Sunday, 10 Sep 2023
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By H. L. D. Mahindapala
In three simple sentences Prof. S. Arasaratnam, the historian, has summed up the overarching force that governed Jaffna. He stated: “The Vellahlas (sic) were thus the key caste in the Tamil social system. They dominated the villages and ran its affairs. The numerous other castes served the Vellahlas.” ( p. 110 – Ceylon, Prentice- Hall Inc. 1964). This defines the...
The story of Moddeley Tambi of Jaffna deserves a place in Tamil history because he challenged the might of the Dutch who dared to diminish the power of the Vellalas – the entrenched political force of Jaffna that ruled Jaffna as second tier of governance beneath the colonial powers. He created quite a stir in his time by leading a revolt against the Dutch. Yet, he has...
Opinion:
On May 14, 1976, the Vellala Tamil leadership – there was no other dominant political leadership in Jaffna – declared war on the democratically elected state of Sri Lanka. The Vellala Tamil leadership consisted of the descendants of the Malabaris who invaded Jaffna in 1215. The invasion was led by “an obscure terror called Magha of Kalinga,” ( p.37 – Learing Politics from...
Opinion:
C. V. Wignewaran is labouring indefatigably to lead the next Tamil brigade to Nandikadal. Right now, there is no one in the Tamil political arena who represents Tamil extremism more than C. V. Wigneswaran, the unrepentant devotee of Swamy Premananda – a convict who died in a South Indian prison while serving his term for the murder of a Tamil youth and serial rape of...