 |
2005
whose usefulness results from their equity
and charity ". -Thiruvalluvar
all humanity is my
fraternity”
Tamil &
Sri Lanka
News From
News
Services
Around the
Globe
 |
 |
 |
 |
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The time was 10.25 pm when Dharmaratnam Puvirajakeerthi Sivaram
(DP Sivaram) alias Taraki came out of the Bambalapitiya restaurant on the
land side of Galle Road in Bambalapitiya. There were three others with him.
This place was not a favourite haunt of Sivaram for imbibing Bachchanalian
brew as it served only beer and foreign liquor. Siva usually preferred hard,
local stuff. It was by sheer accident on that fateful Thursday of April 28th
that he had gone there with the others. [contd.]
never
destroys
great men
who had
lived for
lofty ideals”
[LTTEPS.org]
International Commission of Inquiry [Lankademocracy]
The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum denounces in the strongest possible terms
the abduction and murder of journalist Dharmaretnam Sivaram, also known
as Taraki. It is the latest in a long line of such abductions and killings; a
climate of total impunity prevails and attacks on freedom of expression go
unchecked.
By Taraki
The JVP propaganda secretary recently urged his party members,
supporters and all Sinhala patriots to spit on NGO activists. No one, I am
sure, would have taken this lightly as rhetoric meant for popular political
consumption.
analysis written by
D. Sivaram and
published by the
Daily Mirror
condemns the
assassination of
Journalist ‘Taraki’
Sivaram [LTTEPS]
By Jayadeva Uyangoda
The on-going attack by the leaders of the Patriotic National Front (PNM) on
some of Sri Lanka's NGOs and individuals associated with them needs some
political response. I provide a response in this article not only because I
have been a target of vicious attacks by the PNM, but also because this
campaign of hatred and intimidation is symptomatic of a particularly
dangerous, authoritarian political trend in Sri Lanka today.
The PNM's attack on NGOs has the following thematic directions: NGOs are
agents of colonialism and imperialism; they are allies of the LTTE; they
endanger the country's sovereignty and national sovereignty; the state
should control and regulate their activities. This campaign coincides with the
PNM-JVP' other campaign of the 'Year of De-colonisation.'
slaying of
Sivaram
By Dayan Jayatilleka
The abduction and
murder of D. Sivaram
alias Taraki, is a
crime and a stupidity.
Thalaimannar - Pesalai welfare Camps
By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai
“I have two sons, who studied in India. Now after coming to Sri Lanka they
are refusing to go to school, as they are over aged. I do not know what to
do. They want to go to work, but I want them to continue their studies. My
husband is a fisherman. He did some odd jobs like cutting trees, taking sand
when he was in India. Now he has no permanent job, he earns Sri Lankan
Rupees 75/= -100/= per day, and it is not enough to look after the family”
says 35 years old Vijaya Alagumuththu, who went to India in 1990, and
returned to Thalaimannar from India in 2004.
By: Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
“For many Tamils it is a stark choice between
civilized values and survival as a community; between
surviving as a community with nasty values and not
surviving at all”
“Sadly those left behind live in a society made all
the more grotesque by the choices it made”
(‘Ravages of war’ by: Prof. Ratnajivan Hoole in
Tamil Week. Com of 24th April’2005)
The anguish and truth underpinning these words grabbed
my immediate attention. By very succinctly and I
should say quite poetically voicing the current
dilemma of the Tamils as a people in Sri Lanka, and
principally of those who continue to live in the north
and east, Prof. Hoole, a much maligned and somewhat
despised figure among sections of the Tamil
community, on account of his critical views and
perceived loyalties, has underscored the need for a
sensible and thoughtful debate among Tamils on the
substantive issues impinging on their present
circumstances and future .
failed to publish
Pioneering venture of Madras varsity
The Department of Tamil Language in the University of Madras is now in the
process of revising, enlarging and updating the Tamil Lexicon.
The work is going on in a large scale for the first time in 66 years. During
1924-39, the University of Madras had published the Tamil Lexicon in seven
volumes comprising 1,24,405 entries.
Short Stories
By K.S. Sivakumaran
This collection of 21 short stories in Thamil titled Yaavarum Kealir (All are my
Relatives), is Yogeswari Ganeshalingam's second book.
