|worldclasstamil.com Moderator to Massey
SRI LANKA A NATION OF MISGUIDED INSECURE PARANOIDS.And a lesson to few of us as Canadians.
“The Singhalese in Sri Lanka has become a nation of mentally disturbed, distracted, distasteful, despicable and distrustful people” and a handful of Canadians are still living in the past hanging on to primitive mosaic of racism, fanaticism, caste, religion etc.
“To live is simple and to live with neighbours is a gift”. Being in Canada one of the most advanced country in Human rights is like living in Utopia; we treat every one and strangers as our family and friends. It makes life so easy. When someone cut me off I understand his need to go in a hurry, when some one cuts into checkout counter we say go ahead spend your money first. We have developed a culture with so many harmless humours to deal with people. People of this country have been conditioned to live with friendship. That is why every one wants to come here. We joke about our taxes knowing that the money ultimately comes back to the people. So there is culture of congeniality and co-operation. Why cannot other nations promote this kind of kinder and gentler society?
I was listening to the radio in Canada about the 500 or so people who escaped genocide and the Sri Lanka ambassador to Canada calling them terrorist. This lady must understand that these people have nothing to do with her country anymore. I hope this bigot gets the message. They have left their soil in which they were born and your people chased them out of the country so leave them alone. What are you trying to achieve? What are your objectives? What you say is that we must kill all Tamils, and then you are accepting that your government committed mass scale murders. I hope some of the media moguls in Canada who for some unknown reason take the side of the Singhalese in Sri Lanka. Two people quarrelling and you take one side. There are five reasons as I told one reporter earlier, Food, Sex, Money, Racism and Patriotism. Patriotism is ruled out. But the rumour is there is something more then mere reporting. This ambassador is contradicting her government position of reconciliation. This is not reconciliation this is outright disrespect for the suffering of people.
The Singhalese in Sri Lanka are fearful of India, not Tamils, Tamils are a small minority.
Singhalese should settle their grievances with India, not settle scores with the Tamil who speak Tamil and follow Hindu faith. Tamils, we are a minority. When a majority of people subjugate a minority of people it is genocide. There is insatiable thirst for racism among Singhalese and they were brainwashed by the Mahavamsa, Mahasangha and the Mahanayakes. Mahinda is the criminal element and the enforcer of the directives given by the Mahanayakes. The real power center is the fanatic organization called the MahaSangha. How do we remove this culture of racism supported by the state? What we need is something similar to what was done in Germany and Japan after world war 11. The leadership of Supreme Race put on trail and then sent to gallows. This has to be done in Sri Lanka. The Mahanayakes along with the criminal elements within the political establishment must be put to death by an International tribunal so that the nation can progress. People may not accept my views but then how many of us know where the root of the problem is?
There was a person on Toronto 680am Radio saying that it is waste of tax payers money.
But this country was built by immigrants and refugees who worked 16 hours a day for 7 days a week. A person who has really worked hard will never say what he said. I am pretty sure that this person has never had a real job creating wealth in his life. I am proud to be Tamil for we create wealth for all. Today they are illegal immigrants, tomorrow they will be washing dishes, cleaning office and working in menial jobs, but within 5 years their children will enter one of the best of universities in Canada come out as Doctors, Engineers, Investment bankers. Lawyers and other professionals. Then these Dishwashers will begin to buy the same restaurants and become owners. You see, a good seed will grow anywhere. “It is intel inside”
I came on April 23rd ,1979, that evening on the same day I stared working. Today I own my own Corporation, employing people, inventing new products, applying for patents, design and copy rights, became the President of Lions Club, entered the Canadian club, became a member of the list of distinguished citizens. But I also came to Canada like these boat people whom some of us despise. I am pretty sure the people who complain are the very people who milk our generous welfare system. A hard working man can and makes so much more money that this pogey money is like pittance. So don’t expose yourself, unwisely.
A very few Canadians, who are very uncomfortable with these people and because you look at people with the wrong prism which can only reflect colour of skin, race, culture language religion etc. May I suggest that you pick the prism that will show the internal intellect of these people. I mean loyalty, trust, sensuality, sincerity, diversity of intelligence, hope, faith and love; you will see a different people. It is time for people to move to a higher level of evolution.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Teachers are the driving force of change!We need creative classrooms!The classrooms shd be rooms for discussion & debate! Every subject is important.!
School Education » Issues
august 7, 2010 The mind of a leader
ZIYA US SALAM
The Hindu
Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi. Photo: V. V. Krishnan
Darkness has descended at the residence of former President APJ Abdul Kalam. A local short circuit has left all of us in darkness. Facing an emergency light sits Kalam in his study, his silver eyebrows gleaming, his face retaining its familiar spark. As he winds up a chat with his publishers, Rajpal, there is divine justice. The lights are back. This time he opens up to talk about his latest book, “Spirit of India”, a book that encapsulates the soul of the youth of the country with a selection of questions, many of them irreverent, that Kalam had to field in his interaction with youngsters over the past decade or so.
“I have interacted with 9.5 million youth of this country,” the former President says. His modesty prevents him from adding that his latest book is being translated into four languages, including Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese and Hindi, while his earlier venture, “Indomitable Spirit”, went into 11 translations. He is known for his love for students and youth, he travels widely; but how does he manage to write so much? “Spirit of India” is his 30th book, and seventh with Rajpal publishers.
“Writing is my love. If you love something you find a lot of time,” he says with a glint in his eye. As he surveys his aesthetically maintained study which has room for a handful of mementos and thousands of books, he adds, “I write for two hours a day, usually starting at midnight; at times I start at 11.”
Much of the research for his latest book came via his interaction with millions of youngsters aged below 17. So, what did he notice in his talks with students?
“They are very open to discussion, very free with their opinions. One of the very important characteristics of a student is to question. Let the students ask questions. A teacher should have a creative mind. He or she should encourage questions. At times I find teachers are in a hurry to finish the syllabus. But discussion should always be there. Let the students ask questions, even if some of them are obvious.”
Creative classrooms
The man who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram during World War-II — back then, as he writes in the book, as a little boy he used to get up at four in the morning, go for his tuitions, perform his Namaaz, learn the Quran Sharif, then go to the railway station to collect the newspapers — feels strongly that the future of the country is in the hands of its teachers. “Teachers are the driving force of change. We need creative classrooms. The classrooms should be rooms for discussion and debate. Every subject is important for studies. Science has its place, just as there have to be specialists of finance, commerce. We cannot have everybody as a scientist. We need to make teaching interesting.”
