It has been 45 years since Dravidar Kazhagam President Asiriyar K. Veeramani last visited Sri Lanka! In 1979, he went to Jaffna to participate in a function held there on the occasion of Thanthai Periyar’s centenary. The fire of hatred against the Tamils that was simmering in Eelam at that time took a turn for the worst in the following years. Everything that happened after that is etched in history as a sad memory.
The news that Thanthai Periyar visited Sri Lanka twice and addressed the Tamil people there appeared in the 1932 and 1937 Kudi Arasu weekly. We have already published an article about this in our magazine (The Modern Rationalist). All these meetings were held in Sri Lanka to inculcate the principles of self-respect.
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This time Dravidar Kazhagam President K. Veeramani was invited to Sri Lanka for a special Lecture on the occasion of the 97th birthday of Appappillai Amirthalingam, the leader of Eelam Tamils and the first Tamil to become the Leader of Opposition in Sri Lanka. The Dravidar Kazhagam and its leader K. Veeramani have a unique role in mobilising support in Tamil Nadu in the struggle for the rights of Eelam Tamils. From 1983 until now, the Dravidar Kazhagam’s democratic struggles for the rights of Eelam Tamils and the work done to bring it to the attention of Indian leaders and the world are noteworthy.
For the Amirthalingam birthday event held on August 24, 2024, the leader of the Dravidar Kazhagam, who had gone to Jaffna from Chennai the day before, arrived at Palali Airport and was welcomed by Ilangai Tamilarasu Party leader, Senior Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former Member of Parliament Mavai Senathiraja and his comrades.
The program was held at 3:30 pm at Trimmer Hall, an important venue in Jaffna. Sri Lanka’s former members of Parliament Mavai Senathiraja, Suresh Premachandran, Sivajilingam, current Member of Parliament Dharmalingam Siddharthan and many other renowned personalities attended the event and listened to the speech of Dravidar Kazhagam President. Former Judge of the High Court of Sri Lanka Vignaraja presided over, Bishop V.Padmadayalan delivered the keynote speech; Dr.K.Veeramani delivered the memorial address.
Dr. K. Veeramani addressed the meeting recalling the work of Amirthalingam and praised his sacrifice. Highlighting the culture and history of Tamils, he emphasized that all Tamils should come together. Urging that we should learn from the experiences of the past, he also pointed out that this event should be a turning point in the history of the Eelam Tamils’ struggle for rights.
Asiriyar addresses; beside Justice Vignaraja
His 40-minute speech was listened to with rapt attention by all. He stressed that to find out the final solution soon is our goal. His appeal will strengthen the unity of Tamils. His speech left a deep imprint on everyone’s mind that only our unity will lead us to get our rights.
Not only this speech, but also the interview given by him to three media and the other medium that had recorded Asiriyar’s visit has taken this message of his to many people.
Within 48 hours of his stay in Jaffna, he traveled to many places. He visited Thanthai Selva’s memorial, his home, Amirthalingam’s hometown Pannagam, the memorial pillar of the 11 martyrs killed at the World Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna in 1974. He paid his respects by placing flowers and wreaths.
Dravidar Kazhagam General Secretary V. Anburaj and Deputy General Secretary S. Prince Ennares Periyar also went to Jaffna with him.
The historic Jaffna Library, which was burnt down by the Sinhalese in 1981 along with 97,000 books, has since been rebuilt. Books written by Thanthai Periyar, Arignar Anna, Dr. Kalaignar and Asiriyar Dr.K. Veeramani were donated to the library.
This is probably the first time that a community leader from Tamil Nadu has gone and addressed at Eelam after the War.
Prince Ennares Periyar
