Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam: Foremost Intellectual was the Brightest Star In Tamil Political Firmament.

Posted by Administrator on 31 January 2026, 9:00 pm

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

(This article is reposted to mark Dr.Neelan’s 82nd Birth Anniversary)

Today (Jan 31) is the birthday of eminent constitutional lawyer, academic and politician Dr. Neelakandan Tiruchelvam. Neelan as he was popularly known would have completed eighty years , had he been among the living today. Born on January 31, 1944, Neelan Tiruchelvam was brutally assassinated 27 years ago by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) on July 29, 1999. He was 55 at the time of his death.

I had a close personal relationship with Neelan. He was my friend, philosopher and guide. He was greatly instrumental in moulding my career. He was in a sense my political mentor. It was as a journalist on the Tamil daily “Virakesari” that I first began interacting with Neelan Tiruchelvam. My relationship with him grew over the years as I moved into English journalism via ‘‘The Island ‘’and ‘‘The Hindu ‘’.

He had great influence over me in imparting knowledge, stimulating thought, shaping my career and moulding my beliefs. I will always remain grateful for the advice, knowledge, assistance and help provided by him during various phases of my life. Neelan and his wife Sithie were like an elder brother and sister to me.

I always recall with grief the last 50-minute telephonic conversation I had with him just 35 minutes before he was killed. I was one of the last persons to speak to him on that fateful day. I spoke with him on the telephone from Toronto for 50 minutes from 7.50 a.m. until 8.40 a.m. (Sri Lanka time). I used to call him regularly those days. Usually he winds up the conversation after a while saying “you are going to run up a massive phone bill”. But on that day he was in a mood to talk and was pensively reflective .When I ended the conversation he seemed a little surprised.

Thirty-Five minutes later Neelan was killed at 9.15 a.m. on his way to office at Kynsey Terrace as the assassin waiting for him near the Kynsey Road-Rosemead Place Junction threw himself on his vehicle. When the office aide Rajah rang me from Colombo to convey the tragic news I could not believe it. “I spoke to him only a little while ago”, I wailed. Sadly the loyal Rajah too is no more having passed away some years ago.

Continue reading ‘Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam: Foremost Intellectual was the Brightest Star In Tamil Political Firmament.’ »

Prosecuting Ranil Wickremesinghe :When a State fails to distinguish between investigation and spectacle, between jurisdiction and adventurism, and between accountability and vendetta, it is ultimately the State itself that stands trial.

Posted by Administrator on 31 January 2026, 6:18 pm

(Text of Editorial Appearing in the “Sunday Morning”of February 1st 2026 under the heading “The supreme irony of a prosecution”)

Few political figures in Sri Lanka’s post-independence history have remained as persistently visible or as polarising as Ranil Wickremesinghe. For nearly half a century, he has occupied centre stage – alternately vilified, vindicated, discarded, and recalled. Today, he finds himself once again in the public eye, this time as the subject of criminal proceedings relating to the alleged misuse of State funds during a visit to the United Kingdom in 2023, while serving as Executive President.

Many assume that this case concerns only Wickremesinghe’s personal reputation. That assumption is deeply flawed. What is truly at stake is not the fate of one individual, but the credibility of Sri Lanka’s institutions: the seriousness of its prosecutions, the competence of its investigative machinery, and the integrity of its engagement with both domestic and international law. When a State fails to distinguish between investigation and spectacle, between jurisdiction and adventurism, and between accountability and vendetta, it is ultimately the State itself that stands trial. This case will likely be remembered not for its eventual verdict, but for what it reveals about the reach – and restraint – of the law under the National People’s Power (NPP) Government whose basis for election was ‘system change.’

At its core, the proceedings demonstrate how reputational destruction can be inflicted without proof of personal enrichment, procurement authority, or even a single misappropriated rupee. The fact that a former Secretary to the President can be subjected to remand custody, humiliation, and public vilification without signing a voucher or exercising discretionary spending power would already have sent a chill through the entire public service.

The broader implications are unmistakable; standard administrative instruments of Government finance have effectively been transformed into legal traps. A solitary signature, unaccompanied by intent, benefit, or authority, can potentially result in criminal prosecution and years of litigation. This creates a perverse incentive system with maximum exposure for civil servants and minimal institutional protection. The inevitable outcome therefore will not be cleaner governance, but deeper administrative paralysis, as officials retreat into inaction out of fear of retrospective criminalisation under future governments.

The damage in this instance, however, extends far beyond domestic administrative law. In open court, it was asserted by the chief prosecutor that the University of Wolverhampton is a “private university” with no State affiliation. While being demonstrably false, the University of Wolverhampton is a public institution, founded in 1827 and granted university status under UK law in 1992. Its degrees are conferred under Government-regulated standards, and its governance is subject to statutory oversight.

In 2023, the university conferred an Honorary Professorship on Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe – a rare academic accolade, bestowed upon a miniscule fraction of scholars worldwide. To maliciously undermine such an institution and by implication to demean such an honour in pursuit of a prosecutorial narrative is not only inaccurate but also disturbing, for it is the nation’s reputation that is at stake. While misleading a court, whether by commission or omission, is a grave matter, a State prosecutor misleading the public is worse.

Equally troubling is the apparent evidentiary foundation of the prosecution. The case seems to rest almost entirely on a statement purportedly obtained from the then Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. If that is indeed the prosecution’s primary plank, fundamental questions of fairness and due process will inevitably arise. Elementary principles of justice require that the defence be afforded a full and unfettered opportunity to cross-examine the former High Commissioner. Relying exclusively on her statement while denying that right would strike at the heart of natural justice.

More critically, the presiding Magistrate had previously issued an unequivocal directive to the effect that the complainant was required to obtain confirmation from the University of Wolverhampton itself regarding the alleged invitation letter. That verification was explicitly identified as central to sustaining the charge. In light of that instruction being ignored, is it either reasonable or proper for the prosecution to pivot towards secondary claims such as who allegedly sat on which balcony while the primary evidentiary requirement remains unmet?

If the complainant is unable to secure confirmation from the university, the case is not only weakened but also rendered legally untenable. Courts cannot be asked to substitute conjecture, inference, or peripheral testimony for primary documentary proof. To permit such substitution would dilute evidentiary standards across the justice system – an outcome far more damaging than the acquittal or conviction of any single defendant.

Given this backdrop, there is little doubt that this investigation bears a political character. That does not, in itself, mean that the allegations are false. It does mean that the manner in which they are being pursued reflects political objectives rather than neutral legal standards. Such politicisation inevitably produces mixed consequences.

On the positive side, the public is being exposed, perhaps for the first time on this scale, to legal reasoning, financial procedure, and judicial scrutiny in real time. Citizens are openly questioning the transparency of investigations, the limits of Police power, and the accountability of prosecutors. In a democracy, such engagement is healthy.

But on the flip side, the damage far outweighs the benefits. Investigations that are perceived to be politically driven almost always erode public confidence in the long arm of the law. When the law appears to be applied selectively, faith in impartial justice inevitably declines.

The Judiciary, too, is drawn into unnecessary spectacle. Courts are compelled to adjudicate cases inflated beyond their legal substance, consuming precious judicial time that should be devoted to serious crime, entrenched corruption, and unresolved cases of national trauma. Most damaging of all is the exposure of Sri Lanka’s investigative limitations to the international community, which is not an abstract concern as it directly affects foreign relations, investor confidence, and the country’s standing in international legal and diplomatic forums.

Nothing illustrates this more starkly than the widely publicised claim that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers travelled to England to ‘conduct investigations.’ Repeated in media reports and left inadequately clarified by authorities, this claim betrays either a profound misunderstanding of international law or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

Under international law, territorial sovereignty is absolute in criminal jurisdiction. Foreign police officers possess no inherent authority to investigate crimes, collect evidence, interview witnesses, or access records within another sovereign state. Sri Lanka’s CID has no legal power to independently conduct investigations in the United Kingdom.

If evidence is required from the UK, the only lawful pathway is mutual legal assistance. This is a rigid, formal, and judicially supervised process which requires authorisation from Sri Lankan judicial or prosecutorial authorities, formal transmission through diplomatic channels, scrutiny by UK courts, investigation exclusively by UK authorities under UK law, and lawful transmission of findings back to Sri Lanka.

At no stage does this process permit Sri Lankan officers to visit British institutions, inspect universities, or interview individuals. The Magistrate’s remarks in open court make it abundantly clear that this framework was not followed. Any information obtained outside this specified process is therefore legally worthless. Worse, it constitutes a violation of UK law, international law, and Sri Lanka’s own criminal procedure.

Against this backdrop, the CID’s London trip undertaken at public expense, without demonstrable legal authority, and producing no tangible outcome, fits squarely within the definition of misuse of public funds. In a supreme irony, the investigators have replicated the very offence they are tasked with probing.

This case has already consumed enormous public resources: taxpayer funds have been expended on overseas travel and prolonged proceedings. Judicial time, arguably the scarcest institutional resource in Sri Lanka, has been drained by a case whose legal foundations appear to be shaky. Yet the prosecution has announced its intention to serve indictment by next month.

Given this demonstrable resoluteness of the State prosecutors, the contrast with other investigations is impossible to ignore. The Easter Sunday attacks, the Batalanda case, assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge, the Central Bank bond scam, and dozens of other prominent killings and disappearances remain mired in delay, deflection, and inertia. In those cases, the State pleads complexity and evidentiary difficulty while here, it displays boundless zeal. The disparity is damning.

The irony deepens further. The very court that demanded confirmation of the original invitation letter has now been made to preside over a case where investigators undertook a foreign trip without fulfilling that directive. To make matters worse, requests for information regarding the costs and purpose of that trip have been rejected by the Right to Information Commission on the dubious grounds of officer privacy and investigative sensitivity.

Therefore, this case is no longer about a former President or an overseas visit, but a test of whether Sri Lanka’s long arm of the law can distinguish between lawful accountability and political theatre. And at its core lies the more unsettling question: when the State violates the legal process in the name of enforcing it, who then stands accused?

Lee Kuan Yew’s Peoples Action Party (PAP) In Singapore and Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s National Peoples Power (NPP) in Sri Lanka.

Posted by Administrator on 31 January 2026, 6:18 pm

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene

Randomly picking up founding father of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew’s autobiography ‘From Third World to First’ in a recent whistle-top work visit to that country was an unspoken nod to a more temperate assessment of decades long questioning of his democratically sacrilegious – and heavily critiqued – opinion that ‘disciplined governance’ should prevail over the ‘exuberance of democracy.’

The fate of a model nation-state

In the wake of the extraordinary collapse of ‘Western-style liberalism’ on the global stage and the miserable failure of post-colonial states such as Sri Lanka which perverted ‘inalienable’ democratic values, perhaps this change in the assessment of governance models is natural. That is so, even in the face of continuing affronts as we would know it, to those values.

That includes the recent ouster of Singapore’s leftist and Indian minority representative Leader of the Opposition by the ruling Peoples’ Action Party (PAP) Parliament on charges of what has euphemistically been termed as ‘lying to Parliament’ which had led to a ‘conviction.’ His predecessors had been controlled, not through violence a la Sri Lankan style but by using the civil law tool of civil defamation.

Extraordinarily high monetary penalties were slapped on critics of the ruling party, resulting in bankruptcies. The PAP has, of course, held the reins of power in this one-party system since the formation of the city-state. That being said, Sri Lanka, a post independent ‘model nation-state’ in South Asia cannot really brag about its ‘democratic achievements.’ Her slide into a hellhole of communalism has been laced with brutal ethnic and civil violence.

Continue reading ‘Lee Kuan Yew’s Peoples Action Party (PAP) In Singapore and Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s National Peoples Power (NPP) in Sri Lanka.’ »

♥ “Singara Velanae Deva”- S.Janaki’s Superb Solo in Abheri Raga with Karukkuruchi Arunasalam’s Nadaswaram Accompaniment ♫

Posted by Administrator on 27 January 2026, 1:11 am

By
D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Favourite Film Songs – 3

Sishtla Sreeramamurthy Janaki popularly known as S. Janaki is widely praised as the “Nightingale of the South” .In a splendid career spanning over sixty years Janaki has sung over 20,000 songs for films made in 16 different languages.The Southern nightingale has won four national awards and 31 state govt awards in India during her illustrious career.

Gemini Ganesan & Savithri ~ “Konjum Salangai” (kissing anklets) in Technicolour

The solo which catapulted Janaki to fame overnight was in the film “Konjum Salangai” released in January1962. Although she had no formal training in carnatic or Hindustani music Janaki rendered the classical”Singara Velanae Deva”song magnificiently.She reached the upper octaves admirably for the soulful song based on the carnatic raga Abheri. In Hindustani music the raga Bhimpalasi is said to resemble Abheri closely.

Continue reading ‘♥ “Singara Velanae Deva”- S.Janaki’s Superb Solo in Abheri Raga with Karukkuruchi Arunasalam’s Nadaswaram Accompaniment ♫’ »

“Dingiri Dingaaley Meenatchi, Dingiri Dingaaley”- Rocking “Baila”-Type Song ♫♥

Posted by Administrator on 25 January 2026, 9:00 pm

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Favourite Film Songs -2

“ Dingiri Dingaale Meenatchi Dingiri Dingaale, Ulagam Poara Poakkaip Paaru Thangamay Chiillaaley” was a song that rocked Sri Lanka then known as Ceylon in 1958-59 and the years after. The rhapsodic song from a Tamil film “Anbu Engey?”was widely popular during my childhood days. It was released in Sri Lanka in 1959.No sing song or dance at a party was complete without it. Even at children’s parties this song would be sung or played with every one dancing. Singing Dingiri Dingaaley and dancing to the song was a regular feature of life in those years

“Music has its own language! Linguistic conflicts cannot undermine the universality of music.”

Years later after I entered journalism I found myself being asked to sing “Dingiri Dingaaley” frequently by my Sinhala colleagues in the media. Ethnic relations had not deteriorated badly in the years before “Black July 1983”. Fellow scribes of all communities had cordial relations with each other. When “spirits” were high the journalistic fraternity would engage in a sing- song whenever possible. At such raucous gatherings where many, many songs were sung there would always be a request from Sinhala friends for two Tamil songs. One was “ Adi Ennadi Raakkammaa” from the film “Pattikkaada Pattanamaa?”. The other was of course “Dingiri Dingaaley”. Both were sung in films by the popular play back singer T. M. Soundararajan known generally as TMS.
Continue reading ‘“Dingiri Dingaaley Meenatchi, Dingiri Dingaaley”- Rocking “Baila”-Type Song ♫♥’ »

Iqbal Athas and N.Sathiyamoorthy: Two veteran journalists with storied careers, a vast network of sources and independent minds

Posted by Administrator on 25 January 2026, 6:18 pm

Nirupama Subramanian

South Asia watchers are mourning the passing of two veteran members of their tribe in the second week of January. Both were veteran journalists with storied careers, a vast network of sources and independent minds.

The first name is that of N. Sathiya Moorthy, a prolific writer on Sri Lanka and the Maldives, who passed away in Chennai on Pongal day on January 15 at the age of 71. Back in the 2000s, he was perhaps just one of two Indian journalists (the other was Jyoti Malhotra, now editor of The Tribune) who kept a close track of developments in the Male and was in touch with the who’s who of that country.

Known among Chennai journalists as “Aside” Sathiyamoorthy, (a one-of-its-kind magazine published from the city from 1977 to 1997 where he worked many years), or “veshti Sathiyamoorthy” for the crisp white dhoti that was his veritable uniform, Sathiyam studied physics and Law in college but gravitated to journalism in the heady post-Emergency atmosphere that prevailed in the country at the time.

Not surprisingly, his first job was in The Indian Express, where he worked in the Trivandrum, Kochi, and Ahmedabad Editions. After a stint at The Hindu, he joined as the Chennai editor of the Sunday Mail in the 1980s, before moving to Aside in the 1990s. He also tried his hand in a Tamil television channel. His syndicated column on Tamil Nadu politics was published in several languages in newspapers across the country.

Continue reading ‘Iqbal Athas and N.Sathiyamoorthy: Two veteran journalists with storied careers, a vast network of sources and independent minds’ »

Sir Mark Tully: Legendary BBC Journalist was known as the “Voice of India”.

Posted by Administrator on 25 January 2026, 6:00 pm

Chandani Kirinde

(Veteran Journalist Sir Mark Tully Passed away on January 25th at the age of 90 in New Delhi. This article written by Chandani Kirinde for the “Sunday Times”in 2003 is posted here as tribute to the legendary BBC Correspondent known widely as the “Voice of India)

Sir Mark Tully is a believer in fate. It is fate, he says, that has led to his close ties with South Asia, particularly India where he has lived for nearly 40 years. “I don’t believe I am a foreigner here. I owe a great debt to the people of this region,” says the veteran BBC journalist who is in Colombo to attend the Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) biennial conference.

Being a full- time journalist for so many years meant Tully has been in the frontline of some of the biggest events that took place in South Asia in the past four decades. He recollects the Bangladesh war, the hanging of Pakistan’s former leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the ethnic riots in Sri Lanka, the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as some of the unforgettable stories he’s reported on.

He sees as positive the great economic progress that has been achieved by India as well as Sri Lanka but says that tragically, religion has been brought more into politics in India today. “Religious intolerance is alien to the spirit of India as well as Sri Lanka. These countries have a proud tradition of tolerance,” he says.

Which is why he says he was horrified when he was in Colombo in 1983 during the ethnic riots. “When I was here for the Non-Aligned Conference in 1976, it was such a peaceful place. But I am thrilled with the peace process and hope and pray it will succeed.”

It’s been a long journey for Tully, one that ironically began in India itself. The year was 1935 when he was born in Calcutta, the legendary Indian city that continues to be a place he is especially fond of.

Continue reading ‘Sir Mark Tully: Legendary BBC Journalist was known as the “Voice of India”.’ »

30 Feet Long Three Dimensional “Axolotl”Kite Designed by 28 year old Yogarasa Prakash Wins First Prize at the Popular Kite Festival in Valvettithurai

Posted by Administrator on 24 January 2026, 6:18 pm

S.Rubatheesan

For the past two months, Yogarasa Prakash, 28, and his close circle of friends had a ‘secret operation’ unfolding late into the nights on the beach of Valvettithurai.

With the Northern coastal village in deep sleep mode and empty narrow lanes that lead to the coast of Palk Straits, they used to carry their massive – 30 feet (10 yards) long- 3D kite, designed by Prakash for test runs ahead of the kite competition on Thaipongal day.

His friends were told of an informal non-disclosure agreement- not to reveal anything about his design of his kite, a design based on Axolotl, an endangered species found in the Mexican sea.

At the kite festival on Thaipongal day, his design won first prize out of around 60 entries, earning him a one-sovereign (8-gram) gold chain.

“I couldn’t believe that we won the first prize. It was an effort of four years and I continuously took part in the competition. My family and friends, in particular, made this happen,” Prakash told the Sunday Times after winning his prize amidst a cheering crowd as thousands of onlookers witnessed the magic in the sky.

Continue reading ‘30 Feet Long Three Dimensional “Axolotl”Kite Designed by 28 year old Yogarasa Prakash Wins First Prize at the Popular Kite Festival in Valvettithurai’ »

Attorney -General in the eye of a “Public Intimidation”Firestorm with Social Media “Warriors” Baying for the A-G’s “Blood” .

Posted by Administrator on 24 January 2026, 6:00 pm

Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene

It is highly unusual—and worryingly so—that the primary gatekeeping associations of legal and judicial institutions in Sri Lanka have come together to tersely protest against what they see as an ‘unwarranted interference’ across social media in regard to the judicial and prosecutorial function in ongoing cases.

Menacing assertions against critics

In certain respects, these tensions point to the emergence of a curious trend of ‘public intimidation’, if we may term it so. Previously, the lines were clear-cut, with threats levelled at judges and prosecutors by ruling politicians being more of the sledgehammer kind, easy to distinguish and easy therefore to rebut. Now, such distinctions are far more shadowy, reflecting agendas of ruling politicians, sometimes warring with each other to boot.

These are depicted in the crossing of swords of ‘social media warriors’ with wide and inflammatory reach over their audiences. To add to this unease, a minister in the National Peoples’ Power (NPP) Government has publicly declared in an outburst which would be funny if it was not so serious that ‘the Government would retaliate with a Bruce Lee punch against political opponents, saying that ‘wearing a black cloak, national dress or saffron robes will not protect anyone.’

While this particular worthy is not known for measured political rhetoric, the menacing tone of his assertion cannot be shrugged off.

In the midst of this hysteria, there is far more heat than light thrown on concerns of singular public interest. A good example is the current public (read, social media) baying for the (metaphorical) blood of the Attorney General of Sri Lanka over what his critics allege is a compromised handling of controversial prosecutions and other irregularities.
Hysteria that is not helping reasoned debate

Continue reading ‘Attorney -General in the eye of a “Public Intimidation”Firestorm with Social Media “Warriors” Baying for the A-G’s “Blood” .’ »

Temples, treasures and trade: The astonishing legacy of India’s Chola dynasty

Posted by Administrator on 24 January 2026, 12:47 am

Aniruddh Kanisetty

(Anirudh Kanisetti is an Indian writer and author, most recently of Lords of Earth And Sea : A History of The Chola Empire)

It’s 1000 CE – the heart of the Middle Ages.

Europe is in flux. The powerful nations we know today – like Norman-ruled England and the fragmented territories that will go on to become France – do not yet exist.

Towering Gothic cathedrals have yet to rise. Aside from the distant and prosperous city of Constantinople, few great urban centres dominate the landscape.

Yet that year, on the other side of the globe, an emperor from southern India was preparing to build the world’s most colossal temple.

Completed just 10 years later, it was 216ft (66m) tall, assembled from 130,000 tonnes of granite: second only to Egypt’s pyramids in height. At its heart was a 12ft tall emblem of the Hindu god Shiva, sheathed in gold encrusted with rubies and pearls.

In its lamplit hall were 60 bronze sculptures, adorned with thousands of pearls gathered from the conquered island of Lanka. In its treasuries were several tonnes of gold and silver coins, as well as necklaces, jewels, trumpets and drums torn from defeated kings across India’s southern peninsula, making the emperor the richest man of the era.

He was called Raja-Raja, King of Kings, and he belonged to one of the most astonishing dynasties of the medieval world: the Cholas.

His family transformed how the medieval world worked – yet they are largely unknown outside India.

Continue reading ‘Temples, treasures and trade: The astonishing legacy of India’s Chola dynasty’ »

“Neela Vannak Kannaa Vaadaa” – Uplifting Lullaby Sung By Balasaraswathi Devi ♥ ♫

Posted by Administrator on 21 January 2026, 3:33 am

by D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Favourite Film Songs -1

This article is the first in an on going series about film songs I have come to love over the years.Watching Tamil movies on screen and listening to Tamil film songs over radio was an integral part of life for me as a child growing up in Colombo. The Tamil ‘Varthaga Oliparappu’ or Commercial service of ‘Radio Ceylon’ was a treasure trove of film songs.

Apart from broadcasting the latest Tamil film songs even before the films concerned were screened in India, the commercial service also aired specific programs about films being currently shown in theatres in the island. Popular radio announcer Mailvaganam conducted these programs where film songs were featured regularly. Thus one was able to keep abreast of contemporary Tamil film music courtesy ‘Radio Ceylon’ in those wonderful days of yore.
Continue reading ‘“Neela Vannak Kannaa Vaadaa” – Uplifting Lullaby Sung By Balasaraswathi Devi ♥ ♫’ »

The hasty and inefficient manner in which the NPP/JVP government launched its education reform has given political monks a new lease of life. Suddenly they are slithering out of the woodworks, mouthing obscenities and birthing new conspiracy theories.

Posted by Administrator on 21 January 2026, 1:02 am

Tisaranee Gunasekara

“The vain bhikku will yearn for recognition from others, yearn for leadership and authority in monasteries, yearn for honour among other families.” The Buddha (Bāla Vagga – Dhammapada)

A listener should have been pardoned for dismissing it as an AI-generated parody. Except that it wasn’t. Walawahangunawave Dhammarathana Thero, chief incumbent of the ancient Mihintale temple, did claim to have a special relationship with the US president. He has an inside track to Donald Trump and to Mark Zuckerberg, the monk said, via a child known to him who is studying in England, in Cambridge.

The monk went on to reveal that this child was instrumental in reducing US tariffs on Sri Lanka. “A child or a grandchild of Mr. Trump is studying with him. It is through that this 30% came… We didn’t say this before. But now we are saying this.”

The monk then threatened to use this inside track to defeat the NPP’s education reforms. “So (we will) meet President Trump and Mr. Zuckerberg through that child and get them to stop this destruction; develop the country; change the system.”

Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron, is at New York University. The ages of his 11 grandchildren range from 18 to several months; none of them are university students. In other words, no child or grandchild of Donald Trump is studying in Cambridge or Oxford or any other British university.

Continue reading ‘The hasty and inefficient manner in which the NPP/JVP government launched its education reform has given political monks a new lease of life. Suddenly they are slithering out of the woodworks, mouthing obscenities and birthing new conspiracy theories.’ »

The “ MGR” Mystique: Unique Phenomenon of MG Ramachandran in the Cinematic Politics of Tamil Nadu.

Posted by Administrator on 16 January 2026, 6:18 pm

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

109th Birthday on January 17th

India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour. Among the Indian states, it is the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu that is closest to the island. Tamil Nadu meaning “Tamil Land/Country” is home to more than 72 million people. Since 1967, Tamil Nadu has been ruled by political parties adhering to what is termed as Dravidian ideology. ‘Dravidianism’ in essence espouses economic development, social justice, equality, elimination of caste discrimination, women emancipation, secularism, rationalism, self-respect, greater cooperation among South Indian states, opposition to Hindi imposition and a Tamil national consciousness.

The ‘Dravidian’ political ideology has been ruling the roost in Tamil Nadu for the past 58 years. Either the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) or its alternative the All India Anna-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK) have been enjoying political power in the State.

In spite of this “Dravidian” heritage of rationalism and self-respect, it is Tamil Nadu that has allowed film stars to exercise political hegemony among Indian states. M.G. Ramachandran known as “MGR” became the first film star to take up chief ministership of an Indian state. MGR though ethnically a Malayalee made a name for himself as an actor in Tamil films and followed it up by becoming the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state. MGR the founder-leader of the AIADMK ruled from 1977 to 1987 being elected thrice as chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977, 1980 and 1985.

Maruthur Gopalamenon Ramachandran or M.G. Ramachandran was born on 17 January 1917, His 109th birth anniversary is being celebrated on Saturday (17). This article therefore focuses on the cinematic politics of MGR to denote his 109th Birthday by outlining the cinematic politics and tracing his journey from leading Tamil film actor to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Continue reading ‘The “ MGR” Mystique: Unique Phenomenon of MG Ramachandran in the Cinematic Politics of Tamil Nadu.’ »

Sandya Ekneligoda Writes to President Disanayake Stating her Objection to the Promotion of Military Intelligence Official Lt. Col. Erantha Radeesh Peiris Allegedly Involved in the Abduction of her husband Prageeth Ekneligoda.

Posted by Administrator on 16 January 2026, 3:30 pm

Activists and media freedom organisations have objected to the promotion of a military intelligence officer named in the enforced disappearance case of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.

In a letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prageeth Ekneligoda’s wife Sandya Ekneligoda said she learned through media reports that Lt. Col. Erantha Radeesh Peiris had been promoted to the rank of Colonel. She said she strongly opposed the decision, noting that Peiris is a defendant in the ongoing criminal case relating to her husband’s disappearance in 2010.

Continue reading ‘Sandya Ekneligoda Writes to President Disanayake Stating her Objection to the Promotion of Military Intelligence Official Lt. Col. Erantha Radeesh Peiris Allegedly Involved in the Abduction of her husband Prageeth Ekneligoda.’ »

‘Thai Pongal’ the Harvest Festival of Tamils

Posted by Administrator on 13 January 2026, 3:33 am

By P. Krishnaswamy

After the Christmas and New Year festivities, the focus is now on the Pongal harvest festival, popularly known as Thai Pongal, celebrated in the first four days of the month of Thai in the Tamil-Hindu calendar.

Traditionally, it is the festival of farmers who depend on Mother Earth, the sun, rain, other natural elements and cows and buffaloes for a bountiful harvest of their staple food, rice.
Continue reading ‘‘Thai Pongal’ the Harvest Festival of Tamils’ »

Arrest and Detention of EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda who Fought with the Sri Lankan Army Against the LTTE

Posted by Administrator on 12 January 2026, 9:00 am

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Eelam People’s Democratic Party(EPDP) chief and Secretary-General, Douglas Devananda became the latest political leader to be arrested in Sri Lanka. The former Jaffna district MP and ex-cabinet minister was arrested by the Police on Friday December 26th in Colombo. Initially he was held by the Police for further inquiries on a 72 hour detention order obtained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act(PTA). On Sunday December 28th, Devananda was produced before the Gampaha magistrate and remanded until January 9th 2026.

The acting Police media spokesman, ASP Minura Senarath told newspapers that the arrest was connected to an on going investigation into the alleged transfer of a firearm to an organised gang criminal. It is alleged that a pistol issued to Devananda had later been found in the possession of underworld gang leader and drug lord ‘Makandure Madush’.

Douglas Devanamda was summoned by the Police Criminal Investigation department(CID) to record a statement concerning details of firearms issued to him by the defence ministry for his protection during the years of war between the Sri Lankan Armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE). Devananda was supportive of the Government and the EPDP under his leadership cooperated with the armed forces in a para-military capacity. The LTTE then branded Douglas as a traitor and made several attempts to kill him.

According to informed Tamil sources Devananda had been asked to present himself on December 26th to record a statement concerning firearms issued to him years ago. The ex-minister travelled down to Colombo from Jaffna and presented himself to the CID on Friday. He did not suspect that he would be arrested.

Continue reading ‘Arrest and Detention of EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda who Fought with the Sri Lankan Army Against the LTTE’ »

Asoka Handagama, through his latest cinematic creation, ‘Sandha Dadayama” (Moon Hunt, uses the inanimate Moon as the testifying witness to some crimes committed under the very bright moonlight

Posted by Administrator on 12 January 2026, 5:55 am

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By

W.A. Wijewardena

Sri Lanka’s greatest Sinhala writer, Martin Wickramasinghe, in a short story penned in 1932, has fictionalised a story about the Moon testifying to a murder many years after the gruesome crime had been committed.[1] In the story, a man lying in a paddy field in a moon-lit night and in the throes of death following a fatal attack by his neighbour, curses the attacker that the Moon shining in the sky will one day testify to the murder and deliver justice to him. The killer laughs it away since an inanimate body like the Moon cannot do it in a world of animate men and women.

But many years after this, when he was relaxing with his wife outdoors again in a moon-lit night, he recalls the unfulfilled curse when he sees the Moon brightly shining in the sky. It brings a spontaneous smile to his face. Seeing her husband smiling to himself, the wife gets suspicious that he is doing so because of a happy memory of a carnal exploit he would have had with another woman.

She charges him of this and demands an explanation. The man when he sees no release from the pressurising woman, finally yields and tells her about the whole incident. That is immediately forgotten by both. But sometime later, when he had beaten his wife for some error, she starts shouting that he has been trying to kill her in the same way he had killed his neighbour many years earlier. The relatives of the victim hear this and report to the Police.

