Palmyra Fallen (2015) by Rajan Hoole
by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 15, 2025
Introduction
Sept 21st marks the 36th death anniversary of human rights activist Dr. Rajani Thiranagama (1954-1989). At the time of her death, she was affiliated to the University of Jaffna. Last July 26th, Prof. Michael Roberts re-posted chapter 3 of Dr. Rajan Hoole’s 2015 book ‘Palmyra Fallen, from Rajani to War’s End’. Having been a long time critic on the activities of Rajan Hoole and his University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) coterie, I forwarded my comments to the ‘Tuppahi’s blog’, and Prof Roberts had kindly posted it, with his own interpretation.
[https://thuppahis.com/2025/07/20/political-complexities-in-jaffna-the-killing-of-rajani-thiranagama/].
First, I provide these two comments, to build up my criticism of Rajan Hoole’s thesis that ‘the LTTE did it’.
My comments:
“Michael,
I may not be wrong, if I say that you and I share a common interest in studying the assassins. I had read your paper on Rajiv Gandhi’s assassin ‘Dhanu’. But, I’m not sure, whether you had read my studies on assassins Nathuram Godse [International Medical Journal, 2023; 30: 197-200] and Somarama Thero [International Medical Journal, 2022; 29: 53-58].
You have regurgitated the chapters from Rajan Hoole’s 2015 [book], which cover the 1989 assassination of Rajani Thiranagama. According to his ‘investigations and findings’, the assassin of Rajani Thiranagama is one ‘Bosco’. To my disappointment, the assassin details provided by Dr Hoole is miniscule, compared to the assassin information made available by the police investigators on Nathuram Godse and Somarama Thero.”
Comment by Prof. Michael Roberts [aka, Tuppahi]
“It is my hope that Rajan, Sumathy and Co can provide biodata on Bosco and some others named (including their caste). The seafaring background and smuggling experience of its Kariyar caste personnel was a major factor that enabled the LTTE to outmanouevre PLOTE, EPRLF and other SL Tamil resistance groups in the competition to lead the SL Tamil challenges to the existing Lankan order.”
For discretion, I ignore Prof. Roberts’ rapier-like dig on LTTE’s caste origin, which is rather irrelevant to the main point I had raised. I take this sort of dig simply as an academic camaraderie I enjoy with him. As he had mentioned Sumathy [Sivamohan], a younger sibling of Rajani, I then sent a mail to her on July 26, incorporating these two comments for some clarification.
“Hello Prof. Sumathy Sivamohan,
Greetings from Tokyo. I’m Sachi Sri Kantha. This is the first time, I’m reaching you, though I’m familiar with your name, as Dr. Rajani Thiranagama’s sister. I picked up your email link in the net, via your posted resume.
I’m an acquaintance of Rajani, during her university days, because I held the President position of the Colombo Campus Tamil Society. I wouldn’t exaggerate to say that I’m a friend of Rajani. My brother in law was a batchmate of Rajani.
My questions to you are as follows, for the simple reason because I felt that you should know the answers clearly.
(1) When I read Rajan Hoole’s ‘Palmyra Fallen‘ (2015), he had stated that Rajani was a Marxist, and was attending the talks of N. Sanmugathasan (CP-Peking wing) during her university days, and it’s there she made contact with her future husband Dayapala. My question, since when Rajani became a Marxist? I was under the false impression that she was more into Christianity, than Marxism during her undergraduate days.
(2) As Prof. Michael Roberts had stated, do you have any information of Rajani’s assassin, identified as Bosco, by Rajan. From his book, I gather ‘Bosco’ is NOT assassin’s own name. I also noted that Rajan mentions that Bosco died due to brain tumor in 1990s. How could this be? Did Rajan verify this medical fact via any sort of death certificate?
As I don’t know how to contact Rajan, I place these two questions to you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards.”
To my query, I did hear from Sumathy within few hours.
“Dear Sachi Sri Kantha,
I’d like to know what your questions to me are about?
These are questions posed to Michael Roberts. Are those the questions you pose to me?
Cheers”
For this response, I did reiterate that the two questions were for her, as follows:
“Dear Sumathy,
Greetings. Thanks for your quick response.
My apology. It was my fault, because, I didn’t clearly separate my comments to Prof. Michael Robert’s blog and his response (which I had copy-pasted within my request mail to you).
The two questions, which were written below were directed to you, and NOT to Michael.”
Though weeks have passed, still I wait to hear from Prof. Sumathy.
