Singing National Anthem In Tamil – A Realistic Perspective
Posted on February 8th, 2016
Insight by Sunil Kumar
Feb. 6th. 2016
In a Naton of majority Sinhalese – an appreciable and compelling majority that is, it seems a worthless attempt to palaver to the miniscule minority of Tamils by playing the National Anthem in Tamil merely to appease all the wrong sources for all the wrong reasons.
It must be remembered that these are a part of the Sri Lankan populace who have been noxiously arrogant for generations about non existent rights in an ongoing tirade against incumbent legislators and ruling parties who continued to disrespect the Majority Sinhalese while continuing to live in a majority Sinhala Nation with many conciliations granted them and showing no remorse at how they disrespect the Sinhalese ! (with help from their wayward and sometimes vociferous cousins across the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu it might be added).
So when there are plaudits and commendations towards the cause by various individuals who seem to want to palaver to the Tamil populace just for then cheap sensationalism and publicity it involves and the feeble myopias of their own perceptions there seems to be something of an apathy towards the priorities related and the ludicrousness of the trivialities involved perhaps.
Taking into consideration that Sri Lanka is the only country ih the world that has national anthems sung officially and completely in two separate languages it also makes it somewhat of a joke if not a totally unnecessary anomaly.
It may have been be to a degree understandable if a verse had been included in the Tamil language out of consideration and incorporated into the main anthem like some countries like Canada, New Zealand , South Africa and others which have in fact done this but to have a full anthem in a second language represented by a miniscule minority like Sri Lanka does relative to the Tamil community makes it somewhat of a joke to reiterate although around 1949 there were instances where the practice is said to have occurred according to archival records but once again seemed to have served no viable objective other than to dance to the tunes of some overpowering foreign source – in this instance in all probabilities the British.
Also with reference to placing the Tamil speaking people in a category of third class citizens, it seems a self definition created by dissenting individuals where the rights of the Tamil speaking minority has always been asserted for within the Constitution although there may have been unscrupulous zealots and nationalists who may have overstepped their metes and bound and gone into excesses to ursurp this concept but for the greater part, Sinhalese and Tamils are known to have co-existed for generations side by side until fires of hatred were fomented and set in placed by these very zealots and nationalists which then overturned the balance of the equation sadly with catastrophic consequences.
While it is the bounden as well as patriotic right of the majority Sinhalese to demand and carry banners for a national Anthem in the Sinhala language with a conciliatory verse in Tamil perhaps it is no reality that today in Sri Lanka “The joint opposition is trying to raise its head through trivial matters such an opposition for singing the National Anthem in Tamil. Through this they are trying to stoke racism and hatred once more. This is terribly lowly and disgusting effort. They are conspiring to destroy the good work pertaining to reconciliation done by the current Government.” which seems totally inaccurate for the record. To the contrary it was the previous Government that set in place many liberties and freedoms denied the Tamils by the viles of Tamil tiger terrorism and restored many freedoms the Tamils were deprived of and a blatantly inaccurate accusation by those resorting to finger point at the previous regime. It was indeed the good work pertaining to reconciliation done by the previous Government that is now being picked up by the present one in a somewhat opportunistic vein it needs to be emphatically stated.
And as far as singing of the National Anthem in Tamil towards proper construance, the definitions may be many and varied perhaps bordering on treason against the country and extreme in some perspectives as some believe where reconciliation and truth to aid harmonious co-existence need far greater efforts by the administrators of the Nation than the mere singing of the National Anthem in Tamil and lip service to defend ut!
February 8th, 2016 at 6:30 pm
Difficult English to understand particularly for we ordinary Sinhala Bauddhyas. But the last para hopefully summarieses the ‘perspective’.
Yes Sir, agree that this is a relatively minor issue.
However, this is a stupid move because it will definitely not bring any benift but expect more problems in the future.
Some gatherings, sprots events etc. will start using Tamil only, particularly in the East. Gradually it will spread to areas with some Sinhalese and then with even in Colombo, where Tamil is going to be the majority language soon. Muslims will stop using Sinhala. Needless to say, gatherings in foreign countries Tamils will present this to froiegner as the language of Sri Lanka. No one will care, no one will police.
In 2014 some journalists called a council in Batticaloa in Sinhala and the officials said they don’t understand Sinhala. This is the truth.
