Yavarum Kelir”
humanity is my fraternity”
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2005
Tamil &
Sri Lanka
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Management Structure
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
In the first week of March I telephoned a leading Muslim political leader
to inquire about the envisaged Post - Tsunami Joint mechanism. My
intention was to write an article about how the Muslims were being
sidelined in the discussions over the setting up of that structure. The
Muslim politicos response was lukewarm and was something like this.
gambles on
tsunami aid
[BBC Online]
"The most important
thing is, despite the
stalemate in the
peace process, the
president has
ensured that
full-scale hostilities
will not return for a
while," says Sri
Lankan political
analyst,
DBS Jeyaraj.
The tsunami relief
structure gives
legitimate powers to
the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) to carry out
relief and
reconstruction work
and will also test
their political and
administrative
structures.
By Professor S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
The Rev. Canon Lakshman Peiris, Vicar of Holy Trinity Church
Wellawatte, recently chose G.K. Chesterton's Hymn No. 562 from The
English Hymnal as the closing hymn:
O God of earth and
altar
Bow down and hear our cry
Our earthly rulers
falter
Our people drift and die
Take not thy thunder from us
But take away our pride
[Contd.]
By Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
The same question, ‘Who is to bell the cat?’ is being asked by two
Tamils, from two different perspectives, with reference to two different
cats-Sinhala - Buddhist chauvinism and the LTTE. This is a very
pertinent question that summarizes the current Tamil dilemma very
succinctly. The discussion has to obviously touch on the two cats that
have been identified, while dealing with the issue of who is to bell, which
is the key element in the question.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the
establishment of a Post-Tsunami Operational
Management Structure(P-TOMS).
1. Why is it necessary to have a joint mechanism with the LTTE?
* The principal rationale for creating a joint mechanism with the
involvement of the LTTE is to ensure the effective delivery by the
government of assistance to the tsunami-affected population in the North
and East. Since there are certain areas in the North and East that the
Government has limited access to, there is no assurance that the
assistance the Government is providing to these areas is benefiting the
people directly. At the same time, the LTTE criticizes the Government for
discriminating against the Tamil people. A joint mechanism, which
includes the LTTE, will greatly strengthen the government's ability to
effectively deliver relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction to these areas.
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Post-TOMS
sees the light of
the day
[LTTEPS.org]
The JVP on June 24th created chaos and mayhem in parliament for the
first time since crossing over to the Opposition and the anticipated
special debate on the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure
failed to take off.
However, despite JVP disturbances the Government managed to table a
draft of the P-TOMs and sittings were adjourned at 10.30 a.m, with
parliament to reconvene on July 5.
welcomes
Sri Lanka
agreement on
aid deal
[TamilNet]
Foreign Minister
welcomes
signing of aid
deal
[TamilNet]
The UNP yesterday (JUne24) said it supported in principle the setting up
of the P-TOMS for the purpose of making urgently needed assistance
available to tsunami affected people in the North and East, but also
pointed out some weaknesses and flaws in the agreement.
UNP spokesman G.L. Peiris in a lengthy statement said, "It is of vital
importance that tsunami relief and rehabilitation must be given to all
affected areas in the country and that this benefit must be conferred on
all citizens of Sri Lanka including those residents in parts of the country at
present dominated by the LTTE."
Welcomes
Agreement
Between
Sri Lankan
Government
and LTTE on
Reconstruction
Projects
[Foreign Affairs - Canada]
SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem om Friday (24th) accused Muslim
government members of betraying the community by failing to ensure that
Muslims had a signatory role in the Post Tsunami Operational
Management Structure (P-TOMS), and relegating their status to that of
mere bystanders.
"This is a betrayal. I am appalled at the Muslim Ministers who despite my
calls to unite have cooperated in this betrayal of the community's
interests" he told the media in Parliament after the House was adjourned
early due to disruptions.
the tsunami
affected,
appeals
Sri Lankan
President
[Tamilnet]
Government yesterday ruled out the possibility of a snap election unless
it is defeated at the budget or if the opposition brings in a no-confidence
motion.
"The government is intact till the next Presidential elections. There is no
question of the government's stability at the moment as some minority
parties have pledged their support". Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj
Fernandopulle told a news conference.
by Radhika Coomaraswamy
(Text of the Mahatma Gandhi memorial oration)
Of all the political celebrities in world history, Mahatma Gandhi has had
the most profound impact on my political ideas and practice. I do not know
whether this was because of my childhood, when an uncle who spent time
in India during the Indian National Movement would regale us with
inspiring stories about Gandhi, or whether it were the anecdotes about
Gandhi that my grandparents would relate about the time he came to
Jaffna on the invitation of the Jaffna Youth Congress.
10 Years [VOA News]
temporary house in Udayarkattu in Mullaitivu
district. [HumanityAshore]
and Recovery Continues
[VOA News]
A FORMAT SO TYPICAL OF SHANKAR ... Anniyan When intelligent
screen line melds with racy action, it generally works. And when it has
mega maker Shankar (and his brand of grandeur) at the helm, it is a
field day for the filmgoer. Oscar Films (P) Ltd's `Anniyan' (U) typifies
director Shankar's penchant for big budgets and his yen for
showcasing society's ills.
SPEAKING EYES: Jayaprada is all set to enthral.
