I’m on the midnight bus to Jaffna. I can sleep anywhere, but – like any Sri Lankan bus – it keeps stopping for tea. Once roused I drift in and out of consciousness. I dream about the places we’re passing through, I dream I’m in my body but cannot move. It’s ethereal.
There’s a rickety bridge I somehow remember, the bus won’t make it over. Instead it hurtles past. It’s going faster now, uncomfortably, people start to murmur, then yell. I can see out the window police running. Laden by sleep, I cannot move.
‘There’s no bridge,’ they say, but we somehow make it, next to an improbable bay, a parade ground. I see a man still in costume, face peeking through a dragon head, his boxy suit. Some show. A war reenactment I think.
We’re dodging cows, then elephants, their pink mottled bodies emerging out of the pre-dawn mist. They pass around us, some close, furtive. Some crouched violence, this indignity of sharing the road.
Then we’re reversing for some reason, and going, I feel, too far. I worry about the elephants. I actually wake up and look out the window. We’re moving forward. There are no elephants. I doze off, return to ethereality.
I’m stretched out in the back seat. After curling so the things stab me just so I become conscious of a clicking but too sleepy deepy to move or look. I’m conscious of my body but cannot control it. Are they taking photos of me? This is my bad side.
I wake up into the Wanni dawn. The clouds here are something else. I check my camera for the photos I remember taking. There’s nothing there.
You’re going to Jaffna and you’re sleeping? WTH man, don’t you want to see the places that have been out of bounds for non-Tamils for decades?
your recent posts are nice. erm..that came out lame. But they are.
There won’t be much to see except the effects of carpet bombing….flat buildings, damaged bridges and branchless palm trees!! This wouldn’t be the case if sinhalese was living there.
There’s a reason for those flat buildings, damaged bridges and branchless palm trees – the LTTE. Now that the LTTE has been wiped out and Tamil racism has been slapped silly, non Tamils can visit these areas in freedom and reconstruction can take place. It must burn you up inside real bad. Get ready for the Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers :) We taking back Jaffna for all Sri Lankans.
Doesn’t really hurt me to be honest as long as the locals get to live in peace! No need for LTTE if the Tamils get same right as the other people in the country. After all, the LTTE was a result of Sinhala racist regime.
Didn’t think people like you would be worried about reconstruction of Jaffna – you have this mentaly only after LTTE existed.
No problems with non tamils living and developping Jaffna, but it is good if the benifits reaches all the people in Sri lanka. But it seem like the opportunities reach only certain people (i.e Rajapashe family, Indians & specially Chinese).
Wait till Jaffna develops (which I think will happen pretty fast)…then the jealousy will surface down south, then comes the racism & the whole thing will start again!
The LTTE was the result of Tamil racism and fascism – and boy did it take the Tamils down the path of destruction. IMO Tamils have no one else to blame but themselves for their plight. Their leaders made very poor decisions (without thinking about the consequences) and blaming the Sinhalese/Muslims/North Indians/Brahmins etc is not going to change that fact. Nor is it going to get the Tamils out of their current plight. Whining and moaning has been the hallmark of Tamil politics and I would advise those subscribing to that ideology to get a grip and change their attitude if they want to change their community for the better.
From what I have heard Jaffna is like 20 years behind the rest of Sri Lanka, so I wouldn’t worry about anybody getting jealous of its flat buildings, damaged bridges and branchless palm tress (your words). Let’s not start this “Tamils will make it the next singapore” bull crap because with all the Tamil brain power it hasn’t happened in Tamil Nadu. I’m glad that Sinhalese and Muslims are going to Jaffna, I hope it wipes that racist Tamil-only legacy that has plagued the peninsula. I can imagine your blood boiliing as you read about new Buddhist temples and mosques coming up… don’t worry there are more of them coming. Sri Lanka for Sri Lankans, I say. The diversity in the rest of the country should be replicated in the peninsula.
