Reporting from Vanni, Part 1

by K. Mylvaganam

I was back in heaven (Vanni) for three wonderful months.  Only those who have been here will understand what I mean.  You are in a homely atmosphere listening to Tamil music and Tamil being spoken everywhere.  The only time I did not enjoy this music is when the Poosari in a nearby temple blasted it over the loud speaker at 4.30 a.m. - luckily on special days only.  The cocks, too, start crowing almost at the same tim,e but it is pleasant to hear them crowing as it tells you the dawn is nearing and at the same time lulls you back into sleep.  Around five, a few other birds also join the fray and the dogs will not be left behind.  They also contribute to the morning alertness.  The weather was always nice.  Food may have been in short supply, but the weather was guaranteed.

I cannot believe that three months had vanished - in the Vanni jungle - since my arrival there.  I had plenty of pleasant experiences.  I am glad to inform our readers that a good number of Tamil expatriates – medical experts, accountants, dentists, lawyers, managerial experts, etc – are pouring into Vanni to impart their share for the development of our motherland.  The L.T.T.E. is now well prepared to receive, accommodate and utilise their talents to the utmost.  Several guesthouses have been put up.  A good number of vehicles are left at the disposal of the experts.  They are driven round to their destinations without wasting their time.  Every minute of their time is worth a lot.  Most of them concentrate on training the local boys and girls.  I can assure you that these LTTE boys and girls are unique.  They are filled with enthusiasm.  They are tireless workers and working 10 to 12 hours a day is normal for them.  Their power of concentration is excellent.

I took four classes a day.  The first one commenced at 7.00 a.m., the next at 11.00.  After lunch a batch of them came home to me at 4.00 p.m. and my final round up was at 7.30.  The understanding was for each class to run for one hour.  That is how it started all right, but after two weeks I found that all the four classes got dragged on for 90 minutes each.  The fact is I started enjoying every minute with them.  They are extremely thirsty for knowledge.  Frankly, I too loved their company.  It is not all "study study" affair.  We did take breaks and I told them the life in the west but they narrated to me very exciting stories of the real action from the battlefield.  At times some of the stories are heart rendering, when you hear them narrating how they lost their bosom friends in the confrontation with the enemy.  A few get emotionally carried away, too. 

I would have very much liked to mention some of their brave achievements, but I just cannot do so for obvious reasons.  But I am compiling those very carefully so that a day will come (it will definitely come), when I intend to publish all those grand actions in a book.  I can assure you all one thing.  So long as these girls and boys are in the movement, victory is assured for us.  Their devotion, dedication and the confidence they exhibit are incredible.  Just to give an example I may quote a conversation with one girl called Iniyaval.  Not only her name is sweet, but she too is a sweet-looking child.  She is in her early twenties and has participated in several confrontations and has lost one of her eyes.  She wears a pair of cooling glasses.  I told her that it is a pity that it is so difficult to get visas, otherwise I could have organised a few of them to come over to England and get educated in the field of their choice.  Let me put her response in her own words. "Paata now we have a job to do and that is what we are focused upon at the moment.  In case we have to go one day, visa will not be a problem.  If there were no oceans people would have walked round the world.  Now that the oceans are there, we can swim anywhere we want".  I was flabbergasted.  That amount of confidence they have in themselves.  I came to know that some of them could swim several kilometres at a stretch – non-stop.

Their admiration for their leader is unbelievable.  Sheer mentioning of his name brightens them up.  The facial change in them exposes their love, affection, admiration and the respect they have for him... When they pronounce the word "ANNAI" they seem to be mesmerised by that word.  When one of my students mentioned that I had met the leader, one Kuyilini virtually moved a few inches towards me and looked at me with great respect as if she was seeing him in me.

They asked me as to whether they should call me "Sir" or "Master".  I said neither of them but just "Paata" would be fine by me.  I was able to see a glee on their faces.  Now all of them call me Paata, some as Appa.  I am sure most of them were identifying their own parents and grandpas in me.  Unlike many people, these children are extremely polite, well mannered and their body language tells you tons of stories.  Their sense of humour is also very high.  If they get a chance they will not hesitate to bully even me, but with love.  I enjoy their jokes among themselves.

Once I was conducting a class on "Technique in Debating".  The subject I selected was "Women’s Liberation".  I suggested a mixed sex on both sides in order to avoid any heated confrontations...  But Thamil Piriya (one who talks with authority) proposed that it should be boys versus the girls.  I thought that I was going to be in trouble, big trouble.  Nakaiyal said that the girls should argue for the sake of the men and the boys to defend the women.  I breathed with a sense of relief. It was one of the most interesting debates I have ever witnessed.  There were fiery arguments from both sides and lots of laughter, too.  One guy, Muthamil, keeps the class rolling with laughter. 

All of them have beautiful Tamil names, as you all would have noticed above.  That was why I was mentioning their names to familiarise you with the type of environment I was in.  There is another guy here who sings well and he is quite appropriately called "Isai Vaanan".  Por Vanan, Kavi Vanan, Kavi Chelvan, Puvi Arasan, Puli Maravan, Inn Mozhi, Then Mozhi, Then Mathi, Vinn Malar are a few names worth mentioning.  I could kill my uncle, who named me, if he was alive today, for naming me Mylvaganam.  I may seriously think of changing my name to say, Vanni Maaran, and thus let my uncle turn in his grave.

Now I am working on a project report for the "Pre School Children" in Vanni. I shall share with you my experiences with those little rascals quartered there.  My hero will be Kuyilan, a nine-year old brat, in one of my future postings.