TamilWeek_Nov_06

Mahinda, Ranil and the Kandaswamy deity of
Maaviddapuram

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

"Yarlppanakudanadu " or Jaffna Peninsula became the cynosure of the on
going presidential election campaign when both Ranil Wickremasinghe and
Mahinda Rajapakse paid brief visits on successive days last week. The
Leader of the Opposition was in Jaffna on Nov 3rd and the Prime Minister on
the 4th.

Presidency 2005 and the healing touch of Victor
Hettigoda

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Each Presidential election in Sri Lanka has produced "also ran" candidates
in addition to the two frontrunners. While the media spotlight is almost always
on the two chief contenders at least a few of the others also attract some
attention. These candidates fighting a lost battle provide spice, , sizzle,
sparkle and colour to the campaign. They prevent monotony and add variety
to what may have been drearily dull otherwise.

Proposed federal solution cast aside in North
attacked in South

By Jehan Perera

Three and a half years into the Ceasefire Agreement, Jaffna continues to live
isolated from the political mainstream of the country's life. Switching on the
television does not help, neither does the radio. The TV and radio channels
that are so numerous in Colombo do not reach Jaffna. Many in Jaffna have
purchased cable connections that bring in the electronic media channels from
India. Even where newspapers are concerned, the ones published in Colombo
come in a day late, and cover the news from a southern perspective, which to
those in Jaffna is often wrong.

The importance
of the vote in
the north and
east

By Dr. Paikiasothy
Saravanamuttu

As we enter the last
lap of the presidential
election campaign
there is considerable
speculation as to
whether the LTTE will
engage proactively with
the election in terms of
sending out a message
to voters in the north
and east and in the
areas under their
control in particular,
with regard to who they
should vote for, if
indeed they are to vote
for anyone.

For a secular Democratic Lanka

By K. Godage

Is our state a secular one or is it some quasi-religious state? The nature of
our state is of fundamental concern to us. Secondly, is Mahinda Rajapakse
intending to hand over the chickens to the wolf to mind?

We have, due to certain unfortunate circumstances, (which led the Sinhala
Buddhist to become paranoid that their religion and culture which had been
preserved by the Monks through the Portuguese, Dutch and British periods,
was once again under threat from misguided Evangelical Christians), allowed
Monks into Parliament.

EU poll monitors can engage in election duties in
the LTTE held territory: LTTE [EelamNation]

The Liberation Tigers of Thamileelam (LTTE) leadership has promised the
Norwegian diplomats in Colombo that the LTTE would not prevent European
Union poll monitors from discharging their duties in presidential election in the
LTTE held areas in northeastern part of Sri Lanka.

The LTTE political leader S P Thamilchelvan said that the European Union
poll monitors can engage in their duties in the LTTE controlled area during the
Presidential Election to be held on the November 17.

Mahinda promises compensation
for high security zone [BBC]

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse told soldiers of the Palaly army camp that
although he is free to visit the UK or London or wherever he is not free to visit
cretin parts of the country.
Rajapaksha met the soldiers at the Palaly army camp and then addressed a
public gathering at Nadeshwara College, Thelipalai Jaffna which is also
situated in the high security zone.

Addressing the soldiers Rajapaksha said "The cease-fire needs to be revised"
say agency reports.

Ranil promises peace [BBC]

Opposition leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has made a rare visit to a military
base in the north of the country which is mostly controlled by Tamil Tiger
rebels.

Wickremesinghe -- who is the main opposition candidate in presidential
elections due to be held in two weeks time -- told the troops if he was elected
he would reach a permanent peace deal with the Tamil rebels within three
years.

Go and Vote -
North and East
Bishops [BBC]

The bishops of Jaffna
,Mannar and
Trincomalee/Batticaloa
have urged the voters
of the North and East
to cast their vote at the
forthcoming
presidential polls.

The Bishop of Mannar
Rt .Rev Rayappu
Joseph said that as
lethargy among voters
could be seen,he and
the Bishop of Jaffna
Rt.Rev Thomas
Saundranayagam and
Bishop of
Trincomalee/Batticaloa,
Rt.Rev.Kingsley
Suwampillai decided to
write to the voters and
encourage them to
exercise their
franchise.

Sri Lanka rebels brush off poll, voters await signal [Reuters]

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels say they are completely disinterested in the
island's upcoming November17 presidential election, but voters in areas they
control are waiting for a lead from the militants.

In the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi some voters said they would
prefer opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe -- who brokered a 2002 truce
that halted two decades of war -- over Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse,
favourite of Sinhalese nationalists opposed to wide devolution to minority
Tamils.

But residents in and around the de facto capital of the seventh of the country
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) control say polling day turnout is
up to the rebels.

After war, tsunami and corruption, they won't vote
for anyone [Guardian]

There are no election posters along the rainswept approaches to the fishing
village of Peraliya, only roadside pleas for help, crudely painted by locals on
the remaining walls of their homes or on filthy bedsheets hung from washing
lines.
The sentiments on most are forthright and aimed at the fleets of tourist buses
which rumble intently down the winding coast road from the capital, Colombo,
to the fortified resorts in the seaside towns of Hikaduwa and Galle.

