By ; A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA.

The universally accepted and acknowledged Encyclopaedia Britannica (EB) states that Sri Lanka had a continuous record of human settlement for more than two millennia and Sri Lanka developed a unique identity over the ages that ultimately set it apart from its neighbour mainland India. Cultural traits brought from India necessarily underwent independent growth and change in Sri Lanka, owing in part to the island’s physical separation from the subcontinent. Buddhism, for instance, virtually disappeared from India, but it continued to flourish in Sri Lanka, particularly among the Sinhalese. Moreover, the Sinhalese language, which grew out of Indo-Aryan dialects from the mainland, eventually became indigenous solely to Sri Lanka and developed its own literary tradition.

The EB indicates that the Tamils were later immigrants from areas of Central, eastern and Southern India where Dravidian languages were spoken.  As per historical records Tamils have been brought to this country initially as agricultural labourers for cultivation of Tobacco in the North and East as the native Sinhalese refused to work as labourers under the Dutch rulers.   This was followed by the British Imperialists as well when the native Sinhalese refused to work in the tea plantations as coolies. A third group of Tamils from the low castes came to Sri Lanka from time to time and they were known as Kallathonis (the boat people) and they settled down in urban areas, and they were small in numbers and they worked in the Municipal Councils and Urban Councils as scavengers and they were called as Sakkiliyas.  Another group of them worked as barbers and helpers, and some others lived as Gypsies (Ahikundakayas). The early immigrant Tamils completely ignored these Tamils and never admitted them to their functions despite they too spoke their own language and worshipped their own Gods.

The history we have learnt states that originally several different indigenous clans lived in the country during the pre-Vijaya era (before 505 BCE). These clans of Sri Lanka and the mystical kingdom of Lanka were mentioned in the great epics of Mahabaratha, Mahavamsa, Manimekalai, Ramayana and Sangam.  It is believed that four main clans lived in Sri Lanka before king Vijaya explored the island. The four clans are Yaksha , Naga, Deva, and Rakshas. The Nagas were serpent-worshippers, the Yakkas were spirit worshippers, and it is said that even today, the Sri Lankan culture has some elements that originated from the culture of the Yakkas and Nagas. The majority of the native population were farmers and cattle herders. They had knowledge about healing arts (ayurvedic), built irrigation systems and temples. There were trade relations and royal intermarriage between the indigenous people of Sri Lanka and their neighbours in the South India kingdoms.

It was an acknowledged and accepted fact that Prince Vijaya who was deported by his father with his companions upon arrival here with the help of Kuweni conquered all the four clans and unified this country as a Sinhala nation.  Accordingly the country remained as Subhale and was ruled by several native Kings and during the time of King Devanam Piyatissa, the son of Emperor Ashoka, Arahat Mahinda brought the religion of Buddhism which was embraced by the King and the people.  From then onwards this country became a Sinhala Buddhist nation.

This fact was acknowledged universally and by all Tamil leaders although they resisted the majority Sinhala community on racist grounds.  The Tamil racism based on spurious superiority was invented by British Imperialist stooges Ponnambalam Arunachalam and  Pommambalam Ramanathan and was comprehensively followed by the generations under G.G.Ponnambalam, S.J.V.Chelvanayagam. Appapillai Amirthalingam, megalomaniac Prabhakaranand the Octogenarian Sambandan and their followers. 

As things were such, the utter chauvinist Pottu Papa Wigneswaran who is longing to assume to take over the leadership of the Tamils in the North and East after the imminent demise of Sambandan shortly has invented a hitherto unheard and unknown history of Tamils being the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka, that they were Tamil Buddhists and that they got converted to their original religion of Saivaism later.   If Buddhism was their original religion why he when he was functioning as the Chief Minister of the Northern Province made all attempts to chase out the Buddhists from the Northern Province, and banned placing of Buddha statutes and planting of Bo-Trees and establishment of Buddhist temples and monasteries in the North?