He provides an example in the book. On page 72, while answering a question from a student in Aligarh, he writes, “Science has revealed that the human body is made up of millions and millions of atoms….For example I am made up of 5.8x10{+2}{+7} atoms.”
Then he calls for an Indian Science Service on the lines of Indian Administrative Service. “Scientists should be in a cadre, like the IAS.”
However, before all that we need a healthy primary education system.
“Before higher studies we have to think of primary education. We need more reforms in primary education. There are many good recommendations in the Prof. Yashpal Committee report. Classrooms should not be structured, they should be creative. Our literacy rate is 66 per cent. Education is a must for 100 per cent literacy. Seven million students do 10+2. Three million go for higher studies. We need to address the skills of the dropouts.”
Complete literacy, he feels, can be attained with the Right to Education Act, which is “going to change the education profile of the youth because it is free and compulsory”.
He, however, cautions, “To complete the success of achieving universal education, it is also essential that the programme of PURA (Providing the Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) should be in position throughout the country.”
That is certainly the way ahead. But how do you explain the disparity in English language skills between those from city-bred and urban education and those whose medium of instruction is an Indian language?
“I studied in a regional language too as a young boy. Everything is fine till one comes to class 10. In places like Delhi where we have a large number of people from smaller towns and villages, we need special classes for such students. A student who goes up to 10+2 spends roughly 25,000 hours in the classroom. It gives one plenty of time for attaining knowledge, to gauge one's learning capacity.”
Kalam feels it is important for a teacher to read in order to teach. “A teacher should not go by notes in the classroom. To teach for an hour, a teacher should prepare for three hours.”
web.thehindu@thehindu.co.in Copyright © 2010, The Hindu
august 7, 2010 The mind of a leader
ZIYA US SALAM
The Hindu
Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi. Photo: V. V. Krishnan
Darkness has descended at the residence of former President APJ Abdul Kalam. A local short circuit has left all of us in darkness. Facing an emergency light sits Kalam in his study, his silver eyebrows gleaming, his face retaining its familiar spark. As he winds up a chat with his publishers, Rajpal, there is divine justice. The lights are back. This time he opens up to talk about his latest book, “Spirit of India”, a book that encapsulates the soul of the youth of the country with a selection of questions, many of them irreverent, that Kalam had to field in his interaction with youngsters over the past decade or so.
“I have interacted with 9.5 million youth of this country,” the former President says. His modesty prevents him from adding that his latest book is being translated into four languages, including Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese and Hindi, while his earlier venture, “Indomitable Spirit”, went into 11 translations. He is known for his love for students and youth, he travels widely; but how does he manage to write so much? “Spirit of India” is his 30th book, and seventh with Rajpal publishers.
“Writing is my love. If you love something you find a lot of time,” he says with a glint in his eye. As he surveys his aesthetically maintained study which has room for a handful of mementos and thousands of books, he adds, “I write for two hours a day, usually starting at midnight; at times I start at 11.”
Much of the research for his latest book came via his interaction with millions of youngsters aged below 17. So, what did he notice in his talks with students?
“They are very open to discussion, very free with their opinions. One of the very important characteristics of a student is to question. Let the students ask questions. A teacher should have a creative mind. He or she should encourage questions. At times I find teachers are in a hurry to finish the syllabus. But discussion should always be there. Let the students ask questions, even if some of them are obvious.”
Creative classrooms
The man who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram during World War-II — back then, as he writes in the book, as a little boy he used to get up at four in the morning, go for his tuitions, perform his Namaaz, learn the Quran Sharif, then go to the railway station to collect the newspapers — feels strongly that the future of the country is in the hands of its teachers. “Teachers are the driving force of change. We need creative classrooms. The classrooms should be rooms for discussion and debate. Every subject is important for studies. Science has its place, just as there have to be specialists of finance, commerce. We cannot have everybody as a scientist. We need to make teaching interesting.”
He provides an example in the book. On page 72, while answering a question from a student in Aligarh, he writes, “Science has revealed that the human body is made up of millions and millions of atoms….For example I am made up of 5.8x10{+2}{+7} atoms.”
Then he calls for an Indian Science Service on the lines of Indian Administrative Service. “Scientists should be in a cadre, like the IAS.”
However, before all that we need a healthy primary education system.
“Before higher studies we have to think of primary education. We need more reforms in primary education. There are many good recommendations in the Prof. Yashpal Committee report. Classrooms should not be structured, they should be creative. Our literacy rate is 66 per cent. Education is a must for 100 per cent literacy. Seven million students do 10+2. Three million go for higher studies. We need to address the skills of the dropouts.”
Complete literacy, he feels, can be attained with the Right to Education Act, which is “going to change the education profile of the youth because it is free and compulsory”.
He, however, cautions, “To complete the success of achieving universal education, it is also essential that the programme of PURA (Providing the Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) should be in position throughout the country.”
That is certainly the way ahead. But how do you explain the disparity in English language skills between those from city-bred and urban education and those whose medium of instruction is an Indian language?
“I studied in a regional language too as a young boy. Everything is fine till one comes to class 10. In places like Delhi where we have a large number of people from smaller towns and villages, we need special classes for such students. A student who goes up to 10+2 spends roughly 25,000 hours in the classroom. It gives one plenty of time for attaining knowledge, to gauge one's learning capacity.”
Kalam feels it is important for a teacher to read in order to teach. “A teacher should not go by notes in the classroom. To teach for an hour, a teacher should prepare for three hours.”
web.thehindu@thehindu.co.in Copyright © 2010, The Hindu
Tamil is extremely old (as old as Latin/older than Arabic); it arose as an entirely independent tradition, with almost no influence from Sanskrit.!!!
Here is an article that every Tamil should read.
This strong recommendation from Prof.Hart of Berkley,California went a long way in compelling the Indian Central Government to (though reluctantly) declare Tamil as a Classical language:
http://tamil.berkeley.edu/Tamil%20Chair/TamilClassicalLanguage/TamilClassicalLgeLtr.htmlTamil is one of the great classical literatures and traditions of the world- Prof.Hart of Berkley
Please forward this to all Tamils.