The man is apprehended, tried for murder, and sentenced to death. Thus, the inanimate Moon had done its duty by creating the situation needed for fulfilling the curse of the dying man. Thus, as the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho has said in The Alchemist, a novel that has combined magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, when one is determined to attain something, the whole universe conspires to facilitate him to do so. [2]

Continue reading ‘Asoka Handagama, through his latest cinematic creation, ‘Sandha Dadayama” (Moon Hunt, uses the inanimate Moon as the testifying witness to some crimes committed under the very bright moonlight’ »

“Parasakthi” : Sudha Kongara’s new Film on the 1965 Anti-Hindi Agitation in Tamil Nadu is a fine blend of political history and human drama

Posted by Administrator on 12 January 2026, 3:33 am

Srinivasa Ramanujam

2026 has not started off on a great note for Tamil cinema. Two much-anticipated Pongal releases – both Vijay’s Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi – have faced issues due to some points raised by the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification). With Jana Nayagan hanging in balance,Parasakthihas released after the makers decided to implement 20-odd changes.

Even as fans of cinema find this environment worrisome, what comes as a sigh of relief is Parasakthi’s rich, dense material. Directed by Sudha Kongara, this multi-starrer, featuring Sivakarthikeyan, Atharvaa and Ravi Mohan in lead roles, takes us back to the beginnings of the anti-Hindi imposition protests that happened during the 1960s.

The film kicks off with a busy action block, set in a hurtling train somewhere between two stations. Inside the vehicle is Thiru (Ravi Mohan), searching for something…or someone. Outside, waiting in the dark on the tracks, is a determined Chezhiyan (Sivakarthikeyan). A fight follows, but Chezhiyan gets away, leaving Thiru injured.
Who is Chezhiyan and what exactly is his ‘Purananooru Squad’?
Answers lie in the next 162 minutes – resulting in a film that is terrific in detailing and dense in writing.
The world of Parasakthi is set against the backdrop of the anti-Hindi imposition protests in the Sixties, a movement that would change the course of Tamil Nadu and several other states in the future. This was a time when Hindi was set to be declared as an official language, an act, if implemented, would dramatically alter the lives of those living in the south.

While this reads like a line from a history lesson, director Sudha Kongara places a camera in the middle of all the lives that would get affected by such a decision. A while into the film, an elderly lady heads to a post office, to send a money order to her grandson, only to realise that the entire form is in Hindi, a language alien to her. “They made me – someone who has studied till eighth grade – an illiterate,” she bemoans. It’s this delectable irony that the film wants to capture.

Continue reading ‘“Parasakthi” : Sudha Kongara’s new Film on the 1965 Anti-Hindi Agitation in Tamil Nadu is a fine blend of political history and human drama’ »

Graveside memorial service to mark 17th anniversary of Lasantha’s assassination On Thursday 8 January 9 a.m. at Borella Kanatte

Posted by Administrator on 6 January 2026, 6:18 pm

The 17th anniversary of the assassination of The Sunday Leader founder Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickrematunge, which falls on 8 January, will be marked with a service at his graveside.

Family, friends, former colleagues and others will gather at Borella Kanatte on Thursday at 9 a.m. to mark the anniversary and remember Lasantha.

Assassinated on 8 January 2009, Lasantha was one of Sri Lanka’s leading journalists and an outspoken critic of the then Rajapaksa Government. He was attacked as he drove to work and later died of his injuries.

The brazen attack was carried out by two gunmen on motorcycles in the middle of morning-rush-hour traffic.

Despite assurances by successive governments to ensure justice, the investigation into Lasantha’s murder has yielded no tangible results thus far and his killers still roam free, 17 years later.

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Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world and its dense, sticky, tar-like crude oil is particularly suitable for US refineries. America wants that oil, as Donald Trump said, loud and clear.

Posted by Administrator on 6 January 2026, 6:00 pm

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

“Extending the Blessings of Civilisation to our Brother who Sits in Darkness has been a good trade and has paid well… There’s more money in it, more territory, more sovereignty, and other kinds of emolument, than there is in any other game that is played.”

Mark Twain (To the Person Sitting in Darkness)

The United States Government launched its final assault on Native Americans in the area around Wounded Knee Creek, a tributary of the White River in South Dakota. In December 1890, the US army massacred around 300 Lakota people, many of them women and children, ending Native American resistance to land-grabbing and forced assimilation.

With First Nation resistance crushed, the US Census Bureau declared that there was no longer a ‘land frontier’ to conquer. To gain more land, America would have to look beyond its borders. This was what Captain AT Mahan, President of the Naval War College, had in mind when he wrote an article for the Atlantic Monthly tellingly titled The United States Looking Outward. In it he advocated an expansionist foreign policy and emphasised the need to build up American sea power to facilitate it.

Captain Mahan was not the author of American expansionism. In 1823, President James Monroe birthed the Monroe Doctrine, declaring the Western Hemisphere (North and South Americas) the exclusive preserve of the US and, thus, off-limit to European imperial powers. Captain Mahan’s singular contribution was to wrap American expansionism in patriotic linen. As Barbara Tuchman wrote in The Proud Tower, “The motive of the annexationists had been economic self-interest. It took Mahan to transform it into national and fateful importance.”

Since then, the US had taken the trouble to package its interventions (in the hemisphere and beyond) with moral-ethical arguments – from its 1898 occupation of The Philippines (Paternalism/White Man’s Burden, teaching uncivilised natives ethics and morality) to its 1983 invasion of Grenada (saving American lives). When America under President George HW Bush invaded Panama and abducted its dictatorial leader Manuel Noriega in December 1989, that blatant violation of international law was termed Operation Just Cause and justified on multiple grounds from saving American lives to promoting democracy and human rights. (General Noriega had been a US client for a long time, until he fell from favour in the mid-1980’s).

The difference between Donald Trump and most of his presidential predecessors was not that he did something they didn’t but that he said things they were too clever to articulate. His predecessors were careful to wrap their violations of international law in the clothing of piety. He couldn’t be bothered. Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world and its dense, sticky, tar-like crude oil is particularly suitable for US refineries. If the country grew cotton, Nicolas Maduro would still be lording it over in Caracas. But it has oil; and America wants that oil, as Donald Trump said, loud and clear.

Continue reading ‘Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world and its dense, sticky, tar-like crude oil is particularly suitable for US refineries. America wants that oil, as Donald Trump said, loud and clear.’ »

20th Anniversary of Gruesome Killing of Five Tamil Students in Trinco Town: Emblematic Case of Impunity

Posted by Administrator on 4 January 2026, 9:00 pm

By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj

(This article written in January 2022 is re-posted here without major changes to mark the 20th anniversary of the gruesome killings)

A solemn, low key memorial event was held in Trincomalee town on Sunday January 2nd. Relatives and friends laid flowers and lit candles and lamps in memory of five Tamil youths killed in Trincomalee town on Jan 2nd 2006. The incident that happened twenty years ago for which justice was not done is widely known among human rights circles as the “Trinco – 5” case of Sri Lanka. It is regarded as an emblematic case of impunity. So much so that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Michele Bachelet mentioned the incident under the section on “Impunity in emblemtic cases” in her Annual report to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2021.The relevant excerpt is as follows –

UNHRC

“In previous reports to the Human Rights Council, OHCHR has tracked the investigation and prosecution of emblematic cases as a key measure of Sri Lanka’s commitment to ending impunity. These include the killing of five Tamil students in Trincomalee and of 17 humanitarian workers in Muttur in 2006; the assassination of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge in 2009; the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda in 2010; the killing of protestors by army personnel during a demonstration at Weliwerya in August 2013; the anti-Muslim riots in Aluthgama in 2014 and Digana, in 2018, as well as others. Despite investigations over the years by domestic Commissions of Inquiry and the police, and the arrest of some suspects and trials at bar, not a single emblematic case has been brought to a successful conclusion or conviction.”

Continue reading ‘20th Anniversary of Gruesome Killing of Five Tamil Students in Trinco Town: Emblematic Case of Impunity’ »

JVP Issues Sinhala Statement Strongly Condemning US Military Aggression In Venezeula and Abduction of President Maduro and Wife but Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry yet to Issue Statement; No Comment by Govt Members so far

Posted by Administrator on 4 January 2026, 6:18 pm

Meera Srinivasan

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the chief constituent of Sri Lanka’s ruling National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, on Sunday (January 4, 2025) “strongly condemned” the United States’ actions in Venezuela.

“We strongly condemn the United States of America’s military aggression against the independent and sovereign State of Venezuela and the abduction of democratically elected President Nicholas Maduro and his wife,” the leftist JVP said in a statement issued in Sinhala.

Continue reading ‘JVP Issues Sinhala Statement Strongly Condemning US Military Aggression In Venezeula and Abduction of President Maduro and Wife but Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry yet to Issue Statement; No Comment by Govt Members so far’ »

Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) Politburo Asks Sivagnanam Shritharan to Step Down from the Constitutional Council Following the Jaffna MP Siding with the AKD Govt Backed Nominees for Top Posts on Eight Occasions

Posted by Administrator on 4 January 2026, 10:47 am

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) has asked its MP Sivagnanam Shritharan to step down from the Constitutional Council following controversy over his support for the appointment of an army officer as Auditor General, party General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran said.

Sumanthiran said the decision was taken by the ITAK politburo, citing concerns over Shritharan’s stance on what the party views as the militarisation of independent state institutions.

The development follows criticism from former Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Commissioner Ambika Satkunanathan, who questioned Shritharan’s vote in favour of appointing an Army officer as Auditor General.

Continue reading ‘Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) Politburo Asks Sivagnanam Shritharan to Step Down from the Constitutional Council Following the Jaffna MP Siding with the AKD Govt Backed Nominees for Top Posts on Eight Occasions’ »

ஈ.பி.டி.பி தலைவர் டக்ளஸ் கைதும் பின்னணியும்; மஹர சிறைச்சாலையின் வைத்தியசாலையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் தேவானந்தாவுக்கு அடுத்து என்ன நேரப்போகிறது?

Posted by Administrator on 2 January 2026, 9:00 pm

டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்

ஈழமக்கள் ஜனநாயக கட்சியின் (ஈ.பி.டி.பி.) தலைவரும் செயலாளர் நாயகமுமான டக்ளஸ் தேவானந்தா கைதுசெய்யப்பட்டு விளக்கமறியலில் வைக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறார். முன்னாள் யாழ்ப்பாண மாவட்ட பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினரும் அமைச்சருமான அவர் டிசம்பர் 26 வெள்ளிக்கிழமை கொழும்பில் பொலிசாரால் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு மறுநாள் சனிக்கிழமை கம்பஹா மாஜிஸ்திரேட் முன்னிலையில் ஆஜர் செய்யப்பட்டபோது 2026 ஜனவரி 9 ஆம் திகதிவரை அவரை விளக்கமறியலில் வைக்குமாறு உத்தரவிடப்பட்டது. அதற்கு முன்னதாக மேலதிக விசாரணைகளுக்காக பயங்கரவாத தடைச்சட்டத்தின் கீழ் பெறப்பட்ட 72 மணி நேர தடுப்புக்காவல் உத்தரவின் கீழ் தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தார்.

குற்றச்செயல் கும்பலைச் சேர்ந்த ஒருவருக்கு சுடுகலன் ஒன்றைக் கைமாற்றியதாக கூறப்படும் சம்பவம் தொடர்பாக இடம்பெற்று வரும் விசாரணை ஒன்று சம்பந்தமாகவே தேவானந்தா கைது செய்யப்பட்டதாக பதில் பொலிஸ் பேச்சாளர் உதவி பொலிஸ் அத்தியட்சகர் மினுர சேனரத் ஊடகங்களுக்கு கூறினார். தேவானந்தாவுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டதாக கைத்துப்பாக்கி ஒன்று பாதாளஉலக குழுவின் தலைவரும் போதைப் பொருள் கடத்தல்காரருமான ‘ மகந்துரே மதுஷ் ‘ என்பவர் வசம் இருந்தது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டதாக கூறப்படுகிறது.

இலங்கை ஆயுதப்படைகளுக்கும் விடுதலை புலிகளுக்கும் இடையிலான போர்க் காலத்தில் தேவானந்தாவின பாதுகாப்புக்காக பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சினால் வழங்கப்பட்ட ஆயுதங்களின் விபரங்கள் தொடர்பில் வாக்குமூலம் ஒன்றைப் பதிவு செய்வதற்காக குற்றவியல் புலனாய்வு திணைக்களத்துக்கு ( சி.ஐ.டி.) அவர் அழைக்கப்பட்டார். தேவானந்தா அரசாங்கங்களுக்கு ஆதரவாக இருந்ததுடன் அவரது தலைமையிலான ஈ.பி.டி.பி. ஒரு துணை இராணுவக்குழுவாக ஆயுதப்படைகளுடன் ஒத்துழைத்துச் செயற்பட்டது. அன்று அவரை துரோகியென்று அழைத்த விடுதலை புலிகள் கொலை செய்வதற்கு பல முயற்சிகளை மேற்கொண்டனர்.

பல வருடங்களுக்கு முன்னர் தேவானந்தாவுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட ஆயுதங்கள் தொடர்பாக வாக்குமூலம் ஒன்றைப் பதிவு செய்வதற்காக டிசம்பர் 26 சி.ஐ.டி.க்கு வருமாறு அவரிடம் கேட்கப்பட்டதாக தகவலறிந்த தமிழ் வட்டாரங்கள் கூறின. யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில் இருந்து கொழும்புக்கு வந்த அவர் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை சி.ஐ.டி. க்கு சென்றார். தன்னைக் கைது செய்வார்கள் என்று அவர் சந்தேகிக்கவில்லை.

Continue reading ‘ஈ.பி.டி.பி தலைவர் டக்ளஸ் கைதும் பின்னணியும்; மஹர சிறைச்சாலையின் வைத்தியசாலையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் தேவானந்தாவுக்கு அடுத்து என்ன நேரப்போகிறது?’ »

“Jehovah, Thou hast promised,,The isles shall wait for Thee,” – A Hymn for Ceylon- Written by Rev.W.S. Senior

Posted by Administrator on 1 January 2026, 3:33 am

D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Compliments of the Season everyone and best wishes for a bright and blessed 2026.

I am beginning the new year by re-posting “The Hymn of Ceylon” on my Blog.

The “hymn of Ceylon” was written by by Rev. W. S. Senior. Walter Stanley Senior was a scholar, pastor, teacher and poet who served in Sri Lanka for many years as Vice Principal of Trinity College, Kandy and Vicar at Christ Church, Galle Face.

Rev. W.S. Senior’s ‘Hymn of Ceylon’. was always sung at the annual prize giving event of St. Thomas’ Preparatory School in Kollupitiya where I studied from 1959 to ’64. It is a Christian hymn and was set to the melody of ‘Danno Budunge’ by Devar Surya Sena as requested by Senior himself.

Continue reading ‘“Jehovah, Thou hast promised,,The isles shall wait for Thee,” – A Hymn for Ceylon- Written by Rev.W.S. Senior’ »

Five of my Favourite Christmas Carols – How they Originated and Became Widely Popular

Posted by Administrator on 26 December 2025, 2:22 am

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERY ONE! COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON TO ALL!

Nativity Scene at Bandaranaike International Airport – Katunayake, Sri Lanka – Dec 2022

It’s Christmas season again!

An integral part of Christmas is the singing of Christmas carols in churches as well as at events celebrating Christmas.

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The Many Faces of Christmas – Shaped Wooden Puzzle from Sri Lanka ~ Photographed at an exhibit of over 900 nativity scenes hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Eugene, Oregon, USA-pic-by Mary Harrsch

There was a time when carolling was an important part of Christmas. ‘’Carol parties” including someone dressed as Santa claus would visit the homes of church members during night and sing carols.Refreshments would be served at each and every home. A few firecrackers too would be lit.

Nativity scene-Near Central Park, NY-Dec 2015

This practice of carolling has become near extinct but happily the tradition of conducting special carol services and carol festivals continue. Most church services relating to Christmas feature the singing of carols.Christmas dinners and parties too witness loud carol singing though not tuneful at all times.

Even though large gatherings at home and elsewhere are not possible the singing and playing of carols is still possible albeit on a limited scale.

Most carols sung during yuletide are perennial favourites.Each person has his or her particular favourites. I too have many,many favourite carols. Though I would love to post them all here I have not done so for obvious reasons. Instead I have compiled a tiny selection of my favourite carols and take great pleasure in sharing five of them with you all on my blog.

Continue reading ‘Five of my Favourite Christmas Carols – How they Originated and Became Widely Popular’ »

Murder in the Cathedral: Christmas Killing of TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham

Posted by Administrator on 26 December 2025, 1:11 am

By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj

(This Article written in December 2020 is re-posted without changes to denote the 20th death anniversary of former Batticaloa MP Joseph Pararajasingham)

‘Murder in the Cathedral’ is a drama written in verse by the great poet, essayist and playwright Thomas Stearnes Eliot known to the literary world as T.S. Eliot. It is based on the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in December 1170 during the reign of King Henry II. Eliot had relied heavily on the eyewitness account of the murder by a monk Edward Grim published later.

‘’Murder in the Cathedral,’

I first came across TS Eliot’s ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ when I was a student at Jaffna College, Vaddukkoddai. The Chief librarian Sebaratnam Thambiah was an aficionado of drama who often produced and directed plays. Trying to stage ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ was one of his ambitious ventures. A few of us students and some teachers were roped in and given copies of the verse drama. I liked it very much then. We attended a few rehearsals but the project never got off the ground. However the abortive attempt helped instil in me a deep, abiding love for Eliot’s poetry.

Continue reading ‘Murder in the Cathedral: Christmas Killing of TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham’ »

Kandy-born MG Ramachandran (MGR) was Uncrowned King of Tamil Cinema and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State

Posted by Administrator on 23 December 2025, 1:11 am

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran known popularly as MGR ruled Tamil movidom for three decades until becoming Chief Minister of India’s Tamil Nadu State in 1977. MGR served as chief minister (CM) for ten years until his demise in 1987. His 38th death anniversary is being commemorated this week on December 24.

MG Ramachandran entered active politics in the fifties of the last century. He was elected to the state legislature in the sixties and became CM in the seventies. When he died after 10 years as Chief Minister on 24 December 1987, MGR was 70 years of age

MGR –born in Sri Lanka — was a Malayalee hailing from Kerala. He grew up in Tamil Nadu and was active in politics for decades before forming a party and becoming CM.

M.G. Ramachandran’s or MGR’s life was a rags to riches tale!

Continue reading ‘Kandy-born MG Ramachandran (MGR) was Uncrowned King of Tamil Cinema and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State’ »

The Rajinikanth Saga: From Bengaluru Bus Conductor to Tamil Cinema Superstar.

Posted by Administrator on 22 December 2025, 3:33 am

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Article Commemorating Rajinikanth’s 75th Birthday

Friday 12th December 2025 was a special day for millions of Tamil movie fans. It was the 75th birthday of popular Tamil cinema actor Rajinikanth. The evergreen filmstar has in a film career spanning fifty years ,acted in 172 films. He is currently working on his 173rd movie.

Even as Rajinikanth fans celebrated the actor’s diamond birthday on a widespread scale,they were in turn provided with a special treat by their idol. A re-mastered version of the star’s 1999 film “Padayappa” was re-released 26 years later on Dec 12. The 1999 film was a blockbuster produced by Rajinikanth himself under the aegis of Arunachala Cine creations. The re-released 2025 film is reportedly a hit movie running to packed houses both in India and overseas..

What is remarkable about Rajinikanth is the fact that he continues to act in lead roles despite being a septuagenarian. Only Hindi cinema’s Dev Anand kept acting in lead roles even as an octogenarian but many of Dev Anand’s films were failures in commercial terms.What is noteworthy about Rajinikanth is that his movies continue to be hugely successful at the box office.

“Super Staaru Yaarunnu Kaettaal, Sinnakuzhandhaiyum Sollum”is a hit number from the Rajinikanth film “ Raja Chinna Roja” released in 1989. What the opening lines say is that even a small child knows the answer to the question of who is the super star? What the words mean implicitly is that Rajinikanth is indeed the super star of Tamil films. One is adjudged super star on the basis of being a box office draw and amount of remuneration received.

By that yardstick, Rajinikanth has indeed been the super star of Tamil cinema for many years. His films click loudly at the box office and he is paid a huge sum of money for a film. In recent times 51 year old actor Vijay has overtaken the 75 year old Rajinikanth in terms of earnings. Nevertheless the moniker Superstar still refers to Rajinikanth in the realm of Tamil moviedom. Nowithstanding actor Vijay, the Superstar,” as Rajini is known, is still the single most popular mass figure among actors in Tamil cinema.

Rajini’s fans are generally youths and women. However most of his youthful die-hard fans are now in their naughty forties,nifty-fifties and sprightly sixties but their fondness for Rajinikanth is as ageless as ever. The actor is pop[ular among Sri Lankan film theatre audiences too and has an established fan base comprising Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese.

Continue reading ‘The Rajinikanth Saga: From Bengaluru Bus Conductor to Tamil Cinema Superstar.’ »

Somasundaram Nadesan QC will be remembered for his brilliance as a lawyer, as an indefatigable fighter for human rights and for taking up public causes. He was an extraordinary human being.

Posted by Administrator on 20 December 2025, 1:11 am

By Dr Reeza Hameed

Somasundaram Nadesan, Queens Counsel, who died on 21 December 1986, was an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, a Barrister-at-Law of Lincoln’s Inn, and an Advocate of the High Court of Madras. He took silk in 1954 and was at one time Chairman of the Bar Council. He was elected to the Senate in 1947 and remained a Senator throughout its existence, except for two years, until its abolition in 1971.

Early life and education

Nadesan was born on 11 February 1904 in Anaicottai, Jaffna. He attended Jaffna Hindu College and won the Governor’s scholarship to attend Royal College, Colombo. After a short spell at Royal College, he joined University College to follow a General Degree course in science. He failed his Physics Practical examination and was not awarded his degree.

Nadesan had desired to join the teaching profession and did teach for a while. A.S. de Silva, a former student of Nadesan recalled (CDN 21.12.1996) the help Nadesan gave him by sponsoring his application to Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda which de Silva attended for his secondary education. He continued to check on de Silva’s progress even after leaving teaching.

Entry into legal profession

After a brief period as a teacher Nadesan quit teaching and joined the Law College and was admitted to the Bar in 1931. On entering the Bar, he devilled for a brief period in the chambers of late Justice Nagalingam, after which he set up practice on his own.

When Nadesan commenced his practice, he had no acquaintances at the Bar to ease him into the path of success, but by dint of hard work he established for himself a thriving practice within a few years. Nadesan’s break came when he was fortuitously retained by a chettiar to appear in the Court of Requests. Nadesan’s skilful handling of the case impressed the chettiar that he continued to retain Nadesan. It also helped Nadesan’s reputation spread among the small but thriving chettiar community. C Ranganathan Q.C., himself an eminent lawyer, told me that Nadesan was already having a busy practice when he entered the Bar four years after Nadesan and that Nadesan helped him to find his feet during his formative years in the Bar.

Continue reading ‘Somasundaram Nadesan QC will be remembered for his brilliance as a lawyer, as an indefatigable fighter for human rights and for taking up public causes. He was an extraordinary human being.’ »

Anton Stanislaus Balasingham alias “Bala Annai” : An Up , Close and Personal. Account.

Posted by Administrator on 20 December 2025, 1:05 am

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

(19th death anniversary on 14 December 2025)

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ‘Arasiyal Madhiuraignar’ (Political Adviser) Anton Stanislaus Balasingham passed away nineteen years ago at his South London residence on 14 December 2006.Bala ‘Annai’ (elder brother) as he was generally known among Tamils died of cancer at the age of 68 years. The funeral was held at the Alexandra Palace in London on 20 December 2006. LTTE supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran conferred the title ‘Thesathin Kural’ (Voice of the Nation) upon Tiger ideologue and political strategist posthumously.

Balasingham was a colourful yet controversial figure who was admired by some and despised by others. This writer’s relationship with Balasingham too has had its twists and turns. I have both criticised and praised him depending of course on the issue at hand. Likewise he too has both spoken and written ill and well of me. I have written about this man and his role in Tamil affairs on several occasions. I shall rely on some of these writings while focusing on the professional-personal relationship between “Bala Annai” and myself in this article.

Balasingham’s background

Balasingham born on 4 March 1938 was a blend of many strands. His father was from the east and mother from the north. His mother was a Christian and father a Hindu. Though raised as a Catholic Balasingham soon became a rationalist and agnostic.

Balasingham’s first wife was a Jaffna Tamil protestant. His second wife was an Australian woman of Anglo-Saxon extraction. He was a British citizen but yearned for his homeland “Tamil Eelam” which he believed was a state in formation.

Balasingham’s grandfather was a “saiva kurukkal” (non-Brahmin priest) from Mandur in Batticaloa District. His father was an electrical foreman at the Batticaloa Hospital. Bala’s mother was from Jaffna town and a former resident of Martin’s Road. She was a midwife by profession and was working at the Batticaloa Hospital when she met, loved and married Bala’s father Balasingham Snr.

Continue reading ‘Anton Stanislaus Balasingham alias “Bala Annai” : An Up , Close and Personal. Account.’ »

The “Rajadurai Amendment”: How President JR Jayewardene Amended his new Constitution Enabling TULF Batticaloa MP C. Rajadurai to Cross Over from the Opposition and Join the UNP Govt.

Posted by Administrator on 18 December 2025, 6:18 pm

D.B.S.Jeyaraj.

Chelliah Rajadurai a veteran politician of Sri Lanka – perhaps the oldest among former Parliamentarians – passed away on 7th December 2025 at the age of 98. Rajadurai hailing from Batticaloa was a colourful personality who served as an MP, Mayor,Cabinet minister and High Commissioner in an eventful political career. Such was his political importance that Sri Lanka’s Constitution was amended so that Rajadurai could exit from the opposition and join the Government of the day without much hassle. What happened then in this regard was interestingly intriguing and quite unprecedented.

Sri Lanka’s current Constitution came into force in September 1978 during the tenure of President Junius Richard Jayewardene. The Constitution has since then been amended 21 times. More than half of these amendments took place during the years President Jayewardene known popularly as “JR” was in power. Many of these amendments were of a controversial nature.

One such amendment was the second amendment to the Constitution . The amendment which came into effect on 26 February 1979 dealt with resignation and expulsion of Members of Parliament. The amendment in essence specified that for the duration of parliament an MP expelled from his or her party had the option of appealing to a parliamentary committee which would investigate the said expulsion and report to parliament. The member concerned would lose his or her seat only if a majority in the parliament voted in favor of expulsion after discussion.

Genesis

The genesis of the second Constitutional amendment was rather fascinating. The new 1978 Constitution had provisions whereby an MP elected from a political party could forfeit his or her seat if he or she ceased to be a member of that party by resignation, expulsion or other means. This in effect strengthened the political party’s authority over the MP and prevented cross overs or unprincipled party hopping.

However there arose a situation where President Jayewardene and his United National Party(UNP)Government wanted to facilitate the crossover of an opposition party MP to the Govt without the MP losing his seat.(All MPs were elected on an electorate-wise basis under the first past the post winner system in 1977). The UNP Govt then had 143 out of 168 MPs in Parliament. Nevertheless the UNP Govt deemed it imperative that this particular MP should split from his party and join Govt ranks.

It was for this reason that the Constitution was amended a second time. Since the UNP had a massive majority in Parliament the second amendment enabled in practice, an opposition MP to join the Govt but restrain a Govt MP from crossing over to the opposition. Although the amendment had the overall effect of strengthening JR’s grip over his MPs, the fact remains that the amendment was primarily brought about to enable a single opposition MP to join the Govt.

“Rajadurai amendment”

As stated earlier the MP concerned was none other than Chelliah Rajadurai who passed away on December 7th 2025 in Chennai at the age of 98. The second amendment was referred to derisively as the “Rajadurai amendment”in those days. Why did JR and his UNP govt regard him as being politically important enough to introduce a Constitutional amendment to facilitate his crossing over from the opposition to Govt ranks?

Continue reading ‘The “Rajadurai Amendment”: How President JR Jayewardene Amended his new Constitution Enabling TULF Batticaloa MP C. Rajadurai to Cross Over from the Opposition and Join the UNP Govt.’ »

“மட்டக்களப்பின் முடிசூடா மன்னன்” செல்வையா இராஜதுரை ஐக்கிய தேசிய கட்சி அரசாங்கத்தில் இணைவதற்கு வசதியாக அரசியலமைப்பை 1979 பெப்ரவரி 26 ஆம் திகதி திருத்திய ஜே.ஆர். ஜெயவர்தன

Posted by Administrator on 18 December 2025, 6:00 pm

டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்

இலங்கையின் முன்னாள் பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களில் மிகவும் முதிர்ந்த வயதுவரை வாழ்ந்தவரான முதபெரும் அரசியல்வாதி செல்வையா இராஜதுரை அவரது 98 வது வயதில் 2025 டிசம்பர் 7 ஆம் திகதி காலமானார்.

மட்டக்களப்பைச் சேர்ந்த வசீகரமான ஒரு ஆளுமையான அவர் பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினராக, மாநகரசபை மேயராக, கபினெட் அமைச்சராக, உயர்ஸ்தானிகராக குறிப்பிடத்தக்க நிகழ்வுகள் மிகப்பல நிறைந்த ஒரு அரசியல் வாழ்க்கைக்கு சொந்தக்காரர்.

எதிர்க்கட்சியில் இருந்து தொல்லையில்லாமல் இராஜதுரை அரசாங்கத்தில் இணைவதற்கு வசதியாக இலங்கையின் அரசியலமைப்புக்கு திருத்தச்சட்டம் ஒன்று கொண்டுவரப்பட்ட அளவுக்கு அவர் அரசியல் முக்கியத்துவம் வாய்ந்தவராக விளங்கினார்.

அன்று நடந்தது மிகவும் சுவாரஸ்யமானதும் முன்னென்றும் இல்லாததுமாகும்.

Continue reading ‘“மட்டக்களப்பின் முடிசூடா மன்னன்” செல்வையா இராஜதுரை ஐக்கிய தேசிய கட்சி அரசாங்கத்தில் இணைவதற்கு வசதியாக அரசியலமைப்பை 1979 பெப்ரவரி 26 ஆம் திகதி திருத்திய ஜே.ஆர். ஜெயவர்தன’ »

Lakshman Balasuriya was gentle and a giant in every sense of the word. A deeply civilised man, refined in taste, gracious in manner, and extraordinarily humble.He carried himself with quiet class and had a way of making everyone around him feel at ease.

Posted by Administrator on 18 December 2025, 12:28 am

by Krishantha Prasad Cooray

It is with deep sorrow that I share the passing of one of my dearests and most trusted friends of many years, Lakshman Balasuriya. He left us on Sunday morning, and with him went a part of my own life. The emptiness he leaves behind is immense, and I struggle to find words that can carry its weight.

Lakshman was not simply a friend. He was a brother to me. We shared a bond built on mutual respect, quiet understanding, and unwavering trust. These things are rare in life, and for that reason they are precious beyond measure. I try to remind myself that I was privileged to spend the final hours of his life with him, but even that thought cannot soften the ache of his sudden and significant absence.

Not too long ago, our families were on holiday together. Lakshman and Janine returned to Sri Lanka early. The rest of the holiday felt a bit empty without Lakshman’s daily presence. I cannot fathom how different life itself will be from now on.

Continue reading ‘Lakshman Balasuriya was gentle and a giant in every sense of the word. A deeply civilised man, refined in taste, gracious in manner, and extraordinarily humble.He carried himself with quiet class and had a way of making everyone around him feel at ease.’ »

The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) extends it’s sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and to the people of Canada for their timely and compassionate humanitarian assistance in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.