For over 30 years, I had been a critic of Dr. Rajan Hoole’s writings. Those interested can check my previous postings at this website: May 12, 2007 [https://sangam.org/2007/05/Charade.php?uid=2387], and also Sept 8, 2010 [https://sangam.org/2010/09/Broken_Palmyra.php?uid=4061]. Here, I continue this criticism. Please note the two facts: (1) LTTE was defeated by the combined might of GOSL and 21st century descendants of Indian ‘Chanakyas’ in 2009. (2) Rajan Hoole published his ‘Palmyra Fallen’ book in 2015. As such, there was no necessity for him to be scared of any LTTE reprisals; but he had indulged in hiding his sources to sling mud on LTTE activities of 1989.
My Criticism on Rajan Hoole’s ‘Palmyra Fallen’ (2015) book
I had read chapter 3 (pp. 83-110) and chapter 4 (pp. 111-125) of Hoole’s book carefully and with interest, because a few academics are mentioned in it who I do know personally. They are Prof. K. Balasubramaniam, Prof. S.V. Parameswaran, Prof. V. Ramakrishnan and Dr. E. Balasundaram. Prof. M.A.M. Nuhman was also an acquaintance of me, during my University of Colombo undergrad days. Unfortunately, professors Balasubramaniam, Parameswaran and Ramakrishnan are not among the living now.
Entitled ‘Some Crucial Pieces of the Jigsaw’ chapter 3 begins with an incomplete citation from the Bible, filled with dots. This Procrustean version distorts the meaning of the Scripture. It’s also a perfect illustration to the type of research and innuendo on LTTE indulged in by Hoole and his coterie.
The incomplete Bible citation of Hoole was this.
“To everything there is a season…A time to be born and a time to die…A time to weep and a time to laugh: a time to mourn and a time to dance…I know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it. – The Book of Ecclesiastes”
I provide the complete version below so that readers can decipher WHY Hoole had omitted the lines which appears unmatched for his sort of logic. Here it is:
Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher: Lines 3:2-9
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace; and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew:
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak:
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace;
What gain has the worker from his toil?
[source: The Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments revised standard version, American Bible Society, New York, 1973, p. 575]
Unnamed Sources
It is so apparent that the chapter itself begins with a convenient distortion of Bible lines, and as one would expect, the details that followed also are filled with numerous unnamed sources. Keeping these sources unnamed is a dirty ruse adopted by Dr Hoole so that those interested in contacting these cited sources are deprived of independent verification. I counted 44 unnamed sources, and list them below, with the book’s page number in parenthesis.
“Important information came from members of the PLOTE’s Theepori splinted group we interviewed in Canada in 2005.” (p. 83)
“shot and injured by a pro-Indian group while returning from clinicals on a bicycle” (p.85)
“he had a roommate of Hill County Tamil origin” (p. 86)
“A Hill Country student who fled Jaffna in 1990” (p. 86)
“A student who had been Sooriyakumar’s roommate” (p.87)
“[citing Rajani’s account] ‘she wrote to a friend why this group should kill persons’” [p. 87]
“The driver got frightened and went away.” [p. 88]
“A farmer in a field in another lane off Adiapatham Road…” (p. 88)
“A man about 35 years walked down the foyer…” (p. 88)
“A security guard escorted in a stranger.” (p. 88)
“Some of the students stopped a passing car…” (p. 89)
“His brother-in-law, a postmaster cautioned him the same day,” (p.89)
“People of the locality later told” (p. 91)
“She went to a young doctor at Jaffna hospital…” (p. 91)
“Hussain (not the witness’ real name) had gone north…” (p. 91)
“he saw a cyclist doubling a passenger…” (p. 91)
“Hussain then observed him crossing the road, getting on to the pillion of a motorcycle, whose rider had been waiting for him” (p. 91)
“a student recognized him and they began talking.” (p. 91)
“After witnessing the murder and returning to his room, he told his roommate what he saw.” (p. 92)
“According to a Catholic activist, Bosco was a student at a seminary.” (p. 92)
“A staff member who was active in the university students union in the early 1990s” (p. 92)
“a priest we contacted said immediately…” (p. 93)
“a youth in his early 30s, who had known Bosco well…” (p. 93)
“a person named Peter” (p. 93)
“According to a near relative, the LTTE played a recording of Felix naming them as Rajjani’s killers.” (p. 94)
“We learnt through security sources at the University,,,” (p. 95)
“One of those who monitored the security officers has been identified…He is reportedly now a broken man” (p. 95)
“a former student of the university and member of the militant group EROS…” (p.95)
“a medical student from Valvettithurai came up…” (p. 95)
