|
By Rajini
As a Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic who was born and brought up in Jaffna,
and thereafter moved to Colombo and then to Canada, I cannot stop
grinning while reading some comments here.
I was born to wealthy Tamil parents in Jaffna as the youngest
daughter in the family. It was way back in late 60s where people enjoyed
peace and harmony in that paradise island. Life was truly a bed of
roses.
By 1975-76 things were changing in Jaffna. I heard my parents talking
about some murder, and I still remember my father in his deep thoughts.
In a few weeks my parents sent my brothers to Colombo to live with my
aunt and her family and to attend a leading College in Colombo.
 A few years later, once I passed my Grade 5 Scholarship, I was also
sent to Colombo to attend a Convent. At school, my friends were talking
about “troubles in Jaffna” and when I asked my parents they told me to
focus on my studies.
Days passed by, life in Colombo was quite different but I liked the
new change, because there were a mix of people from all nationalities,
religions, classes and even caste. But all these differences had a
prominent place in Jaffna.Even my best friend was a Sinhalese Buddhist
girl called Nalika. It was 1983 July. Where a mob violence started in
Colombo, due to murder of 13 Sri Lankan soldiers in Jaffna. People said
“they are burning property and killing Tamils”, we were horrified.
My aunt’s next door Sinhalese neighbours protected us, we were hiding
in their attic for several days. The Government failed to control the
riot and it went on for days. However, during those dark days, despite
all the ugly stories I heard, I was able to see the true beauty of my
Sinhalese friends.
They stood by me, protecting me from all the evils. I finished school
and joined an Indian Bank in Colombo. Gradually, things changed in
Jaffna, when “groups of armed Tamil youth” called LTTE waged a conflict
war against the Government.They were on a killing spree like maniacs,
villagers, women, children, infants, priests, all became their victims.
The Government forces counter attacking them, trying to establish law
and order to protect the civilians.Things were getting worse in Jaffna.
My brothers (who never visited Jaffna) insisted that my parents too
should move to Colombo, but they refused because they just couldn’t
leave their massive ancestral property there.
They owned three mansions there and all three were acquired by the
LTTE and used as hospitals and a mortuary. Only one room was given to my
parents.
Once when my father, who was a well known respectable lawyer who
lived as a king in that area, wanted to talk to their rebel leader, and
a Tamil youth in late teens pointed the gun to his mouth and threatened
him saying “old man, the mouth is only to eat, not to speak”. A few days
later, my father died of a heart attack.
We tried our best to get our mother to Colombo, but she wanted to
join my father, which she did, a few days later.
The two sons and daughter were not able to see the parents for 8
years and none of us were able to attend their funerals, (if there were
proper funerals).
In a couple of years, we all left to Canada.
I still don’t understand why my parents didn’t want to leave their
homeland or house, knowing that they won’t be able to survive with those
bloodthirsty maniacs.We, who inherited mansions and hundreds of acres of
lands worth billions of Rupees from our ancestors, left Sri Lanka only
with our paper qualifications and the little money we saved.That’s what
this LTTE and Prabakaran did to our family.Today, when I see those
innocent Tamils, crossing over to “life”, my eyes fill with tears,
wishing that my parents would have done that, years ago.
As a person who believes in God, I know that not a single LTTE
leader, or a terrorist, or a supporter, or a sympathizer, or a fund
raiser, or a propagandist would survive “hell”, because for 30 years
they gave us and every Sri Lankan, nothing but “hell”. |
