Yet another assassination has taken place in Colombo recently. 

No one in his or her proper senses will condone the loss of a life, irrespective of whether it is that of a friend or a foe. I do not condone the destruction of life by anyone in this world. We do not create life and hence we have no right to take it. It should be left to the CREATOR. Being an ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi, I strongly believe in Ahimsa. I read the Baghawat Geetha and the Upanishads regularly.

I was totally opposed to the formation of the various liberation groups among the Tamil youths in the early seventies. I said they should follow Thanthai Selva and his path of non-violence.

I participated in the satyagraha led by him in the sixties and got beaten up by the military personnel. I was dazed & confused. I could not understand (then) that OUR OWN military would hurt me - a passive demonstrator. I even asked one of them as to why I am being hit. He said "katta vaapan" (Shut Your Mouth.) That silenced me, but made me think. 

I wondered why I was hit, why a peaceful demonstration was dispersed with force. I thought that the government in power i.e. OUR GOVERNEMENT, DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED BY US THE PEOPLE, would send its representative, a minister perhaps, to come down and talk to the leaders of the demonstrators (tens of thousands in number) and solve the problem - simple as that. 

Then again in January 1974, I was one of those who were seated in front the (then) Regal theatre near the (then) Dutch Fort, totally absorbed in the speeches delivered by the research fellows who attended the International Tamil Research Conference, that lasted ten days. And this was the last day. 

Suddenly the police barged in several vans and jeeps and started beating up the people with their batons. I saw them shooting with their 303 rifles (a primitive firearm then in use) at random. Suddenly there was a blackout. I heard people calling out "look out for electric wires." People - men women and children - were screaming and there was a stampede. 

My youngest son was only three years old. I put him on the ground and crouched over him so that he would be safe in the stampede. Just at that moment a policeman approached me. I was happy that he would help my son and me to safety. Instead I was beaten on my elbow. That fracture prevents me still - after 25 years - from doing any heavy work. 

When I think back I feel ashamed. There were over 50,000 of us and the police force could not have been more than 150 at the most. And yet, we were all running. But, there were a handful of youngsters, who were attacking the police with stones and aerated water bottles. Some of them are probably still alive now, roaming the Vanni jungles not with soda bottles but with AK56s (or whatever!)

This time I did not wonder why I was beaten up instead of being helped. Only now it occurred to my block-head that they were not MY OWN ARMY or MY POLICE but they were THEIRS. 

The communal riots of 1958, 1961 and 1967 did make me begin to think about a possible "OUR" government. I did not realise then that the worst was yet to come.

Despite all these beatings and the communal riots I was not prepared to give up my belief in NON-VIOLENCE. I would not contribute in any form or manner to support the Tamil liberation groups, because I thought violence was not the solution. 

Then came the subsequent communal riots, the various forms of discriminations by the governments that came to power, and to crown it all, the well planed, well orchestrated and executed riots - 1983 BLACK JULY. 

This brought me to face reality. I then realized that our freedom has to be fought for, and that it would not be given to us on a silver platter. 

I realised that in Baghawat Geeta too Lord Krishna encouraged Arjuna to fight evil to save justice- Thushta Nigraha.

Again, in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna there was a story of a serpent that listened to his preaching and would harm no one. Some naughty kids found this out, went close to it, and beat it up. Swami Ramakrishna saw the serpent in this condition and asked as to what happened. When it narrated its story, he told the serpent "Oh you fool, did I ever tell you not to defend yourself?”

Again Mahatma Gandhi has said that one could kill even a cow if it were to attack you.

All these have now made me understand our liberation struggle.

My original philosophy of non-violence applies to ordinary life. I still believe in it. But there is no ordinary life in Sri Lanka or Eelam. There is a war going on and when one takes sides then one has to take the consequences. And, Dr. Thiruchelvam cannot be an exception.

When it comes to providing assistance to men in uniform (the President in Sari is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces), one is directly involved in the war.

You are involved as long you vote for the budget that makes provisions for the war. Though the TULF abstains NOW from voting for the extension of the emergency, they vote with the government for the budget that provides the funds to procure arms and ammunitions to fight the Tamils.

There is no middle-path in Sri Lanka now. President J.R.Jeyawardene once said "come ye in war or come ye in peace"  - no middle-path.

One can't be in it (the war) and at the same time say that he is a moderate and therefore he is out of it. Dr. Thiruchelvam is no different from a private Somaratne or a Premadasa or a Ranjan Wijeyaratne.

Death goes with the territory of war.