V.N.Giritharan's Writings

Forward: Nallurt Rajadhani City Layout

2010-08-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

Nallur Rajadhani: City Layout
V.N.Giritharan B.Sc (Built Environment in Architecture)
Publisher: Sneha Pathippagam (Madras) / Canada 1996
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Forward: Nallurt Rajadhani City Layout

None seems to have evinced any interest so far in the ancient city layout of Srilankan Tamil. It is unfortunate that those who are engaged in the research and investigation work about the historical facts pertaining to the kings and kingdoms have turned a blind eye to the architectural style and expertise of Tamil. Because of this indifference and black-out when research work about cities like Anuradhapuram, Yaappahuva that were capitals hundreds of years prior to the time when Nallur was Rajdhani, or,were to be, it proves a herculean task together information about Nallur Rajdhani city layout. In such a situation I have undertaken the research work on Nallur city layout to the best of my ability. My desire to study the city layout of Nallur Rajdhani was not something accidental. In my young age when I would be reading the novels of Kalki, Jagasirpian and such others I used to always wonder why it always remained a rarity to come across historical evidences about Nallur which was as famous a city as Tanjore, Madurai and Kanchipuram. When I grew in age and knowledge I could realize that the foreign rule and our people’s bent of mind which spends its time and energy in singing the past glory but remains indifferent to the need for preserving our rare historical symbols and monuments are reasons for this blackout.

As proofs for the disinterestedness of our people we can cite the following. At the initial stage of this century Swami Gnanaprakasar had written a brief essay on Kopai fort. But today see the condition of the place and space where the fort was said to be once? When I was studying architecture in Moratuwa University in such a dismal atmosphere the wish to do research on Nallur City layout was renewed by several factors listed below.

Sinhalese professor Nimal De Silva who was teaching us a lesson in
connection with traditional architectural style briefed us about the
investigation and research- work on the City layout of ancient Anuradhapuram and it was then that the wish to study the Nallur Rajdhani city layout sprang in me. When my friend and my senior by one year, Thanapalasingam told me that once he had intended to study about Nallur but then abandoned the idea as something impossible, my interest in the City of Nallur grew further. Right from my childhood it had been my nature to undertake those attempts that others claimed ‘not possible’. This resulted in my choosing ‘Nallur Rajdhani’ City layout as the topic for thesis work to be and undertaken for the study of ‘The history of Architecture’ From that day
onwards, till date, whenever I get the opportunity I make it a point to
mention without fail about the Nallur city layout. Several articles on
Nallur City were published in the weekly supplement of Elanadu which was
being brought out from Ceylon and which encouraged me a lot in the literary
field.

A write-up on Kopai fort appeared in VeEra Kesari. In recent times I am
writing about Nallur in Thayagam Magazine too. It is my wish that as like
Nallur Rajdhani the layouts of Singainager (Vallipuram), Kandharodai and
such other cities too should be studied. I fully agree with the claim that
Vallipuram and Singai Nagar are one and the same. The ancient symbols that can be seen on the sand banks of that region and the coinage ‘Puram’ in Vallipuram are the principal reasons for this conclusion of mine.In
Tamilnadu we can come across a lot of cities that have this Suffix ‘Puram’
in their names such as the capitals of Chola empire ‘Jayankonda Cholapuram’, ‘Ulagamahadevipuram’ and also the cities Kanchipuram, Nandhipuram which were famous in Pallava period.) As Vallipuram too ends with ‘Puram’ in the same way as Maavittapuram, undoubtedly it would've also been a city having royal and religious significance. (The name Nallur too is of this nature. In Tamil Nadu we an come across a lot of royally and religiously significant places having names ending with the word ‘Nallur’).

Persons like Dr.C.K..Sitrambalam are of the opinion that Nallur is also the
residue of Cholas. The names of places such as Chembian Patru, Nallur,
Vallavar Kone Pallam in Maavittapuram, Gangaikondan in Navindil are residues o Cholas here. (Sindhanai, July 84). Not only in the northern region but even in the east there are very many places and aspects that call for extensive study and research work. And, I sincerely wish that investigation is undertaken about these too. And I firmly hope that my wish would be realized one day or other.

Preface: An Exemplary Attempt By: S. Yoganathan

2010-08-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Nallur Rajadhani: City Layout
V.N.Giritharan B.Sc (Built Environment in Architecture)
Publisher: Sneha Pathippagam (Madras)
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Preface: An Exemplary Attempt By: S. Yoganathan

There are authentic historical evidences to claim that from time immemorial Tamils have been living in Srilanka as a civilized populace. Tamil Pranik stone –engravings belonging to Third Century B.C. have been excavated engravings belonging to in the Tamil regions of Srilanka. The excavatory researches that have taken place in Kandharodai, Aannaikkottai etc. establish how the Tamil had lived and grown as Megalithic civilized populace and the way civilization and cultural development had taken place in the Tamil regions of Srilanka in the above mentioned period on an equal footing with that of South India. There are so many significant excavatory evidence to authenticate this. The Romans had business contacts with the Srilankan Tamils. And we have records to prove that the highly civilized Srilankan Tamils had business contacts with Arabs and Chinese in the 5th Century A.D.

In the 13th Century A.D. a Government of Tamil-Saivite culture had come to be in Jaffna. Agriculture and Trade were the two main fountainheads of its economy. An intensely refined cultural growth stood out as the significant aspect of this state. And, as the capital of this State, Nallur rose to fame. More than that it could be seen as the cultural identity of the government concerned.

With the arrival of the Portugese, the fall of the empire came to be. And it is history that the pride and glory of Ceylon which had become enslaved in the Sixteenth Century is still fighting for its freedom.The complete history of Srilankan Tamils is yet to be written. The archelogical excavations undertaken by the Government of Srilanka have always been with the specific purpose of highlighting the pride and glory of Sinhalese and Buddhists and to ignore and even black out the worthiness of Tamils. This is indeed a well-known fact. During my years in Peradhana University as a student of history I had the misfortune of being a silent eye - witness to this practice. The department of Archeology and in particular, those like Dr. Parana Vidhana have taken great pains to fill the history of Srilankan Tamils with lots of dust and mud. And till date the official journals and books on history are actively engaged in this unjust practice. Unfortunately, the Tamil scholars who were in the Department of History in the early stage did not show any interest in throwing light on the truths of the history of Srilanka. In this darkness there came Prof. Ganapathi Pillai, who, though belonged to the Dept. of Tamil, evinced keen interest in the history of Srilanka and so entered it as an all-pervading glow. Then came Professor Indhirabala who extended and expanded this path with the help of his firm and steadfast analytical approach. And now people like Professor Padmanathan, Sitrambalam and others are engaged in probing deeper and deeper and knowing the real history of Ceylon and in this direction they are proceeding with keen interest, great sincerity and hard work. And, if their efforts give rise to a new set of historical analysists and researchers that would prove helpful in throwing more light on “Eelam” history.

Modern Science, as in all other fields, has introduced a lot of new concepts and methods in the area of historical researches too and so enabled them acquire speed, accuracy and authenticity. Especially in the field of Archeology Science has thrown in a lot of light because of which there is no room for assumptions and hypothetical conclusions. Disclosure means revealing the truth and nothing else.

The establishment of a University in Jaffna brought about many constructive changes. The foremost of it all is the system of unrestricted historical research and analyses.The Tamil region which time and nature have covered with sand, remain unseen and is yet to reveal its time- immemorial rich history. But, against all odds and in an incompatible and even hostile climate many researchers of the younger generation are actively engaged in unearthing this hidden history and they go about doing it with atmost are actively engaged in unearthing there hidden history and they go about doing there with utmost dedication and commitment, I know. And, I recognise the identity of learned friend ‘Macro non-Titasic’V.N.Giritharan among them and I feel immensely happy about it.

These intellectuals who have come into the field of historical research and investigation with great vigour and enthusiasm are indeed the need of this hour. Let their numbers multiply.I have identified Dr.Po.Ragupathy as a powerful whirlwind in the field of Archeology. The book titled ‘Early settlements’ penned by Ragupathy ,who stood in the forefront when it came to effective archeological researches in the Tamil regions, is a valid guide to the would be historical researchers. Giritharan who has in the same way as Ragupathy, keen interest and an analytical bent of mind, had taken the subject of Architecture as his graduation course of study. From that time itself, he has nurtured a lot of great dreams about Nallur Rajdhani which had developed a great grand noble history for itself. That analytical bent of mind has come out now in the form of a brief but effectively compact hand-book of research and analyses.

One and all should appreciate Giritharan for having written this book in memory of his motherland despite going through a life of sorrows and sufferings. In between those strains and traumas in acquiring the evidential proofs, with ‘patience’ and ‘seeking’ in the forefront, he has penned this book in a powerful and poignant manner. At a later period, for the researchers of the younger generations who would be living, inhaling the free air of liberty and equality this book would no doubt prove a beacon-light. In the history of ‘Eelam’ (Ceylon) Nallur has had a role to play. It was a renowned city way back at the time of Chola rule itself. Afterwards, it was the glorious capital of Jaffna state,created in a well-planned and meticulous manner. Yet, the length and breadth of this empire has not yet been fully investigated. But, undettered, on the basis of his analytical study and direct experience in the field concerned he has set out to explain logically the layout of Nallur Rajdhani.

Giritharan has the principal qualities required of a historical researcher, sincerity and patience, in full. He takes into consideration even those historical evidences which have no basis and which are quite a lot. And he sets out to analyse them extensively and establish how correct or incorrect they are. This maturity of mind which is required foremost of a historian is inherent in this young author and this fact is enough to throw light on his vast knowledge and deep insight. And, his analytical bent of mind and viewpoint are further enhanced by his distinct style of writing which is at once simple and rich. Till date I have not met Giritharan. Only through his writing I have come to know him as an intelligent writer who has a seeking for more and more knowledge and wisdom who writes for a case and with a purpose. This analytical work of his reveals to us another aspect of his self. or rather, another facet of his self. And indeed, with pride and precision.

I read this book twice for the purpose of writing a foreword to it. When I sat down to think of all that I had read my heart began to weigh heavy without my knowledge. My home is in Nallur. And my thoughts raced to that place. I can hear the bells of Nallur temple which would reach us through the cool breeze at dawn,softly,oh softly as a heart-melting symphony.I come on foot, treading along Veeramaakaaliyamman Temple, Sattanadhar, Veiyilugandha Pillayar and Kailasanadhar temple. Yamunaari brings about never fading wonder and awe within. That air, ‘Poovarasam’ blossoms, sweet flowing dialect, the head-shaking palm trees that are the symbols of the soil, bright white clouds, mug full of water......

Along with them those sand-covered mounds, the remains of fallen old buildings - all crowd the memory.Going farther down the memory lane I see our glorious past. Giritharan not only takes us all to that Rajdhani of the past but also make us heave a huge sigh. But, this sigh doesn’t give us sorrow. On the other hand, it renews and rejovenates our grit and determination. And, this will power tells us that soon Giritharan and myself would be standing in the streets of Nallur Rajdhani holding our head high in pride and joy.

The contribution of the Tamil in the field of Architecture is hailed and applauded the world over. The norms and traditions followed in architecture and carving are our great wealth. We can even say that these make one and all view the technical knowledge and skill of the Tamils in this area, with great aston-ishment.

Giritharan’s knowledge of architecture is praise-worthy. Going beyond the boundaries of his academic studies he has accumulated and enriched his knowledge in this field, taking great pains, and, with an unquenchable thirst. This book bears testimony to this trait, of the author. Especially, Giritharan’s comprehensive explanation regarding Vaasthu Sasthra.

In this book, Giritharan has high-lighted the basic principles and salient features of architecture, city layout in a simple and straight manner. The way he throws light on everything providing informations and explanations this book would be a model work, for research students, I predict, and, I know for sure that my prediction won’t be wrong. I sincerely hope that the readers would help Giritharan in enabling maps and photographs relevant to this book included in the next edition. Giritharans untiring efforts, in a hostile climate where there was no access to any relevant or necessary information, has enable the book to shape so as a useful collection. And, for this the Srilanka Tamils living all over the world and also in their motherland would extend their whole-hearted appreciation and thanks to Giridhanran, And, for this achievement Giritharan can justly feel proud and happy. This book would instil in each and every Srilanka Tamil who go through this book, pride, grit and determination, self-confidence, solemn pledges and a lot more. And, this book would strengthen and multiply such feelings. And what more a writer can want to feel happy and glorious? And I extend my whole-hearted appreciation to the Sneha Publishers for bringing out this book in a splendid manner. They can justly feel proud for this.

Nallur Rajadhani: City Layout ByV.N.Giritharan B.Sc (Built Environment in Architecture)

2010-08-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Nallur Rajadhani: City Layout ByV.N.Giritharan B.Sc (Built Environment in Architecture)
Publisher: Sneha Pathippagam (Madras) / Mangai (Canada) India 1996
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

"Giritharan has the principal qualities required of a historical researcher, sincerity and patience, in full. He takes into consideration even those historical evidences which have no basis and which are quite a lot. And he sets out to analyse them extensively and establish how correct or incorrect they are. This maturity of mind which is required foremost of a historian is inherent in this young author and this fact is enough to throw light on his vast knowledge and deep insight. And, his analytical bent of mind and viewpoint are further enhanced by his distinct style of writing which is at once simple and rich. Till date I have not met Giritharan. Only through his writing I have come to know him as an intelligent writer who has a seeking for more and more knowledge and wisdom who writes for a case and with a purpose. This analytical work of his reveals to us another aspect of his self. or rather, another facet of his self. And indeed, with pride and precision." -S.Yoganathan-

Preface: An Exemplary Attempt By: S. Yoganathan
Foreword:Nallur Rajadhani City Layout
Chapter One:Nallur and The City Of Singai
Chapter Two:Nallur and Jaffna
Chapter Three :Nallur Rajadhani Historical Facts
Chapter Four:Nallur Kandaswami Temple
Chapter Five:Nallur Fort and its Surrounding Walls.
Chapter Six:Field Research-Work Information
Capter Seven:Fort Entrance, Fort Base and VeijiluganthaPillaiyar
Chapter Eight:Ancient Books and Hindu Architecture
Chapter Nine:Hindu City Layout and the Caste
Chapter Ten:South Indian Temple Cities
Chapter Eleven:Nallur Rjadhani and Nallur City Layout

New Tamil Writer By S.Ganesalingan

2010-08-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Canadian Tamil Literature
New Tamil Writer By S.Ganesalingan -
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Epics were being written in the poetic form itself. At the same time verses that lacked the essential rhyme and rhythm were also being written in the magazines. Right from the period of Sangam literature these trends could be seen. This remained the profession as well as the heart's content of the poet's clan. But, listening to the tales continued to be the prime interest of the general public. From old to young, people loved tales. A period of illiteracy when people didn't know to read or write. The tales of the rural side, moral stories, stories from epics and anecdotes were used to satiate this appetite of the general masses. In the last century, with rise of capitalism and that of the middle-class which is literate when people started leaving their native villages and came to settle in the towns and cities and lead a kind of secluded life new literary forms such as the novel and short-story came to be in simple prose style so as to fulfil their emotional needs.

With the development of printing technology these new literary forms too developed and it resulted in the decay of the ancient forms of poetry and verse. If we leaf through the pages of the popular magazines of today we can perceive this all too clearly. Their will not be totally gone or done away with. But, just one or two pages alone are being allotted for these old forms. Poetry will always remain intact to be sung with music. It endeavours to stay on with new names as like Prose-Poetry, Neo-Poetry, Haiku poems and so on. All these also would be seen mostly as but a feeling or message usually conveyed in Prose-style , having been said in several lines with the words and lines arranged in such a way as one below another so as to give it a semblance of poetry. The rhyme, metre and rhythm are not to be found anymore. Mostly they are statements. Because of this, with the poems joining hands with the musical art forms and so staying on, the verse form is fast losing its poetic characteristics. This is my perception. Novel and short story are developing into the neo art forms. In the last one century the short-story form has come to have a great hold and influence on the Tamil literary field. Every year thousands of short stories are being written by hundreds of writers. So far, there has not been any hard and fast rules formulated for this literary-form. Works of such veteran writers as Pudumaipithan have become models for the growth and development of this form. We can evaluate short stories and novels on the bais of the very basic perceptions, which hold that for any form of art, there are what we call a structure, social relevance and responsibility, form and contents.

I was given the anthology of short stories written by Sri Lankan Tamils who are immigrants. Titled, 'Paniyum Pannayum' meaning 'The snow and the Palmra', the book was given to me by the sub-editor of 'The Hindu' for review. When I read all the stories in the anthology 'A cow's tale' cought my attention very much. In my review I had made especial mention about that story. Before two months when I was conversing with Mr. Nithiyananthan who was formerly a lecturer of the Jaffna University, before he left for Paris. I told him that this was the story I liked most in the anthology. He too expressed the same view. It was through that story only that I was introduced to Mr.Giritharan, the author of this book. Going down the memory lane and relieving all those momentsI read this anthology eagerly.

Giritharn has shaped the stories on all that he has seen and experienced in the land wherein he had sought refuge. This would be something very new to Tamils, Sri Lankan Tamil and to the foreigners. No doubt about that. Mostly entwining himself into the story as an essential character and adopting the first person figure of speech he has tried to tell the story and its incidents. This very trait can make the story authentic and enable the reader identify himself/herself with its course and characterizations. The author has also tried to give a profound message in each and every story in the anthology. One can say that it was that drive that had him impetus to write. In his first story, he brings the man who dies after living his entire life by the side of a manhole to stand before he who was formulating laws in front of the Parliament of Ontario. In the story 'Ponthup Paravaigal(The Hollow existence)' he shows a man living in a small room and going to work with knee problem being saved from fire by a black-man of Jamaica who has been looked down by the former all the time, and so upholds a humanness that has no caste, color or creed. In the story, 'A Co(w)nference Problem' (Oru Maa(naa)ttupp Prachanai), a Cow which escapes from the slaughterhouse desiring to have the freedom to live causes traffic jam. Through its struggle the author describes the present condition of the Sri Lankan tamil. The style and the content of the story makes it a striking example of a good short story. That the source of human life, sexual needs are the same for one and all irrespective of their class and caste is told convincingly with absolutely no obscenity in the depiction of those walking hither and thither in Young street. With the help of a little rat he has tried to speak about the significance of existentialism that has man at its center. In 'Kanavan' and in 'Oru Mudivum Vidivum' he highlights the idea that one shouldn't worry about the days of hi/her life -partner prior to their marriage.

'America' is the longest story of the collection. In this he has dealt with the rules and realities of America in a humorous vein. How refugees are handled and treated by the American laws are brought forth in a detailed manner in this story. Giritharan proves himself as a significant Short-story writer from Srilankan Tamil in the ever-widening expanse of the Tamil literary field. This story-collection is also noteworthy in another aspect, in that it proves once again that books written in English on the plights and perils of the refugees as well as the 'Sons of the Soil' can never be as effective and as informative as those written in Tamil.

AN END AND A BEGINNING By V.N.Giritharan

2010-08-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Short Story
Canadian Tamil Literature
AN END AND A BEGINNING By V.N.Giritharan -
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Slowly it was turning dark. The Sun who was overwhelmed by the crimson color of the twilight horizon was embracing the horizon with swelling love and was losing his senses in a blissful communion. Widespread, the pond bank remained all still. Birds were returning home in groups. Even at this time some kingfishers were greedily looking for their prey, lying in wait in a closeby tree- branch. Calm, the wind was soothingly blowing.

With eyes on the water-surface and hand on the child that was wandering here and there on the lawn that lay spread on the pond-bank, there was Yamuna. Clear sharp look... broad forehead... she had made her thick dense hair into a bun. In an ordinary cotton saree her rose skin and shapely figure glowed splendidly. In those eyes which would be forever dreaming ... that tinge of sadness...

'Such a gloom should not have come over her' - So I told myself. Anger and frustration against this damned and cursed society swelled in me.

For, it is the diabolic viewpoints and ugly bent of mind of this society that have turned her so.

I, who was working in Colombo and had come back to my native village after the exit of foreign battalions was so much disturbed by this sight of Yamuna. In our childhood she had been always with me, eating and playing together. My beloved childhood companion. She is older than me by two years. Her astonishing beauty and brains... it is two years since she has got married. I couldn't attend her marriage at all. It was during that time when our country was full of war and bloodshed that the marriage took place and on that day many youths were taken into custody on suspicion and I was one among them. So much had happened in these two years....

So many changes have taken place. Our very life is but a warfare. A constant struggle to escape, to save our life... as like a warfare within a warfare and a run within the run for life... all those that have taken place... all those unwanted happenings... Today, even after the rains have stopped there is still some drizzling...

Thiayagarajah - Yamuna's husband. Tying the sacred yellow thread around her neck and taking oath in the presence of the God of Fire that he would look after her as his very life and then not keeping his word and punishing her for no fault of her. Treating her with utmost disdain and contempt at a time when his support and companionship were needed by her the most. At a time when he should be treating her with utmost care and concern, he had discarded her with no second thought and left her, thereby losing his very manliness, to put it mildly.

Decrying her as unchaste and immoral he had gone his way. The condition of Yamuna as the mother of a child caused a deep pain in me. Already she had suffered a cruel assault at the hands of an inhuman scoundrel... and adding to that all-time anguish and agony, this unbearable treatment by her better-half.... God, what is Chastity..? It is something more linked with the mind and heart and it is indeed unfair to use it as a whip to inflict capital punishment on women.

Why did Thiagarajah behave so?

"Ragendran, I'm no Bharathi to discourse on being progressive. The very thought that someone else had enjoyed my wife... kills me. How can I continue living with her..? the very thought is unbearably repulsive..."

"Thiayagu... was it her choice? Please think it over..Did she willingly go to bed with that fellow? At a time when you should be treating her

with utmost care and concern, instilling in her confidence, giving her assurance that everything is fine…how can you speak in this manner?

Think of your child for a moment… Please..."

"Ragendra.... I'm prepared to undertake the responsibility of looking after my child and bringing it up. But, I heard that Yamuna wouldn't agree to it. Please, place yourself in my shoes and think over... while going out with Yamuna what all catcalls would confront me. Bearing with all those and continue my life with her would prove a shame on my very manhood.. Can't you realize that...?"

"A shame on your manhood.... God,.. Manliness is not that, my friend... it is your deed of deserting her and leaving her in the lurch that is a blot on your manhood..."

In a way... the society is also responsible for Thiayagarajah's bent of mind. This society and it's goddamn rules and regulations... customs, taboos and what not. Caught in the web of all these Thiayagarah behaves so. He is unable to go past the social barriers and he is unable to free himself from their hold…

Faraway, the Sun has already lost half of himself. Darkness has turned more dense than before. Even those few Kingfishers who had been keeping vigil for their prospective prey had left the place long before. Throwing small, little stones on the pond yamuna went on looking at the surface of the water. In my heart too which was in a confused state, a clarity of thought came to be. I too arrived at a decision. And I told her of my decision. She was shocked. For a while she remained deeply plunged in silence, dumb-struck.

"Ragendra..." tears swelled in her eyes. She couldn't talk further. What can she say. The social- structure into which she is born is such. She is a married woman. Having a child too. In this young age undergoing the trauma of rape at the hands of a cruel, two-legged animal she now

stands all alone, deserted by her husband.But, she is also a woman. And, her heart will also crave for love… and like any other woman she too would long to have the feeling of being wanted. But,will this society give a thought to all these and more, before passing a verdict on her...

'If they come to know that such a relationship exists between Yamuna and myself won't my people, my mother and my kith and kin, spit at us? ‘A man-eater, luscious female.. she has caught hold of an innocent youth by her feminine tricks...’ Won't they tear her to pieces with such heartless observations..? None bothers if a man marries a number of times. A sixty year old man is free to marry a sixteen year old girl. Not one but he can as well have three or four secret marriages. No one questions him. But,a woman.. that too a woman in a hapless state like Yamuna should live this 'only once born' life all alone, in a companionless state of exile, killing all her natural feelings and desires, and just behave she has been born a female sans physical and emotional needs. Sainthood is forced on her by the society.

This is the social norm. It is this that the society expects and demands of its female members. I have realized all these. And that is why I stood very much firm in my decision. But,Yamuna turned to look at her child playing on the lawns closeby. And then she looked at me miserably.

Again I continued. "Yamuna, marriage is mainly a union of two persons. who understand each other well and decide to travel together through thick and thin. But Thaiyagarajah's bent of mind and behaviour has proved that he is no match for you. As for as I am concerned you need a companion, a support in this hour of crisis; the closeness of one who can instil in you the feeling of security and sense of belonging. Why can't that be me who has been with you right from our childhood days?"

"Ragendra, you have said it all so easily. But, do you know how much of an enmity and hatred it would generate. Your mother, kith and kin… your people.. All would curse me only, you know. Won't they say that it was right on the part of my man to have left me? Why should you waste your precious life for my sake...? Please leave my worries in my hands alone..."

Saying so, Yamuna remained silent for a while. It is the discourse of womanhood that is so used to bearing all its sufferings in silence... But, I remained firm in my decision.

"Yamuna, I'm sure that I can pacify my mother in course of time. All I want is your consent. Please say yes. That's enough for me. And, I care a twopence about those social norms that have brought you to this miserable state of being. Suffice it is if we understand each other."

Uttering these words I looked into her eyes intently. But, she looked into my eyes in all silence. And, I could interpret her silence all too well. I well could realize those pure feelings, love, affection, hope and gratitude that swelled in her eyes and her voiceless words.

"Yamuna..." I took her in a tight embrace. And, she who gave her whole to me finding solace and shelter in my hands went into a blissful amnesia wherein the world outside ceased to be. Faraway, the horizon was turning crimson all over with the Sun losing itself completely in the wholesome communion.

An Indian Husband By V.N.Giritharan

2010-08-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Short Story
Canadian Tamil Literature
An Indian Husband By V.N.Giritharan
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Sababathi stood there in the balcony eyeing the scenes that lay spread in front, without actually seeing them. Buildings, s far as the eyes could travel. Tall, short, wide, narrow structures. “As Desomond Morris said ‘cages where two-legged human animals live. And the cities are but Human zoo that shelter human-animals. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong in his observation. In fact, for the basic problems that encounter the man of today, cities can also be a reason in a way. Most of the changes that come over animals when they are forced to live in cages can well be perceived in these human animals too, who suffocate within the narrow walls of these concrete jungles. It is from being in the cities only that the modern men wield power over his fellowmen. If one is to go by logical reasoning of mathematics that X=Y, Y=Z; Therefore X=Z, then city men becomes the main reason for all the problems that befalls the man of today. Isn’t so? But Sababathi was not in a mood to ponder over these things.

Cold is more than usual this year. The snowfall has not yet started. During the early days of his stay in Toronto when the winter season was on itsway itself he would start getting severe headache. And, the thought of his native place would invariably turn him nostalgic. He would be overwhelmed with the urge to take a deep plunge in Cashorina beach. The yearning to recline near the Navali sand mounds and enjoy watching the fields spread far and wide, the crownland seashore that could be seen faraway, ‘Kallundai’ space, the palm girls swaying in the wind would grip him painfully. But, as years passed he became accustomed to Toronto. Winter season and the snow do not threaten him now. They too have become familiar to him. These days darkness sets in early. By 4.30 or 5 o’clock darkness comes to shroud everywhere. In the mild darkness this concrete jungle is all ready to retire for the day. Tall and long, the CN Tower could be seen faraway and even from a great distance its outline stands out in all elegance. For the heart and mind that enjoy all these usually, today seem to be a holiday. For, the heart keeps thinking of Banu and aching for Banu alone. Bhanumathi is his better half. It would take at least an hour for the better half to reach home. Some how a solution should be found out to this problem, before the close of today. Arriving at this decision within, he goes inside. And there, taking Taquila and Marguerite and mixing them in proportion and taking out ice-cubes from the fridge and putting them also, he comes back to the balcony. While in his native place his favorite drinks were ‘Panag Kallu’ and ‘Kuranku’ (palmwine and arrack). Whoever has named it ‘Kuranku’ (Monkey), God blesses her/him soul and that blessed person should be given a mouthful of sugar for giving such a name. That monkey was powerful enough to clear the doubts of these who nurtured doubts about our ancestry. And, of the drinks of this country none is to his liking. Whatever large quantities gulped he never could get from ‘Kuranku’. It could be a symptom of his getting on in age. But, this Taquela he likes to some extent.

The very introduction of Taquila came his way only because of his going to play ‘guitar’. Please don’t break your head wondering what could be the relevance of Taquila to guitar playing. Playing guitar is the code-language for washing the dishes in the restaurant. That’s all. The first job that came his way on his arrival in Canada was this ‘playing guitar’. Greek’s restaurant. When it comes to work, as Kaundamani (Tamil comedy actor) would often say ‘ he would slog like a bull’. And, the Greeks like such human bulls very much. And, they also like to extract work that required animal strength. But, if you work to their content then they would treat you so well as none else could.