“a former PLOTE source from Kokkuvil told us” (p. 96)
“student L, Medical Students’ Union president – Dharmendra’s roommate, who joined the PLOTE” (p. 96, 98)
“The person we refer to as Arasu” (p. 97)
“Arasu visited A.J. Canagaratna, who resided with Kugamoorthy, escorted by two boys” (p. 97)
“a number of persons in his (i.e. L’s) neighborhood were convinced” (p. 98)
“The heated argument Rajani had with two Indian officers” (p. 100)
“another intern whom we will call Wenceslas” (p. 101)
“an elderly lady from Vadamarathchi, an education officer, told us firmly, ‘It is the LTTE’…’ (p. 103)
“By the evening of 19th November 1989, the southern delegates for the commemoration had arrived in Jaffna” (p. 104)
“After Rajani’s commemoration, an old and friendly Jaffna milkman conveyed his excitement” (p. 106)
“He innocently explained that his nephew who was in LTTE Intelligence…” (p. 106)
“some LTTE recruiters went to a tutory in front of St James’ Church on Hospital Road” (p. 108)
“a refugee claimant seeking professional advice in Britain told Rajani’s elder sister Nirmala” (p. 109)
“medical student Prabhakaran’s family sought help from a Muslim businessman, who used his connections…” (p. 110)
“Bosco and Salim from the LTTE’s Intelligence Wing arrested a prominent local Muslim” (p. 110)
Perplexing Omissions
What I found perplexing is the complete omission of Rajani’s husband Mr. Dayapala Thiranagama in chapter 3. Not a sentence about him. Rajani had gone to England in June 1989, for three months. She returned on September 3rd, via Katunayake Airport. Did she meet Dayapala in Colombo? He was in ‘hiding’ from the GOSL’s law enforcement agencies (in Chapter 2 of the book, Dr. Hoole cites a reason!). My assertion is that ‘Dayapala in hiding’ during that time, when President Premadasa’s elite state troopers were engaged in snuffing out the JVP elements, was indeed the cause of Rajani’s untimely death. Do remember that Rohana Wijeweera was extra-judiciously murdered by the State on Nov 11, 1989. This happened 50 days after Rajani’s tragic death.
Though Dr Hoole and his coterie valiantly hide the origin of UTHR (J), that the parent body University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) was a front organization of racist JVP nationalists was well known to the GOSL’s law enforcement agencies, during that period. Here is a link, to my previous posting on this site. [https://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/03-06_Rajani.php?uid=1561]
Dr Rajani Thiranagama, the ‘prominent skirt’ of UTHR (J), lost her life due to her association and activism with these racist elements.
Dr Hoole mentions that Rajani’s funeral was held on Sept 23, 1989. He doesn’t mention anything about Dayapala’s presence or absence at the funeral of his wife. Hoole provides ample details that Rajani’s assassin, identified as Bosco, was an acolyte of Mahattaya (then, No. 2 in the LTTE). In my Pirabhakaran Phenomenon (2005) book, I had provided details about the dirty deals Mahattaya had (a) with President Premadasa, citing his son Sajith Premadasa (the current leader of the Opposition), as well as (b) India’s RAW skunks. Thus, I refrain from repeating myself. In addition, the assassination of Dr. Gladys Jayewardene (a sister in law of ex-President J.R.Jayewardene) in Colombo on Sept 12, 1989 should NOT be ignored (see below). I did point this out, to Prof. Michael Roberts, in my private email to him.
My hypothesis (supported by empirical evidence) remains that Rajani was killed by the Sri Lankan state, using Mahattaya (aka, Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja, 1956-1994; then the nominal #2 in LTTE) as the conduit. India’s RAW skunks were the chief conspirators for the July 1989 assassinations of A. Amirthalingam and V. Yogeswaran, using Mahattaya as the conduit. These treacheries resulted in Mahattaya’s ‘mole-act’ becoming exposed and he was punished promptly by LTTE leadership. Indeed, Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman were no fools.
Dr Hoole makes much noise about the LTTE intelligence operations at the University of Jaffna and elsewhere. This indicates his knowledge deficiency on current statecraft and also proves in reverse that Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman had the foresight to set up foundations for a separate state since 1987. I challenge him to give one specific example, where an independent state exists devoid of its vital intelligence apparatus. Is he an ignoramus not to know the alphabet soup of agencies such as FBI, CIA, MI5, MI6, MoSSAD, KGB, FSB, ISI, RAW etc? Hoole had willingly borrowed the Russian term ‘gulag’ popularized by Alexander Solzhenitsyn in ‘Gulag archipelago’ to ridicule the LTTE. Then, he should also know the name of the agencies which manned such Soviet Union gulags? -.checka and its successors. Vladimir Putin, the current Russian leader was a director of FSB. George Bush Sr. the former American President also held the position of Director of the CIA.