LTTE wasn’t a result of Tamil racism! may be you should go back and learn some history. IT was the sinhala racist rigime who introduced the standartisation in university admissions because Tamils had higher entry rate into universities. It was the same government introduced sinhala only policy. That was the trigger!!
I never said ‘Tamil will make it Singapore’ ….but I am sure, being more self sufficient than any other community in the country, Tamils are in better position to develop themselves rapidly. You can’t compare Tamil nadu, life style is completely different (only the language is same). Even during the war time when there was restriction to food item, people managed well.
Overall the Tamils is Jaffna are more tallented that they can succeed even without any outside help.
After all it took you 30 years with high defence spending + HELP FROM ALL THE SUPER POWER IN THE WOLD TO CRUSH tigers….I wouldn’t be so proud of that. Let the people live – they will be just fine.
Forcefully settling other communiies, bulding more buddhist temples & selling local resources (KKS factory) other country will only make things worse.
agree with sachi. nice post.
My blood is not boiling….I live in reality my friend, I know exactly how people like you think. Read my comments, I have moderate views than you have!
In you comments it is transparent that you have the racist blood in you…”new Buddhist temples and mosques coming up” – this can be intepretted as colonisation. You people will never change.
Can’t workout how building temples are considered as developing the country.
Just because ‘the diversity in the country should be replicated to other parts of the country’ you can’t exactly go and buld hindu temples in Hambantota!
oh and what exactly is the urgency to build vihara and mosque while 100’s of thousands of Sri lankans (or Tamils) are internally dispalced without home to live?
Get a life!
You selfish monster. The poor tamils suffered in the hands of the LTTE. I don’t think you had to undergo any suffering. I don’t think you lost a limb or lost a loved one or that your ten year old was conscripted by the LTTE. Probably you enjoyed the war while living in comfort. It was just an ego boost for you. Were you even in this country? What sacrifice did you make apart from a financial contribution?
Lost two in the family due to indiscriminate bombing by SLAF, mother was tortured in Colombo prison for 18 months without even being produced in court. one of my cousins was abducted by white van 2 years ago….whatelse do you want? what make you think I am a monster?
Tamils suffered more under corrupt sinhalese politician & military than under LTTE….ofcours you won’t know co you choose to read what you like!
oooh and yes someone in my family got conscripted by LTTE too!
Stop acting like you have sympathy for Tamils…utterbull! go think about how many vihara to buld in JAffna and what you can get from Tamils.
Call your self a monster….what did you do when the innocent people got killed by indiscriminate bombing? women got raped in the camps & when Tamils got disappeared? …are you saying that never happened? or are you going to ask for proof?
I don’t think Indi had this in mind when he wrote about his uncomfortable bus ride to Jaffna. I think its time for the Blog Police!
//what did you do when the innocent people got killed by indiscriminate bombing? women got raped in the camps & when Tamils got disappeared?//
I think Sinhalese did exactly the same thing when Army was doing similar things in south sometimes back. But that time southerns were smart enough to stop supporting JVP and put an end to all the craziness.
If you get Army, Not just Sri Lankan army, any army, even US army, to your door stop, you have to expect killing rape and all sort of things you don’t wish.
I know your stories. I have similar stories too, that I don’t want to recall. But If you are proud of LTTE , then stop complaining about your mother and everything else. It is part of the game you proud of.
//you can’t exactly go and buld hindu temples in Hambantota!//
Dude! have you been to Hambanthota?
What did you expect ?
SL defeated the worst set of terrorists in the world this area. They did it not sweet talk them but bombed the day light out of them. Wonder why ?
Maybe becuse they killed 1000s of innocent people ? May be becuase they fought for a cause that majority of the Tamil people did not want ?
Not every Tamil is a terrorist . So stop playing the Tamil card.
By the way as or incidents of racisim, does 20 years of killing not satisfy your hunger ? what about the fact that you were able to live where evr you wanted as a political refugee just cause you were Tamil.