Before coming to Canada itself he was working in a Greek ship. Thus he had learnt a little about the Greeks. When he was writing G.C.E (O/L) he had studied something about such scientists as ‘Archimdedes’. The Greeks have an important role in the growth and development of human civilization. It is a human race that reigned supreme once upon a time. Just like us the Greeks too love to speak about past glory. That too, just like us they would feel extremely joyous if we were to utter the name of Archimedes or Plato. The knowledge that Sababathi had gained about the Greeks always come handy whenever he works with the Greeks. The restaurant owner Peter who was also bowled over by his ‘Greek’ knowledge, quality of work and pleasing manners would mix a drink with proportionate cocktail with his own hands, when Sababathi would be leaving for home after the day’s work. Refreshing it with the fatigue of the day’s toil leaving him the Greek would listen to his words about Aristotle all too eagerly. ‘The English alone are responsible for all the problems of the world. Not just your country alone, but they have ruined us also”, So Peter would often say. That restaurant experience helps him today

He drinks one mouthful. That is indeed soothing to the heart. Again, thoughts about Bhanumathi fill him. Problem is this. He and Bhanumathy got married just one year back. The problem that has not arisen for the whole year has come to be for the past one month. All because of a story that he heard last month. The story that was floated around in a small party thrown by a friend was the cause for the rise of a scorching tongue of flame in his mind. In drunken severely his friends were discussing about the fraudulent action committed of late by a few in the name of agents. They were shedding tears for those hapless women who are undergoing all kinds of travails and trauma in Thailand and Singapore. Among the friends one was working as an agent. He got angry and shouted at those who were speaking ill of the agent-clan. ‘There are criminals everywhere, in all fields. For that, decrying all agents and calling them all scoundrels is wrong.’ That was his line of argument. Of course, true only. ‘But for those called agents the population of our people would not have multiplied here. Aren’t our agents experts in finding a way even through the needle-hole’. Sababathi also has come to Canada through an agent only. Criminals are there at all levels and it applies in the case of agents also. This is Sabbath’s contention too. The way our men are being ruined it is all because of our country’s prevailing climate. It is this climate that forces every one of us to run hither and thither for shelter. This is the source foe all kind of problems. Therefore, if our country’s condition could improve then all the mischiefs and mismanagement would rapidly go down’, so another friend was reasoning out. Till that point there was no problem for Sababathi. It was only after that when they started discussing about an agent the problem started.

It was about an agent living in Toronto with his wife and children. It was that agent who brought Bhanumathi also to Canada. The fire of suspicion started raging high. With this agent Bhanumathi had retained herself in Singapore for a month. The very thought of it all proved unbearable. Bhanumathy’s beauty would drive everyone mad. And, it drove him insane to the core, to say the least. Voluptuous body. However much loosely the dresses are worn they would never hide her shapely body, its mounds and curves that would look swelling forever. The very reason for his growing fire of suspicion is her extra-ordinary beauty. Once again he gulped one mouthful. The drink that went inside started playing its tricks.

‘Shall I ask? Shall I spell out the doubt that is eating my heart? How to ask? Won’t she spit at me? But, it is remained unasked the turmoil within would surely break his head and soul. What to do? She is also toiling hard as a two-legged animal in a factory. And how to ask her who would be returning home utterly spent out…’ The more he tried to curb it the turmoil raging in his heart grew worse.

Christina would often say: “I will marry any Tom, Dick and Harry but never an Indian. Never at all.”

“Why Christina? There are none in the world as patient as the Indian men. Do you know that?”

“Come on, don’t bluff Sababathi. I’ve seen your Ramayana. Your God Rama himself suspected his wife and forced her to undergo the test by fire. Didn’t he? “ Christina worked with him as a waitress in that Greek restaurant. Some were color fanatics. They won’t chat much. Among them she was an exception. As far as she was concerned Sri Lanka or Pakistan or Bangladesh or India… those who came from these parts were all Indians only. In this she is a little different from those who are color-fanatics. For those color fanatics all those who come from these parts are Pakis. That alone is the difference.

“Sababathi, look at your Rama. You place him on a pedestal, call him God and worship him and give him your offerings. But, he couldn’t believe even his own wife. Whatever reason he could come out for his thought and deed of doubting his wife it was wrong on his part to have subjected Seetha to test by fire.”

“In truth, Rama didn’t suspect his wife at all. He knew that his wife was blemishless, purity-personified. He subjected her to that test only to let the world know of her chastity and loyalty.”

‘That very act is what I call wrong. Lord Rama himself who is an incarnation of God doing so makes it right on the part of one and all to suspect their wives and subject them to such tests.”

‘What is wrong in that? “

“Ofcourse, it is wrong. Marriage is not an ordinary thing. It is a rare kind of relationship or togetherness where they rely on each other and believe each other all through their lives. For this mutual belief if of paramount importance. Each one should respect the right of the other person. Did Seetha go to Ravana willingly? If the Epic was written in such a way that the people suspected her chastity and fidelity but Rama accepted her back whole heartedly with no doubt whatsoever then Ramayan would’ve been my favorite story. Look us at us. Till we get married we are living as we please. After marriage we are not bothered about our past lives. But you Indians, you would go with any number of women. But, your wife should be chaste and loyal.”

Christina’s voice could be heard within. It was as if she was giving out her typical laughter from closeby. Sababathi drinks another mouthful. His heart turns lighter still, and breaks. ‘In what way I am qualified to ask Bhanu? Do I have a valid reason to confront her with such a question? As a wife, has she ever let me down? Has she ever lacked in anything? Voicing my doubt to her, oh won’t I demean my status as a husband? When it is wrongful even to suspect our wife do I have atleast the moral right to do so? Or, to put it more precisely, an I qualified to do so?’

As the kick of the liquor increases Sababathi’s mind invariably starts walking down the memory’s lane. Memories that are snakes that come out from the snake hole and dance dangerously. At that time he had just set foot on the first step of youth. It was the time when he had started working in the ship and was busy listing down the differences between the beauty of the Thailand dames and that of South America. Has she ever told Bhanumathy about his past? By chance, listening about the wayward life style of those employed in the ship and growing suspicious if she were to come and seek explanation from him how bad it would make him feel?

“Look at us. After marriage we never bother about our past. But, you Indians…”

‘The full meaning of what you said was beyond my comprehension that day. But now…. ‘ Sababathi gulps the remaining drink. What happened to the headache that was throbbing unbearably? ‘It is time for cup of coffee for her who would be returning all exhausted after the day’s work?’ Sababathi gets ready to welcome his fatigue filled wife. If only Christina had witnessed this she would have surely reviewed her viewpoint about Indian husband.

MANHOLE By V.N.Giritharan -

2010-08-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Short Story

Canadian Tamil Literature
MANHOLE By V.N.Giritharan -
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Like the Rajaraman of Jeyakanthan’s rishimoolam he has grown beard and moustache, keeping one of the legs in squatting posture and keeping the other in a raised and folded fashion he was holding his knee with his right hand. And, he had placed his left hand firmly on the floor at his back. His hair had grown long. In the mouth there remained half of a still burning cigarette. Only his eyes were filled with a kind of abnormal glow. The man sitting on the manhole resembled the appearance of a seer seated on a sheet of deerskin. If he was one of the wayside heroes I was a small wayside vendor. And, selling hot dog was my business.

Faraway, in the north the Ontario parliament building could be seen. At my back stood the famous child care medical institution Sick Kids Hospital. For a while the seer kept staring at the Parliament of Ontario then he laughed.

“Why are you laughing?” asked I.

“See, the weird game of time…”

“Time’s game..?”

“What else but that?”

He looked at the sky for some time. He enjoyed the full moon’s cool presence there. Darkness had come to set in. Still the city was full of life. Everybody was hurrying at great speed. In the meantime some customers came my way too. One of my customers, a Nigerian taxi driver came after parking his taxi in a corner of the road.

“Hi, how are you chief?” asked I.

“Pretty good man… how are you?”

“What of me… I’m always ok,” saying so he laughed. The person standing next to him also laughed. He was a real chief. In his motherland Nigeria there were some three thousand persons under him relying on him for their very livelihood. He belonged to one of those ancient clans of Nigeria. Every time they would send documents for his approval. He had received a degree in one of the Universities here. During winter he would drive taxi here. As soon as summer sets in he would go running to Nigeria. His people not know of his taxi driving here. If they know they wouldn’t leave him here. So he would say. He had said once that so many other chiefs were also driving cabs.

Only then he saw the man standing next to him.

“Hi, chief…..How are you?” Asked he. An African chief was enquiring after the welfare of a Canadian chief. The tribes of Sami were once the rulers of the entire continent of America. One of the heir-apparents to a clan that reigned supreme. Today they live a marginalised existence of minority within the minority.

Sami smiled in reply. The African chief gave a cigarette to the Canadian chief, and left. “Good soul” said Sami and lighted the cigarette, and inhaling, released the smoke. “He, an African driving cabs in the middle of the road and so living his life,”-saying so he pointed at the Parliament building. “From there they are formulating laws….what else is this but the satanic dance of fate.” Following this observation he sang a small verse melodiously.

“ In time all independent
Or dependent
But, sure it is
So wicked, my friend…”

This Sami’s lineage looked highly mysterious. The song that he sang was that much wise and thought provoking. For me who was a lecturer in Physics in the faculty of Antiquity this native Indian appeared as highly mysterious. I knew him for the past three months. From my experience about him so far that which I had gained by way of information or knowledge could be summed up in the following manner.

Another native Indian. He appeared different from his clan of people who were seen on the pathways often with bottle and faltering steps. Except cigarette he never laid hands on drinks. He didn’t have anything like a family of his own. Was there one earlier? God alone knew. So far he had not spoken of his origin. Once when an attempt was made to probe he firmly dissuaded it. After that I had never attempted again, and he too had not spoken a word on that.

His life continued with the help of those small little coins that those who go along the way offer him. The whole day he would be smoking . He wouldn’t spend anything on cigarette. He would go collecting the small pieces of smoked cigarettes that would be strewn on the pathways in front of the very many buildings and smoke them. As for meals every now and then he would drink coffee from the nearby Donut shop. Sometimes Donut would buy and bring. At night everyday I would give Hot Dog and some juice to drink. He wouldn’t get them free of cost. He would offer whatever he would be having in his hand. Mostly he would be meditating all the time. Or else, he would chat with me. Easing himself out, washing the face, all in the nearby hospital washrooms only. Rarely sometimes he would visit a hostel sometimes and have his bath and come. Except these if there was a home and world for him that was this manhole on which he would sit. He had kept a bundle of his rags inside that only. God alone knows what at all is there in that bundle….

So far I have learnt only this much about him. Henceforth only I should fry to gather some more information about him.

Another night has come to rest a while, swaying. Business has also turned a little dull. Sami contemplated on something then, laughed.

“Why did you laugh?” asked I.

“Indians are overflowing all over the world.,” said he and laughed. A look of content has come to settle in his cantenance as if he had uttered a profound philoshopical truth.

“But, in truth, you are not an Indian. And I am also not one.”

“True, that I am no Indian. But, all those belonging to the Indian sub-continent are Indians only to them. East Indian.”

“But for many Paki” said I.

When he heard this Sami laughed aloud.

“ Here, they refer to Indian as Paki and call Pakistanis Indian. But there the two factions are always attacking each other” Said I.

For this observation of mine also, Sami laughed heartily. Only then I could observe the fatigue that could be seen widespread all over his cantenance and that if stood out despite his mouthful of laughter.

“What is ailing you?” asked I. “Nothing. Just slight fever,” said he. I always keep an aspirin strip and plaster by my side.

“Do you wan t an aspirin?” asked I.

“No need. Just slight indisposition. That’s all. It’ll be gone soon.” Said he. After that I too didn’t insist on his having some medicine.

When I spread my shop the next day I observed one thing. Sami couldn’t be seen in his place. Usually he would be the one greeting me. I could feel some sort of uneasiness within. For these three months this was the first time I was deprived of Sami’s greeting. Usually I would open my shop around 10 o’clock only. In the meantime Sami would have finished all his morning chores had his lunch and would be sitting on his throne. Those glowing eyes came to my mind. I could visualize the friendly smile. Could it be that Sami had got up rather late? It was the I remembered that he was having slight fever the previous day. ‘Has the fever intensified and he is now hospitalized?’ Wondering I. then, for a while I became involved in my business. When the business slackened night had set in. still Sami could be seen nowhere. Again I could feel some kind of heaviness within.
Around 10 p.m. Nigeria chief came. “How goes the business?” Asked he. It was then that he noticed the emptiness of the manhole.

“Where is chief?” asked he.

“The whole day he could not be seen. No idea as to where he has gone….”

“Did he tell anything last night…”

“He was with mild fever…But, he refused to take aspirin.”

“Does he stay anywhere else…?”

“As far as I know he would always lie on the man-hole cover. He would keep his few possessions too inside this man-hole only.”

“I see….” The African chief was lost in contemplation for some time and then came back to his senses.

“A thought comes to me.” Said he.

“What?”

“Can it be that he has changed his spot…. Anyway to make sure all that we have to do is to just open the manhole and look inside. If his possessions are not to be seen there, then we can be rest assured that he has moved over to another place..”

Saying so he opened the manhole cover. Opening he let out a cry. ”Oh, my God…”

He called out to me asking me to come and see. I went there and peeped inside. There, hugging his bog and baggage close to his heart Sami was lying in a crumpled and folded fashion.

“My God…he has been lying here the whole of today..”

“Yes, chief…chief..” Nigerian chief screamed.

There was no stir at all. In the mean time the passersby had gathered there. Nigerian chief jumped into the manhole and felt the pulse.

“Gone,” said he.

Faraway, in the darkness the parliament building of Ontario built in the style of Romanesque structure could be seen glowing in full splendor.

MICE By V.N.Giritharan -

2010-08-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Short Story

Canadian Tamil Literature
MICE By V.N.Giritharan -
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Troubles caused by cockroaches proved unbearable. Undertook all possible efforts. Right from the Chinese chalk, no way was left untried. But, all in vain. Cockroaches remained the victors forever. At last, attaining the grace to accept defeat and valiantly moving over to another apartment- such a move provided not the expected relief but alas, it turned out to be from the frying pan into the fire. Instead of cockroaches mice caused untold agonies. In Canada, only the buildings have risen sky-high and not the rats. For me who was so used to seeing the fleshy, fatty rats of our rural sides these mice appeared queer. In different parts of the globe, in different soils living beings do exist in different forms. My better half’s continuous grumbling and complaints were another reason for my attention to be focussed on the mice. The way our child too started enjoying the sight of those insects and mice that were running hither and thither added to our woes. “Look here, if you are not going to get rid of your mice I’m not going to stay here for another moment. We have a crawling baby at home, don’t you remember…” Within six months from setting foot in Canada the mother tongue becomes kind of alien to many. But even after six years my wife continues to speak in uncontaminated pure Jaffna Tamil. If I spoke of those who’ve forgotten tamil “that is all humbug…dirty presentation..” so, she would say.. I could bear with anything but not with her grumbling and likerings. And, till I set out to find some solution to this burning problem she wouldn’t leave me in peace. So, I decided to meet the mice in the battlefield, so to say. Of course, various strategies should be awarded for victory in warfare. The first step should be to know about our enemies, i.e., the mice. The more we gather valuable information about them the easier their capture could be. Initially we didn’t think much of the mice. It was when they started having a go at rice, flour etc that we became to the empending danger. If left unchecked, the situation could go out of control. I started realizing that my wife’s grumbling was justifiable. I decided to probe into the affairs of the mice after my better half and offspring went to bed. This investigative indulgence would prove helpful in selecting the appropriate spots for placing the newly bought mousetraps.

Bringing rice and flour and keeping them on the dining table I came away and reclining on the sofa switched on the TV Eagerly awaiting the arrival of the mice and keeping vigil in hope and expectation at random. I was watching the Letterman’s boring feats also. Time was running. In one corner of the wall there was a thin horse. I sharpened my eyes and ears. Close to that old sofa that was placed near the dining table a tiny head as that which we would call grain-sized peeped out slowly. Eyes as black tiny beads. Tiny ears. For a moment there was absolutely no movement. It was then that something stirred in my throat and a sneeze exploded. However much I tried to control it I couldn’t. Out came that with a bang. You should see the speed of the mouse. It flew away. No can even say that it had just disappeared from the scene. After a short pause when everything remained still and silent the tiny head re-appeared. And, the black beady eyes; ‘Winnowing-fan’ ears.

This time I was watching in utter quiet. Seemed like, only after searching for rice and flour in their usual places in the kitchen area and following their scent it had come by the side of the dining table. Inside me there arose a strange wish. In order not to facilitate its climb to the dining table I had already moved the chairs a little away from the table. Wondering how it would realize its climb, curbing my movements as much as possible, I was following its movements with alert and watchful eyes. I had already realizes that even a flicker of a movement was enough to warn it. After wandering hither and thither for a while, sniffing the rise it had fallen under the table. For sometime it remained calm in that position, keeping its ears all alert. Then raising its tiny head upward it looked above once looked like it had guessed the place where the food was kept. I could feel the movement of my wife inside the room, consoling our child that was crying in sleep, and slowly rolling over. Every life in the world tries and tries hard all through its existence. As like this mouse or as like me, we can say. Because war has come to be, since the day of leaving our land what all efforts in what all ways…If one turns out not ok another attempt. Even if one succeeds, one more trial. What a wonderful, great grand world. A world full of mystery. This mouse is now struggling again and again to climb up one of the steep legs of the table. Its movements spell out its intense desire to get on to the table and search the food somehow.

Scaling and falling down, scaling and falling down, the mouse was so going on trying. Sometimes it might succeed in his attempts. Sometimes it might not. But it didn’t seem to be the type which would get disheartened by failures and stop trying. Till the final victory is achieved or till it falls down utterly exhausted it would surely continue its efforts. What an awe-inspiring will power in this tiny piece of life. What grit and determination!

My wife’s grumbling and complaints to find a way to do away with mice came to mind vaquely.Oh! My foolish woman, don’t these mice to have their family, kids and such other relationships, just like us? And, who can say how many lives are there relying on this one tiny life? Just because it eats a few grains or food particles, say what at all do we lose…?

Sleep was weighing heavy on my eyes. But, that small little being didn’t seem to stop at all. In my half-asleep state also the sound of its feather touch movements could be seen.

A CO(W)UNTRY ISSUE By - V.N.Giritharan -

2010-08-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Short Story

Canadian Tamil Literature
A CO(W)UNTRY ISSUE By - V.N.Giritharan -
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan
Edited by Betsy Harrell (USA)

As it was Sunday the road looked less crowded than usual. No traffic jam, either. Ponnaiya's Honda Accord was creeping smoothly along St.Clair West. Driving a car during Sundays or holidays was Ponnaiya's passion, so to speak. With no tension and no worry about some one honking the horn behind, he could drive leisurely, indulging in sight-seeing and so enjoying the city. A pleasure, indeed. Alas, the point arrived where Sundays were no longer a day without the honking horns. The city was growing day by day. As it swelled, the people, too, were starting to lose their patience, so at times like this Ponnaiya would tell himself , "As fast as the growth of the city, people's standard of living should also grow. Otherwise, problems are bound to multiply".

Going past Old Weston road and also Keele's intersection, the car meandered along. On the left side, the Beef Packers slaughterhouse has spread, occupying a vast space. A great, grand butcher house stood there where hundreds of cows were put to death and cut to pieces every day. By nature, Ponnaiya was kind -hearted. He would prefer to love one and all living beings. As long as he was in his native place he had remained a strict Vegetarian. But after coming here, he gradually changed. Yet for the kind of climate prevailing here, if man is not to eat meat he would be gone in no time!

Suddenly, the creeping traffic was disrupted. Ponnaiya looked at his watch. It was well past eleven o'clock. The Punjabiwallah had asked him to come by ten. The one garage that Ponnaiya knew to be fair was the Punjabiwala's. There was a slight jerk in the steering of the car and ever since yesterday Ponnaiya had been anxious to take it in. But What is this untimely traffic jam? Wondering, he looked in front to find out what was the matter.

A crowd had gathered as if for a carnival. Ponnaiya reflected how in their bent for curiosity all men are one and the same. As there stood a huge Beef Packers' truck blocking his view, he couldn't see clearly. Looking at a chinese man who was standing at the road side watching what was happening, Ponnaiya called out. "Hi man, what is the matter? What's going on?"

The Chinese with the help of the little English that he knew , said, "Beef..escape…slaughter." A White man who was standing next to him laughed at his broken English. Ponnaiya also felt like laughing. Both had understood though. A cow had escaped from the slaughterhouse.

There arose in Ponnaiya some sympathy for the poor unknown cow that had a narrow escape from the jaws of death. Turning the car off the road and parking it in a corner, Ponnaiya got out to mingle among the crowd, which was watching the proceedings.

The cow stood on the street car rails, glaring at those who were standing around and happily watching it. Ponnaiya could feel the fear of death lurking in its eyes. Its pathetic sight touched his inner chord of human kindness and saddened him. Ponnaiya started worrying. "How long can you poor animal of five senses hold out? My dear, stupid cow. Can you compete with man and come out unscathed and successful?"

Another thought struck him. 'What would this cow be feelings now? What had this lone creature suffered to escape and come this far?" He couldn't help picturing the rest of the cows inside the slaughterhouse waiting for their turn to be butchered.

"'Poor cow, it is not able to realize the tenuous nature of the freedom it has won, and that is why it is struggling with all its might to protect this freedom". And he couldn't help thinking of those in his native land. "How many are there who are exactly in the same situation as this cow? There are those who escape in a haphazard manner and then are caught again, and those who, unable to find any way, die where they are."

Again his attention was drawn to the cow. Still it was vehemently challenging all those trying to go closer. Yet, when nobody was moving in its direction, it stood silently with a kind of helpless fear, looking like sorrow personified. From it eyes, slowly, drop by drop, tears were rolling down. " What is the cause for those tears? What is it thinking about now, that makes it cry? Is it crying for its helpless condition? Or is it thinking of the way those villainous men lie in wait for its flesh and hide, and how its life to come to a standstill, trapped and soon to be guillotined? Why is the poor animal is shedding tears..?'

Suddenly a new thought rose in Ponnaiya . "What if I pay for the cow and so save its life? At home in Jaffna we could at least tie it in the backyard. But where could I keep it here? In the apartment? And even if I am able to save it, will saving just this one cow alone solve the problem of all the rest of the cows who are in the exactly same situation as this one.?"

Meanwhile, someone must have informed the police about the cow causing a traffic jam. With emergency light flashing and ever-wailing siren a police car rushed to the commotion. Two policemen alighted from it. Making a lasso with a rope, they struggled for some time. But could not move the bovine, which stood its ground determination. A large crowd of reporters and T.V.crews had gathered with cameras.

'The cow is involving in a life or death struggle, fighting to save its life. There's one part of the crowd to overpower it and do away with it, another part to enjoy watching the excitement, another to photograph it, and also fourth that is indifferent or impotent to do anything!" To think that he was also one among this crowd Ponnaiya couldn't help hating himself. Seeing that their efforts were not bearing fruit, the policemen assembled together and discussed different ways and means of capturing the cow now. Meanwhile, a large number of vehicles had come to a standstill on both sides of the road, causing an enormous traffic jam. The drivers who were far away and unable to know the reason for the traffic jam began to sound their horns one after another. The policemen realized that the situation was going out of control.

At last the cow problem came to an end. The poor beast's love for freedom was cruelly crushed by a the two-legged animal who shot it with a tranquilizer. It fell on the ground and was carried off to the slaughterhouse.

The traffic began to flow again. One by one the crowd began to move away. Thinking that the Punjabiwala was sure to scold him for being late , Ponniah leapt inside his car. The recollection of cow's love and zest and heroic fight for freedom made him feel a kind of respect and reverence for it. You won't believe this, but from that day onwards Ponnaiya once again turned into a strict Vegetarian.

[Editor's notes: "You make a very nice contrast between the serenity of Ponnaiya 's Sunday drive & the dreadful episode which follows. You make a wonderful, moving comparison between the doomed cow's plight & the situation of your own Tamil people in Sri Lanka. You often express powerfully, e.g., " a great, grand butcherhouse where hundreds of cows are done to death and cut to pieces every day. Your final sentence is perfect!"-Respectfully,Betsy Harrell (USA)]

Short Novel: America! By V.N.Giritharan -

2010-08-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Canadian Tamil Literature
Short Novel: America! By V.N.Giritharan -
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

A part of the world famous for THE New York City. The fifth floor of the building that once stood at a corner of Brooklyn. I don’t know how many floors there are. All that I know is that I am in the fifth floor of the structure. That’s all. And, to me this fifth floor is, as far as America is concerned, another world. Fashionable hair-dos and fragrant flowers”, but underneath it all lice, lice and more lice…

My American trip has also turned out to be just this. The world’s great grand democratic country, highly prosperous and affluent! Highly adventurous and possessing mighty power! Till I set foot on this soil America remained a magnificent land that respected human rights. But, my very first experience proved it all wrong. ‘Could it be that your American experience was a wrong one..?’ – so I used to muse at times. I would think of all other Americans belonging to my creed who lead a very successful life.

Thus, the American society is one, which provides numerous ways and means to make money. But, one should not forget that it was in this very same society that those experiences that confronted me did take place. The Statue of Liberty stands for Justice, Freedom and Equality. The Constitution of America also lays emphasis on man’s fundamental rights. The other side all green for the Cow on this side. So long as we remain on this side, everything looks ideal. Only till we set foot inside.

At this time of penning this, I am a young and upcoming writer. I am one who is struggling in right earnest, against all odds, with the wish to experiment and achieve a lot in the World of Literature. At the same time, I am a Tamil Canadian. Only when I review my American experiences in today’s situation, very many a truth surface. My three months experience in Brooklyn City (in the Detention Camp) and the one-year experience that I had in the New York City of America have helped me understand many things in a clearer and more comprehensive manner. They have enabled me to comprehend a lot of things in a better perspective. They have helped me understand more about the Truth about Life. Though the experiences were bitter, lessons drawn from those experiences are invaluable. I have dedicated these experiences to all those who are in the various detention Camps of America as prisoners, with unfulfilled yearnings and expectations, waiting for their day of freedom, their release.

Ah… I’ve even forgotten my name. Ilango! It is indeed my name. My father was an ardent lover of the epic Silapadhikaram. It was in the heat of that obsession he had given me this name. Maybe because of this literary significance of my name that the taste for creative writing has come to stay deep-rooted in me…

The plane is soaring high smoothly, as if in a dream. In four hours it would reach Boston. Things have taken place in a flash. With the news that thirteen army men were shot dead in Thinaiveli, the entire country came under the grip of chaotic violence and riots. Around fifty cars owned by the Government Department in which I was working as an engineer, were parked in the front lot. None of them came forward to help. In the end, somehow managing to escape along with another engineer of U.N.D.P.. who was working in another branch, when I reached Ramakrishna Hall in Wellavathai… hoodlums had surrounded that area as well. At that time, there were about fifty people in the hall. All of us ran to the terrace. Women and some of the men hid themselves in the space underneath the water tank . The rest of us hid ourselves behind the pillars that stood protruding on the terrace. We could see foreign tourists taking photographs of our hurried attempts to hide ourselves from the Brighton Hotel that stood opposite our building. People who had been driven out of their homes in Vellavathai area could be seen running with all their families in the direction of Thengivali along the railway track. From Vellavathai, thick smoke was rising high and spreading in all directions. Aged Tamil women could be seen running along the railway track, holding their saris knee high. It was definitely a pathetic sight to see, but there was nothing I could have done.

The hoodlums had set ablaze a Colombo bus that was standing on the lawns in front of the Ramakrishna Hall. They smashed all the glass-panels on the ground floor doors and windows. When they tried to set the hall on fire the police, who were till then happily watching it all, entered inside.

For a long time, we were staying inside that hall. We fed ourselves by cooking our own food with what little we could get there. That very night we left the place in lorries and reached Saraswathi Hall. When we helped them get into those vehicles, the women cried. None knew the destination. We remained in Saraswathi Hall as refugees for about two months till we could leave for Columbo in the vessel named Chidhambaram.

Even when we were sailing to Colombo in the vessel, never once did it cross my mind that I would be going abroad. My parents felt that in the prevailing situation where war and bloodshed had intensified, it would be better if I went somewhere else. At this point, the news that people could proceed to Canada as refugees reached my ears. My aunt’s money proved a great help for my trip across the seas. U.T.A. Before I had time to sit and evaluate the pros and cons of the situation, I had already left for Canada with the help of an agent. From Kathunayake to Paris, then from there, heading towards Boston through T.W.A. From Boston to Montreal Delta Airlines had successfully overcome its first round of hurdles. In Paris, they raised objection saying that they would not allow us to go to Canada without a visa. When we explained to them that visa was not necessary for one from a Commonwealth Country they eventually agreed. The next blockade would be in Boston. If that would also be successfully dealt with, then, straight to Canada. Once we reach Montreal, then, no futher hurdles. There was hope that Canada would not send back refugees.

“What Ilango? You seem to be deep in thought…right?” Arulraja asked. He was an accountant. He too was going to Canada as a refugee, like me. He had got married a little while ago, but the recent riots had unsettled him greatly. The adverse impacts of the riots had driven him out of his very own soil. He had the misfortune of being an eyewitness to the rape of his co-worker, a Tamil girl, at the hands of the heartless monsters.