An alternate version of Rajani’s killing was presented by Nadarajah Atputharajah, alias Ramesh, the editor of Thinamurasu weekly (April 12-18, 1998, p.6). At that time, Atputharajah was a MP affiliated to the Douglas Devananda’s EPDP. This version implicated IPKF army Colonel Keshavapillai Paramesvaran Pillai Saskikumar (1947- 1990) as the chief conspirator. The conduits were the EPRLF collaborator group, then aligned with IPKF. An English translation of this Thinamurasu item in Tamil can be checked in this link. [https://tamildiplomat.com/rajinis-assassination-who-was-behind/]
According to this version, Karthik and Thomas, belonging to the ‘Mandaiyan group’ of EPRLF were Rajani’s assasins. Thomas was the one who pulled the trigger on Rajani. Subsequently, this Thomas functioned as the body guard of Suresh Premachandra (the leader of EPRLF) and moved out of the island. Karthik, jumped from EPRLF to EPDP, and eventually left EPDP as well. He was hacked to death at Trincomalee, in a private problem. Chief conspirator Col. Sasikumar, from Kerala, also was killed four months after Rajani’s death on January 21, 1990 in an encounter with the LTTE in Ariayalai, Jaffna.
About the modus operandi of this IPKF Colonel, Dr Hoole provides the following information:
“We may note here the care Colonel Sashikumar took in dealing with the University. The Indian Army did not lose sleep over any humbler civilians killed, but were very sensitive to bad publicity arising from incidents involving the elite….In the course of the Indian pullout, Sashikumar ignored a warning from an LTTE sentry and drove into Ariyalai East to rescue a group of the ENDLF who were surrounded by the LTTE. Colonel Sashikumar was killed about 20th January 1990.” (p.79)
It should also be recorded that Atputharajah alias Ramesh was also assassinated on Nov. 2, 1999, in Colombo. In chapter 4 (‘Who ordered Rajani’s killing?, pp. 111-114) of his book, Dr Hoole rebutted Atputharajah version. Without identifying Atputharajah by name, he had included a mild sentence, “In 1999, the Thinamurasu editor fell victim to state-sponsored killers.” The phrase ‘state-sponsored killers’ is a devious umbrella term to wiggle out of legal net. I wonder, why he couldn’t grasp the fact that even Rajani was a victim of ‘state- sponsored killers’. In Rajani’s case, his assassin-suspect Bosco was a state-sponsored killer.
Differing from the version presented by Atputharajah, On Sept 18, 2010, I also presented my thoughts on the search for Rajani’s assassin(s) in this website. The link is (https://sangam.org/2010/09/Who_Killed_Rajani.php?uid=4071). Here, I had asserted that the assassination of Dr. Gladys Jayewardene on Sept. 12, 1989 in Colombo by JVP elements shouldn’t be ignored. Rajani was assassinated on Sept 21, 1989 in Jaffna. Two motives for Rajani’s killing could be: first, trapping Dayapala (Rajani’s husband, then hiding underground) anticipating his presence at Rajani’s funeral in Jaffna, second: a tit-for-tat killing to avenge the assassination of Dr. Gladys Jayewardene, by the JVP elements.
I also included this sentence: “unless Dayapala Thiranagama provides proof that he left for London directly from Katunayake [airport], Sri Lanka in December 1989, he could have been one of these JVP cadres, who moved to Tamil Nadu and later to London, under false pretense.” I’m not wrong, as of now, Dayapala Thiranagama has failed to explain the route he took to land in London with his two young daughters after three months Rajani’s assassination. Did he receive a ‘sympathy passport’ endorsed with a visa to UK, from President Premadasa’s officials? I stand to be corrected here.
Possessing the mind set of Procrustes’ bed has been a demerit of Rajani’s colleague(s). Procrustes’ bed. The Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (Centenary edition, 1970, p. 865) provide a description of who Procrustes was. “Procrustes, in Greek legend, was a robber of Attica, who placed all who fell into his hands upon an iron bed. If they were longer than the bed he cut off the overhanging parts, if shorter he stretched them till they fitted it. He was slain by Theseus. Hence, any attempt to reduce men to one standard, one way of thinking, or one way of acting, is called placing them onProcrustes’ bed.”
