By Nanthikadal Lagoon, Our Dreams Lie Rusting in the Mud

by Shash Trevett, PEN Transmissions, July 8, 2021 Shash Trevett on the poetry of Nillanthan All translations of the poems quoted here were done jointly by Shash Trevett and Geetha Sukumaran. * 18 May 2009 was a day of apocalypse. Fire rained from the air, from the water, across the land. It did not discriminate… Read more »

The Myth of Security and the Prevention of Terrorism Act

False Promises by Ambika Satkunanathan, ‘Groundviews,’ Colombo, July 14, 2021 For decades human rights activists have highlighted the draconian nature of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which promises safety and security, yet in practice makes each citizen vulnerable to being arbitrarily arrested, detained, tortured and even convicted of an offence the person did not… Read more »

Review of ‘A Passage North’ by Anuk Arudpragasam

Long shadows by Nilanjana Roy, Financial Times, London, July 2, 2021 The Sri Lankan writer’s second novel attempts to air the wounds of the country’s civil war and refuses to succumb to collective amnesia It can take just two novels to establish a writer as one of the most individual minds of their generation. Anuk… Read more »

The Pirabakaran Phenomenon

by Sachi Sri Kantha, reposted from May 2001 – February 2003 Original index at The Pirabakaran Phenomenon We have been re-posting histories of the period leading up to the war, including Prabakaran’s early life to make sure that they are more readily available.  The biography by T. Sabaratnam is at ‘Pirapaharan,’ Volume 1 & 2… Read more »

In Sri Lanka, the Government Looks Increasingly Like a Family Firm

Three brothers of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa now hold top posts in his government. Two of his nephews have official positions, too. by Muib Mashal, The New York Times, July 11, 2021 The first attempt by a Rajapaksa to return to power in Sri Lanka was brief. In 2018, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s 1st Gold Medal Winner

by N. Ethirveerasingham, July 8, 2021 In 1958, two time Olympian, Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam, won the 1st ever Gold Medal in ANY sport for Sri Lanka (Ceylon) at the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. In this video Ethir narrates the silent film of the Asian Games, which includes film of his winning jump at the… Read more »

One Island, Two Nations

by Kumarathasan Rasingam, July 9, 2021 Sri Lanka formerly known as CEYLON is an island country in South Asia.  Sri Lanka was historically comprised of two distinctive nations; the country’s history has been written or represented as if it were one nation. However, the two nations, namely Sinhalese and Tamils, have existed in Sri Lanka… Read more »

Review of ‘Methagu’ Film

by Arul MurugesaPandian, July 5, 2021 The most important factor about this movie is its timing. While a concerted effort is being made by nefarious forces to discredit the genuine liberation struggle of Eelam Tamils, this sincere effort to document the root causes of the armed struggle is a fitting reply.   The Family Man –… Read more »

Four International Tamil Actresses Shattering the Glass Ceiling

by Thamarai, July 1, 2021 Streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have helped us discover emerging Tamil talent from across the globe. Here are four amazing international Tamil actresses to watch as they shatter the glass ceiling.   Geraldine Viswanathan Standup comedian, sketch writer and now actress, Australian newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan is no stranger… Read more »

MGR Remembered – Part 61

Political Activities, Travels to USSR and USA by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 2, 2021 Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s expert comments on the previous chapter Part 60, received by email of Mar 29, 2021, are as follows: “ I read your well-researched article with interest. MGR had much respect for Kamaraj and Kamaraj had defended MGR’s… Read more »

The Pirabaharan Phenomenon, Part 45

The Scenario of the Eastern Front by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 18, 2002 D.S. Senanayake’s notorious Lebensraum (Living Space) strategy: a synopsis To analyze the dilemma faced by Pirabhakaran at the Eastern Front of Eelam in mid-1980s, I need to review the sinister significance of the Sinhala-Buddhist Lebensraum strategy which occurred in the first half… Read more »

‘Stateless’: Detention Camp Drama Floats Adrift

Despite agile performances, the Australian drama focuses on the wrong characters, giving its refugee stories short shrift Eelam Tamils have a small subplot in this series. Showing on Netflix — Editor by Maria Fontuora, Rolling Stone, USA, July 13, 2020 In 2004, an Australian citizen named Cornelia Rau was wrongly imprisoned in an immigrant detention… Read more »

Report of the Consultation Task Force, Nov. 2016

by Consultation Task Force, Sri Lanka, November 17, 2016 CTF-Final-Report-Volume-I-Nov-16 As the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms no longer has a website and our link to this report of the Consultation Task Force at Consultation Task Force Final Report – Ilankai Tamil Sangam no longer works, we are posting the PDF here. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A…. Read more »

‘Methagu’ Film

#மேதகு Tamil period action drama movie written and directed by Kittu.  The movie stars Kutti Mani, Eashwar Basha, Vijay, and Anandan in lead roles. The music was composed by Praveen Kumar.  The movie Methagu is about Velupillai Prabhakaran, a warrior, and the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Release  Methagu was… Read more »

Performance Practices of Diasporic Sri Lankan Tamil Communities in London

Embodied Migration by Ann R. David, Journal of Intercultural Studies, August 2012, 33:4, 375-394 Embodied_Migration_Performance_Practices This paper examines issues of embodied performativity and transmission of dance  practices amongst Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus in the suburbs of London, focusing on how the experience of migration has shaped the making of cultural and ethnic identities.Using data gathered from recent ethnographic work in British Tamil temples and in the Tamil community, it addresses the complex discourse between the religious and political sense of selfhood articulated… Read more »

US Congress Resolution 413

Option for Sri Lanka to choose confrontation or conciliation by Thambu Kanagasabai,  LLM [London], Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 23, 2021 The recently tabled US House Resolution 413 in the US Congress led by Rep. Deborah Ross breathes fresh air, confidence and hopes for the Tamils, particularly the victimized Tamils… Read more »

Performing Politics

State Power, Ethnicity and Gender in Sri Lanka by Janet O’Shea, Dance Chronicle, 34:146–151, 2011 Review of Susan A. Reed’s 2009 book “Dance and the Nation: Performance, Ritual, and Politics in Sri Lanka” 288 pp. with DVD. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2009. $29.95 paper. ISBN – 13: 978-0-29923-164-4 Performing Politics O’Shea review 2011 Reed’s… Read more »

Bharatanatyam in Sri Lankan Sinhalese Films & in Sri Lanka

by Cinema Nrityagharana blog, June 24, 2014 While on a zealous search to see what kinds of dance could be found in the cinema of Sri Lanka, India’s island neighbor to the south, I was completely perplexed when I stumbled onto this Bharatanatyam-based dance in the 1965 Sinhala film Hathara Maha Nidhanaya: Starts :1:07 https://youtu.be/6RcYIYKk1AE My… Read more »