He who was yet to recover from that trauma said, “I was just pondering over the sort of welcome that would be waiting for us where we go?”

“Seems like there won’t be much problems. But, it appears that in this flight at least five men of our soil are there.”

“True, that is indeed a problem. Yet, it does appear to me that everything would be ok.” When we were conversing thus, our plane slowly descended for a safe landing in the Logan International Airport. In all, our people were five. And, we all were sailing in the same boat, to put it figuratively. As five of us had come in the same flight the Airport officials grew suspicious. After affixing the stamp of ‘transit visa’ on all our tickets, the Delta Airline officials refused to give them back. They kept the five of us in one part of the airport under the surveillance of the Police. We all grew apprehensive wondering what would happen next. Most of us had made the trip possible after mortgaging our houses and buying tickets and visas with the interest money. When such being the case, if we were to be sent back …Hours sped by. We arrived at the airport at 2 p.m, and five hours had elapsed. Hunger started gnawing at our stomachs. Fatigue had come to prevail on our countenances. All the five of us became familiar with each other. Rajasundaram was working as the manager of a Sri Lankan bank. Now, leaving his wife and children behind, he had set out in search of a new life at his advanced age. Another one of the five was Sivakumar. He must have been in his thirties, but he had already started to bald. He worked in Maharaja in Colombo. Unmarried. Ravindran seemed to be in his late teens, say, eighteen or nineteen. He was a student of Rathmalana Hindu College studying in A-Level. In the midst of our conversation, an immigration official had approached us. He reported that we would be sent back to Colombo by 10 pm by Swiss Air Flight and advised us to be ready. We became a little afraid. Would we be actually sent back?

Meanwhile, Rajasundaram said, “Looks like they are forcing us to go back. Whatever problem confronts us, we should protest!” Then, the same immigration officer who had brought the bad news earlier had re-appeared for some reason.

Hunger was eating us. Unable to control himself, before the official said anything; Sivakumar asked, “Sir, we are all hungry. Will you please allow us to buy something? We would be really grateful if you do.”

“You can have your breakfast in Colombo,” the official responded sarcastically to Sivakumar’s courteous words. Anger welled up in all of us, but then, it would be of no use.. The official had come with all the necessary ‘boarding pass’ for our return journey. He called out our names to issue the boarding passes. None of us stirred. We kept quiet. We silently watched his face growing dark in anger. Meanwhile, a female immigration officer came there. Seeing a female gave us hope. We explained to her our situation and that of our country. And, she proved very attentive.

Rajasundaram said, “Madam, we have left our place with great difficulty, and, after undergoing much travails we have set out for Canada. As far as Canada is concerned, we don’t need any visa. We are really at a loss to understand why Delta Airlines is not accepting our tickets.”

The female officer responded, “I too feel that legally it is wrong on their part to refuse entry to you, but we are helpless in this matter. The Government of Canada already has ordered them to pay fine for having alighted three Srilankan Tamils in Canada. Such is the state of affairs and we are not in a position to do anything in this issue.”

For this, Rajasundaram replied, “In this condition, we have no other alternative but to claim refugee status in America. So, we are all applying for that in America.” When Rajasundaram voiced this request for the ‘refugee-status’ the female officer’s face underwent a change of expression. We also noticed that the other immigrant officer’s countenance shed some of its scowl.

The female officer who went somewhere with our requisition in mind and came back without much delay. “As you have applied for refugee status they have decided not to send you back. You are all happy, no?” Nodding ‘yes’ we looked at Rajasundaram with gratitude.

The proverb “Even after the rain stops, the drizzle still continues” was fully applicable in our case. We were made to stay in the Hilton hotel for two days. In the Boston’s Globe, News relating to us was given prominence. They had published our photographs too. In ‘Voice of America’, ‘BBC’ and other Channels, the News about us was an important topic. It was when the Ethnic Violence of Sri Lanka was hot News in the International Mass Media that our journey had started. That was the reason why our story gained such coverage. After the initial enquiries were over, they sent us to New York City. Even then we had no idea that we were being sent to a detention Camp…

When were arrived at New York via a special bus, the happiness of staying in a world-famous hotel Hilton for two full days was still lingering in us. When we were in Sri Lanka itself we had heard a lot about this great gand city of Newyork and about its International significance The very thought of going to such an illustrious city (New York) filled us with happiness and various dreams and future plans. Not just that day but even today there is one question that keeps troubling my mind. Why did they send us who were caught in Boston, to New York? In Boston the Tami Forums and Organizations were quite influential. When that being the case,if they were to keep us there that could bring some headache to the American Government, politically, so the American government would have thought.. I find this alone as the possible reason for their move.

Our travel by bus from Boston to New York proved to be a pleasant one. For the first time in our lives we were journeying on the Expressway. We came across different kinds of trucks that made us view them with immense awe. Those trucks connected trailers together. Throughout the whole trip, the foremost thought in my mind was, “Thank God we have overcome the hurdles!” A great sense of relief came to us. We were all floating in a blissful state of mind.

I was full of nostalgic memories about my home. I should work hard to find solutions for all the problems of our household at the earliest. Should somehow bring brother also here and arrange for elder sister’s marriage with all pomp and show. Only after finishing all these chores should I slowly turn my attention towards Kavsalya’s condition. Memories of Kavsalaya pproved a soothing balm to my heart. I have explained everything to her umpteen number of times. I had talked to her at great length regarding my duties and responsibilities. But, she remains firm in her decision that she would marry me, and me alone and said that she was prepared to wait for me. What am I to do in a situation like this? If she is prepared to wait, I have no alternative but to accept her as my life-partner! Even when we arrived in New York, we had no clue as to what would befall us.

It was only when our bus was driving through a poverty-stricken area of New York that a nagging sensation came to prevail upon us. Though we couldn’t comprehend anything when our bus sped past an area where black children were playing around in dirty, unhealthy atmosphere, with old, time-worn buildings we couldn’t help feeling that somewhere, something had gone wrong. Finally, our bus came to a halt in front of an old structure. We were asked to get off with our luggage. Even then we were at a loss to assess the exact situation. It was only when we reached the fifth floor we began to get an inclination of what was to follow.the place where we arrived at, in the fifth floor was the reception hall. A man having the appearance of a prison-guard, who was intently looking into the files was sitting there. The Boston immigration officer left us in his custody’ and wishing him ‘good-luck’ went away. It was then that we became painfully aware of our fate. We could understand that we were brought to some sort of a a prison.

The eyes on the other side of the iron-bars belonging to men wearing prison uniforms who were watching us so eagerly dawned on us the much needed realization. Security guards were seen here and there. Our belongings were taken away from us. We were relieved of what little money we had in our possession. We were told that at the time of our leaving that place it would be returned to us.As in Logan Airport, here too The preliminary tests were conducted. Our fingerprints were collected. At last, when all the formalities were over, we were given prison-wear. “This is exactly what one can call a typical case of ‘from the frying pan into the fire,’” Rajasundaram observed. “Just like the elephants feet crushing the man fallen off the palm-tree” - Sivakumar groaned in fatigue and despair. “Leaving our problem-ridden soil to find some way out, alas, if only we had some idea as to what would befall us here, that we would be caught thus, we could have stayed back and suffer death in our homeland itself”, murmured Ravichandran. Arul Raja remained silent. “Let us see what happens”, said I.

Behind us the prison doors were closed. The black security officials looking like dreadful wrestlers were seen here and there. The corridor connecting the hall of the detention Camp on the fifth floor looked like a hall in its own way.There stood a recreation hall opposite each dorm. In that recreation-hall, there was a TV in one corner, a vending machine, a table to play table-tennis and a telephone were there. In the dorms bunk-beds were arranged one above the other in the manner of a ship or hostel. The corridors connecting the halls had strong iron doors with security personnels.

Along with the corridor that connected both the corridors bathrooms and lavatories were found. Apart from these, there was also a dining hall and a separate wing for doing physical exercises and yogasanas. In times of need medical facilities were also offered. The doctor’s cabin was in the front portion of the detention Camp, before the reception. In our wing, all the screening prisoners were men. Women were in a different wing. While waiting for food, men would vie with each other for a chance to see the women on the other side. And, for this reason they would also vie with each other to do kitchen-duty. For doing work in the kitchen the person concerned would be given one dollar per day as salary.

In the detention Camp where we were kept, there were about two hundred men. Most of them belonged to Africa and South America. If we take the countries, those of Afghanistan outnumbered all the others. In the case of Sri Lanka ,we five were the only ones. There were only two from India and Bangladesh. There were also men from Middle American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. There were prisoners of all sorts such as those caught at the airport for want of proper visas and related documents, those caught and asked for refugee status (like us) and some others who were indulging in illegal activities and so arrested, those dealing with drugs and were awaiting the day of their deportation. Prisoners of all sorts. Of them the condition of the Afgans proved highly pitiable.

Most of the prisoners there had been languishing there for more than two years. And, most of them were caught for want of proper visa and other documents and had asked to be treated as refugees. The way they were existing there, separated from their near and dear ones and with their hopes crushed and feelings assaulted, the way those people were languishing there revealed to me the other, dark side of this world’s Super Power which was all illumination outside, wearing the mask of a pleasant countenance. As far as the Americans, they are intelligent and hardworking. They have so much of grit and deternmination and are pioneers and role-models in so many fields. But, it is in this very same country that there are innumerable murderers, lterrible psychopaths, the likes of whom you could not find anywhere else in the world.

With their basic rights denied, the refugees are languishing and rotting in the detention Camps. Such woeful and gruesome situations prevailing in a land that stand at the top of the world and advocate Freedom, Equality and Fraternity and whatnot deserves a thorough study indeed. As soon as we reached the hall that was our assigned space, those who were already there came to surround us. Of them, Abdhulla of Afghanistan, Daniel of El Salvador, and Der of Guatemala deserve special mention. Those three asked about us, the countries we came from and what made us land there with full of concern and brotherly feelings. As we had gone there at a time when the entire world was aware of the burning problem of Sri Lanka, the prisoners were already familiar with our country. They listened to our story and expressed sympathy in all sincerity and compassion.

“These Americans are always like this. Take any country and there will be Americans creating problems,”– so observed Daniel. Daniel seemed to be around eighteen. His face had not lost boyish features as yet. He continued, “It is these Americans that are behind all the problems of our land. Somehow managing to save our skin if we come here, they treat us so brutally, keeping us in cages as animals and torture us psychologically.”

“How long have you been here Daniel?” To this query of mine, not Daniel but on his behalf Abdhulla of Afghanistan answered. His answer upset not just me but the whole lot of us.

“Myself and some others from my land have been here for the last two years. Although, it must have been at least a year since Daniel arrived.”

“What are these Americans doing for two years?” Growing apprehensive, Rajasundaram turned a little impatient. “According to their laws, if someone is caught while trying to get into the land without proper documents, they must languish in jail until the cases are taken up and judgement is given! It would take years!” Thus, conversing with us for a while, being supportive they left to attend to their daily chores. We stayed back and talked this and that for some more time. Among all of us it was Raasundaram who looked terribly upset.

“Damn me for spending so much to suffer this fate – years of caged life! I’ve promised my wife and children that after coming to Canada, I’d call them soon after to join me here…”

“Brother, what is the use of losing heart? Let’s sit and think of how we can get away from here,” as Sivakumar uttered these words, Rajasundaram intervened.

“Are you suggesting jailbreak?”

“No, no. I don’t mean that. I just said that we should somehow leave this place.”

“If we can talk with the Boston Tamil Association, we can somehow find supporters,” I said.

“But how to get access of them?” asked Arulraja. Only then we became aware of the fact that we possessed neither their address nor their telephone number.

Ravindran said, “Brother, people whom I know are living in New York. We can get the information from them!”

After conversing thus for a while we retired for the day. . Arulraja and myself shared a bunk bed with he lying on the upper birth. A month had sped off since our arrival. In the mean while, life at the camp had become somewhat familiar to us.

Morning, afternoon, and evening. Three meals a day with the last one in the evening itself. We who were used to having food in the night would be feeling hungry throughout the night. Every time we paid a visit to the dining hall, women prisoners from the respective halls would come in first, have their food and then leave. Then our cages would be opened, and we’d be temporarily let loose.

As for the food, though we were not accustomed to it, they did give nutritious food and that too in sufficient quantity. In the mornings, we were provided with a cup of juice, a cup of coffee, a fruit, milk, cereal,apart from these, scrambled eggs or pancake with syrup. In the afternoon, rice a smaller-than-used-to portion of rice, spaghetti, meat balls, a juice, fruit, and coffee. Even though being provided with the snacks during mealtime, we were not allowed to save them to take back to our dorms. Security guards would jump at you if caught with these snacks and snatch them away. Hunger would be killing us. Somehow we would manage to stealthily take fruits with us. Another important thing. Often the guards would order us to stop moving from wherever we were and begin to count our heads. Sometimes, one or two heads would be missing. When that happens they would start all over again and again.

Initially, in the first two months were unbearable. Peeping through the windows and seeing those aeroplanes drawing lines in the space, flying so freely, seeing those poor, black children playing so happily, the thought of our imprisoned state of existence would weigh on us all too heavily and we would feel suffocated. As someone possessed by evil spirits we five would be lying in our respective cots.

Memories of motherland would flood us like a deadly deluge. Thoughts of Kausalya would begin to flutter their wings. Scenes of those horrible riots and violence would come again before my very eyes. So many dreams, plans and responsibilities we had. Who would have thought we would be caged in this dark side of America which is all illumination on the surface level? Why can’t they understand our traumas and predicaments? Why can’t they empathise with us? How horribly the lives of these youngsters from Afganisthan, El Salvador etc., being wasted away thus! They keep in one and the same place those indulged in criminal acts and those who have run away from their homeland unable to bear the atrocities there. Treating them like murderers and anti-social elements. Bent on subjecting helpless refugees who come leaving behind their loved ones, belongings, and their identities thanks to the mindless riots occurring in their own soil, to further humiliation and suffering… As for us, we were still under the grip of the gruesome riot, psychologically.

But, before we had time to come out of it the events that had taken place in our lives all too quickly…I still remember vividly… I was thena fourth standard student. An essay competition was held and we were asked to write on the theme “The Country I Love.” I chose America and listed several reasons for my choice. I wrote that America was a great land of Democracy where even a mere wood-cutter who was Abraham Lincoln could rise to the topmost position of American Presidentship. America was a land where human rights were respected and revered. Their very statue upholding Freedom bore testimony to this… so I had written. But, if someone asked me today which country I’d choose, for sure I would not choose America. Never at all. For, let them not embrace with wide-opened hands, all those who come as refugees. Let them not shower on them love and compassion. But, they could at least refrain themselves from subjecting them to still worse psychological harassment, can’t they..?At the same time, America has a strange, unique law as regards those who illegally enter into the country. Laws are for preserving and upholding Justice. What this particular law upholds, god only knows… But it was only accidently that we came upon that law. That too, after spending three long months in the screening-camp. I wonder what would have befallen us if we had not by chance learnt the existence of such a legal provision.

It can also be said that life in the detention Campshelped us realize the essentially dependent nature of our Universe. Time which flew when we were out and free, struck work and stayed still all too stubbornly. The future looked bleak and uncertain. With no answer nor solution coming our way, we felt we were living in a no man’s land that hung in suspension. Every now and then, despair and helplessness would overpower us. Feeling spent-out, we’d be lying in our cots doing nothing. However, at the back of our mind it was clear to us that at no cost we should lose hope.

Life at the Detention Camp had caused in us several changes. Four-letter words were coming out of Sivakumar’s mouth much too often. When all the inmates went to sleep, Ravichandran would emit a shrill whistle. Daniel would do the same as a kind of response. All the others would follow suit. Eventually the security-guards would come there and put an end to it. Ravichadran’s knowledge of English was very poor.Taking all this into account, that day all of us discussed our situation threadbare. As a result of our discussion that day on how we could spend our time usefully and also on what could be our future plans we resolved to do the following:

We unanimously decided that as we had already applied for Refugee status and also as the Boston Tamil Association had already made its presence in our issue,` whatever we propose to do we should do it in consultation with them and also through them… and if at all there could be ways and means of escape we should leave it in their hands to pursue them. Furthermore, it was also decided that we should stop using vulgar language and should abstain from making noise in the night. We also decided that Rajasundram should teach English to Ravichandran. Event though we had our discussion in right earnest, we couldn’t help smiling at the thought of those resolutions. Our discussion that day, and the days that followed immediately, succeeded in instilling some rays of hope in us. The way we talked to each other, sharing our sorrows and hopes had somewhat lessened the burden that was weighing heavily on us.

As for myself, I decided not to let unwanted thoughts assail my heart. I started spending more time watching TV in the mornings. I also played table tennis with Daniel and Richard and played chess with Sivakumar and Ravichandran. As far as the game of chess is concerned, I owe it to the Spanish security officers. These officers would play chess between themselves and when I asked the Spanish official to get me one he obliged readily and brought me a chess board and coins, without a scowl. Apart from this, I also started doing physical exercises whenever I got the time.

As for T.V programmes, I loved watching cartoons and the news in the morning hours. I soon discovered that most of my inmates had a special liking for viewing Cartoons. They mostly liked the cartoons Pink Panther and Tom and Jerry. We were also able to get edible items and hot and cool drinks from the ‘vending machine’ that was kept inside our camp. If we would request the respective officers in advance, giving five dollars or 10 dollars from our money they would give us coins equivalent to the amount given by us with the help of which we could get things from the vending machine.

Meanwhile, I had become close with Daniel, Abdhulla and Richard. Richard was a uniue personality. He always had his Bible with him and he would always be praying. I never saw him lose his cool. His life was very simple and straight with no riddles and mysteries. He would leave everything in the hands of God. He never expressed any hate for the Americans. When I asked him if he ever possessed ill feelings towards the Americans, he wore a disarming smile and said, “Not at all. These people have given me food and shelter, and for this I am thankful. I also pray to God.” He was one who acknowledged God and none else. Sometimes I used to think that his too deep a faith in god was silly and superstitious. Exept God, he would never believe anything , even the Modern Science. And, he would never believe that the Earth is round in shape. In a way I envied him. How nice it would be if I were to be like him, I used to long… ‘then there would be no problem at all!’

Daniel was the exact opposite of Richard. His god was Se Guevera. Whenever he had the time, he would be reading a book on guerrilla warfare. His entire family had become victims of the terrorist activities of Salvador State troops. His elder brother was a firm supporter of guerrilla. The state troops had shot him dead. Hence it was natural for Daniel to be angry and boiling.

The prison authorities who wanted to bring some hapiness in this life of ours told us one day that once in a week, if we wanted, we could play inside the play ground which had thorny fence on all the four sides. The play ground was part of our Detention Camp building. Longing to have a glimpse of the outer world, we agreed to it whole-heartedly.

The very ritual of our being taken to that playground provided great amusement. They would handcuff us in pairs and with many guards in front and also at the back of us they would take us there. There, they would offer us a ball. When we would be happily playing, kicking the ball with our feet or throwing it at one another, catching it and clapping our hands in excitement the guards would suddenly intervene and handcuff us once again and lead us back to our place. The way they cherished and upheld the spirit of freedom and the rights of the individuals in so strange a fashion used to amuse us at times and it also angered us a lot.

The way they were treating us as some kind of “dreaded international terrorists” made us wonder whether they really feared us. Abdulla’s reply dispelled our suspicion to some extent. “Handcuffing us and keeping us in prison are for the sole purpose of weakening us psychologically. “Unable to bear this, some would voluntary come forward and request to be deported. Mohammed, who came from my country, did exactly that. But no one knows what his condition is today?”. At the same time, regarding Afghanistan, America is lending help to Mujahidheen Guerrilla Force opposing the Soviet-friendly Government.. But, it turns a blind eye to the plights of people like Abdulla who come here seeking solace, driven by the unbearable condition of that land.

Can it be because they suspect that in the name of refugees Afghan spies are gaining entry? Though we resolved to ourselves that we would treat each day as a new one and focus on the silver lining and forgetting our caged conditions, it was not easy to conduct ourselves so. For, how long one could go on sitting in front of the idiot-box (or the television as you may call it)? How long one could go on like this, playing table-tennis? Doing physical exercises? Prison is prison, with your freedom totally curbed..The burden of Life would weigh us down every now and then. During those moments, we’d be lying down in our beds feeling all too gloomy and extremely fatigued.

In the detention Camp, we had one great advantage which we could never hope to have in the world out there. Here, we were able to contact anybody in any nook and corner of the world. Of course, it was only through illegal means. The credit card numbers for the telephones of big companies, rich people etc., were somehow reaching the hands of those in the detention Camp on a regular basis. How they managed that, God alone knows. That there was the girl friend of a West-Indian working as a Telephone Operator and that they managed to get those numbers with the help of that girl – so they told. I don’t really know.

But, the instruments in some remote parts of the world bearing these numbers that would come to our hands would somehow become dead shortly afterwards. And, in their place new numbers would have come. True to the golden saying ‘ pazhaiyana kazhidhalum pudhiyana pugudhalum, losing the old numbers and getting some new numbers we would keep alive our telephonic conversations, hoping against hope. The unlawfulness of this act couldn’t hold good before the psychological pain and anguish of our prison-lives.

The concern and empathy with which the Tamil Association took up our matter initially, withered away a little, as days passed. Some of the associates had come to the city of Newyork but they never had the time to pay us even a brief visit. At the same time there were one or two good souls too.

One day, the prison officials announced us that we had a visitor. The news made us wonder. Visitorsfor us? Who could that be? We were splitting our heads trying hard to find out the answer. A man of short stature with a soft, kind voice. It was “Father Abraham” hailing from Tamilnadu who is now working in a Church in New York. He had learnt about us through newspapers. He benevolently brought us some magazines and newspapers to read. In the detention Camp, only two of us were allowed to come simultaneously to see the visitor(s). There was a wire partition separating us from visitors. Rajasundharam and myself went to meet the visitor. At that point of time when we were feeling so distressed and greatly unsettled by the bitter taste of prison life, meeting him provided great solace to our battered souls. “Is there anything I can do? If there is, please let me know”, said Father Abraham. As for us, our foremost concern was to find a way to get out of that hideous place at the earliest.

Rajasundhran who was terribly shaken responded at once: “Father, I have left behind my wife and children in our motherland. These goddamned people give us the impression that we are going to live here forever! If you can get us out of this hell we would be extremely grateful.”

In the familiar voice that melts away all worries and brings in hope, Father Abraham said, “Don’t worry. I know a lawyer who is working in a Christian Society. I will inquire there. Please do give me a ring for anything you wish to talk to me about. I will do all that I can.” Truly, our meeting with Father Abraham revived our dead hopes. It was like finding something to hold on to, when one is drowning in the sea. When we came back to our cots after meeting Father Abraham Sivakumar and Arul Raja came to us and urged us to tell each and every syllable of our conversation with Father Abraham and put forth numerous questions to us.

“See Elango. Some unkown Father who doesn’t even belong to our nation but one born in India has read the papers and came here to console us. But, our people who have heard of our problems have not even cared to call us over the phone to find out how things are,” Sivakumar’s voice was full of anger and weariness.

“All these Tamil Association people have become established citizens of this land. But, we are unwanted guests of this country. So, they might have thought ‘ why invite trouble’ and preferred to stay away” - Arulraja observed. What he said sounded true to all of us. Seen in this context we could realize the significance of Father Abraham’s visit. As for him, he need not have paid attention to our affairs. But the fact that he did and came all the way to inquire after our well-being moved us a lot.

After that our attention was drawn to the magazines and papers that Father Abraham had brought us. The journals were from various countries and they had published news about us. Boston Globe, Ceylon Daily News, Asian Monitor, Gulf Times of the Middle East, etc. Of all the Dailies, the Gulf Times made us laugh. There was a news-item which reported that an Officer of the American Government expressed hope that a solution to our issue would be found in two week’s time.said that a solution would be arrived in two weeks time. In that an authority of Boston Immigration Department by name Thimothy Veelan had said that he had urged the Central Government to speeden up our case and that a solution would be arrived at in two weeks’ time. In ‘Daily News’ there was a report on our transfer from Boston to Brooklyn Detention Camp and that the Tamil Association people had employed a lawyer to fight our case in the American Court of Law. It still remains a mystery as to why the Tamil Association which entered the scene in such a big way, retreated later on.

Two days after Father Abraham’s visit two more unexpected visitors came to see us. They were Oliver and Ingrid of the Spartacist party. As for the Spartacist party-folks, they were Marxists who followed Trotsky. In their journal, an article was published on the plights of Tamils. In that it was emphasized that the Sinhalese labourers should join hands and fight against the Pro-American Government of J.R. Taking us to be some revolutionary warriors, they repeated time and again that the solution to all our problems lay in the united struggle of the Sinhalese-Tamil labourers. They expressed discontent and worried over the treatment meted out to us at the hands of the American Government. Rajasundharam and Sivakumar didn’t approve of them. “They are all C.I.A men. They come here to ‘feel our pulse.’ - When Rajasundhram commented thus, there was a note of caution in his voice.

Thus, our Detention Camp life continued with visits from the unexpected and no-visits from the expected. During the same time, there were several globally important affairs were also taking place. A Corean passenger plane that had gone beyond the Soviet border was gunned down by the Russian Force. This act had created a great uproar all over the world. This incident helped to a great extent the spread of ill-feeling against Russia in many countries. At this same time, in our home land, the incident where a Colombo-bound passenger bus was attacked and two Tamil youths were shot dead by the military men in Jaffna took place.

Our spirits and state of affairs that had turned a little better, thanks to those unexpected visits had once again returned to its usual gloom and despair, under the effect of prison life. We became dead once again, so to say. However, our association with Father Abraham and his words had helped us grow mentally stronger. Every now and then we would talk to him over the phone, taking turns and he would also talk to us irrespective of what time it was and whether he was busy or not, and he would always console us, instil hope in us and prove a great pillar of support. Having a few words with Father healed us a lot. Especially to Rajasundhram. Poor man. At this age, having to leave his beloved family behind, in search of a new job and ending up in prison. .. Life at the Detention Camp had unsettled him to a great extent, we could see..

Time went on, with new entrants coming in and some old ones going out. Some were deported. Some were released on bail, but the way things were, it appeared to us that we could not hope to leave the cell till the case was over.

Meanwhile, there was a bloom in Daniel’s life. He would also work in the kitchen every now and then. While he was doing his chores in the kitchen he had fallen in love with a female prisoner of his soil. His boyishness was slowly bidding him goodbye. Apart from this, another important incident took place. A Nigerian youth waiting for his day of extradition, suddenly started blabbering, as if in delirium, one night. Spending huge sum and landing in America with real great expectations, he had suffered a breakdown as a result of all his dreams going to the docks and to top it all he was to be deported.Some said that he was possessed by some evil spirit. One of the Africans in our detention Camp was said to be an expert hand in driving away these evil spirits and he knew all the rituals required for this task, said the men at the camp.

Throughout the night the exorcist went on trying his might to save the felllow nigerian from the grip of some devil. All of us were wide awake till dawn. The scene looked like as if it was taken from one of those English movies that show the African life. Just like those exorcists whom we find in such movies this man was also uttering some words in African language and chasing away the evil spirit and we observed everything with wonder and awe! The Camp guards too behaved in a magnanimous manner in this issue, not at all interfering.

But, the very next day the young man had regained his normalcy. There is an other important thing which needs to be told. During the nights, when those at the camp would retire for the day there would be a headcount. An officer slightly above the rank of the security officers would conduct it. He was a black and his appearance resembled those stiff and strict German military officers of the English War Movies. Wearing spectacles and a cap, he would come with a harsh look, with his hands folded at the back. The mere sight of him would make the prisonerssmile and laugh.. Confronted with so many conflicting thoughts and memories, fighting against them when atlast we we would come to lie on our beds our hearts would have turned light. We would be itching to indulge in some mischief. Placing the pillow on his bed and covering it with the bedsheet, Ravichandhran would be chatting with us. Daniel would also do the same thing. The officer would conduct a headcount and count both of them, each twice. As soon as he left our room, we’d burst into laughter. Hearing that he would come back immediately and scowl at us. But they would announce that the headcount was wrong. Once again the officer would pay a visit to our hall. In the meantime, Ravichandran would have gone to his cot and would be lying there as the very personification of innocence.

Thus, our detention Camp life was not without interesting moments and incidents. Life went on. Father Abraham would often say, “Don’t worry over anything.” Whenever we gave him a call he would always say that. Father was a kind soul. He had a heart of pure gold, but we could see that even his hope was waning. And, the reality of the situation that we were in, had dawned on us too. Still, deprived of freedom and living the life of caged-birds we longed for Father’s soothing words. Moreover, we didn’t want to lose hope. After all, our very existence relies on hope, isn’t it? And, Vijayabaskaran’s visit changed our destiny.

I have never seen a moment when his face was not wearing a smile. He had learnt to overcome any kind of hurdle. He was the only son of Vinaasithambi who was one of the renowned merchants of Jaffna. Just like us, he too was caught on his way to Canada. I felt sad when I saw him. Two and a half months had passed since our arrival there. Henceforth, he would also be one among us. We didn’t want to cause confusion and apprehension in his heart by telling him our thoughts. Many of his relatives were actually in New York itself Contacting them soon he wasted no time in employing a lawyer for himself. Let him do what he can, we thought. The place is an iron-prison. Escaping from it would never be an easy task. Time would make him realize all this and more. Already we had tried and became sick and tired of it all. So we knew, that he too would realize it all in due course.