--------------------------------------------------------------- April 11, 2000
Statement on the Status of Tamil as a Classical Language
Professor Maraimalai has asked me to write regarding the position of Tamil as a classical language, and I am delighted to respond to his request.I have been a Professor of Tamil at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1975 and am currently holder of the Tamil Chair at that institution. My degree, which I received in 1970, is in Sanskrit, from Harvard, and my first employment was as a Sanskrit professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1969. Besides Tamil and Sanskrit, I know the classical languages of Latin and Greek and have read extensively in their literatures in the original. I am also well-acquainted with comparative linguistics and the literatures of modern Europe (I know Russian, German, and French and have read extensively in those languages) as well as the literatures of modern India, which, with the exception of Tamil and some Malayalam, I have read in translation. I have spent much time discussing Telugu literature and its tradition with V. Narayanarao, one of the greatest living Telugu scholars, and so I know that tradition especially well. As a long-standing member of a South Asian Studies department, I have also been exposed to the richness of both Hindi literature, and I have read in detail about Mahadevi Varma, Tulsi, and Kabir.
I have spent many years -- most of my life (since 1963) -- studying Sanskrit. I have read in the original all of Kalidasa, Magha, and parts of Bharavi and Sri Harsa. I have also read in the original the fifth book of the Rig Veda as well as many other sections, many of the Upanisads, most of the Mahabharata, the Kathasaritsagara, Adi Sankara’s works, and many other works in Sanskrit.
I say this not because I wish to show my erudition, but rather to establish my fitness for judging whether a literature is classical. Let me state unequivocally that, by any criteria one may choose, Tamil is one of the great classical literatures and traditions of the world.
The reasons for this are many; let me consider them one by one.
First, Tamil is of considerable antiquity. It predates the literatures of other modern Indian languages by more than a thousand years. Its oldest work, the Tolkappiyam,, contains parts that, judging from the earliest Tamil inscriptions, date back to about 200 BCE. The greatest works of ancient Tamil, the Sangam anthologies and the Pattuppattu, date to the first two centuries of the current era. They are the first great secular body of poetry written in India, predating Kalidasa's works by two hundred years.
Second, Tamil constitutes the only literary tradition indigenous to India that is not derived from Sanskrit. Indeed, its literature arose before the influence of Sanskrit in the South became strong and so is qualitatively different from anything we have in Sanskrit or other Indian languages. It has its own poetic theory, its own grammatical tradition, its own esthetics, and, above all, a large body of literature that is quite unique. It shows a sort of Indian sensibility that is quite different from anything in Sanskrit or other Indian languages, and it contains its own extremely rich and vast intellectual tradition.
Third, the quality of classical Tamil literature is such that it is fit to stand beside the great literatures of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Persian and Arabic. The subtlety and profundity of its works, their varied scope (Tamil is the only premodern Indian literature to treat the subaltern extensively), and their universality qualify Tamil to stand as one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world. Everyone knows the Tirukkural, one of the world's greatest works on ethics; but this is merely one of a myriad of major and extremely varied works that comprise the Tamil classical tradition. There is not a facet of human existence that is not explored and illuminated by this great literature.
Finally, Tamil is one of the primary independent sources of modern Indian culture and tradition. I have written extensively on the influence of a Southern tradition on the Sanskrit poetic tradition. But equally important, the great sacred works of Tamil Hinduism, beginning with the Sangam Anthologies, have undergirded the development of modern Hinduism. Their ideas were taken into the Bhagavata Purana and other texts (in Telugu and Kannada as well as Sanskrit), whence they spread all over India. Tamil has its own works that are considered to be as sacred as the Vedas and that are recited alongside Vedic mantras in the great Vaisnava temples of South India (such as Tirupati). And just as Sanskrit is the source of the modern Indo-Aryan languages, classical Tamil is the source language of modern Tamil and Malayalam. As Sanskrit is the most conservative and least changed of the Indo-Aryan languages, Tamil is the most conservative of the Dravidian languages, the touchstone that linguists must consult to understand the nature and development of Dravidian.
In trying to discern why Tamil has not been recognized as a classical language, I can see only a political reason: there is a fear that if Tamil is selected as a classical language, other Indian languages may claim similar status. This is an unnecessary worry. I am well aware of the richness of the modern Indian languages -- I know that they are among the most fecund and productive languages on earth, each having begotten a modern (and often medieval) literature that can stand with any of the major literatures of the world. Yet none of them is a classical language. Like English and the other modern languages of Europe (with the exception of Greek), they rose on preexisting traditions rather late and developed in the second millennium. The fact that Greek is universally recognized as a classical language in Europe does not lead the French or the English to claim classical status for their languages.
To qualify as a classical tradition, a language must fit several criteria: it should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own not as an offshoot of another tradition, and it must have a large and extremely rich body of ancient literature. Unlike the other modern languages of India, Tamil meets each of these requirements. It is extremely old (as old as Latin and older than Arabic); it arose as an entirely independent tradition, with almost no influence from Sanskrit or other languages; and its ancient literature is indescribably vast and rich.
It seems strange to me that I should have to write an essay such as this claiming that Tamil is a classical literature -- it is akin to claiming that India is a great country or Hinduism is one of the world's great religions. The status of Tamil as one of the great classical languages of the world is something that is patently obvious to anyone who knows the subject. To deny that Tamil is a classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian culture.
This strong recommendation from Prof.Hart of Berkley,California went a long way in compelling the Indian Central Government to (though reluctantly) declare Tamil as a Classical language:
http://tamil.berkeley.edu/Tamil%20Chair/TamilClassicalLanguage/TamilClassicalLgeLtr.htmlTamil is one of the great classical literatures and traditions of the world- Prof.Hart of Berkley
Please forward this to all Tamils.
