Mario Arulthas Profile picture
Nov 30 12 tweets 6 min read
All important points - on the 2nd: the pin-drop silence about #MaaveerarNaal from most of the SL twitterati, who used to have a lot to say about Tamils nationalism, is important.
The silencing of thousands of Tamils who turned out in all districts of the North-East, is what the Southern press (from rabidly SinBud nationalist to ColLib types) and other commentators have in common. Compare to the Tamil press, including Colombo-based Virakesari:
They feel more comfortable (albeit limited) talking about May18 remembrance, despite its Tamil nationalist overtones, because it is easier to imagine Tamils as hapless victims. However, in the Tamil nationalist calendar, MN is the much larger and culturally more significant event
So why the silence? Part of the reason that they can’t engage with MN (or the destruction of LTTE graves) is that it's not about "Tamil victims". It's about Tamil resistance, it's about Tamil agency, it's explicitly about the LTTE. And they can't figure out what to say about that
It's impossible to challenge today's Maaveerar Naal commemorations with the bullshit explanations that were the norm in the past (brutalised/brainwashed/coerced/fascist/Stockholm/diaspora-driven etc)
The alternative would mean an earnest engagement with Tamil nationalism, which would make it difficult not to recognise the continued importance of the LTTE's legacy and Tamil nationalist demands to the Tamil people (example below). Can’t have that now can we.
So for the ColLib types, it's more convenient to pretend it doesn't happen. What's also important about this dynamic is that this shows that ultimately, the usual commentators aren’t fit for reliable analysis on what's happening in Sri Lanka.
The focus on what they perceive as their 'centre' (Aragalaya) vs their 'periphery' (Tamil nationalism) continues to obfuscate root causes of the consistent instability, i.e. Sinhala Buddhist nationalism and the ethnocracy it sustains.
But while SinBud nationalism has been in crisis pretty much continuously since after the end of the war, Eelam Tamil nationalism is thriving and growing. Tamil nationalism challenges the SBN hegemony much more effectively than the liberal reforms favoured by the..well ColLibs.
All this to say, Maaveerar Naal is hugely significant for understanding Sri Lanka’s problems and the way it is (not) engaged with by the south indicates that the solutions for Sri Lanka’s problems will be found anywhere but the Sinhala 'centre'. Finis.
Photos courtesy of @fromtamileelam, @TamilGuardian, @abiknathan and my own

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Mario Arulthas

Mario Arulthas Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @MarioArul

Jul 2, 2021
70 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பாக, இலங்கை தமிழ் அரசு கட்ச்சியின் முதலாவது மாநாட்டில் நிறைவேற்றிய தீர்மானங்கள்:
1: "தமிழ் பேசும் மக்கள் ஒரு தேசிய இனமெனக் கணிக்கப் பெறுதற்கு அவர்களுக்குள்ள மறுக்கவொண்ணா உரித்துவத்தை எடுத்துரைப்பதுடன், அரசியல் சுயாதீனம் பெறுதற்கு அவர்களுக்குள்ள உரிமையையும், சிங்களவர்களுடன் சமஷ்டியமைப்பு முறையில் இணைவதற்கு அவர்களுக்குள்ள விறுப்பையும்"
தீர்மானிக்கப்பட்டது
2. "சோல்பரி அரசியலமைப்புத் திட்டம் அறிவுக்கொவ்வாததெனவும், தமிழ்பேசும் மக்களை அடிமை கொள்வதற்கேதுவானதெனவும் இம்மாநாடு கண்டிக்கிறது எனக் கூறிடும் தீர்மானம்."
Read 8 tweets
Jul 2, 2021
🧵At the Federal Party/ITAK’s 1st convention in 1951, 70 years ago this year, 7 resolutions were passed on the Tamil issue, underpinned by the demand for an autonomous Tamil linguistic state in a federal union. 25 years later the FP moved to demand a separate state #அறிவோம்ஈழம்
Res 1: On the Tamil-speaking people’s unchallengeable title to nationhood, right to political autonomy and desire for a federal union with the Sinhalese
Res 2: Condemnation of the colonially imposed, unitary Soulbury Constitution which is conducive to the subjection of the Tamil-speaking people and makes them “perpetually dependent on the goodwill and good grace” of the majority Sinhalese.
Read 8 tweets
Feb 16, 2020
Growing up in the 80s as Eelam Tamil refugees in rural Germany, our only connection to Tamil popular culture was Tamil Nadu’s movie industry. My parents had to go to this uncle’s house in another village, from which he ran a VHS racket to get movies and cassettes lol.
We were the 1st generation growing up in Germany. And for many Eelam Tamils in the diaspora, Ilayaraja’s music defined that era of forced displacement. From hearing it on the radio in Jaffna, to getting bootleg tapes from Nathan mama in Mettingen. His music travelled with us.
And as problematic as the Tamil cinema industry is..for many of us growing up isolated in villages, that was all we had in terms of a connection to the Tamil people outside our immediate families. So I want to pay tribute to those artists who gave us that - especially Ilayaraja
Read 14 tweets
Feb 4, 2020
It’s that time of the year!
Independence Day thread

Sri Lanka is a racist country - institutionally & societally. Sinhala supremacy has been the leading ideology for 72 years - killing over 100k Tamils. For Tamils, independence from GB only meant subservience to the Sinhalese Sinhala soldiers at the Sri...Soldier preparing heavy arm...
Sinhala chauvinism manifests itself in the constitution: Sri Lanka “shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana” #LKA72 ImageSinhala soldiers conducting...ImageBuddhist temple adjacent to...
Sinhala chauvinism manifests itself in the flag - the four bo leaves in the corner represent Buddhism. The lion, representing the Sinhalese, has been a symbol of their kingdoms for centuries. It has been used as a banner while fighting Tamils throughout its history - incl 2009 ImageImage
Read 15 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(