Shenali D Waduge

It is no surprise when Britain the root cause of majority-minority conflicts, transporters of indentured laborers causing demographic issues now come forward to support self-determination claims by Tamils during local elections to muster minority votes. Some facts need to be made clear. Bids for self-determination began in Tamil Nadu far before it became imported to Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamils descend from India’s South evident from their genes, physical characteristics, language, culture etc and historical evidence is available to showcase that until 1911 Tamils living in Sri Lanka were known as Malabars coming from India. It was only after 1911 that they became known as Ceylon & later Sri Lankan Tamils. Indian Malabars cannot seek self-determination in Sri Lanka and neither can Indian Malabars who later became known as Ceylon/Sri Lankan Tamils. Yet, with 76million Tamils the world over, psychologically Tamils are angered because they do not have a land to call their own. If external self-determination, autonomy and the like are to be considered at all it should be in Tamil Nadu that a homeland is created and nowhere else. India prefers Tamil Homeland calls in Sri Lanka because no sooner Tamil Nadu is separated from the Indian centre, other states will also call for separation leading to the disintegration of the nation India that the British created and the end of its empire expansion. The West has more to benefit by an independent Tamil Nadu & a disintegrated India rather than a small area in Sri Lanka.

It was for strategic and tactical objectives that the eelam quest was passed on to Sri Lanka with India initially starting a militant struggle and thereafter pumping Sri Lankan Tamil politicians to call for separatist eelam in Sri Lanka.

Desiring a separate homeland is one thing but there are realities that cannot be overlooked. It is probably for these reasons and more that it has become convenient to pass the pillow of separatism to Sri Lanka.

• Tamil Nadu is a dry region and dependent on Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh for water. Separating means Tamil Nadu will face a serious water crisis.
• Tamil Nadu would have to create its own army
• Reality of a cold-war between rest of India & Tamil Nadu and will eventually have to also depend on better relations with Sri Lanka.
• Tamil Nadu would face the music with India determining to destabalize it
• Tamil Nadu will need to find newer ways to generate electricity – Indian Centre would cease all funds.
• Tamil Nadu lacks critical resources and is not self-sufficient in food (food is imported from other states)
• India of course would lose critical ports like Chennai & Tuticorin which will affect international trade and capabilities of the Indian Navy while India’s literacy, tourism, job market will also get affected if Tamil Nadu did separate.

However, we cannot erase the fact that self-determination in Sri Lanka is linked to the initial bids from India first for a separate Tamil Nadu and only thereafter for a Dravida Tadu. In a nutshell separatism for Tamils has passed pillows – first calls for Tamil self-determination in Tamil Nadu, then self-determination for Dravida Nadu, then back again to Tamil Nadu and now self-determination in Sri Lanka. The theatrics goes on.

T M Parthasarathy declared Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh should each separately become independent countries and then the four should join to form a ‘Dravidian Federation’”.

Both DK (Dravidar Kazhagam) and DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) demanded a Dravida Nadu because the people in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh were of Dravidian origin. They were Kannadigas, Malayalis, Telugus and Tamils speaking Dravidian languages.

Timeline

• 1938 – T P Vedachalam of the Justice Party (founder of Tamil Nation Liberation Association) began the first call.
• 1938 – Thereafter Periyar E R Ramaswamy (head of Self-Respect Movement) and C N Annadurai called for Tamil Nadu independence also in 1938 the best way to preserve the liberty of Tamils is to agitate for separation from the rest of India and the proposed All-India Federation”.
• 1938 December – Periyar was elected President of Justice Party declared that the key objective of his party would be the quest to separate Tamil Nadu from the rest of the Indian subcontinent. In 1944 the Justice Party became DK (Dravidar Kazhagam)
• 1939 December C N Annadurai calls for Tamil Nadu for Tamils”
• 1939 December 17, Periyar calls for Dravida Nadu for Dravidians” changing earlier ‘Tamil Nadu for Tamil slogan’ probably from the influence of Telugu leaders in the Justice Party. People of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh or Karnataka were not in favour of separating.
• 1940 August 24, Tamil Nadu Independence Movement changed to Dravida Nadu Independent Movement at the Justice Party State Conference passing a resolution to protect Dravidian culture, arts, economy, Dravidian homeland of Madras Province to be separated from rest of India and ruled separately until British left
• 1944 August Periyar created a new party called Dravidar Kazhagam out of the Justice Party
• 1947 July 1 separatist Tamil leaders celebrated the “Dravida Nadu Secession Day”.
• 1947 July 13 passed a resolution in Tiruchirapalli demanding an independent Dravida Nadu. Both Jinnah and Gandhi disagreed with this.
• 1949 C N Annadurai inaugurates Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
• 1960 September 17 “Dravida Nadu Separation Day” was observed. Annadurai was arrested
• 1962 DMK went from village to village, town to town, city to city, house to house throughout Tamil Nadu calling for separate Tamil homeland
• 1963 DMK abandoned ‘independence for Tamil Nadu” following the passing of 16^th amendment by the Indian Parliament prohibiting separatism.
• 1980s militant organization Tamil Nadu Liberation Army formed reviving demand for Dravida Nadu.