Earlier, she brought out a book titled Naavalar Valiyil Thamil Arignarkal
(Thamil Scholars in the Naavalar Tradition) She presents some aspects of
life led by former Sri Lankans presently living in foreign climes.
Are you coming to Scarborough Fair? [The Hindu]
SHE held the coffee cup under his nose. The captivating aroma and the
frothy surface foretold its exquisite taste. She made such coffee only when
she felt an extraordinary affection for him. He took a sip and nodded
approvingly. Then he returned to reading the newspaper. She lowered
herself into the swing opposite him listlessly humming a tune under her
breath. The balmy breeze gently stroked her cheeks. This patio indeed was
the best part of the house.
By Dushiyanthini
Kanagasabapathipillai
The place, the deity and the tank are all special in Tiruvidaimarudur.
An important destination for Saivite pilgrims is a small town on the southern
bank of the Cauvery, 10 km from Kumbakonam.
Tiruvidaimarudur is well connected by both rail and road, thanks to its
proximity to Mayiladuthurai.
The 1,200-year-old Sri Brahat Sundara Gujambal samedha Jothi
Mahalingeswarar temple, centrally ensconced in this well planned town, is
huge touching four main streets.
A newly revealed Tamil inscription confirms the origins of an unearthed
Mamallapuram temple
In a significant development in archaeological terms, a fragmented stone
inscription in Tamil, from the eighth century A.D., was this week found in the
excavated depth of the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) of a collapsed
temple close to the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, not far from here. In
February 2005, in the wake of the tsunami-driven waves that hit the coast on
December 26, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had discovered the
remains of a massive temple on the beach, a few hundred metres south of
the Shore Temple. The inscription in Tamil with eight characters reads cika
malla eti... ma. It evidently formed part of a larger inscription but the stone is
broken.
1447, Gerrard
Street, Toronto
Tel: 416-778-4542
It is interesting to learn that a hill in Kanyakumari district is named after
Tiruvalluvar.
Heard of a hill dedicated to Tiruvalluvar? The Kanyakumari Historical and
Cultural Research Centre recently brought to light the existence of Valluvan
Kal Potrai in Koovaikkadu hamlet, Surulodu panchayat, Kalkulam taluk,
Kanyakumari district. The author, along with two others, went to the hilltop to
speak to the 105-year-old leader of the Kaanis, Kaaliyan Kaani.
Fans won't let go of Rajni and Kamal: Tamil cinema's 50-plus
lodestars who don't—or can't—show the way
After 10 years, old stars Rajnikanth (55) and Kamalahaasan (51) clashed at
the box-office on the same day this Tamil New Year (April 14). Not many
sparks are flying, but this is hopefully the last such clash. We do not have to
wait any longer to realise that it would be miserable to watch 50-plus men
romancing women fit to be their daughters. Seen from a less ageist
perspective, though, Rajni and Kamal may appear young in a state where
the chief ministerial aspirant for 2006 is 82-year-old M. Karunanidhi (who
incidentally continues to dabble in scriptwriting).
The Kannada and Tamil film industries are often at loggerheads. But scratch
the surface and you see a heartening rapport beyond petty politics.
Chennai (then called Madras) was the hometown for production for most film
industries of South India, including Kannada, till the late '60s. The Kannada
industry was largely dependent on Madras for various aspects of the film
production. So, to an extent, the peculiar love-hate relationship that
Kannada and Tamil entertainment industries share goes way back to early
days of film making.
TETE-A-TETE Ramesh, an unusual, sensitive actor, feels that Kannada
actors make it big in Tamil cinema because they don't go with hang ups.
He is a typical Bangalorean. He thinks in Kannada though his mother
tongue is Tamil. He can speak Hindi, a smattering of Telugu and can
understand Malayalam. Language has never been a barrier. Who better
than a Bangalorean can appreciate and recognise the subtle nuances in a
Mohanlal performance, the comic capabilities of a Rajnikant or the
simplicity and sincerity of Dr. Raj Kumar. Ramesh has imbibed and used
the exposure well. Add his originality and you get performances as diverse
as a Amrithavarshini as well as a Joke Falls.
 |
 |
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