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2005
Tamil &
Sri Lanka
News From
News
Services
Around the
Globe
all humanity is my
fraternity”
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of the Eastern
Tamils Must be
Ended
By. D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The Tamil people of the
Eastern Province
particularly those of
Batticaloa and Amparai
districts are fast becoming
the wretched of the Sri
Lankan earth. [Tamiliana]
A scheme to make the shallow strait between India and Sri Lanka navigable
has upset environmentalists and the port of Colombo. To its supporters, it is
a dream project, no less than the “Suez of the east”; to its opponents it is an
environmental catastrophe. Either way, plans to dredge a channel in the
seabed between India and Sri Lanka will be controversial, and could alter
maritime and military operations in the Indian Ocean.
by Saman Indrajith and Dasun Edirisinghe
Local environmentalists reiterating their strong opposition to the
controversial Sethusamudram project in the Palk Straits, which received the
Indian environment ministry's approval, said they would not permit the
project to go ahead, while the government was entangled in a bureaucratic
mess.
Benedict XVI - The New Pope
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
"Habemus Papam" - We have a Pope. His name was Joseph Ratzinger. He is
now Pope Benedict the sixteenth. The 265th Pontiff of the Catholic Faith
numbering 1. 1 billion believers worldwide is also the eighth Pope of German
origin There have been fifteen Pope Benedicts before him.
The new Popes selection was no upset win. He was the top favourite when
the 115 Cardinals went into conclave and emerged victor in the second
fastest Papal election of the 20- 21st centuries.Joseph Ratzinger was only
one of three Cardinals in the 115 not appointed by his predecessor Pope
John Paul Two. This senior Cardinal is 78 years of age.
A true heroine of our times
By D. B.S. Jeyaraj
More than fifteen years have passed since Rajani Thiranagama nee Rajini
Rajasingham was brutally gunned down at Thirunelvely, Jaffna on
September 21st 1989 as she was cycling back home from the Jaffna
University. She was Professor of Anatomy at the Jaffna Varsity medical
faculty. The 35 year old mother of two daughters was also a human rights
activist, feminist, critic of narrow nationalism and opponent of irresponsible
militarism. No one has officially claimed responsibility for her killing and
several attempts have been made by those close to the perpetrators to
deflect blame elsewhere. Despite these moves the people at large know who
the killers were though not many dared to say it publicly.
by Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
War usually conjures up images of death and damaged buildings. A drive
through the North-East would confirm this. But perhaps, the worst effect is
the loss of values, destruction of community and the damage to institutions
that are worse in non-personal terms. They take much longer to recover
than the loss of life. They make people nasty and life impossible. While
death robs people of life, these rob people of their humanity.
of Suffering
[Press & Sun NY]
Eve DiMenna stood in
the dark by the side of
the road somewhere
between Colombo and
Batticaloa and swatted
at a mosquito as she
ran down the list of
things the U.S.
Consulate told her not
to do:
* Don't stop by the side
of the road in
rebel-filled country.
* Don't drive at dark.
from Michigan, ARC [TamilNet]
About five hundred tsunami hit families residing in temporary shelters and
welfare centres in coastal areas of Nilaveli division in the Trincomalee district
last weekend received six hundred thousand rupees worth milk food,
medicine, household materials purchased from the funds collected by Sri
Lankan Tamils residing in the state of Michigan, U.S, by holding variety
entertainment events. The distribution took place under the direction of
Dr.S.Arulkumaran, Medical Officer of Health of Kuchchaveli Division.
Toronto MPs return from peace and trade mission to devastated
country
Tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka still live in tents, but a group of visiting
Canadian MPs and business people saw an even greater tragedy menacing
the island nation this month: a return to civil war.
If Sri Lanka's two-decade-long conflict resumes, it will kill hopes for
investment that can rebuild and modernize the devastated South Asian
nation, said Kula Sellathurai, president of the Canada-Sri Lanka Business
Council.
If Tamils and the island's Sinhalese majority return to war, "I will not even
spend one dollar," Sellathurai said after returning from a 10-day trade and
peace mission led by Beaches-East York MP Maria Minna.
[The Globe and Mail]
Canada has rejected the Sri Lankan government's nominee for that
country's high commissioner post in Ottawa, citing allegations of
human-rights abuses, a diplomatic source said yesterday.
The Sri Lankan government nominated former defence minister
Chandrananda de Silva. But Ottawa said it has "reservations" about Mr. de
Silva, and last week declined his nomination, said a source who did not want
to be identified.
for language research [UPenn]
"200 Tamil speakers in the U.S, who would be willing to register with us and
make one 10 minute phone call to a friend or family member. The two Tamil
speakers would converse on any subject that they wish for 10 minutes, and
then we will use their conversation for our research. The project itself
involves minimal effort from participants,"
Volunteers are requested to call 1-800-380-7366 or to email
cmglenn@ldc.upenn.edu.
The project will conduct a lottery for $500 for every 200 registrants.
Rain
[Click to hear songs]
rain...
By Subramaniya
Bharathiyar
shower created
by mother
nature"
- Kaviyarasu Vairamuthu
Kanagasabapathipillai
Researchers are aiming to learn more about how the Earth was populated
by collecting and analyzing genetic samples from 100,000 people around
the globe.
The five-year Genographic Project, being announced recently, will use
sophisticated laboratory and computer analysis of DNA to figure out the
patterns in which people moved from one part of the world to another. It is
sponsored by the National Geographic Society and IBM.
