By: Pirathanya Arulpirabakar
From my whole month in India, I got to explore the many traditions and cultures hidden in every corner. While on the road trip to Thanjavur, my mom told me that we were going to see a remembrance site that they had created for the genocide of the Tamils. I didn’t expect much since they only created a pillar in memory of the lost victims in the tsunami incident. But to my surprise, the site was breath taking! I couldn’t believe my eyes to how big it was.
In the front was a big carving of a ‘Thamil Thai’ welcoming our presence. It was extremely impressive to see that this beautiful masterpiece was carved on only one piece of stone. Every little bit of detail was precise and effective. Beneath this piece showed events in the Tamil history as to how the Tamil Kings used to fight riding on elephants and using only arrows as their source of weaponery. To the left there were carvings of the innocent Tamil civilians who self-immolated themselves as a form of protest in order to get awareness for the Eelam Tamils back home during the genocide. Their faces were engraved so perfectly that it looked so surreal and the fire in the background made it that much more effective.
The most powerful engraving was on the right. It showed the main events that took place during the last moments of the genocide. It included our brothers and sisters hiding in the bunkers, having their throats and tongues being slit, the pregnant mothers being killed, the army blindfolding and killing our heroes, innocent children who died too young, the civilians behind barbed wires with hopeless looks in their eyes and finally, our brothers and sisters desperately fleeing their home. Just looking at this piece moved me immensely and made my heart drop. It was like I could see the genocide right before my eyes. Trying to hold back my tears I tried the best I could to take as many pictures before my camera battery died. The emotions brought were just like those when I watched the Channel 4 documentary. I was extremely sad but at the same time I could feel a rush of rage flowing through me. The thought that the international community is still blind to this day breaks my heart.
We were also lucky enough to catch Nedumaran Aiya and Mr. M. Natarajan at the scene of the site. They invited us down inside the big building still to be constructed and explained to us what was still to be done. They were to include an art gallery where paintings in “Tanjavur art” will depict scenes of the Eelam Tamil armed struggle and a big projector will consistently show videos of the Tamil history and the main events during the genocide. After that he asked my brother and I how we felt about this whole construction. In the background I could hear a man whispering, “They’re just kids.” I was surprised to see how shallow this man was but that didn’t stop us from giving our feedback. My brother answered in one word… “Amazing!” I told them how impressed I was to see such a site and that if this were to be done internationally, it would be extremely effective. I could never forget the glow in Nedumaran Aiya’s eyes when he looked at my brother and I. The man who whispered that previous comment was pretty shocked as well. This just proved to show that you should never underestimate the Tamil youth. Thaleivar handed us the torch for a reason. My red and yellow Tamil Eelam bands also caught his eyes and asked me why it was only made out of rubber and that I should have gotten it carved in gold.
Overall, this was the best part of my trip to India. I definitely recommend seeing the Mullivaaikkaal Ninaivu Muttram in Thanjavur when you guys visit. Once you see the site, you will realize how moved I was. It is also expected to educate many Tamils and non-Tamils so we don’t forget our important roots.
Tags: Speak Out
