Fellow Teachers,
Your profession is so precious, as your children you teach.
As it is so fragile, guard it and protect it.
It can be broken, but - could be safeguarded by you.
If only you could love it and care for it.
Beware; the world is alert on behalf of you.
You are never, ever neglected or unwanted
While you are in your wonderful profession.
Attention of the people of the world, is surely after you.
Careful, be careful,
There is no choice for you to pretend that you are asleep or unaware of
these curious eyes and minds.
As you get hold of the future, of the future leaders,
The expectations towards you, are also so valid.
Although the nature of the future generation is being polluted by this
artificial world;
You, the pillars of the wisdom should take the challenge into your
hearts and minds and work towards the goal
It is a difficult task-but, which had been entrusted to you.
So, you, the pillars of wisdom consider this matter as it is, your own
duty given by God.
Count your Blessings you to be filled with
May be not here in this earthly world,
But there in Heaven where you will be - one day
Barbara Chelliah
The "open letter to Tamil party leaders" by Kumar Ponnambalam in The Sunday Times of September 14, brings into focus once again the two myths that he is obsessed with, in the same way as so many others of his ilk; namely a "Tamil nation" and a "Tamil homeland". He talks of these two myths as two facts on account of which, according to him, the Tamils in Sri Lanka have the right to self-determination and this right is inalienable.
It is only in Mr.KP's dream-world does a Tamil nation exist and not in the real world; neither does a Sinhala nation as such exist unless in one's imagination. I think the Tamil Nadu State of India is the largest single concentration of Tamil people anywhere in the world and the strength of the Tamil population in this state is said to be 5.2 million. They are ruled by their own state government. Still they do not call themselves a "Tamil nation" and their nationality, to all purposes and intense, is Indian. The islands of Fiji also have a Tamil population that outnumbers the Fijians. But the Tamils there do not call themselves 'a Tamil nation'; they are Fijians. Likewise the the Tamils or the Sinhalese living in Sri Lanka are all Sri Lankans as a nation and there is neither a Sinhala nation nor a Tamil nation in this island. Only people like Mr.KP nurturing the unrealistic and unnatural dream of building up a Tamil empire, call this concept nonsensical.
If we take a close look at our neighbour India- a country with a large number of states, do the Hindustanis call themselves "Hindustani nation" or do the Keralites call themselves "Kerala nation" and so on? Why this nonsensical attempt by certain interested parties to create in this tiny island a 'Tamil nation' which todate is non-existent anywhere in the world, while being unnatural as well? Just because a certain section of the Sri Lankan Tamils, living under an illusion, have embraced the myth of a 'Tamil nation" on what moral basis could they justify it? If at all any injustice has been practised on the Sri Lankan Tamils is it not morally correct approach to redress such injustice through dialogue and live in harmony as one nation. Sri Lanka is a multi-racial country which is inhabited by different races such as the Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims, the Malays, the Burghers etc; but todate living as one nation and another nation cannot be created within it so unnaturally at the whims and fancies of a group of people merely because they assume that they have a right to self-determination. If nations can be created on such parochial thinking how many nations should India have today?
Mr KP talks of a separate identity and status of the Tamils of this island. Well, as a race the Tamils have their separate identity and status as much as the Sinhalese, the Muslims or those belonging to any other race in this country have their separate identity and status which is inviolable. But no race living in this island is a 'distinct nation' as he thinks when he says ''the Tamils of this island are a distinct nation.''
All this warped thinking is the result of the Sri Lankan Tamils enjoying more and better rights and privileges than those enjoyed by any other Tamils anywhere in the world including Tamil Nadu. Where in the world does the Tamil language enjoy the pride of place it enjoys in Sri Lanka? If the Tamils are an under privileged people will those like Mr KP or the arm-chair critics like the AGOTIC be able to enjoy the freedom of levelling such scathing and vitriolic attacks at the state and the Sinhala people as they carry out from time to time while living in the lap of luxury amongst the Sinhala people.
While castigating the leaders of the EPDP, EPRLF, EROS, TELO, PLOTE and the TULF Mr KP eulogises the LTTE when he says ''This does not seem to be so as far as the LTTE is concerned. Very rightly they are carrying on the fight to establish the aspirations of the Tamils because you have sold out on the Tamil nation.'' Mr KP, todate is there any Tamil nation as such, except for another race like the Sinhala race, for anybody to sell out.
But let me stress again that the entire Sri Lanka is the homeland of all the citizens that inhabit it irrespective of their race or religion - yet a privilege denied to the Sinhala people while being enjoyed and exploited to the maximum by the so-called 'under-privileged' Tamils in that they enjoy the freedom to buy properties and settle down anywhere in the country as they wish but most unfortunately the majority Sinhala race is not allowed that freedom beyond the bounds of Vavuniya.
Besides the 'the three matters concerning the aspirations of the Tamils' enlisted by Mr KP that they are a distinct nation, they have a traditional homeland of their own, and on the basis of these two facts they have the right of self-determination which is inalienable - comes his demand for 'citizenship rights with basic democratic fundamental rights to all Tamils who choose Sri Lanka (not 'Tamil homeland' which is to be named Eelam?) their homelnad.' But I am compelled to presume, by the very nature of its name, that the 'Tamil homeland' will brook no Sinhala individual, needless to talk about extending the basic democratic and fundamental human rights to them.
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