Meanwhile, as he had arrived straight from Sri Lanka, we asked him about the prevailing conditions and the state of affairs of our soil. When he described in detail the State sponsored atrocities heaped on hapless Tamils his voice grew intense with hatred and anger. Vijayabaskaran said, “School Children from each locality are joining various Movements..hereafter, things will not be the same.” Hearing the struggles and travails of our people, we felt guilty. Haven’t we fled our country in sheer cowardice…? Sivakumar’s words expressed exactly this: “Once we go outside we should strive to turn the people of foreign lands against the atrocities of the Sri Lankan government.”

The tone of his voice implied that we should at least do something that would be possible for us. One week sped by. It was then that the miracle took place. That day Vijayabaskaran’s face had an extra-special glow and his smile spread from ear-to-ear. We all became curious to find out what had caused this change in disposition. He excitedly said, “My lawyer said I can get out on bail for two thousand dollars. My uncle is taking me tomorrow. Tomorrow or the day after I can go, it seems.” We felt happy for him but also sad for our own selves. We too yearned to go. And, along with it a new hope came to be. ‘If Vijayabaskaran can get bail why can’t we?’ From the moment the news reached Rajasundhram, he began to feel restive.

“Something has gone wrong in our case. For what it is worth, let’s speak to his lawyer through Baskaran and try to find out ” . We all agreed to this. Maybe there could be some difference, from the legal point of view, between our situation and that of Vijayabaskaran’s. So, there would be some provision with the help of which we could also get bail. If that be the cae, then it would be better to have Vijayabaskaran’s lawyer to fight our case too. We decided to approach him through vijayabaskaran. Vijayabaskaran spoke of us to his lawyer through his uncle. He also told him of our decision to have him as our lawyer. We gave him the number of our Boston lawyer. That night itslef a solution was found.

Vijayabaskaran’s uncle told everything to Father Abraham. Father Abraham contacted us over the phone. It was only through the call from the New York lawyer that our Boston lawyer could come to know of what went wrong in our case. Immediately afterwards, the Boston lawyer contacted the Immigration Authorities. As a result of these initiatives, it would be possible to get us bail in a week’s time. This was the essence of Father Abraham’s call. We can never describe in words the joy that the call gave us all. We all felt as though we were flying up above, higher and higher! It was all because of Vijayabaskaran. If it weren’t for his arrival, we could never have come to know of this error in our case. From the information that reached us through Vijayabaskaran’s lawyer and Father Abraham, we learnt of the rules and regulations of America regarding illegal immigrants.

If a person who came to this country through legal means were to stay on beyond the expiry date of his or her visa, he or she then becomes an illegal immigrant. If one enters illegally, then that person too is obviously an illegal immigrant. A person can be allowed to enter the country through legal means. Or, through illegal means too. Those mentioned above would come under the category of ‘ Allowed to enter the country illegally’.

In the same way, if someone with fake visas and documents is apprehended by the immigration officers at the airport or along the line of control such people couldn’t be allowed entry even illegally. But, those who come sailing in the sea, if they are apprehended before they could set foot on the land then they too are categorised as those not to be allowed inside the country even illegally. But, in case they who come through the sea are apprehended after entering the land then they fall under the category of immigrants allowed entry illegally.they too come under the category of illegal immigrants.As for those who have admitted into the country though illegally in case they are apprehended by the Immigration authorities they have the right to be released on bail. And, for those who are caught thus, documents for getting release on bail should be given to them within a stipulated period of time. But, in the case of those who were not allowed entry even illegally such persons cannot go on bail and they have to languish in prison till the case is over.

If the case were to be dismissed, then the person would be deported straight from the Detention Camp. As for as we are concerned, we have been initially admitted into the country legally. In our tickets, “transit” visas were stamped in Boston. While we were thus in America through legal means, we were forced to appeal for refugee status because Delta Airlines’ refused us entry. After the expiry time of our transit visa we moved to the category of those ‘admitted illegally’. It is here that the American immigration authorities have erred – they said. They explained that they took us to be of that category of immigrants who are denied entry into the country even illegally. This is were we nurture strong suspicion. Did they really err? Or, did they knowingly wronged us? That is why they brought us to the detention Camp with the prospect of bail denied .

We were given Charge-Sheets in which it was stated that as we had stayed in the country even after the expiry date of our transit visas we had committed offences under sections 241(a), 101(a), 15 of the Immigration act which warrant extradition. For the offence that took place on the 23rd of August charge sheets were being given to us on the 23rd of November. Even now, many things were left untold; conveniently hidden. Firstly, we were admitted into the country through proper legal means. Proper transit visas were awarded to us. Due to Delta Airlines’ refusal to fly us even when we were staying there legally, we had applied for refugee status.

In truth, legally there is no difference at all between a person who entered here with a two-year visa and applying for refugee status after one year of his arrival and our case. Will a person of the first case be arrested after two years because he has violate the law? That doesn’t seem to happen. Then, it was said that even after our transit visas expired, not seeking and acquiring permission from the Immigration authorities we continued to stay in the country. But, didn’t we apply for refugee status within the stipulated time? And, we continued to stay only with their permission, or rather under their power and in their custody. When this is the case, how can they say that we stayed here without their permission and in violation of the law?

To top it all of, another incident occurred. From August 28th 1983 to November 13th of the same year, a basic right guaranteed in the Constitution of America had been denied to us. They were giving us the charge sheet alleging us to be offenders of law after a gap of over two months. Who is responsible for that period of time we lost forever? Who is responsible for all the psychological traumas that we had to endure then? All this happened in a land where the Statue of Liberty stands in all glory and splendour. In the very city of New York we were deprived of our basic human rights. What a shameful irony! At last, our detention Camp life came to an end. For about three months, we lost our rights. These experiences would haunt our memories forever. Though, the opportunity of knowing and befriending people from various parts of the world was definitely enriching. The very thought of leaving such good souls like Daniel, Richard, Romeo, and Abdhulla made us feel terribly sad. We knew that they felt glad to know we’d be released, but we knew that they were also feeling sad, feeling apprehensive about their future. As for them, they were in the category of those who had been admitted illegally. Till the end of their case, they would be in a ‘hanging suspended in mid-sky’ state. In case the verdict would go in their favour, they’d be admitted into the country with rights. If not, they might be expelled from the country. Till that fateful day, they would remain in this prison known as the Detention Camp on the fifth floor, mechanically roaming around with hearts heavy with dreams and aspirations. What else they can do?

Epilogue

Following the July riots of 1983 when I left for Canada, there were about 19 other Tamilians travelling along with me in the same plane. It was planned that we were to board on Delta Airlines in Boston. At the time of our journey, we belonged to another Common Wealth Country, so we didn’t require a visa. However, Delta Airlines refused to take us to Montreal and here the problem began. The nineteen of us were forced to seek political asylum in America. After this, the American government transfered us to the Brooklyn detention Camp. For over two months, we were made to remain there in an imprisoned state. This novella which has taken shape as a result of our experiences there is in fact a mixture of 95% real incidents and a mere 5% of imaginary things which of course do not distort nor intend to distort the real incidents or their impact in any way. The experiences of the nineteen of us have been converted into the experiences of five here. For this purpose, fictitious names have been given. Apart from this, all that is narrated and described here as the rules, routines and incidents of the Detention Camp are 100% true. What positive changes have come to be in the Laws of America as regards the refugees, if at all there is any, is not known exactly. Lots of Tamil people keep coming over, through America. At the same time, according to a news item that appeared in TamilOsai dated 7/1/93, one Sivagurunathan Sivasenthilnathan hailing from Alavetti was detained in America for more than six months and then extradited on 31/12/92 and was arrested in Kattunayakke. Even now, there are lots of people from various parts of the world detained and languishing in the numerous detention Camps of America. Their condition is miserable. This is why I dedicate this short novel of mine to all those suffering brethren.

My daughter’s comments:
I like your story! It’s really amazing to read your story and the way you write is awesome! I like the concept of the story and the way you have turned your experience into an intriguing story. This story has really opened my eyes about how these things were treated and I’m sure it opened others’ eyes as well. I’m proud to call you my father!

MY STORIES - V.N.Giritharan -

2010-08-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Canadian Tamil Literature
MY STORIES !

- V.N.Giritharan -
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan

Based on my own experiences as a migrant and at the same time having the plight and problems of my country as the focal points my writings have taken shape. As regards my Tamil writings of today that has left its soil and survive in an alien land, it leads a life in a world that hangs suspended, struggling to come to terms with life in between the strange climate of the land that has given them shelter and the memories of their motherland.

As I too belong to this hanging suspended generation I can not help but depict the living conditions of the land of refuge' and also the plight and perils of my motherland. The problem of color is a very important issue that one has to face in an immigrant existence. It is something that every immigrant is bound to face. Our generations of tomorrow are also to undergo this situation. So, my writings while depicting this problem should also deal with the other issues and problems that the new situation has in store for us. The problems of the native Indians, problems that are born out of the economic conditions of this country, their impacts on the day-to-day life, the condition of women, the influence that the new surroundings has over the lives and thought-processes of our brethren, its impact on them, the experiences that they get out of them - all these and more should be dealt with in my stories. At the same time we are people who have come running here forced by the ethnic problems of our land. So, we can not help speaking on this issue again and again. There is nothing wrong in it and it is unavoidable. Of late some of our fellow men are expressing such views as 'the works of immigrant writers speak of nothing else save the sorrows and problems of their motherland. But, this should not be and that their works should also concentrate on the issues of the land in which they've sought shelter.' The way they keep saying it, it sounds as though stories focussing on the living conditions of the immigrant soil alone can turn out to be works of high literary quality. These lot should understand one thing. Qualitative writing can be on any issue. The best works born of the Jewish writers who had borne the brunt of the Second World War have their motherland's problems and perils as their central theme. For instance, we can mention the famous work 'Painted Birds' written by Jersey Kosinsky, a Polish writer of Jewish origin. The works of Kosinsky who committed suicide in the year 1991 are controversial. In his novel 'Painted Birds' Kosinsky describes his own experiences as a Jewish boy wandering from place to place for four years in east European countries in the atmosphere of war. Today this work stands out as one of the important works of English literature. We should realize this very clearly. Kosinsky couldn't forget the impact that the political conditions of his land had on him. And, he couldn't refrain himself from bringing it all into his writings. My stories are also no exception to this. I can not forget the travails and traumas of my motherland. My stories can never escape from their grip. At the same time I can not free myself from the clutches of my new surroundings. My stories are bound to reflect it in its various aspects. But, even when I reflect this new surrounding the complexion of the ethnic problem that is eating out my motherland would surely reveal itself through all my depictions.

The ‘Translocal’ Nationalism of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora: A Reading of Selected Short Stories of V.N. Giridharan By Gnanaseelan Jeyaseelan

2010-08-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

The ‘Translocal’ Nationalism of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora: A Reading of Selected Short Stories of V.N. Giridharan

By Gnanaseelan Jeyaseelan (Lecturer)

- The Pain of Living Away– the Ethno–cultural Alienation, the Sense of Guilt, and the “Translocal” Nationalism of the Srilankan Tamil Diaspora– A Study of the Selected Short Stories of V.N. Giritharan, presented at the UGC National Seminar Session on “Issues of Identity and Culture in Recent Asian Diasporic Fiction”: Department of English, the New College, Chennai–14, on March 13th and 14th 2007 -

Introduction
A growing Canadian writer in Tamil, V.N. Giridharan, places the reader of his short stories in the isolated Northern American dominated culture of Canada as well as in the struggling homeland soil in Sri Lanka. His exploration of the effects of asylum-seeking as well as immigration in Canada on the most vital and cherished components of traditional Tamil culture and Tamil homeland of Sri Lanka – from where he had moved to Toronto at a very early age – is pervaded by wry irony and satire. His treatment of character, however, is not without pathos and a prescription for cultural enervation and eventual prevalence of translocal consciousness which is, as explored by Sriskandarajah (2004), the consciousness of linkages within the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora so that, despite being numerically small and geographically dispersed, it has emerged as a vocal and influential force in shaping political developments in Sri Lanka. The diaspora’s economic, cultural, and political importance in relation to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka has also increased. (p. 496)

Further he succinctly demonstrates the causes behind the boom of these literary and non-literary support by observing that the collective self-identification of a diaspora as a distinct community in a triadic relationship with host society and home society also has political implications. Collectively, the diaspora community is strategically positioned to engage in both immigrant politics (say, to better its situation within the host society) and homeland politics (say, to better the situation in the land left behind). The latter, a form of “translocal” political involvement, has come to be labeled as ‘long-distance nationalism’ (Anderson, 1998) or ‘diaspora nationalism. (ibid. p.496)

These themes are perhaps more relevant today than ever before since the Canadian Tamil population is undoubtedly better able now to empathize with certain tensions informing the migrant experience as V.N. Giridharan depicts it. Perhaps his stories are the illustrations of Sollors’ description of the complex psychology of national and ethnic affiliation, “ethnicity ... is a matter not of content, but of the importance that individuals ascribe to it”(1986).

The short stories translated by Latha Ramakrishnan are under analysis here. The writer is a novelist in Canada. He has his publications in Tamil Nadu as well. Indira Parthasarathy, a popular writer of Tamilnadu, had included the story ‘Co (w)untry Issue’ in the book titled ‘Paniyum Panaiyum’ (‘The Snow and The Palmyra’). The Singapore Government had prescribed his novel ‘Pondhu Paravaigal’ (Birds of burrow’) for the students of Tamil. In addition, he is the editor of a literary website: pathivukal.com.

History of Sri Lankan Diaspora

The origin of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora could be traced back to the Northeast of Sri Lanka, called Ceylon during the colonial period. While Sri Lanka’s total population (around 20 million) is differentiated along ethnic, linguistic, religious, and regional lines, the Sri Lankan Tamils are identified as a distinct community. However, it is in the context of growing political conflict in Sri Lanka that the formation of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora numbering around 7,00,000 should be seen. In the decades after independence, rivalry between the island’s minority Sri Lankan Tamils and the Majority Sinhalese became the source of intense violent confrontation. The Sinhalese perceived the Tamils to have been a privileged minority during the colonial rule and began to discriminate against the Tamils in the Sinhalese-dominated state apparatus. Several incidents of anti-Tamil violence, such as the 1983 riots in the capital Colombo that resulted in the death of an estimated 3,000 Tamil civilians, led to fear and anxiety among the Tamils that their human security was at stake in Sri Lanka. Consequently, the island descended into a separatist civil war between the Sri Lankan armed forces and several Tamil militant groups, which turned much of the northeast into a war zone (Sriskandarajah, 2004). In its first two decades, Sri Lanka’s civil war claimed at least 60,000 lives directly, and resulted in death, destruction and displacement in the northeast. These insecure situations forced the Tamils to seek asylums in the West. Sriskandarajah (2004) says that it is likely, therefore, that one in every four Sri Lankan Tamils now lives outside Sri Lanka and that as many as one in every two Sri Lankan Tamils has been displaced.

Identity crisis

Canada has experienced the heaviest influx of immigrants with many recent immigrants having come from the nations of Asia. These Asians are typically faced with varying degrees of prejudice, resistance, and exclusion from the dominant culture and must also straggle to find a space for their own indigenous tradition and ideology in the new home. These have become increasingly prominent literary themes. The quest for self-definition and the generational divide among members of first and second generation Tamil immigrant families and communities have encouraged many to revisit the homeland during the recent Ceasefire Agreement period (2002). R. Dharani (2004), a critic writing on V.N.Giridharan’s fiction has this to say:

There is an other group of writers who represent the tenuous nature of freedom of the Tamils and tend to reflect not only of the deep and sturdy roots of their struggle in an alien land, but also of the growing and deep felt need of Tamils, living as political refugees to go back to their roots - in search of their own identity. Some had given expression to this need in English. The literature of these people is called ‘Pulam Peyarnthor Literature’ (the literature of the e x p a t r i a t e s ) . ( w w w . g e o t a m i l . c o m / c t a m ils_R_DHARANI_ON_VNG.htm)

V.N. Giridharan reveals the altered fiber of a community that has tried to adhere rigidly to the traditional ideals of an idealized Tamil culture in a North American nation that physically serves as home, yet remains insistently alien. Recognizing the ambiguity of the boundaries of diaspora, he presents the plight of the diaspora which can not still feel a homeland as a place that has to be imagined by nurturing a sense of communal distinctiveness, socially though not geographically. Under these circumstances, the imagination of “home”, however, does not have to take the shape of a particular community rooted in a particular sort of place, whereas modernist theories of nation conceptualize nations as a particular community rooted in a specific place, geography, or physical setting (Billig 1995).

Whenever the homeland people who have their relatives and friends in the immigrated countries contact them over the phone or letter, the immigrants never fail to express emptiness, a sense of boredom resulting from the mechanized life style and a reservation to mingle with the host community resisting assimilation into their socio-cultural framework. Though they express a yearning to be in their mother land within their familiar social and physical setting, their priority for personal, political and economic security lures them to settle in these new lands. The long-hour monotonous odd jobs and labors do not satisfy their fundamental longings for socio-cultural identity. They are not able to find themselves a political identity in their host countries. These are the identities which can give fulfillment and complete meaning to their personal and social life. As a result, their social conscience pushes them to see a wide gap between what they feel as a ‘wild freedom’ in their new land and what their kith and kin feel as a ‘wild fiefdom’ in the homeland. This gap creates a vacuum in life in the west and instills a thrust to practice a long distance nationalism and culture in their host land. It also persuades them to support the political struggle financially and instills in them a moral commitment to the political resistance in their homeland.

Locating the story in the homeland context
In the short story An End and A Beginning, a unique turning point takes place in the plot and theme which is very radical within the setting and the context of the socio-cultural standards of the Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. The story is about two childhood friend-a young married woman Yamuna living in Jaffna and a young bachelor Rajendra working in Colombo during the relative calm period “after the exit of foreign battalions”. During the conflict, people living within the intensive conflict affected Northeast were rarely allowed to travel to the southern Sri Lanka and those who travelled would be either employees working in the public and private sector establishments in the South, or traders or would-be migrants planning to leave the country. It would them take years to pay a visit home. It is when Rajendra comes back to his village in Jaffna from Colombo that, the story unfolds: his childhood friend Yamuna, now married and a mother of a child, is facing a family crisis due to her becoming a sexually abused victim of a soldier.

Thiayagarajah, Yamuna’s husband, unable to bear the shock of his wife’s present state begins ‘treating her with utmost disdain and contempt at a time when his support and companionship were needed by her the most’. He abandons her. Rajendra cannot bear this atrocity:

Rajendra takes a radical decision-a decision which, he knows, everybody would generally oppose, that is, to marry her. Here, the interesting idea is that a diasporic writer fictionalizes the traditional themes of chastity of women and sanctity of marriage from a western radical point, in the setting of the Sri Lankan conflict. The writer might have acquired this radical thinking of marrying a divorced or abandoned woman, especially a mother, from his host county where this is taken for granted. It is noted that among the Sri Lankan Tamils marrying a widowed woman is an appreciable thing and many have exemplified it, but marrying an abandoned and sexually abused mother in Sri Lanka is really radical thinking! But by making the character Rajendra, who is not a migrant but a native, carry out this radical act, the writer locates his translocal radicalist thinking within the Sri Lankan society and through, the character, the writer expresses his yearning for a social transformation to take place in Sri Lanka. Generally for the homesick immigrants, their countrywomen embody the fidelity and acceptance that elude them in a hostile new land. This nostalgia drives them to create a romanticized ideal of these women onto which they project their memories of and desire for their homeland. But in this story, the writer sees his homeland’s victimized woman from a new perspective of radical reform.

Locating the story in the diasporic Context
‘Co(w)untry Issue’ is a story about a character called Ponnaiya, who, on his way to get his vehicle serviced, sees a cow fighting for its freedom in the middle of the main road. It has escaped from the nearest slaughterhouse and is now blocking the road. Some including the slaughterhouse men are trying to chase it away from the road. Ponnaiya is really astonished to watch the cow fight to get away from these people and to be free. This evokes the memory of his own native land, where his people are treated in the same manner. Here the cow struggles for its freedom from its slaughterers and wants to go back where it lives with its family. The choice for the cow is to oppose the crowd or be put into the slaughterhouse again. Ponnaiya finds it a heart-rending because he too has witnessed its pathetic situation and empathizes with the cow:

He wants to buy the cow and take it to his own apartment, but knows that would be impossible. Further, he identifies his life in the living is similar with the present plight of the cow. He realizes that he cannot help it in this land, which is not really ‘his’. If it had been Jaffna, he could tie the cow in the backyard thus saving it from these slaughterers, but it is not possible in his narrow apartment. At last, the tragedy comes to an end when the cow is shot with a tranquilliser and taken to the slaughterhouse again. Ever after, Ponnaiya feels strongly for the cow. Its determined fight for freedom makes him vow not to eat meat in future as he had done while in Sri Lanka. There is a symbolic allusion to the oppressive forces of the Sri Lankan majoritarianism and the indifferent attitude of the International Community towards the Tamil’s plight:

Further the spread of slaughterhouses alludes to the increase in oppressive violent forces on the globe in various forms: on ethnic, colour, and religious lines. The narrator reveals that the diasporic community has a necessity to accept and adapt to these forces in the globe:

The story ‘Manhole’ unfolds the tragic tale of the life of most of the refugees who live in the manholes. There are two characters-an Indian Refugee, and a Nigerian taxi-driver, who is happy to address himself as ‘chief’.

The pain of living away from the homeland is reflected in a different perspective, which includes the blacks, and the Indians in addition to Sri Lankan Tamils. The empathy shown mutually among them is really heartening. What binds them together is the identity crisis of living as refugees doing odd jobs. They were well off in their country with social respect and they found some meaning in life over there. The mysterious Sami (saint) sitting on the manhole, looking sarcastically at the Parliament building, is an apt description of symbolic value, decrying the significance it has to ‘the real natives’ of Canada and the callous disregard for the refugees settled in the country politically, culturally, and economically.

The refugees have to find their own ways of survival in the distant wealthy land which alienates them individually and collectively, not recognizing or valuing their identities at all levels-human, familial, social, political, cultural and economic ‘living and being’ in Canada. Wit and humour are displayed in the native white Canadians calling everybody-no matter which part of South Asia they come from-‘Indians’. This mere overgeneralized, indifferent naming suppresses or hides the diversity of linguistic, ethnic, national, religious and social identities they have. At last, Sami dies in the manhole itself in isolation, devoid of any respect and meaning either for his living or for his dying. Only the refugees feel pity for the fellowrefugees, nobody else. The story winds up with a paradoxical juxtaposition of the glowing light of the Ontario Parliament building with that of the darkness of the manhole.

The story ‘Husband’ further illustrates the condition of migrant labourers doing odd and ordinary jobs in these lands of hope and prosperity. In a code language they have evolved among themselves, ‘playing guitar’ means ‘washing the dishes’ in a restaurant. Here the dish-washer recalls his friendship with Greeks, before coming to the restaurant. He identifies his Tamil people with the Greeks in talking about their past glory. The narrator is now exposed to the vagaries of winter in Toronto. This strange and extreme physical climatic condition is compared with the figurative climate of conflict in his homeland. He begins to think of his homeland nostalgically.

The story also focuses on the suspicion of the narrator about his wife. This points to the psychologically and culturally torn situation of immigrant male refugees whose spouses, while being illegally smuggled in, are, many a time, sexually harassed or abused by the agents of the illegal human trafficking. This creates suspicions among the males who are continue to map their cultural identity exclusively on to the chastity of women and thus, hesitate to marry non-Tamils. Ironically, this too forces them to morally support the cultural revival, one of the many offshoots of the Tamil nationalist struggle in Sri Lanka.

In the story The Homeless, the narrator encounters a bushy moustached middle aged South African man, Clarke who holds a plastic container with a label written as ‘Clarke for Toronto Mayor’. The man is determined to contest the election of Toronto Mayor though he is homeless and dwells on the streets. This surprises the narrator and, on further inquiry, the South African reveals the secondary treatment the refugees get here. By winning the election, he hopes to fight for the emancipation of the refugees in the city. The narrator, amused at his decision, compares his saying to a lunatic’s statement taken from a fictional Sri Lankan comic story, but finally realizes his worth. “Though Toronto city is bustling with activities, the narrator perceives it in chaos”. Thus, he alienates himself from this immediate environment and views the brave albeit poor Clarke as a rebel fighting against the injustice meted out to them. The narrator identifies his social homelessness with Clarke’s physical homelessness. Clarke’s determination to fight back symbolizes the Tamils’ determination to fight back in their homeland. In the past he had been a drug seller and a pimp but now he is a changed man. Like Clarke, he too yearns for a change in the life style of the diasporic community! It symbolizes a thrust for altered socio-cultural and translocal political practices in Canada. Here, he is struck by both the positives and the negatives of the city life in the West. The diversity of human identity seems to him really a diversion from a real life purpose for people like him–the asylum seekers. The development seems to him a subtle discrimination against the powerless, the landless, the homeless, and the jobless. In this story, the writer insists on the concerns of the diasporic literary writers addressing the issues of the land of settlement relating to the diasporic community as being apart from the concerns of traditional immigrant literature, which has become suspect precisely through its tendency to reinvent “nationalism” in order “to substantiate politically motivated feelings of peoplehood” (Sollors, 1986).

In the story titled Mice, the narrator encounters the problems of cockroaches in his apartment first, and later, when he moves with his family to another apartment, he encounters the problems of rats. To pacify his wife, who complains about this, and to safeguard his child, he tries to catch the mice using mousetraps. One day, he stealthily watches the movement of a mouse and its attempts at reaching the food at the dining table by working hard to climb the table. Philosophically, he reflects and wonders at its determination, speed and hard work in attaining its objective. This story bears many symbolic allusions to the Sri Lankan Tamil conflict and the revival of their language and culture. His wife symbolizes the revival of their language and culture in Canada. He finds a similarity between the struggle of the mouse and the struggle of the Tamil refugees in Canada to establish themselves and that of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

While describing the struggle of the mouse, he uses many conflict terms to allude to the struggle of the Tamils: unbearable troubles, attaining the grace to accept defeat and valiantly moving over, untold agonies, added to our woes, to find some solution to this burning problem, to meet in the battlefield, various strategies awarded for victory in warfare, to know about our enemies, The more we gather valuable information about them the easier their capture could be. He wonders at the constant, repeated struggle of the mouse.

The short story ‘Where are you from?’ deals with the critical issue of political alienation. The immediate question the ‘native’ White Canadians the immediate question ask whenever they meet asylum-seekers is, “Where are you from?” Here too, the narrator, a taxi owner cum driver, encounters two ‘natives’ asking this question. The narrator, now a Canadian citizen in a legal sense-it has been ten years since he came from Sri Lanka-is sickened by this socio-culturally painful question, which reminds him of the bitter truth that the immigrants don’t belong to this land. He does counteract the natives by asking them the same question, for they too came here as settlers some centuries ago. However, while attempting to reveal the bias of the ‘natives’ towards the non-natives in terms of the land of origin, the writer also wants to reveal another hard fact-that the recently settled asylum seekers too are biased because they ask the same question when they meet a fellow immigrant from Sri Lanka; thus exposing the fact that they do not identify themselves with the land in which they have settled. The writer might indeed be warning us that “unless identity politics can transcend the nation, escaping the bounds of the homeland, the radicalism of the challenge to old images and narratives is critically constrained within the assumption of nationalism” (Gilroy, 1993).

Conclusion

The hard, indigestible fact is that after having experienced discriminatory treatment on ethnic and racist lines in Sri Lanka, this Srilankan Tamil diaspora faces the same treatment again not only on ethnic and racist grounds but also on colour lines. This is the underlying cause for their positive as well as negative translocal political practices. On the whole, these prevalent conditions in Canada have made them feel culturally and politically alienated and induce them to engage in translocal nationalist practices which give vent to their pent up, suppressed feeling. However, the characters portrayed in these stories are located neither “here” nor “there” but in an increasingly hybrid space. Therefore, V.N. Giridharan’s work is an instance of the new “intermittent time and interstitial space” in literary studies (Bhabha,1990). Diasporic literary writing, therefore, has been a medium of relief for these culturally alienated. The literary writers too practise this translocal nationalism through their creative work. V.N. Giridharan’s (2004) statement on his literary career provides an appropriate conclusion to the arguments of this paper.