In a lengthy article published in the Colombo Telegraph this Pottu Papa chauvinist says the Upcountry Tamils have come to Sri Lanka within the last 200 odd years and they occupy areas outside the North and East and they have had no compunction in learning Sinhala and integrating with the Sinhalese. So too the Colombo Tamils. 

the Northern and Eastern Tamils, hesays,  are different. This Pottu Papa states that they have always occupied the area now roughly covered by the Northern and Eastern Provinces and there had been continuous occupation of the North and East throughout history by the Tamil  people. In fact their occupation extended up to Negombo in the Western Province and up to Kathirgamam in the South East and the Sinhalese have never occupied the North and East in large numbers except after 1833 when the country was bought under one administration by the British. He says that there had been influx of Tamils during different eras first by the Pandians and there after the Cholas, Pallavas, Cheras and Nayaka Kings last. But that only meant they added to the number of indigenous Tamils of this Country and  reiterates absurdly the Tamils were the original inhabitants of this Island. 

He explains that they could trace their ancestry to the inhabitants of the Continent of Lemuria which covered the greater part of the present Indian Ocean in times gone by and adds that the Lemuria Continent which was gobbled up by the Indian Ocean extended from Western Australia to Eastern Africa joining up with the Indian subcontinent. Therefore the present Tamils of the North and East feel themselves to be the descendants of a long line of Tamil speaking people who have been occupying the Northern and Eastern regions continuously from pre Buddhistic times and recently it has been accepted that Tamil is one of the oldest living language in the world.   

Then this Pottu Papa chauvinist misinterprets the history, the universally accepted history and says that Sinhalese came by their Sinhala language only in the 6^th or 7^th Century AD. That is 1300 or 1400 years ago only and there was no Sinhala Language before that time. Blaming the historians for getting his appetite fulfilled he says Some historians have painted all ancient Buddhists as Sinhalese. That is because since there was Buddhism in Sri Lanka before the Sinhala language came into existence they have identified earlier era Buddhists as Sinhala Buddhists. He impishly states that those who were Buddhists at that time were Tamil Buddhists.

Writing further this Pottu Papa states there are those who refer to Sinhala Prakrit as proof of the presence of the Sinhalese language from pre Buddhistic times. This is like saying my grandfather lived 100 years ago therefore I lived 100 years ago because I came from my grandfather! He claims that there was no Sinhala language until 1300 or 1400 years from now and asks how could you refer to Sinhala Prakrit of a by- gone age 2000 years or more ago? The Sinhala language was not even contemplated at that time. He states that the truth would be that those words of ancient times (Prakrit) may have been Pali or Tamil or other dialects in Sri Lanka which later came to make up the Sinhala Language and says that Sinhala is a conglomeration of languages.

This chauvinist Pottu Papa claims that at least 40% of the Sinhala words are Tamil and its alphabet formation is similar to Tamil and South Indian Languages. He says that lots of Hindi words were imported into Sinhala language as recent as in 1956-1965 when Professor Malalasekara was Ceylonese High Commissioner in India and he brought in lots of Hindi words into the Sinhala Language thus Sinhalacising” the Hindi words and adds that lots of legal terms in Sinhala for example are derived from the Hindi words used in North Indian courts. He says we have a habit of taking over something today and trace its origin to sources centuries ago and saying that that something existed so many centuries ago.

He also states that lots of names of Tamil Villages in the North and East were found appropriate Sinhala names during the past 70 odd years and we have transported those Sinhala equivalents to centuries earlier to say those Sinhala villages existed at that time! Kandarodai for example was Kandarodai always at least for centuries. The Sinhala word for it Kadurugoda was coined very recently. Now it is said Kadurugoda was the original place name! Then he claims that Kandarodai Buddhist remains are Tamil Buddhist remains. There were no Sinhalese at that time contemplated even!

This chauvinist pottu Papa claims that the Northern and Eastern Provinces have never been Sinhala and they were areas of residence of the Tamil people and Tamils were Buddhists for quite some time until they reverted to their original religion Saivaism when the Bakthi cult in South India influenced them. He says the ayanmars have sung hymns to the deities in Thirukoneswaram and Thiruketheswaram before the Sinhala language was born. Further the Tamil literature of 2000 years ago were Buddhistic or Jain religion oriented and there was no Sinhala language then. 

Again this Pottu Papa emphasizes that it is wrong to say Sri Lanka is a Buddhist Country. The Tamils who became Buddhist centuries ago jettisoned Buddhism and reverted to Saivaism Tamils at one time being Buddhist and that too long before the Sinhala Language was born, does not give the right to anyone to claim that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist Country. He stresses that the North and East must be separated as being majority non – Buddhist.