'Stop - please help us rebuild our homes,' the banners plead. Unsurprisingly,
few tourists pause to take in the plight of the tsunami's forgotten victims.

On 17 November, more than 12 million Sri Lankans will go to the polls in what
is seen as a straightforward head-to-head between nationalist Prime Minister
Mahinda Rajapakse, and left-of-centre opposition leader, Ranil
Wickremesinghe.

Pictorial from Peraliya:
Ten months later, a village waits for the promised
help to arrive..

By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

An year has almost run its course and many people in Peraliya are still
waiting to receive the aid that was promised for rebuilding. Monthly assistance
allowances are not being given regularly as promised, according to the
villagers. Many villagers continue to remain in corrugated-iron roofed wooden
transitional shelters. Most men in this fishing village suffer from lack of fishing
jobs and other employment. The 100 meter buffer zone to rebuild has
aggravated the problem of finding permanent housing since many people do
not want to move, say the people of Peraliya.

Report from Batticaloa:
Sri Lanka struggles with loss after loss [International Herald Tribune]

Nearly a year after the tsunami devastated Sri Lanka, a fresh wave of political
violence is sweeping across the eastern part of the island. Armed factions vie
for supremacy, assassinations and abductions occur in broad daylight, and
parents squirrel away their children for fear they will be conscripted into battle.

Loss piles upon unbearable loss. There is no sanctuary even at a relief camp
here for families displaced by the tsunami. Since February, three women at
the camp have been widowed.

Dayaniti Nirmaladevi's husband was gunned down as he fetched noodles one
night. Radhi Rani's husband was shot after a fishing trip.

Norway's new aid minister will continue his Sri
Lanka peace effort [AP]

The man who secretly started peace talks in Sri Lanka in 1999 said Friday his
new role as Norway's aid minister will not keep him from working to end the
bloody conflict.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Erik Solheim also vowed to further
the Nordic nation's reputation as an international peacemaker and world's top
per-capita aid donor.

Back from a visit last week to earthquake-ravaged Kashmir, Solheim warned
that sluggish aid efforts there could cost more lives than the catastrophe itself.

"I was clearly disappointed by the international response," Solheim said.
"Winter is impending, it will be cold and to survive without tents or blankets or
without reconstructed houses will be impossible.

Report details police atrocities [BBC]

A report ordered by India's Human Rights Commission says that police in the
states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have committed serious abuses.
The report deals with the police treatment of villagers during the search for
the outlaw Veerappan, who was shot dead in October 2004.

According to leaked details from the report, there is evidence that police killed,
raped and tortured villagers.

Kantha Sashti, Nov 2 - 7

Kantha Sashti is observed for six days beginning on the new moon of the
Hindu month of Aipasi (October/November). Devotees of Lord Muruga observe
a fast on those days. The Skanda Sashti Kavasam is a famous hymn that is
sung particularly on this festive occasion in praise of Lord Muruga and reciting
this hymn is said to shield one from ill fate.

Kandha Sashti Kavasam:
Meanings in English

Geography of Heaven: Vrindavan [NPR Audio]

The Streets of a Holy Hindu City

Reminders of the Hindu faith are everywhere in Vrindavan -- countless
temples line the streets and pilgrims march in devotion. There is also stark,
third-world poverty and suffering. But for the faithful, the city is a manifestation
of heaven, here on Earth.

Pilgrims on the Path of Krishna

Framed by the stones of ancient temples and bathing pools, marching Hindu
pilgrims chant praise to Krishna and his consort, Radha. They touch the holy
water of the Yamuna River and walk barefoot down the same paths they
believe Krishna himself once trod.

The Embodiment of Earthly Divinity

The focus of many worshippers in Vrindavan is the Radha Raman Temple,
where a black stone statue of Krishna sits enshrined and wrapped in saffron
robes. Many consider the small stone statue to be Krishna himself.

Leela: Exquisite
songbird with a
mellifluous voice

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Porayathu Leela known
to millions of rasikas as
P. Leela passed away
around midnight on
Sunday October 30th in
Chennai. The 71 year
old South Indian
songbird was lying in a
hospital bed of Sri
Ramachandra Medical
Centre for nearly a
month . She had fallen in
the bathroom at her
house in
Nandambakkam
Defence colony , shared
for decades with her
sister and family.
Diagnosis after
admission revealed a
blood clot in her
brain.Surgery was
performed.
Complications set in
when she got
pneumonia.Being an
asthma patient her
condition deteriorated.
She was in a coma at
the time of death and so
passed away peacefully
and painlessly.

[Filmalaya.com]

Digging Deepa [CBC]
Canadian filmmaker shines with Water

There are countless ways for a filmmaker to portray human degradation,
some more subtle than others. In her powerful new film Water, Deepa Mehta
manages the feat with the seemingly harmless act of a haircut.