However, this is inevitable. Please check the UPFA election manifesto 2015 and you will say they promised to implement LLRC recommendations in one year. So, this is one of the recommendations. If UNP lost , Tamils would have won this right in another few months. That is all.
LLRC was the original curse of the nation fast becoming mother of all betrayals.
February 8th, 2016 at 8:07 pm
We have gone back to square one! Back to appeasement of unpatriotic, arrogant minorities in the crazy hope that one day they will realise that we Sinhala are ‘nice people’ and they will start being our ‘friends’ and ‘blood- brothers’ and all will be well! We played this drama for 68 years since independence and the appeasement of those do not wish to be appeased, as happened everywhere else in the world, never ever works! It is like trying to wake up those who are pretending to be asleep! These minorities are NOT going our way—> the way to a peaceful country with equal rights to all! They are people going in the opposite direction- they are not happy to share- they want it all- and they want the Sinhalas to curl up and die rather than be moved to tears watching them sing the National Anthem in Tamil! We can not and should not waste the country’s resources by repeating the same mistakes! We must have learned something from the past!
The writer is spot on- it is the total arrogance and the utter disrespect these minorities have for the majority Sinhala people that is at the root; we as a community have not yet comprehended this hatred and the contempt in the Tamil hearts towards the Sinhala which will never be ameliorated by giving them these little gestures of goodwill! They want our country for themselves alone! They do not want to sing “OUR” National Anthem- they want to sing “THEIRS” on our land- after they manure their roses with our blood- after they have made shoes out of Sinhala skins as stated publicly by the Vadukkoidai fathers. Tamils have not moved one decimal point from this stance; in fact the Muslims have walked quite some way towards where the Tamils have stood and will stand till eternity- and we have double trouble. The sooner we the Sinhala understand this the better it will be for our general health!
February 9th, 2016 at 5:03 am
“Some of the ministers who were with me are now talking as if they have never seen me in their lives,” Mr Rajapaksa said on Sunday.
Yes Sir, agree that this is a relatively minor issue.- but major out come to united Mother Lanka for ever !!!
February 9th, 2016 at 5:52 am
After having given some thought as to why the 13-A remains, I am of the opinion that this is because of our powerful and errant neighbor, INDIA.
The 13-A is the CONTROL BUTTON FOR INDIA to control Sri Lanka which keeps on going westward, probably too much west, for India to bear. Sri Lanka unwittingly exposes INDIA’S faults. Tamil Nadu Caste bound Dalits suffering atrocities for 3,000 yrs FLEE TO LANKA, to escape Tamil Nadu. They provide More conversions …. !
All in all, for INDIA, Sri Lanka is a ‘bloody headache’, and must be controlled. The 13-A provides that control for INDIA. Lanka leaders are NOT ALLOWED TO REMOVE IT by INDIA. Neo-colonists encourage that.
It has nothing to do with Sinhala Buddhists loving the 13-A. How many Sinhala Buddhist UNP stalwarts were killed by the LTTE ? How many other Sinhala & Tamil, were killed by the JVP & LTTE, including SWRD for the Tamil Language cause ?
Minor religions in Lanka get conversions because INDIA imposes her will on Lanka. People convert due to Fear, Insecurity and Opportunities.
*. INDIA imposed the 13-A. that which created, controls !
* INDIA trained the LTTE. That which created, controls !
With a ‘friendly’ neighborhood rapist like INDIA, who needs enemies !
India is ok for their Teacher/Gurus, food and clothing and some either items – certainly not for their Governance through the CASTE system etc.
Sri Lanka, if taken over by Tamil culture will be ruled by Tamil Nadu norms, will have the Caste System imposed, and all Buddhists & Catholic, Muslims and others will be low caste folk, counted as Scheduled Castes for Census and purposes of governance.
Watch it, Lanka ! Get together and Remove the Tamil language (N&O), or else pay a heavy price later.
February 9th, 2016 at 7:45 am
Tamils the Indian colonial parasites of the British-Indian Empire, now the Indian Empire. They; Indian Empire, Indian colonial parasites and vermin will do what ever they can to preserve their privileges and to make sure the majority is the minority.
February 9th, 2016 at 9:31 am
read as ‘other items.
February 9th, 2016 at 11:02 am
Thank you Ramanie and Dham et al for veritable comments.
Comprehension seems to be a gift of the perceptive surely!
That’s what makes LankaWeb a unique meeting place although some comments tend to go overboard through lack of respect,caution and self opinionated expressions where others simply abide by the rules.