References
- V.N.Giritharan : A collection of short stories and a novella (Tamil). Published by Sneha / Mangai 1996 Chennai, India
- Anderson, B. (1998). The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, and
the World. London: Verso.
-Appadurai, A. (1996). Sovereignty Without Territoriality: Notes for a Postnational
Geography. In Yaeger, P. (Ed.), The Geography of Identity. Ann Arbor: University
of Michigan Press, (pp. 40–58).
-Bhabha, Homi (1990). “Dissemination: Time, Narrative, and the Margins of the Modern
Nation.” Nation and Narration. Ed. Homi K. Bhabha. London and New York:
Routledge, 291-322.
-Billig, Michael (1995). Banal Nationalism. London: Sage
-Dharani, R. (2004) SEEKING THE INVISIBLE HUMANNESS IN AN ALIEN LAND’,
A review of the Diasporic issues as revealed through the selected Short stories
of V.N. Giridharan - http://www.geotamil.com/ctamils R_DHARANI_ON_VNG.htm
-Gilroy, Paul (1993). The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness.
Cambridge: Harvard UP.
-Giridharan, V.N (2004). Padivugal. ISSN 1481-2991 (http://www.geotamil.com/
ctamils/vng_stories.html, http://www.geotamil.com/ctamils/index.html
-Sollors, Werner (1986). Beyond Ethnicity: Consent and Descent in American Culture.
Oxford: Oxford UP.
-Sriskandarajah, D. (2004). Tamil Diaspora Politics. International Migration, 40 (5),
283-307.

Paper presented at the UGC National Seminar Session on “Issues of Identity and Culture in Recent Asian Diasporic Fiction”: Department of English, New College,Chennai-14, on March 13th and 14th 2007.

2010-08-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Canadian Tamil Literature
‘SEEKING THE INVISIBLE HUMANNESS IN AN ALIEN LAND’ A review of the Diasporic issues as revealed through the selected Short stories of V.N. Giridharan

- By R. Dharani, Lecturer, Dept. of English, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore – 641 014. -

Migration is a customary and acknowledged activity not only of animals and birds, but also of human beings. People move from one place to another for different purposes from the historical times. If the origin of the English Language is examined, the reason would be the migration of the people who were living around the Black sea towards Western and Eastern directions by around 3000 BC. The movement formed the Indo-European family of Languages from which the English Language evolved. Roughly speaking, the term ‘Diaspora’ is a synonym to the term ‘migration’. It refers to the scattering of ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional home countries, being dispersed throughout other parts of the world. and resulting in the development in their dispersal and culture.

The single term ‘Diaspora’ conveys different meanings at different levels. The theoretical strength or weakness of the term ‘Diaspora’ in its current usage is that it can refer to a wide range of situations. Traditional, historical, social and cultural implications are suggested by the modern application of ‘diaspora’ in different contexts. The traditional notion of diaspora indicates a certain dislocation from the normal or ‘natural’ place of living or way of life. Sometimes the dislocation may be on a level of involuntariness or helplessness. The dislocating force may be direct and very much external or diffused and subtle. The term ‘Diaspora’ comes from the Greek word ‘diaspeirein’ (speiro = to sow and dia= over) meaning to disperse and scatter. The term indirectly suggests the idea of dispersal and fragmentation among a group of people. Either the people are much willingly getting dispersed or they are forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands. These people move from their native lands towards different parts of the world and settle themselves for some convincing reasons. Historically, the term ‘Diaspora’ was used to refer to the citizens of a grand city who migrated to a conquered land with the purpose of colonization to assimilate the territory into the empire. It is also used interchangeably to refer to the historical movements of the dispersed ethnic population of the British colonies. Though the dispersal of people and communities is an age-old happening, the concept ‘diaspora’ got its significance only during the twentieth century, as the century continued to witness massive ethnic refugee crisis due to some political reasons. The first half of the twentieth century witnessed the movement of millions of refugees across Europe, Asia and America. For the betterment of their conditions of living, the migrants fled to different countries, especially towards the western direction.

Depending upon the nature of dispersal of the people, there are ranges of diaspora to be found in the globe. Among the different diasporas, the Jewish, Indian and Chinese are considered to be some of the vibrant ones with a global dispersal. The reason is very simple that the Indians and the Chinese excel in their population and these countries are still in the developing status. Diverse streams of Indian population have fed into the Indian diaspora in the modern age. While a professional elite found its way to the United States, Australia and other nations of the ‘Developed’ West, the labouring poor were recruited to build the shattered economics of Britain, Holland and Germany.

Among the different diasporas, Indian Diaspora constitutes an important, unique force in world culture. The Indian diaspora consists approximately of 20 million people all over the world. Historically speaking, the Indians moved to other countries initially due to the subjugation of India by the British and its incorporation into the British empire. The people of India were made to work as labourers in the countries where the British had extended their colonial rule. Over two million Indian men fought on behalf of the empire in numerous way including the Boer war and the two world wars. Some stayed in the homeland to fight for their own freedom struggle during the nineteenth century. Many patriots like Subhash Chandra Bose and his followers took shelter in other countries.

Finally, in the post world war II period, the dispersal of Indian workforce both educated and uneducated has been a nearly viewed as a world- wide phenomenon. Indians and other South Asians provided the labour that helped in the reconstruction of war-torn Europe, particularly the U.K. and the other neibhouring lands. In the present scenario, the people from South Asia contribute their physical ability in work and they are the main force in the transformation of the physical landscape of much of middle-east. In the higher level, Indians exhibit their supremacy not only in software field, but also in literature. They establish their strong presence in their professions in the other nations such as United States, Canada and Australia.

The Indian diaspora can be grouped as the People of Indian Origin (PIO) and the Non Residents of India (NRI) according to the meanings of the terms ‘exile’ and ‘diaspora’ Though both the terms indicate the involuntary nature of the movement or migration, it is possible to observe Indian people who willingly move across the world. Of late, there are many NRI to be found in the western countries, especially in US and Canada. The NRI may be the people who have migrated towards US and Canada to improve their status. The reasons for their movement might be like high salary, better living conditions, other allowances and so on. The NRI can come to their homeland anytime when they wish, provided they get enough holidays. They are the willing migrants with a plan to bring up the social status of the conditions of their family. In the field of literature, the Indian diasporic writers tend to depict the problems they face in the alien land, where they have taken their shelter, wherever they may be. There are so many eminent writers of Indian Diaspora like Bharathi Mukharjee, Rohinton Mistry, Salmon Rushdie, V.S.Naipaul, Meena Alexander and Jhumpa Lahiri who rjee, Rohinton Mistry, Salmon Rushdie, V.S.Naipaul, Meena Alexander and Jhumpa Lahiri who have been discussing several matters concerning their homelands and the land in which they live. They belong to the NRI and they are very much free that any time they can visit their homeland

The other group of Indian people has moved to other nations as refugees and asylum – seekers due to some political and social pressures of India. This phenomenon which continued over centuries on a small scale has of late resulted in mass migration with a common identity on a global level. Critics sought to distinguish between ‘exile, expatriation and economic migration’. The dominant notion of diaspora was still one of victim-migrant and close to that of exile. One of the most discussed and theorised , but also controversial, applications of the exile/diaspora can be seen in the attempts to define historical as well as contemporary experiences found in the Tamil community of the United States and Canada. Canada has a large concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils, almost 90% of the Tamil population, approximately amounting to 3,00,000. The ‘Tamil diaspora’ is a term used to denote people of Tamilnadu and Srilankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of the rest of India and Srilanka. They are also known as ‘Jaffnese diaspora’ and ‘Ceylonese Diaspora’ refers to the global diaspora of the people of Srilankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be subset of the larger Tamil Diaspora.

The status of Srilankan Tamils in other countries have been called the ‘Asylum diaspora’, reflecting the claims that they have made in order to stay in the countries in which they sought protection. Like other Diasporas, Srilankan Tamils are also scattered and dispersed across the globe, with concentrations in Canada, India, Europe, Australia and the USA. For a very long time, over a decade, Canada was the place to give shelter to Srilankan Tamil people. Toronto has more Tamils than major Srilankan cities such as Colombo and Jaffna and it may be considered to be the largest Srilankan Tamil city in the world. Though the Government of Canada gives a warm welcome to the Tamil, their presence is not welcomed by the natives of Canada. In Canada, Srilankan Tamils tend to identify themselves as ‘Tamil Canadians’, while Indian Tamils identify themselves with the greater Indian community.

The Tamil writers of Canada constitute the Tamil diaspora, which naturally belongs to Indian diaspora, since Tamilnadu is one of the southern states of India. Canadian literature incorporates many renowned writers from Srilanka, including Shyam Selvadurai, Micheal Ondatjee and many others who had contributed their works to the refugee land. While this privileged group of writers could articulate their emotions and experiences in English, there is other group of writers who represent the tenuous nature of freedom of the Tamil and tend to reflect not only of the deep and sturdy roots of their struggle in an alien land, but also of the growing and deep felt need of Tamils, living as political refugees to go back to their roots - in search of their own identity. Some had given expression to this need in English (because their early education as a result of foreign rule was largely in English). The literature of these people is called ‘PulamPeyarnthor Literature’ (the literature of the expatriates).

Since ‘Indian Diaspora’ is not to be underestimated as the term connected only with those who can express their views in English, in this paper, the works of an emerging Canadian writer in Tamil, V.N.Giridharan, have been taken for study. V.N.Giridharan, who is basically a Tamilian of Srilanka had moved from Srilanka to Toronto at his very early age. He is the chief editor of the E-magazine ‘Padivugal’ which brings out all possible news from different fields of the society. He has published many articles, poems, collections of short stories and a novella. For this paper, three of his short stories (translated versions) have been chosen namely - ‘Co(w)untry Issue’, ‘Manhole’ and ‘Husband’. Some of his short stories have been translated into English by Mrs. Latha Ramakrishnan. He is the author of five novels published in Canada. Some of his novels and the collection of short stories have been published in Tamilnadu by Kumaran Publishers and Sneha publishers (Chennai.). One of his short stories ‘Co (w)untry Issue’ had been incorporated into the book titled ‘Paniyum panaiyum’ (‘the snow and the palmra’) edited by Indira Parthasarathy, a renowned writer of Tamilnadu. One of his novels ‘Pondhu paravaigal’ (Birds of burrow’) had been prescribed for the students of Tamil in Singapore Government. In addition to that, he was the instigator of two newsletters namely ‘Our Universe’ – the theme being the preservation of the environment and ‘The world of Computers’ a few years ago. Currently these newsletters are not being circulated.

An earnest attempt is made in this paper to bring out the focal points of the writer concerned with the plight and problems of his native land – Srilanka. The ‘strange climate’ of the land that has given him shelter is inevitably compared with the memories of his home land. Based on the author’s own experiences as an asylum seeker in Canada, his short stories illustrate an amalgamation of themes of the political unrest of his homeland, to ascertain his identity in a foreign land, his love for the environment and the lifestyle of the natives of Canada contrasting with the life of the refugees. As it would be the case of most of the writers of the diaspora, he has also focussed upon the issues of colour, the influence that the new surrounding has over the lives and thought- processes of the native land, the conditions of women and the other ethnic problems. The stipulation of his life style in a ‘new situation’ always strikes a deep chord in the mind of the author. His love for his native land where he is not allowed to live a peaceful life makes him shed his sickness through his writings.

In his story ‘Co(w)untry Issue’ , the hero who is on his way to get his vehicle serviced, witnesses the strange fight for freedom of a cow on the main road. The cow has somehow managed to escape from the nearest slaughter house. It has blocked the road and many people are trying to bring the cow under their control. With great wonder, the hero watches the cow’s strong determination to restrain the domination of the people. Immediately he can not help thinking of his own native land, where many people are in the same situation as the cow, trying to win freedom for them and their family. The status of his people there is that either they have to ‘do’ or ‘die’, just like the position of the cow. Either it has to oppose the crowd or it will be put in the slaughter house again. He is so moved by the plight of the cow that he wants to help the cow by buying it and taking it to his own apartment. But he himself is in the position of the cow, which has escaped from its destined position and he is not in a position to help a cow in that foreign land. He thinks that if it had been Jaffna, he could tie the cow in the backyard, but it is not possible in his narrow apartment. Finally, the cow problem comes to an end by shooting it with a tranquiliser. Though the cow has been taken into the slaughter house again, the author cherishes the cow’s love and zest .The heroic fight of the four-legged animal for freedom makes him feel a kind of respect and reverence for it.

In his other story ‘manhole’, he painfully expresses the condition of most of the refugees, who take the manholes to be their shelter. In this story, the author brings in the characters of not only an Indian Refugee, but also a Nigerian taxi-driver, who proudly calls himself a ‘chief’. The sufferings of the blacks are also as prominent as the Indians and Srilankan Tamils. The affinity towards a fellow-sufferer is articulated apparently in the story. The narrator watches a mysterious sami (saint) sitting on the manhole, looking sarcastically at the Parliament building. Though he is starving, he is so enthusiastic that he often cracks jokes. He has good wit and sense of humor. He says that Indians are overflowing all over the world. They discuss the view that the Canadians refer to Indians as Paki and call Pakistanis Indian. One final day, the saint like man’s life comes to an end in the manhole itself. The Nigerian taxi-driver feels pity for the condition of this fellow-refugee along with the narrator. The author ends up the story with a paradox of the glowing light of the Ontario Parliament building with that of the darkness of the manhole.

In ‘Husband’, the writer clearly brings out the condition of the migrants, who have to occupy the ordinary jobs in the new land. His work is ‘Playing guitar’(it is the code-language for ‘washing the dishes’ in a restaurant). He recalls his work in a ship with Greeks, before coming to the restaurant. He compares his position with the Greeks who are also very fond of talking about their past glory.

The narrator of the story faces the problem of getting severe head ache, because of the bad climatic condition of the winter at Toronto. The thought of his native place would invariably turn him nostalgic. The very thought of his homeland brings joy in his heart. Though the thematic outline of the story is a thin line suspicion in the mind of the husband about his wife, most part of the story is devoted to the narrator’s (husband’s) melancholic memories about his motherland.

In a short story titled ‘Where are you from?’ the writer discusses the issue going on between the native Canadians and the asylum-seekers. The native in the story chides at the origin of the narrator. The narrator gets irritated by this mockery and in return he asks a question ‘Where are you from?’ The native is shocked to understand the deep-rooted meaning of the question which indirectly attacks the origin of the natives of Canada. He threatens the narrator by saying that he has insulted a citizen of India.

Though the writers of ‘Indian or Tamilian diaspora’ are recognised by the society, where they live, it is obvious that these people are always given the status of the ‘Other’. This status may be referred to the status of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, who is addressed as the ‘other’ by Iago. The diasporic writers are inclined to express their sorrows and sufferings through their writing and literature is a channel for them to pour out their passions and emotions.

V.N.Giridharan has shaped the stories on all that he has seen and experienced in the land wherein he had sought refuge. In most of the stories, an interlinking of his life with the characters and projecting himself as an essential character could be observed. The author has adopted the first person point of view technique in narrating the incidents of the stories. He has advocated the problems of not only race, but also the fellow-refugees from other countries, especially, the Africans. The humanistic consideration of the author is much prevalent in all his stories. As an immigrant writer, he is concerned with the miserable condition of the people of his native land even today. In his novella ‘America’, he has dealt with the rules and the realities of America in a humorous way. He has conveyed the position of the refugees in America, how they are handled and treated by the American laws, through this long story.
From his short stories, it is very much apparent that V.NGiridharan has proved himself as a very promising young writer in the present scenario. He is a talented author with good future prospects. This story-collection is also noteworthy in another aspect, in that it establishes the fact that books written in English on the predicaments and troubles of the expatriates as well as the ‘the sons of the soil’ can never be as effective and informative as those written in Tamil.

A suggestion is made that these writings of ‘Tamil Diaspora’ should be translated into other regional languages of India and into English also. Another scope of the paper is to bring out the writings of the authors like V.N.Giridharan into light and to incorporate such writings in the curriculum of the students of Tamilanadu so that they would be exposed to the sufferings and struggles of the native Tamilians in alien lands.

Works Cited :
1. Giridharan, V.N. Padivugal. ISSN 1481-2991
2. Dowell Mc. A Tamil Asylum Diaspora: Sri Lankan Migration Berghahn Books : 1998
3. Brah..A. Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities
New York: Routledge, 1999
4. Manas : The Indian Diapora
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Fractured Self: A Study of V.N. Giritharan’s Selected Short Stories By M.Durairaj

2010-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Canadian Tamil Literature

Fractured Self: A Study of V.N. Giritharan’s
Selected Short Stories

A dissertation submitted to the University of Madras in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH UNDER
CHOICE BASED CREDIT SYSTEM

By M. Durairaj

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS
CHENNAI-600 005

August- 2007

Department of English
University of Madras

Mrs. M. Angkayarkan Vinayaka Selvi
Lecturer in English
University of Madras
Chennai 600 005

Acknowledgements
I am highly indebted to my supervisor, Mrs. M. Angkayarkan Vinayaka Selvi, lecturer, Department of English, University of Madras, for her constant help and valuable guidance. Her efforts made me think about my subject from various points of view which has helped me greatly.

I wish to express my profound gratitude to Dr. C.T. Indra, Professor and Head, Department of English, University of Madras for the kind support and constant encouragement throughout the period of my study.

I express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. R. Azhgarasan, Lecturer, Department of English, University of Madras, for his constructive ideas. This motivated me to move faster on my work. He had been the source of inspiration for me throughout the period of my study.

I would like to thank Dr. D. Venkataramanan, Lecturer, Department of English, University of Madras, for rectifying the errors in my writing and giving suggestions to choose title for my thesis.

My sincere thanks are credited to Dr. Rajani, Dr. Armstrong, Miss. Supala Pandiarajan and non-teaching staffs for their kind help to complete my thesis.
I extend my thanks to all my friends who were with me to support my work at every level.

Last but not least I would like to use this opportunity to thank my parents for their love, support and affection.

Abstract
Diasporic writing occupies a significant place in literature in the recent years. Many writers have emerged in the world literary scene and they contribute to this genre. But critics argue the need for such writings and they decry diaspora literature as bourgeois literature. Giritharan’s writings serve as an answer to these critics’ argument. His stories prove that there is a need for such writing to convey the sufferings of Srilankan Tamils.

Chapter one traces the history of diaspora and gives a brief discussion of the Tamil Diaspora. Chapter two deals with the life and works of V.N. Giritharan. It analyses his works in terms of language, form and theme.Chapter three highlights the problem of diasporic identity as discussed by Giritharan in his short stories. Chapter four gives a clear description of the Tamils as a Transnational community in the widespread world in an era of globalization.Chapter V concludes the above argument and contends that Giritharan’s short stories are not an outcome of leisure of bourgeois society instead it is an outburst of a depressed mind which has undergone a traumatic genocide.

Contents
Chapter I Introduction 1
Chapter II Giritharan: The Man and His Works 11
Chapter III Questioning the Self: Giritharan and Identity Politics 34
Chapter IV Engaging Transnationality 53
Chapter V Conclusion 71
Bibliography 74

Chapter-I Introduction!

The term “Diaspora” comes from the Greek word ‘diaspeirein’ that means to disperse or scatter. Diaspora is the dispersal or the scattering of people from their homeland to various parts of the world. The term ‘diaspora’ conveys different meanings at different levels. Initially it was used by the ancient Greeks to refer to the colonizers who immigrated to the colonized land for the purpose of colonization. Later, the meaning of the term changed when the Old Testament was translated into Greek. Then the word ‘diaspora’ is specifically used to refer a huge population of
Jews who were forced into exile from Judea by the Babylonians.

The term was assimilated from Greek into English in the twentieth century. Even then the word Diaspora literally meant the scattering of people from their homeland by willing or by force and settling in other countries. The terms migrant, expatriate, exile, refugee were replaced by the term Diaspora in recent days. The word Diaspora has an ambiguous meaning of the scattering of two types of people i.e. ambassadors and refugees. The first one includes professionals and job seekers who fled the country in search of white-collar jobs. The second types of people
are those who were expelled out by force. These people fled the country due to ethnic conflict, economic problems and as indentured labourers.

Though both the type of people leaves their country for settling in an alien land, the need for both of them differs. There were many reasons for the dispersal of the people from their homeland. While one tries to understand the foreign culture and makes life comfortable, the other seeks refuge and protection in the host land. The former has a forward looking attitude and assimilates the host culture easily while the latter keeps himself isolated and has a nostalgic attitude in them of their homeland. Though the definition for the immigrants and the expatriates
differs, what captures one’s attention is the cause of the migration.

Of the dispersed people not all were educated. Only a very few were educated and these people tries to record their feelings and sufferings in an alien land. Thus, in the recent years a great body of writers has emerged on the world literary scene who have highlighted the problems of the dispersed population. There are many writers who contribute to this genre and they formed a community called ‘Diaspora community’. These writers have depicted all the problems of the dispersed people which include the reason for migration, the problems in the native land, the agents of migration and the life of the migrants in an alien land that usually concentrate on the socio-cultural, socio-political and psychological
issues.

At present there are different Diasporas in the world. Among them the Jewish, Indian, African and Chinese are some notable Diasporas. The Indian Diaspora is a major one, which constitutes approximately of twenty million people all over the world. They are serving as entrepreneurs, workers, teachers, researchers, innovators, doctors, lawyers, engineers, managers and even political leaders. There are many eminent writers of Indian Diaspora like Bharathi Mukarjee, Rohinton Mistry, Salman Rushdie, V.S. Naipaul, Jumpa Lahiri and Uma Parameswaran who have been discussing several issues concerning their homelands and the land in which they live.

The evolution of the Indian Diaspora can be traced from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The first wave of migration started with the abolition of slavery during 1833-34. Many people were sent as indentured labourers to Mauritius, Carribean, Fiji and South Africa. There were two main reasons behind the migration under the colonial rule. One was the poor economic condition that prevailed in India due to the destruction of cottage industries, which resulted in extreme poverty and unemployment. The other reason is that the colonial masters found the Indians skillful and hardworking. So the British, French, Dutch and the Portuguese took Indian labourers to their territories. The labouring poor were made to work in the plantations under British control.

The second wave of migrants was Businessmen, Artisans, Traders and Factory workers who emigrated for betterment of their trade and business. The third wave of immigrants was the professionals and the educated elites of India. They went in search of green pastures and white-collar jobs in the more advanced countries. One of the basic reasons of the dispersal of Indians and Chinese was the overcrowded population. So the educated elite moved towards developed nations such as the United States, Britain, France and Australia. Among the dispersed people, the Tamils form a larger group and they are called the “Tamil Diaspora”. The Tamil Diaspora refers to the scattered Tamil population of Srilanka and Tamilnadu. The dispersal of Tamils around the globe is not of recent origin. This scattering started with trade in olden days and grown as indentured labourers during the early colonial, especially after the abolition of slavery in 1834 and continuing still as refugees and asylum seekers. Like other Diasporas, the Tamils are scattered and dislocated across the globe with majority in Canada, Europe, Australia, USA, Malaysia and Singapore.

Even though the Tamil Diaspora constitutes Tamils from different parts of the world, it is the Tamils from Srilanka who forms a major part of the Tamil Diaspora. The Srilankan Tamil Diaspora is also called as ‘Ceylonese Diaspora’ or ‘Jaaffnese Diaspora’, which in common refers to the Srilankan Tamils all over the world. The Tamils in Srilanka are as old as the Sinhala tradition. Their origins lay in south India in cultural region known as ‘Tamilakam’, which comprises the entire present day Tami Nadu, and some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The Tamils occupied a prominent place in the Sinhala kingdom especially from the seventh to eleventh century. They occupied many higher positions in the government of Srilanka.

The Ceylon Tamils are an industrious community who easily grabbed the opportunities. Even though there are some Christians in the Tamil community, majority were the Hindus. Most of the Sinhalese were Muslims and some claims as Buddhists. Hence there existed a difference between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

H.A.J. Hulugalle in Introducing Ceylon quotes Dr. G.C. Mendi’s explanation for this difference as:

The rise of Tamil kingdom created problems to which Ceylon was accustomed. In Ceylon, so far Sinhalese had been the chief language and Buddhism its main religion. In the Tamil kingdom Tamil became the chief language and Hinduism its main religion. Before long a distinction arose also in economic conditions. The Tamil kingdom arose in the dry zone and the Tamils followed the method of cultivation suitable to this area. The Sinhalese, on the other hand, gradually abandoning the dry zone, began to occupy the wet zone, which was more productive and suitable also for the cultivation of products other than rice. These differences created a gulf between the two peoples and they are partly responsible for the divisions between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. (Hulugalle 18)

Roughly one-eighth of the population of Ceylon is Tamils. These are people who come from Madurai, Pudukottai, Trichinopoly (Trichy), Tanjore, salem, Coimbatore, Tinnevelley (Tirinelveli) and Ramnad districts. They are Tamils who profess Hinduism and they work as labourers in tea and rubber estate. A major part of the trade and commerce of Ceylon before 1983 was in the hands of the Tamils. The financiers, traders and businessmen include many ‘Nattukottai Chettiars’ from Pudukottai and Ramnad districts. Thus the Tamils were enjoying a better position in
Srilanka even though there was an underground protest (the protest of the Tamils for a separate nation), which was not rigorous.

The census report of 1981 says that the Tamil population in Srilanka was 95.3% in Jaffna, 76.0%in Mullaitivu, 56.9% in Vavuniya, 33.7% in Trincomalee, 70.8% in Batticaloa and 20.1% in Amparai. The Tamils constitute almost 17% of the total population of Srilanka. But in the recent days the Srilankan Tamil population was reduced to 4% because of the ethnic conflict. The history of Srilankan Tamil migration can be divided into three distinct phases.

During the colonial period the immigration of Srilankan Tamils started with the British rule in Srilanka. The British were in need of skilled labourers and professionals to work in foreign lands under British rule. The Tamils in Srilanka were ready to get educational or job opportunities through the British. The British also preferred the Tamils even though the Sinhalese are the majority in Srilanka. Though the Sinhalese outnumber the Tamils in Srilanka they were not able to outsmart the Tamils. The British considered that the Tamils were much better off than the Sinhalese who were fed up with ethnic conflict. This led to the migration of Tamils mainly to countries like Malaysia, Singapore and the then Madras Presidency in India. Due to this immigration the Tamil immigrants occupied many higher positions in the government of Malaysia and Singapore.

There were many Tamils in Malaysia and Singapore to whom goes the credit of being first Asian non-white doctors and engineers. In the early days in Malaysia and Singapore’s history, the Srilankan Tamils achievements had a special place. Even today the Tamils play an important role in Malaysia and Singapore. In the judiciary, civil service, military, educational sectors, medical services and in many other professions they are contributing their selfless service. This is not because they are the members of a minority community but they are selected only on the basis of their merit. The Tamils of Srilanka are ready to compete with any larger community and they want to judge them only on the basis of merit rather than considering them as a minority community. Even in Srilanka many of the plantations, textile industries were owned by the Tamils before 1983. The Srilankan Tamils have established schools, banks and temples many other institutions in all parts of the world as a symbol of their cultural heritage.

During the post independent period there was not much migration, as the Tamils did not have any problem or lack of opportunities in Srilanka. Everything changed within a short period as the government of Srilanka, which was controlled by the Sinhalese, introduced ‘Sinhala only act’. This was because the Tamils occupied all the major positions in the Srilankan government since they were proficient in English. This resulted in unemployment among the Sinhala youth. So they gave pressure to the government to act in a way that all jobs should be given on the basis of identity, nation, culture and language apart from merit. Hence many Tamils were removed from meritorious posts in Srilankan government. Thus many Tamil professionals started migrating to foreign lands where they felt they could get better positions.

The third phase of migration started with the outburst of civil war 1983. ‘Black July’ is the name given to the conflict that burst out in Srilanka on 23rd July 1983 and it has become a day of mourning and remembrance for srilankan Tamils around the world. Thousands of Tamils were killed, many houses were burnt and a large number of srilankan Tamil sought refuge in other countries. Black July was considered as the catalyst that increased the ethnic conflict, which already existed in Srilanka.

What triggered the unprecedented state of violence against the Tamils was the killing of thirteen government soldiers on23rd July in Jaffna by the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The liberation tigers who were fighting for a separate state have never involved in such a terrible violence. But, the rape of four Tamil women who later committed suicide by the Sinhala soldiers made the liberation tigers to indulge in active violence. On 25th July the bodies of thirteen soldiers were brought to Colombo for their funeral. By that time some Sinhalese formed
groups and started killing Tamil people and looting and burning their properties as an act of avenging the soldier’s death. The government also acted in favour of the Sinhalese as the government itself was Sinhala dominated.

The government enforced a curfew after twenty-four hours of burning violence. Even before that the violence began to spread to all parts of Srilanka where the Tamils lived. The rioters initially targeted the houses, factories and estates owned by Tamil people. Then they went in groups and killed Tamils wherever they saw. This made many Tamil youths to join the Tamil militant groups like LTTE and TULF (Tamil United Liberation Font). Thousands of Tamil people fled the country to settle in countries like India, Australia, Canada and some other European
countries in search of asylum.

All Diasporas have love towards their nation, origin, the place of their birth and their ancestors. In a similar way there is one core element that binds together the Tamil people dispersed across the world, which is their Common language ‘Tamil’, and it’s rich and inspiring manifestations. The Tamil language and culture have transcended national boundaries. It also continues to record and express thoughts of all the Tamils in writings. Apart from this, the Tamils have taken the media as a tool for expressing their views and uniting Tamil people all over the world. There are many Tamil websites where all Tamils can voice their woes and express their feeling which easily reaches all Tamils.

