The Tamil Experience Of Being Alienated At

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| by Charles Sarvan
( !ly "#$ "%&#$ Berliner$ Sri 'an(a )!ardian* +hat follo,s is conse-!ent of a remar( made by
(Sinhalese* .r Bradman +eera(oon on "% !ne "%&# in the co!rse of a e!logy on his close friend of
many years$ (Tamil* .r /!leep(!mar0
1t ,as$ 1 felt$ both e!logy and elegy2 3His last years ,ere painf!l$ mentally more than physically$ as he
too( on himself the sad plight of ,hat ,as happening to his people 456 in the 7orth and East08 As
'iterat!re teaches !s$ collective misfort!ne is finally experienced by individ!al$ sentient$ h!man
beings9 in t!rn$ an individ!al life can give !s insight into a ,ider$ and therefore impersonal$
anonymo!s$ tragedy2 as it has been noted$ the no!n :'iterat!re; can also be seen as a verb0
1n an email comm!nication to me .r +eera(oon added2 3He c!t himself from his former friends
beca!se he co!ld not !nderstand their indifference to ,hat ,as happening to fello, citi<ens08 The last
phrase$ 3fello, citi<ens8 is significant0 +riting on Adrian +i=emanne$ 1 observed that if the Sinhalese
had been oppressed$ Adrian +i=emanne ,o!ld have fo!ght as co!rageo!sly$ clearly and elo-!ently as
he had fo!ght for the Tamils0 >!ndamentally$ the str!ggle is not on behalf of a gro!p b!t for fello,
citi<ens9 going f!rther$ for the h!man?rights of all$ irrespective of s(in?colo!r$ religion$ lang!age$ class
or sex0 +ords from @eats; :>all of Hyperion; come to mind2 3those to ,hom the miseries of the ,orld A
Are misery$ and ,ill not let them rest80 (>or 3rest8 one co!ld s!bstit!te ,ords s!ch as be 3indifferent8$
3!ncaring8 or 3inactive80*
A friend no, settled in Berth$ A!stralia$ observed that in=!stice$ ,hen it is prolonged$ comes to be seen
and accepted as normal0 Time transforms the abnormal into ,hat comes to be seen as normal2 for
example$ the Chinese occ!pation of Tibet0 7e, roads and b!ildings9 social and c!lt!ral activities
camo!flage f!ndamental in=!stice and present the appearance of normality$ indeed of progress0 .r
/!leep(!mar declined to be deceived0
.y friend$ li(e .r /!leep(!mar$ lamented the large n!mber of 3Sinhalese friends from o!r past ,ho
so enriched o!r lives b!t$ ,hen it came to the cr!nch$ disappointed !s80 The disappointment ,as
beca!se (&* they had s!cc!mbed to prevailing hegemonic ideas$ abandoning earlier principles and
ideals0 They had become :racists;$ tho!gh still claiming to be of the 'eft2 a socialist does not
co!ntenance hierarchy (be it of class$ :race;$ sex$ or religion*$ oppression and exploitation0 ("* Or they
,ere indifferent0 (C* Or$ if they ,ere concerned$ they ,ere silent and inactive0 +ith reference to the
last$ .artin '!ther @ing sadly said that the silence of friends ca!ses more pain than the ,ords of
enemies0
Brior to the Holoca!st$ the e,s formed a very small percentage of the )erman and A!strian
pop!lation0 .ost of them ,ere integrated and made a contrib!tion to the intellect!al and c!lt!ral$ the
economic and political$ life of these co!ntries0 >re!d ,ho ,as forced to flee$ had been a,arded the
)oethe Bri<e for his contrib!tion to )erman literary c!lt!re0 )oing bac( f!rther in time$ e,ish +alter
Dathena! ,as >oreign .inister0 The list of those e,s ,ho made a contrib!tion to )ermany and
A!stria in all the different fields of h!man endeavo!r is very long indeed$ and most impressive0 .any
vol!nteered$ fo!ght for )ermany d!ring +orld +ar &$ and paid the !ltimate price0 .ost of )ermany;s
e,s ,ere f!lly integrated0
1ntegration means identification ,ith2 they ,ere )ermans ,ho happened to be e,ish0 (As 1 have
,ritten else,here$ as a schoolboy and at !niversity$ all my friends ,ere Sinhalese2 they ,ere not
Sinhalese friends b!t friends ,ho$ apart from far more important characteristics$ happened to be
Sinhalese0 The last had as m!ch significance then as the fact that some are left?handed9 and some li(e
football more than cric(et0* 1ntegration is a frame that incl!des and incorporates ,hile preserving
difference$ for example$ as !nder a federal constit!tion2 see$ for example$ A!stralia$ Canada$ )ermany$
1ndia$ S,it<erland$ the ESA etc0
1ntegration can be contrasted ,ith assimilation0 The latter$ !nless carried o!t over many years$ and
obliterating every sign of an earlier gro!p affiliation$ does not b!y acceptance and protection0 1n this