Water takes place in an ashram, or widow colony, in 1938 India. According to
one patriarchal reading of Hindu gospel, upon the death of their husbands,
Indian women must be forcibly separated from their families and sent to an
ashram, where they live out their days in monastic simplicity, deprived of
familial contact and most other worldly pleasures.

The dream continues [Hindu]

The dream continues Balu Mahendra's films always raise a lot of
expectations. Vishwa Films' ``Adhu Oru Kanakkalam" is no exception.
Excelling in technical aspects the film falls short in the area of storyline.

The film starts, with convict Srinivasan (Dhanush) escaping from custody.
Then the title card .The director uses flashback to answer why, when and how
the boy lands in jail.

Srinivasan is an unemployed graduate. His father Ganesh (Delhi Ganesh)
disapproves of his behaviour and it is the mother's love that prevents the boy
from running away. When both parents have to leave home for a short while,
they ask the servant maid to take care of Srinivasan. She falls ill and sends
her daughter, Tulasi (Priyamani) to do the work. Both are attracted to each
other and the parents, who return, notice the development.

Where is the entertainment?

It is all right for Vikram to have tried his hand at comedy but his fans will surely
find something missing. At the end of it all, one wonders what made Vikram do
a film like this?

The Malayalam original "Thommanum Makkalam" might have been a hit but
the Tamil title itself is intriguing. Except that the characters utter the word at
various places there is nothing to justify ``Maja."

Govindan (Manivannan), living alone, finds two small boys abandoned. He
adopts them. The three — Govindan, Arivumathi (Vikram) and Adhikesavan
(Pasupathi) — fend for themselves by stealing. This lands them in a crisis.

The role hardly offers a challenge and that perhaps to some extent explains
the lukewarm performance of Vikram. Pasupathi, on the other hand, has used
the opportunity very well. Vadivelu as Pulippandi is rather redundant.

Colourful Deepavali issues

Deepavali has a long association with Tamil journals with most of the
publications releasing special editions for the festival. This year too the stands
look more colourful thanks to the presence of these bonus issues.

Kalai Magal

Combining tradition and trend, the special offers fare to suit every palate.

Amudasurabhi.

Erudite articles — one of them bearing the by line of Swami Vivekananda, a
tribute to Ki.Va.Ja., the late editor, an informative sketch of Chalukya temples,
etc., — humorous ones, short stories, travel accounts and so on make
reading worthwhile. For the spiritually inclined, the magazine offers a round-up
of Lakshmi Nrisimha temples, an article on Sri Aurobindo and a picture page
of Ganapati in various forms.

The cover is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu contemplating Krishna drawn by S. G.
Baraskar.

Amudasurabhi

Crisp short stories that leave you contemplating form the highlight of this
edition.

The authors include Ashoka Mithran, Sujata, Thilakavati, S. Kandasamy and
so on. Sivasankari writes on her visit to Amritsar. The cover is adorned by
Gopulu's painting.

The artist visualises Rukmini dreaming of Krishna to whom she addresses a
letter and awaits reply. Thenkachi Swaminathan contributes to breezy humour.
A special on Ramana Maharishi and a profile of writer Kumidini by another
veteran Prema Nandakumar are among the items that make the special
interesting.

Gopura Darisanam

With a predominant spiritual flavour this magazine offers glimpses of temples,
architecture and profiles.

Manjari.

A highlight of course is the article on Sri Kamakshi by Paramacharya
accompanied by the drawings of G. K. Murthy. The cover illustrates (V.
Durgaa) Sathyabhama standing in amazement that all her jewellery does not
measure up to Krishan's worth whereas the scales balance with the thulsi
offered by Rukmini.

A timeless victory [Frontline]

Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War, looking back
at how a `fourth-rate power' defeated and drove away the
world's military giant.

The year 2005 is the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the rout of the
United States and its `allies' and factotums in Indo-China. We in India are
especially proud of Vietnam as the Indian people took its cause as their own,
gave rousing ovations to Madame Nguyen Thi Binh, the then Foreign Minister
of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, and rousing
denunciations to its enemies, as when the people of Kolkata turned out en
masse to protest against U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara's
presence in that city.

"Less aid than tsunami to earth quake victims" [BBC]

western nations were criticised by President Pervez Musharraf for doing less
than they would if Westerners were involved.

"The tsunami - I think if one compares it realistically - I would think the damage
here is much more. The magnitude of the calamity here is much more.

"But there it was spread to many countries. It affected many people from many
countries of the world, especially the West who were tourists in various areas.

"Therefore so many countries directly got affected because of the casualties
of their own country people and therefore the response of the world, I am
presuming.

2007 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2007)

State Department Web site for the 2007 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2007) is
now open. The application submission period for DV-2007 is from 12:00PM
EST (GMT -5) on October 5, 2005 to 12:00PM EST (GMT -5) on December 4,
2005. The application form will only be available for submission during this
period and this period only. Applications will not be accepted through the U.S.
Postal Service.

The 2007 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery where 50,000 individuals worldwide
will be selected has been formally declared open in Washington, the US
embassy in Colombo said yesterday.