Posted by Administrator on 18 December 2025, 12:10 am

(Text of Press Release Issued by the Canadian Tamil Congress on 16 December 2025)

The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) extends it’s sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and to the people of Canada for their timely and compassionate humanitarian assistance in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.

We acknowledge and appreciate the Canadian government for announcing more than $2 million in support for emergency relief. Canada’s partnership with trusted humanitarian organizations including the World Food Programme, World Vision Canada, the Sri Lanka Red Cross, and local initiative demonstrates a strong commitment to principled, needs-based humanitarian action.

Continue reading ‘The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) extends it’s sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and to the people of Canada for their timely and compassionate humanitarian assistance in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.’ »

“The Sri Lanka Peace Process: An Inside View” :New Book Written by Prof.G.L.Peiris provides a scholarly, candid and first-hand account of the peace process Between the Sri Lanka Govt and the LTTE through the lens of the man who led the Sri Lanka Govt Delegation in face-to-face talks with the Tigers

Posted by Administrator on 17 December 2025, 6:18 pm

Prof. G. L. Peiris offers a rare insider’s account of Sri Lanka’s peace talks with the LTTE

As global attention focusses on high-stakes peace negotiations, a definitive Sri Lankan perspective on the promise and perils of negotiated conflict resolution comes to print

At a moment when the world is closely watching peace efforts linked to conflicts in Thailand and Cambodia, Gaza and Ukraine, a new book by Prof. G. L. Peiris revisits one of the most closely scrutinised peace initiatives of recent times: the negotiations between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Titled ‘The Sri Lanka Peace Process: An Inside View,’ the book is published by Vijitha Yapa Publications. The hardcover volume provides a scholarly, candid and first-hand account of the peace process that began in Sattahip, Thailand, on 16 September 2002, amid widespread international expectation that a brutal 30-year conflict was finally nearing its end.

Continue reading ‘“The Sri Lanka Peace Process: An Inside View” :New Book Written by Prof.G.L.Peiris provides a scholarly, candid and first-hand account of the peace process Between the Sri Lanka Govt and the LTTE through the lens of the man who led the Sri Lanka Govt Delegation in face-to-face talks with the Tigers’ »

JVP General -Secretary Tilvin Silva’s Negative and Positive “Encounters” with Two Different Tamil Diaspora Groups in London.

Posted by Administrator on 9 December 2025, 1:11 am

D.B.S.Jeyaraj.

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or People’s Liberation Front,founded and led by Rohana Wijeweera is not the same party of which Anura Kumara Disanayake is the current leader .For one thing the party is no longer a ‘lone wolf ” in politics now. The JVP is the chief constituent of the political alliance known as the Naational People’s Power(NPP). The JVP contests polls as part of the NPP but calls the shots within the NPP. President Anura Kumara Disanayake is the leader of both the JVP and JVP-led NPP.

The JVP led NPP won the Presidential election of September 2024. The NPP won 159 of the 225 seats in Parliament at the November 2024 general elections.It also came first in the majority of divisional, urban and municipal councils during the local authority polls of May 2025. Despite these commendaqble successes, the JVP is learning through experience that campaigning is in flowery verse but governance is in stony prose.

In this respect the JVP is undergoing a process of unlearning and new learning. It has jettisoned many of the promises and pledges made before polls. In terms of policy too the party is making sharp “U”turns. The amicable understanding with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the economic policy sphere and the alignment with India in the foreign policy realm being striking examples.

Another crucial change by the JVP is in the area of ethnic relations. The JVP is shedding its past “Sinhala Socialist”image and reaching out to the minority ethnicities of Sri Lanka namely the Sri Lankan Tamils,Muslims and Indian or Hill Country Tamils. This has paid great dividends with the JVP led NPP having a significant number of Tamil and Muslim MPs in Parliament. It is also a fact that President Disanayake known as AKD is highly popular among the Tamils and Muslims too.

Continue reading ‘JVP General -Secretary Tilvin Silva’s Negative and Positive “Encounters” with Two Different Tamil Diaspora Groups in London.’ »

For a language that had almost a continuous association with music since the Silapathikaram, Tamil was sidelined in Carnatic concerts — until visionaries of the “Thamil Isai Iyakkam”(tamil Music Movement) revived it.

Posted by Administrator on 9 December 2025, 12:46 am

V.Sriram

During the height of the Tamil Isai movement, when Sabhas, musicians and patrons were daggers drawn and hurling imprecations at each other, the Madras Music Academy invited Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar to deliver a speech under the title ‘Sangita and Sahitya.’ This was during the 1941 annual conference and the talk was delivered on December 29.

Ramanuja Iyengar, who had probably done more than any other musician for Tamil songs on the Carnatic platform, was of the view that “the language controversy had no place at all in the field of aesthetic music and would do it no good”. In this, he and the Madras Music Academy were of one mind. He then went on to highlight the inadequate repertoire then existing in Tamil, which forced most musicians to sing the pieces in the post Ragam Tanam Pallavi phase of a concert.

“Compositions such as the Tevaram, the Tiruvachakam, the Tiruttandagam and Tiruppugazh were in the form of Kannigal and not kirtanas with pallavi, anupallavi and charanam,” he said.

It was interesting that Ramanuja Iyengar, of all people, had made this statement, for he had popularised the compositions of Arunachala Kavi’s Rama Natakam. Others of his generation were singing the works of composers such as Marimutha Pillai, Muthu Thandavar and Gopalakrishna Bharati, all of which were in the kirtana format. And so, at least from the 18th century, Tamil too had adapted to suit the three-part structure that had come to define Carnatic music from the 16th century or so. For, prior to this, we seem to have only compositions with pallavi and charanam-s, a format that seems to have existed across South India.

Continue reading ‘For a language that had almost a continuous association with music since the Silapathikaram, Tamil was sidelined in Carnatic concerts — until visionaries of the “Thamil Isai Iyakkam”(tamil Music Movement) revived it.’ »

We accepted the English language and English education, but never became English “in taste, opinions, morals or intellect”.

Posted by Administrator on 9 December 2025, 12:27 am

Mani Shankar Aiyar

(Mani Shankar Aiyar served 26 years in the Indian Foreign Service, is a four-time MP with over two decades in Parliament, and was a Cabinet Minister from 2004 to 2009.)

On November 17, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing an audience saturated with Western education in the English language, accused his listeners of displaying “a mentality that seeks to enslave people because of their exposure to Western education”.

The Prime Minister then went on to trace their bondage to a “British parliamentarian” called Thomas Babington Macaulay, who, in 1835, launched his fusillade to “destroy the Indian education system from its roots”. The PM’s speechwriter should have alerted him that it was not Macaulay the “parliamentarian” but Macaulay the Law Member of the Governor-General-in-Council who had worked his mischief through his infamous 1835 Minute on Education, with its notorious goal of leaving us “Indian in appearance” but “English in their minds” (as the PM paraphrased Macaulay in Hindi).

To revert from Modi’s Hindi paraphrase to Macaulay’s own words, his Minute on Education, wrote Macaulay, was aimed at building “a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and intellect”. To what extent did he succeed? The first part of his prediction proved indubitably correct: 200 years on, we Indians remain “Indian in blood and colour”. But as for the second part, it was an Inner Temple lawyer who became a Mahatma and then a “seditious fakir” who, when asked what he thought of “Western civilization”, retorted: “I think that might be a good idea!”

We accepted the language and the education, but never became English “in taste, opinions, morals or intellect”. And as for Macaulay’s further assertion that “a single shelf of a good European library is worth the whole literature of India and Arabia”, Swami Vivekananda turned Macaulay on his head to teach Hindu civilisation to the West with soaring oratory in rousing, erudite English, as did Sri Aurobindo, who praised the English language as the best available instrument to convey the subtlety and nuances of Hindu spiritual thought and experience.

Continue reading ‘We accepted the English language and English education, but never became English “in taste, opinions, morals or intellect”.’ »

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Flags off 950 Tonnes Of Massive Humanitarian Aid From Tamil Nadu State To Cyclone-Hit Sri Lanka

Posted by Administrator on 6 December 2025, 6:00 pm

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Saturday flagged off a massive consignment of humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, which is reeling under the devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

A total of 950 tonnes of essential relief materials were dispatched on board two Indian Navy vessels from the Chennai and Thoothukudi ports, marking one of the largest single aid shipments sent by the State to an international disaster zone.

Cyclone Ditwah left a trail of destruction across Sri Lanka, claiming hundreds of lives, displacing thousands, and causing widespread damage to homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

In response to the scale of the humanitarian crisis, the Tamil Nadu government mobilised urgent relief through multiple departments, coordinating closely with the Indian Navy for rapid deployment.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Flags off 950 Tonnes Of Massive Humanitarian Aid From Tamil Nadu State To Cyclone-Hit Sri Lanka’ »

Alluring actress turned powerful politico Jayalalithaa Jayaram reigned as the uncrowned Queen of Tamil cinema for a Decade

Posted by Administrator on 5 December 2025, 3:33 am

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

(Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram’d ninth death anniversary on Dec 5th)

Alluring actress turned powerful politico Jayalalithaa Jayaram passed away at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on 5 December 2016. Her condition had been pronounced grave after being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit following a cardiac seizure on Dec 4. Her Demise nine years ago caused a void in the politics of India’s Tamil Nadu state that is yet to be filled adequately.

The leader of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK) served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1991-96, 2001-06 and from 2011 to date. Jayalalithaa hailed as “Amma” (meaning mother/madam) was virtually the uncrowned queen of Tamil Nadu during her years of rule as Chief Minister.

Fabulous film career

There was however an earlier phase in her life when the beautiful Brahmin woman reigned as the uncrowned queen of Tamil cinema for over a decade from the mid-sixties to mid-seventies of the 20th century. This article re-visits the fabulous film career of actress Jayalalithaa.

Jayalalithaa dazzled on the silver screen during the years she was an actress. According to filmographic estimates, she acted in 142 films from 1964 to 1980 in the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and English languages. Of these 77 films ran for over 100 days and 18 for more than 25 weeks.

Continue reading ‘Alluring actress turned powerful politico Jayalalithaa Jayaram reigned as the uncrowned Queen of Tamil cinema for a Decade’ »

Ranil Wickremesinghe accuses Govt of politicising the distribution of relief bypassing Parliament, the Cabinet, and the Disaster Management Centre, while establishing a parallel disaster relief fund without legal basis; State power during the Cyclone disaster was exercised from the JVP politburo in Pelawatte alleges ex-president

Posted by Administrator on 5 December 2025, 2:22 am

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday told party leaders that the Government’s handling of the recent disaster exposed systemic failures, including the non-implementation of the Disaster Management Act and the abandonment of the National Disaster Management Plan 2023–2030, despite multiple workshops held this year to familiarise State institutions with its provisions.

Addressing political party leaders and representatives, he said the decision to declare 28 November a holiday had effectively immobilised the Departments, Divisions, and officers assigned responsibilities under the Plan, further weakening the State’s response at a critical moment.

He accused the Government of politicising the distribution of relief by bypassing Parliament, the Cabinet, and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), while simultaneously establishing a parallel disaster relief fund without legal basis.

Wickremesinghe said there was no strategy to confront the scale of the disaster and no plans for rehabilitation and repair, adding that urgent action was also required to address the sale of contaminated meat, fish and eggs reported in affected areas.

Wickremesinghe proposed that Parliament appoint an Oversight Committee on Disaster Management and Reconstruction chaired by an experienced MP, with equal representation from Government and Opposition members.

Continue reading ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe accuses Govt of politicising the distribution of relief bypassing Parliament, the Cabinet, and the Disaster Management Centre, while establishing a parallel disaster relief fund without legal basis; State power during the Cyclone disaster was exercised from the JVP politburo in Pelawatte alleges ex-president’ »

ஜே.வி.பி.யின் பலம்பொருந்திய பொதுச் செயலாளர் ரில்வின் சில்வாவுக்கு அண்மையில் லண்டனில் புலம்பெயர் தமிழ்ச் சமூகத்தின் மத்தியில் ஏற்பட்ட அனுபவங்கள்

Posted by Administrator on 5 December 2025, 1:11 am

டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்

ஜனாதிபதி அநுர குமார திசநாயக்க தலைமையில் இன்று உள்ள ஜனதா விமுக்தி பெரமுன (ஜே.வி.பி.) றோஹண விஜேவீர தாபித்த அதே ஜே.வி.பி. அல்ல. அது இனிமேலும் அரசியலில் தன்னெண்ணப்படி செயற்படக்கூடிய ஒரு கட்சியாக இல்லை. தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி என்ற கூட்டணியின் பிரதான அங்கத்துவ கட்சியாக ஜே.வி.பி. இருக்கிறது. தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தியின் அங்கமாக தேர்தல்களில் போட்டியிட்ட போதிலும், அது முக்கியமான முடிவுகளை தானாகவே எடுத்து செல்வாக்குச் செலுத்திக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது. ஜனாதிபதி திசநாயக்க ஜே.வி.பி.யினதும் அதன் தலைமையிலான தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தியினதும் தலைவராக இருக்கிறார்.

2024 செப்டெம்பர் ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தலில் வெற்றிபெற்ற தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி அதையடுத்து இரு மாதங்களில் நடைபெற்ற பொதுத்தேர்தலில் பாராளுமன்றத்தின் 225 ஆசனங்களில் 159 ஆசனங்களைக் கைப்பற்றியது. 2025 மே மாதத்தில் நடைபெற்ற உள்ளூராட்சி தேர்தல்களில் தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி பெரும்பான்மையான பிரதேச சபைகள், நகரசபைகள் மற்றும் மாநகரசபைகளில் முதலாவதாக வந்தது. மெச்சத்தக்க அந்த வெற்றிகளை பெற்ற போதிலும், பிரசாரம் என்பது சொற்பகட்டான கவிதை என்பதையும் ஆட்சிமுறை என்பது கடினமான உரைநடை என்பதையும் ஜே.வி.பி. அனுபவத்தின் ஊடாக கற்றுவருகின்றது

இந்த அடிப்படையில் ஜே.வி.பி. பழையவற்றை மறப்பதும் புதியவற்றைக் கற்பதுமான ஒரு செயன்முறைக்கு உள்ளாகியிருக்கிறது. தேர்தல்களுக்கு முன்னர் நாட்டு மக்களுக்கு வழங்கிய வாக்குறுதிகளில் பலவற்றை அது கைவிட்டுவிட்டது. கொள்கை அடிப்படையிலும் கூட அது மறுதலையாக திரும்பியிருக்கிறது. பொருளாதாரக் கொள்கையை பொறுத்தவரை, சர்வதேச நாணய நிதியத்துடன் ஜே.வி.பி. கொண்டிருக்கும் நட்பிணக்கமான புரிந்துணர்வும் வெளியுறவுக் கொள்கையில் இந்தியாவுடனான நெருக்கமும் இதற்கு சிறந்த உதாரணங்களாகும்.

இனத்துவ உறவுகளை பொறுத்தவரையிலும் ஜே.வி.பி.யிடம் முக்கியமான இன்னொரு மாற்றத்தைக் காணக்கூடியதாக இருக்கிறது. அது ‘ சிங்கள சோசலிஸ்ட் ‘ என்ற தோற்றப்பாட்டைக் கைவிட்டு சிறுபான்மைச் சமூகங்களான இலங்கைத் தமிழர்கள், முஸ்லிம்கள் மற்றும் மலையகத் தமிழிர்களுக்கு நேசக்கரம் நீட்டுகிறது. இதன் விளைவாக ஜே.வி.பி. பெரும் பயனடைந்திருக்கிறது. பாராளுமன்றத்தில் ஒரு கணிசமான எண்ணிக்கையில் தமிழ், முஸ்லிம் உறுப்பினர்களை ஜே.வி.பி. தலைமையிலான தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி கொண்டிருக்கிறது. தமிழர்கள், முஸ்லிம்கள் மத்தியில் ஜனாதிபதி திசநாயக்க பெருமளவுக்கு செல்வாக்கைக் கொண்டவராகவும் விளங்குகிறார்.

Continue reading ‘ஜே.வி.பி.யின் பலம்பொருந்திய பொதுச் செயலாளர் ரில்வின் சில்வாவுக்கு அண்மையில் லண்டனில் புலம்பெயர் தமிழ்ச் சமூகத்தின் மத்தியில் ஏற்பட்ட அனுபவங்கள்’ »

Anura Kumara Dissanayake a Sri Lankan President Like No Other.

Posted by Administrator on 1 December 2025, 9:00 pm

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Anura Kumara Dissanayake who was elected last year as Sri Lanka’s ninth executive president celebrated his 57th birthday on November 24th 2025 . Unlike some past presidents who celebrated their birthdays ostentatiously with Poojas and parties, President Dissanayake chose to observe his birthday as simply another “business as usual” day without publicity or fanfare. This was in keeping with the public persona of President Dissanayake known popularly as Anura and AKD.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake or AKD’s rise from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of power has in recent times captured the imagination of the Sri Lankan public in a big way.. He is generally perceived as a simple ,unassuming man intent on serving the people who elected him to office.

AKD’s double -pocketed long sleeve shirts are becoming a fad with sections of his youthful admirers. Anura’s simple yet effective functional style has helped him acquire “a President like no other”image within a relatively short time.It is in this context that this column focuses -with the aid of earlier writings- on AKD and his Presidential journey this week.

Continue reading ‘Anura Kumara Dissanayake a Sri Lankan President Like No Other.’ »

Cyclone Ditwah Devastation : Death Toll Rises to 390 ; Over 15,000 Houses Destroyed. More than 200 Roads Remain Inaccessible; Bridges, Sections of Railway Tracks and Power Lines Damaged. Many Countries Pledge Support to Sri Lanka for Recovery Measures.

Posted by Administrator on 1 December 2025, 6:00 pm

Meera Srinivasan

Many countries have pledged support to Sri Lanka as it braces for a long recovery from the widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah over the last few days, claiming at least 390 lives.

As the island faces the aftermath of one of its worst instances of flooding and landslides in years, India stepped in immediately, summoning its National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to support the Sri Lankan military’s rescue efforts, apart from dispatching emergency relief material.

Although heavy rains have let up in many parts of the island, reports of severe waterlogging and inundation, and landslides in the badly-affected hill country persist.

Continue reading ‘Cyclone Ditwah Devastation : Death Toll Rises to 390 ; Over 15,000 Houses Destroyed. More than 200 Roads Remain Inaccessible; Bridges, Sections of Railway Tracks and Power Lines Damaged. Many Countries Pledge Support to Sri Lanka for Recovery Measures.’ »

Devastating Impact of “Cyclone Ditwah” on Sri Lanka : At least 334 dead and 370 missing, Over Eleven Lakhs of people affected with Nearly Two Lakhs Displaced Accommodated in State run Safety Centres

Posted by Administrator on 30 November 2025, 6:18 pm

Meera Srinivasan

At least 334 people have died so far, and 370 remain missing as Sri Lanka reels from the devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

A large number of fatalities were reported on Sunday (November 30, 2025) from Badulla, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Matale districts, home to some of Sri Lanka’s most economically marginalised communities.

Visuals from the affected areas showed colonial-era line rooms housing Malaiyaha Tamils — descendants of labourers that the British brought down from south India to work in plantations two centuries ago — collapsing and being buried under soil, as the hillsides above them gave way.

Continue reading ‘Devastating Impact of “Cyclone Ditwah” on Sri Lanka : At least 334 dead and 370 missing, Over Eleven Lakhs of people affected with Nearly Two Lakhs Displaced Accommodated in State run Safety Centres’ »

“Emergency regulations have been enacted to provide legal and financial safeguards for efficient reconstruction. I assure every citizen that these emergency powers will not be misused for any other purpose.” – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Address to the Nation.

Posted by Administrator on 30 November 2025, 6:00 pm

(Text of address to the Nation by President Anura Kumara Disanayake on 30 November 2025)

As a country, we are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history. We also recognise that what we are undertaking is the most difficult rescue operation in our nation’s history. This is the first time the entire country has been struck by such a disaster.

With the nation affected from end to end, this is a highly challenging task that needs to be conquered. While our small island could be shaken by this merciless natural disaster, the humanity and resilience of our people cannot, in any way, be shaken and this has been reaffirmed again.

The unwavering courage of my beloved citizens gives us absolute confidence that this country can be rebuilt. Dear parents, brothers and sisters, if it were possible to restore life to all those who perished in this disaster, we would fulfil it under any conditions without a second thought. However, we must confront the painful reality. The grief for those lost is eternally with us.

Every life lost is not merely a number; every life carried a name, a face and a story. On behalf of the families of all who have died, we extend our heartfelt sympathy.

Even though this sympathy cannot restore the lives of those families, we are committed to providing them with everything else possible. Likewise, we pray that all those still missing are safe and unharmed. We warmly welcome the hands of everyone who has come forward to comfort those affected and to strengthen those impacted by this calamity.

Continue reading ‘“Emergency regulations have been enacted to provide legal and financial safeguards for efficient reconstruction. I assure every citizen that these emergency powers will not be misused for any other purpose.” – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Address to the Nation.’ »

President Dissanayake Declares Emergency as Devastation Caused by Cyclone Ditwa Unfolds,59 dead,203 missing. Over 800,000 People Affected with More than 100,000 Accommodated in State -run Safety Centres,

Posted by Administrator on 29 November 2025, 6:00 pm

Meera Srinivasan

The death toll from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka climbed to 159 on Saturday (November 29, 2025), while President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared a state of emergency to expedite rescue and relief efforts.

Torrential rain over the last few days, strong winds, severe flooding and landslides forced over one lakh people out of their homes and into state-run safety centres. According to the Disaster Management Centre, 203 people were reported missing as of Saturday evening. More than two lakh families — nearly eight lakh people — across the island nation have been severely affected by the cyclone, whose full impact is yet to unfold.

The emergency regulations aim to speed up decision-making and action at district level, officials said, although rights activists cautioned that some provisions may impinge on human rights.

Continue reading ‘President Dissanayake Declares Emergency as Devastation Caused by Cyclone Ditwa Unfolds,59 dead,203 missing. Over 800,000 People Affected with More than 100,000 Accommodated in State -run Safety Centres,’ »

Country-wide red alert as Unprecedented rainfall triggered by Cyclone Ditwah wreaks havoc across Sri Lanka; 20 districts badly hit and 2,00,000 people directly affected; Nearly 100 dead and Dozens reported missing.

Posted by Administrator on 29 November 2025, 2:54 am

Meera Srinivasan

Nearly 100 persons have been reported dead and dozens are missing in Sri Lanka — as of Friday (November 28, 2025) evening — amid incessant rains combined with strong winds, even as Cyclone Ditwah appears to proceed north and north-west, towards the coast of Tamil Nadu.

The island has been experiencing torrential downpour over the last couple of days, with several districts recording unprecedented levels of rainfall.

According to the Department of Meteorology and the Disaster Management Centre, 20 out of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts are badly hit, with over 60,000 families and 2,00,000 people directly affected amid an island-wide “red alert” issued by authorities.

Reports indicate that the impact of the extreme weather conditions is especially severe along the east coast — in Ampara, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee — as well as in the Central Province, home to Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, both popular tourist destinations, and Matale, and Uva Province’s Badulla district.


Several areas remain heavily flooded, while roads remain inundated and inaccessible in the hill country — where some of Sri Lanka’s poorest communities, such as the Malaiyaha Tamil tea and rubber estate workers, reside. 
The areas are also experiencing frequent landslips claiming many lives. Harrowing accounts of cars veering off roads and falling into waterways, families stuck on roads overnight, or climbing onto rooftops to survive the night amid rapidly rising stagnant water levels are being shared on social media, as authorities struggle to respond to what appears to be Sri Lanka’s worst rains in recent years.
 As rivers overflow and water levels in reservoirs increase, authorities have also issued flood warnings in the island’s southern districts.
Schools have been ordered to remain closed, while authorities declared a holiday for government offices — barring essential services — on Friday.
 Convening an emergency meeting with representatives from all parties on Thursday (November 27, 2025), President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged MPs from both the government and the Opposition to visit their districts and help with relief distribution while urgently ensuring public safety.
Compensation of LKR 1 million (roughly ₹2,90,000) from the President’s Fund will be paid to the families of those who lost their lives.
 Further, President Dissanayake directed tourism authorities to ensure essential services are available for foreign tourists affected by the severe weather. Aviation authorities said some flight schedules have been disrupted.
India stepped in to assist Sri Lankan authorities with relief and rescue efforts. “In solidarity with our closest maritime neighbour, India has urgently dispatched relief materials and vital HADR support under Operation Sagar Bandhu. We stand ready to provide more aid and assistance as the situation evolves,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media platform ‘X’.
Responding to a request from Sri Lankan authorities, India also deployed its helicopters from INS Vikrant, currently docked in Colombo, to support evacuation efforts.
Courtesy;The  Hindu


	
	
	
								
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		India Launches “Operation Sagar Bandhu ” to provide  Immediate Humanitarian Relief to Sri Lanka amid Cyclone Ditwah; essential supplies distributed through   Indian Naval Ships INS Vikrant and INS Udayagiri currently docked  in Sri Lanka

				
			Posted by Administrator on 29 November 2025, 2:22 am					

			


			
		
						(Text of Press Release Issued by the High Commission of India on Colombo on 28th November 2025)
In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which intensified from a deep depression near the Sri Lankan coast and made landfall on 27 November 2025, it is learned that Sri Lanka continues to face extensive flooding, landslides, and severe disruption to essential services across multiple districts. The cyclone has brought torrential rains and destructive winds to the eastern, central, and many regions island wide, causing widespread damage to homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure.
  Continue reading ‘India Launches “Operation Sagar Bandhu ” to provide  Immediate Humanitarian Relief to Sri Lanka amid Cyclone Ditwah; essential supplies distributed through   Indian Naval Ships INS Vikrant and INS Udayagiri currently docked  in Sri Lanka’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		When the scale of this disaster is so enormous even the strongest nations sometimes need the hand of a friend. Sri Lanka needs the support of all her friends.  Your support, whether through relief supplies, medical aid, logistical assistance, or financial contributions, will directly help families who are suffering and accelerate the country’s recovery

				
			Posted by Administrator on 29 November 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						By

Krishantha  Prasad  Cooray
Floods and landslides, people trapped on rooftops, vehicles submerged, residents without electricity or unable to cry out for help, cyclonic winds and endless rain thwarting rescue and relief operations. This is Sri Lanka today, facing a devastating natural calamity, one of the worst in decades.
True to character, the entire country, especially ordinary folk, have responded admirably. Each and every one of us have demonstrated yet again our enormous resources of resilience. And our almost genetically engraved trait to reach out to and support those in dire need of help. We have always stood shoulder to shoulder without hesitation, putting aside all differences, political or otherwise. We are doing this even as I write.
While diplomatic missions based in Colombo have expressed their solidarity and support for Sri Lanka’s Government during this challenging time, there’s still a lot that our friends abroad can do.
 Continue reading ‘When the scale of this disaster is so enormous even the strongest nations sometimes need the hand of a friend. Sri Lanka needs the support of all her friends.  Your support, whether through relief supplies, medical aid, logistical assistance, or financial contributions, will directly help families who are suffering and accelerate the country’s recovery’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Little-known Facts About  Legendary LTTE Leader Veluppillai  Prabhakaran

				
			Posted by Administrator on 25 November 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						
By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj



(26 November 2025 is the 71st  Birth Anniversary of LTTE

Supremo Veluopillai Prabhakaran) 
The  demise of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) leader  Veluppillai Prabhakaran occurred fourteen years ago. The tigers as the LTTE was known were defeated militarily by the armed forces of Sri Lanka in May 2009. Prabhakaran’s dead body was  found  on the shores of the Nandhikkadal lagoon in Mullaitheevu district on 19 May 2009. This article  therefore will be  on Prabhakaran this week.
 
I have in the past written extensively on the LTTE and its supremo. As such I do not intend re-inventing the wheel all over again. Instead I would be  focussing in this piece  on  some  lesser known facts of the LTTE leader’s  personal history  with the aid of earlier writings.
 Continue reading ‘Little-known Facts About  Legendary LTTE Leader Veluppillai  Prabhakaran’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		ஜீவன் — சீதை திருமணம்: தமிழ்நாடு  சிவகக்கை மாவட்டத்தின் திருப்பத்தூரில் நவம்பர் 23  காலை , கெட்டிமேளம் முழங்க ஜீவன் குமாரவேல் தொண்டமான்,   சீதை ஸ்ரீ நாச்சியார் இராமேஸ்வரனின் கழுத்தில் தாலியைக் கட்டினார்.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 25 November 2025, 3:14 am					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்
பகவான் ஸ்ரீசத்ய பாபாவின் 99 வது பிறந்ததினம் 2025 நவம்பர் 23 ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை அனுஷ்டிக்கப்பட்டது. அன்றைய தினம் உலகம் பூராவுமுள்ள கோடிக்கணக்கான பாபா பக்தர்களுக்கு பெரும் முக்கியத்துவம் வாய்ந்த தினமாகும்.
 ஆனால், நவம்பர் 23 இலங்கை தொழிலாளர் காங்கிரஸ் பொதுச்செயலாளரும் நுவரேலியா மாவட்ட பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினருமான ஜீவன் தொண்டமானைப் பொறுத்தவரை, திருமணமாகாத ஆடவர் என்ற அந்தஸ்துக்கு அவர் விடைகொடுத்த தினமாக அமைந்து விட்டது.
ஜீவன் அல்லது ஜீவன் தொண்டமான் என்று அறியப்படும் ஜீவன் குமாரவேல் தொண்டமான் நவம்பர் 23   கெட்டிமேளம் முழங்க சீதை ஸ்ரீ நாச்சியார் இராமேஸ்வரனின் கழுத்தில் தாலியைக் கட்டினார். இந்தியாவின் தமிழ்நாடு மாநிலத்தில் சிவகக்கை மாவட்டத்தின் திருப்பத்தூரில் அமைந்திருக்கும் ஆறுமுகம்பிள்ளை சீதையம்மாள் கல்லூரி வளாகத்தில் காலை 10.15 மணிக்கும் 11.15 மணிக்கும் இடைப்பட்ட சுபமுகூர்த்த நேரத்தில் திருமணம் இடம்பெற்றது. 
முன்னாள் இலங்கை ஜனாதிபதி ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க, அவரது பாரியார் பேராசிரியை மைத்ரி விக்கிரமசிங்க, சிவகங்கை  பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் கார்த்தி சிதம்பரம், தூத்துக்குடி பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் கனிமொழி கருணாநிதி மற்றும் தேசிய முற்போக்கு திராவிடர் கழகத்தின் தலைவி பிரேமலதா விஜயகாந்த் உட்பட பெருந்திரளான  பிரமுகர்கள் திருமண வைபவத்தில் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.
  திருமண வரவேற்புபசாரம் நவம்பர் 28 ஆம் திகதி கொழும்பு ஹில்டன் ஹோட்டலில் நடைபெறவிருக்கிறது. இன்னொரு வரவேற்புபசாரம் மலையகத்தில் கொட்டகலையில் நடைபெறும்.
 Continue reading ‘ஜீவன் — சீதை திருமணம்: தமிழ்நாடு  சிவகக்கை மாவட்டத்தின் திருப்பத்தூரில் நவம்பர் 23  காலை , கெட்டிமேளம் முழங்க ஜீவன் குமாரவேல் தொண்டமான்,   சீதை ஸ்ரீ நாச்சியார் இராமேஸ்வரனின் கழுத்தில் தாலியைக் கட்டினார்.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Dashing Dharmendra with his Rugges Masculinity,Playful Charm and Comic Flair was neither  the best actor nor the  biggest star in Hindi cinema  but he was the most Loved.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 24 November 2025, 6:18 pm					

			


			
		
						By

Anuj Kumar
The heartbeat of Hindi cinema’s golden era, who turned raw instinct into cinematic immortality, Dharmendra passed away in Mumbai on Monday (November 24, 2025) due to age-related ailments at 89.
Tempering fire with vulnerability, Dharmendra embodied a paradoxical masculinity being the He-Man who could shed a tear and the village avenger who recited poetry, thereby humanising the archetype of the Hindi film hero. Dharmendra’s swagger, his appeal, wasn’t manufactured — it was organic, unbreakable, and enduring.
His rugged charm and effortless masculinity stood out from the tragic-romantic heroes of earlier decades and the brooding, angry young men who emerged after him. Yet, his physical strength was always balanced by a deep emotional sincerity that shone through his intensely expressive eyes.

