Vannakam, Welcome...
www.tamilnation.org - 6000 webpages,
a growing togetherness... |
News & Whats New
|
Week Ending: Sunday,
18
November 2007
Reflections
|
 |
| "...Nobody
blames the Americans for
throwing British tea into Boston harbour, nor
can anybody blame a similar action in India on moral grounds. It is
reprehensible from the point of view of law, of social peace and order,
not of political morality. It has been eschewed by us because it is
unwise and because it carried the battle on to a ground where we are
comparatively weak, from a ground where we are strong.
Under other circumstances we might have followed the
American precedent, and if we had done so, historians and moralists would have applauded, not censured..." Sri Aurobindo on The Morality of Boycott,
May 1908 |
Tamil National Frame
International Frame of Tamil
Eelam Freedom Struggle
| Dr.Vickramabahu Karunaratne
- Sinhala regime playing role similar to Israel "...Under
Mahinda, the Sinhala regime is playing a role similar to that of Israel
in the Middle East...Though critical, the western powers, in particular
the US, support every action of Israel against the Palestinian
liberation struggle... Mahinda has convinced those
powers that a Sinhala authoritarian regime is the only viable state that
can take their economic agenda forward, suppressing opposition from
trade unions and plebian organisations... "
more |
Tamils - a Trans State Nation
Comments & About Us to include
| 1. Manohari Velamati, New Delhi, India "I’m
pursuing my PhD on Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in the School of
International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. Your
website is of great use for my research as it helps me have a broader
understanding of various perceptions of Tamils across the world."...
more
2.
Jey Raj, Canada
"I am really overwhelmed by the content on your site. This by far the
best reference we Thamizh people have in reach. Although I used your
site before, I did not realize how much of content it is made up of and
the depth of the content..." more
3.
Jiang Huazhi, People’s Republic of China.
"I know that Sri Lanka is a small but very beautiful country. But the
island has had very cruel war between the government and Tamils for
nearly 30 years. Many people, young and old, men and women have been
killed, which is a national tragedy. Some Tamils want to establish a
separate Tamil Eelam, which is understandable but impractical..."
together with response by
tamilnation.org
more |
Week Ending: Sunday,
11
November 2007
Reflection
"And
I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You
have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do
with that freedom? Will you fight?... Aye, fight and you may die, run
and you'll live - at least a while. And dying in your beds many years
from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to
that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our
enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our
freedom! Alba gu bra! (Scotland forever!)" -
William Wallace in Braveheart |
Tamil Nation Library: Eelam
 Sinhala Buddhist Nationalist Ideology:
Implications for Politics and Conflict Resolution in Sri Lanka - Neil
Devotta,
East West Centre, Washington Publication, 2007
"...The institutionalization of the Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist
ideology means that a political solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic
conflict is unlikely...The study recommends that the international
community advocate and foster the development of a plural state and
society in Sri Lanka that can be home to all ethnic and religious
communities..."
together with
comment by Nadesan Satyendra
"
...The mantra of a 'multi
ethnic plural society' has a nice meditative ring to it. It conjures up
the soothing vision of a society where all ethnic groups are equal and a
plurality of view points is encouraged and secured. But mantras directed
to resolve an armed political conflict, must fit the political reality
on the ground - and not the other way round.We need to recognise that multi ethnic
plural societies cannot be created by dictat."
-
more |
International Frame & the
Tamil Eelam Struggle for Freedom
|
No Choice: International Community has made Tamil rights depend entirely
on the battlefield outcome - Tamil Guardian "The military has
for two years blasted villages, driven hundreds of thousands Tamils from
their homes and continues to abduct, torture and murder…For all the
noise about human rights (and much of that has dissipated now), the Sri
Lankan state actually wants for nothing. Ironically, the more the
international community is convinced the LTTE can be defeated, the freer
the hand that Sri Lanka will have....Let there be no mistake: irrespective of the
extent of the casualties or suffering the Sinhala military inflicts on
Tamil civilians, the international community will not restrain the
state. Not, that is, until the Sri Lanka military is checked on the battlefield by
the LTTE's counter-violence...If the state fails to defeat the LTTE then
it will be compelled to negotiate with the Tamils. If it wins, we are
lost. But, then, it was ever thus. "
more |
Democracy Continues, Sri Lanka
Style to include
|
The Karuna Affair - Sonali Samarasinghe in the Sunday Leader
"I suggest let the government get rid of
Karuna, a liability and work with Pillayan and his men who are more
popular in the east than Karuna," Rajasingham had proposed. The
President according to the minutes then makes a damning comment. States
the minutes sent by Rajasingham on Rajapakse's response; "HE said that
he will take up the matter with his defence people and do the needful."
more |
Tamil National Forum
 1. Sanmugam Sabesan writes from Australia -
நினைவு தினம்
- Remembrance Day "நவம்பர் மாதம் 11ம்
திகதியானது அவுஸ்திரேலிய மக்களுக்கு ஒரு மிக முக்கியமான தினமாகும்.