Bosco – the Assassin suspect, identified by Rajan Hoole
Dr Hoole identifies one ‘Bosco’as the assassin of Rajani. But, vital details such as assassin suspect’s birth name, including that of his father, and his birth date are NOT presented. The only identity given for this assassin suspect were (1) He had studied at St. Patrick’s College. (2) He belonged to the ‘Intelligence Wing of LTTE’; “It is true that in early 1990, before the outbreak of war at least, Mahattaya appeared to enjoy unchallenged authority over Bosco (who shot Rajani) and other members of the Intelligence Wing…” (3) He was a passenger in a bicycle clutching a revolver, that overtook Rajani’s bicycle “and dropped him ahead of her. Bosco (who was now facing Rajani) shot her a few times.” This was the eye-witness account of unnamed witness identified as Hussain (p.91). Specifics such as the distance between this eye witness and the shooter, and the details of the assassin’s weapon ‘revolver’ are NOT included. (4)
“Hussain then observed him [Bosco] crossing the road, getting on to the pillion of motorcycle, whose rider had been waiting for him a short distance east.” Details of the brand of motorcycle, its number plate and its rider (who had to be an accomplice of Bosco) NOT included. (5) He was in his 30s; (6) He died in late 1990s “reportedly of brain tumour”.
Especially, item 6 mentioned above is rather intriguing. The paragraph about Bosco, in page 94, is reproduced below. The words in italics, are as in the original.
“Bosco then had his base in a furnished room in a house in Arulampalam Lane near Tappalkattai Santhi (Post Box Junction), further east on Kandy Rd. Bosco was also an avid reader of Naan (Me), the journal on psychology published by the Oblate Fathers (Oblates of Mary Immaculate), a connection that probably goes back to Bosco’s residence at Arul Ashram, Jaffna, while attending St. Patrick’s College. The witness also said that a medical student named Sutha from Kilinochchi was regular visitor to Bosco’s room near Post Box Junction, where he had met him. They both studied and exchanged books on psychology. Bosco never took any vows. In 1996, after the Jaffna Exodus, the youth met Bosco at Murugamalai, Kilali, along with his wife, a lady from Sillalai, whom the priest cited earlier knew. Not long afterwards in the latter 1990s, Bosco, according to this and other sources, died reportedly of brain tumour.”
How did Dr. Hoole verify that Bosco died of brain tumour? Brain tumour cannot be detected from external observation. He doesn’t provide any evidence of an authentic signed death certificate, that he had checked. Assuming that he had checked the death certificate, he would have found the real name of assassin and his date of birth. Thus, the information gathered by him about Bosco was nothing but gossip/rumor. It’s this sort of research that made me to compose the limerick in 2010.
In Jaffna there lived four learned fools
with names Soma, Sri, Rajani and Hoole
Their Broken Palmyra book
was filled with unpalatable muck
as gossip/rumor ain’t excellent research tools.
A good example is in p. 96. Dr Hoole mentions a comment made by Mr. Gunaratnam, Mallakam Magistrate. To quote, “The grave looking Mallakam Magistrate, Mr. Gunaratnam, called me aside. He was concerned that many people were still blaming the Indian Army. He said, ‘Political considerations aside, I must tell you that this had all the hallmarks of the LTTE. It is what people call a ‘clean job’. There was no clumsiness. All the bullets found their mark. This is the conclusion I can make based on the many inquests I have been called upon to perform.’ ” [words in italics, are as in the original.]
What a flimsy piece of research finding? Here, Dr Hoole passes a juicy bit of personal thought delivered by Mr Gunaratnam to his ears on Sept 23, 1989 at St. James cemetery, Nallur, devoid of any supporting forensic data made within two days of Rajani’s death, as an authentic statement by the Mallakam Magistrate. I wish to know, whether this Mallakam magistrate had officially recorded his ‘personal thought’ in any verifiable police record, or public Court document. I also wish to know, whether Mr Gunaratnam is still alive, or had died.
Coda
Overall, the portrayal of then Mahattaya was sympathetic in the ‘Palmyra Fallen’ book, for the reason that he had been friendly with Dayapala-Rajani couple, and Rajani’s elder sister Nirmala. In p.124, Dr Hoole states, “The story in The Hindu of 24th July 1989 about a gunfight between Prabhakaran’s and Mahattaya’s supporters leading to Prabhakaran’s death turned out to be false, but was not taken lightly by the people who heard rumours of dissension.”