Dharmendra played some of the most loved characters in Hindi cinema that have withstood the test of time. The unflinching idealist engineer in Satyakam, the sensitive poet in Anupama, the wronged truck driver in Pratiggya seeking justice for his sister, the romantic protector in Jugnu, the reluctant saviour in Mera Gaon Mera Desh, the loyal friend in Sholay, and the prankster professor in Chupke Chupke, Dharmendra was perhaps the most adaptable icon of popular Hindi cinema.
 Continue reading ‘Dashing Dharmendra with his Rugges Masculinity,Playful Charm and Comic Flair was neither  the best actor nor the  biggest star in Hindi cinema  but he was the most Loved.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Summoning of “Aruna”Editor -in -chief Mahinda Ileperuma  for Questioning  Under the Parliamentary Privileges Act  on 24 Nov by the CID Regarding a Front Page News Item Published on 19 Nov Condemned by Sri Lanka Working Jpurnalist Association and Free Media Movement.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 24 November 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						The Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association condemned the summoning of the Editor-In-Chief of our sister newspaper, Aruna, Mahinda Ileperuma, to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on 24 November of this year, following the front-page story published on 19 November 2025 titled “Grama Niladhari certificate insufficient to obtain Police reports, approval of People’s Committee Chairperson also required”.
The association expressed concern that by summoning a journalist to the CID over a news report, the Government has ignored even the most basic standards of ethics and press freedom. 
 Continue reading ‘Summoning of “Aruna”Editor -in -chief Mahinda Ileperuma  for Questioning  Under the Parliamentary Privileges Act  on 24 Nov by the CID Regarding a Front Page News Item Published on 19 Nov Condemned by Sri Lanka Working Jpurnalist Association and Free Media Movement.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		JEEVAN WEDS SEETHAI

				
			Posted by Administrator on 23 November 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						by

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman known as Jeevan Thondaman and Jeevan tied the  traditional  “Thali” (mangala sutra) around the neck of  Seethai Srii Naachiar Rameswaran amidst the reverberating crescendo of  the “Kettimelam” wedding drum roll on 23rd  Nov 2025. The  marriage ceremony took  place  during the auspicious hour  from 10.15 to 11.15 am at the Arumugam Pillai Seethaiammaal College  campus  of Thiruppathur in the Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu state in India.
 Among the  large number of dignitaries who attended the wedding at Thiruppathur were  former  Sri Lankan President Presidents  Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prof.Maithree Wickremesinghe, India’s Sivagangai MP Karthi Chidambaram,Thoothukudi MP ms.Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and DMDK leader Ms.Premalatha Vijayakanth. A reception cum banquet  will be held at the Grand Ballroom of the Colombo Hilton Hotel  on 28th November . Another reception would be held in Kotagala also.
 Continue reading ‘JEEVAN WEDS SEETHAI’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman  Weds Seethai Srii Naachiar Rameswaran in Thiruppathur  on 23rd November. 2025

				
			Posted by Administrator on 23 November 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
The 99th birth anniversary of “Bhagwan”Sathya Sai Baba will be observed on  Sunday,23rd November 2025.The day will be of great significance to millions of Baba devotees throughout the world. It will however be  a red letter day for Ceylon Workers Congres General-secretary and Nuwara-Eliya district parliamentarian Jeevan Thondaman who bids farewell to  bachelorhood on that day.
Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman known as Jeevan Thondaman and Jeevan will tie the traditional wedding necklace “Thali” (mangala sutra) around the neck of  Seethai Srii Naachiar Rameswaran amidst the reverberating crescendo of  the “Kettimelam” wedding drum roll on the 23rd. The  marriage ceremony will take place  during the auspicious hour  from 10.15 to 11.15 am at the Arumugam Pillai Seethaiammaal College  campus  of Thiruppathur in the Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu state in India.
 A large number of dignitaries from Sri Lanka including former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe are expected to attend the wedding at Thiruppathur. Among  fellow MPs  who will be present are Mano Ganesan and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam. After the wedding and related ceremonies are over, a reception will be held at the Grand Ballroom of the Colombo Hilton Hotel  on 28th November . Another reception would be held in Kotagala also
Jeevan Thondaman was first elected to Parliament from the Nuwara -Eliya district in August 2020. He served as a state minister and later as cabinet minister. Jeevan was re-elected to Parliament in 2024. The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Gen -Secy who was born on 9th November 1994 has for long been regarded as a most eligible bachelor. This  Sunday will record the end of  Jeevan’s eligible bachelr status.
Seethai Srii Naachiar or Seethai the maiden who bowled  Jeevan over is a 4th year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland(RCSL) medical university in Dublin.  Both their families are well known to each other and the marriage was an “arranged” union initiated by Jeevan’s mother Rajalakshmi Thondaman.  Incidently Jeevan’s father Arumugan and Seethai’s father Rameswaran are alumni of the Montfort Boys School at Yercaud in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu.
 Continue reading ‘Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman  Weds Seethai Srii Naachiar Rameswaran in Thiruppathur  on 23rd November. 2025’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		When the left fails to provide sufficient respite to “the tired, the poor, the hungry”, they can be receptive to the  populist right.In Sri Lanka, the populist right uses the monks of the “Rajapaksa Nikaya” as flamethrowers and Buddha statues are their weapons of choice.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 23 November 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

Tisaranee  Gunasekara
“We are members of the Rajapaksa Nikaya. (We) are robed in the Rajapaksa Nikya, members of the Rajapaksa caste.” Ampitiye Sumanaratana
“He who has control over his hands, feet, and tongue, who is fully controlled, delights in inward development, is absorbed in meditation, keeps to himself and is contented – him do people call a monk.” The Buddha (Dhamma Pada, Bhikkuvagga)
On the night of May 15, 2005 a 12 foot tall Buddha statue was set up near the public market in Trincomalee. It was the work of a group of monks, the North-East Sinhala Organisation and the Trincomalee Three Wheeler Drivers’ Association.
The installation was illegal since the land was a public property and no permission had been obtained. Perhaps the forces behind this provocative act hoped the LTTE would intervene and destroy the statue, leading to an outbreak of civil violence in Trincomalee – the ideal background for the emergence of a new hero to save rata, jatiya, agama. Fortunately, the LTTE ignored the issue. It had other fish to fry, starting with building its military strength and murdering dissenting Tamils (the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar less than three months later was a key marker in this process of elimination of Tamil dissent).
So bloodshed was avoided. Instead, Tamil civil organisations organised a peaceful hartal. The police, on instructions of the Attorney General’s Department, did the right thing by going to courts. The magistrate ordered the removal of the particular Buddha statues and all other illegal religious structures in town.
The order was never implemented. Politics triumphed over the rule of law. The JHU’s monk-parliamentarian cohort, led by Aturaliye Rathana Thero, demonstrated against the order in parliament. The monks then went on procession to Fort and held a satyagraha. The Trincomalee police erected a protective fence around the illegal statue and provided it with round the clock armed security. According to an intelligence report obtained by the Ministry of Defence, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, who headed the Eastern Command, addressed a group of three wheeler drivers involved in the statue project and “assured them he would ensure the statue would not be removed”.
 Continue reading ‘When the left fails to provide sufficient respite to “the tired, the poor, the hungry”, they can be receptive to the  populist right.In Sri Lanka, the populist right uses the monks of the “Rajapaksa Nikaya” as flamethrowers and Buddha statues are their weapons of choice.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		“Mahinda Gamana”:  Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Political Journey  Spanning Over  50 Years.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 November 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj.
Part Two of Article for 80th Birthday on Nov 18th.
Sri  Lanka’s fifth executive president Mahinda Rajapaksa  celebrated his 80th birth anniversary this week.. Mahinda born on 18 November 1945 , served  two terms as president from  November 2005 to January 2010 and from January 2010 to Jan 2015.  He was also sworn in as Prime minister on four occasions -April 2004, October 2018,November 2019 and August  2020.
 This is the second of a two-part article commemorating the 80th birthday of Mahinda whose full name is Mahendra Percy Rajapaksa. In the first part published last week the focus was on the early years of Mahinda’s life. This second  and final part briefly outlines Mahinda’s political life spanning several decades with the aid of earlier writings.
As stated in these columns last week  Mahinda who  represented Beliatta in Parliament from 1970 to 1977 was defeated in the July 1977 elections.His party the Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP)was routed at the polls by the United National Party(UNP)that  captured 141 seats in a Parliament of 168 MPs. The SLFP  got only 8 seats. The party leader and former prenier Sirimavo Bandaranaike was deprived of her civic rights and forfeited her Parliamentary seat.  
When Presidential elections were held in 1982, Sirimavo could not contest. The SLFP fielded Hector Kobbekaduwe who was trounced by JR Jayewardene.The JR Jayewardene led UNP govt extended its term of office through the 1982 referendum. The SLFP was down in the doldrums politically. Furthermore there were inner -party divisions too. 
Though the SLFP was shattered by the colossal defeat of 1977 and the removal of Mrs. Bandaranaike’s civic rights in 1980, the party began reviving itself to some extent after the 1982 presidential poll and referendum. The swing was more visible in Ruhuna.  Among those in the forefront of this SLFP  resurgence was Mahinda Rajapaksa who was then based in Hambantota district shuttling between Tangalle and Medamulana.
In 1985, Mahinda’s elder brother Chamal Rajapaksa contested the Mulkirigala by election. Mahinda led the campaign for Chamal. There was a shooting incident and Mahinda was arrested and remanded for three months. Subsequently, he was cleared by courts and released. It was during this time of imprisonment that the grand matriarch  of the family Mrs. D.A. Rajapaksa passed away and to Mahinda’s eternal sorrow he was not allowed to attend the funeral of his mother. 
 Continue reading ‘“Mahinda Gamana”:  Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Political Journey  Spanning Over  50 Years.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		“Govt believes longstanding issues faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces can no longer be addressed through outdated political solutions”-President Dissanayake Tells ITAK Delegation

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 November 2025, 6:18 pm					

			


			
		
						(  Excerpted from the President’s Media  Division Website)
A meeting between the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was held this afternoon (19) at the Presidential Secretariat, following a request made by the ITAK.
Discussions focused on the Provincial Council elections and the need for a new Constitution. President Dissanayake stated that the Government believes longstanding issues faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces can no longer be addressed through outdated political solutions. Therefore, it is necessary to move towards a new political framework and the support of everyone is essential in that process, the President emphasized.
 Continue reading ‘“Govt believes longstanding issues faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces can no longer be addressed through outdated political solutions”-President Dissanayake Tells ITAK Delegation’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		President AK Dissanayake Tells ITAK  that  Elections to the Provincial Councils Would be held without Further Delay Withut Providig a Timeline for Polls; AKD says  Talks on Proposed new Constitution would start  in January 2026

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 November 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

Meera  Srinivasan
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Wednesday (November 19, 2025) told the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) that his government would initiate talks on the promised new Constitution in January next year. He also said elections to the Provincial Councils would be held without further delay, although he did not provide a timeline for the same, members of the party told The Hindu.  
It was the first time that the ITAK — a prominent Tamil party with eight MPs in the current Parliament — met President Dissanayake on the pending political solution to Sri Lanka’s national question.  “We told the President that unless this issue is resolved, the country cannot move forward,” ITAK general secretary and former Jaffna legislator M.A. Sumanthiran told the media following the meeting. Acting president of the ITAK, C.V.K. Sivagnanam, and all parliamentarians representing the party in the north and east, were present at the meeting.
Mr. Dissanayake told the ITAK that longstanding issues faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces can no longer be addressed through “outdated political solutions” and therefore, it was necessary to move towards “a new political framework”, a statement from the President’s office said. “Everyone’s support is essential in that process,” he further emphasised.
The discussion comes after the ITAK wrote to President Dissanayake in September 2025 — when he completed a year in office — seeking a meeting on the long-pending political settlement. Reminding him of his pre-poll pledge to address the aspirations of the Tamil people, the letter said: “no action seems to have been taken”.
 Continue reading ‘President AK Dissanayake Tells ITAK  that  Elections to the Provincial Councils Would be held without Further Delay Withut Providig a Timeline for Polls; AKD says  Talks on Proposed new Constitution would start  in January 2026’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Mahinda Rajapaksa at 80; Demonised by Opponents and Deified by Supporters.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 18 November 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj.
Commemorative Article for 80th Birthday on November 18th.
Mahendra Percy Rajapaksa known to his country and the world at large as Mahinda Rajapaksa will celebrate his 80th birth anniversary on 18 November 2025. In a political career spanning more than five decades ,Mahinda Rajapaksa has served as Menber of Parliament, Cabinet Minister,Leader of the Opposition,Prime Minister and Executive President. 
”Medamulana Mahinda” as he is referred to at times,   is a colourful politician who has been demonised by his opponents and deified by his supporters. Whatever his detractors may say,there is no denying that Mahinda Rajapaksa will go down in history as the man who ended the war against the LTTE.This two-part article  t focuses  -with the aid of earlier writings – on Mahinda Rajapaksa this week  to denote his 80th birthday.
Mahinda’s father Don Alvin (DA) Rajapaksa was the younger brother of Don Mathew (DM) Rajapaksa. DM Rajapaksa was elected to the State Council from Hambantota in 1936. He passed away in 1945 and was succeeded by DA Rajapaksa who was elected uncontested at the by-election. DA Rajapaksa was the MP for Beliatte from 1947 to March 1960 and from July 1960 to 1965. He crossed over from the United National Party ( UNP) with SWRD Bandaranaike and was a founder member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP).
Don Alvin Rajapaksa married Dona Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake of Palatuwa, Matara. They had nine children – six boys and three girls. Their names in the order of age are Chamal, Jayanthi, Mahinda, Tudor, Gotabaya, Basil, Preethi, Dudley and Gandini. Though called Mahinda by family and friends, his given name at birth was Percy Mahendra. 
Mahendra 
Why did DA name his second son Mahendra? Former Secretary-General of Parliament and Ombudsman Sam Wijesinghe who was also related to the Rajapaksas revealed the answer..
 Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa at 80; Demonised by Opponents and Deified by Supporters.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		“Kaadhal Mannan” Gemini Ganesan: On- screen Romancer and Off-screen Casanova.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 18 November 2025, 12:00 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
(Re-posted to Commemorate Gemini Ganesan’s 105th Birthday on 17th November)
Popular Tamil cinema actor Gemini Ganesan whose 105th  birth anniversary was on November 17th , is regarded widely as the greatest romantic lover in Tamil cinema . In a career spanning more than five decades Gemini Ganesan made his mark in Tamil films as the romantic hero par excellence. In fact he was dubbed “Kaadhal Mannan,” meaning “King of Romance”. Though he played a number of diverse roles , it was as a lover on screen that Gemini shone brightly. This  hallmark  earned him the evergreen laurel of Romance king.
Gemini Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005)



What is most interesting about Gemini Ganesan is the fact that his romantic  on-screen and off-screen persona got intertwined   in reel life and real  life.While the  actor hero crooned and danced his way into the hearts of many lovely heroines on screen, the off-screen  Gemini too romanced many women in real life. Gemini had four wives plus several liaisons including live -in relationships with attractive women. He himself admitted to his numerous affairs with other married women to the  Indian magazine”Debonair” in an interview . When the magazine wanted more details, Gemini declined to elaborate saying, “Gentlemen don’t tell!”
  Continue reading ‘“Kaadhal Mannan” Gemini Ganesan: On- screen Romancer and Off-screen Casanova.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		The “Nuremberg”Movie about German Nazi War Crimes   and the Allegations of “Hitler”against The NPP Govt by “Hitlers”of the  Sri Lankan  Opposition

				
			Posted by Administrator on 16 November 2025, 4:55 am					

			


			
		
						By

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene
‘We are here because we lost and you won. It is not because you are morally superior’ thunders Reichmarshall Herman Goering to United States Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley entrusted with the fiendishly difficult task of decoding the DNA of ‘a monster’ in the run up to the trials of key Nazi leaders for war crimes before the International Military Trial at Nuremberg after the surrender of Germany to the Allied powers in 1945, marking the end of World War II.
Undermining of the global human rights system
Released across the United States earlier this month, the film ‘Nuremberg’ with Goering and Kelley sublimely played by Russell Crowe and Rami Malek (based on the book, ‘The Nazi and the Psychiatrist’ by Jack El-Hai), has led to a revisiting of events occurring eighty years ago. That is with ominous insights and a fresh understanding of history. New global apprehensions have emerged as the ‘rise of the Trump strongman’ is witnessed in full force in the United States itself and across the globe.
The law has been a primary target of this attack. Post World War II legal architecture comprises numerous Declarations and Covenants on Human Rights and finally an International Criminal Court (ICC) that has struggled to retain its high ground as an impartial monitor of global rights abuses. The integrity of that system has been challenged as never before. These challenges have occurred from within as well, with the United Nations system being subjected to devastating critique.
Much of this rights driven architecture of international law and international humanitarian law is being systematically dismantled, piece by painful piece. This is evidenced none other than by the State of Israel, in the most fundamentally grotesque irony, inflicting upon the Palestinians of Gaza what the Nazis once inflicted on them. In our part of the world, that same ‘strongman’ culture and doctrines that bear an uncanny resemblance to the Nazi ideology of ‘racial purity’ are witnessed in greater or lesser form in India.
 Continue reading ‘The “Nuremberg”Movie about German Nazi War Crimes   and the Allegations of “Hitler”against The NPP Govt by “Hitlers”of the  Sri Lankan  Opposition’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Southern Skylark Susheela Soars  To ‘Record’ Heights In  Singing  Film Songs ♫♥

				
			Posted by Administrator on 15 November 2025, 2:22 am					

			


			
		
						
By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
(This Article Written 9 Years ago is re-posted to commemorate P.Susheela’s 90th Nirthday)
“Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass… how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?” – Percy Bysshe Shelley, ‘Ode to a Skylark’
An indispensable feature of Indian language films are the song sequences. The songs are usually picturised on actors or actresses who lip-synch them on screen. The voices we hear belong to off-screen singers known generally as playback singers.
P. Susheela with official certificate from the well-known Guinness Book of World Records-PTI poc-Courtesy: The Hindu
The songs sung by these playback singers are pre-recorded for movies. Fortunately for these playback singers they are given credit in the film titles as well as the soundtrack albums. Film songs therefore are identified by the singer who actually sings them and not the actor who lip synchs on screen. Indian movie playback singers have gained much popularity and many, many fans over the years by their singing.

 Continue reading ‘Southern Skylark Susheela Soars  To ‘Record’ Heights In  Singing  Film Songs ♫♥’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		2015 “Mahinda Sulanga” ,  2025 “Maha Jana Handa” and the  Politics of Holding  Mass Rallies at Nugegoda.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 14 November 2025, 3:33 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
A group of Sri Lankan opposition parties -self-styled as the “joint Opposition – have  announced that they would be launching  a prolonged joint opposition   campaign  of protest against the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, (JVP)led National People’s Power(NPP) Government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.  .
The main opposition parties involved in this exercise are the United National Party(UNP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP)  Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna(SLPP) and the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya(PHU). The Chief opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya(SJB)  and other opposition parties such as the  Sarvajana Balaya(SB)  and the Tamil Progressive Alliance(TPA) will not participate in the protest campaign.
 The campaign would begin with a mass rally at Nugegoda on November 21st.  The Nugegoda rally  named as the “Mahaa Jana Handa” (great voice of the people) would be followed by a series of mass rallies in different parts of the country. The opposition would be highlighting issues of   misgovernance , corruption and  alleged suppression of opposition parties by the NPP government in their campaign.
The announced strategy and modus operandi of the opposition campaign has evoked a sense of déjà vu.  Comparisons are being drawn between  the envisaged “Mahaa Jana Handa” Nugegoda rally on 21 November  2025 and the ”Mahinda Sulanga”Nugegoda Rally of 18 February 2015. It is even being said that the “Mahinda Sulanga(Mahinda Wind)rally is the inspiration for the current opposition in launching the “Mahaa jana Handa”campaign.
 Continue reading ‘2015 “Mahinda Sulanga” ,  2025 “Maha Jana Handa” and the  Politics of Holding  Mass Rallies at Nugegoda.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		“Justice for All”wants Govt  to make public the report and draft Bill Submitted to the  Justice Minister by the Committee appointed to draft the Act to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act

				
			Posted by Administrator on 14 November 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						(Text of Press Release Issued by “Justice for all” on 14 November 2025)
We have seen news reports that the Committee appointed to draft the Act to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act handed over its report and the draft bill to the Minister of Justice.
The Prevention of Terrorism Temporary Provisions Act No. 48 of 1979 has universally been regarded as a draconian piece of legislation that must be taken off from the statute books for quite a long time now. Justice for All has always consistently advocated for the complete repeal of the PTA.
The NPP Election Manifesto also promises to repeal the same. We are hopeful that the new draft bill will fully reflect this promise.
We call upon the government, and the Minister of Justice in particular, to make public the said report and the draft bill.
Signed by:

1.	Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda

2.	Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, PC

3.	Eran Wickremaratne

4.	A M Faaiz

5.	M A Sumanthiran PC

6.	Shanakiyan Rasamanickam MP

7.	Bhavani Fonseka

8.	Ermiza Tegal

9.	Nadishani Perera

10.	Jerusha Crosette – Thambiah

11.	Swasthika Arulingam

12.	Ravinthiran Niloshan

13.	Benislos Thushan
					

	
	
	
								
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		2015 பெப்ரவரி 18  ஆம் தகதி  நுகேகொடையில் நடைபெற்ற “மகிந்த காற்று “(Mahinda Sulanga)பேரணியும், 2025 நவம்பர் 21 ஆம் திகதி நடத்தப்படவிருக்கும் “மக்கள் குரல்”(Maha Jana Handa) நுகேகொடை பேரணியும் முற்றிலும் வேறுபட்டவை

				
			Posted by Administrator on 12 November 2025, 2:22 am					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ் 
‘ கூட்டு எதிரணி ” என்று தங்களை அழைக்கும் இலங்கை எதிர்க்கட்சிகளின் குழுவொன்று ஜனாதிபதி அநுர குமார திசநாயக்கவின் ஜனதா விமுக்தி பெரமுன (ஜே.வி.பி. ) தலைமையிலான தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி அரசாங்கத்துக்கு எதிராக  தொடர்ச்சியான போராட்டங்களை நடத்தப்போவதாக அறிவித்திருக்கின்றன.
ஐக்கிய தேசிய கட்சி, ஸ்ரீலங்கா பொதுஜன பெரமுன மற்றும் பிவிதுறு ஹெல உறுமய ஆகியவையே இந்த போராடடத்தில் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட பிரதான எதிரணிக் கட்சிகளாகும். பிரதான எதிர்க்கட்சியான ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சக்தி, சர்வஜன சக்தி மற்றும் தமிழ் முற்போக்கு கூட்டணி ஆகியவை இந்த போராட்ட இயக்கத்தில் பங்கேற்கப் போவதில்லை.
தலைநகர் கொழும்புக்கு வெளியே நுகேகொடை நகரில் நவம்பர் 21 ஆம் திகதி நடத்தப்படவிருக்கும் மக்கள் பேரணி ஒன்றுடன் போராட்ட இயக்கம் ஆரம்பமாகும். ‘ மக்கள் குரல்’ ( மகாஜன ஹந்த ) என்று பெயரிடப்பட்டிருக்கும் நுகேகொடை பேரணியை  தொடர்ந்து நாட்டின் பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் தொடர்ச்சியான மக்கள் பேரணிகள் நடத்தப்படும்.  இந்த போராட்ட இயக்கத்தில் எதிரணி கட்சிகள் தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி அரசாங்கத்தின்  தவறான ஆட்சிமுறை, ஊழல் மற்றும் ஒடுக்குமுறை ஆகியவற்றை முன்னிலைப்படுத்தப் போவதாக அறிவித்திருக்கின்றன. 
அறிவிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் எதிரணியின் வியூகமும் செயற்பாட்டு முறையும் ஏற்கெனவே பார்த்த ஒரு அனுபவ உணர்வைத் தருகின்றன. 2025 நவம்பர் 21 ஆம் திகதி நுகேகொடையில் நடத்தப்படவிருக்கும் ‘ மக்கள் குரல் ‘ பேரணிக்கும் 2015 பெப்ரவரி  18 ஆம் திகதி நடத்தப்பட்ட ‘மகிந்த காற்று’ பேரணிக்கும் இடையில் ஒப்பீடுகள் செய்யப்படுகின்றன. தற்போதைய எதிரணிக் கட்சிகள்  மக்கள் குரல் பேரணியை ஏற்பாடு செய்வதற்கு  மகிந்த காற்று பேரணி ஒரு உத்வேகமாக அயைந்திருப்பதாகவும் கூட கூறப்படுகிறது.
 Continue reading ‘2015 பெப்ரவரி 18  ஆம் தகதி  நுகேகொடையில் நடைபெற்ற “மகிந்த காற்று “(Mahinda Sulanga)பேரணியும், 2025 நவம்பர் 21 ஆம் திகதி நடத்தப்படவிருக்கும் “மக்கள் குரல்”(Maha Jana Handa) நுகேகொடை பேரணியும் முற்றிலும் வேறுபட்டவை’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Was the Killing of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman  Lasantha Wickramasekara alias “Midigama Lasa”, a  Political Assassination or Gangland Execution?

				
			Posted by Administrator on 7 November 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
An  elected chairman of a Pradeshiya Sabha (divisional council) is shot dead by a lone gunman while meeting members of the public in his council office. The party to which he belongs protests strongly and calls the killing a political assassination. The cabinet minister in charge of public security makes light of the murder by alleging that the  victim was a  gangster with  a criminal past. He dismisses it as an underworld dispute.It is against this bizarre backdrop that this column focuses on the killing of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara alias “Midigama Lasa” this week. Let me begin with a brief outline of the murder and it’s aftermath.
Two men arrived on a motor cycle at the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha office on the morning of 22 October 2025. Weligama is a coastal town in the Matara district of Sri Lanka’s southern province.It is about 144 km to the south of Colombo.
 Oct 22  was a Wednesday known as public day. It is customary for the Pradeshiya Sabha’s elected  officials to meet with members of the public each Wednesday. Lasantha Wickramasekara the 38 year old chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya sabha was  seated in his office  interacting with people since 9.30 am. Wickramasekara  also known as “Midigama Lasa”  was elected in the May 2025 Local authority elections from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya(SJB).
The two men who arrived on a motor cycle alighted from the vehicle. While one remained outside the  council,   the other went inside. He was dressed in white and wore a black health mask which covered the lower part of his face.  The man who  had a file with him, told  the people assembled  outside the chairman’s office that he had to get a document signed urgently by  the PS chairman  and  sought  permission to  jump the queue  and meet him  next.
Among those  outside the office were some men who were “unofficial” bodyguards of Lasantha Wickramasekara. None suspected anything and it was agreed that the man could go in next and get his letter signed. So when a woman  who had been conversing with the chairman came out, the man with the file went in quickly. It was 10.20 am.
Even as the   Weligama PS chairman looked up, the man in white with a black mask, whipped out a revolver concealed in the file and fired at Lasantha  Wickrtamasekara. He fired four times hitting Wickramasekara in the chest ,head and neck.  The PS chairman bleeding profusely was rushed to the Matara district general hospital 12 km away. While receiving medical treatment  at the Intensive Care Unit(ICU), Lasantha Wickramasekara succumbed to his injuries.He was married and the father of three children.
 Continue reading ‘Was the Killing of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman  Lasantha Wickramasekara alias “Midigama Lasa”, a  Political Assassination or Gangland Execution?’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		வடமாகாணத்தில் இருந்து முஸ்லிம்கள் வெளியேற்றத்துக்கு பிறகு கடந்துவிட்ட 35 வருடங்கள் :துன்பியல் நிகழ்வின் நினைவுகளை மீட்கும் ஒரு முயற்சி .

