Dear Friends of Circle Digest

It is really a wonderful feeling to address you all from Vanni in my Motherland - Tamil Eelam. To be precise I am sitting under the shade of a huge Mango tree in Puthukudiyiruppu in an armchair. I have placed a piece of wooden plank across the armrest to put my laptop. The temperature is twenty-eight degrees centigrade. The gentle wind that passes by gives a cooling effect, which is much needed here. The owner of the house we stay in, a widow sadly, is a very industrious type. Her husband was one night taken away from their home by the Sri Lankan army and he never came back. She has a few hens, two cocks, a cow and three goats. It gives a pleasant and homely feeling to be seated in a natural surrounding of this nature in daylight and work on my article. The crackling of the hens, the noise of one of the brightly coloured cock chasing the hens around and the baa bleat of the goats are a pleasant change to my artificially heated and electrically lit office room back in London. My bare feet are touching the sandy soil of my motherland. I go barefooted in her garden as a mark of respect to Bhoomadevi of my Motherland. It is beyond my capacity to express my feeling when I make the physical contact with the earth. I may say that when I squat on the ground it reminds me of my sitting on the laps of my mother when I was young. One should take a trip to Vanni to experience and enjoy this excellent feeling of proximity to our Mother. The house we stay in is at the end of a long lane, a cul-de-sac. Hence I am free from the noise of the little traffic in the neighbourhood. Here cars are a luxury and there are only a very few of them. But I do admit that I was pleasantly disturbed by the talks, which I hear over the thatched fence. The neighbour, also a widow, has two children - a girl of 12 years and a boy who is 9 years. I heard the girl crying out to her mother "ammA thamby adikkirAn". To this the mother responded by yelling "nAn ippo vanthanenrAl irandu pErukkum tharuvan". I smiled within myself because I have heard the same thing sixty years back from my mother when my elder brother (annai) bullied me.

Later my wife and I went for a stroll towards the town of Puthukudiyiruppu, which is only a kilometre away. It is a small town, but it contains the basic essentials such as several grocery shops, textile stores, cafes, hotels, a market filled with stalls selling vegetables, fruits, clothes, fish, etc.

There was also a Peoples Bank, a Bank of Ceylon and I also noted a Bank of Tamileelam.

Out of sheer curiosity I walked into the Bank of Tamileelam to have a closer look. Eighty percent (80%) of the staff is sari-clad girls - rest were young men. All of them were simply but neatly attired. We avoided the busy counter and approached a beautiful girl at the information desk. She received us with a pleasant smile. She was so beautiful that I told my wife quietly that I wished I were 40 years younger. That hard look in my wife's eyes threw cold water on my romantic joke. So I got on to business. We introduced ourselves and asked as to whether we could talk to the manager. She nodded politely and with her right hand made a gesture asking us to wait and walked towards the manager. It reminded me of "vAi sottkal Ethu payan". When she returned, from her facial expression and the characteristic shake of her head we understood that the manager would see us.

Actually it was a manageress, who greeted us with a big smile. After all the formal talks we were given a briefing of the activities of the bank. I was very much impressed with the enormous service that is being rendered to the poverty stricken people in Vanni. The war, that ravaged Tamil Eelam for over two decades, has brought the economy of our people to shambles. Those who had the chance to read my earlier articles on "Trip To Vanni Part I & II" would have got a fair picture of the horrendous situation existing in Vanni. Everywhere you turn you see the atrocities of the poverty created by the treacherous war existing here. I am convinced that this Bank is of immense value to the downtrodden masses to improve their living standards through self-help.

There are different forms of loans available to the peasants. Loans are issued for the following purposes:

1. Agriculture Loan: For ploughing the land, for the purchase of seed paddy, fertiliser, for harvesting and threshing.

2. Cottage Industry: Sweet production, Coir industry, Sewing machines for tailoring, gingelly or sesame oil mill.

3. Freshwater Fishing: Boats and fishing gear.

4. Small Business: For erecting market stalls

5. Poultry and Goat Farming.

6. For the purchase of Tractors, Trailers and Lorries

The bank offers different types of deposit accounts to encourage or induce people who wish to improve their savings. The details are appended to give you the different rates applicable to different loans. The percentage also varies with the period the loan is tied down. The bank uses these deposits to grant loans to the peasants.

