I was the victim, most affected by the experience of alienation, my own family pain surfaced and I received the mind of the Indian script writer through my own truth. That culture’s structure was different to ours. But the truth was One. My husband apologized for his hasty expression of opinion. That restored the strength of protective armour of our own home values – which were global and not dual. We need that to naturally mind-merge with current global values. This is needed by the Australian Tamil Diaspora who are moving towards global mindedness. I have arrived at the destination and my husband is still in transition, albeit close to the goal – relative to majority in the Australian Tamil community.

‘Breaking Boundaries: Varieties of Liminality' presents this transitionary experience as follows:

[During liminal periods of all kinds, social hierarchies may be reversed or temporarily dissolved, continuity of tradition may become uncertain, and future outcomes once taken for granted may be thrown into doubt]

Dual citizenship as opposed to Global citizenship becomes a problem due to living in ‘liminal space’ – neither here nor there.  The risk of uncertainty is heightened when one continues to live off the past which is incapable of projecting  those values in our children and other juniors who give form to our future . As per my discovery when we live in our truth that past structures led us to – the system of truth guides us to develop ‘common’ structures that would sustain our investments in both systems.

During the recent Presidential elections in Sri Lanka, we have learnt that majority Tamils do not want to go back to the Rajapaksa structures. Sinhalese on the other hand have elected one who is the heir of King Dutu Gemunu. The authors of Counter Currents article ‘The era emerged from “Ruwan Weli Saya”: Aftermath of Presidential Election in Sri Lanka’ present this as follows:

[In analyzing the election results, it is evident that Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s victory in Sri Lankan presidential elections was mainly attributed to the votes of Sinhalese Buddhists and this simply reminds of the victory of Modi in India from Hindu majority votes and Orban’s victory in Hungary from the votes of the Catholic Magyars. The recent growth of nationalism around the globe has again created a serious concern on returning the Hobbesian idea of strong sovereignties with strong nationalist sentiments.]

Orban’s victory in Hungary was based on his identity with the martyrs of the 1956 Revolution against Soviet occupation. Modi’s Hindu victory is the parallel of Rajapaksa’s Buddhist victory. Both are invasive. That is their true structure. The risk of India mind-invading   Sri Lanka through President Rajapaksa has already been confirmed through the promise to go to India being given before the developing fundamental structures that Sri Lankans need  - to relate to their elected President’s government.

As per NDTV news headed : ‘PM Modi Has Open Minded Approach Towards Foreign Policy: Lanka PM's Son’:

[An MP of Sri Lanka, Namal Rajapaksa told NDTV that at one point, "The relationship between Sri Lanka and India and China was misinterpreted and miscommunicated to the leaders".

"Prime Minister Modi has a more progressive approach and a very open minded approach towards foreign policy and he gives priority for the region. He has shown interest in establishing foreign relations with regional countries and across the border, which we believe," he added.]

Namal Rajapaksa is the parallel of Sajith Premadasa. Neither has the experience of Opposition leadership and staying power in Opposition – which is Equal in status to the Government.   Tamil Community of Sri Lanka confirmed this in  1977, 2015 and now again through the 2019 Presidential Elections. Hindu to Tamil mind-merger is natural and hence PM Modi is confirming that Equal status of Tamils by immediately moving to call Mr Rajapaksa as if he were his junior in regional politics.  This would not have been the case if  majority Tamils had voted for Mr Rajapaksa.

Tamils are likely  to mind-merge with Indian structures strongly underpinned by Hindu philosophy and culture. Wonder whether Namal’s  Dad would be his younger brother’s deputy in the group that would go to India for the meeting on 29 November. Mahinda is 4 years the senior of Gotabaya at family level and as per political structure before 18 November 2019 – Mahinda was Gotabaya’s  father  in politics. To my mind it is not coincidence that the younger brother  became President on Elder brother’s birthday. Another Déjà vu due to Dutu Gemunu’s spirits at Ruwan Weli Saya?

 To the extent Tamils carry Ellalan as their mentor – we would defeat this autocracy – because Ellalan treated even the mother cow’s pain as his – as per Manu Law which is really a ‘foreign policy’ to the Rajapaksas who rely heavily on family relationships. Now truth has turned it upside down.