--------------------------------------------------------------- April 11, 2000
Statement on the Status of Tamil as a Classical Language
Professor Maraimalai has asked me to write regarding the position of Tamil as a classical language, and I am delighted to respond to his request.I have been a Professor of Tamil at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1975 and am currently holder of the Tamil Chair at that institution. My degree, which I received in 1970, is in Sanskrit, from Harvard, and my first employment was as a Sanskrit professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1969. Besides Tamil and Sanskrit, I know the classical languages of Latin and Greek and have read extensively in their literatures in the original. I am also well-acquainted with comparative linguistics and the literatures of modern Europe (I know Russian, German, and French and have read extensively in those languages) as well as the literatures of modern India, which, with the exception of Tamil and some Malayalam, I have read in translation. I have spent much time discussing Telugu literature and its tradition with V. Narayanarao, one of the greatest living Telugu scholars, and so I know that tradition especially well. As a long-standing member of a South Asian Studies department, I have also been exposed to the richness of both Hindi literature, and I have read in detail about Mahadevi Varma, Tulsi, and Kabir.
I have spent many years -- most of my life (since 1963) -- studying Sanskrit. I have read in the original all of Kalidasa, Magha, and parts of Bharavi and Sri Harsa. I have also read in the original the fifth book of the Rig Veda as well as many other sections, many of the Upanisads, most of the Mahabharata, the Kathasaritsagara, Adi Sankara’s works, and many other works in Sanskrit.
I say this not because I wish to show my erudition, but rather to establish my fitness for judging whether a literature is classical. Let me state unequivocally that, by any criteria one may choose, Tamil is one of the great classical literatures and traditions of the world.
The reasons for this are many; let me consider them one by one.
First, Tamil is of considerable antiquity. It predates the literatures of other modern Indian languages by more than a thousand years. Its oldest work, the Tolkappiyam,, contains parts that, judging from the earliest Tamil inscriptions, date back to about 200 BCE. The greatest works of ancient Tamil, the Sangam anthologies and the Pattuppattu, date to the first two centuries of the current era. They are the first great secular body of poetry written in India, predating Kalidasa's works by two hundred years.
Second, Tamil constitutes the only literary tradition indigenous to India that is not derived from Sanskrit. Indeed, its literature arose before the influence of Sanskrit in the South became strong and so is qualitatively different from anything we have in Sanskrit or other Indian languages. It has its own poetic theory, its own grammatical tradition, its own esthetics, and, above all, a large body of literature that is quite unique. It shows a sort of Indian sensibility that is quite different from anything in Sanskrit or other Indian languages, and it contains its own extremely rich and vast intellectual tradition.
Third, the quality of classical Tamil literature is such that it is fit to stand beside the great literatures of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Persian and Arabic. The subtlety and profundity of its works, their varied scope (Tamil is the only premodern Indian literature to treat the subaltern extensively), and their universality qualify Tamil to stand as one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world. Everyone knows the Tirukkural, one of the world's greatest works on ethics; but this is merely one of a myriad of major and extremely varied works that comprise the Tamil classical tradition. There is not a facet of human existence that is not explored and illuminated by this great literature.
Finally, Tamil is one of the primary independent sources of modern Indian culture and tradition. I have written extensively on the influence of a Southern tradition on the Sanskrit poetic tradition. But equally important, the great sacred works of Tamil Hinduism, beginning with the Sangam Anthologies, have undergirded the development of modern Hinduism. Their ideas were taken into the Bhagavata Purana and other texts (in Telugu and Kannada as well as Sanskrit), whence they spread all over India. Tamil has its own works that are considered to be as sacred as the Vedas and that are recited alongside Vedic mantras in the great Vaisnava temples of South India (such as Tirupati). And just as Sanskrit is the source of the modern Indo-Aryan languages, classical Tamil is the source language of modern Tamil and Malayalam. As Sanskrit is the most conservative and least changed of the Indo-Aryan languages, Tamil is the most conservative of the Dravidian languages, the touchstone that linguists must consult to understand the nature and development of Dravidian.
In trying to discern why Tamil has not been recognized as a classical language, I can see only a political reason: there is a fear that if Tamil is selected as a classical language, other Indian languages may claim similar status. This is an unnecessary worry. I am well aware of the richness of the modern Indian languages -- I know that they are among the most fecund and productive languages on earth, each having begotten a modern (and often medieval) literature that can stand with any of the major literatures of the world. Yet none of them is a classical language. Like English and the other modern languages of Europe (with the exception of Greek), they rose on preexisting traditions rather late and developed in the second millennium. The fact that Greek is universally recognized as a classical language in Europe does not lead the French or the English to claim classical status for their languages.
To qualify as a classical tradition, a language must fit several criteria: it should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own not as an offshoot of another tradition, and it must have a large and extremely rich body of ancient literature. Unlike the other modern languages of India, Tamil meets each of these requirements. It is extremely old (as old as Latin and older than Arabic); it arose as an entirely independent tradition, with almost no influence from Sanskrit or other languages; and its ancient literature is indescribably vast and rich.
It seems strange to me that I should have to write an essay such as this claiming that Tamil is a classical literature -- it is akin to claiming that India is a great country or Hinduism is one of the world's great religions. The status of Tamil as one of the great classical languages of the world is something that is patently obvious to anyone who knows the subject. To deny that Tamil is a classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian culture.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
What Does Love Mean..............???
From: Bas Baskaran .....chelvadurai@gmail.com..
Date: Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:52 PM
Subject: *What Does Love Mean?*
To: chelvadurai@gmail.com
**What Does Love Mean?***
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and
deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her
toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all even when his hands
got arthritis, too. That's Love. Rebecca - age 8
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just
know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and
they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries
without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before
giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you
still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like
that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you
hate." Nikka - age 6
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it
everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends
even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
**"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at
all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
Date: Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:52 PM
Subject: *What Does Love Mean?*
To: chelvadurai@gmail.com
**What Does Love Mean?***
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and
deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her
toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all even when his hands
got arthritis, too. That's Love. Rebecca - age 8
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just
know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and
they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries
without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before
giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you
still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like
that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you
hate." Nikka - age 6
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it
everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends
even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
**"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at
all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
What will take to bring about justice in Sri Lanka?
25th July, 2010
Good Day, Ladies and Gentlemen,
My name is Subramanian Masilamany, I am a Tamil, and my mission is to bring about justice in Sri Lanka.
Today my subject is going to be what will take to bring about justice in Sri Lanka? Will it be economic sanctions against Sri Lanka or will it take a Tamil president to bring about justice in Sri Lanka?