What was conveniently ignored was the fact, this was a ‘story’ planted by RAW skunks, to spread confusion among LTTE rank and file as well as Eelam Tamils; and it appeared after two weeks of the assassination of ex-TULF MPs – Amirthalingam and Yogeswaran in Colombo. The assassins were identified as Mahattaya’s acolytes. Rajani (then, in UK) had naively believed that LTTE was responsible, without knowing the dirty fact that the prime conspirators were RAW skunks, who had used Mahattaya’s men as conduits.
Since 1988, Mahattaya had functioned as a mole for RAW. This fact was proved by Indian circles in 1992, when Mahattaya was excluded in the prosecution roster in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination trial and confirmed only after LTTE’s defeat in 2009. Though journalist Neena Gopal’s 2016 slender book (273 pp), entitled ‘The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi’ was a regurgitation of materials from previously published books of seven authors, including that of Rohan Gunaratna and Adele Balasingham, as well as items lifted from my Pirabhakaran book (2005) without attribution, she had confirmed my hypothesis that Mahattaya did work as a RAW mole.
That Mahattaya also did ‘mole double-duty’ with Premadasa government was also confirmed by Sajith Premadasa (the current leader of Opposition). These details were presented in the ‘Pirabhakaran Phenomenon’ series, which appeared in this site, between May 2001 and Feb 2003.
What is rather disappointing is no description is given by Dr Hoole, on the efforts he took with the GOSL administration to solve the Rajani assassination from Sept 21, 1989 onwards. What about the Jaffna police report on the assassination? Who were the police officials he contacted, and what was recorded in their ‘action taken report?’
What about the post mortem report of the victim? Who was the judicial medical officer (JMO) in Jaffna at that time? Did the unnamed witnesses he had cited in 2015 willingly act on their own to offer such eyewitness evidence to the police investigation? Despite the fact there were three non-governmental centers of power (LTTE, IPKF and EPRLF) in Sept 1989, the Premadasa government DID NOT relinguish its control of Northern province?
Rather than acting as an incompetent crime reporter/investigator, prosecution counsel and judge to pass a verdict on the assassination of Rajani that ‘LTTE’s intelligence wing’, it would have been of some help to society at large, if Dr Hoole had recorded the actions he and his UTHR (J) colleagues took to expose the bureaucratic delays, judicial corruption and tardiness, political opportunism and ineptness of Colombo administration.
Here is my bottom line on Rajani’s life, at the time of her tragic death. I do not deny the fact that she was a feminine icon, caring for human rights in Sri Lanka, for a decade or so. But not all icons are made of 24 carat gold. Quite many icons, whether it’s Churchill or Mahatma Gandhi or Einstein do have feet of clay as well. Rajani was a naive, confused academic with an arrogant attitude to LTTE’s militarism, whose decade-old married life with Dayapala had soured and was in a new relationship with a British scientist (source: the 2005 documentary movie, about her life ‘No More Tears, Sister’ https://www.onf.ca/film/no-more-tears-sister-anatomy-of-hope-and-betrayal/). Damn it! How could she split from Dayapala with whom she had set up house, the one she had praised as her ideal partner with the words ‘You are My Che Guevara’. Was her words phony then? This sort of behavior, I dislike. When facing the heat, the poor worm wriggles and moves to another safe location. Rajani did the same thing with LTTE, like Linda Lovelace – swinging for both sides, pro-porn and anti-porn. This sort of evaluation may be unpleasant to Rajani’s fan circle, but I stand by what I had written here for one reason: to honor the dedication of LTTE heroes and heroines, who had been unfairly maligned by Rajani’s pals.
Rajani also aimed to be a mix of Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1910), Margaret Mead (1901-1978) and Mother Teresa (1910-1997) simultaneously. She was endowed with courage, which I do not deny. But, her ‘bull in a china shop’ behavior became a contributory cause of her missteps. And, tact (defined in the dictionary, as ‘adroitness in dealing with persons or circumstances) was not a part of her armory. Episodes described by Hoole in the book do offer ample examples.
Finally, I end this critique with a short beautiful poem of Robert Frost. It has a worthy caption ‘Revelation’.
We make ourselves a place apart
behind light words that tease and flout,
But oh, the agitated heart
till someone really find us out.
‘Tis pity if the case require
(or so we say) that in the end
We speak the literal to inspire
the understanding of a friend
But so with all, from babes that play
at hide-and-seek to God afar,
So all we hide too well away
must speak and tell us where they are.
****