JAFFNA Painful Past to Promising Future
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JAFFNA painful past to promising future Aloysius Jeyarajah Aseervatham & Anton Xavier Rajinthrakumar 2018 © Copyright 2018, Aloysius Aseervatham & Anton Rajinthrakumar All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the authors. ISBN: 978-1-643-70986-4 ISBN: 978-1-644-40978-7 eBook CONTENTS FOREWORD PREFACE AN APPRECIATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TAMILS OF JAFFNA ORIGIN IN THE PRESENT WORLD SOCIO-CULTURAL ARTICLES A Brief History and Geography The Changing Values and Attitudes in Jaffna Striving for Peaceful Co-Existence Fostering Tamil Unity Role of Tamil Diaspora EDUCATION ARTICLES Enhancing Educational Quality of all Tamil Students Inspiring Educational Leaders Importance of the University of Jaffna ECONOMY & DEVELOPMENT ARTICLES Recipe for Jaffna’s Prosperity The World Bank Project for Jaffna Aviation for Northern Province Entrepreneurship Awareness for Jaffna Importance of Good Quality Water For Jaffna – An Analysis Farming Practice Changes for Jaffna Promoting Palmyrah Products Jaffna of the future GENERAL ARTICLES Jaffna and fourth industrial revolution Northern Idyll Healthcare improvement Projects for North and East Tamils Outside of Northern Province Need For More Meaningful Steps Places of interest in Jaffna Post-War Sri Lanka – The Way Forward FOREWORD Aloysius Aseervatham (Aseer to me) is an indefatigable writer. He has joined force with an aspiring writer, Anton Xavier Rajinthrakumar of Toronto, to write yet another book. Both authors are alumni of St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna. The latest venture is titled ‘JAFFNA’, the name of the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the cultural capital of Tamils, from where most of the Tamils have emigrated to live in various parts of the world. Having grasped fully the reality of present day life in Jaffna, the authors invoke in us nostalgic memories of the pleasant and peaceful lives some of us, who were fortunate, had there in the past. In a long list of articles and memoirs that include history, geography, changing values and attitudes of people after the civil strife, role of the Tamil diaspora, a recipe for the region’s prosperity, necessity for peaceful co-existence etc. they pour their hearts out and burn our souls too. Life in Jaffna has changed so much over the last couple of decades. Obviously, during the civil strife, the painful reality made many people to say, “Gone are the days of peace and serenity when education thrived, farming blossomed, fishing industry flourished and so on”. Civil Strife set in like a bomb-shell and overturned the normal lives of the people while destroying the peninsular economy. While many perished, others had to flee from their homes, most of them to foreign climes. However, many continued to live there but penniless. The war has ceased, but the onus is on all stakeholders to work together to ensure durable peace and prosperity. This is the scenario which this book poignantly strives to portray. It offers thoughtful proposals and practical solutions for a better life for the people. The authors have studiously avoided petty politics and pointing fingers at any one. If they have awakened those of us fortunate to lead better lives overseas to the realities of present day ‘Jaffna’ and the overall necessity to build a peaceful and contented society there, and develop the peninsula economically, then they have in fact succeeded in their noble task of writing this book. Thank you Aseer and Anton. Please continue to do more. Benedict (Benny) Thomas Toronto, Canada July 2018 Benny Thomas is a retired Accounting professional. He is a prolific writer of articles and reviews for various journals and magazines. He was Aloysius’ contemporary at St. Patrick’s college, Jaffna and also a good friend and classmate of Anton’s father Mr. Raphael L. Xavier at the same college. PREFACE Jaffna - A town and a peninsula that is dear to our hearts, and to countless others who remember it as home. This book is inspired by numerous constructive conversations reminiscing about what Jaffna was, and what it could be in the future. A collection of articles, written by those who share our passion for this revered place, discuss the opportunities to rebuild their home in the wake of the ravages of three- decade long war. We hope this book provides an insight to a new generation of people of Jaffna-origin living across the world and yet connected to their ancestral homeland and stirs the depths of their emotions; imagine the possibility of regaining the pride and dignity that was enjoyed by the people of Jaffna. A brief review of the rich history of the place, combined with valuable information on the geography of the region, leads into several treatises by writers who share our vision for the resurgence of Jaffna; some