பதினொராம் மாதம், பதினொராம் திகதியின் பகல் பதினொரு மணிக்கு
அவுஸ்திரேலிய மக்கள் கடந்த நூறு ஆண்டு காலத்தில் போரினால் மடிந்த தமது
மாவீரர்களையும், கடமையாற்றிய அனைத்துப் போர்வீரர்களையும், மடிந்த
மக்களையும், போரினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களையும் நினைத்து அக வணக்கம்
செலுத்துவார்கள்."
more |
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|
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2.
Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan -
Some Thoughts on
the deaths of Dudayev and Thamilselvan |
|
  |
"Chechen leader Dudayev’s killing in 1996 and Thamilselvan’s assassination
appear to have many parallels, in the manner of execution... Here is the AFP news report of 1996 from Moscow, which announced the
targeted assassination of Dzhokhar Dudayev (1944-1996), the Chechen
rebel leader. 'Mobile phone betrayed Dudayev’ was the caption of the
news report...
"
more |
3.R.Cholan writes from USA
- We Send Them the Money: So don’t complain
- Part
3 "We
gained a lot from the stupidity of the GoSL, which helped create the
strong Tamil Diaspora. The achievements of the Tamil Diaspora in the
cause of Thamileelam so far have been impressive, and I am proud to have
been part of it. But we cannot go forward, if we keep on sending our
grocery-money to the GoSL, to help it kill our people..."
more |
Revisited:
On Violence & Integrity - Nadesan Satyendra
 "...tamilnation.org together with many Tamils, will continue to grapple with (and agonise over) the question of moral laws
and ethical ideals in the context of an
armed struggle for
freedom. The question troubled
Arujna in the battlefield of
Kurushetra. In Pondicherry, Aurobindo grappled with the broader moral issues
in 'The Evolution of
Man'. Kannagi in Cilapathikaram,
took the law into her own hands and burnt down Madurai in her search for
justice. The response to the Tamil Eelam armed struggle from
those who are not members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, must
spring from a coincidence of what they themselves say, with what they
do, and in this way reflect their own integrity... "
more |
International Frame of Tamil Eelam Struggle
for Freedom: United States to include
|
 |
|
U.S. Military Assistance to Sri Lanka Continues - "Radar-based
maritime surveillance system and several Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs)
were donated to Sri Lanka Navy by U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert O.
Blake in a ceremonial function at Trincomalee on 8 November 2007"
more |
Reflections
Tamil National Forum
Thamizh Literature Through the Ages
|
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".... probably the most significant contribution
(of the Tamils) is that of Tamil literature, which still remains to
be 'discovered' and enjoyed by the non Tamilians and adopted as an
essential and remarkable part of universal heritage. If it is true
that liberal education should 'liberate' by demonstrating the
cultural values and norms foreign to us, by revealing the relativity
of our own values, then the 'discovery' and enjoyment of Tamil
literature, and even its teaching ... should find its place in the systems
of Western training and instruction in the humanities.."
Kamil Zvelebil in
The Smile of Murugan : On Tamil Literature of South India
more
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Learning & Teaching Tamil
to include
 Google: English - Tamil
Online Transliteration with Tamil Keyboard - " A language is more than just a means of communication. It is a
repository of a community’s collective history and heritage. It also
provides an identity and a focus that binds together a community for social
togetherness, that makes individual accomplishments that much easier.."
Kumar
Kumarappan on the Endowment of the Tamil Chair at University of California, Berkeley,
2001 |
Week Ending: Sunday, 4
November 2007
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
to include
| Brigadier S P
Tamilselvan: to include
நித்தியப் புன்னகை அழகன் இங்கே மீள்துயில் கொள்கிறான்....
