A mothers’ Liberation Struggle
A mothers’ Liberation Struggle
12-2003: The Gangai River enriches the drought of the open fields in Kilivetti. The environment, where the rice fields are harvested by the labors of the villagers, reflect the agricultural life. This small village is like the temple to the villagers. All these made them live in a pleasant circle of life. They lived as wealthy and prosperous people.
Within the special life of these people, Rajamani Amma lived happily with her husband Arulambalam, seven sons and three daughters. Every moment of living a life with her husband in her own house on her own land filled Amma’s heart.
The thoughts that were rooted in Amma’s mind were that there is no better life than a life lived with her husband and children. At that time, Amma had the hope that we would always live a life that would never be separated as a family. Amma’s sweet qualities made everyone, including relatives and neighbors, willingly embrace Amma. In this wonderful and happy environment, Amma and the people of the village, who lived with their village traditions, began to face crises and dangers while bearing hardships. Sinhala chauvinism began to rise in Kabilan Chittur. These people established themselves by fighting at all costs. In 1978, Sinhala chauvinism attempted to carry out its Buddhist Sinhala chauvinism occupation by turning the huge banyan tree, which grew naturally within the premises of the ancient Kilivetti Muthumariamman temple, into a Buddhist temple.
In response, two young men with Tamil nationalist sentiments, Kriparaja Kumaradurai and Thurainayagam Thangarasa joined with hundreds of people, and with the enthusiastic cooperation of the people they removed the tree night after night and installed a statue of their traditional Pillaiyar in it. Pillaiyar still stands as a symbol of standing up against the Sinhalese occupation.
After this historic and surprising event, the Sinhalese burned and destroyed some small villages with the help of the Sinhalese army, and Amma’s village was also affected. Amma lived in a neighboring village with her family for a few weeks for her own safety, and then returned to her own home. Time passed. The Tamil national liberation struggle became an armed struggle and the situation for the Tamils to express their military character developed in the remote area in 1985. It was during this period that the Sinhalese military entered the village and abducted young girls. At this time, they were rescued by the quick and courageous action of Commander Ganesh’s fighters, Gundukanesh, Vijith and Nanthan. At that time, two Sinhalese were killed in the gunfire of the fighters, and one was captured alive.
These have a separate history. It was during this period of historical crisis that the villagers migrated. Amma’s family also migrated and began to live in the Sampoor School Refugee Camp. My mother lived a controlled life with her family within the fenced-in area. The life of a refugee camp was new to Amma.
The news that some men, who had gone to see their homes in Mengamam village, had been massacred by the Sinhalese forces made Amma feel as if her village was dead. While Amma was living in Sampur with her children she began to have relations with the LTTE through her son Ganesharasa. After Commander Gajendran came into Amma’s embrace, the political in-charge of Mudur, Dominic, started visiting Amma and the movement’s relationship started to improve. Amma’s son Ganesharasa would receive local training and go to movement work and would always have Amma’s cooperation.
After a few months, he became a full-time member and went to Jaffna to receive basic training and then returned to the village. It was at this time that Amma’s son Jayakumar was shot dead by the Sinhalese army in Ponnankeri. A few months later, her husband died due to a cell attack by the Sinhalese army. Tears were flowing freely from Amma’s eyes after losing her husband and son. Amma arrived in Sampur after performing her husband’s last rites in the soil of the Iralkuli.
The Indian army occupied the Tamil country and to lay a political and military foundation favorable to their interests.
During this period, Amma returned to her village with her family and the people of her village. Even then, Amma’s mind was filled with memories of her husband and her son. Despite all the love she had, Amma felt a web of loneliness spreading around her.
The arrival of her son Ganesharasa brought some relief to Amma’s emptiness at that time. When the fighters from the 03rd Colony camp came to the village to buy food and other necessities, Amma’s house and Amma’s daughter Vijayalakshmi and her husband Sivaliyar’s house provided all the help. Amma also collected and stored food little by little and kept it in her house, and it became a habit for her neighbor Abhirami’s helper to cook and satisfy the hunger of the fighters who came at night. The military pressure of the Indian Army put Amma’s family in great difficulties. Amma’s son-in-law Shivalayar was arrested and spent ten months in prison. After being released, he spent his days with the freedom fighters of the 03rd Colony camp. While his son Ganesharasa was away at home, he fell unconscious with fever and was admitted at the Muthur Hospital. Here he was arrested by the Indian Army. He was detained in the Tirumala Central Jail for nine months and was released.