Statistics says that the migrated population after 1983 is said to be above 800,000. Nearly one fourth of the Srilankan Tamils have spread across the world. India has 150,000 Srilankan Tamils, Canada 320,000, Germany 60,000, France 100,000, UK 300, 00, Switzerland 400, 00 US 250, 00, Italy 240, 00, Malaysia 200, 00, Australia 530, 00 Norway 130, 00 Netherland 7000 and Sweden 6000. Among them Canada
has major concentration of Srilankan Tamils. Most of the Tamils in Canada emigrated after the outbreak of civil war 1983. These people are called as Asylum Diaspora in Canada as they sought refuge in that land.

The Tamil community is centered in the Toronto area. Nowadays Toronto has more Tamils than some the major Srilankan cities like Jaffna and Colombo. One can say that Toronto is the largest Srilankan Tamil city in the world. Many Srilanka born professionals who are also writers live in Canada. Michael Ondatjee, Chelva Kanaganayagam, Rudramoorthy Cheran, V.N. Giritharan and Pon Kulendiren are notable among them. The Tamils in Canada also have two Internet websites Pathivugal and Kuviam. Kuviam is being edited by Pon. Kulendiren. This e-zine features many aspects of Srilankan Tamils. Pon Kulendiren writes fiction and he has authored a collection of short stories in English titled Stories from Srilanka. V.N. Giritharan who writes fiction, short story and poetry in Tamil edits Pathivugal. While Kuviam is Trilingual Pathivugal is bilingual.Even though the diasporic writings are gaining importance these days, there are many critics who argue about the essence of such writings. These critics raise the question against the diasporic writers regarding their sense of dislocation and reason for not glorifying their homeland.

There are many diasporic writers who find it difficult to answer these questions since they are professionals or Ambassadors and their purpose of immigration was seeking green pastures and white-collar jobs. Hence these writers have not experienced many difficulties in their homeland as well as the land of their settlement. They live a sophisticated life and only for some people there will be nostalgia towards their homeland. But writers like Gritharan experience many problems such as ethnic conflict, social problems, employment problems etc in their homeland. After migrating to some other countries these problems exist. They feel alienated and their identity being fractured and feels very difficult to survive in the host land. Giritharan’s writings depict the problem of immigrant existence as well as the problems of the native land. For this Giritharan himself says:

At the same time we are people who have come running here forced by the ethnic problems of our land. Of late, some of our fellow men are expressing such views as the works of immigrant writers speak of nothing else save the sorrows and problems of their motherland. But, this should not be and that their works should also concentrate on the issues of the land in which they have sought shelter. I cannot forget the travails and traumas of my motherland. My stories can never escape from their grip. At the same time I cannot free myself from the clutches of my new surroundings. My stories are bound to reflect it in its various aspects. But, even when I reflect this new surrounding the complexion of the ethnic problem that is eating out my motherland would surely reveal itself through all my depictions. (Ramakrishnan)

There are many writers from Srilanka but not all of them are of Tamil origin. Even if they are from Tamil origin many writers chooses to write in English. Only a very few writers tend to write in Tamil. The literature produced by them is called as ‘Pulampeyarnthor Ilakkiyam’ (Literature of the Expatriates). Giritharan proves himself as a significant short story writer in the widespread Tamil literary field as well as the recently emerged Diaspora. His works proves that writings in English about the sorrows and sufferings of the immigrants can never be effective as those written in Tamil. It is with this standpoint this dissertation tries to analyse selected short stories of V.N. Giritharan and locate him as a diasporic writer who has given a new dimension to the Diaspora literature.

Chapter-II
Giritharan: The Man and his Works!

V.N. Giritharan (Navaratnam, Giritharan) is basically a Tamil writer from Srilanka who moved to Canada at a very young age. He was born to Navaratnam in Vannara Pannai, Srilanka. He spent most of his childhood days in Vavunya, particularly in the Vanni district. In order to show his love for the place where he spent his childhood days, he added the first letter of the district ‘V’ before his name. He started his primary education in the Vavunya Maha Vidyalaya. He had his higher education in the Jaffna Hindu College (Yal Inthuk Kalluri). He also obtained a bachelor degree in Architecture from the Morotuva University. At present he lives in the Scarbarough district of Toronto, Canada.

Giritharan has authored many short stories, poems, novels and essays. He started his writing career at a very young age. When he was living in Srilanka, he entered the literary field through the Children’s magazine. His first poem “Pongalo Pongal” was published in the popular Tamil magazine Sudanthiran. When he was studying seventh standard he won the first prize in the essay competition conducted for the Srilankan Tamil day celebration all over Srilanka. He has written many children stories. His writings were published in many popular Tamil magazines such as Eezha Nadu, Sudanthiran, Siruvar Malar, Siritharan, Kanmani, Veera Kesari, Eezha Mani, Kanayaazhi, Subamangalaa, Aanantha Vikatan, Thulir, Thaayagam, Thedal, Chuvadugal and Thinnai.

One of his short stories named “Salanangal” (Agitations) was selected for prize in the short story competition conducted by Sirithiran. Kumaran Publishers and Sneha Publishers in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, published some of his short stories and novels. One of his story entitled “Oru Maa (naa)ttu pirachanai” (A co(w)untry Issue) had been added into the book titled Paniyum Panaiyum ( The Snow and The Palmyra) edited by a Tamil writer Indira Paarthasarathy. One of his short stories 'Pondhu Paravaigal' (birds of the Furrow) had been published for the Tamil students in Singapore. His essays on ‘Nallur Rajdhani city lay out’ and ‘Preserving Historical Monuments’ were published in Eezha Naadu and Veera Kesari. Many of his essays about Astrophysics were published in Veera Kesari, Kanaiyaazhi, Thinnai and Pathivugal. He has also served as the editor of the Morotuwa University journal ‘Nutpam’ for a short period.

After his immigration to Canada his writings are published in Thaayagam, Kanayaazhi, Thulir, Chuvadugal, Uyir Nizhal, Aanantha Vikatan, Subamangala and in some e-zines such as Thinnai, Ambalam, Aaraanthinai, and Maanasarovargam. Some of the essays that were published in these magazines include ‘Essays on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity’ and ‘essays on the Dravidian Architecture’. ‘Marabum kavithaiyum’ (Tradition and Poetry), ‘Valarmuga Naadugalum Kudimanai Pirachanaigalum’ (developing countries and the problems of Architecture), some essays on Bharathiaar’s works and many of his critical reviews about Tamil literature were published in Thaayagam. Since 2000, he has organized a Tamil e-zine named Pathivugal and has been the chief editor of that magazine. He has also tried his hand in some of the magazines and newspapers after his immigration to Canada. They are Iravi and Kalvi (weekly magazines) Kural, a manuscript, Namadhu Boomi and Kanini Ulagam (News letters).

He has written a series of short stories. They are:

“Seethaakaa” (Sister Sita)
“Oru Ma (naa) tu Pirachanai” (A Co(w)untry Issue)
“Nee Engirunthu Varugirai?” (Where are you from?)
“Deva Tharisanam” (Auspicious Sight)
“Aathmaavin Puthuyirpu” (Re-incarnation of the Soul)
“Goutamanin Vaazhvu” (Life of Gautama)
“Nadu Vazhiyil oru Payanam” (A Journey in the Midway)
“Vangaalai”
“Manoranjitham”
“Jamaickanutan Sila Kanangal” (A Few Moments with the Jamaican)
“Kalaanithiyum Veethi Manithanum” (Kalaanithi and The Street Man)
“Saavitri Oru Srilankan Agathiyin Kuzhanthai” (Saavitri a Srilankan Refugee’s Child)
“Pulam Peyarthal” (Expatriation)
“Concrete Vanathu Kuruvigal” (Birds Of The Concrete Forest)
“Oru Mahonnatha Padaipaali Ezhuthum Sirugathai” (A Short story Being written by a Renowned writer)
“Sonthakkaaran” (Relative)
“Thappi Pizhaithal” (A Way Out)
“Africa America Canadiya Kudivaravaalan” (An African, American, Canadian
Immigrant)
“Veedatravan” (The Homeless)
“Manaivi” (Wife)
“Yannal” (window)
“Sundeligal” (Mice)
“Palli Koodam” (A Hut of a Lizard)
“Kattatak Ka (Koo) ttu Muyalgal” (Hares of Concrete (Caged) Forest)
“Aasiriyarum Maanavanum” (The Teacher and the Student)
“Utaintha Manithanum Utaintha kaalum” (The Broken Man and The Broken Leg)
“Akkarai” (Concern)
“En Kuzhanthai” (My Child)
“Kanavan” (Husband)
Some of the short stories written during his early age are:
“Salanagal” (Agitations) selected in the A.N. Kandasaamy memorial essay competition and was published in Sirithiran.
“Aalamarathadiyil Pirantha Jnanam” (Enlightenment under the Banyan Tree) Published in Thinakaran.
“Anjalai Ennai Mannithu Vidu” (Forgive Me Anjalai) published in Eezha Naadu.
“Ippadiyum Oru Pen” (A Woman Even of This Kind) Published in Eezha Naadu.
“Manal Veedugal” (Sand Houses)
“Niyathi” (Obligation) a Metaphorical story published in Eezha Naadu.
“Arasaalum urimai yaaruku?” (Who has the Right to Rule?) A children’s story published in Kanmani.
He has also written some novels. They are:
Mannin Kural (Voice of the Soil) published in Puratchi Paathai.
Kanangalum Kunangalum (Time and Attribute) published in Thaayagam.
Vanni Man (Vanni Soil) Published in Thaayagam.
Aruchunanin Thedalum Agaligaiyin kaadalum (The Quest of Arjuna and the Love of Agalya) published in Thaayagam.
America Published in Thaayagam.

There are many eminent literary figures from Srilanka but nobody has dealt with the problems of Tamil people in particular. Giritharan’s writings are based on the sufferings and sorrows of the Tamil people. He has written all his stories and novels based on what he has seen and experienced as an immigrant. In many of his stories he adopted the first person narrative to make the story realistic and effective. This technique helps the reader to identify himself or herself with the characters of the stories. In all the stories, he portrays some kind of problems. His stories record the memory of the past as well as the present condition of life of the immigrants.

The diasporic experience is shaped by economic positions, personal skills and political relationships between the country of origin and the country of adoption. Reception and acceptance of immigrants in the host country also helps in shaping the diasporic experience. The host country’s immigration law, legal system and cultural openness also contribute to this diasporic experience. The diasporic writers are situated in a critical position between two nations and cultures. They can neither forget their nation or culture from which they come nor can they fully
assimilate the culture of their adopted nation. Thus Giritharan himself says:

Based on my own experiences as a migrant and at the same time having the plight and problems of my country as the focal points my writings have taken shape. As regards my Tamil writings of today has left its soil to survive in an alien land, it leads a life in a world that hangs suspended, struggling to come to terms with life in between the strange climate of the land that has given shelter and the memories of their mother land. As I too belong to this hanging suspended generation I cannot help but depict the living conditions of the land of refuge and the
plight and perils of my motherland. (Ramakrishnan)

Giritharan’s use of puns in the title of his short stories is one of his notable techniques. Some of his short story title has ambiguous meaning and it also sounds ambiguous. They are “Oru Ma(naa)tu Pirachanai,” “Pallikoodam,” and “Kattatak ka(koo)ttu Muyalgal.” With the usage of pun and word play in his titles, Giritharan is able to bring out the situation of the Diaspora people who have lost the meaning of their life. All the three short stories, as the title suggests have a direct suggested meaning and it also has an implied inner meaning. The author ironically brings out the condition of the Tamil immigrants through the play of words by giving some examples and equating them with the immigrant situation.The short story cycle is an interesting genre that is used by some of the diasporic writers. Giritharan also adopts this form to portray his thoughts and ideas. In the short story cycle the writer is able to negotiate ideas, characters and themes, which are simultaneously independent and at the same time interdependent, resembling a novel in its totality and yet composed of a series of short stories. The short story in its totality becomes comparable to a novel because in the recent years the borders between the literary genres have become fluid. The stories in these cycles deal with three thematic issues. First, the stories are concerned with the creation and preservation of a particular ethnically related group of people. Next, they explore the intra-community dealings and reflect on the inter-racial relations. Finally, the scope of the stories goes beyond the geographical boundaries to describe the process of immigration and adaptation to another socio-cultural environment. Hence, the shifting borders of ethnicity in their location/dislocation discover in their formal expression that forms the cycle.

The short story collection has added the advantage of the polyphony of voices in different stories and each story is independent and complete in itself and yet thematically and structurally related to the others. The stories display a dynamic pattern of recurrent themes that are connected to each other or a common theme that is viewed through different angles. The characteristic form of the short story cycle is metaphoric in expression. The themes explored in the short story cycle are the same as in most of the migrant literature such as nostalgia for the past, fear
of losing own identity, loneliness, hostility, exile, dislocation, discrimination, assimilation, acculturation, language issues and problems of duality. These issues form the core of Giritharan’s short stories.

The concern of the diasporic writers is not only with the memory and nostalgia but also with the ‘place’ and ‘displacement’. The theme of home/homelessness is an important issue in diasporic literature. Many of Giritharn’s short stories prove this. Thoughts and images of life in the past either of sorrow or joy give a new experience to the immigrants and they are situated in a particular geographical space. However the context provided by space in which memory is positioned changes with time and distance. The space of the homeland that seems constricting for the people prior to migration becomes a source and object of nostalgia and longing after the migration. The immigrant could only have the nostalgia but can never think of returning to his homeland because the concept of identity entirely changes with the dislocation of the immigrant. These issues form the core of the short story “The Homeless.” The story opens with the description of a night in Richmond Duncan area of the Toronto city, Canada. The author gives clear picture of the busy city with the street vendors busily looking after their business, the dance clubs overflowing with youths and some people returning home after finishing their duties. The narrator also finds many homeless who were deep in sleep with the manhole lids providing warmth. This manhole lid is one of the recurrent images in Giritharan’s short stories. He brings this image to point out the homeless condition of the immigrants.

The narrator was also returning home from his work and was waiting for the signal to change. By that time the narrator hears a voice “can you spare some coins my friend?” After turning around he finds a South African with bushy moustache and beard with a plastic container in his hand. The narrator says that he is supplied with many different experiences everyday in his host land. Since Canada is a multicultural country, immigrants from all over the world occupy Canada.

The African man introduces himself as ‘Clarke’ and says that he is going to contest for the ‘Toronto Mayor Ship’ election. This gives a great surprise to the narrator. It also seems ridiculous to him as there were many popular persons competing for Toronto Mayor Ship and this homeless creature who is dwelling on the street is also one among the contestants. By hearing this, the author is also reminded of a story that he had heard during his childhood days. He also narrates the story thus:

Once, the then president of srilanka, J.R. paid a visit to Ankodai. Ankodai is the famous mental Asylum in Srilanka. And, one of the inmates of Ankodai addressed the prestigious visitor thus: “Greetings, May I know who you are?” J.R. responded with a smile, saying, “I am the all powerful legally-elected president of this country.” hearing that the patient who threw on him the query laughed aloud and then advised J.R. as follows, “sir I too had uttered those words and as a result had been trapped ever since. Don’t you dare tell that again to others that which you have told me now. Then you will also suffer the same fate. (Ramakrishnan)

With a sense of humour, Giritharan has brought out the condition of the mind of the homeless immigrants. The psychological trauma that they undergo makes them get affected mentally. The author gets new experience everyday. Many incidents seem to be a kind of mystery to him.The issue of colour is one of the most difficult problems that the immigrants experience in their homeland as well as their host land. Even in a multicultural society like Canada, this problem persists. Towards the end of the story, the author highlights this issue. The narrator gets the reason from the African man for his interest in contesting the Toronto Mayor Ship and before they bid farewell, the African stops before a signal. The narrator eagerly asks for the reason and the African replies thus:

If I am to go past, crossing this signal I will be stopped. And, advices would be handed over to me, unasked. If I were to be seen by the policemen, they won leave me they won’t leave you too. But, do you think that such situation would befall a White man? The immigrants, minorities are all so much affected and suffer a lot. And that’s why I am going to stand in this election. (Ramakrishnan)

Through this the author brings out the racial discrimination, colour problem that the immigrant’s face in an alien land. Differences always exist in aspects of colour, race, culture, language and educational backgrounds. The author also suggests through the character of African man that these immigrants should also be given equal freedom in all respects in the host land. So, he tries to bring forth the issue that all the immigrants should be treated equally without colour differences.

“An end and a Beginning” is a story about a married young woman Yamuna. Her husband, decrying her as unchaste and immoral, has deserted her. Yamuna has been violently raped by an inhuman scoundrel during wartime. But her husband discards her with the opinion that the society would talk ill of her. Here, Giritharan brings out the memory of his homeland, the ethnic conflict in Srilanka, which is killing the
innocent Tamils. He says:

Our life is nothing but a warfare. A constant struggle to escape for our life… as like a warfare within a warfare and a run within the run for life… all those that have taken place… all those unwanted happenings. Today the rains have stopped but there is still some drizzling. (Ramakrishnan)

From the above passage one can understand the struggle of Tamils who have been facing many problems in Srilanka. He has used war as a metaphor to portr ay those problems. In this story Giritharn also gives attention to the social norms and the strict rules that were imposed on women. He says that since yamuna has been born a female sainthood has been forced on her by the society. The rape of yamuna brings out the trauma of the Tamil women who were raped by the Sinhala soldiers, which led to the cause of active violence between the Tamils and the Sinhalese in Srilanka. The press and media have been acting in favour of the Sinhala people, as the political leaders of the Sinhala government owned most of these. Hence, they were not true in reporting the news and hid many atrocities that were committed by the Sinhala soldiers.

Among the women who were raped by the Sinhala soldiers, some women committed suicide. There are some women like Yamuna who have some commitments survived regardless of their shame. Either these women has to take care of their children or their aged parents. But their husbands discarded these women and they were not allowed to mingle with the society. This was the condition of many Tamil women particularly after the outbreak of the civil war in 1983. These women who need protection and care in the hour of crisis were left helpless.

The short story “A Co(w)untry Issue” is one of Giritharan’s notable stories. In this story the hero Ponnaiya drives his Honda Accord to the Punjabi Wala’s garage to get it serviced. On his way he witnesses the strange fight for freedom of a cow on the main road. The cow has escaped from the slaughterhouse and it has blocked the road creating a traffic jam. There were also some beef packers trying to catch the cow standing around it. Ponnaiya could see the fear of death in the cow’s eyes and he starts worrying for the pathetic situation of the cow. Immediately he was reminded of his native land and the people who were in the same situation of the cow. The author has chosen the cow’s situation as a metaphor to picturise the piteous situation of the Tamils in his native land. He says:

Poor cow, it is not able to realize the tenuous nature of freedom it has won, and that is why it is struggling with all its might to protect this freedom.” And he couldn’t help thinking of those in his native land. How many are there who are exactly in the same situation of this cow. There are those who escape in a haphazard manner and then are caught again, and those who, unable to find any way die where they are.
(Ramakrishnan)

Through these lines the author reveals the plight and sufferings of many Srilankan Tamils who were caught in the Sinhalese attack. The position of Srilankan Tamils is either they have to fight for their freedom or they have to leave their country. These people who undergo the ethnic conflict do not have the courage to come out of their country and they become the victims of the Sinhalese attack. Some people dares to come out of their country but among them many were caught by the immigration officers as these people try to travel without a valid visa. These people were forced to live in the refugee camps. Only a very few tries to enter other countries but these people also have to face several immigrant problems. These people even after migrating to other countries were not allowed to live peacefully.

In the next half of the story, Ponnaiya is so moved by the cow’s plight and he feels that he could buy the cow by paying some amount. But, he is reminded of his own situation that he himself is in the same condition of the cow. He has come out of his home country and now he is struggling to come to terms in an alien land. He thinks:

“What if I pay for the cow and so save its life? At home in Jaffna we could at least tie it in the backyard. But where could I keep it here? In the apartment? And even if I am able to save it, will saving just this one cow alone solve the problem of all the rest of the cows who are in the exactly same situation as this one? (Ramakrishnan)

These lines were the author’s anguish statements. Even though the author is experiencing several problems he is not concerned with his individual freedom but the freedom of his community. These lines also reveal the author’s concern that he wants to get freedom for the entire Srilankan Tamil community who were killed everyday like the cows being butchered in the slaughterhouses.

Finally the cow’s plight comes to an end by a person shooting it with a tranquilizer. Even though the cow had met its pathetic end, the author feels very proud of the cow for its heroic fight and struggle for life. Immediately in the next paragraph the author brings out the helpless situation of the Tamils in Srilanka. He brings out that in his words thus:

The cow is involving in a life or death struggle, fighting to save its life. There’s one part of the crowd to overpower it and do away with it, another part to enjoy watching the excitement, another to photograph it and also that is indifferent or impotent to do anything. (Do) Like the cows struggle, the struggle of the Srilankan Tamils was left disregarded by many. The Sinhalese soldiers are trying to chase all the Tamils away from the country and the Sinhala government enjoys watching these atrocities without taking any actions to save the Tamils. The media is also acting in favour of them and they are capturing only the negative aspects of the Tamil and showing to the people. And there are also some people who never bother about anything, as they were impotent.

To this violent genocide, media and politicians from all parts of the world have shown their responses against the Sinhala dominated government. They condemned the politicians of Sinhala government as acting in favour of the Sinhalese. Many of the famous magazines like The Economist, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times and New Statesman from London, Norwegian Tourist Eli Skarstein from Oslo, The Arab News from Saudi Arabia and The Week from India have recorded the atrocities committed by the Sinhalese with the support of the Government. For example, in an article “Ever since Ceylon became independent in 1948, the Tamils have been a persecuted minority…” written by Francis wheen in The Times London 30th august 1983 say that:

Under the prevention of terrorism act, which has been used almost exclusively against Tamils, suspects can be held without trial for up to 18 months. Three weeks ago Amnesty International published a report, which suggested that Tamils detained under the act, had been tortured both in army camps and by the police. President Jeyawardene dismissed the allegations as soon as the report appeared denouncing Amnesty as “communists.” This reaction was consistent with his normal approach to the bearers of bad tidings. One month ago he ordered closure of two leading Jaffna newspapers Suthatnthiran and The Saturday Review, which had printed accounts of attacks on Tamils in Trincomalee…. But President Jeyawardene, like many of his compatriots, seems to use the word “terrorist” and “Tamil” as if they were interchangeable these days. He told an interviewer this month: “I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people now. Now we can’t think of them; not about their lives orof their opinion of us.”(wheen)

The short story “Husband” is about the condition of the immigrants who have to do some tedious jobs in the new land that they have come in. The hero of the story Sababathi is assigned with ‘playing Guitar’, which means to clean dishes in the hotels. He faces many physical problems, as his body condition does not accept the cold climate of the winter at Toronto. This makes him turn nostalgic about his homeland. The narrator recalls his happy moments that he has spent in Cashorinaa beach, The Navali Sand Mounds, the Kallundai space and the Palm girls swaying in the wood. As years passed on he has become accustomed with the climate of Toronto. But, the thoughts of his own land never left him. The thematic outline of the story is the hero’s suspicion of his wife.

Though the narrator is fed up with all these thoughts, the thought about his wife Banumathi bothers him a lot. He is married to her since one year. A suspicion arises in his mind by an incident, which happens in a party in his friend’s house. In a drunken mood his friends start to discuss about some criminals who have exploited many women in the name of agents. There are many women who have undergone these travail and traumas in the process of immigration. It was through that agent the hero’s wife Banumathi was also brought to Canada. The narrator finds the root cause of all these problems in his homeland. He describes the reason for such problems in the following lines: The way our men are being ruined is all because of our country’s prevailing climate. It is this climate that forces every one of us to run hither and thither for shelter. This is the source for all kind of problems. Therefore if our country’s condition could improve then all the mischiefs and mismanagement could rapidly go down. (Ramakrishnan)

The ‘country’s prevailing climate’ in the above passage reflects the ethnic conflict which prevails in Srilanka. The author tries to find out a solution to solve the problem and he says all the traumas of the Tamils will come to an end only if the country finds a solution to that.

An air of suspicion arises in the hero’s mind. The reason for his suspicion is Banumathi’s extra-ordinary beauty. Her spellbound beauty is capable of attracting anyone. So, the hero’s mind struggles with the fire of suspicion. In order to come out of his haunting thoughts, he tries to find happiness by having some drinks. Here the author introduces the Canadian drinks ‘Taquila’ and ‘Marguerite’ which the hero is fond of drinking. Whenever the narrator introduces something he is reminded of his homeland. Even in the introduction of these drinks his memory goes to his homeland where his favourite drinks were ‘Panangallu’ (Palm wine) and ‘Kurangu’ (Arrack). The hero says that, he could not find any alternative for this ‘Kurangu’ in Canada, as it is much powerful and incomparable.

The narrator then introduces a women character and he says that she has been working with the hero in a Greek restaurant in Toronto. Even though there is no description of Christina’s origin or identity, the author has given importance to her views. While all the other whites disregarded the people who have come from Asia and called them as ‘Pakis’, she mingles with everybody without any distinctions. For her, people who have come from Srilinka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India are Indians. Through Christina’s view the author brings out the Rama’s issue in the great Tamil epic Ramayana. Christina says:

“Sababathi, look at your Rama. You place him on a pedestal, call him god and worship him and give him your offerings. But, he couldn’t believe even his own wife. Whatever reason he could come out for his thought and deed of doubting his wife it was wrong on his part to have subjected Seetha to test by fire.”(Ramakrishnan)

The author here compares the hero’s suspicion with the suspicion of Rama. The author tries to mock at the Indian culture where men are allowed to go with any women but women should be chaste and true to their husbands. They should live their entire life with an Individual to whom they get married. He also says that even the great epic Ramayana is in favour of the Indian culture in supporting this male-dominated issue. The author tries to give a solution to this problem. This he brings out through the words of Christina:

Of course, it is wrong. Lord Rama, who is an incarnation of god, doing so makes it right on the part on one and all to suspect their wives and subject them to such tests. Marriage is not an ordinary thing. It is a rare kind of relationship or togetherness where they rely on each other and believe each other all through their lives. For this, the mutual belief is of paramount importance. Each one should respect the right of the person. Did Seetha go to Ravana willingly? If the epic was written in such a way that people suspected her chastity and fidelity but Rama accepted her back whole-heartedly with no doubt, whatsoever then Ramayana would have been my favourite story. (Ramakrishnan)

He also brings out another issue that what will happen if women start questioning men’s purity. If it happens then many men will be left helpless. Thus, through this story the author has brought out these important issues that one should not suspect his/her partner. Although there are many writers who have discussed this issue already in their writings, Giritharan’s way of reading Ramayana is quite different from anybody else. Giritharan himself gives answer for the Critics of Diaspora for their disapproval of the writer’s choice of theme, dislocation and presentation. He says:

Contradictions always exist. They shouldn’t be antagonistic instead they should be friendly. There is need for children’s literature at the same time there is need for serious literature. If we understand this, there won’t be any fighting among literary groups. The purpose of the literature is for various reasons. It can be a guide; it can be an entertainment…it can be useful in various ways. For me all these different ‘…isms’ in literature are important for various reasons. Fighting against each literary concept is not a positive thing to do. (Do)

The short story “Seethaakaa” is divided into five parts. Like many of Giritharan’s stories, this story also starts with the description of Toronto city. The narrator of the story meets a bus driver from Monreal. The driver asks the narrator to help a girl who came as a refugee from Srilanka. The narrator accepts and goes forward to help the girl. He is surprised to see the girl, as she is the Seethaakaa whom the narrator has already known and she lives near his house in Srilanka. She is good-looking and since there is no male child in her family, she has to take care of her aged parents. Though she is beautiful and good mannered she doesn’t get married. The narrator says that Seethaakaa is fond reading the novels of Jeyakanthan, Uma Chandran, Naa. Paarthasaarathy,Akilan, Kalki and Jegasirpi. This is nothing but the author’s own interest in the works of these writers. The author’s statement in many stories implies that he is a reader of these writers from Tamil Nadu. In some of his stories his statements also proves that he is a fan of Tamil cinemas produced in Tamil Nadu.

After recollecting all his past memories the narrator assists Seethaaka to his apartment to help her, since he is not able to help her in his country, at least he can help her in this alien land. On their way to the apartment, they start talking and the narrator comes to know that Seethaakaa has got married. Through her, he also comes to know that her husband has been stopped at Singapore, while she has been allowed to go to Canada.

The problem in the agents of immigration is a recurrent theme in many of Giritharan’s stories. Almost in all his stories at least at one point he highlights this issue. Many families are separated because of this serious issue. The immigration officers stop many people and they are not allowed to pass out. The tragedy is that they are not stopped in their home country but they are caught in Thailand or Singapore. These people are not allowed to go back to their home country or to the country, which they want to migrate. They were imprisoned in the refugee camps where they have to suffer the imprisonment for having done no crime.