connection$ 1 cite from Bage &F of my B!blic +ritings on Sri 'an(a$ Gol!me "2
Brofessor Hasmine )ooneratne (born Bandaranaya(e9 a niece of S + D / Bandaranaya(e* s!ggests in
her Delative .erits2 A Bersonal .emoir of the Bandaranai(e >amily of Sri 'an(a that the family name
may have come from a Tamil officer$ 7eela Ber!mal$ made high priest of the Temple of the god Saman$
and in &#I# ordered to ta(e the name of 7aya(a Bandaram$ that is$ Chief Decord @eeper0 +ith time$
the name changed to Bandara 7aya(a$ and thence to the present Bandaranaya(e0 Similarly$ there is
evidence that the Salagama$ /!rava and @arava castes ,ere originally Tamil$ from So!th 1ndia$ and
that 3Hettiarachige8 derives from 3chief of the Chettis80 (The chettis are described as 3a Tamil trading
caste80* Again$ one ,onders$ 3So ,hatJ 1s it importantJ8 Hes$ it is important beca!se ,e ma(e it
important0 1t is not the fact$ b!t the val!e ,e attach to it$ since ,e are the so!rce of significance0
1n &#F"$ K!een 1sabella of Spain$ !nder The Alhambra /ecree$ expelled all e,s from Spain$ incl!ding
those ,ho$ either by conviction$ calc!lation or force had become Christian2 the term of ins!lt for
e,ish converts ,as marronos$ meaning pig0 (By coincidence$ &#F" also mar(s another calamity$ far
greater in scope and permanent in effect$ namely$ the discovery of America by Col!mb!s$ and the
s!bse-!ent pl!nder$ dispossession and death of the native pop!lations0*
/enial8 in ordinary !sage means asserting that a statement or allegation is not fact!al b!t in
psychology$ as traced by Sigm!nd >re!d$ it is a mechanism in ,hich a person faced ,ith an
!ncomfortable or !npleasant fact$ either re=ects it completely or minimises$ denying the degree of
serio!sness0 Having lived in )ermany for cent!ries$ being integrated and having made a positive
contrib!tion$ many e,s simply did not see the grave and horrible threat of 7a<ism$ that is$ !ntil it
,as all too late0 'eading a peacef!l life$ ,ith friends in the ,ider comm!nity$ many ,ere !nable to
accept reality and flee the land of their birth0 Altering ,ords from The Bible (St .ar( #2&"*$ seeing$
they did not perceive9 hearing$ they ,ere !nable to !nderstand0 (+hen 1 visited my father in Colombo
in &FL&$ he spo(e ,ith great concern abo!t the gro,ing hostility against the Tamils$ b!t some of my
relations made light of it0 >ather died in &FL" and$ !nli(e mother$ ,as spared the horror of Blac( !ly
;LC0* 1t;s a tragic irony that the drive for 3p!rity8 can lead to appallingly cr!el acts of 3imp!rity80
Similar to the e,s$ the Tamils ,ere integrated$ and sa, themselves as 3Ceylonese80 1 again -!ote from
B!blic +ritings$ Gol!me "2
1t m!st be borne in mind that it did not al,ays appear to be a sit!ation of enmity and conflict0 There
,as a time ,hen most$ if not all in the 1sland$ irrespective of lang!age and religion$ e-!ally too( a
meas!re of pride and enco!ragement from ancient achievement$ temple and la(e9 an e-!al meas!re of
happiness in being 3Ceylonese89 a time ,hen Tamils described themselves as Ceylonese and not (as
some Tamils tend to do no,* as 3Sri 'an(an Tamil80 +hen in &F&I$ /0 S0 Senanaya(e (later the first
Brime .inister of independent Ceylon* and his brother$ >0 D0 Senanaya(e ,ere =ailed by the British
a!thorities$ Tamil Sir Bonnambalam Damanathan ,ent to England to plead their case0 On his
s!ccessf!l ret!rn$ =!bilant cro,ds placed him in a carriage$ detached the horses$ and dragged the
carriage themselves0 He ,as not seen as a Tamil ,ho had helped free a Sinhalese$ b!t as a Ceylonese
helping a fello, Ceylonese0 31n &F"I?M$ ,hen Bandaranaya(e$ as leader of the Brogressive 7ational
Barty$ set o!t the case for a federal political str!ct!re for Sri 'an(a and made this the main plan( of
the political platform of his party$ he received no s!pport for it from the Tamils82 @ . /e Silva$ p0 I&C0
1n the &FC%s$ the affna Ho!th Congress re=ected federalism0 (They loo(ed not loo( to Tamil 7ad! b!t
to )andhi and 7ehr!0* They pers!aded almost all the leading schools in affna to teach Sinhala as a
comp!lsory s!b=ect0 As A E ayas!riya observed$ 3At a time ,hen the Sinhalese ,ere prepared to do
,itho!t Sinhala$ the battle for Sinhala and Tamil ,as fo!ght by Tamil leaders82 see$ / 7esiah$ Tamil
7ationalism$ p0 &"0 1 recall that ,hen C0 S!ntheralingam of Gav!niya arg!ed for a separate (Tamil*