In the incident where the Indian Army’s mercenary Ramanan’s team beat up the Abhirami temple leader, Amma’s son Perinparasa got into a serious argument with the Ramanan team. Taking advantage of this incident, Perinparasa was arrested by Ramanan and sent to the Kilinochchi VNU camp. A few months later, Perinparasa came to the movement with a stolen weapon, a U.M. and a pistol. From that day on, he joined the Pavan attack team under the name Sathyan.
For many days, the Indian forces entering the village at night used Amma’s house as a hiding place. Even when Amma was called to the camp for interrogation and threatened, Amma’s determination and the courage was always with her. When the freedom fighters came to Amma´s house, Amma always start to make tea and cook for them.
The fighters carried out the attack to control the sudden movements of the Indian forces. They also attacked the Indian forces who were roaming around at 58 junction during the day and forced the Indian forces who were very close to the Colony Bridge to retreat. This made it so that the Indian forces could only roam on the main roads. During this time, Sudar became maveeran.
Days passed. One day, when the freedom fighters came to Amma during the day, Amma cut a jackfruit with her own hands and gave it to the fighters to eat and then went to attack. At that time, the battlefield had unexpectedly changed, and Nadesh Amman and Meesairasa were killed in the battle.
The villagers began to live in a peaceful and calm environment, free from the many hardships and sorrows that the Indian army had inflicted on the Tamil people for 32 months. Amma’s face blossomed with joy when she saw her children and grandchildren living together.
In the mid-90s, when the peace situation turned into a battlefield situation, Amma again migrated with the villagers and lived in Gangai Manalaru village for a few days before moving to the Bachanur refugee camp. During this critical period, while carrying cans filled with explosives for an attack, Amma’s son Sathyan was killed in an ambush by the Sinhalese forces on the 03rd column route. When the fighter Robin told Amma this news, her eyes and mind were troubled.
The Tamil nation must live. We must make the Tamil nation live. She became immersed in revolutionary Tamil national politics, receiving political explanations that the fighters sacrifice themselves and fight for this.
Amma faced successive losses that would have left her heart numb, thinking that she had nothing more to lose. Another son of Amma, Kumarathurai Balu, was martyred in the Elephant Pass battlefield in 1991. This news was received by the mouth of Kannathasan, a frontline fighter who was serving in Kattaiparichan. Amma, who received this news from him, said in the usual comforting words that he was like all his children. His son, Yoganathan, who got married in Gangaveli, was shot dead by the Sinhalese army in the Agasthiyathavanam area in 1993 when he went to the forests in a cart to collect firewood.
Amma, her last child, Mohanachandran, was living in her village in 1995, embracing both in the supreme love of her motherhood. The Liberation War had witnessed the greatest historical battles. The LTTE had won the battles and had emerged victorious with its military leadership. Amma’s youngest son Mohanachandran also joined the LTTE and died a hero’s death at sea in 1998. He left his mark in the history of the liberation of the Eelam Tamils.
At the age of 72 Amma lives in the village with her youngest daughter Sooti. Amma’s natural sense of humor helped her endure the hardships of life. When her daughter Vijayalakshmi’s son Bala, who was killed by the Sinhalese army, he expressed his commitment to freedom by saying to Amma, “Your three uncles should be honorable and work till the end.”
Since the liberation struggle was a time when the ideas of Tamileelam were being sown, Amma’s mental world was mature, and she was a mother who embraced the fighters and went with them. She was able to help them in their just deeds. The sacrifices made by Amma were immeasurable. Amma’s three sons were among the heroes who fought against the injustice and anarchy of the Sinhalese and died bravely.
Amma had lost three relatives, blood and affection, her husband and two children, due to the Sinhalese racism. These were mixed in every thought of Amma and are the vibrations of her heart. Even in that situation, her immense determination and her loving heart made her a unique person. Those who respect themselves, everyone should respect them
- Those who respect themselves, should be respected by all. – Benjamin Disraeli
- The soul occupied with noble thoughts, will perform small duties well. – Harriet Marat
(Correction by Tamilpriya)
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