In the second part of the story the narrator takes Seethaakaa to his apartment, introduces his roommate Sababathi to her. Seethaakaa has got used with the apartment soon. The apartment got a divinely fragrance with her duties and worships. In the meantime, the narrator contacts the agent who has sent Seethaakaa to Canada and gathers information about her husband. He makes arrangements for Seethaakaa to talk with her husband over phone. The author, in this paragraph brings out the agony of many people who were separated from their family. Due to the civil war in Srilanka many Tamils are scattered without any address. Many recently married couples are separated and young children are separated from their parents whereas the aged people are left unnoticed. Though these people sell all their property to immigrate to some other country in seeking asylum, the fate of these people makes them to suffer in refugee camps.

The third part has a description of the author’s sweet memories. The narrator finds Seethaakaa fed up with the memory of her husband. He tries to console her by making promises to reunite her with her husband. In the meantime, he hears the news from his homeland that they have arranged for his marriage. This gives a kind of relief to his confused mind and he starts dreaming. But his dream does not last for a long time. Sababathi’s way of looking and his habitual actions create a doubt in the narrator’s mind. So, before any misdeed happens the narrator decides to send Sababathi to some other apartment. To his surprise, Sababathi accepts to leave the apartment without showing any objections.

The fourth part has a shift in the story, which was flowing smoothly till then. Sababathi, who vacated the apartment without any objection, started spreading rumours about the narrator and Seethaakaa. As a result of this, the narrator receives a letter from his sister saying that his marriage arrangement has been cancelled for the rumour story has reached the bride’s parents. The narrator accuses his culture and culture, which always spreads rumour. He decides to send Seethaakaa to his friend’s apartment who works with him and who lives with her only mother. The last part of the story shows Seethaakaa as a woman who takes decision independently. She, who has been living with the help of a man till then, decides to go out of the apartment as she too came to know about the rumour. She writes a letter to the narrator and leaves the apartment in the narrator’s absence. In this part she gains more importance as she takes the courage to live independently. At no point in the story she has been described as a sexual object. Giritharan in this aspect differs from other writers who have portrayed women as an object of sexual pleasure and he stands unique in his way of portrayal of woman.

The narrator feels very much disappointed, as he could not help Seethaakaa even in this critical situation. He curses his own community and people who involve in this type of spreading shameful issues and bad rumours even after migrating to other countries. The last two sentences of the story bring out the author’s pain. He asks: “Ethanai Naatuku Thaan Pulam Peyarthenna? Pulan Peyarnthoma?” he makes use of the pun in the words ‘Pulam’ and ‘pulan’ to mean that physical migration can never result in accommodation of mind with the country of settlement.

Through this question he states that the people are involved only in physical migration but they haven’t came out of their evil qualities. They carry these qualities wherever they go. Hence this story is a mock at the wrong side of the Tamil culture and people.

“America” is a novella, which has taken shape as a result of the author’s stay in Brooklyn refugee camp in America. The writer has criticized the immigration policies and the legal systems of America in a ridiculous way. The novella starts with the picturesque description of the Brooklyn refugee camp. Like many of Gritharan’s stories this novella also features the first person narrative. The narrator says that he had great honour and respect for the American society, culture and politics as they show much concern on the human rights since it was a democratic country. He also has written an essay about America when he was studying in fourth standard highlighting America as a democratic country where human rights are valued, so that even an ordinary man like Abraham Lincoln could also become the president. But as a writer even after experiencing all the problems in Brooklyn he could not help depicting the wrong side of the American systems. The novella brings forth the bitter experiences of nineteen Srilankan Tamils who fled the country due to the outbreak of the civil war in Srilanka. As the author was also one among them it made him to record those bitter experiences which many hundreds of Tamils face every day in the refugee camps all over the world. The author has reduced the nineteen characters to five and has given equal importance to each character.

As there was burning violence everywhere in Srilanka, these people sold their properties and left their country with lot of dreams in search of a new land. These five were allowed to travel up to Boston. In Boston they were assigned to catch the Delta Airlines. But the officers of the Delta Airlines stopped all the five, as they did not posses a valid visa. An immigration officer threatens these people as they would send them back to their country and he also prepares documents for that. But these five, with the help of another immigration officer managed to ask
permission to stay in America as a refugee.

They were later taken to the New York City in a bus. All the five are eagerly waiting to see the New York City as they have heard many things about that city in their homeland itself. The author here asks a question that why these people who are caught in Boston are taken to New York. And immediately he gives answer in the next sentence itself. Boston is a city where many Tamil organizations are functioning with great honour. If these people are kept there some political issues will be raised and in order to avoid this, they were transferred to New York. On their way to New York they have been watching several wonders, which they have never seen before. All were fed up with an immense joy. But the narrator’s mind is full of the memories of his homeland. He has to earn and solve his family problems, perform his sister’s marriage grandly and also to bring his brother to Canada as soon as possible. Above all, his memory goes to Kousalya who was adamant in her opinion to marry him. Her thoughts make him lessen the burden of his heart. As they reach the refugee camp, their properties are seized and they are given the refugee dresses to wear. When they enter into the rooms the doors were locked. It is only then they come to realize that they are going to lead a jail life.

Here, the author brings out the atrocities committed by the officers in the refugee camp. There is a separate cell for the refugees from each country. They are not allowed to go out of the camps at any circumstances. The author anguishly states that they are imprisoned with worlds most cruel criminals whom he cannot found anywhere in the world except in that refugee camp. The narrator also gets a chance to visit many people who are like him. Their only freedom in the camp is they can chat freely with the fellow refugees. So, all the five men discussed about their problem and they finally arrive at a decision to go out of the refugee camp by some way. They also talked with the members of the Boston Tamil organization but this organization, which showed concern for these people in the beginning, started to decline their offer. These people are treated like criminals in the camps, though they have sought refuge as per the rules and regulations of the American laws. In these people’s visa they have written that these are people who have been staying after their transit visa period got over. Even though these people have applied for seeking refuge before the prescribed time, the American law has cruelly punished them. The author painstakingly brings out several issues that to whom can they address these problems and who can be responsible for the psychological trauma that they have undergone in the refugee camps. Somehow, they managed to come out of the camps but their bitter experiences can never be erased from
their memory.

Though the author did not give any details about how these people got freedom from the refugee camp, he has described the problems that every refugee has to undergo in a refugee camp. Many people who are innocent were forced to this type of situation. The author finds the civil war as the root cause for all these problems. Through this novella he also puts forth the darker side of the American legal systems, which was rigid with the refugees.

There are many eminent writers from Srilanka such as Michael Ondatjee, Dominique Jeeva, Chelva Kanaganayagam and Rudramoorty Cheran. Giritharan stands unique among all these writers in the use of language, theme and the form he has adopted for his writing. The language he has chosen is the contemporary Srilankan Tamil. The theme of most of his short stories is ‘survival’. In all his short stories, the civil war of 1983 appears like a refrain. The forthcoming chapters analyses the issues that were discussed by Giritharan in his short stories. The succeeding chapters also equate these issues with the issues discussed by other diasporic writers and bring out Giritharan’s handling of these issues.

Chapter-III
Questioning the Self: Identity Politics and Giritharan!

Identity is the fact of being who or what a person is. The words such as ‘character’, ‘distinctiveness’, ‘individuality’, ‘nature’, ‘particularity’, ‘personality’, ‘selfhood’, ‘singularity’ and ‘uniqueness’ are the terms that can be replaced for identity. There are various factors that contribute to the formation of identity. Certain elements, which constitute markers of identity, are food, clothes, language retention, religion, music, dance, myths, legends, customs, individual and community. These are retained, discarded or adopted differently at different times and places but a
feeling of oneness; a tug of the roots persists even after several years and sometime centuries. Based on the individual’s relationship with these factors the identity differs and hence can be differentiated as cultural identity, personal identity, collective identity, ethnic identity, gender identity and religious identity.

Personal identity is formed by different stages of development of the personality of an individual, where the individual recognizes his/her own characteristic features. This makes an individual to define himself or herself to others as well as to themselves. This can also be called as self -identity as this is a complete understanding of one’s self. This identity is formed through several elements such as the individual’s physical, psychological and social qualities, which get influenced, by the individual’s attitudes, habits, beliefs and ideas.

Cultural identity is the sense of feeling or belonging to a culture or a particular society, where the individual reacts more positively to the culture to which he/she belongs. This identity is influenced by various factors such as customs, social structure, rules and norms of the society, food habits, clothing, family and marriage.

Ethnic identity is the identification of an individual with a particular ethnic group. This identity is formed by a general resumption of having ancestral or genealogical relation to the particular ethnic group, which is often united by cultural, behavioural, linguistic, ritualistic and religious principles.

National identity is an ethical and philosophical concept whereby all humans are divided into groups called nations. It is the identity of a political community, its values and commitments, its characteristic way of talking about itself and conducting its political affairs and its organization of principles. Members of a nation share a common identity and usually common origin in the sense of ancestry, parentage or descent and they have a strong affiliation to the nation in which they identify themselves.

Religious identity refers to the set of beliefs and practices generally held by an individual who follows the codified beliefs and rituals. These individuals also involve in the study of ancestral traditions, writings, history, mythology, belief in faith and mystic experience. Thus this term denotes the personal practices related to communal faith and rituals and the message that arise from such convictions.

Collective identity is the sense of feeling or belonging to a group. This identity is formed by an individual’s membership in various groups such as family, occupation culture, ethnicity and religion. Members who identifies with this group will dedicate his/her life to the group over the individual identity. They will defend the views of the group and assume risks for the group and sometimes to the extent of risking their life. The cohesiveness of the collective identity is so strong and they suffer pain of grief for the loss of a member.

Hence, all these psychological and psycho-social factors combine to form an individual’s personality and it is this personality that becomes a major factor in defining one’s identity. Sunanda Mongia in her essay “Fabricated images/Processed identity in Bharati Mukharjee’s Jasmine” quotes Nancy’s description of identity thus:

According to psychoanalytic theory, personality is a result of a boy’s or a girl’s social-relational experience since earliest infancy. These social relations are appropriated, internalized and organized to constitute his/her personality adding to the total structural organization. At the same time, these are important determinants of any person’s behaviour both which is culturally expected and that which is idiosyncratic or unique to the individual. (Mcleod 205)

Thus, according to the Neo-Freudian concept, identity is formed through different stages of development of personality where the beginning stage is the mirror stage. Though it is the complete understanding of the self it is something different from the self. Identity is the external layer related to external factors such as colour, race, class, social position, economic status and nationality. But, self is the inner layer constituted through images of reflection, memory, education, and exposure to media. It is also constituted by the act of choice among other things. This self is affected by and sometimes affects identity. Thus identity is formed by the process of bringing out the individual’s differences in the society through fabricated images. But the process of identity formation is not simple because all these images are fluid, fractured, heterogeneous and unstable. So identity cannot be stable as it is an amalgamation and fabrication of images.

In all the diasporic writings, this identity is represented as a fractured one. Like the Diaspora (people) that get scattered and dispersed around the world, the identity of these people is also scattered. Here are many diasporic writers who have seriously discussed this issue. They say that all the immigrants irrespective of caste, nation, gender, religion, race or educational background face this identity problem. These immigrants who have multiple identities in their homeland lose such identities in the host land instead they get different identities as an ambassador or a refugee. Though both types were losing their identity, it is the latter one, which undergoes much scrutiny. This is because the former gets a recognition in the host country whereas as the latter cannot. The first group of people has a national identity in their home country. So they can return to their homeland whenever they wish but the latter type cannot do such because these are people who were denied identity in their homeland itself. So the problem of identity affects these people most. This is the case of the Srilankan Tamils who fled the country due to the ethnic conflict. Therefore it becomes important for all the diasporic writers to speak about Diaspora politics.

Diaspora politics is the study of the political behaviour of transnational ethnic Diasporas, their relationship with their homeland and their host countries and their role in the ethnic conflicts. A Diaspora is a transnational community that defines itself as an individual ethnic group based on its shared identity. Self-identified Diasporas gives much importance to their homeland because of their ethnic and cultural association with their homeland which has been conquered by somebody. This has led to the outbreak of ethnic nationalist movement among the several
Diasporas whose major aim is to establish a separate homeland.

The Tamil Diaspora identifies itself in linguistic and cultural rather than national or religious terms. The Tamils demand that their identity is different from the national identity. The Tamils celebrate this difference and they are proud of it. The Tamils who have their origin in ‘Tamilakam’ (a region in the southern part of India which comprises Tamilnadu, kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh) and Srilanka never claims for a national identity as an Indian or Srilankan. This is mainly because of the Hindu/ Hindi problem, which started during the early twentieth century.

Tamils had opposed the attempt to impose Hindi as a national and official language from 1935. This is due to their sustained campaign that English is still an official language of India. This led to the outbreak and the rise of the Dravidian movement in Tamilnadu. EVR (E.V. Ramasamy), who was popularly known as ‘Periyar’ brought out this movement. EVR is revered by all the Tamils but has been marginalized to a large extent in the Indian thought. They contest the claims of Mahatma Gandhi and the congress as nationalist discourse and construct an alternative discourse, which forms the Dravidian Movement. This difference forms the basis of all Tamils. The Tamils oppose any attempt to create a monolithic identity based on a single primordial factor. The Tamil identity is transposed against the Hindu/Hindi identity.

All the diasporic writers are concerned with identity politics. Identity politics is a political action, which increases the interests of members of an oppressed group whose oppression is mainly because of a shared and marginalized identity. The aim of identity politics is to empower the oppressed to articulate their oppression in terms of their own experience. Identity politics thus focuses on the major elements, which constitute for identity formation such as race, ethnicity, sex, religion, caste, physical disability and nationality.

Theorists who talk about identity politics say that oppression shapes the consciousness of the oppressed in a way that the oppressed people internalize their oppression. This oppression can raise their voice only in the absence of the oppressor who enforces unjust definitions of equality, justice and right. Hence, this identity politics leads way to separatism. This forms the basic reason for the Tamil separatist Movement. The Tamils who were oppressed by the Sinhalese in Srilanka got dispersed around the world. They raise voice against their oppression and fight for separate Tamil Eelam. For these people literature becomes a channel to articulate their voice. They record the oppression and their sufferings in their writings. One such attempt is the outcome of Giritharan’s short stories.

Giritharan’s writings have this problem of identity as a central issue. As he himself belongs to the wide spread Tamil Diaspora, his writings have brought out the struggle of the immigrants whose identity gets fractured in the host country. The issue of colour is one of the major problems that the immigrants face in an alien land. The colour also plays am important role in shaping one’s identity.

In the story “A Journey in the Midway,” Giritharan has brought out the problem of colour. The narrator of the story goes home after finishing his night watchman duty. The author says that he likes those moments which he waits for bus. In such situation he gets time for admiring the beauty of the night, sky, the people and the city, which gives him utmost pleasure. He has also gained a lot from these moments than by studying books or magazines. On his way, he finds a black man who is trying to stop the taxis going that passes him. The man seemed to be a Somaliyan for the narrator and he is tired of stopping taxis as no taxi stops for him as he is a black.

The author here brings out the black man’s anguish statements as, “See! As I belong to the black race, nobody stops for me. See there! Even the black taxi Saarathi not stops for me” (Translation Mine). This statement makes it clear how the dark coloured people were treated in the white country like Canada. They were not treated equally as the natives of the country. Even the immigrants who were whites never mingle with the black. The author feels very pathetic for this colour difference exists not only in the immigrated land bit also in their homeland. So he says,
“There’s nothing to blame them. You might have seen in newspapers. How many times they have been attacked? Some are even killed.” (Translation Mine) The blacks were treated inferiorly in their home country and they were killed in their homeland. So, these people fled their country and sought refuge in other countries but the colour difference persists even in the land which they sought refuge.

After sometime the narrator gets a taxi and both the black man and the narrator travel in the same taxi. They converse with each other and the narrator comes to know that the black man is not a Somaliyan as he guessed. He belonged to Erithiriya. As the narrator has already known about the freedom struggle of Erithiria, he feels proud of that country and the people who fought united for their freedom. The story ends with the narrator pitying for the blacks. In most of his stories, Giritharan finds the problem of blacks as parallel to the Srilankan Tamil
problem.

The Black Diaspora is also a compelled Diaspora. The Blacks are treated like slaves in the African countries. They are caught in nets like animals and burnt alive. They are also not allowed to leave their home country. These Blacks somehow manage to escape and migrate to other countries. But in the host countries the condition of the Black immigrants is even worse than the condition of Srilankan Tamils. The problem of colour follows them to the host countries also. We can find a parallel between the Black Diaspora and the Srilankan Tamil Diaspora in the writings of Giritharan.

In the short story “Saavitri, a Srilankan refugee’s child,” the author brings out the issue of the third generation. The narrator of the story Saavitri is a Canadian citizen. Her parents belonged to Srilanka. They have left their country and settled in Canada. They have a longing to return back not to Srilanka but to some peaceful place in India but Saavitri likes to remain in Canada. So, she begs her father not to leave Canada and her father also agrees not because of her insists but because of his concern to his child. This is mainly because he has faced the problem of identity when he entered Canada. He who was recognized and given a national identity as a ‘Srilankan’ couldn’t get any recognition in Canada. He also struggled to get recognition for his education in Canada. The author brings the father’s thought into words such: For my interest why should I spoil my child’s future? Why our daughter has to face the critical situation, which we have faced? We didn’t get any recognition for our education in this foreign land. To get we have to struggle a lot. All cannot struggle as their family condition does not allow them. My child after completing her education has to face the same problem when she comes here, as we did. (Translation Mine) The daughter in the above passage suggests the forthcoming generation. The Tamils who have settled in the foreign countries are very much afraid about their future generation. They are very much bothered about them because they also have to face the similar problems of identity in the migrated countries. They also have to undergo the struggle like their forefathers who struggled a lot to gain recognition in the host countries. Through this story, the author brings out the problems of the third generation immigrants who are becoming the victims of identity problems.

In the short story “A Few Moments with the Jamaican” the author describes the same issue of national identity in a different manner. The story starts with the narrator being caught up in the rain meets a black man. The black man wishes the narrator thus: Welcome friend! It seems that you to belong to the same group, which started without any preparation, like me. In this aspect we both are travelers of the same boat. (Translation Mine)

Through the above lines the author is trying to convey two meanings. The direct meaning is that the narrator and the black man have come out of their residence without umbrella to protect them from rain. But the inner meaning is that the author ironically conveys that both of them have fled their country without any idea or preparation to stay in a foreign country. This is the state of many Srilankan Tamils who have fled their country due to the civil war. They started to migrate to foreign countries without having any knowledge about those countries.Both the narrator and the black man involves in a serious discussion about rain and nature’s calamities. The black man says that all the calamities are caused due to man’s destruction of nature. The author tries to convey the idea that in the eastern countries they are implementing laws not to destroy nature but the western countries were full of concrete buildings which are constructed at the destruction of nature as there is nobody to question them. The weapons that are used in wars are also resulting in the destruction of nature. On the process of their conversation they also find that war is a major reason for this kind of destruction. The narrator says that the world will be happy if there is no war in the world. For this the black man says:

You don’t know… How long have you been staying here? But, it has been thirty years since I have arrived here. I don’t have any school education. Even then they are asking me ‘Where are you from?’ Two young boys asked me such yesterday. Do you know what I told them? (Do)

As the narrator is eagerly for his answer, the black man again continues:

Nowadays when I confront these types of questions I am not getting angry as earlier. My mind has attained maturity in this matter. I asked, Boys how old are you? For that, one of the boys said “why are you asking? Even though, if knowing that helps to know the answer for our question, I will tell… coming November I am twenty years old. Ask his age to him.” For that I said that’s enough for me. Then I asked “My relationship with this land is much more when compared to yours. If it is so then how can you have more rights than me in this land? Where are you coming from? You know how both of them were agitated? (Translation Mine)

Through this passage one can realize how an immigrant’s national identity is questioned in the host countries. The author’s statements seem like questioning what decides one’s national identity. It is very difficult to find a particular factor that forms one’s national identity. He asks is it ‘the birth’ that gives the national identity or is the period of stay in a particular country that forms ones national identity. If it is birth that decides one’s national identity then what identity does one gets if he lives the remaining party of his life in another country. Thus the identity of the person gets fractured as he moves from one country to another.

Language plays an important role in shaping one’s identity. Often a person is identified on the basis of the way he speaks and the words he use. In the case of immigrants, language becomes a primary factor for their survival in an alien land. For many Tamil immigrants assimilating the host country’s language is a difficult task. Hence Giritharan also gives importance to language in his short stories. He has dealt with the problem of immigrants understanding the foreign language. He conveys this idea through the short story “expatriation.”

The hero of the story Aasaipillai is the security guard of a vehicle shed in a ten-storeyed building in Canada. He is one of the Tamil immigrants who come from Srilanka. He is one among those who fled the country to save their life because of the atrocities committed by the Srilankan army. In the beginning he cleaned dishes in a hotel in Canada but as time passed on he found very difficult to continue the same job as he had a respectful job in his native country.

For his ease, he found a security guard job. He has to work from midnight to early morning in the shed. One early morning, a white man after parking his car in the shed, greets Aasaipillai and informs that there is a bomb in the second floor. This news makes Aasaipillai to shiver but thinking that it will be a shame on his part to express the fear, he hides it and asks the details of the bomb to the White man. He also asks the white man that how he has confirmed it as a bomb.

The white man laughs at him and makes fun of him by saying that there is no such difficulty in finding out a bomb. Aasaipillai thanks the white man for the information and his mind starts thinking about the carelessness of the white man in the bomb case. The very word ‘bomb’ makes Aasaipillai to remember the bombs which are used by the Srilankan army to kill the innocent Tamils. His memory goes back to his friends who have become the victims of the genocide. But, for the whites it has become an unusual thing.

Several thoughts become to occupy Aasaipillai’s mind. First he thinks of clearing the bomb by carefully searching it. Then he also thinks of informing the police but he was very much worried as if it is a time bomb and bursts immediately, his wife and children who are in his native will be left helpless. He prays to his god ‘Kathirkama Kanthan’ for saving him from such terrible situation. In many of his stories Giritharan has a mention of the god Kathirkama Kanthan. This shows his religious affinity and assertion of Tamil culture. Murugan devotion among the Tamil
Diaspora is one of the notable qualities of Tamil people and Giritharan has also made use of this concept in many of his stories.Aasaaipillai after making a note in the reference book as a precaution goes forward to clear the bomb. He starts from the ground floor, carefully inspects every nook and corner of the floor and moves to the second floor. It is on the south-side stairs that the white man has mentioned about the bomb. There he finds George, a homeless sleeping in a corner. The author gives a description of George who is an example of homeless immigrants. George had a descent job once but for some reason he left the job. Now he is mentally affected and roams in the street. Aasaipillai had sympathy on George and he allowed him to sleep in that building.

The author says that it is not a great wonder or surprise to see such a homeless in the streets of Toronto. It has become an ordinary incident to see the people sleeping on the manhole lids. He ridicules that there also some welfare organization functioning in that area for giving food and shelter for the homeless. But, these welfare organizations are never concerned about these people because they are working only for their profit.

Aasaipillai’s movement disturbs George’s sleep and he spreads a smile. Aasaipillai carefully investigates all the places but he could not find anything as the white man said. He also enquires George about the bomb and finds that the white man has cheated him. He gets very angry that the white man has treated a sincere guard inferiorly. If he informs this illegal action of the white man to the police, the white man will definitely be severely punished. The white man has insulted a respectable human being who had great honour in his native.

The author here says that Aasaipillai being an immigrant has forgotten a basic difference that accent also sometimes plays with the meaning of words. He could not realise the difference between Bum (homeless) and bomb. The author concludes the story by asking that the misunderstanding of Aasaipillai can either be called as innocence or as one of the important features which has to be recorded in the immigrant experience. He says that the immigrants do not leave the tradition, language and culture with their home country instead they carry it with them wherever they go. Thus language and accent also plays a vital role in the immigrants’ survival.

The short story “where are you from?” is one of Giritharan’s most popular stories. The title of the story itself symbolizes the questioning of an individual’s national identity. The narrator of this story is a taxi driver. One day a white Canadian woman gets into his taxi and asks ‘where are you from?’ The narrator is pained to hear such a question because he has been facing the same questions repeatedly since his arrival to Canada. This question is faced not only by the narrator of the story but also by all the immigrants who take refuge in a foreign country. Even though the immigrants have got the host country’s citizenship and have assimilated to the host country’s culture, this question still persists. So this tormenting question made the narrator to think such:

It has been ten years since I have arrived Canada. I am a full-fledged Canadian citizen. This old white woman is asking where I come from. In future, my children who are born and brought up here (Canada) might also have to face the same question by some other whites. (Translation Mine)

Through these lines the author has brought out the thoughts of several Tamils who are living in Canada and other countries. These immigrants want this trauma to be ended with their generation. They were afraid that their children may also have to undergo this trauma. The narrator feels to interrupt the white woman. He says, “Am I not looking like a Canadian?” The white woman replies “that I know but where you lived before?” Although the narrator is frustrated by the white woman’s question he says that he is from Srilanka. He also anguishly states that the white woman is his fifteenth customer of that day and among the fifteen, she is the tenth person to ask the question, where are you from. The narrator asks in return: Why all of you are asking the same question? You might have recognized every one of us by seeing our physical features. Then why do you question us?

The white woman replies, why? Don’t we have the right to ask? You all are immigrants. Are we not interested in knowing your nation? The narrator could not contain his anger anymore and says, “You people are also immigrants. You came some days ago and we are coming now. That’s all the difference is.”(Translation Mine)

Through this dialogue the narrator attacks the identity of the whites in Canada who were also immigrants. Since they came and settled earlier they are exerting power over the Tamils who have reached the place in recent years. These Tamil immigrants are struggling hard to get a national identity in the host land but they get depressed and alienated by hearing such questions repeatedly. The author also says that those who ask these types of questions never realize how much this questions affect one’s psyche.

All the time when an immigrant faces these types of questions he feels ashamed and gets irritated. Of course for some immigrants it’s not a big problem as the cause of their immigration is not so pathetic as the refugees. They can return to their native country if they wish as they have a national identity in their home country. And, these people never bother about the identity problem because they are well placed and they never face any problem in getting a job or finding a house of their own. But to the refugees like Srilankan Tamils who are denied national identity in their homeland itself, has to face lot of problems in every aspect such as seeking jobs, finding living places and getting vehicles. And, the Tamil people who are fed up with the dream of getting a government job have to suffer a lot in this aspect.

In the second part of the story, the narrator gets another customer who is a middle aged white man. The white man asks the narrator’s permission for smoking in the taxi. The narrator refuses to give permission, as smoking inside the taxi is strictly prohibited. So the white man gets angry and he shows his anger in different manner. He shouts at the narrator to go fast. The narrator quietly replies him that he cannot cross his speed limit for the sake of customers. This increases the white man’s angry and he asks the narrator to stop the taxi near the pathway. He gets down and shouts:

This is Canada man. Go back to your own country!

The narrator also gets angry and he thinks, “This is my country. Which country do you want me to go?”(Translation Mine) Even though the Srilankan Tamils are settlers in Canada, they feel that they are a part of that nation since they have spent most of their life in Canada rather than in Srilanka. As they couldn’t get a national identity in their home country, they somehow managed to get an identity in Canada by becoming citizens of that country. Even after getting citizenship, they are not fully free from such national threat because they are frequently reminded of their homeless condition by this distressing question ‘where are you from?’

The Trishanku metaphor is an important element used by Uma Parameswaran in her writings to explore the diasporic identity. In Hindu mythology, Trishanku was a king who was sent to heaven by Viswamitra through his yogic powers. But, Trishanku was denied admission to heaven because he was still in his mortal stage. Being rejected by both the worlds he was given a place in the sky. Neither he could enter the heaven nor could he come to the earth. Thus caught between heaven and earth Trishanku undergoes the intense experience of the existential despair being in a land of no man. In the context of the diasporic writers the Trishanku metaphor plays a vital role in bringing out the immigrant’s dislocation, sense of alienation, loss and dislocation. Giritharan’s writings are also not an exemption to this.

Giritharan’s use of images, symbols, metaphors and names of characters shows his affiliation towards the Tamil nation and culture. The very first sentence of the story “Manhole”, starts as, “like the Rajaraman of Jeyakantan’s Rishimoolam he has grown beard and moustache” (Ramakrishnan). All his examples and characters are deeply rooted in a sense o Tamil identity. In this story he painfully expresses the condition of many of Indian and Srilankan Tamil refugees who take the manholes to be their shelter. The author also brings the character of a Nigerian taxi driver who proudly calls himself a ‘chief’. In many of Giritharan’s stories one can find blacks as parallel to Tamils. This is because the sufferings of the blacks are equally important as the Indian and Srilankan Tamils. The narrator finds a mysterious ‘Sami’ (saint) sitting on the manhole looking disparagingly at the parliament building. Though the Sami is poor and starving, he is so enthusiastic and he often cracks jokes. He has good wit and sense of humour. One day the narrator, the Sami and Nigerian taxi driver meets together. The Nigerian gives a cigarette to the Sami. Sami thanks him and lights the cigarette. He inhales it and by releasing the smoke he says:

“He an African driving cabs in the middle of the road and so living his life,” (pointing out the parliament building) “From there they are formulating leaves……… what also is this but the satanic dance of fate.”(Ramakrishnan)

From the above lines Giritharan brings out the helpless condition of immigrants who were unnoticed by the government of the country in which they dwell. Their problems are left unnoticed as they don’t belong to that nation. Instead they are given nicknames. For the Canadians all those who come from the South–East Asia are ‘Pakis.’ This the author brings out through the dialogue between the narrator and the Sami. “Why did you laugh?” asked I.“Indians are overflowing all over the world…” said he and laughed. A look of content has come to settle in his cantenance as if he had uttered a profound philosophical truth.
“But in truth, you are not an Indian. And I am also not one.”
“True, that I am no Indian. But all those belonging to the Indian sub-continent are Indians only to them East Indian.’
“But for many Paki” said I.
When he heard this Sami laughed aloud.
“Here, they refer to Indian as paki” and all Pakistani-Indian. But there the two factions are always attacking each other,” said I. (Do)
Through this dialogue, the author tries to capture the condition of the minds of the Tamil immigrants who are unable to get any recognition in the host countries. These immigrants could not share the rights of the host countries government as they belong to some other nation. So, many immigrants find very difficult to get shelter in an alien land and for some of them like the Sami, have no house and they live their entire life near the manhole.