				
			Posted by Administrator on 7 November 2025, 6:18 pm					

			


			
		
						

டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ் 
இலங்கையின் வடமாகாணத்தின் முஸ்லிம்களின் வரலாற்றில் 1990 அக்டோபர் கொடூரமானதும் மறக்க முடியாததுமான ஒரு மாதமாகும். அந்த மாதத்தில்தான் விடுதலை புலிகள் இயக்கம்  இனச்சுத்திகரிப்புக்கு ஒப்பான ஒரு கொடூரமான நடவடிக்கையில் வடமாகாணத்தில் இருந்து தமிழ்பேசும் முஸ்லிம்களை பலவந்தமாக வெளியேற்றியது. பல நூற்றாண்டுகளாக முஸ்லிம்கள் வாழ்ந்து வந்த அவர்களது தாயகத்தில் இருந்து துப்பாக்கி ஏந்திய மொழிரீதியான சகோததர்களினால் ஒரு சில வாரங்களுக்குள் முற்றாக விரட்டப்பட்டார்கள்.
ஒரு மக்களை அவர்களது வரலாற்று ரீதியான வாழ்விடத்தில் இருந்து துப்பாக்கி முறையில் அப்புறப்படுத்துவதும் அவர்களது பணம், நகைகளை பறித்துக் கொண்டு விரட்டியடிப்பதும் மன்னிக்க முடியாததும் வெறுக்கத்தக்கதுமான செயலாகும். இந்த துன்பியல் நிகழ்வு குறித்து கடந்த காலத்தில் நான் அடிக்கடி எழுதியிருக்கிறேன். விடுதலை புலிகள் பலம்பொருந்தியவர்களாக செயற்பட்டுக் கொண்டிருந்தபோது முஸ்லிம்களின் வெளியேற்றம் தொடர்பில் விரிவாக எழுதியதுடன் கடுமையாகக் கண்டனமும் செய்தேன்.  அந்த வெளியேற்றத்தின்  35 வது வருடாந்தத்தை முன்னிட்டு  அதை திரும்பிப் பார்க்கிறேன். இந்த துன்பியல் நிகழ்வின் கதையை சுருக்கமாக கூறுவதன் மூலமும் அதனுடன் தொடர்புடைய தொடர் நிகழ்வுகளின் தடத்தை ஆராய்வதன் மூலமும் அந்த வெளியேற்றத்தின் நினைவுகளை மீட்கும் ஒரு முயற்சியில் எனது முன்னைய எழுத்துக்களின் உதவியையும் நாடுகிறேன்.
யாழ்ப்பாணக் குடாநாட்டில் 1990 ‘ கறுப்பு அக்டோபர் ‘ சாவகச்சேரியில் இருந்து அக்டோபர் 15 முஸ்லிம்களை வெளியேற்றுவதில் தொடங்கி யாழ்ப்பாண  நகரில் இருந்து அவர்களை அக்டோபர் 30  வெளியேற்றியதுடன் முடிவடைந்தது. யாழ்ப்பாண நகரில் இருந்து முஸ்லிம்களை  வெளியேற்றத் தொடங்குவதற்கு சில நாட்கள் முன்னதாக வடக்கு பெருநிலப்பரப்பில் இருந்து அவர்களை பெருமளவில் வெளியேற்றும் நடவடிக்கைகள் தொடங்கின. குடாநாட்டில் இருந்து முஸ்லிம்களைச் சுத்திகரித்த பிறகு சில நாட்களில் அது முடிவடைந்தது.
 Continue reading ‘வடமாகாணத்தில் இருந்து முஸ்லிம்கள் வெளியேற்றத்துக்கு பிறகு கடந்துவிட்ட 35 வருடங்கள் :துன்பியல் நிகழ்வின் நினைவுகளை மீட்கும் ஒரு முயற்சி .’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Buddhism could have been a unifying factor in Sri Lanka, if it had not been turned into the identity badge of the Sinhala race. The Mahawamsa mindset reshaped a historically pluralist Lanka into a Sinhala-Buddhist supremacist land

				
			Posted by Administrator on 5 November 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						By Tisaranee Gunasekara
“The future is in the Past.” – An epigram on the official Mahawamsa website

 
For King Dutugemunu there is no rest. With distressing regularity, he is summoned in the service of an ambitious politician, a divisive policy or a violent act. The latest instance of necromancy occurred when monk Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara visited Mahinda Rajapaksa in Medamulana, the ‘homeless’ ex-president. 
The NPP promised to scrap the Presidential Entitlements Act in its manifesto, and forgot it until the party’s setback at the May 2025 Local Government election. In June, the legal draughtsman was told to prepare the necessary documents. The SLPP’s administrative secretary and Mahinda Rajapaksa’s media secretary led the legal challenge to the resultant Bill. The Supreme Court rejected the petitions and the Bill was enacted in September. 
Maithripala Sirisena left his official residence quietly; Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga asked for a three-month-grace-period (due to an ailment) and is now in the process of leaving. Both acted with commendable dignity. (Neither Gotabaya Rajapaksa nor Ranil Wickremesinghe were occupying their official residences).
Mahinda Rajapaksa, his family, and his party turned the issue into a melodrama. It was as if this aged leader was illegally and violently thrown out from the house of his ancestors, the home of a lifetime, his sole shelter. The same way his Government treated the residents of Mews Street Colombo 2, who were informed on 4 May 2010 that they will have to leave their ancestral homes within four days. On 8 May, 107 residents (24 of them children) living in 17 houses were violently evicted in a military operation which pitted 2,500 armed servicemen in full riot gear against unarmed men, women and children. 
According to the Government, 1.5 million Lankan families do not own a house currently. The Justice Minister recently said that if eviction orders are implemented, about a third of Colombo’s population would be homeless (that is over 300,000 people). Unfortunately, neither the Government nor the Opposition seems overly concerned about this burgeoning socio-economic, political, and human crisis (the deprioritising of housing after the assassination of President Premadasa led to this situation). 
This indifference is in stark contrast to the grand fuss that is being made about Mahinda Rajapaksa losing his official residence. The SLPP is busy facilitating/organising tours to Medamulana. Amongst the visitors were Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara and a group of Bodu Bala Sena monks. Addressing the media afterwards, the progenitor of Aluthgama and Digana anti-Muslim riots said that depriving Mahinda Rajapaksa of his official residence “was an act of revenge by the government on behalf of the Tamil Diaspora.” He then summoned Dutugemunu, equating the ancient king’s defeat of Elara with Mahinda Rajapaksa’s defeat of the ‘barbaric’ separatist forces. “I think the heart of this elderly president is being slashed to make those separatist forces happy,” he concluded.
 Continue reading ‘Buddhism could have been a unifying factor in Sri Lanka, if it had not been turned into the identity badge of the Sinhala race. The Mahawamsa mindset reshaped a historically pluralist Lanka into a Sinhala-Buddhist supremacist land’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Ceylon Workers Congress President Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman  was the shrewdest tactician and masterful strategist among Tamil political leaders of Sri Lanka.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 29 October 2025, 6:09 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
26th Death Anniversary Commemoration on 30 October 2025
The 26th death anniversary of Plantation Tamil Patriarch Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman is being commemorated today 30 October 2024. Saumiyamoorthy (name is spelled as Savimiyamoorthy and  Saumiamurthy also) Thondaman who passed away on 30 October 1999, was the undisputed leader of Sri Lanka’s predominantly Indian Tamil plantation proletariat. As a journalist,  I have had the good fortune of interacting with him closely for several years. He was a leader whom I liked, admired and respected.  
In my opinion, Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman was the shrewdest tactician and masterful strategist among Tamil political leaders in recent times. He was a pragmatic realist who grasped in essence that politics is the art of the possible. Applying Chanakyan methods in a practical sense, this larger than life leader of Sri Lanka’s Tamils of recent Indian origin – known as “Indian Tamils” and Malaiyahath Thamizhar(hill Country Tamils) – helped usher in a period of political empowerment and renaissance to his community.
 I have often wistfully compared and contrasted Thondaman with the leaders thrown up by the Sri Lankan Tamils of the Northern and Eastern Provinces and bemoaned the fact that there were and are no leaders of Thonda’s acumen, sagacity and experience amongst them.
Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman was born in Munapudoor in what was then the Madras Presidency of India during British rule on 30 August 1913. It is now in the Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu state. He died of a myocardial infarction at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital in Colombo on 30 October 1999. This article therefore pays tribute to Thondaman’s memory on his 26th death anniversary.
 Continue reading ‘Ceylon Workers Congress President Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman  was the shrewdest tactician and masterful strategist among Tamil political leaders of Sri Lanka.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		“Black October” 35th Anniversary: Why did the LTTE Expel Northern Muslims  En Masse in 1990?

				
			Posted by Administrator on 29 October 2025, 3:33 am					

			


			
		
						
By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
October 1990 was the month in which the Tamil speaking Muslims of the  Northern province were forcibly expelled en masse by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) 35 years ago. This two-part article re-visits the horrible happenings of “Black October 1990” on this thirty-fifth anniversary year. The first part of this article published last week  focused on the mass expulsion of Muslims from   the northern districts in the mainland like Mannar, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitheevu and also  Chavakachcheri in the  Jaffna peninsula.. In this second and final part, the primary focus is  on the plight of Muslims expelled  from Jaffna town.
As stated last week, the expulsions  of \muslims by the tigers had begun  in several parts of the north  in mid-october 1990.Even as the expulsions were taking place in  the northern mainland Wanni, the Jaffna Muslims were unperturbed. Even the Chavakachcheri Muslims  had already been chased out but the Jaffna town area Muslims could not see any danger befalling them. These were things happening to others for different reasons. Jaffna Muslims saw themselves as integral to Jaffna. Nothing could happen to them from their Tamil brethren. They were in for a terrible shock on October 30.
It was about 10.30 am in the morning when the LTTE vehicles with loudspeakers began plying the roads and lanes of the Jaffna Muslim residential areas. A terse announcement was repeated incessantly that representatives of each Muslim family should assemble at the Jinnah stadium of Osmania College by twelve noon. Armed tigers began patrolling the streets. Some began  house to house announcements  in the thickly populated lanes and by – lanes.


Aanchaneyar/Ilamparithy
The people abandoned whatever they were doing and hurried to the grounds. At 12. 30 pm a senior tiger leader Aanchaneyar addressed them. Aanchaneyar later went by another name Ilamparithy. Aanchaneyar or Ilamparithy had a brief message.The LTTE high command for reasons of security (Paathukaappu) had decided that all Muslims should leave Jaffna within two hours. Failure to do so meant punishment. No further explanation was given.
When people started to question him Ilamparithy lost his cool. He barked loudly that the Muslims should simply follow orders or face consequences. He then fired his gun several times in the air. A few of his bodyguards followed suit. The message was clear. The people thought initially that the army was going to invade Jaffna and that the LTTE was asking everyone to leave. Only belatedly did they realise that only the Muslims were being ordered to leave.
With more and more armed tigers coming into the area the perturbed Muslims began packing. Initially they were not told of any restrictions on the things they could carry. So people packed clothes, valuables, jewels and money. Buses, vans and lorries were made available for transport by the tigers. Many Muslims made their private transport arrangements too.
“Ainthumuchanthi” Junction
The Muslims streaming out of their homes were now given a fresh order. They were asked to queue up at the “Ainthumuchanthi” junction. As the hapless people lined up they were in for another  shock. Male and female cadres of the LTTE began demanding that the Muslim people hand over all their money, belongings and jewellery to them. Each person would be allowed only 150 rupees each. Each person would be allowed only one set of clothes.
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		“Black October” 1990 :Mass Expulsion of Northern   Province Muslims by the  Tigers  35 Years ago

				
			Posted by Administrator on 29 October 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
October 1990  is a cruel and unforgettable month in the history of  Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Muslims.  It was in October 1990 that the  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelamn (LTTE) forcibly expelled the Tamil speaking Muslim people from the Northern Province in an atrocious act amounting to ethnic cleansing. Within a few weeks  the Muslims were chased out of their homeland where they had lived for many centuries   by their gun toting linguistic brethren.
The mass expulsion of Muslims from the North in October 1990  was a humanitarian tragedy. Uprooting a people from their historical habitat at gun point and driving them away after depriving them of their cash and jewellery was despicable and unpardonable. I have often written about this tragedy in the past.  I wrote in detail about the Muslim expulsion and condemned it strongly  when the LTTE  was active and powerful.
I now intend to re-visit  this mass expulsion of Northern Muslims  on the occasion of its thirty-fifth  anniversary. I shall be drawing on some of my earlier writings in a bid to revive memories of this mass expulsion by relating in brief the tale of this terrible tragedy and  tracing  the  related sequence of events .
“Black October” 1990 began in the Jaffna peninsula with the expulsion of Muslims of Chavakachcheri on October 15th and ended with the Muslims of Jaffna town  being expelled on Oct 30th. The mass eviction of Muslims on the Northern mainland began some  days before it commenced in Jaffna town and concluded a few days after the peninsula was “cleansed” of Muslims.
 Continue reading ‘“Black October” 1990 :Mass Expulsion of Northern   Province Muslims by the  Tigers  35 Years ago’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		தமிழ் நடிகர் விஜய்யும் ‘ திராவிடத் ‘ தமிழ்நாட்டின் சினிமா அரசியலும்

				
			Posted by Administrator on 27 October 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்
விஜய் என்று உலகில் பிரபல்யமாக அறியப்படும  சந்திரசேகர் ஜோசப் விஜய் சந்தேகத்துக்கு இடமின்றி தமிழ்ச் சினிமாவில் ‘ சூப்பர் ஸ்டாராக ‘ விளங்குகிறார். மூத்த நடிகர் ரஜினிகாந்த் தன்னந்தனியான ‘சூப்பர் ஸ்டாராக’ நீணடகாலமாக ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வந்திருக்கின்ற போதிலும், அண்மைக் காலத்தில் அந்த நிலைமை மாறிவிட்டது.  கடந்த ஜூனில்  தனது 51வது பிறந்த தினத்தைக் கொண்டாடிய விஜய் மக்கள் செல்வாக்கு மற்றும்  திரைப்பட வசூலை பொறுத்தவரை, எதிர்வரும் டிசம்பரில் 75 வது வயதைக் கொண்டாடவிருக்கும் ரஜினிகாந்தை விடவும் பெரியளவில் முன்னிலையில் திகழ்கிறார்.
இலங்கையில் பெருமளவில் ரசிகர்களைக் கொண்ட விஜய் யாழ்ப்பாணத்தின் சுழிபுரத்தைச் சேர்ந்த சங்கீதா சொர்ணலிங்கம் என்ற பெண்மணியை திருமணம் செய்தார்.  அவர்களுக்கு இரு பிள்ளைகள். இன்று தமிழ்ச்சினிமாவில் அதிகம் கூடுதலான சம்பளத்தைப் பெறுபவராக விளங்கும் விஜய் திரைப்படம் ஒன்றுக்கு சுமார் 200  கோடி இந்திய ரூபாவை பெறுவதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. இன்றைய தமிழ் நடிகர்கள் மத்தியில் வசூல் மன்னனாகவும் அவரே விளங்குகிறார்.இந்தி சினிமாவின் ஷாருக்கான் மற்றும் தெலுக்கு சினிமாவின் அல்லு அர்ஜுன் ஆகியோருக்கு அடுத்து மூன்றாவது பெரிய தொகையை ஒரு திரைப்படத்துக்கு விஜய் சம்பளமாக பெறுகிறார்.
திரைப்பட நடிகர்கள் அரசியலில் பிரவேசித்து தங்களது சொந்த கட்சிகளை அமைக்கும் நீண்ட பாரம்பரியம் ஒன்றை தமிழ்நாடு கொண்டிருக்கிறது. சிலர் முதலமைச்சர்களாகவும் வந்திருக்கிறார்கள். முன்னாள் முதலமைச்சர்கள் சி.என். அண்ணாத்துரையும்  மு. கருணாநிதியும் புகழ்பெற்ற திரைப்பட கதைவசனகர்த்தாக்கள்.  அரசியலில் பிரவேசித்த தமிழ்ச்சினிமா நடிகர்களில் என்.எஸ். கிருஷ்ணன், எம்.ஆர்.ராதா, கே.ஆர். இராமசாமி, எம்.ஜி. இராமச்சந்திரன் (எம்.ஜி.ஆர்.), சிவாஜி கணேசன், எஸ். எஸ். இராஜேந்திரன், வீ.என். ஜானகி, ஜெயலலிதா ஜெயராம், ரி.ராஜேந்தர், எஸ்.வி.சேகர், நெப்போலியன், விஜயகாந்த், சீமான், சரத்குமார், ராதிகா, கமல் ஹாசன் மற்றும் உதயநிதி ஸ்ராலின் ஆகியோர் குறிப்பிடத்தக்கவர்கள். தற்போதைய தமிழ்நாடு முதலமைச்சர் ஸ்ராலினும் ஒரு சில திரைப்படங்களிலும் தொலைக்காட்சித் தொடர்களிலும் நடித்திருக்கிறார்.
தமிழக வெற்றிக்கழகம் 
அரசியல் தலைவர்களாக தங்களை மாற்றிக் கொள்ளும் தமிழ்த் திரைப்பட நடிகர்களின் நீண்ட பட்டியலில் மிகவும் அண்மையில் இணைந்திருப்பவர் விஜய். அவர் கடந்த வருடம் தனது தலைமையில் ‘தமிழக வெற்றிக்கழகம்’  என்ற அரசியல் கட்சியை ஆரம்பித்தார்.விஜய்க்கு இருந்த சுமார் 85 ஆயிரம் ரசிகர் மன்றங்கள்  கட்சிக் கிளைகளாக மாற்றப்பட்டன. கட்சி    உறுப்பினர்களின் தொகை பல மில்லியன்கள்  என்று கூற்படுகிறது.
விஜயும் அவரது கட்சியும் தேர்தல் களத்தில் இன்னமும் பரீட்சித்துப் பார்க்கப்படவில்லை என்ற போதிலும், ஊடகங்களில் பெருமளவில் முக்கியத்துவம் கிடைக்கிறது. தற்போதைக்கு உகந்த முறையில் மதிப்பிட முடியாது என்ற போதிலும், அடுத்த வருடம் நடைபெறவிருக்கும் தமிழ்நாடு மாநில சட்டசபை தேர்தலில் விஜயும் அவரது தமிழக வெற்றிக்கழகமும் ஒரு  கணிசமான தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் சாாத்தியத்தில் சந்தேகமில்லை.
 Continue reading ‘தமிழ் நடிகர் விஜய்யும் ‘ திராவிடத் ‘ தமிழ்நாட்டின் சினிமா அரசியலும்’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Elder Statewoman  Sirimavo  Bandaranaike the Grand Old Lady of Sri Lankan Politics.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 23 October 2025, 3:33 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
(Article denoting 25th Death Anniversary of Sirimavo Bandaranaike on October 10)
Twenty-five years have passed since the World’s first woman prime minister  Sirimavo Bandaranaike passed away on 10 October 2000. Parliamentary elections were being held  on that day and the grand old lady of Sri Lankan politics  was returning to Colombo from Gampaha district after casting her vote in Horagolla. Sirimavo suffered a heart attack when  her vehicle was in Kadawatta enroute to Colombo.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s remains were laid to rest alongside her husband Solomon West Ridgeway Dias (SWRD) Bandaranaike at the Horagolla Samadhi in keeping with her wishes.. “I don’t want to be cremated. I want to be buried next to my husband. I want a simple funeral with little expenditure.” she had said  earlier. Tens of thousands of people including her three children Sunethra,Chandrika and Anura bade farewell to the elder stateswoman of Sri Lanka at the  solemn funeral.
Created History
Sirimavo Bandaranaike was  a dominant matriarchal figure on the island’s political landscape for more than 40 years.She created history as the world’s first woman Prime Minister when appointed on July 21, 1960. She was Prime Minister during 1960-65, 1970-77 and 1994-2000 and Leader of the Opposition during 1965-70 and 1989-1994.
Sirimavo  was the world’s oldest serving Premier when she stepped down at the age of 84 in August 2000.  She resigned citing health reasons. “It’s time to withdraw from the humdrum of busy political life, to a more tranquil and quite environment,” she stated  in her letter of resignation. Barely two months later Sirimavo breathed her last in October 2000. This column focuses on Sirimavo Bandaranaike this week to denote her 25th death anniversary.
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		காசாவில் இஸ்ரேல் இனைப்படுகொலை செய்வதாக கூறும் ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் விசாரணை ஆணைக்குழுவின் அறிக்கை

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 October 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்
கிழக்கு ஜெரூசலேம் மற்றும் இஸ்ரேல் உட்பட ஆக்கிரமிக்கப்பட்ட பாலஸ்தீன பிராந்தியம் தொடர்பான ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் சுயாதீன  சர்வதேச விசாரணை ஆணைக்குழு அதன் அறிக்கையை 2025 செப்டெம்பர் 16 ஆம் திகதி வெளியிடடது.  முன்னாள் ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் மனித உரிமைகள் ஆணையாளரும் புகழ்பெற்ற தென்னாபிரிக்க  சட்ட நிபுணருமான  நவநீதம் ‘ நவி ‘ பிள்ளை காசா பள்ளத்தாக்கில் பாலஸ்தீனர்களுக்கு எதிராக இஸ்ரேல் இனப்படுகொலையை (Genocide ) செய்திருக்கிறது என்று கூறியிருக்கிறார்.
 ” காசா பள்ளத்தாக்கில் பாலஸ்தீனர்களை முழுமையாக அல்லது பகுதியாக அழித்தொழிப்பதற்கான  இனப்படுகொலை நோக்கத்துடன் இஸ்ரேலிய அரசாங்கமும் இஸ்ரேலிய பாதுகாப்பு படைகளும்  செயற்பட்டிருக்கின்றன என்ற முடிவுக்கு ஆணைக்குழு வந்திருக்கிறது” என்று அறிக்கை கூறியிருக்கிறது. இனப்படுகொலையை முடிவுக்கு கொண்டு வருவதற்கும் அதற்கு பொறுப்பானவர்களை தண்டிப்பதற்கும் சர்வதேசட்டத்தின் கீழான  சட்டரீதியான கடப்பாடுகளை நிறைவேற்றுமாறு இஸ்ரேலையும் சகல அரசுகளையும் ஆணைக்குழு அதன் அறிக்கையில் வலியுறுத்திக் கேட்டிருக்கிறது. 
எல்லோருக்கும் தெரிந்ததைப் போன்றே, பிரதமர் பெஞ்சமின் ‘ பீபி ‘ நெதான்யாகுவின் இஸ்ரேலிய அரசாங்கம்  கடந்த இரு வருடங்களாக பொதுவில் பாலஸ்தீனர்களுக்கும் குறிப்பாக காசா வாசிகளுக்கும் எதிராக காட்டு மிராண்டித்தனமான இராணுவத் தாக்குதல் ஒன்றை மேற்கொண்டு வருகிறது. அந்த இராணுவ நடவடிக்கையை ஒரு இனப்படுகொலைப் போர் என்று உலகம் பூராவுமுள்ள இடதுசாரிகள் தொடக்கம் தாராளவாதிகள் வரை மனச்சாட்சியுடைய சகல மக்களும்  கடுமையாக கண்டனம் செய்திருக்கிறார்கள். இஸ்ரேல் மீது தெரிவிக்கப்படும்  இனப்படுகொலைக் குற்றச்சாட்டுக்கு பெருமளவுக்கு நம்பகத்தன்மையையும் கனதியையும் கொடுப்பதாக நவி பிள்ளையின் அறிக்கை அமைந்திருக்கிறது. 
 Continue reading ‘காசாவில் இஸ்ரேல் இனைப்படுகொலை செய்வதாக கூறும் ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் விசாரணை ஆணைக்குழுவின் அறிக்கை’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		What is new, concerning, and indeed grotesque, is the opposition’s willingness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Rajapaksas in defence of democracy, basic rights, and rule of law.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 October 2025, 3:30 pm					

			


			
		
						

By

Tisaranee Gunasekara
“Long ago – recently… Depends on who is talking and what is being considered.”

Wislawa Szymborska (The She-Pharaoh – The New York Review – 15.7.1999)
Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence on Geegana Gamage Amarasiri. He will spend the rest of his natural life behind bars, if not pardoned by a future Rajapaksa president.
A distinct possibility. Julampitiya is a townlet in the Hambantota district and GG Amarasiri, better known as Julampitiye Amare, was a local son who made a name for himself as a Rajapaksa protégé. 
The crime for which Julampitiye Amare was convicted by three courts happened in the run up to 2012 Southern Provincial Council election. On 5 June, the JVP held a pocket meeting in Katuwana. Ten men on five motorbikes armed with T56 rifles crashed into the meeting and shot at the crowd, killing two (50-year-old Edirimanne Pathiranage Malani and 18-year-old Jayasekara Pathiranage Heshan) and injuring several. 
The shooting went on for about 30 minutes. According to media reports, the distance between the crime scene and the Katuwana police station is about one and a half kilometres. Yet the police didn’t respond to repeated telephone calls and reached the scene only about 10minutes after the departure of the assailants. According to eyewitness accounts, the OIC was more interested in blaming the organisers for holding a meeting than in gathering evidence.

Many eyewitnesses identified Julampitiye Amare as the lead-attacker. He had not bothered to wear a mask or to hide his identity in anyway. He probably saw no reason. The man reportedly had more than 100 arrest warrants against him, including for murder and rape, yet strutted about in Tangalle toting a T56. He had been in hiding from police, theoretically, since 2003, yet used to visit friends in prison, as Tangalle High Court Judge Chandrasena Rajapaksa revealed in open court. He was eventually arrested when he appeared in the Tangalle High Court on another case. The presiding judge ordered he be remanded.
The police later claimed that they didn’t arrest Julampitiye Amare because they had no idea what he looked like. They could have asked Namal Rajapaksa for a description. A photograph from those times show a forbidding looking Julampitiye Amare standing behind a very young Namal Rajapaksa as he speaks at a pocket meeting in Hambantota (https://x.com/wijayakumaraya/status/1192392881123672064).
The police didn’t arrest – or even question – Julampitiye Amare for the same reason the Media Centre for National Security issued a statement just hours after the attack blaming the violence on the JVP-breakaway FSP. Both the inaction and the lie were motivated by the same purpose – shielding a loyal Rajapaksa servitor (The same way the police and other state officials helped dress up Wasim Thajudeen’s brutal murder as an accident).
After a seven-year-trial, in 2019, the Tangalle High Court found Julampitiye Amare guilty as charged and sentenced him to death. The Appeal Court upheld the conviction in 2024 and in 2025, the Supreme Court followed suit.

The Rajapaksas have always portrayed themselves as protectors of democracy, basic rights, and rule of law, even as they did everything to eviscerate democracy, basic rights, and rule of law. That is to be expected. Which despot calls himself a despot? 
What is new, and concerning, is the opposition’s increasing tendency to accept the Rajapaksas at their own valuation. What is new, concerning, and indeed grotesque, is the opposition’s willingness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Rajapaksas in defence of democracy, basic rights, and rule of law.
 Continue reading ‘What is new, concerning, and indeed grotesque, is the opposition’s willingness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Rajapaksas in defence of democracy, basic rights, and rule of law.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		வடபிராந்திய கடற்பரப்பில் இந்தியர்கள் சட்டவிரோதமாக மீன்பிடிப்பதை முடிவுக்கு கொண்டுவர தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி அரசாங்கம் அர்த்தமுடைய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேணடும்

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 October 2025, 3:00 pm					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ் 
 தமிழ்நாடு மாநிலத்தை சேர்ந்த இந்திய மீனவர்கள் இலங்கையின் வடபிராந்திய கடற்பரப்பில் சட்டவிரோதமாக மீன்பிடிப்பது மற்றும் ஈழுவைப்படகுகளைப் பயன்படுத்துவது தொடர்பிலான தற்போதைய பிரச்சினையை இரு வாரங்களுக்கு முன்னர் எழுதிய இந்த கட்டுரையின் முதல் பாகத்தில் விரிவாக விளக்கிக் கூறியிருந்தேன். இந்த பிரச்சினையை திசைதிருப்புவதற்காக இந்திய தரப்பினால் கிளப்பப்படுகின்ற கச்சதீவுப் பூச்சாண்டி தொடர்பில் அந்த பாகத்தில் குறிப்பாக கவனம் செலுத்தப்பட்டது.  முன்னதாக வலியுறுத்தக் கூறப்பட்டதைப் போன்று அடிப்படைப் பிரச்சினை இலங்கையின் கடற்பரப்பில் இடம்பெறுகின்ற சட்டவிரோத மீன்பிடியே தவிர, கச்சதீவின் உடைமை பற்றிய விவகாரம் அல்ல. தமிழ்நாட்டு மீனவர்களின் சட்டவிரோத மீன்பிடி தொடர்பாக குறிப்பிட்ட சில முக்கியமான விடயங்களை கட்டுரையின்  இரண்டாவதும் இறுதியுமான இந்த பாகத்தில் விளக்கிக் கூறவிருக்கிறேன்.
 இந்த பிரச்சினையில் மிகவும் கவலை தருகின்ற காரணி  இலங்கையின் வடபகுதியில் உள்ள மீனவர்கள் தொடர்பில் தமிழ்நாட்டு மீனவர்கள் கொண்டிருக்கும்  மனோபாவமும் அவர்களின் நடத்தையுமாகும். இலங்கையில் உள்ள தமிழ்பேசும் மீனவர்கள் மீது நம்பமுடியாத பகைமையையும் வெறுப்பையும் தமிழ்நாட்டு மீனவர்கள் வெளிக்காட்டி வருகிறார்கள். அத்துமீறிப் பிரவேசிக்கும் இந்திய மீனவர்களிடம் இலங்கை தமிழ் மீனவர்கள் பிடிபட்டால் அவர்கள் கடுமையாக தாக்கப்படுவதுடன் அவர்களின் படகுகளும் உபகரணங்களும் சேதமாக்கப்படுகின்றன அல்லது நிர்மூலம் செய்யப்படுகின்றன. இலங்கை மீனவர்களுக்கு சொந்தமான மீன்பிடி வலைகள் வேண்டுமென்றே திட்டமிட்ட முறையில் இந்திய மீனவர்களினால் நிர்மூலம் செய்யப்படுகின்றன.
ஒரு சந்தர்ப்பத்தில் இந்தியப் படகுகள் யாழ்ப்பாணக் குடாநாட்டில் மாதகல் —  சுழிபுரம் கரையோரத்துக்கு மிகவும் நெருக்கமாக வந்து மீன்பிடி வலைகளை நிர்மூலம் செய்திருந்தன. 
இவ்வாறாக தமிழ்நாட்டு மீனவர்கள் ஈவிரக்கமற்ற முறையிலும் பேராசையுடனும் வட இலங்கையின் கடல் வளத்தை சுரண்டி மீட்கவோ மாற்றவோ முடியாத பாதகத்தை விழைவிக்கிறார்கள். நிலைபேறான மீன்பிடிக்காக கடல் வளங்களை பேணிப்பாதுகாக்க வேண்டும் என்பது பற்றி எந்த அக்கறையும் கிடையாது. போரின் விளைவாக  சிதைந்துபோன வாழ்வை மீளக்கட்டியெழுப்புவதற்கும் வாழ்வாதாரத்தைச் சம்பாதிப்பதற்காகவும் போராடிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் இலங்கை தமிழச் ” சகோதரர்கள் ” மீது தமிழ்நாட்டு மீனவர்களுக்கு அனுதாபமோ அல்லது பச்சாதபமோ கிடையாது.
தமிழ்நாட்டில் இப்போது மீன்பிடித்தல் பாரம்பரிய தொழிலாக இல்லாமல் இருப்பதே இதற்கு பிரதானமான ஒரு காரணமாகும். தலைமுறை தலைமுறையாக கடற்தொழில் செய்துவந்த பல சாதிகள் கிறிஸ்தவத்துக்கு மதம் மாறிய பிறகு கல்வியின் ஊடாக வாழ்க்கையில் மேம்பட்டுவிட்டார்கள். மீன்பிடி இனிமேலும் ஒரு குடும்ப அடிப்படையிலான தொழிலாகவோ அல்லது ஒரு  உள்ளூர் முதலாளியின் படகுகளுடன் மட்டுப்படுத்தப்பட்டதாகவோ இல்லை.
 Continue reading ‘வடபிராந்திய கடற்பரப்பில் இந்தியர்கள் சட்டவிரோதமாக மீன்பிடிப்பதை முடிவுக்கு கொண்டுவர தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி அரசாங்கம் அர்த்தமுடைய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேணடும்’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Aravinda de Silva : one of the greatest batsmen Sri Lanka has ever produced and one of the finest the world has ever seen.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 October 2025, 12:54 pm					

			


			
		
						By

Krishantha  Prasad  Cooray
17 October) marked the 60th birthday of one of the greatest batsmen Sri Lanka has ever produced and one of the finest the world has ever seen. Much time has passed since he lit up the cricketing world during the 1996 World Cup and gave all Sri Lankans a magnificent reason to celebrate at a time when there was little to cheer back home. 
Even cricket fans who were just babies at the time or were born thereafter would have heard of that amazing run. No cricket fan alive today can say ‘I have not heard of Aravinda de Silva.’
I was one among hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans who were glued to the television on that historic day when Aravinda scored a century to defeat Mark Taylor’s Aussies in Lahore.
I had the privilege of knowing Aravinda de Silva as a close friend for many decades. For nearly four to five years of my life we were even flatmates. During that time, I came to know him not just as a cricketer but as a man driven by an extraordinary will. 
Aravinda thrives on challenges. Whether it is cricket, business, or love. Put simply, he never gives up until he gets what he wants. His determination borders on the relentless and his self-belief even in the face of adversity is truly something to behold. I saw it all, first han.
 Continue reading ‘Aravinda de Silva : one of the greatest batsmen Sri Lanka has ever produced and one of the finest the world has ever seen.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		ஜனாதிபதி அநுரவின் எதிர்த்திசை மாற்றம் ; தேர்தல்களுக்கு முன்னரான பிரசாரங்களும் பின்னரான செயற்பாடுகளும்