இயற்றியவர்: புதுவை இரத்தினதுரை
பாடியவர்: எஸ்.ஜி.சாந்தன்
வெளியீடு: தமிழீழ தேசியத் தொலைக்காட்சி
Tribute by Velupillai Pirabakaran, Leader
of Tamil Eelam
"தமிழுலகமே ஆழமாக நேசித்த
ஒரு அரசியல் தலைவனைச் சிங்கள தேசம் இன்று சாகடித்திருக்கிறது. தமிழீழ
மக்களின் மனங்களை வென்ற ஒரு தன்னிகரற்ற தலைவனைச் சிங்களம்
பலிகொண்டிருக்கிறது." more
Tribute by M.Karunanidhi,
Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu
"Always a smiling face -
A heart and mind that burnt obtacles
A young, young, heart
But Himalayan strength, strength!
In the footsteps of the old singham, Balasingham
But, a ripened and seasoned army commander
An 'Uthama Valipan' who with stern determination,
offered himself to help
in an 'Urimai Por' -
You are not extinguished
You have not gone brotherless
Selva, you who have carved a place for yourself
In every Tamil heart and in every Tamil home
- where have you gone?
more
International Federation of Tamils, Geneva - பலபரிமாணம் கொண்ட
தமிழ்ச் செல்வனை இழந்து தவிக்கின்றோம்! "நமது பணிமனைக்குப் பலதடவை வருகை
தந்தும், நம்மோடு தொடர்பு கொண்டும் அனைத்துத் தமிழ் கல்வியாளர்கள்,
சிந்தனையாளர்களை நாம் இணைத்து, தமிழ் தேசியத்தை ஒன்றுதிரண்ட சக்தியாக்கும்
முயற்சியில், ஒன்றுபட்டுழைக்க வேண்டும் என அவர் அறிவுறுத்தியும்,
உற்சாகப்படுத்தியும் வந்தார்."
more
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Tamil National Forum
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1.
M.Thanapalasingham writes from Australia |
|
தமிழ்ச்செல்வனின் சிரிப்பு
மலர்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் தமிழீழத்தின் சிரிப்பு
"...இவன் இழப்பிற்கு ஈடில்லை. நாம் அழுவதை அவன் தடுக்கமாட்டான் ஆனால் தளம்பினால் அவன்
சகிக்கமாட்டான். எந்த உன்னதமான இலட்சியத்திற்காக தன் உயிரையும் காதலையும் ஈய்வதற்கு
அவன் என்றுமே முன்னின்றானோ அந்த இலட்சியத்திற்காக நாம் பன்மடங்கான உறுதியோடு
செயல்படுவதே நாம் தமிழ்ச்செல்வனுக்கு செலுத்தக்கூடிய வீர வணக்கமாகும்..."
more
2. R.Cholan writes from USA
We send them the money
-
so don’t complain "The only thing more grotesque, uglier, than the Sinhalese leadership
currently celebrating the murder of Thamil Selvan is the fact that
we the expatriate Tamils send them the money for it....The next time you buy a bottle of MD Brand Seeni-Sambol or
Katta-Sambol, think about it. Every dollar we give them buys them at least one bullet!"
more
3. Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan:
Tribute to Thamilselvan "Thamilselvan
has bid us adieu unexpectedly. Many will be gloating. Many will be
grieving. Some will be smiling. Some will be weeping. Those who hated
his guts will gloat and smile. Those who loved his dedication to the
cause of Tamil liberation will grieve and weep. ...The
heroic deaths of brothers and sisters younger than I in the service of
Eelam liberation, invigorates me. Though Thamilselvan will be physically
missing when I visit our homeland next time, I look forward to meeting
him in spirit, in the appropriate venue..."
"..There is sobbing of the strong,
And a pall upon the land;
But the People in their weeping
Bare the iron hand:
Beware the People weeping
When they bare the iron hand..."
The Martyr
by Herman Melville
more |
Reflection
Tamil Nation & the Unity of India
|
 Interrogating 'India' - a Dravidian Viewpoint
V.Geetha and S.V.Rajadurai
"Ethnicity has been characterized as the 'new spectre haunting the power
elites of our times'... It seems to us that this phenomenon of 'ethnicity' is the most visible
symptom of an organic crisis of that most sacrosanct of all political
institutions - the nation-state. ...Endless platitudes abound about 'national unity' and the
catholicity and durability of 'Indian culture'... (but) our national
identity has not been forged through a definitive articulation of a
national-popular collective will as has been claimed... It seems urgent, then, that we
pose certain crucial and important questions about ourselves: How are we a
'nation'? What are the historical and cultural markers of our 'nation-hood'? Is
our national identity the product of a `national popular will'?... The Indian
state is of course determined to prevent these questions from being asked.