Get over it :) It is LTTE that was defeated NOT Tamils.
Go to Sri Lanka, see Tamil students studying in EVERY university.
Go and see how Tamil people live like Kings everywhere in Colombo.
See how they work in EVERY compnay in SL.
Being Tamil does not make you unique any more. That was 20 years ago.
Being gay does. So if you want to feel unique bat for the other side.
It is even illegal to be one.
Apologies Indi, for the rant, on your blog.
“Lost two in the family due to indiscriminate bombing by SLAF, mother was tortured in Colombo prison for 18 months without even being produced in court. one of my cousins was abducted by white van 2 years ago….whatelse do you want? what make you think I am a monster?
Tamils suffered more under corrupt sinhalese politician & military than under LTTE….ofcours you won’t know co you choose to read what you like!”
Thamil, seriously you need to talk to people down south. Their sons were decapitated in the heads were put on the town roundabout. Talk to any mother from down south and she will tell you how her son went in a unmarked “white” van, and how she still waits for him to come home. People lost lives in both sides of the country. That is just the fact. Sinhala people “chose” not to support JVP and end the regime of terror.
That was simply it.
Go to Manaragalla, Wellassa , see how Sinhala people live in utter poverty.
Thamil, it’s pretty obvious you subscribe to that “whining and moaning” mentality I described above. Kinda like a lot of other Tamils. Has it helped your community at all? You really need to get rid of your persecution complex. Why don’t you yourself do some research; standardisation affected Colombo Sinhalese as much as it did Jaffna Tamils. It helped rural Sinhalese, as much as it helped rural Tamils. The only difference was that the Jaffna Tamils made it into a huge issue, screaming and crying and carrying on about how Tamils were ‘discriminated’ against (when in reality it have a greater chance for Tamils from outside Jaffna to get into university). Tamils at large where fooled by the idiot Jaffna Tamil leaders.
I’m pretty proud that Sri Lanka managed to crush the Tamil Tigers. Weren’t you guys boasting that you had beaten the third largest army in the world – the Indian army? Not only did Sri Lanka manage to crush the Tamil Tigers, she manage to outwit the Tamil diasopra AND the 60 million Tamils who live next door in Tamil Nadu, besides holding off the international community. So much for that much vaunted Tamil brain power eh?
There already is Hindu temple in Hambantota. In addition, if you are in a Sinhalese area, all you have to do is pop into the local Buddhist temple and there will be a shrine to Hindu gods. I am yet to see that level of tolerance from Tamil Hindus. What I can see is only screaming and whining about Buddhist temples, massacres of Buddhist pilgrims, slaughter and ethnic cleansing of Muslims and accusations of being thoppipiratti. The biggest massacre of Christians in Sri Lanka took place at the hands of Tamil Hindus in Mannar when Sankiliyan of Jaffna ordered all the Christian men women and children to be slaughtered. Learn some history and you will see Jaffna has been a very intolerant place. Let’s not even get into the caste discrimination. It is little wonder that Jaffna and the Jaffna Tamils spawned the horror that is the LTTE. Buddhist temples and Muslim mosques will be coming up in Jaffna and the Vanni and there is nothing you can do about it.
This is what I’m talking about THamil, Sri Lankans are reclaiming their homeland:
Irakkandi Sinhala Vidyalaya reopened after 30 Years
The Irakkandi Sinhala Viddyalaya was reopened on the 07th January 2010 after 30 years. Situated in Irakkandi close to scenic Nilaweli in the Trincomalee district, the school provides education to the children in the Sinhala medium. Due to the LTTE atrocities, the school was forced to close its doors depriving its students of their main source of educational opportunity for a better future.
http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=2143
Tamil schools operate freely in the south. Time for Sinhala schools to operate freely in the north and east.
Whimsical…what a complicated name …not a sri lankan name at all!! neithwer tamil nor sinhala or any other shite!!!