state in the early &FI%s$ he ,as ind!lgently la!ghed at by most Tamils ,ho sa, it as the eccentricity of
a brilliant mind0 1n &FI"$ the @an(es!ntharai parliamentary seat ,as contested by Chelvanayagam$ as
a member of the >ederal Barty0 He ,as comfortably defeated by a E070B0 candidate08
H0 A0 0 H!l!galle$ (&LFF N &FL&* records that Bonnambalam Damanathan$ a Tamil$ fo!ght !ntiringly
for the Sinhalese B!ddhists leaders victimised by British imperialism2 they had 3no more sincere and
elo-!ent pleader of their ca!se8 (Selected o!rnalism$ "%&%$ p0 &I&*0 H!l!galle describes another
Tamil$ Sir Bonnambalam Ar!nachalam$ as the father of the Ceylon nationalist movement (page &#F*0
Sir Bonnambalam Ar!nachalam$ in the co!rse of a Bri<e?/ay speech delivered on !ly C%th &F&# at
.ahinda College$ spo(e !p for the Sinhalese$ and for B!ddhism0 The latter$ he lamented$ had been 3at
a very lo, ebb82
1t had been abandoned by men of light and leading$ especially among the English?ed!cated classes0
Those ,ho remained B!ddhists ,ere too often ashamed to ac(no,ledge it0
1n the Co!rts 1 ,as sometimes saddened to see in the ,itness box B!ddhists pretending to be
Christians$ and ta(ing their oaths on the Bible0 1 am not a B!ddhist or a Theosophist9 b!t 1 ,as m!ch
pleased to give .adame Blavats(y and Colonel Olcott s!ch help as 1 co!ld in their mission to restore
the infl!ence and prestige of B!ddhism in the 1sland0 )reat as the obligation of Ceylon is to them$ ,e
m!st not forget the debt d!e to the masses of the Sinhalese people ,ho cl!ng to the national religion$
ho,ever little they !nderstood its bea!ty and greatness$ or ,ere able to =!stify their faith ? cl!ng to it
thro!gh generations in spite of the disabilities and$ in former times$ even persec!tion5
1t is a strange anomaly that the B!ddhists tho!gh they constit!te abo!t t,o?thirds of the island;s
pop!lations and are not lac(ing in men of ability and c!lt!re$ have for years past been ,itho!t a single
representative in the 'egislative Co!ncil08
Another Tamil ,ho championed B!ddhism and Sinhalese c!lt!re ,as the internationally reno,ned
Ananda Coomaras,amy0 1 cite from the S!nday 1sland of Colombo$ "" an!ary "%&" on the re?naming
of Ananda Coomaras,amy .a,atha as 7el!m Bo(!na .a,atha2
Christmas H!mphreys (British K0C0 and later !dge* ,ell (no,n to Sri 'an(an B!ddhists as the
a!thor of the Beng!in paperbac( titled 3B!ddhism8 (p!blished in &FI& ,hich sold over a million
copies* has rated Coomaras,amy;s ,or( :B!ddha and the gospel of B!ddhism;(&F&M* as 3the finest
single vol!me on B!ddhism yet p!blished80 Having p!rchased a copy ,hen he ,as &O$ H!mphreys has
cited this ,or( as the reason ,hich led him to embrace B!ddhism 456 Altho!gh three?fo!rths of Sri
'an(ans follo, the teachings of B!ddha ,ho has preached :p!=a cha p!=aniyaanan (hono!r those
,orthy of hono!r * it is a pity if the name of Ananda Coomaras,amy N the first Sri 'an(an to bring
international fame to o!r co!ntry is to be forgotten th!s from national recognition08
Tamils ,ere forced to see themselves not as Sri 'an(ans ,ho by accident of birth ,ere Tamil b!t as
second?class aliens0 +hat mattered ,as not character and contrib!tion b!t a Sinhalese identity0 .r0
/!leep(!mar ,as one of those ,ho had fondly (3fondly8 also in the Sha(espearean sense of
3foolishly8* believed in a Sri 'an(a of incl!sion$ decency and =!stice0 .r Bradman +eera(oon in an
email message to me ,rote2 3/!leep ,as a ; pl!ralist; to the core0 As a small boy himself learning
Sinhala ,ith !s$ he ,o!ld memori<e 3)!ttila @avya8 practicing the ,ay the p!ndits said :)!ttn sila;
,ith a sibilant thro,n in for greater effect0 1 still remember it ,ith admiration08
/!leep(!mar felt betrayed9 ,as disill!sioned$ and deeply$ deeply$ h!rt0 The exile is one ,ho$
vol!ntarily or enforced$ leaves home to live a stranger among strangers b!t /!leep(!mar felt that the
home he had (no,n$ loved and ,or(ed for$ had been ta(en a,ay from him0 He$ li(e those e,s$ ,as
made to feel an alien in ,hat once had been home0 onathan S,ift (&MMO N &O#I* ,rote his o,n
epitaph$ and 1 !se ,ords from it as an epitaph for .r /!leep(!mar2 /eep indignation 4at in=!stice6
can no, no longer 3lacerate8 his heart0
(Brofessor Sarvan is located in )ermany and ta(es a (een interest in Sri 'an(an Affairs*
Bosted by Thavam