He states that the Sinhala people have been given a wrong understanding of history based on the fiction written in Pali by a Buddhist Priest in the 5^th Century AD. The author says that at the end of every stanza he was writing the fiction for the glorification of Buddhism. If he was writing history he would not have said so!

He says that the North Eastern Tamil people are conscious of their antiquity. They are conscious of the richness of their language. They have a highly emotional bond towards their traditional homelands. But they feel constrained that the majority Sinhalese are not allowing them to blossom out on their own in their region but want to control them. There are certain rights which the Tamils have. In terms of the International Covenants they have their common language, they have their religions – Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, they have their traditional homelands where their forefathers have lived continuously from pre Buddhistic times. They also have their separate culture and way of life all different from the Sinhalese though there are many commonalities between the two communities due to their common origin as per DNA tests concluded recently.  They would therefore like to preserve their individuality. They are entitled to self determination in terms of International Law. Owing to the above said they abhor anyone trying to control them and dominate them on false premises. The Tamils, he says, have always occupied the North and East and they still are the majority in the North and East.  

The Sinhalese historians and others, especially the Buddhist clergy, have set up lots of falsities as history saying that this country is theirs. This is false. The original inhabitants of this country were Saivite Tamils he stupidly claims..

They say all Tamils were immigrants into a predominantly Sinhala Country. This is also false according to this Pottu Papa.  Though it is true there were several influxes of Tamils at various times in history the existence of the Tamils in the North and East of this Island continuously as the majority community until today cannot be disputed.  

They say the North and East were originally Sinhalese. This is also false. Simply because Buddhism existed in the North and East and there are Buddhist historical / archaeological remains in the North and East that does not prove the existence of the Sinhalese at some period in our past history, this fellow states. It only proves there were Tamil Buddhists – Demala Buddhayo! The question that needs to be asked him is where these so-called Demala Bauddhauo now and whether they have perished and how?

Mahavansa, he says, is a fictional work written in Pali before the Sinhala language was born. It is not a historical document though its background particulars could help understand history. 

Therefore we Tamils of the North and East are conscious of our antiquity, our history, our rights to self determination and therefore until our intrinsic rights to the right of self determination is recognized and respected we would find it difficult to march together with the other communities, specially the Sinhalese who have usurped our history and antiquity and trying to falsify those fields of study. If the historical facts just mentioned by me here are not accepted by the Sinhalese intelligentsia they are free to set up a Committee of Sinhala, Tamil, Indian and other International Historians and Archaeologists to re-write our history truthfully and affirmatively. 

The above is a valid suggestion and early steps should be taken to hold an open debate with the participation of historians and archeologists to disprove Pottu Papa’s stupid and doctored allegations and clear the true historical facts.  Otherwise that the vicious Tamil diaspora in the European countries would launch a campaign to accept the canards being said by this chauvinist as they succeeded making the world to blindly believe illusory imaginations in the Darusman report including the so-called killing of 40,000 never existed people.

Muslims and Upcountry Tamils have no such common historical background to stand on. They have not lost anything as we are losing our lands, our language (still the Central Government often sends letters in Sinhala only to the North and East), our religions, our culture and our identity. Until they are restored to the Northern and Eastern Tamils how do you expect us to march together with others?

First recognise our individuality and our history. (Your history was that you were labourers brought from South India similar to those in the hill country and were provided special privileges by the European invaders and made you to dominate over the indigenous Sinhala Buddhist people of this country)

Then we will march hand in hand. When I was young prior to Independence we Sinhalese, Tamils, Burghers, Muslims, Malays and even Chinese were able to look upon this Country as our own. When the Sinhalese claimed this Country as Sinhala Buddhist only, our individuality collapsed, and we have been made fourth class citizens! The Muslims and the Upcountry Tamils enjoy a freedom which the Northern and Eastern Tamils do not enjoy today.

You shed your arrogance, allow the Tamils in the North and East to think freely, act freely and live freely without being slavish to repugnant myopic Vellala politicians.  Don’t trample them similar to they were used as human shields by the tiger terrorists.