For a movie star, she seems surprisingly approachable. For
someone with the kind of features women pine for, she is refreshingly
free of airs. For a performer who has been a cine idol since her
teens, she comes across incredibly diffident. With all these qualities,
does it not follow that film star and MP Jayaprada, after mesmerising
a generation and more with her dance skills on celluloid, should refer
to her upcoming appearance as the courtesan Amrapali in the
eponymous stage production as her "debut"?
Where has the expertise of the Chola and Pallava artists gone? The
Nayak paintings have moved away from the realism of the previous
era and get a `folkish' appearance reminiscent of the Jain manuscript
paintings style. They are in turn replaced by the calendar art of our
times. Why was there this movement towards an emphasis on the
apparel and accessories of the subject rather than on the human
form and a "realistic" style? An interesting perspective to this
question was given by Dr. Job Thomas, Director, South Asian Studies
Program, Davidson College, in a recent lecture organised by the
Prakrithi Foundation in Chennai.
`Sani Peyarchi' falls on June 27 this year and Lord
Saneeswarar transits from Mithuna rasi to Kataka rasi
Lord Saneeswara or Sanaischara (one who moves slowly) at
Tirunallar is not the presiding deity and is a sub-shrine of Lord
Dharbaranyeswarar temple located near the inner tower of the
temple, known as `Kattai Gopuram.' Tirunallar is the holy abode of
Lord Saneeswara and the deity faces east with `Abhaya Varada
Hastham' and considered as `Anugraha Murthi, bestowing good
things to the devotees.
Ilaiyaraja's eagerly awaited `Thiruvachagam' will be
unveiled in a week from now.
June 30 will mark the culmination of five years of focussed effort —
the audio release of Ilaiyaraja's `Thiruvachagam.' Can it be termed
his life's mission? "I prefer to describe it as my life's purpose," laughs
the maestro. Completing the mammoth project will relieve him from
the cycle of birth and death, he believes. "No one can escape the
cycle if he leaves the world without finishing the work he is ordained
to. For me it is `Thiruvachagam,'" Raja's powerful eyes shine. "It's
wrong to call it a Symphony. It is Oratorio. Only that I've used a
Symphony orchestra," he says.
Shanta and V.P. Dhananjayan talk about their dance and the arts
scene in India.
IT'S been a long time since Shantha and V.P. Dhananjayan ruffled
feathers in the Chennai dance circles by moving out of Kalakshetra
(founded by their guru Rukmini Devi Arundale) and starting work on
their own. Today, as founders of not one but two independent art
institutions — Bharatakalanjali in Chennai and Bhaskara in Payanur,
Kerala — they have grown into more than a highly successful duo of
performers and gurus.
With the redefinition of the Hindi film heroine by the actresses
themselves, the vamp has become a memory of yesteryear.
THE vamp in Hindi cinema is a species that is fast vanishing. Her
natural habitat, the dance hall or cabaret show, has been eroded
and replaced by far less environmentally friendly locations like the
discotheque, the college canteen, the streets of Zurich and Geneva
or even the common bedroom. Naturally, cut off from her
life-sustaining ambience, the vamp has exited. Very soon, the only
time we will see her in Hindi cinema will be in the cloistered
environment of the National Film Archives, Pune.
By K.S. Sivakumaran
Vibhasha is a tri-lingual publication published by the Centre for
Policy Alternatives. We understand that in Sanskrit "Vibhasha"
means "Alternative".
We learn that it is a programme designed to generate a culture and
theory of translation as well as to foster mutual enrichment among Sri
Lanka's three main languages. Vibhasha aims to disseminate
disciplinary knowledge, making it accessible to a wide and diverse
audience, and to provide both a learning opportunity and the
recognition of skills through certification in translation studies, to all
those interested across the country". Prof Arjuna Parakrama, I
believe, is the academic in charge of this exercise. The CPA is
located at 105, Fifth Lane, Colombo 03.
Sri Lankan war drove mother to flee with five boys
Family now runs own business, sons have graduated
In the past 50 years, more than 920,000 asylum-seekers from around
the world have chosen to come to Canada.
On Monday, the bravery of these refugees was celebrated on World
Refugee Day, proclaimed by the United Nations five years ago to pay
tribute and draw attention to those who leave everything behind to
find safety. The theme this year: "Courage."
For Margie de Paul, her cousin's death in a bombing by the
Sinhalese army in their hometown of Jaffna was the last straw.
Throwing the children's clothes and baby supplies into two small
bags, de Paul, now 57, fled the civil war with her five boys, aged 3 to
9, on Nov. 21, 1985. The journey was tough, but they survived and
flourished.
She scraped money from friends and relatives to get a special
minister's permit for her family in Madras, India, where she stayed
almost seven months before arriving in Montreal on June 13, 1986.
The family moved to Toronto a year later.
Finding a new home in a new country was always a challenge
because of the size of the family. De Paul was later joined by her
sailor husband, Vincent. From volunteering to refurbish old furniture
collected at garage sales for Tamil newcomers, the couple began
their furniture shop in 1994.
This month, de Paul completed what she set out to achieve by
leaving her homeland, when sons Hellenic, 24, and Shan, 23,
followed in the footsteps of their elder brothers and finished
university.
Looking across the 10,000-square-foot expanse of Sunflowers
Furniture, the store the family owns near Kennedy Rd. and Finch
Ave. E., de Paul says she will never forget her family's frightful
journey.
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]
disclaimers
applicable