So why does Tamil Nadu want to separate from India?

• Main reason is the argument that there was never a country called India until the British cobbled up territories and princely kingdoms to set up an administrative unit called India.
• Tamils opposed post-independent Hindi rule and Hindi domination
• Tamils against ban by India against calls for Tamil Nadu independence from India. (DMK winning 50 state legislature seats in 1962 general election similar to TULF becoming Opposition in Sri Lanka)
• Tamils against India using state resources to project a false ancient culture/heritage because India was never a country until British cobbled independent territories/states to make a single administrative unit called India.
• Tamils against loss of their cultural identity and being Hindianized under India.
• Tamils claim that under an independent Tamil Homeland they can look after their own people better.

Why does Tamil Nadu call for a plebiscite?

• Tamil Nadu has been demanding for a referendum to ascertain if the people want to be independent from India. They give East Timor, Indonesia, Quebec in Canada as examples. Quebec actually voted 60% to remain as a province of Canada.
• If the Indian Government is so certain that there is not much support for independence in Tamil Nadu, why is it afraid to hold a plebiscite? Has Indian intelligence agencies warned Indian government that there is support for independence in Tamil Nadu beneath the surface and a plebiscite may opt for independence?”………. We ask the Indian parliament to remove the 1963 constitutional amendment and allow pro-independence parties to contest elections. Then pro-independence groups would have the opportunity to demonstrate their support among voters. Why is Indian Government afraid to do so? This contradicts the government argument that there is very little support for independence in Tamil Nadu.” (Thanjai Nalankilli 2008)

C N Annadurai comments….

 “We have opposed British rule from 1939 onwards. It has been our wish for years that foreign rule should end. But Congress Party wishes to replace British rule with Aryan rule. That is why we oppose the Congress Party. Just because we oppose the Congress, we should not be considered opponents of independence [from British rule]. We had condemned that British rule helped the Aryans and that the British are paving the way for Congress Party to succeed them as rulers. ….”

“People have not realized, as much as we do, that the new government [post-British Congress Government] is in the hands of northerners. The new rule [of northerners] could be ended in the same way the British rule was ended if we enlighten the people that northerners would rob the wealth of the south by dominating the Indian Government.”

“It took the Congress Party sixty years to achieve their goal [of independence for India]. It took only six years for Jinnah to achieve his goal [of a separate, independent Pakistan]. This shows that if a race is determined to get its rights, no one can stop it from achieving it. So we may consider August 15th [the day of independence for both India and Pakistan] as a day of hope that achieving independent Dravida Nadu may not take sixty years but just six years.

“Independent Dravida Nadu is our life principle. … We have organized public meetings on July 1, 1947 to explain to the public the need for Dravida Nadu independence. So there is no need to organize meetings again on August 15, 1947 to explain the need for Dravida Nadu independence while others are celebrating independence from British rule. 

Periyar and clan wanted a separate state that was multi-linguistic because they wanted to include Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada areas which basically covered Madras Presidency under colonial rule. A map of the propose Dravida Nadu was released in June 1940 at Kanchipuram which Jinnah also supported. In turn Periyar supported Muslim Leagues claim for a separate Pakistan. Jinnah infact went on to say that India should be divided into 4 regions – Hindustan, Bengalistan, Pakistan & Dravidistan. Unfortunately for the Dravidians all 3 have realized their dreams except them.

Having a free Tamil Eelam without Tamil Nadu is like saying

you have a free Kosovo with an occupied Albania or a

free Northern Ireland with an occupied Ireland (a web comment from a Tamil)

Britain invaded and occupied many countries. Britain built its nation by stealing from every territory/colony it occupied. All that the Queen & the Royal Family enjoys are stolen wealth. Britain was not satisfied in occupying and plundering they wanted to divide people, distort history, re-write history, infuse new cultures and norms, created new titles who would pose as local lackeys subserviently serving the whites and doing their bidding and it is the same Britain that is now creating new issues and conflicts because that is what they know best. Britain will not ceded any of its own territory but is more than willing to help carve out territory that doesn’t belong to Britain. The British Labor Party should be ashamed of its ungentlemanly election googlys just to win a handful of minority votes or just to fulfill election funds to campaign.

That Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Malabars of Sri Lanka both seek the same separate homeland is because it benefitted the British and later the post-independent Hindian Government not to give it. It is now time the issue is brought before the British and India to solve and leave out Sri Lanka from the menace of handling alien matters.

Shenali D Waduge