In this context it seems logical that we ask: What is the 'Indian' nation we
seek to preserve?"
more |
Tamil National Forum
to include Sanmugam
Sabesan on எல்லாளன் நடவடிக்கையும்,
புலம் பெயர் தமிழர்களும்
One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century
 Birth
Centenary of
U. Muthuramalingam Thevar - Thevar hailed from the Maravar
community. Thevar became the
leader of the All India Forward Bloc
in Tamil Nadu, and was national
deputy chairman of the party from
1952 onwards. He worked with Subhas
Chandra Bose. He was elected thrice
to Parliament. U. Muthuralingam Thevar is revered as a hero and has become an icon
in the political life of Tamil
Nadu. more |
Tamil Nation Library:Politics
to include
 1.Profits of War : Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network
by Ari Ben-Menashe "Israeli intelligence
agent Ari Ben-Menashe who claims he worked for former Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir says that he visited Sri Lanka and
met President Premadasa, a minister, top officials and the PLO
representative in an attempt to sell US C-130 planes to Iran which was
forbidden by the United States. He also states that he went to Jaffna on
an $8 million arms deal involving the PLO."
more
2.
Men and Memories: Autobiographical Recollections and Reflections - J.R. Jayawardene
" In the course of my speech at the Bank of Ceylon's new headquarters building opening on 27 May
1987, I dwelt at some length on the Vadamarachchi operation, and the
government's intention to proceed with that till the LTTE forces were defeated. In the evening, Dixit called on me at my home in Ward Place and conveyed a message from Rajiv. The gist of it was written by Dixit on an envelope! It read as follows: 1. Deeply disappointed and distressed. 2. Thousands of civilians killed since 1983 has aroused
tremendous indignation. 3. Your latest offensive in Jaffna peninsula has altered the
entire basis of our understanding. 4. We cannot accept genocide. 5. Please do not force us to review our policies."
more |
Democracy Continues, Sri Lanka Style
Reflection
|
 |
| "If you want to build a ship, don't herd people
together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but
rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." -
Antoine de
Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) contributed by Satyendra Chelvendra |
International Relations in a Multi Lateral World: to include
 1.
United States
"You Can't Lump All Terrorists
Together" - Hillary Clinton Speaks Out "Well, I believe that terrorism is a tool that has been
utilized throughout history to achieve certain objectives. Some
have been ideological, others territorial. There are
personality-driven terroristic objectives. The bottom line is,
you can't lump all terrorists together. And I think we've got to
do a much better job of clarifying what are the motivations, the
raisons d'être of terrorists. I mean, what the
Tamil Tigers are fighting for in Sri
Lanka, or the
Basque separatists in Spain, or the insurgents in
al-Anbar
province may only be connected by tactics. They may not
share all that much in terms of what is the philosophical or
ideological underpinning. And I think one of our mistakes has
been painting with such a broad brush, which has not been
particularly helpful in understanding what it is we were up
against when it comes to those who pursue terrorism for
whichever ends they're seeking."
together with comment by tamilnation.org "Hillary
Clinton's remarks are welcome - and given the culture encouraged
by the present US administration, her remarks are courageous and
opportune..." more
|
|
 2.
India & China China hails Sonia's 'milestone' visit, for
better ties "..China
hailed the visit of India's ruling coalition chief Sonia
Gandhi as a "milestone" in the history of Sino-Indian relations,
with President Hu Jintao saying his country attached great
importance to developing friendly ties with New Delhi..."
more |
Tamil Nation Library: Politics
to include
 The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation
- Drew Westen "..Westin tells us that a good story
will speak directly to the emotional brains of the left wing and
moderates alike, but if it does not anger the 30% on the hard right it
has not been entirely successful. This is because a good story must
knock down the antagonist as it builds up the protagonist. At the same
time the democrats appeal only to reason they are also much too timid in
defending the very real values that the party stands for. If Westin is right the democrats need to nominate a truly
charismatic candidate and then speak directly to the American heart.