After 60 years of experiencing violence against my people, I decided that I should do my duty to bring about awareness among the people of world . Tamils are a numerical minority in Sri Lanka, only about 12% of the population. Then why should the Singhalese unleash violence and atrocities against a minority population? Why should the Singhalese politicians and religious establishment force the Singhalese to terrorize the Tamils? Can the world come to grip with what I am saying? How can a minority of people be a threat to a majority of people? The government is Singhalese, The people are Singhalese, the economy and natural wealth are in the singhalese areas, then why there is violence against the Tamils?. When asked the Singhalese why do you fear and hate Tamils? There is no answer.
I think the reason is to drive all Tamils out and make Sri Lanka a secular Buddhist state. The religious establishment is the cause of this Diaspora, Destitution and Death of Tamils. The Mahavamsa, an agenda similar to Hitler’s Mein Kampf is the fundamental cause of this calculated holocaust. Mahasangha an organization with Mahanayake as the head was set up to implement the agenda of the Mahavamsa. The governments are chosen by the Mahasangha and the Mahanayakes and are voted in by the people. It is suspected that by the year 2020 the non singhalese people will have no representation in the parliament. Colonization of Tamil areas are undertaken in massive scale to increase the singhalese population to more than 50%. In the last 60 years this has been the major theme of Sri Lankan ideology. Sri Lanka is not ready for modern politics.
On the other side the world nations are not willing to support the Tamils for an armed resistance. Therefore the only avenue opened to us is in the socio-political and socio- economic arena unless we pursue an agenda similar to Israel. South Africa was able to liberate it self through economic sanctions. There are at least three ways we Tamils can impose economic sanctions.
Number one, as Tamils we must boycott Sri Lankan foods and goods. As I walk through the Tamil owned retail outlets I see Sri Lankan products made with Tamil blood. We are not asking you to starve but to change your taste buds. My dear friend every thing has a price and freedom is the most expensive, are you ready to pay the price?
We request our Tamils, who love our motherland; please do a small favour, kindly do one or more the following
1. Do no import goods from Sri Lanka2. Do not send money more than what is required
3. Boycott Sri Lankan products
4. Do not export to Sri Lanka5. Do not travel to Sri Lanka unless it is urgent and unavoidable.
6. Produce Sri Lankan goods locally
7. Educate your co-workers, friends and neighbours about the atrocities in Sri Lanka8. Report all defective food products to the food inspection agency.
9. Do not purchase any of the financial instruments like Sri Lankan government
Sovereign bonds or share in Sri Lankan corporations.
If the Europeans and the United States are willing to impose sanctions why not the Tamils? We have to do our part. My friend lately what have you done to your community?
Number two creating awareness among world population.
1, Keep the other nations involved in your direct action, write to the foreign governments,
their UN mission in New York and Geneva. Every Tamil must become a campaigner,
ambassador and representative of the Tamil cause.
2. Request representation in the United Nations
3. Send out emails, letters, faxes to multinational corporations to stop doing business with
Sri Lanka.
4. Prepare handouts and distribute them at various retail stores like Marks and Spencer,
Wal-Mart, Sears, liquor stores, ethnic retail stores etc.
5. Do not hire Sri Lankan Singhalese in Tamil businesses and corporations. You may be
hiring a Sri Lankan spy or informant or agent. Beware whom you hire.
If we have to stop our direct action to impose economic sanctions. Sri Lankan Singhalese must guarantee the following conditions
1. No colonization of traditional Tamil home lands
2. High security zones must be reduced and military confined to the barracks
3. Administration handed over to civilian authority
4. Judiciary must be free of government and Para-military interventions
5. All war heroes’ landmarks must be preserved
6. Tamils must be allowed to raise funds to for investment and development any where in
the nation.
7. No standardization to the universities
8. All state appointments to be on merit not on race and religion
9. All murders and other atrocities must be investigated
10. All IDP camps must be removed and people go where they want to go.
11. Introduce Educational programs not to dividee people but to understand and unite them.
12, State and the Religion must be separated. Religion has its place but not in the
Government.
13. Stop building military cities in the Tamil areas.
A simple advice to our Singhalese friends, do not foster and fuel racism, fanaticism, state terrorism and discrimination based on external feature such as race, religion, appearance, language, caste, sex and age but you look deep inside for a internal diversity of intellect such as sensuality, empathy, wealth, knowledge, creativity, morality, That is the difference between modern democracies and some third world nation. The Singhalese people must compare their socio-economic standard with the rest of the world. They lost 60 years of good living misguided by Singhalese politicians. Your politician and religious establishment have forced you to terrorize the Tamil people. Isn’t it time for a Tamil President in Sri Lanka, Why not? THINK ABOUT IT!
Thank you
I am Subramanian Masilamany, A world-class Tamil powered by Conscience, Convictions and Commitments
Good Day, Ladies and Gentlemen,
My name is Subramanian Masilamany, I am a Tamil, and my mission is to bring about justice in Sri Lanka.
Today my subject is going to be what will take to bring about justice in Sri Lanka? Will it be economic sanctions against Sri Lanka or will it take a Tamil president to bring about justice in Sri Lanka?
After 60 years of experiencing violence against my people, I decided that I should do my duty to bring about awareness among the people of world . Tamils are a numerical minority in Sri Lanka, only about 12% of the population. Then why should the Singhalese unleash violence and atrocities against a minority population? Why should the Singhalese politicians and religious establishment force the Singhalese to terrorize the Tamils? Can the world come to grip with what I am saying? How can a minority of people be a threat to a majority of people? The government is Singhalese, The people are Singhalese, the economy and natural wealth are in the singhalese areas, then why there is violence against the Tamils?. When asked the Singhalese why do you fear and hate Tamils? There is no answer.
I think the reason is to drive all Tamils out and make Sri Lanka a secular Buddhist state. The religious establishment is the cause of this Diaspora, Destitution and Death of Tamils. The Mahavamsa, an agenda similar to Hitler’s Mein Kampf is the fundamental cause of this calculated holocaust. Mahasangha an organization with Mahanayake as the head was set up to implement the agenda of the Mahavamsa. The governments are chosen by the Mahasangha and the Mahanayakes and are voted in by the people. It is suspected that by the year 2020 the non singhalese people will have no representation in the parliament. Colonization of Tamil areas are undertaken in massive scale to increase the singhalese population to more than 50%. In the last 60 years this has been the major theme of Sri Lankan ideology. Sri Lanka is not ready for modern politics.