Blood samples will be collected from indigenous people by
researchers based at 10 sites around the world: Shanghai, China;
Moscow; Tamil Nadu, India; Beirut, Lebanon; Philadelphia; Johannesburg,
South Africa; Paris; Melbourne, Australia; Minas Gerais, Brazil; Cambridge,
England.
[The Genographic Project]
1447, Gerrard
Street, Toronto
Tel: 416-778-4542
Tamil touch
From dishwashers
to head chefs, Sri
Lankans dominate
restaurant kitchens
[The Globe and Mail
Leela Samson, Kalakshetra's new director, on her vision for the bedrock of
Bharatanatyam.
`There are lots of challenges, but things will improve'
Walking towards the banyan tree, Leela Samson winces every time she sees
another truck spluttering into the campus. "There is just too much concrete
in Kalakshetra now. I can barely recognise it," she says, putting a hand to
her face as dust rises from a just-thrown sack of cement. But she's here,
sitting by the banyan tree in Kalakshetra after 30 years of a hi-flying
performing career that took her all around the world; she's here, ready to
take over next month as new Director of this bedrock of Bharatanatyam.
It is always gratifying to watch talent being recognised and experience
rewarded. The past week saw two such occasions and both had director K.
Balachandar adorning the dais. The one in focus here is the inauguration of
Sri Krishna Gana Sabha's 13th Chithirai Nataka Vizha, in Chennai, in which
`Crazy' Mohan was awarded the title, `Nataka Choodamani' and Raadhu's
Mayan Theatres was presented the Poornam New Theatres Rolling Trophy.
Honoured by K. Balachandar, the chief guest of the evening, and felicitated
by filmmaker-dramatist-actor, TSBK. Moulee, it was accolades all the way for
`Crazy'Mohan.
A hot Sunday in summer is hardly the time one should be wandering around
Chennai but the discomfort vanished as I entered the old bungalow on Musiri
Subramaniam Road to meet the staff of Sampradaya, an organisation
dedicated to document and archive musical material, particularly Carnatic
music. But the institution may have to close down without substantial funding
and Government intervention, perhaps in the form of a grant.
Chandran Rutnam markets his country to international film makers as the
perfect alternative to shooting in India
.
When Deepa Mehta's "Water" is released, viewers won't make out that the
film, set in 1930s Varanasi, was shot not by the Ganga, as originally
planned, but by the side of a lake outside the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.
That is what Chandran Rutnam says he promised the film-maker, distraught
at having to abandon the shooting of the film in India after mobs led by the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
destroyed the sets at Varanasi and in other ways made it impossible for her
to continue the project.
If you think real estate is still an all-boys club, meet Silicon Valley venture
capitalist and social activist Malini Alles.
Born to Sri Lankan parents in a middle class household in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, and growing up in Australia, Alles moved to the U.S. when she was
19 — with just $200 to survive. As the story goes, she and her former
husband rented an apartment just outside the Stanford University Campus
while the two pursued their education.
`Pravahi', a documentary Arun Khopkar has just made on Bharatanatyam
artiste Alarmel Valli, is all flowing currents and frontal representation.
"ABYSMAL," says Arun Khopkar, when you ask him about the budget
allotted by the Films Division for "Pravahi", a documentary he has just made
on Bharatanatyam artiste Alarmel Valli. "The struggle is to figure out what
your choices are, so that there is no compromise," he muses, adding
mischievously, "With lots of money you get glossy lighting, but with no
budget at all you can have Subroto Mitra. The challenge therefore is to say,
I'll make a bloody good film inspite of Films Division."
MUSIC: Colonial influence did not leave even Carnatic music untouched.
How?
A geetham inspired by the music of the British national anthem! A javali in
English! And a Mangalam on King George V! Today they are almost
unknown and, to many, perhaps unbelievable. Such has been the lack of
awareness on the cross-cultural interaction in the evolution of Carnatic
music.
On a map the collection of rugged mountains near the tip of India appear as
a dark, insignificant blotch, just a shade different from the surrounding
plains. It is certainly misleading, for the Ashambu hills that lie south of the
Shencottah Gap support one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity in
the whole Western Ghats chain. Crowning these mountains at 1,866 metres
is a distinctive peak that holds a special place in the range. Pothigai or
Agasthyamalai (also known as Agasthyakoodam in Kerala) has long been
revered as a sacred mountain associated with the sage Agasthya. In more
recent years it has been recognised for its phenomenal diversity of life
forms. It is hard not to be swept away by Agasthyamalai's towering profile
and magical aura.
The 4th World Congress on Prevention of Diabetes and its Complications,
organised by the World Health Organisation, the Diabetes Research
Centre and the M V Hospital for Diabetes in Chennai, the International
Diabetes Federation, Belgium and the Centre for Disease control, Atlanta,
concluded in Chennai.
The decision to have the World Congress in India was taken by WHO
mainly because every fourth diabetic in the world is an Indian. According to
WHO projections, the 30 million to 33 million diabetics in India will go up to
40 million by 2010 and 74 million by 2025.
WHO has issued a warning that India will be the Diabetes capital of the
world.
Professor A Ramachandran, Head of the Diabetes Research Centre, was
chairman of the organising committee of the World Diabetic Congress.
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darkness from earth circled by roaring waters. One is the flaming sun, single wheel bright as
lightning, the other is Tamil that has no like." — from the taNTiyalankârum [Berkeley Tamil]
applicable