Posts Categorized: Biography

100 Most Influential – Muruganantham

Arunachalam Muruganantham TIME’s 100 Most Influential People : The entrepreneur who is an unlikely health crusader TED talks: How I Started a Sanitary Napkin Revolution BBC News Magazine: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

The Disappearance of an Academic

Six years after, for many, it’s a forgotten matter shrouded in the past. But for his family, the pain endures. The following article was written one month after he was abducted.

Amnesty’s appeal follows.

John H. Reed, Former US Ambassador, Dies

Mr. Reed was U.S. ambassador to the Indian Ocean island republic of Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 1976-77 and again from 1981 to 1985, serving the first stint under President Gerald R. Ford and his second under President Ronald Reagan.

At the time, the Sri Lankan government reportedly was seeking U.S. military equipment to combat the Tamil rebels who were fighting for an independent state in the northern part of the country. The bloody guerrilla war began in 1983 and lasted 26 years, until the government defeated the so-called Tamil Tigers. Tens of thousands of lives were lost on both sides in addition to environmental and economic destruction.

Obituary for P.A. Subramaniam

PA often differed from me and others regarding compromises between nationalistic tendencies and socialistic strategies, we nevertheless always recognised his positions were always anchored in his fundamental beliefs. PA said it clearly:
“For me oppression (whether it is violent or non-violent, armed or unarmed) is terrorism. Opposing oppression in any form is not terrorism and I am always at home to be on the side of resistance, whether enlightened by Marxism or not.”

Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 9: The Indira Doctrine

By: T. Sabaratnam, July  6, 2004 (Volume 2) India’s Solution The Sixth Amendment produced two immediate results. Firstly, Indira Gandhi made her second telephone call within 12 hours of its passage. Secondly, the TULF decided the next day, 6 August, to quit parliament and take refuge in India. These results had a profound effect on… Read more »

Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 7: JR Seeks Arms

By: T. Sabaratnam (Volume 2) Indian Factor President Jayewardene realized on Wednesday evening, after answering Indira Gandhi’s telephone call, that the riots had spawned unintended results. Firstly, it had, while weakening the Tamils, also weakened him and the Sinhala people, mainly by damaging their international image. Secondly, the riots had provided India a chance to… Read more »

Congrats to Dr. Indira Samarasekera

[June 17, 2004]  The Sangam is proud to announce that Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera has been appointed vice president research at the University of British Columbia. She has been a professor in the Department of Metals and Materials Engineering and the Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at the University of British Columbia since 1980.  Dr…. Read more »

Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 5: The Second Massacre

by T. Sabaratnam; published June 4, 2004 (Volume 2) 5. The Second Massacre The prison massacre on Monday, July 25, 1983 that killed 35 of their colleagues made the 28 prisoners in C3 feel insecure. They felt that they would be the next target. Three of them – Panagoda Maheswaran, Paranthan Rajan and Douglas Devananda –… Read more »

Pirapaharan 2, Chapter 4: Massacre of Prisoners

by T. Sabaratnam; published May 31, 2004 (Volume 2) 4. Massacre of Prisoners The Talk In the last chapter, I referred to the information that my friend in the Jathika Seva Sangamaya (JSS) gave me about the final solution. I also said that at that time I did not realize the actual meaning of that phrase…. Read more »

Chelvanayakam’s 27th Death Anniversary

by C. V. Vivekananthan, Attorney-at-law ; published April 27, 2004 Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam departed this life on the 27th day of April 1977, two decades and seven years ago. He was born in Malaysia on 31st March 1898, one century and six years ago. He received his secondary education at the Union College, Tellippalai and later… Read more »

Tribute to M.K. Eelaventhan

by Sachi Sri Kantha; published April 12, 2004 M.K.Eelaventhan – A Tribute to a Mentor It is gladdening to read in the TamilNet news of April 9th that Mr.M.K.Eelaventhan has been officially nominated by the Tamil National Alliance as one of the two national list parliamentarians, through the Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK). What a turn of events for… Read more »

Brigitte Morgenthaler Subramaniam

by Rev. S.J. Emmanuel; published April 14, 2004 We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing away of Brigitte under tragic circumstances. None can understand the depth with which this Swiss lady committed herself to the just Cause of the Tamils and moved thousands of others to do the same. The… Read more »

P. Ramanathan

by Unknown; published February 4, 2004 Tamil man who might have changed the fate of the tamils but failed The path to Independence With the surrender of the Kandyan kingdom to the British in 1815, Sri Lanka lost her independence. The last king, Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe was deposed and the Kandyan kingdom was vested in the sovereign… Read more »