On the other side the world nations are not willing to support the Tamils for an armed resistance. Therefore the only avenue opened to us is in the socio-political and socio- economic arena unless we pursue an agenda similar to Israel. South Africa was able to liberate it self through economic sanctions. There are at least three ways we Tamils can impose economic sanctions.
Number one, as Tamils we must boycott Sri Lankan foods and goods. As I walk through the Tamil owned retail outlets I see Sri Lankan products made with Tamil blood. We are not asking you to starve but to change your taste buds. My dear friend every thing has a price and freedom is the most expensive, are you ready to pay the price?
We request our Tamils, who love our motherland; please do a small favour, kindly do one or more the following
1. Do no import goods from Sri Lanka2. Do not send money more than what is required
3. Boycott Sri Lankan products
4. Do not export to Sri Lanka5. Do not travel to Sri Lanka unless it is urgent and unavoidable.
6. Produce Sri Lankan goods locally
7. Educate your co-workers, friends and neighbours about the atrocities in Sri Lanka8. Report all defective food products to the food inspection agency.
9. Do not purchase any of the financial instruments like Sri Lankan government
Sovereign bonds or share in Sri Lankan corporations.
If the Europeans and the United States are willing to impose sanctions why not the Tamils? We have to do our part. My friend lately what have you done to your community?
Number two creating awareness among world population.
1, Keep the other nations involved in your direct action, write to the foreign governments,
their UN mission in New York and Geneva. Every Tamil must become a campaigner,
ambassador and representative of the Tamil cause.
2. Request representation in the United Nations
3. Send out emails, letters, faxes to multinational corporations to stop doing business with
Sri Lanka.
4. Prepare handouts and distribute them at various retail stores like Marks and Spencer,
Wal-Mart, Sears, liquor stores, ethnic retail stores etc.
5. Do not hire Sri Lankan Singhalese in Tamil businesses and corporations. You may be
hiring a Sri Lankan spy or informant or agent. Beware whom you hire.
If we have to stop our direct action to impose economic sanctions. Sri Lankan Singhalese must guarantee the following conditions
1. No colonization of traditional Tamil home lands
2. High security zones must be reduced and military confined to the barracks
3. Administration handed over to civilian authority
4. Judiciary must be free of government and Para-military interventions
5. All war heroes’ landmarks must be preserved
6. Tamils must be allowed to raise funds to for investment and development any where in
the nation.
7. No standardization to the universities
8. All state appointments to be on merit not on race and religion
9. All murders and other atrocities must be investigated
10. All IDP camps must be removed and people go where they want to go.
11. Introduce Educational programs not to dividee people but to understand and unite them.
12, State and the Religion must be separated. Religion has its place but not in the
Government.
13. Stop building military cities in the Tamil areas.
A simple advice to our Singhalese friends, do not foster and fuel racism, fanaticism, state terrorism and discrimination based on external feature such as race, religion, appearance, language, caste, sex and age but you look deep inside for a internal diversity of intellect such as sensuality, empathy, wealth, knowledge, creativity, morality, That is the difference between modern democracies and some third world nation. The Singhalese people must compare their socio-economic standard with the rest of the world. They lost 60 years of good living misguided by Singhalese politicians. Your politician and religious establishment have forced you to terrorize the Tamil people. Isn’t it time for a Tamil President in Sri Lanka, Why not? THINK ABOUT IT!
Thank you
I am Subramanian Masilamany, A world-class Tamil powered by Conscience, Convictions and Commitments
Saturday, July 24, 2010
LEGEND: Sri Lanka spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
July 24, 2010, 12:00 pm
Sri Lanka spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, the eldest of a family of four, was born on the 17th of April 1972 in Kandy and attended St. Anthony’s College, a school run by Benedictine Monks where he started playing cricket.
Muralitharan’s grand parents were from India and settled in Kandy where his father started a confectionary business. Muralitharan was initially a fast bowler, but took up bowling off-spin on the instruction of his school coach Sunil Fernando.
He was first selected to the Sri Lankan side when the national team toured England in the year 1991. The next year he made his debut, in a Test Match at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo against the Australians.
The arrival of Muralitharan gave the Sri Lankans a match winning bowler, something they lacked for years and the team’s winning ratio, especially in Test Matches, improved drastically since his arrival. A year after his debut, Sri Lanka went onto record their first Test win against New Zealand and England. In 1995, the Sri Lankans won their first Test Match overseas when they beat New Zealand in Napier, Muralitharan played crucial roles in all these wins. The same year, he was also instrumental in helping Sri Lanka to win a Test Match in Pakistan.
But soon he was in trouble as he was called for chucking in 1995 in Australia in the Boxing Day Test Match in Melbourne by umpire Darrel Hair. Muralitharan was subjected to extensive medical research in Hong Kong and Perth to check the legality of his action and the International Cricket Council, the governing body of the sport accepted that a deformity by birth prevented him from straightening his elbow.
Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga stood firmly by him during the height of controversy and despite the national selection committee being reluctant to include Muralitharan in the squad for the 1996 World Cup in the sub-continent; the captain insisted he wanted the off-spinner in the squad. Muralitharan went onto play all matches of that World Cup and was a key member of the side as Sri Lanka went onto beat Australia in the final in Lahore in 1996.
The bowler played a key role in Sri Lanka’s first Test win in England as well when he picked up 17 wickets, including nine wickets in the second innings as Sri Lanka won by ten wickets in 1998 at the London Oval.
There was trouble again later that year as Muralitharan was called for throwing again in Australia during a One-Day International in Adelaide by Australian umpire Ross Emerson. Captain Ranatunga briefly withdrew the team from the playing field and only returned after consulting board officials in Colombo.
Muralitharan underwent further tests and it was proved that his suspect bowling action was an optical illusion.
His peak years were form 2001 to 2004 where he claimed a rich haul of wickets. In the year 2000 he had claimed his 300th Test wicket in South Africa. In 2001 he played a key role as Sri Lanka won ten consecutive Test Matches, a Sri Lankan record.
In 2004, he broke the World Record for most wickets when he went pass Courtney Walsh’s record of 519 in Harare.