I was really impressed to note that the Bank has special saving deposit accounts for the Tamil Diaspora as well. The interest rates applicable to the respective accounts are appended for your perusal.

Non-Resident Fixed Deposits (Interest at Maturity) (N.R.F.D)

24 Months Non-Resident F.D: 11%
12 Months Non-Resident F.D: 10%

Non-Resident Fixed Deposits (Interest Paid Monthly)

24 Months Non-Resident F.D: 10%
12 Months Non-Resident F.D: 09%

The Bank is willing to pay a slightly higher interest for large sums of deposit depending on the amount. You may contact the Bank for further details.

One may call the bank on Tel: - 00 94 21 222 3967 and obtain the details.

These rates you all will agree are very high, when compared with the interest paid in the West. I would strongly urge and humbly appeal to the Tamil Diaspora to invest in this Bank for mutual benefit. Every Pound/Dollar/Francs deposited by us is assured for the availability of the peasants for improving their economy. At the same time we, the depositors, are guaranteed a substantive amount as interest. The exchange rates are so conducive that it is a very sound idea to invest in this bank. The U.K.Sterling fetches around Rs150.00 and the US$ nearly Rs.98.00. This fluctuates every day by a couple of rupees.

The "Kalapokam" paddy harvest is to commence in two weeks time. The Bank needs very large sums of money to buy the paddy from the peasants at a reasonable price. If not, they will be left at the mercy - or the clutches - of the private trade who will offer very low prices for their paddy. For the first time, since the war started, the farmers were able to cultivate their lands fully using fertilisers, insecticides and weed killers, which were earlier banned by the Sri Lankan government.

The Bank has made it very easy for the foreign investors to open Deposit accounts with them. You can get down by post an application form supplied by the Bank. I too have some extra copies which I shall take with me to London.

Return it duly filled in and perfected enclosing a cheque from your own cheque book and send it to the bank. The cheque has to be drawn in favour of "N.Jeyaganthan", the managing director of the Bank of Thamileelam and cross it "Payees a/c only". The address is given below. Or call 00 94 21 222 3967

Bank of Thamileelam
Main Street
Kilinochchi
Sri Lanka

The Bank provides monthly or quarterly statements as requested by the account holder. The interest is calculated quarterly, but credited to the respective accounts annually. The interest is paid monthly or annually according to the account selected either to the account holder or to his/her Nominee.

Queries, if any, may be sent either direct to the Bank or by email to me at Mylvaganam@aol.com, as the Bank has no emailing facility as yet.

Wish you all Good Banking.

K.Mylvaganam

Tel. No: 00 44 20 8813 7195

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From Homeland

The Bank of Tamileelam shows the way to your prosperity and the Economic Development of the Tamil Homeland. 

Those of you who had gone Abroad in search of a better life ... Join In The' "THAYAKA OLI" 

The Light of the Homeland – Non – Resident Fixed Deposit Scheme 

Your Deposits will be Invested in:

AGRICULTURE   FISHERIES     INDUSTRIES 

" THAYAKA OLI"  

Non- Resident Fixed Deposit Scheme has the following Benefits: 

1. High Interest Rate.
2.  Maximum safety.
3.  Opportunity For Depositing In your Name Or In The Name Of your Nominee.
4. Facilities For paying The Interests On your Deposits To a person Of your Choice Living Here In The Homeland. Either Monthly or at Maturity.

The Interest Rates: 

Non – Resident Fixed Deposits (Interest at Maturity) 

24 Months Non- Resident Fixed Deposit                    11 %

12 Months Non- Resident Fixed Deposit                    10 % 

Non- Resident Fixed Deposits (Monthly Interest) 

24 Months Non- Resident Fixed Deposit                      10 %

12 Months Non- Resident Fixed Deposit                       09 % 

Contact:

Phone – 021-222 3967   Personal Callers Welcome in Our Branches.

Bank of  Tamileelam