THE much anticipated ‘Pirapaharan – Tamizhar Ezhuchchiyin Vadivam’ (Pirapaharan – The Embodiment of The Tamils’ Struggle) written by veteran Tamil Nadu political activist Pazha Nedumaran, was released in Chennai on Friday at PT Thiyagaraja Hall.
Tamil Net reports that it is Published by Tamizhk-kulam Pathippaalayam, and is a book of 1,223 pages, illustrated with 32 pages of photographs some of which are hitherto unpublished, and contains handwritten letters from Mr Pirapaharan and includes important personal conversations with the author, that throw light on the deep philosophy of the LTTE leader.
Along with Communist Party of India (CPI) stalwart Mahendran’s book ‘Veezhveanen’ru ninaiththaayoa’, this book, written by a long time supporter of the Eezham Tamils’ struggle, will join the series of must-read literature written by Tamil Nadu activists on the struggle for Tamil Eelam, for Tamils everywhere, Tamil literary circles in Chennai said.
Amidst a packed hall, the book release was attended by Vaiko, Kolathur Mani, Poet Kasi Anandan, CPI leader Nallakannu, Maniyarasan and others, along with the author.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Nedumaran hoped that ‘Pirapaharan’ would generate awareness among the Tamils living all the world over of the aspects of the struggle in the past, especially to the youth.
Vaiko said that whether the Tamils will take up armed struggle again or not in the future will be decided by the world, and this book will be a guide towards it.
Nedumaran’s book moves in a chronological fashion, covering important incidents, political developments in the island and India, military manoeuvres of the Tigers, an idea of their political outlook during the over 30 years of armed struggle, and stopping before 2009, roughly around the period of Brigadier Balraj’s death.
Providing important background information to the crucial periods of the 1980s and the 1990s when the Eezham Tamil struggle was at its greatest momentum, the author also provides insights into the functioning of Pirapaharan’s LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).
Delving into the changes and continuities in India’s foreign policy towards Sri Lanka and the Eezham Tamils, Nedumaran throws light on the dynamics of Indian and Tamil Nadu politics that affected these.
Details of what happened behind the scenes between the Indian government and the LTTE are discussed, from the initial ‘friendly’ period to the point when India did a complete U-turn.
Likewise, referring to books written by Indian bureaucrats involved in the island’s affairs and army commanders who participated in the IPKF fiasco, the author both analyses India’s policy shifts and provides evidence for his arguments.
The popular Eezham Tamil poet Kasi Anandan writes in his preface to ‘Pirapaharan’ that ‘Without being a mere eulogy to a leader, this book is a powerful piece of art that gives a solid shape to Pirapaharan’s ideology and goals.’
‘Pirapaharan – Tamizhar Ezhuchchiyin Vadivam’ is available from Thamizhk-kulam-pathippaalayam, 8/140 Dippoline, C. Pallavaram, Chennai – 600043, Tamil Nadu, India, Phone: +91-44-2264-0451. The book is priced at £25:00.
• Meanwhile, music industry reports say Maya Arulpragasam (popularly known as MIA), the Jaffna born musical phenomenon, has written the theme music for the new talk show hosted by Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, to debut on Tuesday on the Russian network.
Assange has taped 12 episodes of the show, ‘The World Tomorrow,’ according to the statement, with ‘an eclectic range of guests, who are stamping their mark on the future: politicians, revolutionaries, intellectuals, artists and visionaries,’ according to the press release posted in the Wikileaks website.
Spokesman for Wikileaks, Kristinn Hrafnsson, says MIA met with Assange in London, where he has been under house arrest for more than a year.
‘The world’s last five years have been marked by an unrelenting series of economic crises and political upheavals.
‘But they have also given rise to the eruption of revolutionary ferment in the Middle East and to the emergence of new protest movements in the Euro-American world.
‘In Julian’s words, the aim of the show is “to capture and present some of this revolutionary spirit to a global audience. My own work with Wikileaks hasn’t exactly made my life easier”, says Assange, “but it has given us a platform to broadcast world-shifting ideas”,’ the Wikileaks website further said.
Wikileaks revelation of the US’s knowledge of Sri Lanka’s ruling family’s alleged involvement in war crimes endeared Wikileaks and its founder Assange to Tamil expatriates worldwide, Tamil circles commented.
MIA, an Oscar and Grammy award nominee, is well known for her support for Tamils affected by Sri Lanka’s civil war.
• Three persons, including a Sri Lankan military Civil Defence Force (CDF) paramilitary operative and an alleged EPDP man, have been detained by Sri Lankan Police in Thenmaraadchi on suspicion of abduction, rape and the killing of 28-year-old Atputhamalar Subramaniyam from Thanangki’lappu, who was reported missing on November 13 2011 and later found dead near a Sri Lanka Army camp on 25 January 2012.
Women’s rights groups in the peninsula have urged global watchdogs to follow the conduct of SL Police in the investigations on the detained suspects.
The key suspect is ‘Thokkaiyan’, an operative of CDF, a paramilitary group run by the SL military intelligence, sources close to the SL police said. Thokkaiyan is from the same village as the victim, but was residing in Meesaalai, the sources added.
The second suspect is a man named Suresh. People of Thanangki’lappu allege that Suresh is a member of the EPDP although the group has not verified him as a member.
The third suspect, Shanmugam Jeyamohan, also belongs to an armed group, the sources said.
It is believed that the victim was lured outside her residence by the promise of a bank loan, which she had been seeking for a while, the sources further said.
Recently, a former EPDP operative was behind the rape and killing of a school girl in Neduntheevu.