				
			Posted by Administrator on 20 October 2025, 12:00 pm					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ் 
அநுர குமார திசநாயக்க 2024 செப்டெம்பர் 21 ஆம் திகதி நடைபெற்ற ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தலில் ‘ பிரமாண்டமான பாய்ச்சல் ‘ என்று வர்ணிக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு வெற்றியைப் பெற்றார். 2019 ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தலில் பெற்ற 418, 553 ( 3.16 சதவீதம் ) வாக்குகளில் இருந்து 2024 ஜனாதிபதி தேர்தலில் அவர் தனது வாக்குகளை 5, 634, 915 ( 42.31 சதவீதம் ) ஆக அதிகரித்தார். சஜித் பிரேமதாசவுடனான இரண்டாவது சுற்று வாக்கு எண்ணிக்கையில்   திசநாயக்க 5,740, 179 ( 55. 89 சதவீதம் ) வாக்குகளை  பெற்றார்.
2024 செப்டெம்பர் 23 ஆம் திகதி கொழும்பில் ஜனாதிபதி செயலகத்தில் இடம்பெற்ற மிகவும் எளிமையான வைபவத்தில் திசநாயக்க இலங்கையின் ஒன்பதாவது நிறைவேற்று அதிகார ஜனாதிபதியாக பதவியேற்றார்.  பதவியேற்பு வைபவத்தில் அவர் பின்வருமாறு கூறினார் ; 
” நான் வெற்றி பெறுவதற்கு ஜனநாயகம் உதவியது. சிலர் எனக்கு வாக்களித்தார்கள், வேறு சிலர் எனக்கு வாக்களிக்கவில்லை. ஆனால்,  எனக்கு வாக்களிக்காதவர்களின் நம்பிக்கையையும் வென்றெடுப்பதற்கு கடுமையாக பாடுபடுவதற்கு நான் உறுதிபூணுகிறேன். இது  ஜனாதிபதியாக எனது பணியின் முக்கியமான ஒரு பகுதியாகும்.
” நான் ஒரு மந்திரவாதியல்ல. நான் அதிசயங்களை நிகழ்த்துபவன் அல்ல.  எனக்கு தெரிந்த  விடயங்களும் இருக்கின்றன, தெரியாத  விடயங்களும்  இருக்கின்றன.   ஆனால், சகல நேரங்களிலும் சரியானவற்றை செய்து எமது தேசத்தைக் கட்டியெழுப்புவதற்கான கூட்டு முயற்சிக்கு தலைமை தாங்குவதற்கு  என்னை நான் அர்ப்பணிப்பேன்.” 
ஜனாதிபதியாக பதவியேற்ற பிறகு திசநாயக்க கூறிய இந்த வார்த்தைகளின் பின்புலத்திலேயே, இந்த கட்டுரை ஜனாதிபதியாக அவரது முதல் வருட  செயற்பாடுகளின் முன்னேற்றத்தின் மீது இவ்வாரம்  கவனம் செலுத்துகிறது. மக்களின் வாக்குகளைப் பெறவதற்காக செய்ப்படுகின்ற பிரசாரங்களை அழகான வார்த்தை ஜாலங்களுடனும் ஆட்சிமுறையின் சிக்கல்களை  வெறுப்பான உரை நடையுடனும் ஒப்பிடுவதுண்டு. இந்த பின்புலத்தில் இந்த இருபாக கட்டுரை திசநாயக்கவினால் தேர்தல்களுக்கு முன்னர் நாட்டு மக்களுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட வாக்குறுதிகளையும் அவற்றை நிறைவேற்றுவது தொடர்பில்  கடந்த ஒரு வருட காலத்தில் அவரின் செயற்பாடுகளையும் ஆராய்கிறது. முதலாவது  பாகம் திசநாயக்கவின் தேர்தல் பிரசாரங்கள் பற்றியும் இரண்டாவது பாகம் தேர்தலுக்கு பின்னரான அவரது செயற்பாடுகளையும் ஆராயும்.
 Continue reading ‘ஜனாதிபதி அநுரவின் எதிர்த்திசை மாற்றம் ; தேர்தல்களுக்கு முன்னரான பிரசாரங்களும் பின்னரான செயற்பாடுகளும்’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Tamil Actor Vijay,his new Political Party TVP  and the Cinematic Politics Ecology  of “Dravidian” Tamil Nadu.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 13 October 2025, 3:33 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Chandrasekhar Joseph Vijay known to the world at large  as Vijay is arguably the Super star of Tamil cinema today. Although stylish veteran actor Rajinikanth  has been acknowledged for long as Tamil  cinema’s solitary super star, that position has changed in recent times. In terms of popularity and marketability,Vijay who celebrated his 51st birthday last June,is way above Rajini who will celebrate his 75th Birthday this December.
Vijay who has a huge fan following in Sri Lanka is married to a Sri Lankan Tamil woman hailing from Chuzhipuram in Jaffna named Sangeetha Sornalingam.They have two children. Vijay is the highest paid actor in Tamil cinema today reportedly  earning around 200  Crore Indian rupees per film.. He is also the biggest box-office draw among Tamil actors. At an all india level , Vijay is ranked third below Hindi cinema’s Shah Rukh Khan and Telugu cinema’s Allu Arjun.
Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of film personalities  entering politics and forming their own parties.  Some even became chief ministers. Former Chief Ministers CN Annadurai and M.Karunanidhi were renowned film script writers.Among the Tamil film actors who entered films are  NS Krishnan,MR Radha, KR Ramasamy, MG Ramachandran (MGR), Sivaji Ganesan,SS Rajendran,VN Janaki,Jayalalithaa Jayaram,TR Rajendar,SV Shekhar,  Napoleon,Vijayakanth, Seemaan, Sarathkumar, Radhika,Kamal Haasan and Udayanidhi Stalin. Even the current chief minister Stalin has acted in a few films and TV serials.
“Thamizhaga Vettrik Kazhagam”
Vijay is  therefore the latest in a long line of Tamil film actors transforming themselves into political leaders.  He    launched his own political party named “Thamizhaga Vettrik Kazhagam” (TVK) last year. Vijay’s fan clubs numbering around 85,000 were converted into party branches. The TVK claims a party membership of several millions.
 Vijay and his party though untested at the hustings have gained a lot of media coverage. Though it is too early to make a proper assessment, there is little doubt that Vijay and his TVP will have a considerable impact on the Tamil Nadu state elections due next year.
 Continue reading ‘Tamil Actor Vijay,his new Political Party TVP  and the Cinematic Politics Ecology  of “Dravidian” Tamil Nadu.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Vijaya Kumaratunga:Acting  was his Accredited Profession but Politics was his Chosen Vocation.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 9 October 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						

By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
80th   Birth Anniversary of Vijaya Kumaratunga  on 9 October 2025.
Kovilage Vijaya Anthony Kumaratunga, known to the world as Vijaya Kumaratunga, was born in Seeduwa on 9 October 1945. Vijaya was an endearing personality with an enduring vision whom I liked, admired and respected very much. 
He was a man who envisaged the transformation of Sri Lanka into an inclusive, multi-ethnic, egalitarian and plural nation. A much-loved man of the masses who may have altered the destiny of this resplendent isle in a very positive manner, had he not been felled in the prime of life by foul assassins. A man whose worth is increasingly valued in the present time where communal discord is deliberately promoted for short-term political gain. 
I write this week about the beloved actor-turned-politician Vijaya Kumaratunga whose 80th  birth anniversary was celebrated  on 9 October 2025.
I have written some articles about Vijaya in the past. I will be drawing on some of them in writing this article  which will focus on his political career. Also I must mention that Vijaya’s surname was originally spelled ‘Kumaranatunga’. It was as Vijaya Kumaranatunga that he blazed a trail on screen. Subsequently, the name was modified from Kumaranatunga to ‘Kumaratunga’. I shall however be referring to him as Kumaratunga in this article though he was actually known as Kumaranatunga for the greater part of his life. Also his name has been spelled as both ‘Wijaya’ and ‘Vijaya’. I shall refer to him as Vijaya in this article.
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		Navi Pillay Headed UN  Inquiry  Commission’s Report   States  Israel is Committing  Genocide in Gaza.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 7 October 2025, 9:00 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
The  United Nations  Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem  and Israel released its report on September 16th 2025. The three member Commission headed by eminent South African jurist and former UN Human Rights Commissioner Navanethem “Navi”Pillay  stated that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. “The Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,”  said the report . In its report the Commission urged Israel and all States to fulfil their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and punish those responsible for it.  
As is well known the Israeli Government of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bebe”Netanyahu has been conducting a savage military onslaught against the Palestinian people in general and the residents of Gaza in Particuar for the past two years. The military campaign has been severely criticised by people of conscience all over the world ranging from leftists to liberals as a genocidal war. The Navi Pillay Commission report added much credence and weight to the charge of genocide against Israel.
Predictably , Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned  the inquiry’s findings as “fake” and alleged in a post on “X”(twitter) that the report’s authors were “serving as Hamas proxies”.“The report relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others,” the ministry said. “Israel categorically rejects this distorted and false report and calls for the immediate abolition of this Commission of Inquiry,” it added.Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, Daniel Meron, also condemned the inquiry’s findings and referred to it as “scandalous”, “fake” and a “libellous rant”.
Barely two weeks after the report’s release US president Donald Trump publicised his  purported 20 point plan to  end the war and achieve peace in Gaza. The 20 point plan was viewed suspiciously by many knowledgeable observers as another  time-buying ploy by the Trump-Netanyahu duo to complete the sinister Gaza annexation   plot   , the  timing of the act resulted in another  negative consequence. Global attention is being  diverted away from the UN Commission report finding Israel guilty of genocide in Gaza. It is against this backdrop therefore that this column focuses  this week on the report of  the commission headed by Navi Pillay .
The three-member Independent International Commission of Inquiry on  Palestine was established by the UN Human Rights Council.The Inquiry panel members were  nominated  by the 47 member states. Apart from Navi Pillay ,the  other two  are Miloon Kothari, an Indian expert in land rights and housing who served as the first UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing and Chris Sidoti, an Australian international human rights lawyer who has held multiple roles in the UN, including as founder and expert member of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar.
 The Commission’s newly released  report described as “the strongest and most authoritative UN finding to date,” finds reasonable grounds to conclude that four of five acts constituting genocide, as defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention, are being carried out against a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. In short  the state of Israel  is guilty of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza since the war commenced   in October  2023.
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		How the JVP -led NPP Projected  Anura Kumara Dissanayake  in 2024  as  both a Champion for Change and an Agent of Change.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 1 October 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						

By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
  The first part of this article published last week   delved  into the election campaign conducted  by Anura Kumara Dissanayake when he contested the  September 2024 presidential elections. The second part was to scrutinise , President Dissanayake’s post-election performance in fulfilling those promises during the past year. However this week’s article   will   focus -with the aid of earlier writings –  on AKD’s  rapid rise in politics  and the winning  strategies adopted by him. President Dissanayake’s post-election performance will be analysed in a future article.
The Janatha  Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) suffered two major splits in 2008 and 2012. In 2008 many of the Sinhala ultra-nationalists within the JVP led by Wimal Weerawansa broke away and formed the National Freedom Front(NFF). In 2012  most of the revolutionary socialists in the JVP  under Kumar Gunaratnam’s leadership left the JVP and formed the Frontline Socialist Party(FSP). After these splits  what was  mainly  left  behind was a “residual  middle” somewhat in between   Sinhala nationalism and revolutionary socialism.
The JVP began losing its vigour and vitality  in the post-war years and began turning into a caricature of its former self.  It was becoming increasingly clear that the JVP required a  new sense of direction under a fresh leader if it were to survive as a political force. 
The veteran  JVP leader Somawansa Amersinghe realised that  he needed to step down and began dropping hints that he would retire soon. The question was who would succeed him.  There were many potential successors. K.D. Lalkantha, Tilvin Silva, Vijitha Herath, Sunil Handunneththi,  Bimal Rathnayake and Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Among these stalwarts  the General Secretary Tilvin Silva was tipped to be the new leader. 
JVP’s Fifth Leader
The  JVP’s 17th national convention was held on 2 February 2014. Somawansa stepped down as leader and proposed that  Anura Kumara Dissanayake replace him. Somawansa had appreciated the potential in Anura years ago and had groomed  him as his successor. It was approved unanimously, Anura Kumara  Dissanayake became the JVP’s fifth leader eleven years ago.
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		President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s U-turn : Pre-poll Propaganda  and Post-Election Performance.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 30 September 2025, 3:33 am					

			


			
		
						

By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Anura Kumara Dissanayake known popularly as  Anura and “AKD” , won the Presidential election of 21 September 2024 in  what was described as a gigantic leap. From 418,553 (3.16%) votes in the 2019 Presidential election, AKD increased his vote tally   to 5,634,915 (42.31%) in the 2024 Presidential poll. In the second count of votes with  Sajith Premadasa, AKD obtained  5,740,179 (55.89%) votes 
Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s ninth executive president on 23 September 2024 in a simple ceremony at the Presidential secretariat in Colombo.

Speaking at his swearing in event, Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated as follows –  .
“Democracy helped me win. Some voted for me, and others didn’t. But my pledge is to work hard to win the trust of those who didn’t vote for me as well. This is an important part of my Presidency.”
“I am not a magician; I am not a miracle-worker. There are things I know and don’t know. But I will commit myself to doing the right thing at all times, and lead a collective effort to rebuild our nation”
It is against this backdrop of President AKD’s statement  after being sworn in as president that this column focuses on the first year progress  of the AKD presidency this week. Campaigning for votes is often compared to flowery verse and the knitty-gritty of governance to dull prose. In that context this two-part article will delve into the  pre-election pledges made by AKD  and his post-election performance in fulfilling those promises during the past year. The first part will focus on AKD’s pre-election propaganda and the second part on his post election performance.
After becoming the ninth Executive President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake  led the  National People’s Power(NPP) to a glorious triumph at the November 2024 Parliamentary elections. From 445,958 (3.28%) at the 2020 Parliamentary poll, the NPP increased its vote tally to 6,863,186 (61.6%). The party got 159 seats. This was more impressive than even AKD’s Presidential poll success.
 Continue reading ‘President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s U-turn : Pre-poll Propaganda  and Post-Election Performance.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Sivaji Ganesan Made Many Tamils Appreciate Their  Vibrant   Language More

				
			Posted by Administrator on 30 September 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
(The Doyen of Tamil Film Actors “Nadigar Thilagham” Sivaji Ganesan was born on 1 October 1928. This article was written in 2021  to commemorate  Sivaji’s 20th death anniversary.It is being reposted without any changes to denote his 97th  Birth Anniversary)
Google Doodle, illustrated by Bangalore, India-based artist Noopur Rajesh Choksi, celebrating the 93rd birthday of Sivaji Ganesan, October 1, 2021.
Sivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Gemini Ganesan comprised the triumvirate that dominated Tamil  cinema in India from the fifties to the seventies of the 20th century. The most senior of the trio  was M.G.Ramachandran who was born in 1917.  MGR passed away in 1987. Gemini Ganesan born in 1920 breathed his last in 2005. The youngest of the three was Sivaji Ganesan born in 1928. He died in 2001.Though Sivaji, MGR and Gemini were hailed as the ‘Moovaenthar’ (Three Kings) of Tamil cinema, it was widely acknowledged that Sivaji Ganesan was the finest actor among the three. He was called “Nadigar Thilagham,” meaning ‘Doyen of Actors’. It was the Tamil film journal” Paesum Padam” which bestowed upon him  the honorific.
Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001
“Nadigar Thilagham” Sivaji Ganesan passed away peacefully at a Chennai hospital on 21 July  2001. His 20th death anniversary was commemorated ten days ago. This column therefore will focus this week – with the aid of earlier writings – on the life and times of Sivaji Ganesan and his worthwhile contribution to Tamil cinema.
 
Sivaji  Ganesn’s  acting career, which began at the age of eight, could be divided into three phases -1936 to 1952, when he acted only on stage; 1952 to 1974, when he acted for the big screen and also gave stage performances; and 1974 to 1999, when he acted only in films.
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		“Nagaichuvai Mannan” Nagesh: The Comedy King of Tamil Cinema

				
			Posted by Administrator on 27 September 2025, 3:00 am					

			


			
		
						By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
“Naghaichchuvai Mannan” (King of Comedy) Nagesh was born on September 27th 1933 His 92nd  birth anniversary is being celebrated today(27). Nagesh passed away 16 years ago in Chennai on 31 January 2009.
Nagesh in “Iru Kodugal”
Nagesh was the undisputed king of comedians in Tamil cinema from the early sixties to mid-seventies of the previous century. After a “lull” the versatile actor re-entered Tamil cinema in a new “avatar” playing character and villain roles. Even during his stint as comedian, Nagesh acted in quite a few lead roles too.
Thinking of Nagesh at the time of his 16th death anniversary  revives nostalgic memories of the golden era of Tamil cinema. Those of us who grew up on a steady diet of Tamil films can never forget the man and his acting.
The first Nagesh starring movie that I saw was “Nenjil Or Aalayam” directed by the legendary CV Sridhar. Nagesh played Peter a male nurse in a hospital.
The last Nagesh movie I saw was “Dasavatharam” with Kamal Hassan essaying ten roles. In that Nagesh played a venerable Muslim elder Sheik Mukthar.He acted as father of Kamal the “giant”.
Between “Nenjil Or Aalayam” and “Dasavatharam” I have seen hundreds of films with Nagesh. How much we enjoyed his scenes and laughed. How many times would we have imitated and mimicked those scenes later. For those happy memories “Nandri Nagesh”!
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		Tiger Leader “Thiyagi” Thileepan Weaponised Non-Violence Through his  Fast Unto  Death in September 1987.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 26 September 2025, 2:22 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
 September 26th  is of particular significance to a substantial number of Sri Lankan Tamils . For it was on this day in 1987 that a senior member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thileepan died in Nallu after undertaking a fast unto death.
Although the LTTE lost thousands of cadres during the many years it waged war against the Sri Lankan State, the death of Thileepan was different from the deaths of other LTTE fighters. Thileepan’s demise was not due to direct violence but due to non-violent direct action. 
He engaged in a fast unto death protest on 15 September 1987 and died after 12 days of fasting without even drinking water. This was after the Indo-Lanka accord of 29 July 1987. The Indian army referred to as the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was stationed in Jaffna then.
Thileepan’s fast and death has been etched into the collective memory of Tamils over the years. His death is commemorated on a wide scale every year. Thileepan’s 38th  death anniversary falls on 26 September 2025. It is against this backdrop that this column focuses on “Thiyagi Thileepan”  relying on earlier writings.
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		Murder Most Foul: Assassination of  Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike

				
			Posted by Administrator on 26 September 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
(S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike, the fourth Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka known then as Ceylon was the target of an assassination attempt on September 25th 1959. He succumbed to his injuries a day later on September 26th. This Article written in 2020  is being re-posted without any changes to denote the 66th  death anniversry of SWRDB)
Sixty- six  years ago on September 25th 1959 Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka known as Ceylon then was shot and seriously wounded by a Buddhist monk. Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike succumbed to his injuries and passed away the following day. Therefore September 26th 1959 got etched as an important date in the post-independence history annals of Sri Lanka.

The impact of that single assassination was tremendous at that time. The murder of a prime minister was sensationally shocking news. It was the first major political assassination experienced by the Island nation in the post-Independence era.  In later years, political assassinations became a regular feature in Sri Lanka.. The death was an event of great historical importance too  as it was the first ever assassination of a major political personality in the Island nation at that time. Thereafter September 26, 1959 got etched as an important date in the post-independence annals of Sri Lanka. It is against this backdrop that this column delves into what happened six decades ago  relying to a  very great extent on earlier writings in this regard.

 Continue reading ‘Murder Most Foul: Assassination of  Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Tamil Nadu fishers  must stop their illegal fishing and Bottom Trawling   in Sri Lankan Northern Waters. Long suffering Tamil fishermen should be able  to  rebuild their lives and resurrect  their livelihood

				
			Posted by Administrator on 21 September 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						.
By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The on going problem of illegal fishing and bottom trawling in Sri Lanka’s northern territorial waters  by Indian fishers from Tamil Nadu state was described in detail in the first part of this  article published last week.Particular attention was devoted to the bogey of Katchatheevu being raised by the Indian side to  sidetrack the issue. As emphasised previously the fundamental problem is illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters and not the question of Katchatheevu islet ownership.   Certain salient points regarding the illegal fishing by Tamil Naqdu fishers will be realeted in this second and final part of this article.
An extremely troubling factor in this issue is the attitude and conduct of Tamil Nadu fishers towards their northern Sri Lankan counterparts. The Tamil Nadu fishers  have displayed unbelievable hostility and animus towards their Tamil speaking counterparts in Sri Lanka. If Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen get caught to the invading marauders, they are severely assaulted and their boats and equipment damaged or destroyed. Fishing nets owned by Sri Lankan fishermen have been deliberately damaged or destroyed by Indian fishers.
 In one instance some Indian boats ventured very close to the  Maadagal-Chuzhipuram coast and destroyed fishing nets.  In a rare occurrence, compensation was paid by the Indian diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka.
Thus it could be seen that Tamil Nadu fishermen are ruthlessly and rapaciously  exploiting the marine resources of Northern Sri Lanka and causing irredeemable harm in the process. There is no concern about preserving   marine resources  for sustainable fishing. There is also no sympathy  or empathy for their  war -ravaged Sri Lankan Tamil “Brethren”struggling to eke out a living and re-build their shattered lives.
 Continue reading ‘Tamil Nadu fishers  must stop their illegal fishing and Bottom Trawling   in Sri Lankan Northern Waters. Long suffering Tamil fishermen should be able  to  rebuild their lives and resurrect  their livelihood’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		The Katchatheevu Ownership Controversy is Diverting Attention away from the Real Problem of Indian Illegal Fishers Bottom Trawling in Sri Lanka’s  Northern Territorial Waters.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 18 September 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake(AKD) made history when he became the first Sri Lankan head of state to set foot on  Katchatheevu (spelled as Kachchatheevu also) soil on 1st  September 2025.  Among those who accompanied the president on his  maiden voyage to the northern off-shore Islet in the naval speedboat P 211  were Fisheries Minister Ramalingam  Chandrasekar, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala and Northern Navy Commander Rear Admiral Buddhika Liyanagamage. 
Though  called theevu or Island, Katchatheevu is actually an Islet in terms of size. Katchatheevu with a land area of 285 acres is 1.6 km long and 300 metres wide. It is an uninhabited place except for a Catholic Shrine dedicated to St.Anthony and a small detachment of the Sri  Lankan navy stationed there. Apart from an old brackish water  well ,there is no source of freshwater on the Islet’s sandy soil.
President Dissanayake’s  short symbolic  trip described as an “inspection visit”  conveyed a two-fold message in the current political context. Firstly it demonstrated clearly that the once-disputed islet is part of Sri Lanka. Secondly it subtly indicated that  Sri Lanka was not prepared to  part with what was part of it’s territory. 
The unannounced trip was a surprise visit. There was no reference to it in the  official itinerary of President AKD’s two day visit to the northern province. The first inkling of the trip to the Islet  came  at the ceremonial event inaugurating the third phase of  the expansion of the Myliddy Fisheries Harbour.
 President  Dissanayake speaking at the event, said: “The government is committed to safeguarding the surrounding seas, islands, and landmass of the country for the benefit of the people and will not allow any external force to exert influence in this regard.”. He then said he intended visiting Katchatheevu soon and followed suit thereafter.
Katchatheevu is located 14.5 km to the south of Sri Lanka’s northern Island Neduntheevu or Delft and  16 km  to the northeast of  Rameswaram on  India’s southern Pamban  Island.  Due to its geographical location between India’s Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka’s Delft, the  ownership of Katchatheevu has been a disputed issue between the governments of India and Sri Lanka known as Ceylon during  British Colonial rule.
 Continue reading ‘The Katchatheevu Ownership Controversy is Diverting Attention away from the Real Problem of Indian Illegal Fishers Bottom Trawling in Sri Lanka’s  Northern Territorial Waters.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்கவை இலக்குவைக்க தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி அரசாங்கம் சட்டத்தை ஆயுதமாகப் பயன்படுத்துகிறதா?

				
			Posted by Administrator on 18 September 2025, 6:45 pm					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்
ஐக்கிய தேசிய கட்சியின் தலைவர் ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க ஐந்து தசாப்தங்களுக்கும் அதிகமான காலமாக அரசியலில் இருக்கிறார். பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினராக, பிரதி அமைச்சராக, கபினெட் அமைச்சராக, எதிர்க்கட்சி தலைவராக, பிரதமராக, ஜனாதிபதியாக பதவிகளை வகித்த விக்கிரமசிங்க அரசியலில் ‘ பயனிழந்துபோன ஒரு சக்தி ‘ என்று அடிக்கடி வர்ணிக்கப்பட்டு வந்திருக்கிறார். உறுதிவாய்ந்த ரணில்  அரசியல் களத்தில் வலிமையுடன் திரும்பவும்   குதித்து எப்போதுமே தனது எதிரிகளை தவறு என்று நிரூபித்து வந்திருக்கிறார். அண்மைய நிகழ்வுகள் மன எழுச்சிமிக்க ரணில் தன்னை  எளிதில்  தள்ளுபடி செய்துவிடக்கூடிய ஒரு ஆள் அல்ல என்று மீண்டும் நிரூபிக்கக்கூடும் என்பதற்கான அறிகுறியாக தோன்றுகின்றன.
ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க 2025 ஆகஸ்ட் 22 ஆம் திகதி குற்றப்புலனாய்வு பொலிசாரினால் (சி.ஐ.டி. ) கைதுசெய்யப்பட்டு  பொதுச் சொத்துக்கள் சட்டத்தின் 5 (1) பிரிவு மற்றும் தண்டனைச் சட்டக்கோவையின் 386 &388 பிரிவுகளின் கீழ் நீதிமன்றத்தில் குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்பட்டார். அவர்  ஆகஸ்ட் 26 ஆம் திகதி வரை நான்கு நாட்களுக்கு கொழும்பு கோட்டை மாஜிஸ்திரேட் நிலுப்புலி லங்காபுரவினால் விளக்கமறியலில் வைக்கப்பட்டார். அதன் மூலமாக விக்கிரமசிங்க இலங்கையின் வரலாற்றில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு விளக்கமறியலில் வைக்கப்பட்ட முதலாவது முன்னாள்  ஜனாதிபதியாகவும் முன்னாள் பிரதமராகவும் விளங்குகிறார். 
கைவிலங்கிடப்பட்ட நிலையில் அவர் சிறைச்சாலை வாகனத்தில் மகசீன் சிறைச்சாலைக்கு கூட்டிச்செல்லப்பட்டார். அங்கு சென்ற பிறகு முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதியின் உடல்நிலை கடுமையாகப் பாதிக்கப்பட்டது. முதலில் வெலிக்கடை சிறைச்சாலை வைத்தியசாலையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட அவர் பிறகு அங்கிருந்து கொழும்பு தேசிய வைத்தியசாலைக்கு மாற்றப்பட்டு தீவிர சிகிச்சைப் பிரிவில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டார்.
விக்கிரமசிங்கவுக்கு இரத்தக்குளாய்களில் மூன்று அடைப்புகள் ஏற்பட்டிருப்பதாகவும் இதயத் தசைகள் அழுகல்  நீரிழிவு மற்றும் சுவாசப்பைத் தொற்று நோய் ஆகியவற்றினால்  பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதாகவும் கண்டறியப்பட்டது. இந்த நோய்களின் விவைான பாதிப்புக்கள் வெளித்தோற்றத்தில் தெரியவராது. கடந்த ஏழு வருடங்களாக இருதயநோயினால் விக்கிரமசிங்க பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறார்.
கொழும்பு கோட்டை மாஜிஸ்திரேட் நீதிமன்றத்தில் ஆகஸ்ட் 26 ஆம் திகதி வழக்கு மீண்டும் விசாரணைக்கு எடுக்கப்பட்டபோது  உடல்நிலை காரணமாக  விக்கிரமசிங்கவினால் ஆஜராக இயலாமல் போய்விட்டது. தேசிய வைத்தியசாலையின் தீவிர சிகிச்சைப்பிரிவில் படுத்திருந்த வண்ணம் இணையவழியின் மூலமாக நீதிமன்றத்தில் தனது பிரசன்னத்தை உறுதிசெய்துகொண்டார் .
  விக்கிரமசிங்வுக்காக முன்னாள் சட்டமா அதிபரும் அமைச்சருமான திலக் மாரப்பன, ஜனாதிபதி சட்டத்தரணி அனுஜா பிரேமரத்ன ஆகியோர் தலைமையில் ஆஜரான சட்டத்தரணிகள் குழு  உடல்நிலையை கருத்திற்கொண்டு அவருக்கு பிணை வழங்குமாறு கோரியது. விக்கிரமசிங்கவின் அன்றைய உடல்நிலை தெடர்பான விரிவான மருத்துவ அறிக்கைகள் நீதிமன்றத்தில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்பட்டன. அவற்றில் தேசிய வைத்தியசாலையைச் சேரந்த ஆறு விசேட வைத்திய நிபுணர்களின் அறிக்கைகளும் அடங்கும்.
சட்டத்தரணிகளின் வாதங்களை கேட்டதுடன் மருத்துவ அறிக்கைகளையும் பரிசீலனை செய்த கொழும்பு கோட்டை மாஜிஸ்திரேட் நிலுப்புலி லங்காபுர முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதி, பொதுச் சொத்து சட்டத்தின் கீழ் குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்பட்டிருக்கின்ற போதிலும் பிணையில் செல்ல அனுமதித்தார். தலா ஐந்து மில்லியன் ரூபா மூன்று சரீரப்பிணையில் விக்கிரமசிங்க விடுவிக்கப்பட்டார்.  இந்த வழக்கு மீண்டும் 2025  அக்டோபர் 29 ஆம் திகதி விசாரணைக்கு எடுக்கப்படும்.
 Continue reading ‘ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்கவை இலக்குவைக்க தேசிய மக்கள் சக்தி அரசாங்கம் சட்டத்தை ஆயுதமாகப் பயன்படுத்துகிறதா?’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		கச்சதீவை உடைமையாக்குவது அல்ல, இந்திய மீனவர்கள் சட்டவிரோதமாக மீன்பிடிப்பதே பிரதான பிரச்சினை

				
			Posted by Administrator on 18 September 2025, 6:30 pm					

			


			
		