First of all, Happy Thai pongal to you all.
Whimp… the standarisation didn’t affect the rural sinhalese as much as the Tamils because the your government brought the sinhala only policy! go back to your book you ‘time waster’!
When I first saw you comments I never thought you were fӣ$ng dumb ass!!
reconstruction don’t mean building your f^%&%n vihara and schools…don’t you get it!!
shows how narrow mibded you are.
any way with all your HIGH GDP spending and with the help of all the superpowers in the world….if you can touch the moon.. I won’t be surprised!! but be good to other people man!….over and out!
Indi, sorry for cloggin your site with some JHU geez….if you sre still in Jaffna, please take lots of pics, visit the suberb, and comment on the lifestyle
Sam, i wouldn’t complain if my mother was shot, cos it would have been a norm, I complain because these arseholesr arrested her and call overseas for ransom….fuckin low cast! called national security!
LOL, you’ve only been listening to the rantings of your Jaffna politicians. Standardisation was a BLESSING for the Tamils of the Vanni and Eastern Tamils. Jaffna Tamils hated it because it affected them. That is why they went on their crusade claiming that Tamils were getting ‘discriminated’ against. Unfortunately the entire Tamil politicial leadership was composed of selfish Jaffna Tamils who didn’t care tuppence about the other Tamils. The rural Sinhalese AND Tamils benefited from the scheme. But unlike the silly Jaffna Tamils the Colombo Sinhalese didn’t whine and cry because they realised other Sri Lankans with lesser facilities from poorer schools should also get a chance to get into university.
And yes Buddhist temples and mosques will be built all around the Vanni and the Jaffna peninsula just as kovils have been built around the south of the country. So will Sinhala and Muslim schools. If Tamils have a problem with this, they can start by dismantling their Hindu kovils and Tamil schools in the south.
Hah. Tamils. Kill 13 Canadian soldiers in cold blood, ask for a separate country, and see what happens.
Dear Thamil, please get rid of your racism. It is ugly.
Tamil politicians, and people generally, as Dayan Jayatilake says, are mindlessly emotional. That’s why they screwed up by defeating Ranil in 05, the one guy from whom they could’ve got something. Not a separate state. But something.
How the hell did this go from a post about a bus ride to a racist rant fest…????
I think that kind of racism is engrained in the Tamil culture. I remember how 1truecoolguy (Ian Selvarajah) was yelled at constantly for having a lighter skin compared to the blackened Tamils when he was in the North doing Tsunami stuff. This was a fellow Tamil and an LTTE supporter, the only difference being a minor difference in hue.
What needs to be done in the next 5-6 years is the percentage of Tamils in the North must be brought below 50% by sending as many Sinhalese and Muslims there as possible. We’re spending billions and billions of our tax money and loans taken in our name to develop the North, and we’re not going to let the racist Tamils have an apartheid like Tamil utopia there. How can the British progressives who abhor BNP, agree with Tamil “aspirations” which are the same as any Neo-Nazi agenda.
This is the only solution to any ethnic problem in the future. Prevent ethnic enclaves, and don’t allow Toilet Nadu/diaspora rats to have any influence, and rein in the disruptive political NGOs funded by our enemies.
It’s a primitive, violent culture. Just look at their popular films. Mindless violence, tears, hyper-emotional melodrama, incessant shouting, torture, fat oily women, fat moustachioed men.
Tamils don’t get along with anyone. They are culturally incapable of co-existence. They hate and are hated by every other community in India including not just Northerners but other South Indian Dravidians as well. They hate and are hated by Malays and Chinese in Malaysia. They hate and are hated by Sinhalese, Muslims, Indian-origin Tamils, Eastern Tamils and others in Sri Lanka. They hate and are hated by both Blacks and Whites in South Africa. They hate and are hated by native Fijians in Fiji.
It’s not the ethnicity. Other South Indians and many Sinhalese are of the same stock as the Tamils. It’s their culture and national identity.