A melted iceberg….
A melted iceberg….
He is a different person. He always looks neat and tidy. The hair is always well groomed. His heavy figure walks brave on the ground. His clear face that shows laughter, wonder, and sharpness in the eyes will make him an impression of an extraordinary human being. Whenever we meet, he shrugs his shoulders, bows his head, looks straight into the eyes and prepares for a useful conversation. The conversations has always the determination. On the day of Thileepan´s Memorial Day, in the loud blast we lost Colonel Shankar. We felt a sense of sadness and emptiness that we had never felt before. Today, the loss of maveeran Colonel Shankar has become a big loss for us. The mind is empty.
Maveeran Colonel Shankar was a rare man with many potential. We generally recognize people who have unique strengths in this world. So many powers are found embedded in a human being like Colonel Shankar. On the one hand, he was a salesman who knows the technical mechanics of modern electronics, on the other hand, a politician who has a deep understanding of liberation, history, politics and international current affairs. On the one hand, he is the head of the Tamil Eelam Air Department. On the other hand, the he was in Naval Department and was a powerful man of jungle warfare. He is keen to absorb the rapid changes of the world and keep himself updated with the latest international trends. He changed his youthfulness with speed and excitement into a mature state of compassion, patience and maturity, which gradually expanded his mind. It shows us the level that a freedom fighter should gradually develop and reach.
Since the eighties, his life or history has been intertwined with the freedom struggle. He had the honor of being with the leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Struggle, and working together with him until the day he lost his life. Manalaru period, which is considered as the best page of his history, reflects his personality. His science taught the warriors the secrets of the forest and adapted them to the jungle life. His strict discipline ensured that the forest’s food and drinking water were evenly distributed. His watchful eye prevented minor mistakes from becoming catastrophic – and helped the movement recover from a critical period. The freedom fighters who worked with him on that day tell the story of how he raised them as a ‘little boy’.
It is surprising that his ‘human relations’ have operated on a very different platform than the political, military and scientific aspects. In general, such energies are usually ‘isolated’ due to some reason such as parental workload. However, Colonel Shankar paid great attention to maintaining smooth continuity of human relations. He had good relation to Vanni’s seniors, various professionals, and academics. Colonel Shankar grew up with the knowledge, energy, courage and love of reading by his wonderful mother, who raised him in the struggle. He was a kind of a mother to all the welfare of the freedom fighters, the welfare of the injured fighters, the welfare of those who are ready to get married, and those who have given birth to children after marriage. He maintained separate records for each fighter in his chest. Having lived with his male brothers, he would become a child himself if he saw the young girls fly around. Hi is a friend of nature. He also had a relationship with the nature. The trees planted by him in his farms always said his name.
The enemy has taken such a maveeran away from us. However, no one can take away his memories that are enshrined in us. His personality is a part and no one can erase his memories. His life is a complete dedication to the liberation of this land. We will see his peaceful smiling face in the flowers blooming in our land and in the wealth of children born.
V. Balakumaran.
October-November 2001
0 Comments