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| Sunday, 29 May 2005 |
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Vesak in Jaffna Sunday Observer staffer Ranga Jayasuriya visits Jaffna to see emotions of a community celebrating new found freedom at the moon lit Duraiappah Stadium, during the Vesak season. For Sunethra, what she is witnessing in the Duraiappah Stadium is unprecedented. The illuminated stadium, named after Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duraiappah, the first public figure killed in the ethnic conflict, suggests a dawn of a new era for the twenty year old Tamil girl and of course, for all those war ruined lives in Jaffna. "I can not believe this. This is the first time I am seeing Vesak lanterns in Jaffna, says Sunethra walking around the Duraiappah stadium, observing beautifully lit lanterns on display. Her father, Sithamparampillai had other wishes when he accompanied Sunethra and her brother to the Duraiappah Stadium to see the Vesak decorations done by the Security Forces stationed in Jaffna. The elderly Jaffna- born Education Ministry employee says he wants to let his son and daughter to experience the similarity in the culture among the two ethnic communities, who could co-exist in one country. Even though, he himself had Sinhalese friends when he was young, Sithamparampillai feels the younger generation is locked in a mono-ethnic set up, which prevents them from interacting with other communities. It is to give them a exposure of Sinhalese that he decided to bring them to the stadium, he says. This is exactly the same objective, which the Security Forces had in mind when they decided to bring out their Vesak decorations earlier confined to the camps, to the play grounds and road side for the public to view. "Our objective is to offer the Tamil people in Jaffna an opportunity to see the Vesak festival. This is an opportunity they didn't have before and surely will help foster ethnic amity in this country," says Jaffna Security Forces Commander, Major Gen. Sunil Tennakone. This is also a strategy of the Security Forces to win the confidence of the Jaffna public. As the Commanding Officer of the 51 division, Brigadier Parakrama Pannipitiya describes such a gesture would help to bridge the gap between the Security Forces and the civilian populace. For most civilians visiting the Duraiappa Stadium, this is perhaps the first taste of going out with the family and kids, something sort of carnival. Second day of the celebrations notched 14,600 mark alone. For a people whose lives were shattered by a ruinous war, entertainment of this nature is a luxury. A young couple with their kids strolling around the moonlit stadium, then pop in to an ice cream stall suggesting the dawn of new era, the old wounds of the war are gradually healing and a new spirit and optimism of a better tomorrow is on the rise. As for the language policy of the country, where Tamil is an official language, but sadly was made redundant most of the time, at least the Security Forces had set a right precedent. The Security Forces choir, which performed for the three days went on to sing Bakthi Geetha in Tamil. For Amirtha Gnaneswaran (46) listening to music, this is a new experience, but he could feel the similarities. "These sounds are very similar to those we sing at Kovil festivals," says Gneswaran. "After all, we have more similarities than differences". The first ever Vesak celebrations in Jaffna were successful, everyone agreed. But some officers could see the underpinnings for the massive public response, which overtook their widest expectations. "The writing is on the wall. With peace people are forging ahead. Any reverse in their march will be difficult". Indeed, the LTTE kept quiet over the event, even though its representatives did not turn up despite being invited. But, LTTE's front organisations in their media releases called on people to boycott the celebrations, but to no avail. As another officer put it: "The message from the public is clear. 'A bunch of spoilers can not dictate to us'". Back to the Stadium, Sunethra wants this new found spirit to be preserved
for ever and her home town, once the citadel of Tamil cultural identity to
regain its lost glory. |
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