The author ends this story with the death of Sami inside the manhole. Though he did not give much information about Sami’s death, he contrasts the manhole with the glowing parliamentary building in Ontario.

The sense of place becomes a real geographical entity in the diasporic writings. This is because the immigrants perceive both the physical and the emotional journey from the past to the present connected with locations. The representation of the past becomes blended with those of the present and it depicts the struggle of he immigrants. The writer of the Diaspora goes back to the land of their origin and projects their past life. They document how they have lived and their history. The immigrant writer tries to bring his history identity to the forefront for recognition and to reaffirm his identity. As the individual moves from one place to another, the culture of the land of origin within the immigrant is constantly interacting and contesting with the new culture of the adopted land. Therefore place occupies a very important position in identity politics for the immigrant writers.

Giritharan’s portrayal of his characters gives a clear view of the diasporic identity. His characters are often placed in a separate world and they struggle hard to create an identity for themselves. He deals with characters those who have lost everything and tries to gain a new life for them. As he has also undergone the ethnic conflict in Srilanka and experienced the diasporic struggle in Canada, he is capable of bringing out the problems of identity of the Tamils of Srilanka in a unique way.

Chapter-IV Engaging Transnationality!

This chapter intends to analyse the theme of Transnationalism in the selected short stories of V.N.Giritaran. In order to understand the idea of Transnationalism one must be familiar with the term ‘Nationalism’ and its ideologies thoroughly. Nationalism is a term that refers to a doctrine or a political movement that holds a nation in terms of ethnicity or culture based on a shared history. Nationalists believe that the borders of the state should be congruent with the borders of the nation. Extreme forms of nationalism hold that nationality is the most important aspect of one’s identity and attempt to define the nation in terms of race or origin. Nationalism has also been an important element in shaping the world history. In modern time the concept of nationalism underwent a change. The idea of nationalism that was used to refer to a nation earlier has become metamorphosed and now it is used to refer even a particular state. Now historians use the term ‘nationalism’ to refer to this historical transition and to the emergence and predominance of nationalist ideology.

With the dispersal and scattering of people from one country to another the idea of nationalism extends the border of a particular nation. This surpassing of the national feeling across boundaries and cultures is called ‘Diaspora nationalism’. The Diaspora nationalism, as Benedict Anderson calls Long-distance nationalism refers to the nationalist feeling among a Diaspora such as the Irish in the United States, Lebanon in America and Africa, and the Armenians in Europe and the United States. To this category the Tamils also are added, as the Tamil Diaspora also claims for a nation-state. Natesan Satyendra in his article “Tamils- A Trans state nation” quotes a famous saying in Tamil:

“Tamilan illatha Nadu illai-
Thamizhanuku endru oru Nadu illai”
“There is no state without a Tamil-
But there is no state for the Tamil” (Satyendra)

The quotation suits the Srilankan Tamils much better than the Indian Tamils. This statement conveys two serious issues i.e. the homeless state of the Srilankan Tamil Diaspora that has laid its feet in all parts of the world and the ethnic conflict that made the Tamils homeless. Tamil nationalism is a strong aspiration by the Tamils to establish traditional Tamil homelands as a separate nation within India and within Srilanka. The Indian state of Tamilnadu and the Tamil Eelam region in Srilanka are considered as Tamil people’s traditional lands.

Tamil nationalism is rooted in an identity mixed with the Tamil language and culture. It seeks to preserve the Tamil language and culture, unite Tamils across boundaries, eradicate caste discrimination within Tamils, emancipate and empower Tamil women, uplift the economic status of Tamils and to securely establish Tamil identity in a globalized world. In order to achieve their goal Tamil nationalists seek separate or self- governing political power in Tamil Nadu and Tamil Ealam. In other words, this can be called as ‘Ethic nationalism’ because the Tamils are a separate ethnic group and they consider themselves as different from other groups. Ethnic nationalism is a form of nationalism wherein the ‘nation’ is defined in terms of ethnicity. It always includes some element of descent from previous generations. It also includes ideas of a culture shared between members of the group, with their ancestors, and usually a shared language.

The emphasis in the definition of ‘nation’ changes with its relation to culture, language and ethnicity. The main feature of ethnic nationalism is that each ethnic group is entitled to self-determination. The result of this self-determination is the need for self-regulated administrative bodies within an already established society, aiming at a sovereign state separate from that society. The ethnic nationalism is often contrasted with the ‘Civic nationalism’. Ethnic nationalism gains membership of the nation by descent or heredity, often articulated in terms of common blood or kinship, rather than political membership whereas Civic nationalism tend to define nationality in terms of origin within the nation state. This notion of Ethnic nationalism is often opposed to the Western views of a nation defined by its geographical territory.

A nation-state for an ethnic group gives freedom for protection against colonization, persecution, racism and its claim to facilitate the shared cultural and social life, which was not possible for them earlier as they were in the status of ethnic minority. The ethnic nationalism is gaining importance in the modern criteria because of its use by extremists to raise voice against racist agendas and genocides.

In the word Transnationalism, the prefix ‘Trans’ means crossing borders of states, nations, territories and cultures. The transnationalism is one of the major aspects of Diaspora. The Tamil Diaspora is one of the notable Diasporas which spread across the globe and still have an affiliation of unity. Transnationalism therefore means crossing national borders, either physically in terms of migration or through a network of some kind. Natesan Satyendra defines transnationalism as follows:

“Transnationalism refers to sustained ties of persons, networks and organizations across nation-state borders, arising out of international migration patterns and refugee flows (Faist 5000). The recent global transformations in economic relations, ethnic conflicts and communication technology have led to the creation of new transnational kinship groups, transnational social circuits and transnational communities. By expanding borders across nations and creating new social ties, the concepts pertaining to cultural spheres, acculturation, cultural retention, and citizenship are started to change drastically. (Satyendra)

Like identity and ethnicity, ‘transnationality’ (how a person or a community is defined internationally) is becoming more important in this era of globalization. The most important feature of ‘transnationalism’ is the interconnection it has with the immigrant experience. Transnational networks often established by immigrants play major roles in business, immigration and politics. Satyendra again says:

People and their ideas are moving freely back and forth across global borders than ever before. This ebb and flow, through easy travel and growing communications technology may be reshaping the traditional concept of a nation. In fact, some people with homes in two countries are showing an amazing capacity to maintain dual identities with strong cultural ties and contributions to both places. (Satyendra)

In the present scenario more than 10 million Tamil people have spread across the world. The passion and love of the Tamils for their language and culture, which has a cherished heritage, is the one that binds the Tamil Diaspora worldwide. Their unity and coherence is fast growing as that it can be recognized as an international force.

A Trans state nation is a cultural, economical and political togetherness of people living in different places across distant areas. It is a togetherness consolidated by struggle and suffering. It is not an idealism expressed only in one word. It is a political togetherness expressed by voices around the world. It is a togetherness directed to secure the aspirations of people for equality and freedom by establishing, nurturing and maintaining governmental or nongovernmental networks or institutions necessary for that purpose.

The digital revolution that has brought new changes in the world is helping to advance Tamil togetherness. Globalization and localization are taking place at the same time. Tamils living in many lands and across distant areas are communicating with one another through Internet newsgroups and mailing lists. Tamil websites continue to multiply. And so do the other Medias of communication like Tamil newspapers, periodicals and broadcasts on the web. In the early days of migration people did not have the opportunity to remain actually engaged or even adequately informed of events in their home countries. Policy makers and scholars had a limited understanding of diasporic communities and their importance. But, in the present scenario this has changed with the impact of globalization and the increase in number of transnational migrants. Diasporic groups are capable of maintaining and investing in social, economic and political networks that span the globe, are of increasing relevance and interest to the policy makers in home countries as well as host countries.

Tamils around the world have a strong desire to establish a newsgroup on the internet to share their views on Tamil history, ancient and modern literature, ancient Tamil civilization, Tamil culture, religion, art, drama and philosophy. This newsgroup serves as a means to preserve Tamil language and culture and it also gains a special place in the electronic communication network. Today, there are hundreds of Tamil discussion groups and blogs in cyber space. The most important transnational voices for Tamil independence are available in the websites www.tamilnet.com and www.tamilnation.org, which are being updated frequently.

Dual citizenship is one of the best examples of transnationalism. Dual citizenship allows a person to simultaneously be a member of two countries, therefore gaining the benefit of having two nationalities. In Canada after 1977, any Canadian citizen who chooses to immigrate and become a citizen of another country may retain their Canadian citizenship, allowing them to be citizens of two or more countries at the same time. Therefore a person who immigrates to Canada may become a citizen of Canada and then immigrate to another country becoming a citizen of that country, while remaining a Canadian. This ability to naturalize oneself in a new country is one of the major influences that have led to the phenomenon known as transnationalism.

The Transnational state is made up of those aspects that violate the circumscribed structures, politics and ideologies of nation states. Many diasporic writers have preoccupied with the question of bourgeois nation-state and its troubled relations with displaced groups and practices, frequently seen as symptoms of transnationality. Sudesh Mishra quotes Tololyan views of Diaspora as:

Diasporas are emblems of transnationalism because they embody the question of borders, which is at the heart of any adequate definition of the others of the nation-state. The latter always imagines and represents as a land, a territory, a place that functions as the site of homogeneity, equilibrium, integration, this is the domestic tranquility that hegemony seeking national elites always desire and some times achieve. In such a territory, to differences are assimilated, destroyed or assigned to ghettoes encloses demarcated by boundaries so sharp that they enable the nation to acknowledge the apparently singular and clearly fenced-off differences within itself. While simultaneously reaffirming the privileged homogeneity of the rest, as well as the differences between itself and what lies over its frontiers (Mishra132).

From the above view of Toloyan, it becomes clear that in all the Diasporas there will be questions of nationalism and place which play an important role in the diasporic writings. Transnationalism also paves way for ‘transculturation’ which is also due to the dispersal of people from their home countries and their settlement in foreign countries. The transnational feeling can be recognized from Giritharan’s short story “Relative.”The story starts with the description of a winter night in Canada. As there was continuous flow of snow during the past twenty four hours, the
streets are covered with snow. The hero of the story Somasundaram was an honourable physics teacher in Srilanka who has produced many doctors and engineers. But, in Canada he is a responsible immigrant who works all the seven days in a week for Canada’s economic prosperity. He works in a perfume company. His duty is to reply phone calls and inspect the factory once in every hour. So he finds it as a very comfortable job but his poor economic condition makes him to earn more. So, he also does the work of a Night watchman.

One night he gets a call from Joe under whom he is working. Joe says that Somasundaram’s duty on that duty is in the city hall underground parking lot. Joe knows well that Somasundaram is a sincere security guard. Since there were many complaints that there are many homeless sleeping in the parking lot Joe sends Somasundaram for clearing them. This makes Somasundaram very uneasy because he has to go out for his work in the biting cold. Also, he was unable to take rest even in the week ends.

Somasundaram finds his wife sleeping with their children and he even gets jealous of her because it has been ten years since they have arrived Canada but he never asked her to go for any work outside. He knows that she is taking care of the household activities and the children. So he never bothered about her work. But, in contrary to this, his wife always despised him for helping his relatives in his native. She never thinks of the difficulties of Somasundaram, an honourable physics teacher who lost all his dignity and works hard all the days of a week for the betterment of the family.

All these thoughts occupy Somasundarm’s mind and he comes out of his house. As he thought already, there was snow spread everywhere without any human beings on the road. He somehow manages to get into a bus and reaches the city hall. He greets the cashiers who were already there busy with their works. He also greets the Poland old man who cleans the parking lot. He has known the Poland man earlier when he worked there temporarily. He used to inform him if somebody enters the parking lot without his permission. So, he asks the old man to inform him if somebody sleeps in there. Somasundaram remembers Joe’s order to call him when he starts his works, so he makes a call for him. Joe is very much delighted in seeing Somasundaram’s sincerity and he promises to increase his salary.

Nearly half of the night passed on without any important incident. Somasundaram inspects the parking lot once in every hour and he listens to radio for lessening his boredom. He listens to a Tamil channel which is available all the twenty-four hours a day. As the clock struck three, the Poland man comes running towards Somasundaram. He informs that there was a man sleeping in the fourth floor. Somasundaram goes with the old man to inspect the fourth floor. The author here brings out the physical features of the homeless immigrants through the homeless sleeping in the fourth floor. The man who is sleeping appeared to be fifty years old. He wore torn clothes. Foul smell spread the floor because of him.

Somasundaram remembers Joe’s strict order not to allow any homeless inside the parking lot. He also thinks of the biting cold outside. The Poland man is also eagerly waiting for sending the homeless out. Somasundaram is caught in a critical situation and he thinks of sending the Poland man away from that place first. So he thanks him and sends him away. The Poland man unwillingly moves away. Somasundaram says the homeless that he has no right to sleep there and he asks him to go to some hostels. The homeless replies that, all hostels are already full and he also promises not to create any trouble.

Somasundaram does not like to send him out in such a situation, at the same time he has gained name as a strict security officer. The author here brings out the details of the homeless. The homeless is a native Indian. Somasundaram knows him very well because he has seen him sleeping there many times. He Thinks:

I am from the other end of the globe, being chased away from the native land, came running here as a refugee. But you are the one who has lost his freedom in the native land itself. I am a refugee in a foreign land but he has become a refuge in his own land. (Translation Mine) Through the above passage, the author tries to bring out the fellow feelings of the immigrants who help each other in times of need. It also shows that the Indian immigration is not a forced migration like the Srilankan Tamil migration.

Somasundaram is a strict security officer but he is a humanitarian. He allows the homeless to sleep there till morning. The Poland man asks him about the homeless. He that he somehow\w managed to send the homeless out of the parking lot. The author ends the story with a note of contempt.

The story also brings the transnational feeling of the immigrants who can easily understand the sufferings of their fellow immigrants. Giritharan’s portrayal of his characters shows that they are helpful, kind, pitying and generous. They are nowhere presented as a symbol of cruelty. Giritharan never curses people instead he curses the situation that made people to disperse. This story proves to be an example of nurturing transnational kinship.

Transculturation is a term coined by Fernando Ortiz in 1947 to describe the phenomenon of merging and converging cultures. It reflects the natural tendency of the people to resolve conflicts over time rather than increasing it. In the modern context both conflicts and resolutions are intensified through communication and stronger forces for bringing societies together have replaced transportation technology with the ancient tendency of culture drifting or remaining apart.

In one sense transculturation covers war, ethnic conflict, racism, multiculturalism, cross-culturalism and interracial marriage. In the other sense, it is an aspect of global phenomena and human events. The processes of transculturalism are extremely complex, steered by powerful forces at the macro-social level and ultimately resolved at the interpersonal level. Separation and isolation of people become the issue of a conflict when societies encroach upon one another territorially. If a way to co-exist cannot be found, then conflict becomes worse, leading to a process by which contact between individuals lead to some resolution.

The realities of social change through natural and artificial means brings out the fact that culture is destined to change. It is the perception of individuals within cultures that their cultures do not in fact change fundamentally over time. Human mortality and reproduction provides for social regeneration as well and this process of regeneration that naturally includes sexual union often integrates other cultures. The inability of societies to maintain divisions over generations is the reason for this integration. As parents die, their children have the opportunity to reflect upon the nature and validity of non-convergent perceptions and change them if they like.

Transnationalism and transculturalism are the result of new era in immigration. Laws and business have changed in the era of globalization mainly because of the principles set by historical migration. Changing view points and acceptance of immigrants as well as the development of immigration policy in many countries has led to this new phenomenon which influences global culture.

For the diasporic groups these changes often represent differences between their homeland and the host country’s culture. Thus, this becomes a great obstacle to ethno convergence. The obstacle for ethno convergence is ethnocentrism, which is the opinion that one’s culture is of great importance than others. There are some factors that contribute to ethnocentrism. Religion or belief is the prime ethnocentric divider as religion is a highly personal and attached part of culture. Language takes the next place in this process as people of an ethnic group are often attached to a particular language. Learning a foreign language for the people in this group is giving up one’s cultural heritage.
The Tamils of Srilanka have a cultural affinity. Canada has a major concentration of Srilankan Tamils. They are very proud of their past and see themselves different from their nation. They are very much acquainted with their language and speak Tamil regardless of the country in which they live. The Tamils who were spread across the globe raise their voice for Tamil unity. They preserve their culture and tradition. They have website through which they spread Tamil music, films and culture. The Tamil Diaspora in Canada has grown to the extent of changing Canada’s perception of LTTE. But these Tamils have been scrutinized by Medias for their involvement with the LTTE. They have organized a Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Toronto, presided by Raj Gunanathan. In an article “Culture and the Tamil Diaspora” Ramalingam Ganesalingam writes thus:

“Our children born in the host countries think differently from most of us who were born and brought up in Srilanka. Many parents are unaware of this fact while the children are young and are within the home environment. But as they grow up as young adults they question the need for some of our practices and rituals. Our parents never experienced these situations and as a result many of us have been brought unprepared. How should Tamil culture be preserved? What steps should we take?” (Ganesalingam)

This is not only the fear of Ganesalingam but this is a major threat to many Tamils who live in foreign countries leaving their homeland. The Tamils who live scattered everywhere struggle hard to nurture their culture and tradition.

Isolated Diaspora communities often preserve their cultural heritage much more than the people who live in their homeland. The Jaffna Tamils preserve a dialect of Tamil that is in many respects closer to classical Tamil. The Tamil Diaspora community strives hard over generations to achieve economic prosperity but it is also preserving its Tamil identity and ancestral traditions. They have their own stories of how they overcome numerous obstacles in their adopted homeland but despite their relative isolation from their homeland, they have preserved and nurtured their tradition such as ‘Kavadi’ festival and other Amman festivals in all their adopted countries. The ‘Manimekalai cult’ and the ‘Perumpannan kovil’ in Indonesia, ‘the Thiruvempavai festival’ in Thailand, ‘Karraikalammair kovil’ in Kampuchea and the ‘Sivalinga worship’ among the people of Mexico are some of the examples which the Tamils claim as their cultural identity.

The dispersed Tamils have also established educational institutions in their host countries. For example, Tamil as a mother tongue is taught for Tamil children form primary to the pre-university level in Singapore. Myanmar (Burma) has fifty Tamil primary schools and two Tamil newspapers Rasika Ranjani and Thondan were circulated prior to 1966 in many countries. Tamil culture is well preserved by staging plays such as Harichandra, Nala-Damayanti and Nallathangal. Prayers in Tamil and the singing of ‘Thevaram’ and ‘Thiruvasagam’ are also being done in
order to show the richness of Tamil literature and culture. The Tamils also have electronic media that reaches the nook and corners of the world, which serves as a useful agent to unite the Tamils all over the world.

Thus transculturation becomes one of the serious issues for the Tamil Diaspora. The Tamils have a vibrant language and a strong cultural heritage and they celebrate it. But, with their dispersal and settlement in a multicultural country like Canada where immigrants from different societies and different cultures have settled, it has become very difficult for the Tamils to assimilate the foreign culture and the foreign language. As the Tamils are very proud of their customs and society they find it difficult to manage and mingle with a different society and
people.

Transnationalism and transculturalism form the major part of Giritaran’s short stories. He has brought out this problem of assimilation in many of his stories. One such story is “The Teacher and The Student.” The story starts with a description of an early morning scene. The narrator introduces the hero of the story Subramaniyam Master. The Master had gained respect from all people in Srilanka. Opposed to this experience he is unable to move freely with anyone in Canada. Even though he is not willing his son has brought him to Canada. But, life has become bored for him within his one-month stay in Canada. His condition is like caging a bird that sang freely by enjoying the nature. The narrator through the thoughts of the Master brings to light the difficulty in assimilating the host country’s culture. For the immigrants it becomes very difficult to forget their past and the life they lived.

All the dispersed Tamils can feel the depression of the Master as they have enjoyed every moment of their life in their native before the civil war. They find happiness in thinking about their past which include the beauty of the dawn, dusk, rain, wind and the sky full of stars. But, in the host country they have to spend their days only within four walls. They have to work all through the day and even after finishing their work; they can rest only in the small apartments from where they could not even recognize whether it is day or night. They have to struggle hard to earn for their food and for paying mortgage for their rented apartments. For many immigrants even this least pleasure is not available as they are not able to rent an apartment and their condition is even more pathetic as they spend their lives near manholes or roadside. This creates a mental disease for many immigrants. They think of their situation and become depressed. The narrator out the condition of the mind
of the Master through these words:

His son worked as an Engineer in his native. Here he works as a labour in an industry. Many immigrants who come here are working like this without having any relation to the degree they have obtained. The third world immigrants driving taxis or delivering pizzas or cleaning dishes in the hotel is not a strange thing. Like this the young minds which have to be utilized for the development of their nation are being spoiled here. (Translation Mine)

From the above passage, it becomes clear that the immigrants are ready to do any kind of work that they are assigned in the host county regardless of the degrees they have obtained in their native country. They are forced to do such menial jobs because they have to earn out of their living only through this way. They have to work hard for their food and for paying mortgage for their apartments. So these people forget their dignity they had in their place and they change their way of living to adopt the host culture. For these immigrants it becomes compulsory to assimilate the host country’s culture. The immigrants find great difficulties in adopting the food habits of the host country. Particularly for the Tamils who have the habit of eating rice everyday, it becomes very difficult to get used with the western style of eating.Subramaniyam Master’s situation is also the same. His son’s and daughter-in law’s earnings are enough only for food and paying mortgage and they could not save any money for their future. So, Master even at a very old age plans to go for a job. Sitting inside the walls has brought monotony to him. Thus, he decides to pass his time in a useful way by going for a job as his earnings will also help the family and he can also fond a kind of recreation in doing such. He who has to cherish in happiness by seeing the doctors and engineers whom he has produced, is willing to do any work that he gets.

On his way, Master meets Ragunathan who was one of his favourite and sincere students. Master has felt very proud of him when he returned from the university as an engineer. At the same time master’s mind also asks the question of Ragunathan’s arrival. Both of them chat with each other and go to a nearby Tim Gordon Doughnut shop. Master’s mind goes back to the happy moments of how he was honoured for his valuable support to Ragunathan. So, Master leaves his job-seeking journey and returns back home with heartfelt joy having met his old student. But the thoughts of Ragunathan are something different. The author ends the story with the thoughts of Ragunathan and he also gives reason for this entire struggle as:

At the same time, Ragunathan who has been returning home is fed up with different thoughts. He is working as a cleaner in a factory in that area. How much the Master had helped him to become an engineer? When he planned to leave his studies, how much had he encouraged him the use of education? How much will the Master feel if he comes to know that he is working such? How cruel has been the war? How it
has torn the relationship between individuals? (Translation Mine)

The author here like most of his stories, finds the war as a major reason for all human problems. It is this war that had made millions of Srilankan Tamils to lose their identity. The author also points out from this story the difficulty in leaving one’s culture and assimilating other’s.Natesan Satyendra quotes G.U. Popes translation of a part of Kaniyan Poongundran’s Purananuru:

To us all Tamils are one, all men our kin.Life’s good comes not from other’s gift, nor ill Man’s pains and pains’ relief are from within Death’s no new thing; nor do our bosoms thrill When joyous life seems like a luscious draught. When grieve, we patient suffer; for, we deem This much-praised life of ours a fragile raft Borne down the waters of some mountain stream That o’er huge boulders roaring seeks the plain Tho’ storms with lightnings’ flash from darken’d skies Descend, the raft goes on as fates ordain. Thus have we seen in visions of the wise!- We marvel not at greatness of the great; Still less despise we men of low estate. (Satyendra)

This poem, which was written some hundreds of years ago, is likely to provide a solution for growing transnational kinship and it also cultivates confidence in the minds of the Tamils who struggle for a separate nation.

Giritharan’s writing serves as a means to nurture transnational relationship. All his short stories bring out the pain of the Tamil people in Srilankan and the struggle they undergo in the countries where they have migrated. In his website ‘Pathivugal’ there is a continuous publication of articles, short stories and essays which are contributed by Tamils all over the world and it also it reaches all parts of the world. He serves as a channel for re-uniting the Tamils who were scattered in different parts of the world. He says:

For me there is difference between writers from Tamilnadu or from Singapore or from Malaysia or from Srilanka. We all belong to one family: Tamil writers’ family. Tamil writers living in many different parts of the world should feel united. For instance in Tamilnadu various Tamil writers from various parts write different Tamil: they speak different Tamil. Speaking differently or writing differently doesn’t mean they are different. They all belong to the same Tamil writers’ family. Srilankan Tamil literature or Pulam Peyarnthor literature or Malaysian Tamil literature or tamilnadu Tamil literature all should be considered as part of the same Tamil literature. (Ramakrishnan)

Giritharan’s passion for Tamil people, their language and culture has been portrayed in the form of his short stories. He is writing about Tamil people’s everyday and spreading it to peoples view with the help of his Internet magazine. His dedication and devotedness to Tamil language and people can be seen through his contribution in the form of writing. In other terms he is a bridge who connects Tamils all over the world.

Chapter-V Conclusion

Expatriate writing occupies a significant place in literature in the recent years. Writers from all parts of the world contribute to this genre. Most of the writers from South-east Asian countries and African countries adopt English for writing about the expatriates. Quite differently Giritharan chooses to write in his native language Tamil. His stories proves that expatriate literature written in Tamil is much effective than that which is written in English.

Giritharan’s stories have sustained criticisms because of the issue he has chosen as the theme for hi short stories i.e., the ethnic conflict. His stories also attained greatness within a short time due to his style, theme, form and use of language. He has chosen the first person narrative and the contemporary Srilankan Tamil which adds to the effect of the stories.

His writings provide authentic reason for decrying his home country. Unlike other diasporic writers who glorify their home countries, Giritharan’s writing reveals the pains about his past. His stories claim to identify in terms of ethnicity rather than in terms of nationality. Though living in Canada and having received many scholarships and awards, he chooses to write in Tamil. This sense of attachment to Tamil language and culture has brought recognition for Giritharan’s stories in the world literary scene.

It is through his works many people are coming to know about the struggle and suffering of many innocent Tamils both in Srilanka and in the country to which they have migrated. Giritharan’s stories attained greatness regardless of the disparagement of critics because of his victimized Srilankan Tamil identity. Due to his rich experience, he is able to picturise the suffering in his work and this makes the reader to think of such problems. One can observe the interlinking of his life with the characters and projecting himself as an essential character in his short stories. For the present study, the Short stories of V.N. Giritharan are taken for analysis. An attempt is made to analyse his stories in the thematic level. Few of his short stories are viewed from the perspectives of identity politics and transnationality. The introduction has brought out the history of Diaspora in general. Emphasis is given to the Srilankan Tamil Diaspora and the reason for their migration. Attempts are made to locate Giritharan as an eminent Tamil Diasporic writer in the field of Diaspora Literature.

The second chapter has marked out the uniqueness of Giritharan in his way of choosing, the form, theme and language and the technique he has adopted to narrate his stories. The third chapter has concentrated on the problems of identity which forms the core of many of Giritharan’s short stories. Some selected stories are analysed on the basis of questioning one’s identity in a transnational world. The fourth chapter has brought out the elements of transnationalism as presented in Giritharan’s short stories. It has also shown the part played by Giritharan for nurturing transnational kinship among the Srilankan Tamils. The conclusion sums up the whole argument and contends that the need for writings like Giritharan’s have become indispensable.

Readers from all parts of the world have appreciated the works of Giritharan and they honour him as the soul which struggles for the re-union of Tamils all over the world. Many of his fans have urged him to continue his journey of writing as it provides medicine for the aching hearts of the scattered Tamil Diaspora.

Only some of his short stories are translated into English. If all his writings are translated into English and the regional languages, people all over the world can realize the problem of Srilankan Tamils. His stories can also be made as syllabus for schools and colleges as it is easy to comprehend. One of his stories “Ponthup Paravaigal” have been made the syllabus for Tamil children in Singapore.

Beyond all this, his writings have attained much popularity because of his earnest attempt to record the immigrant experience in Tamil since no other writer has come forward to record the sufferings of the scattered Srilankan Tamils. Thus Giritharan has proved himself as a significant Tamil diasporic writer in the corpus of world literature.

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