Captain Usha

Captain Usha
Wanithambigai Rajaiah
3rd Block, Mulliyawala
Birth: 20.10.1967
Martyrdom: 13.07.1990

Event: Martyrdom during the attack on the Sri Lankan camp located in the Kokkavil area

“This will be my last fight. If I die, I will grind this uni-pom to powder”

Usha said as she folded her new line uniform. Everyone stood looking at her. Usha was preparing to go to the attack on the Kokkavil army base.

Our Usha!

She is a lively mixed fighter, there is no shortage of excitement and small mischief wherever she is. A small group of fighters would roam around her in a lively manner.

That was the time when the Indian Army had entered every nook and corner of our land and had taken root. The life of the Tigers in the wild was very difficult. It was full of untold suffering. It was a time when they had to get all their necessities amidst great hardships. Usha lived happily even during that difficult period of her life. While digging wells more than twenty feet deep by herself, Usha would sing songs to hide the fatigue of her work. A subtle sadness would permeate her songs and be deeply felt. By the time she finished her song in a high pitch, all the fighters would have fallen asleep on the spot. It is impossible to clearly define whether this was the power of Usha’s song or the sheer exhaustion. Then they would get up again and continue their work. Usha, who can sing sweetly, often sings the song “Oru Kottukkiliya…”.

She sings this song in memory of her only brother who died. It was during this period in 1985… that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Women’s Brigade was operating without revealing itself. At that time, her family was suffering from economic crisis. However, Usha used to entertain visitors and fighters. Their lives were running by selling coconuts and fruits from the land they owned. When her only brother and father took on the responsibility of the family after losing her mother, she raised her as a pet. She had a special desire to be with children as a child, excitedly. All the children in the village would run around her saying ‘Akka, Akka’. The children who would run around the village dusting themselves – that It is an exciting hobby for her to carry and bathe any child, no matter whose it is. While mothers are searching for their missing children, those children are bathing in the well at Usha’s house.

She was very good at studies and excelled in art performances. She once won first place in a cycling competition held at her school. She won prizes in school sports competitions every time. She was also not a weak swimmer. It was during this period that Usha met the people of southern Tamil Eelam who were suffering under the grip of the Sinhala communal government. She visited the displaced people living in her village and listened to the suffering they were experiencing. She provided them with all the help and comfort they could.

She explained the movement to the children. She also joined. At that time, people were not fully aware of our struggle. Women were oppressed and suppressed in the worst grip of society. Twelve women came together and joined the movement. Usha and Lt. Durga were among them.

They were taken to India for training. When the boats they were traveling in approached the Indian shore, one of the male fighters who took them away. “Okay, everyone get off here,” said Usha, who was a good swimmer, and was the first to enter the sea. She completed her training very skillfully and was given an M-16 rifle. After completing her initial training in India, Usha received training for the Black Tigers and medical training and for some time cared for the fighters from the medical unit.

Usha loves acting very much. She acts with a sense of character. Once in a play, she came as one of the goons and played the role of a thug who harassed the Tamils. Due to her physical appearance and acting skills, from that day on, Usha became a “Negro”. Our war against the Indian invaders began. It seems that there is no place on our land where her footprints have not been left. The wind blowing in the vast expanse of Navatkuzhi, the buildings standing tall in the paddy fields, and the dense forests of Mannar will proclaim her heroic deeds. They will tell stories about her role in driving out the Indian invaders.

She would compete with others when digging wells and bunkers. There can be competition. There should be no jealousy, my child. Usha, who often said, spent her difficult jungle life peacefully and happily with her fellow fighters. It was at this time that the news of her brother, who was her life partner, dying in a bus accident reached Usha’s ears. Having already lost her mother and father, she was troubled by the death of her only supporter, her brother, but she calmed her mind and learned to remain calm.

In 1990, the war against the Sri Lankan apartheid government began again. At that time, Usha was appointed in charge of the new fighters who were on guard duty in the Kattukovalam area. She would often tell them about her struggle experiences and how to fight the enemy. After that, her group stood in an area within the guard posts set up by us around Palali.

One day, the person in charge above her came and said, “Usha, the group next to Angala has broken a wall. You must also break this wall within the specified time.” Without delay, she went with her group, broke the wall and returned. The lives of fighters can end at any moment, in any field. They know this. Usha also knew this.

“If I die, my dear, I will give the door to Vasuki.” She would often say. She loved to tease her friends and fellow fighters. The more she teased, the more she loved them. It was at this time that she was selected to attack the army base in Kokka. Her group was to be sent second as a support group. But she insisted that her group should go first.

The attack on the army base in Kokka began at 11:00 pm on 10 July 1990.

The sounds of explosions began to disturb the peace of the night. In the moonlight that shone like day, the Tigers fought according to the location and the field. Their guns were cracking the street. Suddenly, a shell fired by the enemy flew past. Before she could turn back, she bit the cyanide arrow and embraced the death of a hero. But ….. the singing birds fly in the sky eagerly to hear Usha’s sweet voice. The song ‘Oru Kottu Kiliyaka’ (As a Parrot) keeps ringing in the ears of her friends in Usha’s sweet voice.

Our salute to the brave souls who sacrificed their lives on this day for freedom and protected the land and people…!

“The thirst of the Tigers is the homeland of Tamil Eelam”

(Translation by Tamilpriya)