Muralitharan by this stage developed a new delivery, called the doosra, meaning second one as the ball went away from the right-handed batsman after pitching contrary to coming into the batsman. The delivery was ruled to be suspect by ICC Match Referee Chris Broad; later further study revealed that most bowlers bent their arms while bowling and the ICC allowed all bowlers a flex of 15 degrees while bowling.
In 2004, Muralitharan refused to tour Australia after then Australian Prime Minister called him ‘a chucker’.
Australia’s Shane Warne went pass his record as Muralitharan sustained injuries in the same year limiting his participation in Test Matches.
In 2005, he married Madhimalar, the daughter of a South Indian businessman. His only son, Naren, was born a year later.
In 2007, Muralitharan again became the highest wicket taker in Test cricket when he claimed his 709th victim, England’s Paul Collingwood at his hometown in Kandy going pass Shane Warne.He also claimed the World Record for most wickets in One-Day cricket in the year 2009 when he went pass Wasim Akram’s record.
Muralitharan, a perennial number 11 batsman, never took his batting seriously. For him batting was all fun and tried to entertain the crowd with his big hits. He did, however, score a Test half-century in 2001 against India in Kandy.
He was also named in the ICC World XI when they played a six day Test Match in Sydney against reigning World Champions Australia.
Muralitharan was named as one of the Wisden’s five cricketers of the Century in the year 2000.
Apart from wining the 1996 World Cup, Muralitharan was part of the Sri Lankan team that played the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, where Sri Lanka lost to Australia in the final and in the 2009 T-20 World Cup final where Sri Lanka were beaten by Pakistan at Lord’s.
At the start of the year 2010, there were speculations that Muralitharan would retire from cricket. Initially it was thought the two Test series against West Indies at home in November would be his last, but he brought his retirement forward when Sri Lanka Cricket arranged a series with India in July. He announced that the first Test against India in Galle would be his last.
Muralitharan played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s win in the Test Match by picking up a five wicket haul in the first innings and claimed the last wicket in the Indian second innings to finish with 800 Test wickets. He claimed eight wickets in his last Test.
President Mahinda Rajapakse was present on the last day of the first Test in Galle when Muralitharan retired.
island.lk
Friday, July 16, 2010
Prof Shanmugaratnam: I would like to raise some questions about Norway’s role in SL-peace process! We want to assess Norway’s role/learn the lessons.!
India was not happy about Norwegian peace: Prof Shanmugaratnam
[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2010, 10:40 GMT]
India was not happy about Norway being given a role in peace brokering in Sri Lanka. Japan was keen to be the broker, but India was more against Japan than Norway, said Dr. N. Shanmugaratnam, Professor of Development Studies and Head of Research of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, while addressing a session on the failed peace process and Norway’s role in Sri Lanka, at a conference held in Nansen Peace Centre in Norway last Friday. The Norwegian Tamil academic also said that in his view the key challenges to the peace process were internal than international and the internal has always been decisive. Post mortem of the peace process has become a hot topic in Norwegian circles nowadays since the failed envoys of Sri Lankan process have embarked upon fresh peace initiatives elsewhere.
The 5-day conference titled ‘Norway in Peace’, held between 11-15 June was organized by the Norwegian Peace Centre and Nansen Dialog. Both the organizations have merged recently, forming Nansen Peace Centre.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs is hosting this week Oslo Forum, an annual event acknowledged as the leading international network of ‘armed conflict mediation practitioners’ consisting of conflict mediators, high level decision makers and key actors from across the globe in a series of informal, confidential and discreet retreats.
Post mortem studies on failed peace processes may help the world to learn where it failed or may help to acquit the brokers who failed in their neutral responsibility of loudly telling the truth to the world at the right time to check the peace process ending up in genocide. But what Tamils have to learn internally from the peace process ending up in genocide is the futility of any of them still continuing to harp on ‘united Sri Lanka,’ commented Tamil circles in Norway.
When sections of articulating Tamils fail at such a time as this in justifying the need for Tamil independence and in independently demanding the powers to recognize Tamil liberation, some world leftist circles currently misinterpret it as pro-imperialist tendency inherent to the Tamil struggle. Colombo is now capitalizing on it for justifying its genocide as its struggle against an imperialist plot and thus painting a sympathetic picture to the naive third world that it is a state standing up to the powers. The Tamil struggle is doubly penalized by the internal failure of its elite, Tamil circles pointed out, adding that some of the best Tamil minds should come forward in arguing for the due status of the struggle in the international arena, leading to Eezham Tamil independence.
The fundamental flaw of the peace process is that it approached a chronic national question with the ‘development’ agendas of corporate colonialism that have no ‘appetite’ for national questions. As a result, instead of coming out with logical-end solutions it got bogged down into the terrorist paradigm, Tamil circles said.
The outcome of the failure of the peace process now not only affects the national liberation of peoples suffering from prolonged genocide but also affects even struggles dear to Marxist minds, Tamil circles pointed out.
The ‘Sri Lankan’ model of crushing ‘terrorism’ makes some countries with civil wars adopting the ‘model’ to end their wars. More recently, Sri Lanka has offered to assist India to militarily defeat the Naxalites. India assisted Sri Lanka to defeat the Tamil Tigers and now Sri Lanka reciprocates, says Shanmugaratnam. A couple of days back even the US extended its help to India’s Sri Lankan style civil war.
In his presentation Prof Shanmugaratnam said: “I would like to raise some questions about Norway’s role, questions to which I may not have complete, definitive answers but questions that need to be asked and gone into in-depth if one wants to assess Norway’s role and learn the lessons.”
The following were his questions for discussion:
•How well informed was Norway of the history, asymmetries & complexity of the Sri Lankan conflict to play the role of a mediator/ ‘facilitator’?
•What was Norway’s understanding of the larger context and the highly fluid political conjuncture/s of 2001-2004?
•Was there strong professional backstopping?
•How did Norway view and assess the political rivalry/irreconcilability & the resultant problem of cohabitation between the Executive (the all powerful President) and the legislature (the less powerful Prime Minister and his party)?
•How well placed was Norway as an international actor in terms of political clout/ influence and diplomacy to play its role at the national (Lankan parties: GOSL, LTTE &others), global and geopolitical levels? (Geopolitics: India in particular)
•What was the role of the International Community (IC)?