						
டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ் 
2025 செப்டெம்பர் முதலாம் திகதி கச்சதீவுக்கு சென்றதன் மூலம் ஜனாதிபதி அநுரா குமார திசநாயக்க அந்த மண்ணில் காலடி வைத்த இலங்கையின் முதலாவது அரச தலைவர் என்று வரலாறு படைத்திருக்கிறார். வடபகுதி கடலோரத்துக்கு அப்பால் இருக்கும் அந்த சின்னஞ்சிறிய தீவுக்கு கடற்படையின் பி.211 அதிவேகப்படகில் ஜனாதிபதி செய்த கன்னிப்பயணத்தில் கடற்தொழில் அமைச்சர் இராமலிங்கம் சந்திரசேகர், பொதுப் பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சர் ஆனந்த விஜேபால, கடற்படையின் வடக்கு தளபதி றியர் அட்மிறல் புத்திக்க லியனகமகே ஆகியோரும் கூடச் சென்றனர்.
தீவு என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டாலும், அளவில் கச்சதீவு உண்மையில் ஒரு குட்டித்தீவேயாகும். 285 ஏக்கர் பரப்பளவைக் கொண்ட கச்சதீவு 1.6 கிலோமீட்டர் நீளத்தையும் 300 மீட்டர் அகலத்தையும் உடையதாகும். மக்கள் வாழாத அதில் புனித அந்தோனியார் கத்தோலிக்க தேவாலயமும் இலங்கை கடற்படையின் சிறியதொரு பிரிவுமே  இருக்கின்றன. பழைய உப்புத்தண்ணீர் கிணறு ஒன்றைத் தவிர, கச்சதீவின் மணல் பாங்கான நிலத்தில் நன்னீருக்கான வளம் எதுவும் கிடையாது.
” கண்காணிப்பு விஜயம் ”  என்று வர்ணிக்கப்பட்ட ஜனாதிபதி திசாநாயக்கவின் குறுகிய அடையாள பூர்வமான விஜயம் தற்போதைய அரசியல் பின்புலத்தில்  இரட்டைச் செய்தியொன்றை கூறியது.  முதலாவதாக, ஒரு காலத்தில் சரச்சைக்குரியதாக இருந்த அந்த தீவு இப்போது இலங்கையின் ஒரு பகுதி என்பது தெளிவாக வெளிப்படுத்தப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. இரண்டாவதாக, இலங்கைப் பிராந்தியத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியான அந்த தீவை கைவிடுவதற்கு இலங்கை தயாராக இல்லை என்பது நுட்பமான முறையில் கூறப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
முன்கூட்டியே அறிவிக்கப்படாத விஜயம்  ஆச்சரியத்தை தந்தது. ஜனாதிபதி திசநாயக்கவின் வட மாகாணத்துக்கான இரு நாள் விஜயத்தின் உத்தியோகபூர்வ  நிகழ்ச்சி நிரலில்  கச்சதீவு விஜயம் பற்றி எந்த குறிப்பும் இல்லை. மயிலிட்டி மீன்பிடித் துறைமுகத்தின் விரிவாக்கத்தின் மூன்றாம் கட்ட அங்குரார்ப்பண சமாபிரதாயபூர்வ நிகழ்விலேயே கச்சதீவு விஜயத்துக்கான முதலாவது அறிகுறி வந்தது.
அந்த நிகழ்வில் உரையாற்றிய ஜனாதிபதி திசநாயக்க,” மக்களின் நன்மைக்காக சுறிறியுள்ள கடல் பிராந்தியத்தையும் தீவுகளையும  நிலப்பரப்புகளையும் பாதுகாப்பதில் அரசாங்கம் பற்றுறுதி கொண்டிருக்கிறது. இது விடயத்தில்  எந்த வெளிச் சக்தியும்  செல்வாக்குச் செலுத்த அனுமதிக்கப் போவதில்லை” என்று கூறினார்.  பிறகு கச்சதீவுக்கு விஜயம் செய்ய உத்தேசித்திருப்பதாக கூறிய அவர் அதன் பிரகாரம் அங்கு சென்றார்.
இலங்கையின் வடபகுதி நெடுந்தீவில் இருந்து தெற்கே 14.5 கிலோமீட்டர் தொலைவிலும் இந்தியாவின் தென்பகுதி பாம்பன் தீவில் இராமேஸ்வரத்தில் இருந்து வடகிழக்கே 16 கிலோமீட்டர் தொலைவிலும் கச்சதீவு அமைந்திருக்கிறது. இந்தியாவின் இராமேஸ்வரத்துக்கும் இலங்கையின் நெடுந்தீவுக்கும் இடையில் அதன் புவியியல் அமைவிடத்தைக் கொண்டிருப்பதன் விளைவாக கச்சதீவின் உடைமை குறித்து பிரிட்டிஷ் காலனித்துவ ஆட்சிக்காலத்தில் இந்திய அரசாங்கத்துக்கும் இலங்கை அரசாங்கத்துக்கும் இடையில் தகராறு நிலவிவந்தது.
 Continue reading ‘கச்சதீவை உடைமையாக்குவது அல்ல, இந்திய மீனவர்கள் சட்டவிரோதமாக மீன்பிடிப்பதே பிரதான பிரச்சினை’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Legendary  Muslim Congress Leader MHM Ashraff and the Course of Muslim Politics.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 16 September 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
							`	`

By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Commemorative Article Denoting 25th death anniversary of Muslim Congress leader MHM Ashraff on 16 September.
Mohammad Hussein Muhammad Ashraff, known to all MHM Ashraff was one of the brightest  stars to shine in the Sri Lankan political firmament. Ashraff’s  charisma, political acumen, dedication and sterling qualities of leadership enabled the  Eastern province lawyer to be  the legendary leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress(SLMC). 
Sadly Ashraff’s life ended tragically  when he along with 14 others, was killed in an air crash on 16 September 2000. He was the Cabinet Minister in charge of Shipping, Ports, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in the Government of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at the time of his death. This week’s  column  with the aid of earlier writings  focuses on MHM Ashraff  in commemoration of his 25th death anniversary.   
Ashraff was born on 23 October 1948 in the Muslim village of Sammanthurai in Amparai District. His parents were Mohammed Meera Lebbe Hussain and Matheena Ummah. He grew up in Kalmunaikkudi, in the same region.
After schooling  at the Wesley High school in Kalmunai town , Ashraff entered Law College where he passed the examination with first class honours. He worked briefly as a State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Department but resigned and reverted to the unofficial bar. Ashraff went on to acquire a Bachelor’s and later a Master’s degree in Law from Colombo University. The latter feat was achieved in 1995 when he was a Cabinet Minister. He took silk in 1997 as President’s Counsel.
Ashraff married Ferial Ismail, hailing from Gampola. They first met on a train in Kurunegala where Cupid’s arrows found their mark.. After marriage , Ferial was a tower of strength to her husband in his political career. She entered active politics after his death and made history as the first Muslim woman to be a Cabinet Minister. Ferial also served as High Commissioner to Singapore. Ashraff and Ferial’s only son Aman runs his own advertising agency in Colombo.
 Continue reading ‘Legendary  Muslim Congress Leader MHM Ashraff and the Course of Muslim Politics.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		பத்திரிகையாளர் வீரகத்தி தனபாலசிங்கம் எழுதிய ‘ தமிழ்த் தேசியவாத அரசியலின் எதிர்காலம் ‘ நூல் வெளியீட்டு நிகழ்வு

				
			Posted by Administrator on 15 September 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						தமிழ்த் தேசியவாத அரசியலின் எதிர்காலம் ‘ நூல்வெளியீடு 

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பத்திரிகையாளர் வீரகத்தி தனபாலசிங்கம் எழுதிய ‘ தமிழ்த் தேசியவாத அரசியலின் எதிர்காலம் ‘ நூல் வெளியீட்டு நிகழ்வு கொழும்பு தமிழ்ச் சங்கத்தின் விநோதன் மண்டபத்தில் எதிர்வரும் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை (19/9) மாலை 5 மணிக்கு நடைபெறவிருக்கிறது.

எழுத்தாளர் வசந்தி தயாபரன் தலைமையில் நடைபெறும் இந்த நிகழ்வில் வெளியீட்டுரையை எழுத்தாளர் வி.ரி. இளங்கோவனும் கருத்துரைகளை தகவல் அறியும் உரிமை ஆணைக்குழு உறுப்பினர் ஏ.எம். ந.ஹியா, கிழக்கு பல்கலைக்கழக நுண்கலைத்துறை பேராசிரியர் எஸ்.ஜெய்சங்கர், சமூக அரசியல் செயற்பாடடாளர்கள் தெ..மதுசூதனன், யதீந்திரா ஆகியோரும் நிகழ்ந்துவர். இந்த நூல் மார்க்சிய கற்கைகளுக்கான சண்முகதாசன் நிலையத்தின் வெளியீடாகும்.

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		Is the  JVP-led NPP Govt Weaponising the Law to Target Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe?Over his UK trip ?

				
			Posted by Administrator on 6 September 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has been in politics for more than five decades. Wickremesinghe who has served as Member of Parliament, Deputy Minister, Cabinet Minister, leader of the Opposition, Prime Minister and President has often been described as a “spent force” in politics. The resilient Ranil has always proved his detractors wrong by bouncing back into the ring spiritedly. Recent events seem to indicate that the irrepressible Ranil Wickremesinghe may yet again demonstrate that he is a person who cannot be written off easily.
On 22 August 2025, Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested by the CID and charged in court under Section 5(1) of the Public Property Act and Sections 386 and 388 of the Penal Code. He was remanded for four days until 26 August by the Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura. Ranil Wickremesinghe thus became the first Sri Lankan ex-President and former Prime Minister to be arrested and remanded in the history of Sri Lanka. He was manacled and taken to Magazine Prison in a Black Maria.
The former President’s health condition worsened after being taken to the Magazine Prison. He was moved to the Welikade prison hospital and transferred from there to the Colombo National Hospital. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit there.
Subsequently it was diagnosed in hospital that Wickremesinghe was suffering from three blocked arteries, necrosis of heart tissues, diabetes, and a lung infection. These conditions were not outwardly visible. He had been afflicted by heart ailments for the past seven years.
When the case was taken up again on 26 August at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s court, Ranil Wickremesinghe was unable to attend court due to his health condition. The former President marked his presence in court through Zoom via Internet from his hospital bed at the National Hospital ICU.
A panel of lawyers led by former Attorney-General and ex-Minister Tilak Marapana and senior President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne appeared on behalf of Ranil and sought bail for the former President on health grounds. Medical reports pertaining to Wickremesinghe’s current health condition were submitted in detail to court. This included a report by six specialist doctors at the National Hospital.
Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura after hearing the arguments and examining the medical records granted bail to ex-President Ranil Wickremesinghe, despite being charged under the Public Property Act. Wickremesinghe was released on three surety bails of five million rupees each. The case will be heard next on 29 October 2025.
“Unleashed”
Ranil remained in hospital for a few more days. He was discharged on 29 August. A picture being widely circulated shows Ranil leaving the hospital with a book in his hand. The book is a memoir authored by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson titled “Unleashed”. The book with its explosive title has given rise to much excitement and speculation about the future politics of Wickremesinghe. It appeared that the spent force was once again going to be in the political centre stage despite health issues.
The arrest and remanding of Ranil Wickremesinghe has resulted in an unexpected display of solidarity and unity by Opposition parties and political leaders. Press conferences were held by Opposition party leaders condemning the arrest of the former president. Many of these leaders were heavily critical of Ranil in the past.
The most noteworthy aspect of this change in the political environment is the seeming thaw in the frosty relationship between Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa. There is optimism now in political circles that there may be a re-alignment between the UNP and its breakaway Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). It is too early to assess the course of politics at this juncture but it does seem clear that Ranil is likely to play a leading role in the unfolding new political drama. Ranil’s future politics will depend on his health.
After returning home where he will be under strict medical care and supervision, Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his gratitude to all those who supported him from the time of his arrest. In a special video message released to the media, Wickremesinghe conveyed appreciation to the many individuals and groups who had expressed solidarity, both online and offline, during his arrest. “I am thankful to everyone who stood by me from the moment I was taken into custody. I intend to meet with all those who supported me soon. Thank you all again,” he said.
Ranil bashing
Meanwhile leading Government personalities, hurrah boys and girls of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led National People’s Power (NPP) Government and the anti-Wickremesinghe elements of different hues persist with their favourite pastime of Ranil bashing. There is disappointment in some corridors of power that Ranil could not be locked up in a remand cell as was perhaps intended.
The best laid plans of men and mice often go awry, wrote Robert Burns. The plot to humiliate and penalise ex-President Wickremesinghe also seems to have gone awry, at least for the present.
The first part of this article published last week focused mainly on the background of the circumstances that led to the arrest and remanding of Ranil Wickremesinghe and raised the question as to whether the former President was the target of a political witch hunt. These aspects would be further elaborated upon in this second and final part.
Spent force
As stated in this article earlier, Ranil Wickremesinghe has in the past been lightly “dismissed” by his detractors and critics as a serial loser and spent force. Nevertheless this supposedly spent force of no consequence is viciously vilified constantly.
Many of those who were delighted at the sight of a handcuffed Ranil being transported in a Black Maria seem dismayed at the sight of a cheerful Wickremesinghe leaving hospital with the book “Unleashed” in his hand.
Perhaps due to this, the attacks against Ranil have escalated. It is indeed strange and somewhat amusing that a person described as a spent force and serial loser should be at the receiving end of such attacks. It is said that no one flogs a dead horse and none kicks a dead dog. If Ranil is indeed “finished” then why is he being flogged and kicked constantly? Is it because of the constant trepidation and insecurity among political opponents of what Wickremesinghe is capable of unleashing?
Batalanda
The first part of this article dealt at length about the Batalanda detention centre and Ranil Wickremesinghe. After tabling the Batalanda commission report in Parliament JVP-NPP Cabinet minister and Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake stated Ranil Wickremesinghe would face legal action soon. However when legal action did take place, it was not over Batalanda. It was for Wolverhampton.
Three reasons
There were three possible reasons for this. Firstly the JVP realised that re-opening the wounds of Batalanda could harm the JVP also. Memories of the JVP’s atrocities and horrible conduct during the 1987 to 1990 years have faded to a considerable extent. The JVP has re-positioned itself as a new entity by donning the NPP garb and convinced the people to vote for the compass. But going ahead with the Batalanda probe could revive those dark memories. The question that could rise in the minds of the people is what necessitated the Batalanda torture camp in the first place? The JVP realised the value of the adage ‘seek justice with clean hands’.
Secondly there was the question of who was directly responsible for the illegal confinement, torture and executions. The orders may have come from the top but the actual “hands on” perpetrators were sections of the Police, STF, armed forces and para-military outfits. An intensive probe with the aim of incriminating Ranil may have the unintended consequence of incriminating members of the Police and armed forces too. The JVP has from 1994 onwards tried to cultivate the armed forces. The Tri-forces collective “Aditana” has been formed. Hence pursuing the Batalanda inquiry could result in adversely affecting and alienating the armed forces.
Thirdly there is the question of Ranil’s actual involvement in the horrors of Batalanda. As stated in the first part of this article, Ranil had reportedly played a part in acquiring buildings from the Batalanda housing complex to set up the Batalanda detention centre. Wickremesinghe however had no involvement in what happened at the detention centre though his political opponents of different hues have in the past tried to portray Ranil as being directly involved in the torture.
When Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga became President in 1994, she set up a number of commissions of inquiry. One of these was on the Batalanda detention centre. There was much speculation then that President Kumaratunga had appointed the Batalanda commission of inquiry to “fix” her chief political rival Wickremesinghe. The Commission however could not find any valid evidence incriminating Wickremesinghe as having engaged in torture activity at Batalanda.
Central Bank
Under these circumstances the JVP had no choice other than to abandon the option of prosecuting Ranil over Batalanda. Another option was to charge Wickremesinghe regarding the Central Bank Treasury bonds issue. Ranil had been quizzed on the matter by authorities but nothing substantially detrimental was proved against him. His detractors and political rivals continue to fling mud at him over this issue. It has to be admitted that Ranil’s clean image has been somewhat dented in public perception due to the treasury bond scandal. This does not mean that Ranil was found guilty of any wrong doing.
Sep. 2023 UK trip
It is against this backdrop that the September 2023 UK trip matter was raked up. An internal audit was done in the Presidential secretariat by an official who had been recently transferred to the secretariat. An alleged “fraud” on the part of Wickremesinghe in 2023 when he served as president was discovered or uncovered.
The alleged fraud was that Ranil had siphoned off state funds to defray the expenses of a private trip to the UK covering it up as part of an official tour. It was alleged that Wickremesinghe travelled to Britain on 22-23 September, 2023, to attend an event involving his wife Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe at the University of Wolverhampton.
It was further alleged that the UK visit was not official and was incorporated as part of then president Wickremesinghe’s official visit to Cuba and the USA. It was alleged that the London leg of Wickremesinghe’s 2023 trip was of a personal nature and that charging the personal visit to official expenditure amounted to an abuse of presidential powers for private benefit.
JVP-NPP tensions
Meanwhile internal tensions began to simmer between the “old” hardcore Marxist members of the JVP and the “new” liberal members of the NPP. There was suspicion that a bloc of 40 to 50 NPP parliamentarians may break away from the JVP-led Government. It was also suspected that the master strategist Ranil Wickremesinghe was involved in the exercise to split Government ranks. The resentment against Ranil within the JVP old guard increased.
There was another complicating factor also. Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the JVP-led NPP had come to power by making several promises and pledges. They had also been severely critical of Ranil Wickremesinghe and blamed his economic policies especially the agreement entered into with the IMF.
Yet after gaining power, the new President and Government had not honoured any of their major electoral pledges. Furthermore President AKD and his Government began following the same policies of Wickremesinghe especially the IMF agreement. Ranil’s stock was rising with disappointed sections of the people who had voted for the compass earlier.
The Ranil factor was looming large as a potential threat to the JVP on the political horizon. Something had to be done to counter this political threat. Despite “pooh poohing” Wickremesinghe as a spent force whose political shelf life was over, the JVP upper echelons were well aware of the potential of Wickremesinghe. Something had to be done soon, it was felt.
Alleged fraud
On 23 May 2025 a complaint regarding Wickremesinghe’s alleged fraud was lodged with the Police by an official from the Presidential secretariat on behalf of President Anura Kumara Disanayake’s Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake. Thereafter the CID began probing the matter. A “B-report” was compiled by the CID in June 2025.
The Police continued with the inquiry into Wickremesinghe’s alleged fraud. The matter was of a politically sensitive nature as it concerned a former head of state. It was also a complex legal issue as it entailed the rights and privileges of a President while undertaking an overseas trip. What are the state resources a Head of State is entitled to utilise on an official or private visit? Such a complex issue requires advice from the Attorney-General. However there is no indication from available media reports about the A-G being consulted prior to the investigation being undertaken.
The CID went ahead with its investigation and interviewed 38 persons. These included officials and security personnel who had accompanied Wickremesinghe on the UK trip. Officials attached to the Presidential secretariat as well as his secretaries were also interviewed and had their statements recorded.
Friday 22 Aug.
Finally Ranil Wickremesinghe was summoned on 19 August for an inquiry on 22 August. It is learnt that Ranil’s lawyers had advised him that he may be arrested after his statement was recorded. A pattern has been established in recent times where former ministers and ex-MPs are summoned to the CID headquarters, statements recorded, produced in courts and remanded. 22 August was a Friday and if Wickremesinghe was arrested, there was the possibility of him being remanded over the week-end without getting bail.
Ranil Wickremesinghe however was confident that he would not be arrested or remanded. He opined that only his statement would be recorded. Being a lawyer himself and also being well-versed in matters of official protocol, Ranil’s position was that he was not guilty of any offence. As such the former President and ex-Prime Minister thought, the Police would accept his statement and be satisfied. But that is not what happened on that fateful Friday.
According to media reports, after Ranil Wickremesinghe’s statement was recorded, the ex-president was arrested and taken to court by current director of the CID Shani Abeysekara and a team of CID officials. Wickremesinghe was charged under Section 5(1) of the Public Property Act and Sections 386 and 388 of the Penal Code. An alleged offence coming under the PPA is non-bailable.
Additional Solicitor-General Dileepa Peiris PC presented a 30 page B-report to court and asked that the suspect be remanded. Wickremesinghe’s lawyers sought bail on medical grounds. The magistrate remanded Ranil Wickremesinghe for four days until 26 August.
The reaction to the arrest and remanding of Ranil was unexpectedly strong. A wide section of Opposition leaders including Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sajith Premadasa condemned it strongly. Many lawyers, academics and media analysts also criticised it. UNP stalwarts accused the Government of conducting a political witch hunt targeting Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Government is accused of weaponising the law to target Wickremesinghe. The legality of the process passes muster but the question of legitimacy remains.
YouTuber Sudaa
Adding credence to the belief that the action against Wickremesinghe was vindictive and politically motivated was the curious case of the YouTuber prediction. YouTuber Sudantha Thilakasiri, popularly known as “Sudaa” is regarded as being close to the ruling JVP-led NPP Government upper echelons.
Thilakasiri had in a recent social media post, declared that if former President Wickremesinghe appeared before the CID on Friday (22) to give a statement, it would be “mandatory” for authorities to arrest him, produce him before court, and remand him for 14 days. He further claimed that if this did not happen, he would cease producing YouTube programs.
This YouTube episode has strengthened suspicion that the decision to arrest and remand Ranil had been taken earlier by the powers that be and that an insider like the you tuber had advance knowledge of it.
Political greenlight
The JVP-led NPP Government has adopted the stance that the law was taking its own course regarding Ranil Wickremesinghe and that the Police were acting independently. This position is viewed with scepticism by most people. It is hard to believe that officials would act against a person of Wickremesinghe’s stature without a political greenlight being given. There is perceptible, a deliberate move to humiliate Ranil and create a political spectacle. Besides some ministers and deputy ministers have gloated and boasted that the hunt has begun and that Wickremesinghe is likely to face more charges.
It has also been pointed out by non-partisan observers that if indeed Government funds had been wrongfully utilised for private purposes, the former President could have been given the option of reimbursing the sum. A former president should have been extended that courtesy. Had Wickremesinghe refused to pay back, the option of charging him in courts could have been considered.
It also appears that the JVP-led NPP Government has misjudged the impact of the action against Ranil. Wickremesinghe may have been singled out to be the first target because it was felt the action would not impact greatly on the public. When it comes to charges of abuse and misuse of power, there are many allegations against Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
It is well-known that whenever Mahinda Rajapaksa was accompanied by scores of relatives, hangers on and sycophants when he embarked on a foreign trip. Another allegation about Gotabaya is that he used his authority as Defence Secretary to divert a plane to Colombo to transport a pet dog. Yet the top two Rajapaksas have not been touched presumably because the JVP is wary of the political fall-out. Initially there were no such concerns about a public backlash Ranil. Hence the action against him.
Rubicon crossed
Ranil has been charged under the Public Property Law which denies bail except under exceptional circumstances. What the JVP seems to have forgotten is the extent to which it has destroyed public property in the past. It appears therefore that the crimson comrades impelled by their hatred of Ranil Wickremesinghe have rushed into an area that was unwise to tread. “The Rubicon has been crossed” as former BASL president Saliya Pieris PC observed after the arrest and remand of Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Real face uncovered
However much the Government protests and denies, it is becoming increasingly unbelievable that Ranil Wickremesinghe is not the victim of a political witch hunt. There are valid doubts as to whether the law is being weaponised to target him. As Ranil himself reportedly said when being taken to prison, “The real face of the present administration has been uncovered.”



D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
This article appears in the “Political Pulse”Column of the “Daily Financial Times”dated 5th September 2025.It can be accessed here – 
https://www.ft.lk/d-b-s-jeyaraj/Is-JVP-led-NPP-Govt-weaponising-the-law-to-target-Wickremesinghe/10496-781301#
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		‘அபிநய சரஸ்வதி’ என்று மெச்சப்பட்ட கன்னடத்துப் பைங்கிளியாக கொஞ்சும் மொழியில்  இனிமையாக பேசிய  சரோஜாதேவி தென்னிந்திய நடிகைகளில் திரையில் கவர்ந்திழுக்கும் “கஜ காமினி” யின் நடையைக் காண்பித்தவர்

				
			Posted by Administrator on 6 September 2025, 3:23 am					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ்
தமிழ் திரைப்படங்களை பார்த்து வளர்ந்த இந்த கட்டுரையாளரைப் போன்ற தமிழ்ச்சினிமா ரசிகர்களுக்கு தென்னிந்தியாவின் பழம்பெரும் நடிகை பி.சரோஜாதேவியின் மரணம் பெரும் கவலையைத் தந்தது. 2025 ஜூலை 14 ஆம் காலையில்  திகதி தனது தினசரி 30 நிமிட பூஜை வழிபாட்டைச் செய்து முடித்துவிட்டு சோபாவில் இருந்து தொலைக்காட்சி பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருந்த வேளையில்  திடீரென்று ஒரு முனகலுடன் மயங்கி விழுந்த அவரை வைத்தியசாலைக்கு கொண்டு சென்றபோது அவர் மரணமடைந்து விட்டதாக அங்கு  அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. அவருக்கு 87 வயது.
 எனது சிறுவயதில் இருந்தே நான் தமிழ்த் திரையுலகின் நடிகைகள் மத்தியில் சரோஜாதேவியின் ஒரு பெரிய ரசிகன். ஐந்து தசாப்தங்களுக்கும் அதிகமான கால திரையுலக வாழ்வைக் கொண்ட அவர் 209 படங்களில் நடித்திருக்கிறார். இவற்றில் 161 படங்களில் அவர் கதாநாயகியாக அல்லது முன்னணி பாத்திரங்களில் நடித்திருக்கிறார். மற்றைய படங்களில் அவர் துணைப் பாத்திரங்களில் அல்லது குணசித்திர பாத்திரங்களில் நடித்தார். திரையுலக வாழ்வின் ஆரம்பக் கட்டங்களில் சரோஜாதேவி நாட்டியக்காரியாகவும் தோன்றினார்.
அந்த நாட்களில்  ஒரு திரைப்படம் இடைவிடாமல் தொடர்ச்சியாக திரையிடப்படுகின்ற வாரங்களின் எண்ணிக்கையை பொறுத்தே அதன் வெற்றி தீர்மானிக்கப்பட்டது. சரோஜாதேவி கதாநாயகியாக நடித்தவற்றில் 103 படங்கள்  நூறுக்கும் அதிகமான நாட்கள் ஓடின. சில படங்கள் 25 வாரங்களுக்கும் அதிகமாக தொடர்ச்சியாக  ஓடி வெள்ளி விழாவை கண்டன. அவரின் ஒருசில படங்கள் 50 வாரங்களுக்கும் அதிகமாகவும் ஓடின.
 Continue reading ‘‘அபிநய சரஸ்வதி’ என்று மெச்சப்பட்ட கன்னடத்துப் பைங்கிளியாக கொஞ்சும் மொழியில்  இனிமையாக பேசிய  சரோஜாதேவி தென்னிந்திய நடிகைகளில் திரையில் கவர்ந்திழுக்கும் “கஜ காமினி” யின் நடையைக் காண்பித்தவர்’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Has the JVP led NPP Launched a Political Witch Hunt Targeting  Former  President Ranil Wickremesinghe ?

				
			Posted by Administrator on 5 September 2025, 3:33 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
History was made when 76 year old  Ranil Sriyan Wickremesinghe was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police Criminal Investigation Department(CID) on charges of alleged corruption and misappropriation of public funds amounting to a little over  Rupees 16.6 million.He was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate on 22 August 2025. Ranil was charged under  Section 5(1) of the Public Property Act and Sections 386 and 388 of the Penal Code.  
Six times prime minister Wickremesinghe who served as the eighth executive president of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024 was remanded for four days until 26 August by the magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura. A manacled Ranil was taken away from court precincts  in a Black Maria.  Ranil Wickremesinghe  thus became the first Sri Lankan ex-president and former Prime minister to be arrested and remanded  in the history of Sri Lanka.
Twists of Fate
The arrest and remand of Ranil Wickremesinghe  made this writer  ponder  a while on the  bizarre twists  of fate.Ranil Wickremesinghe is a person  who was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. His paternal grandfather C.L. Wickremesinghe  belonged to the prestigious Ceylon Civil service. His maternal grandfather D.R. Wijewardene was a powerful  press baron and land owner. Ranil’s father Esmond Wickremesinghe,  a lawyer by profession, married D.R.Wijewardene’s daughter Nalini .He  was for many years the Managing Director of the “Lake House”group of newspapers.
Unlike many politicians who enriched themselves  through dubious means  after entering politics,  Ranil  is one who was never corrupt personally. Wickremesinghe has many faults and flaws but was never perceived as a person lacking  financial integrity.
This image has been  dented in recent times. He has been accused of “crony capitalism” and of turning a blind eye at times to party members  and friends minting money through shady deals. Ranil  has been severely criticized for that tendency. Despite this criticism ,  no credible allegation of Ranil being personally corrupt has ever been  proved or validated. This is because it simply was not true.
 Continue reading ‘Has the JVP led NPP Launched a Political Witch Hunt Targeting  Former  President Ranil Wickremesinghe ?’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Buddhist Extremist Monks and Organizations  Cultivating Links with Israel want to Turn Sri Lanka into a Buddhist State like how Israel is a 100% Jewish State while Israel wants Sri Lanka to Provide Cheap Manual Labour and a Welcoming Recipient of Israeli Tourists

				
			Posted by Administrator on 3 September 2025, 6:18 pm					

			


			
		
						By Tisaranee Gunasekara
“Let’s learn from Israel how to create a Sinhala-Buddhist state” – National Organiser, Sinhala Ravaya (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb3x0M7AgKw)

 
Angunugalle Sri Jinananda thero is yet to achieve the notoriety of a Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara or an Akmeemana Dayaratane. He deserves to. To him belongs the distinction of turning the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) from a law aimed at safeguarding individual rights to an instrument of persecution.
In February 2019, the monk wrote a letter to the IGP urging him to use the ICCPR to incarcerate a young Lankan (Sinhala-Buddhist) writer, Shakthika Sathkumara for penning a short story ‘defaming Buddhism’. Previously the same monk had lodged a complaint – unsuccessfully – against director Malaka Dewapriya and his radio drama series ‘Kanata Parak’. This time, the IGP paid heed. Sathkumara was summoned to the Polgahawela police on 1 April 2019, arrested, and held in the Kegalle prison for 130 days. No preliminary inquiry was carried out and the B Report just contained the complaint by the monk, the writer claimed.
Other arrests under the ICCPR followed, the most infamous being the incarceration of comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya for remarks considered “lese majesté” towards King Suddodana (father of Prince Siddhartha). Akmeemana Dayaratane thero of Sinhala Ravaya and other monks who lodged the complaint against Edirisooriya went so far as to demand that audience members who laughed at her ‘blasphemous’ jokes should also be arrested.
That particular spate of witch-hunting ended with the landmark bail order in Edirisooriya’s case by Colombo high court judge Aditya Patabendi. He pointed out the illegality of using Section 3 of the ICCPR Act against individuals for making statements considered hurtful to a racial or religious group. “Especially, just because a complaint is made by a Buddhist monk or another religious leader or an influential person in society, it is not the task of an investigator to arrest a person based on that alone,” he emphasised.
The monk who pioneered the abusive use of the ICCPR Act as an anti-blasphemy law now has a new cause – promoting Israel in Sri Lanka.
 Continue reading ‘Buddhist Extremist Monks and Organizations  Cultivating Links with Israel want to Turn Sri Lanka into a Buddhist State like how Israel is a 100% Jewish State while Israel wants Sri Lanka to Provide Cheap Manual Labour and a Welcoming Recipient of Israeli Tourists’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதி ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்கவின் சர்ச்சைக்குரிய கைது, குற்றச்சாட்டு, விளக்கமறியல், பிணையில் விடுதலை

				
			Posted by Administrator on 3 September 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ் 
முன்னாள் இலங்கை ஜனாதிபதி ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க 2025 ஆகஸ்ட் 22 ஆம் திகதி வெள்ளிக்கிழமை இலங்கை பொலிஸின்  குற்றவியல் புலனாய்வு திணைக்களத்தினால் (சி.ஐ.டி.)  கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். அதை அடுத்து அவர் கொழும்பு கோட்டை மாஜிஸ்திரேட் முன்னிலையில் ஆஜர் செய்யப்பட்டதை தொடர்ந்து 2025 ஆகஸ்ட் 26  ஆம் திகதி வரை விளக்கமறியில் வைக்கப்பட்டார்.  கடந்த காலத்தில் ஆறு தடவைகள் பிரதமராக பதவி வகித்த 76 வயதான விக்கிரமசிங்க இலங்கையின் வரலாற்றில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு விளக்கமறியலில் வைக்கப்பட்ட முதலாவது முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதியாவார்.
மகசீன் சிறைச்சாலைக்கு கூட்டிச் செல்லப்பட்ட பிறகு முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதியின் உடல்நிலை மோசமடைந்தது. அங்கிருந்து வெலிக்கடைச் சிசை்சாலை வைத்தியசாலைக்கு மாற்றப்பட்ட அவர் பிறகு கொழும்பு தேசிய வைத்தியசாலையின் தீவிர சிகிச்சைப் பிரிவில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டார். அவருக்கு இரத்தக் குழாய்களில் மூன்று அடைப்புகள் ஏற்பட்டிருப்பதாகவும் இருதய தசைகள் அழுகல், நீரிழிவு மற்றும் சுவாசப்பையில் தொற்றுநோயினால் பீடிக்கப்பட்டிருபாத்கவும் கண்டறியப்பட்டது. இந்த நோய் நிலைமைகள் அவரின் வெளித் தோற்றத்தில் தெரிவதில்லை.  அவர் இருதய நோயினால் கடந்த ஏழு வருடங்களாக பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருநதார்.
கொழும்பு கோட்டை மாஜிஸ்திரேட் நீதிமன்றத்தில் அவரது வழக்கு 2025 ஆகஸ்ட் 26 ஆம் திகதி விசாரணைக்கு எடுக்கப்பட்டபோது உடல்நிலை காரணமாக விக்கிரமசிங்கவினால் நீதிமன்றத்துக்கு வரமுடியாமல் போய்விட்டது. தேசிய வைத்தியசாலையின் தீவிர சிகிச்சைப் பிரிவில் படுக்கையில் இருந்த வண்ணமே இணையத்தின் ஊடாக தனது பிரசன்னத்தை அவர் பதிவு செய்தார்.
முன்னாள் சட்டமா அதிபரும் அமைச்சருமான திலக் மாரப்பன மற்றும் சிரேஷ்ட ஜனாதிபதி சட்டத்தரணி அனுஜா பிரேமரத்ன தலைமையிலான சட்டத்தரணிகள் குழுவொன்று ரணிலின் சார்பில் ஆஜராகி அவரது உடல்நிலையை காரணமாகக்கொண்டு  பிணையில் விடுதலை செய்யுமாறு கோரியது. அவரின் நிலைமை தொடர்பான  விரிவான மருத்துவ அறிக்கைகள் நீதிமன்றத்தில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்பட்டன.
விக்கிரமசிங்கவுக்கு பிணை வழங்குவதை சட்டமா அதிபர் திணைக்களம் கடுமையாக எதிர்த்தது. ” சந்தேகநபர் மீது  ” பொதுச் சொத்துக்கள் சட்டத்தின் கீழ் குற்றம் சுமத்தப்பட்டிருக்கிறது என்றும் அதனால் பிரத்தியேகமான சூழ்நிலைகளை தவிர மற்றும்படி அவரை பிணையில் விடுதலை செய்யமுடியாது என்றும  மேலதிக சொலிசிட்டர் ஜெனரல் திலீபா பீரிஸ்  நீதிமன்றத்தில் வலியுறுத்திக் கூறினார்.
இரு தரப்புகளினதும் வாதங்களை கேட்டதுடன் மருத்துவ அறிக்கைகளையும் பரிசீலனை செய்த பிறகு கொழும்பு கோட்டை மாஜிஸ்திரேட் நிலுப்புலி லங்காபுர விக்கிரமசிங்கவை தலா ஐம்பது இலட்சம் ரூபா மூன்று ஆளுறுதிப் பிணையில் விடுதலை  செய்தார். வழக்கு விசாரணை 2025 அக்டோபர்  29 ஆம் திகதிக்கு ஒத்திவைக்கப்பட்டது.  பிணை வழங்கப்பட்டதை விக்கிரமசிங்கவின் நலன்விரும்பிகளும் ஆதரவாளர்களும் குதூகலத்துடன் வரவேற்றனர்.
 Continue reading ‘முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதி ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்கவின் சர்ச்சைக்குரிய கைது, குற்றச்சாட்டு, விளக்கமறியல், பிணையில் விடுதலை’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Remembering  Legendary Trade Union Leader amd Trotskyite Firebrand   Comrade  Bala Tampoe .

