Medical experts say that a normal person should sleep at least six hours a day. 02
Medical experts say that a normal person should sleep at least six hours a day.
But we have never seen Balraj sleep even for three hours a day. I think those eyes that have been awake for more than 25 years for the liberation of the people are only now learning what rest is.
It is surprising to think back to those days when he worked tirelessly as a freedom fighter in the forest. He not only commanded the fighters but also lived with them as a fighter himself and was a guide to other fighters.
That was the time when the Indian military blockade was tightened and there was a great shortage of weapons in the forest. The materials brought by the fighters through Thenmaradchi, Yarlpanam, had to be collected and brought back to meet the needs of the fighters in the forest. They could not be transported in vehicles. They had to go secretly on foot to get weapons and supplies from the fighters waiting there. It was a very long journey. On the way back, they had to walk with a heavy load. They didn’t even have bags to carry their things. They had to tie a string into a bundle and put the things inside it and carry it on their backs.
Balraj, who was stationed in an area of Vavuniya, would set off from there to Nallathanni Thoduvai as if it were a normal journey. It was a very long journey. They would have to face various dangers along the way. However, Balraj Annai, who was in charge of the Mullaithivu district, would go to Vavuniya and learn about the needs of the fighters there, and from there, he would come to Mullaithivu and continue his journey while also learning about the needs of the fighters there.
If you start walking through the forest, you will walk all day. The heat of the forest and the fatigue of walking will make you thirsty for water. Everyone will have a small water can. But no one can drink the water in the can as much as they want. The time will come for that. Then everyone will sit in one place and open the can and drink the water inside its lid. Just one lid of water. That is all that will quench your thirst at that time. Balraj will also drink one lid of water. The journey will continue with that water.
Sometimes you can see ponds on the paths in the forest. But like hunters who hide near the banks to hunt animals that come to the water in the pond, the Indian soldiers will always be vigilant and aim at the banks of the ponds to shoot down the fighters who come to draw water. The two fighters who went to draw water for Captain Vadavuran were caught in their crossfire. It was only later that we learned what happened to those fighters. The soldiers chased them, and both tried to swim in the pond. At this time, one of the fighters was arrested by the army, while the other fighter quickly swam to the other bank and escaped. Therefore, during the forest journey, Balraj does not allow anyone to rush down to the ponds to fetch water. If the water is a lid, the food for the day is only a couple of biscuits.
If we walk all day and expect to rest when it gets dark, Balraj would say that only then can we cross the area where the army is moving. We would continue walking through the army’s area at night. We could rest only after midnight. Even if our minds are strong, our bodies would get tired, and we would fall asleep without knowing it. But Balraj would not sleep. He would wake up before four in the morning. He would wake everyone up and start walking, saying that only if we crossed the village during that hour, we would be able to go to the other area. The journey will continue again. The journey will continue to Nainamadu, Nedunkerni, Palampasi, Kalikkadu, Madavalasinghamkulam, Bhoothamvayal, Mulliyavala, Tansiritutru, Keppapulavu, Puthukkudiyuruppu, Iranaipalai, Bramanthan, Visuvamadu Nallathannithodduwai. I do not know how many kilometers we walk in a day. But I only know that the days are moving by walking.
I cannot defecate. I must eat first to defecate. Even if I defecate, there is no water to clean. Therefore, if I see ‘paper’ somewhere, the fighters will not let go. ‘This is the only thing that makes us live like foreigners,’ the fighters will jokingly say. However, there are also incidents where the fighters, without knowing the reason, bring powdered paper and scream at its burning.
I cannot brush my teeth. There is no bathing. In this situation, sometimes when passing through villages, people would run and gather around, happy to see the fighters, and start asking for their well-being. But, when they got closer, the fighters would move away. The reason was the fear that the smell of their bodies, which had not been bathed or brushed for weeks, would make them feel disgusted. But, without taking all that into account, when people came very close and talked to them, their fatigue and hunger would disappear somewhere.
– Basilian: ”Another war face of Balraj”
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
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