Karumpuli Major Sithampalam
The camp has always been running fast, and was still running as fast today. They were preparing for the attack in the capital that would cost them their lives. But all the thoughts that arose before them seemed to be about Sithampalam. What is Sithampalam going to do to end this attack? How is he going to walk this long walk? A small piece of bone has already been removed from him and a heavy package is waiting for him to carry. Can he carry all this and do it? These questions were gnawing at the minds of the fighters there.
But Sithambalam, who had suffered many sleepless nights due to this attack, was enthusiastically engrossed in the last minute activities. Not only that night but also his life was full of burdens.
When his father’s work stopped at an early age, Thasan, which was Sithampalam´s childname, himself had to bear the burden of the family. He was at the school age. What about his future if he leaves the school at that age? That’s why she had to say it. “You don’t have to go to work, go to school. I’ll do some small work and cook for you”.
In the morning, he would stop at his uncle’s bicycle shop, go to school in a hurry, and then back to the bicycle shop, and helping in the garden without stopping. Even so, his efforts are outweighed by the family’s expenses.
He has no choice but to make that decision. He is forced to forfeit his future life for the present life. Thasan was not a student but a laborer who bore the burden of his family during his school days. The family was running on his labor like a vehicle running on fuel. He endured all the hardships for his only sister and brothers. His tiredness of working from morning to evening and coming to rest with money in his hand disappears when he eats with his relatives. With this mental comfort, his night sleep will be spent.
Even that day, while returning from shopping with his sister, his sister stopped in front of a saree shop. She was staring at one of her favorite shirts. The shopkeeper was quoting the price of a shirt. But the price was not suitable for his labors and his heart longed for his sister’s wish that could not be fulfilled. His eyes slowly seeped like an invisible waterfall from the top of a mountain, and his sister walked on as if she didn’t see the shirt.
Although Thasan has immense affection for his sister, his heart is soft for anyone. She wore a prosthetic leg after losing her leg in a landmine by the Sinhalese army. He couldn’t stand the fact that the prosthetic leg she wore, whenever he saw her, didn’t fit her. Realizing her desire to wear good feet and raising money for it, he got up early in the morning and traveled from Jaffna to Vadamarachi in a two-wheeled cart and worked to deliver a daily newspaper. Those who were close to him knew the tenderness of his heart.
The other fighters hear him talking about his affection he had for his family and relations. They asked him “You are melting your propery for your family, why did you have left the house and joined the movement?” Sithamparam answered: “Everyone knows that if there is a flood, we need to build a dam. The dam should be built only in flood prone areas. The house should not be built with hammer. Our people were still hammering the house and building a dam around the house.” The fighters could not speak after hearing those words. They fell silent as they understood the meaning of his words.
However, his nature of losing himself when others longed for life and being content with their happiness remained unchanged. After a long day of hard training, the fighters drift off to sleep. The bed of Sithampalam is empty. Sithampalam is feeding the fighters shivering with fever. If they don’t sleep, the bed of Sithampalam will be empty that day.
No matter how soft he was, his ideal determination was as hard as steel. The LTTE was retaliating against the whirlwind military operation of the Sinhalese army in the Sentangula region. As one of them Sithampalam was fighting, a bullet pierced his leg. He can no longer do exercises; That’s what everyone thought. But he was trying to finish what he could with those legs that were not equal to each other. Sithampalam was resting in the hospital with a bat tied to his injured leg, when a vehicle came to pick up the injured soldiers, who was ready again. The doctor of the medical center, who sent the wounded soldiers on their way with enthusiasm, could not find Sithamparam when he came to console him. A search has been conducted in all parts of the camp. Now he was able to understand where Sithampalam had gone. He left to the battle with a bandaged wound that would not heal. Then the doctor had to fight with him to prevent him from fighting.
Sithampalam´s actions spoke for his idealism and commitment to the nation. It was with that determination that he joined the Karumpulikal team. Sithampalam took the training that even an ordinary man takes hard, not by his physical strength, but by his mental strength. At the end of his endeavor, he was excited to show off the results of his three years of hard work.
But everyone’s face shows signs of worry. Even in the silence of that night, the small moans that no one heard were because Sithampalam was about to part. He who is used to living for others forever; As they stand in awe of him who will become tomorrow’s history after today’s handshake.
They continued their journey with waving hands while listening to the songs of birds, the chirping of insects, and the intermittent growling of animals in the forest. Sithampalam was walking with his crippled leg. He was walking not by his legs, but by his strength of mind. Because what he is going to cover is not four or five km. He must walk one hundred and fifty km.
They were walking on their hands and feet with that heavy burden on their shoulders. A continuous journey of four to five days. They were walking under the scorching sun until their eyes became red because it was a long time since they had seen sleep. They only rested when they ate. The sweat was pouring out of the clothes without any place to stay in the clothes. Despite all this misery, Sithampalam was walking with his companions. Suddenly his hands touched the ground because of the weight of the burden and the pain of the body. He was trying to get up. But he couldn’t do it. With the help of his companions, he slowly got up and took each step. The sweat from his body and the water from his eyes were the tracks of his way. He was thirsty and without realizing it, his hands touched the water tap on his waist. Then he realized that the water had run out for a long time and he was walking silently. With the voice of ‘We are near the goal!” there was an inexplicable freshness in the dry faces. That triumphant news was the end of a long journey.
Everyone gathered around Chinankuda Air Base, rehearsed the plan, and moved towards the attack. The Karumpulikal wlaked towards to they broke the camp. They tried to run but the exhaustion of the body stopped them. But they ran towards the plane they could see.
Sithampalam folded his legs and positioned himself on the ground, shouldering the low and aligning the target with the pointer of his weapon. He prepared to shoot. But by then he felt bad as the gunfire of the enemy hit his body. He again gathered his remaining strength and locked his weapon on target. But even now other gunshots pierced him. But he pressed the key. His hands were tired. He realized that his body was going motionless. The other figthers came close to him as he slowly collapsed. But Sithampalam was holding them back with his hands. He pressed the button on the ammo pack in his chest. He parted from his companions with a fluttering vibration from his chest.
“The house should not be built with hammer” These are not Sithampalam´s words only; this is his life. Because he went to battle only 25 days after losing his mother in the first month of that year and losing his father in the next month!
- Karumpuli Major Sithampalam – Kumar – Rajendram Sathayakumar
Suthumalai Jaffna
- Born – 1974-07-23
- Lived -1991-05-23
- Died – 1997-05-03
- Siblings – One sister, one elder brother, two small brothers
- Attacks on Role
- Counterattack on whirlwind military action
- Commemoration of the Karumpulikal Attack on Chinankuda Airfield
The memories from Puratchimaran
Liberation Tigers Magazine
December-January 2001
0 Comments