				
			Posted by Administrator on 1 September 2025, 6:18 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj
(This article was written in May 2022 to commemorate the birth centenary of  Firebrand Trade Union Leader Bala Tampoe.It is re-posted without any changes here  to denote his 11th death anniversary on September 1st 2025)
The “Political Pulse”column focuses  this week on a man who was perhaps the last of the great trade unionists. A legend in his lifetime who was at the helm of a vibrant trade union   continuously for a   period of sixty six years – an unsurpassed record! I am of course referring to comrade Bala Tampoe  who was the Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU)  General Secretary from 1948 to 2014. Though called the CMU still, the amended name of the union is now The Ceylon Mercantile, Industrial and General Workers Union. The  trade union firebrand  is  no more with us having passed away in September   2014. Bala Tampoe’s  birth centenary  was on May 23rd.


 
Bala Tampoe was a colourful personality of multiple dimensions. Underground member of the Lanka Sama Samaaja Party (LSSP), during the second World War days; Agricultural Dept. lecturer who lost his job due to involvement in a general strike; leader of the same trade union for more than six decades; fiery orator known for defiant speeches; witness of the Independence ceremony of Ceylon when the Union Jack was replaced; key organizer of the historic 1953 ‘Hartal’; one time Central Committee and Politbureau member of the largest Trotskyite party recognized by the fourth international; architect of many strikes, including one which paralyzed the Colombo harbour causing declaration of emergency; one of the trouble-making leftists earmarked for incarceration at the Naval armoury by the 1962 coup d’etat planners; pioneer of a collective agreement that proved to be a model for many such agreements; trade union leader who ushered in the payment of allowance scheme based on the rise in the cost of living index; man behind a series of strikes leading to progressive measures regarding termination of employment; co-leader of revolutionary breakaway group in LSSP that formed its own party; unsuccessful candidate in three parliamentary polls; lawyer who defended JVP comrades free-of-charge after the 1971 insurgency; dedicated trade unionist who drove to office and back for six days of work, even at the age of 92. These are, but a few facets of comrade Bala Tampoe.
 Continue reading ‘Remembering  Legendary Trade Union Leader amd Trotskyite Firebrand   Comrade  Bala Tampoe .’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Sri Lanka born Ruwan Jayakody: Culinary Excellence and Entrepreneurial Vision from Toronto to the World

				
			Posted by Administrator on 1 September 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

Rico Franco
There is something to be said about individuals who ensure that people get only the best, because it is what they deserve. Ruwan Jayakody is one such individual, as he stands in his Grand Cinnamon Banquet and Convention Centre, watching servers prepare for another sold-out event. The premiere venue represents just one facet of a major business built from flour, sugar, and driven ambition.
 Born in rural Ruwanwella, Sri Lanka, among generations of farmers, Jayakody has taken the path from cowboy to world-renowned celebrity chef, accumulating 42 years of hospitality expertise across four continents.
Originally pursuing a high school to university path in engineering, journalism, and as a cartoonist in both broadcasting and major newspaper companies in Sri Lanka, Jayakody decided in the early 1980s instead to become an apprentice cook. Within just a decade, he had graduated from Ceylon Hotel School and trained under masters Gaston Le Notre in France and Willy Pfund in Zurich, collecting diplomas in French and German languages along the way.
 Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka born Ruwan Jayakody: Culinary Excellence and Entrepreneurial Vision from Toronto to the World’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Sri Lankan  President Anura Kumara Dissanayake makes  a quick, unannounced visit to Katchatheevu, after vowing to safeguard “seas and islands” around the country and resist any “external pressure”.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 1 September 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						

By

Meera  Srinivasan
Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake — who was on Monday (September 1, 2025) in the northern Jaffna district to launch development projects — made a quick, unannounced visit to Katchatheevu, after vowing to safeguard “seas and islands” around the country and resist any “external pressure”.  
Jaffna media was caught by surprise as the President’s trip to the island, by a naval speed boat according to local news reports, was not mentioned in his official itinerary.  
The visit followed a ceremony to begin the expansion of the Myliddy Fisheries Harbour in Jaffna, a project aimed at boosting livelihoods of war-affected fishermen. Speaking at the event, Mr. Dissanayake said: “The government is committed to safeguarding the surrounding seas, islands, and landmass of the country for the benefit of the people and will not allow any external force to exert influence in this regard.”
 Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan  President Anura Kumara Dissanayake makes  a quick, unannounced visit to Katchatheevu, after vowing to safeguard “seas and islands” around the country and resist any “external pressure”.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		“CHEMMANI” ;  Journalist Trio  Comprising Two Sinhala and  One Muslim  Publishes  Book in Sinhala   Revealing the  History of the Discovery of Mass Graves in Chemmani,Jaffna

				
			Posted by Administrator on 1 September 2025, 1:11 am					

			


			
		
						.

By

Meera  Srinivasan
For six months now, a team of archaeologists and forensic experts has been unearthing human remains from a mass grave in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka. The number of skeletons retrieved has now crossed 200, including some of children.
The grave site and the mounting toll of human remains found in it dominate daily headlines in the country’s Tamil media, while receiving little attention in the country’s mainstream English and Sinhala media. In response to this gnawing gap, three young journalists decided they must tell the story to the majority community, Sinhala-speakers. Wasting no time, they pooled resources and made multiple reporting trips and conducted several interviews with locals and experts over the last few months to write Chemmani, a Sinhala-language book on the mass grave site in the locality, believed to contain the remains of Tamil civilians, and dating back to the mid-1990s, shortly after the Sri Lanka military captured Jaffna.
Authored by independent journalists Tharindu Jayawardhana, M.F.M. Fazeer, and Tharindu Uduwaragedara, who are members of the Young Journalists’ Association, the slim book was recently launched at the packed auditorium of the National Library in Colombo. It is a bold attempt by the writers — two Sinhalese and one Muslim [Sri Lanka’s Muslims are Tamil-speaking, but identify as a distinct ethno-religious group] — to uncover a troubling wartime episode for Sinhalese readers, who emphatically reject allegations of atrocities by state forces against Tamils.
 Continue reading ‘“CHEMMANI” ;  Journalist Trio  Comprising Two Sinhala and  One Muslim  Publishes  Book in Sinhala   Revealing the  History of the Discovery of Mass Graves in Chemmani,Jaffna’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Why is the NPP Govt in a hurry to Replace the PTA Within a Short Period? Will the Counter Terrorism Act Draft and Anti -Terror Bill be the Blueprints for the NPP Govt’s new Counter Terror  or Anti-Terror Legislation?

				
			Posted by Administrator on 1 September 2025, 12:54 am					

			


			
		
						By

Kishali  Pinto- Jayawardene
The announcement by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs late last week, that a new law to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) would be published in the gazette ‘by the beginning of September 2025,’ is akin to a bolt of lightning from sunny blue skies.
Dazzled by a ‘false dawn’?
The month of September is notable, among other things, for the trek to Geneva where the Government periodically defends itself against probing questions on the State’s human rights record stemming from various resolutions on the status of ‘truth, reconciliation and accountability’ that have become trite catchwords.
 This time around, that uncomfortable trek to expostulate, explain and elucidate the Government’s stand comes in the wake of a ‘democratic dawn’ for the country as promised by the National Peoples’ Power (NPP.
Relevantly, this is in the context of the UN High Commissioner submitting an update to the Human Rights Council that was, much like the curate’s egg, soft in parts and hard in other parts if I am to twist that popular idiom. 
The update observed that the combination of the Online Safety Act (OSA) and the PTA comprises a ‘powerfully constricting legal framework’ for Sri Lankan citizens. That led to an ‘undue restriction of the right to freedom of opinion and expression,’ the High Commissioner said.
 Continue reading ‘Why is the NPP Govt in a hurry to Replace the PTA Within a Short Period? Will the Counter Terrorism Act Draft and Anti -Terror Bill be the Blueprints for the NPP Govt’s new Counter Terror  or Anti-Terror Legislation?’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		The  Controversial Arrest, Remand  and Release on Bail of Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 28 August 2025, 9:00 pm					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department(CID) of the Sri Lankan Police on Friday 22nd August 2025. Subsequently he was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate and remanded until  26  August 2025. 76 year old Wickremesinghe who has also  been sworn in as Prime Minister six times in the past became the first Sri Lankan ex-president to be arrested and remanded in the Island’s history.
The former President’s health condition  worsened after being taken to the Magazine prison.He was moved  to the Welikade prison hosotal and transferred from there to the Colombo National Hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit there.  Consequently it was diagnosed that Wickremesinghe was suffering  from three blocked arteries, necrosis of heart tissues, diabetes, and a lung infection. These conditions  were not outwardly visible. He had been afflicted by heart ailments for the past seven years.
When the case was taken up again at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s court, Ranil Wickremesinghe was unable to attend court due to his health condition. The former President marked his presence in court through Zoom via Internet from his hospital bed at the National Hospital ICU.
A panel of lawyers led by Former Attorney-General and EX-Minister Tilak Marapana and senior President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne appeared for Wickremesinghe appeared on behalf of Ranil and sought bail for the former President on health grounds. Medical reports pertaining to Wickremesinghe were submitted in detail to court.
 The Attorney-General’s Department opposed the granting of bail to Wickremesinghe. Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris  reiterated in court that the “suspect”had been charged under the Public Property Act and therefore bail could not be granted except under exceptional circumstances.
Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura after hearing both sides and examining the medical records granted bail to ex-president Ranil Wickremesinghe on three surety bails of Five million rupees each.  The case will be heard next on 29 October 2025.  The granting of bail was hailed with great joy by well-wishers and supporters of Ranil Wickremesinghe.
 The interrogation, arrest,remanding and release on bail of  former President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has caused much co excitement of a controversial nature.
 Continue reading ‘The  Controversial Arrest, Remand  and Release on Bail of Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		இரண்டு நோக்கங்களுக்காக  வடக்கு, கிழக்கில்  அரைநாள் ஹர்த்தால் நடத்திய தமிழரசு கட்சி :  முதலாவது முல்லைத்தீவு மாவட்டத்தில் இராணுவத்தினரின் தாக்குதலில் குடிமகன் ஒருவர் கொல்லப்பட்டது; இரண்டாவது வடக்கு, கிழக்கில் குடிமக்கள் மத்தியில் பெருமளவு இராணுவத்தினர் இருப்பதனால் ஏற்படுகின்ற பிரச்சினைகளை கவனத்துக்கு கொண்டுவருவது.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 28 August 2025, 6:00 pm					

			


			
		
						டி.பி.எஸ். ஜெயராஜ் 
 ” ஹர்த்தால் “என்பது பிரிட்டிஷ் ஆட்சிக்காலத்தில் இந்தியா,  இலங்கை  மற்றும் மலேசியா போன்ற நாடுகளில் அரசியல் உரையாடல்களில் பிரவேசித்த ஒரு சொல். இந்த குஜராத்திச் சொல் இருபதாம் நூற்றாண்டில் இந்திய சுதந்திரப் போராட்டத்தின்போது மகாத்மா காந்தியினால் பிரபல்யப்படுத்தப்பட்டது. வேலைத்தலங்கள், கடைகள், பாடசாலைகள், போக்குவரத்துச் சேவைகள்  மற்றும் நீதிமன்றங்களை முற்றாக மூடுவதையே ஹர்த்தால் என்ற ஹர்த்தால் குறித்து நிற்கிறது.
காந்தி தலைமையிலான இந்திய தேசிய காங்கிரஸ் பிரிட்டனிடமிருந்து சுதந்திரம் பெறுவதற்கான அதன் போராட்டத்தில்  அடிக்கடி சிவில் ஒத்துழையாமை இயக்கத்தை முன்னெடுத்தது. மகாத்மா குஜராத்தி என்பதால் வேலைநிறுத்தங்கள் மற்றும்  கடையடைப்புக்களுக்கு வழிவகுத்த மக்கள் போராட்டங்களை வர்ணிப்பதற்கு ஹர்த்தால் என்ற சொல்லைப் பயன்படுத்தினார்.
மலையகப் பகுதிகளில் இந்திய வம்சாவளி  தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர்களை பிரதிநிதித்துவப்படுத்திய அமைப்புக்கள் மற்றும் தொழிற்சங்கங்களினாலேயே இலங்கைக்கு ஹர்த்தால் என்ற சொல் முதன்முதலாக அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டது.  வேலைநிறுத்தப் போராட்டங்களுடன் சேர்ந்து ‘ ஹர்த்தால் ‘ கடையடைப்பும் அடிக்கடி இடம்பெற்றது.
சுதந்திரத்துக்கு பின்னரான காலப்பகுதியில் சிங்களவர்களின் ஆதிக்கத்திலான அரசை அரசியல் ரீதியில் இலங்கைத் தமிழர்கள் எதிர்க்கத் தொடங்கியபோது  இலங்கை தமிழரசு கட்சியினால் பல்வேறு ஹர்த்தால்கள் நடத்தப்பட்டன. தமிழ்ப் போராளி இயக்கங்களும் கடந்த காலத்தில் ஹர்த்தால்களை அனுஷ்டித்தன. 
ஆனால், 1953 ஆம் ஆண்டில் ஐக்கிய தேசிய கட்சி அரசாங்கத்துக்கு எதிராக வேலை நிறுத்தத்துடன் கூடிய மக்கள் போராட்டம் முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்ட வேளையிலேயே ஹர்த்தால் என்ற சொல் பிரபலமானதாக வந்தது. பிரதமர் டட்லி சேனநாயக்க தலைமையிலான அன்றைய  ஐக்கிய தேசிய கட்சி அரிசி மானியத்தை அகற்றியதை அடுத்து அரிசியின் விலை 180 சதவீதத்தால் அதிகரித்தது. வேறு பொரூட்களின் விலைகளும் அதிகரித்தன. 1953 ஆகஸ்ட் 12  ஹர்த்தாலுக்கான அறைகூவல்  லங்கா சமசமாஜ கட்சி, இலங்கை கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி, புரட்சிகர லங்கா சமசமாஜ கட்சி  மற்றும் தமிழரசு கட்சியினால் விடுக்கப்பட்டது. ஹர்த்தால் போராட்டத்தின்போது பொலிசாரின் துப்பாக்கிப் பிரயோகத்தில் பத்துப் பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டனர். இறுதியில் டட்லி சேனநாயக்க பதவியில் இருந்து விலகினார். சேர்  ஜோன் கொத்தலாவல புதிய பிரதமராகப் பதவிக்கு வந்தார்.
தமிழரசு கட்சி 
ஆகஸ்ட் 18 திங்கட்கிழமை தமிழரசு கட்சி ஹர்த்தால் ஒன்றை நடத்தியபோது ஹர்த்தால் என்ற சொல் செய்திகளில் பெருமளவுக்கு முக்கியத்துவம் பெற்றது. தமிழரசு கட்சி  இலங்கையின் வடக்கு, கிழக்கு மாகாணங்களில் பிரதான அரசியல் கட்சி. வடக்கு, கிழக்கில் சகல மாவட்டங்களிலும்  பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களைக் கொண்ட அந்த கட்சி பாராளுமன்றத்தில் மூனாறாவது பெரிய கட்சியாகவும் விளங்குகிறது. இரு மாகாணஙாகளிலும் 35 உள்ளூராட்சி சபைகளின் நிருவாகங்களும் தமிழரசு கட்சியின் கட்டுபாட்டில் உள்ளன. 
இரண்டு காரணங்களுக்காக தமிழரசு கட்சி வடக்கு, கிழக்கில் ஹர்த்தாலுக்கு அழைப்பு விடுத்தது. முல்லைத்தீவு மாவட்டத்தில் இராணுவத்தினரின் தாக்குதலில் குடிமகன் ஒருவர் கொல்லப்பட்டதாக சந்தேகிக்கப்படும் சம்பவத்தை  கண்டனம் செய்வது முதலாவது காரணம். வடக்கு, கிழக்கில் குடிமக்கள் மத்தியில் பெருமளவு இராணுவத்தினர் இருப்பதனால் ஏற்படுகின்ற பிரச்சினைகளை கவனத்துக்கு கொண்டுவந்து இரு மாகாணங்களிலும் இராணுவத்தின் பலத்தை குறைக்க வேண்டும் என்று கோருவது இரண்டாவது காரணம்.
 Continue reading ‘இரண்டு நோக்கங்களுக்காக  வடக்கு, கிழக்கில்  அரைநாள் ஹர்த்தால் நடத்திய தமிழரசு கட்சி :  முதலாவது முல்லைத்தீவு மாவட்டத்தில் இராணுவத்தினரின் தாக்குதலில் குடிமகன் ஒருவர் கொல்லப்பட்டது; இரண்டாவது வடக்கு, கிழக்கில் குடிமக்கள் மத்தியில் பெருமளவு இராணுவத்தினர் இருப்பதனால் ஏற்படுகின்ற பிரச்சினைகளை கவனத்துக்கு கொண்டுவருவது.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		Sri Lanka’s former President Ranil Wickremesinghe ,arrested on charges of misuse of state funds,  granted bail:  has been in hospital since he was remanded on August 22

				
			Posted by Administrator on 26 August 2025, 8:47 am					

			


			
		
						By

Meera  Srinivasan
The Colombo Fort Magistrate Court on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) granted bail to Sri Lanka’s ex-President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested on August 22, 2025, for allegedly misusing state funds.
The bail was granted on health grounds following the hearing on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) afternoon, amid tight security around the court, where Mr. Wickremesinghe’s supporters had gathered.
 Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s former President Ranil Wickremesinghe ,arrested on charges of misuse of state funds,  granted bail:  has been in hospital since he was remanded on August 22’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		ITAK  Launches Half-day Hartal  in North-East Over Alleged Killing of Tamil Youth by Army and Excessive Military Presence Amidst Civilian Habitats.

				
			Posted by Administrator on 25 August 2025, 3:33 am					

			


			
		
						By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj
“Hartal” is a word that entered the political discourse of countries like  India , Sri Lanka  and Malaysia during British rule. The Gujarati word  was popularised by Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian freedom struggle in the 20th century. A Hartal denotes  a total shutdown of workplaces, offices, shops, schools,transport services  and courts of law. The  Gandhi-led Indian National Congress often resorted to such  civil disobedience protests  in their campaign for independence from Britain. The Mahatma being a Gujarati himself used the Gujarati  word Hartal to describe the  mass protests resulting in stoppages of work and shutting  down of business activity.
The term Hartal was  first introduced to Sri Lanka known formerly as Ceylon by organizations and  Trade unions representing the Plantation workers of Indian descent in the hill country areas. Strike action was often coupled with a “Hartal”shutdown. 
When the Sri Lankan Tamils began  politically opposing the Sinhala dominated  State in the post Independence period,  several Hartals were conducted by the Ilankai  Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) known in English as the Federal Party(FP). Even Tamil militant organizations have observed Hartals in the past.
However the word Hartal became famous in 1953 when an Island-wide mass protest cum strike action  was launched against the United National Party(UNP)Government in power  then.The UNP Govt led by PM Dudley Senanayake had removed the rice subsidy thereby increasing the price of rice by 180 % .There were other price increases also.The call for the 1953 August Hartal was made by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party(LSSP, Communist Party(CP), Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party(VLSSP) and the ITAK/FP. The  Hartal protest resulted in the Police shooting dead 10 persons.Eventually Dudley Senanayake resigned and Sir John Kotelawela became Premier.
Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi   
The term Hartal was very much in the news this week when the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi   launched a Hartal on Monday  August  18th . The ITAK is the premier political party of the Sri Lankan Tamils of the Northern and Eastern provinces. Incidently the ITAK is the third largest party in Parliament with   MPs representing all electoral  districts in the North and East. The ITAK  also heads 35 Local authorities in the N-E .
 The ITAK declared a Hartal in the north and east  for two related reasons The first  was to  condemn and protest the  suspected killing of a Tamil civilian by the military in the Mullaitheevu district. The second was to draw attention to the problem of large numbers of the Sri Lankan armed forces being stationed amidst civilians in the North and east and renew the demand to reduce and relocate  military personnel in the two provinces.
 Continue reading ‘ITAK  Launches Half-day Hartal  in North-East Over Alleged Killing of Tamil Youth by Army and Excessive Military Presence Amidst Civilian Habitats.’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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		When a President travels whether to Anuradhapura  to see his mother , or to London  to accompany his spouse , does the law expect the head of state to discard the security trappings of that office?

				
			Posted by Administrator on 25 August 2025, 3:00 am					

			


			
		
						

By

Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene
The National Peoples’ Power (NPP) Government may well have achieved the impossible by a clumsily handled arrest and remanding of former Executive President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe this Friday (August 22nd 2025) over alleged misuse of public property in expending LKR 16.6 million on a ‘diversionary’ transit in the United Kingdom while returning from state visits to the United States and Cuba as a sitting President at the time.
Speaking to the public gallery
That diversion was to attend the conferral of an honorary professorship on the former President’s spouse by a (somewhat less distinguished) British university with some of the expended costs during this one and a half day transit reportedly going towards supporting security and personal staff. Some have yawned that this is a meaningless controversy when measured against grand political corruption in Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, others expound in stupefied tones on the ‘incredible’ wastage of funds on a passing transit. That includes the state law officer tasked with handling the case against Mr Wickremesinghe who reportedly held forth to the public gallery in the Fort Magistrate’s Court to the effect that such sums had been expended by the former President while Sri Lanka was undergoing a foreign exchange crisis after declaring bankruptcy in 2022.
These sentiments cannily evoke all the inflammatory trigger points of the ‘elites against the rest’ which is the NPP’s rallying cry. But the legal point in question is hardly that. It matters not that LKR 16.6 million, LKR 6.6 million or LKR 66 was allegedly spent by the former President. Billions, multi millions or millions as the case may be, even if a single rupee was spent out of state funds for purposes ‘not authorized by law’, the offence is the same in regard to ‘dishonest misappropriation of property.’
 Continue reading ‘When a President travels whether to Anuradhapura  to see his mother , or to London  to accompany his spouse , does the law expect the head of state to discard the security trappings of that office?’ »
					

	
	
	
								
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 Articles by D.B.S. Jeyaraj – dbsjeyaraj.com
♥ “Singara Velanae Deva”- S.Janaki’s Superb Solo in Abheri  Raga with  Karukkuruchi Arunasalam’s Nadaswaram Accompaniment ♫By D.B.S. Jeyaraj Favourite Film Songs – 3 Sishtla Sreeramamurthy Janaki popularly known as S. Janaki is widely praised as the “Nightingale of the South” .In a splendid career spanning over sixty years Janaki has sung over 20,000 songs for films made in 16 different languages.The Southern nightingale has won four national awards and 31 […]
“Dingiri Dingaaley Meenatchi, Dingiri Dingaaley”- Rocking “Baila”-Type Song ♫♥By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Favourite Film Songs -2 “ Dingiri Dingaale Meenatchi Dingiri Dingaale, Ulagam Poara Poakkaip Paaru Thangamay Chiillaaley” was a song that rocked Sri Lanka then known as Ceylon in 1958-59 and the years after. The rhapsodic song from a Tamil film “Anbu Engey?”was widely popular during my childhood days. It was released in Sri […]
“Neela Vannak Kannaa Vaadaa” – Uplifting Lullaby Sung By Balasaraswathi Devi ♥ ♫by D.B.S.Jeyaraj Favourite Film Songs -1 This article is the first in an on going series about film songs I have come to love over the years.Watching Tamil movies on screen and listening to Tamil film songs over radio was an integral part of life for me as a child growing up in Colombo. The […]			

		
Special Feature
			


D.B.S. Jeyaraj’s Journey Home: Journalist in Exile Visits Sri Lanka for the First Time in 25 Years

Marianne David Interviews DBS Jeyaraj for DailyFT

Pix by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Forced into exile 25 years ago and compelled to stay away in order to stay alive, journalist D.B.S. Jeyaraj always dreamt of returning to Sri Lanka. That flame of hope flickered occasionally, as the war dragged on and then escalated despite intermittent ceasefires, but he never let it go out entirely.



		
			





		
			

		 Articles by D.B.S. Jeyaraj – dbsjeyaraj.com
♥ “Singara Velanae Deva”- S.Janaki’s Superb Solo in Abheri  Raga with  Karukkuruchi Arunasalam’s Nadaswaram Accompaniment ♫ January 27, 2026
“Dingiri Dingaaley Meenatchi, Dingiri Dingaaley”- Rocking “Baila”-Type Song ♫♥ January 26, 2026
“Neela Vannak Kannaa Vaadaa” – Uplifting Lullaby Sung By Balasaraswathi Devi ♥ ♫ January 21, 2026
20th Anniversary of Gruesome Killing of Five Tamil Students in Trinco Town: Emblematic Case of Impunity January 5, 2026
Five of my Favourite  Christmas Carols – How they Originated and Became Widely Popular December 26, 2025
Murder in the Cathedral: Christmas Killing of TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham December 26, 2025
Little-known Facts About  Legendary LTTE Leader Veluppillai  Prabhakaran November 26, 2025
“Kaadhal Mannan” Gemini Ganesan: On- screen Romancer and Off-screen Casanova. November 18, 2025
Southern Skylark Susheela Soars  To ‘Record’ Heights In  Singing  Film Songs ♫♥ November 15, 2025
Sivaji Ganesan Made Many Tamils Appreciate Their  Vibrant   Language More September 30, 2025
“Nagaichuvai Mannan” Nagesh: The Comedy King of Tamil Cinema September 27, 2025
Murder Most Foul: Assassination of  Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike September 26, 2025
Remembering  Legendary Trade Union Leader amd Trotskyite Firebrand   Comrade  Bala Tampoe . September 1, 2025
The Assassination of  Batticaloa “Virakesari” Journalist  Aiyathurai Nadesan  in Broad Daylight  21 Years ago June 2, 2025
M.N.Nambiar : The  Virtuous Villain of Tamil Cinema who Terrified People by his Grimaces and Scowls March 10, 2025
Brahmin “Boss Lady” Jayalalithaa Jayaram  had “Dravidian”  AIADMK Party Members  at her Feet Both Metaphorically and Literally. February 25, 2025
Evergreen Memories of Actor-Politician Vijaya Kumaratunga February 16, 2025
♬ P. Leela, ‘Forgotten’ Singer Who Sang Unforgettable  Songs In Tamil Cinema ♥ May 29, 2024
Why did Minister Tiran Alles sign  the outsourcing deal with VFS Global when there’s no rationale for outsourcing since Lankan officials have been handling on-arrival visas since 2012 without a problem. May 9, 2024
Re-visiting the Killing of Subathiran Alias Robert by a Tiger Sniper  20 Years ago June 14, 2023			

		
			

		
					
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Special Feature
			


D.B.S. Jeyaraj’s Journey Home: Journalist in Exile Visits Sri Lanka for the First Time in 25 Years

Marianne David Interviews DBS Jeyaraj for DailyFT

Pix by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Forced into exile 25 years ago and compelled to stay away in order to stay alive, journalist D.B.S. Jeyaraj always dreamt of returning to Sri Lanka. That flame of hope flickered occasionally, as the war dragged on and then escalated despite intermittent ceasefires, but he never let it go out entirely.


		
		
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