•How helpful were the key players (USA, EU, India, Japan) to Norway’s endeavour to facilitate a negotiated settlement? More specifically the Role of the co-chairs (US, EU, Japan, Norway)?
•How important was Sri Lanka to the US and its allies, (compared to Sudan for example)?
•Was Norway able to anticipate the rise of strong anti-Norwegian feelings and campaigns among the Sinhalese people? How did Norway handle this situation?
•Was the Lankan armed conflict too intractable for a negotiated settlement and hence the war could only be terminated by military means?
•What went wrong?
Prof Shanmugaratnam ended his questions by citing Eric Solheim saying to reporters, "Even if Jesus Christ or Buddha came, they will not be able to do this easily," soon after meeting the Tigers' political head S. P. Thamilchelvan at LTTE’s Peace Secretariat in Ki’linochchi, in September 25, 2004.
What Shanmugaratnam has not asked, but many a Tamil mind ask within, is whether the whole peace process was in fact a deception designed primarily to deviate and finally to devastate the Tamil national cause in the island, Tamil circles in Oslo said.
Copyright © 1997-2009 TamilNet URL: http://www.tamilnet.com email: tamilnet@tamilnet.com
[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2010, 10:40 GMT]
India was not happy about Norway being given a role in peace brokering in Sri Lanka. Japan was keen to be the broker, but India was more against Japan than Norway, said Dr. N. Shanmugaratnam, Professor of Development Studies and Head of Research of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, while addressing a session on the failed peace process and Norway’s role in Sri Lanka, at a conference held in Nansen Peace Centre in Norway last Friday. The Norwegian Tamil academic also said that in his view the key challenges to the peace process were internal than international and the internal has always been decisive. Post mortem of the peace process has become a hot topic in Norwegian circles nowadays since the failed envoys of Sri Lankan process have embarked upon fresh peace initiatives elsewhere.
The 5-day conference titled ‘Norway in Peace’, held between 11-15 June was organized by the Norwegian Peace Centre and Nansen Dialog. Both the organizations have merged recently, forming Nansen Peace Centre.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs is hosting this week Oslo Forum, an annual event acknowledged as the leading international network of ‘armed conflict mediation practitioners’ consisting of conflict mediators, high level decision makers and key actors from across the globe in a series of informal, confidential and discreet retreats.
Post mortem studies on failed peace processes may help the world to learn where it failed or may help to acquit the brokers who failed in their neutral responsibility of loudly telling the truth to the world at the right time to check the peace process ending up in genocide. But what Tamils have to learn internally from the peace process ending up in genocide is the futility of any of them still continuing to harp on ‘united Sri Lanka,’ commented Tamil circles in Norway.
When sections of articulating Tamils fail at such a time as this in justifying the need for Tamil independence and in independently demanding the powers to recognize Tamil liberation, some world leftist circles currently misinterpret it as pro-imperialist tendency inherent to the Tamil struggle. Colombo is now capitalizing on it for justifying its genocide as its struggle against an imperialist plot and thus painting a sympathetic picture to the naive third world that it is a state standing up to the powers. The Tamil struggle is doubly penalized by the internal failure of its elite, Tamil circles pointed out, adding that some of the best Tamil minds should come forward in arguing for the due status of the struggle in the international arena, leading to Eezham Tamil independence.
The fundamental flaw of the peace process is that it approached a chronic national question with the ‘development’ agendas of corporate colonialism that have no ‘appetite’ for national questions. As a result, instead of coming out with logical-end solutions it got bogged down into the terrorist paradigm, Tamil circles said.
The outcome of the failure of the peace process now not only affects the national liberation of peoples suffering from prolonged genocide but also affects even struggles dear to Marxist minds, Tamil circles pointed out.
The ‘Sri Lankan’ model of crushing ‘terrorism’ makes some countries with civil wars adopting the ‘model’ to end their wars. More recently, Sri Lanka has offered to assist India to militarily defeat the Naxalites. India assisted Sri Lanka to defeat the Tamil Tigers and now Sri Lanka reciprocates, says Shanmugaratnam. A couple of days back even the US extended its help to India’s Sri Lankan style civil war.
In his presentation Prof Shanmugaratnam said: “I would like to raise some questions about Norway’s role, questions to which I may not have complete, definitive answers but questions that need to be asked and gone into in-depth if one wants to assess Norway’s role and learn the lessons.”
The following were his questions for discussion:
•How well informed was Norway of the history, asymmetries & complexity of the Sri Lankan conflict to play the role of a mediator/ ‘facilitator’?
•What was Norway’s understanding of the larger context and the highly fluid political conjuncture/s of 2001-2004?
•Was there strong professional backstopping?
•How did Norway view and assess the political rivalry/irreconcilability & the resultant problem of cohabitation between the Executive (the all powerful President) and the legislature (the less powerful Prime Minister and his party)?
•How well placed was Norway as an international actor in terms of political clout/ influence and diplomacy to play its role at the national (Lankan parties: GOSL, LTTE &others), global and geopolitical levels? (Geopolitics: India in particular)
•What was the role of the International Community (IC)?
•How helpful were the key players (USA, EU, India, Japan) to Norway’s endeavour to facilitate a negotiated settlement? More specifically the Role of the co-chairs (US, EU, Japan, Norway)?
•How important was Sri Lanka to the US and its allies, (compared to Sudan for example)?
•Was Norway able to anticipate the rise of strong anti-Norwegian feelings and campaigns among the Sinhalese people? How did Norway handle this situation?
•Was the Lankan armed conflict too intractable for a negotiated settlement and hence the war could only be terminated by military means?
•What went wrong?
Prof Shanmugaratnam ended his questions by citing Eric Solheim saying to reporters, "Even if Jesus Christ or Buddha came, they will not be able to do this easily," soon after meeting the Tigers' political head S. P. Thamilchelvan at LTTE’s Peace Secretariat in Ki’linochchi, in September 25, 2004.
What Shanmugaratnam has not asked, but many a Tamil mind ask within, is whether the whole peace process was in fact a deception designed primarily to deviate and finally to devastate the Tamil national cause in the island, Tamil circles in Oslo said.
Copyright © 1997-2009 TamilNet URL: http://www.tamilnet.com email: tamilnet@tamilnet.com
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