of the complex challenges faced by the community are analysed, the seeds of solutions are offered in the hope of germinating in the minds of those who have the courage and integrity. Those of us who grew up in peaceful times in Jaffna pay homage to our never forgotten home through the pages of this book. We also salute the residents of Jaffna for their selfless sacrifice, bravery and resilience amid unimaginable odds. As you turn the pages of this book one after the other, we sincerely hope that Jaffna march towards halcyon days and prosperity. Aloysius J. Aseervatham Anton X. Rajinthrakumar Brisbane, Australia Toronto, Canada It’s better to light one candle than to curse darkness. AN APPRECIATION My first visit to Jaffna was in 2011 with my mother and two sisters. My mother who recently passed away was 90 when she joined us in this memorable trip. I am happy to recall that she acted as our tour guide with the authentic knowledge she had acquired about Jaffna and its people while serving as a Teacher. It was a full entourage of a bus trip including members from sisters’ families and I must say it was one of the most enjoyable family trips I have made in Sri Lanka. My memories are still afresh with the natural beauty we enjoyed along the scenic routes, food, and beautiful places and temples we visited. We visited Velvedditurrai, Kankasanturrai, Kayts, Puliyankulam, Point Pedro, Nagar Kovil, hot water wells, Dambakola Pattuna, etc by staying in and operating from Jaffna town for a few nights. The most scenic route I thoroughly enjoyed was that leading to the Nagadeepa Temple. The day we went to the temple was slightly damp and driving through Palmyrah plantations in the drizzling rain was stunning. These are my first sweet and unforgettable memories of Jaffna. As Socrates once said, “The more You know, More You come to know, How little You know”. This book from Aloysius Aseervatham and Anton X. Raji is narrating not only what you don’t know about Jaffna, but also highlights the promising future of this beautiful piece of land on earth. With this compilation, Aloysius and Anton have taken a timely step on the journey to rebuilding Jaffna. We all have a part to play in this journey. I am sure readers will be inspired by the articles written by all article contributors simply because each article projects a different perspective of Jaffna. The realisation dawns upon us that each of us has a role to play to rebuild Jaffna exemplifying our responsibility for the betterment of all humans around the globe irrespective of ethnic boundaries. It is a pleasure to see that two gentlemen from opposite ends of the globe are making a genuine effort to connect us to make Jaffna a better place to live and an interesting place to visit. I truly appreciate their efforts. It is an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to write this note of appreciation on behalf of these two distinguished authors, Aloysius Aseervatham and Anton Rajinthrakumar. Jayantha Wickramatunga Jayantha Wickramatunga is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka and works as a Senior Engineering Professional for the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in Australia. He is a recipient of TMR’s Australia Day Achievement Award in 2018. He is the Current President of the Queensland Chapter of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka. He is a Broadcaster and a Panel Operator at 4EB FM Station in Brisbane and currently serves as a Director at the Ethnic Broadcasting Association of Queensland. He is an Old Boy of Ananda College Colombo and is the founding President of the Old Anandians Association of Queensland, Australia. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are very grateful to the following article and memoir contributors. The articles without any names are the joint effort of the authors themselves. 1. Dr. Ivan Aloysius - London, UK 2. Mr. Cader. M. Ansari – Brisbane, Australia 3. Dr. Patrick Anthonypillai – Toronto, Canada 4. Mr. Jerome Arunakumaran – Brisbane, Australia 5. Dr. Jerome Ephraums – Brisbane, Australia 6. Dr. Wilfred Ferdinand – Negombo, Sri Lanka 5. Dr. Anthony Gnanarajah – Seattle, USA 6. Mr. Henry Jeyarajah – Toronto, Canada 8. Mr. Nithi T. Nithianandan - Melbourne, Australia 9. Mr. Innian Rasiah – Toronto, Canada 10.Mr. S.S. (Anand) Sathananthan – Brisbane, Australia 11.Dr. M. Jude Sooriyajeevan – Boston, USA 12.Mr. Yogi Srikhanta – Brisbane, Australia 13.Dr. Devasenapathy Vishvakarman – Brisbane, Australia A good number of well-wishers helped towards this book’s endeavor and the authors thank them as well. Special thanks go to Mano Jehenthiran for her Kavithai on Jaffna and to Kavie and Anjelli Soosapilla for singing and recording the song dedicated to the Jaffna Tamils. As always, Publish Wholesale in the USA have done an excellent production of this book also, for which the authors are extremely thankful.