It's not enough that the republicans have made a colossal mess. To
win, the democrats must offer an emotionally compelling alternative
and not be afraid to shout it from the rooftops. Every democrat
should read this book..." more |
Reports on Armed Conflict in Tamil Eelam
Week Ending: Sunday, 28 October 2007
Tamil National Forum
|
Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan -
Tears of a Kind to
the Heroic Twenty One "...In
the
hearts and minds of Tamils and those who sympathize with the Tamil
cause, the twenty one heroic souls who demonstrated their valor and self
sacrifice will live, while the names and deeds of warped Oracles,
editorial scribblers and contemptible political turncoats would be
dumped into the dustbin of history..."
more |
Reflections
|
  |
|
The Heroic Twenty One |
|
"...நீங்கள் வீழ்ந்ததனால்
நாங்கள் வாழ்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறோம்..
உங்கள் உடல்கள் சாய்ந்ததால்
எங்கள் தலைகள் நிமிர்ந்தன..
இன்று..
நாங்கள் வெறும்
கவிதை பாடிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறோம்..
நீங்களோ..
காவியமாகி விட்டீர்கள்..
காலம் வரும்..
உங்கள் கனவுகள்
நனவாகும்..."
ManNin
Maintharkal, Raj Swarnan
|
"Because you gave your lives
We continue to live...
Because your bodies have fallen
We stand perpendicular...
Today...
We...
We are simply singing poems
You...
You have become the song itself...
The time will come...
When your dreams,
Your dreams for the freedom of your people,
Will become an enduring reality...
The time will come..."
Children of Our Soil -
English Version by Nadesan Satyendra |
"வாழ்க ஈழத் தமிழகம், தலை
நிமிர்ந்து வாழ்கவே..."
|
|
"...A feeling or a thought, the
aspiration towards liberty, cannot be estimated in the terms of
concrete power...The idea or sentiment is at first confined to a few
men. The attempt to work brings them into conflict with the
established power which the idea threatens and there is persecution. The idea
creates its martyrs. And in martyrdom there is an incalculable spiritual
magnetism which works miracles... It is at this moment that the idea begins to create its
heroes and fighters, whose numbers and courage defeat only multiplies and
confirms until the idea militant has become the idea triumphant. Such is the
history of the idea, so invariable in its broad lines that it is evidently the
working of a natural law. But the despot will not recognise this superiority,
the teachings of history have no meaning for him... "
Sri Aurobindo, 1907 |
Reports on Armed Conflict in Tamil Eelam
|
 LTTE's Anuradhapura Raid:
Determination, Bravery & Precision
- B.
Raman, South Asia Analysis Group, New Delhi, 23 October 2007
"
Reliable details of the combined air and land attack launched by the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the Anuradhapura air base of the Sri Lankan Air
Force early in the morning of October 22, 2007, indicate that it was neither an
act of desperation as projected by the embarrassed Sri Lankan military spokesmen
nor an act of needless dramatics as suggested by others. It was an act of
unbelievable determination, bravery and precision successfully carried out by a
21-member suicide commando group of the Black Tigers---significantly led by a
Tamil from the Eastern Province--- with the back-up support of two planes of the
so-called Tamil Eelam Air Force."
more
together with
Comment by tamilnation.org
|
|
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Talking Point
Nations & Nationalism to include
Tamil National Forum
to include
|
Rajaji |
1. Srinivasan Varadarajan
writes from Chennai on
Rajaji & One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century"...It is easy to
call anyone especially a Brahmin a casteist in the present times and
accuse him of having 'Sathi Veri'. If Rajaji was one such person, he
would not have done so many things that he did in his life... I don't
want to enter into any debate. I am not here to prove any point. I am
concerned with 'Thamizharin otrumaiyum, uyarvum'... If Tamils unite, not
against anybody, but per se, they can produce miracles which will
heal all their wounds and end all their woes; may be they can become the
nucleus of the world community. Then the world will be Tamilnadu,
whether identified or not, whether recognised or not..."
more together with response by tamilnation.org
 2.
Sachi Sri Kantha
writes from Japan
-
Sixty
Cheers for the Central Intelligence Agency "Even though I’m not an American, I have nothing but admiration for some of the
spunk and spirit of the Central Intelligence Agency (aka CIA), the American
institution which many non-Americans love to hate. Who (other than those in the
league of some iron-willed ‘Lefties’ like Fidel Castro) cannot wilt to the
dramatics, spunk and the ‘never give-up spirit’ promoted by the CIA, in its 60
years of existence? Yes, CIA celebrates its 60th birthday this year."
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Simple
Simon: "
So,
