By Colombo Telegraph –
Rathika Sitsabaiesan Canadian MP for the Scarborough Rouge River Riding, yesterday tabled a Private Member’s Bill designating January as Tamil Heritage Month in the Canadian parliament. Rathika is known for a series of firsts, being the first Tamil Member of Parliament in Canada.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan
Text of Bill:
HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA
BILL C-471
An Act to designate the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month
Whereas Tamil Canadians have established deep roots and flourished in communities across the country, thereby enriching Canada’s social, cultural, economic and political fabric;
Whereas the month of January is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Tamil heritage to our communities as well as to raise awareness of Tamil history and culture;
And whereas the people of Canada wish to honour the contributions of Tamil Canadians to Canada;
Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
SHORT TITLE
1. This Act may be cited as the Tamil Heritage Month Act.
TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH
2. Throughout Canada, in each and every year, the month of January is to be known as “Tamil Heritage Month”.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJg14szeh8E
Suren Raghavan / February 1, 2013
Yes, she is doing great
I like her politics, which is beautiful as she is
But
Still she /her office have not replied my five emails to my willingness to help her and her work. (Canadian MPs have paid office. I got reply for Toni Blair’s office but not form Radhika) :(
Is it because I studied in Sinhala medium or I am not a Vellalar Tamil from Vadamaratchi?
I think I deserve an answer!
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Chen / February 1, 2013
You deserve an answer for what? May I know who is ‘Toni’ Blair…..
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Manesh Rajakaruna / February 2, 2013
CHen
Ask your mum who is TB? She could tell you ins and out of him.
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Wuliangguobinjiu / February 2, 2013
You just proved your breed prick!
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Ben Hurling / February 1, 2013
Canada has hundreds of ethnic groups. Tamils are just one of them. Does each ethnic group in Canada celebrate a heritage month? Calendar has only 12 months.
Sounds a bit like whole of Canada is being forced to celebrate Tamil Heritage in January officialy through a bill in Parliament. Is that really necessary?
How about celebrating Tamil Heritage by giving hands on support to Sri Lankan Tamils? They are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives after the LTTE nightmare of 30 years?
I hope Tamil heritage month will not turn into another LTTE front. Where LTTE rump in Canada creeps in to raise funds. And run propaganda for their blood thirsty Ealam dream once again.
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Geo / February 1, 2013
Read my comment below to Jim Softy !
No one is FORCED to do anything, the month of Feb is black heritage month, the state/federal governments in these countries have a few cultural shows and people who like can attend them (dance/song/food/book release)…if you don’t want to…..don’t bother !
Just like Christmas carols….Easter egg hunt…..etc
There are Ukrainian festivals/Polish festivals…etc in many countries esp in the US
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Dev / February 1, 2013
Some people are never satisfied unless they put down the Tamils, its a bill in Parliament of CANADA
(read again, CANADA) not Sri Lanka, the members of that assembly will decide on the merits (or lack of) and vote and if it passes it will be in CANADA (again read, CANADA)
You should bother more about what our learned MP’s are up to here in Sri Lanka
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Wuliangguobinjiu / February 3, 2013
BH:”How about celebrating Tamil Heritage by giving hands on support to Sri Lankan Tamils?” Have you been brainwashed by the yellow robes to stretch the begging bowl?
Western society does not easily recognise any other culture unless it proves itself. In Canada the Tamils have proved it beyond reasonable doubt before the Tamils of UK (BTF has a turnover of £2billion with 1500 enterprises)
I don’t see the need for expatriate Tamils to foot the bill anymore because the SL Tamils have no political rights so it’s not possible to know where the money goes in a corrupt and criminal nation like SL.
At the very core all wars are economic in nature.
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shasha / February 1, 2013
Maybe she has people much more qualified than you to assist her
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Native Vedda / February 1, 2013
Suren Raghavan
“Is it because I studied in Sinhala medium or I am not a Vellalar Tamil from Vadamaratchi?”
It has nothing to do with your medium of education(?) nor to do with Tamil Vellalar from Vadamaratchi.
We know the stupid Tamils and stupid Sinhalese share culture, religion, food, caste,………..and their stupid gene.
Perhaps she would have thought why this man wants to help her while her career looks up and up.
Perhaps you want to get visa for your relatives through backdoor, influence peddling?
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Tamil woman / February 1, 2013
I am not sure why January should be Tamil Heritage Month in Canada. It is freezing cold in Canada that month. Can’t we opt for any other month – like April for instance, when the weather would support efforts to recreate Tamil tradition and culture in the near-Artic climes?
Much of this is a gimmick. The second generation of Tamil Canadians are unlikely to be as enthused as their parents on the Tamil language. They will increasingly integrate into the English-speaking mainstream, learning French as a second language. They are removed from Sri Lanka and can not be blamed for that. But to then appropriate the custodianship of Tamil tradition would be quite inappropriate.
Lets take a recent example. One hundred thousand residents in the Northern Province in Sri Lanka were displaced due to floods in January. Another one hundred and fifty thousand residents were displaced by floods in the Batticaloa district alone that month. While the Tamil Canadians were ‘celebrating’ Tamil heritage month with Bharata Natyam dance recitals and ‘nationalist’ speeches, Tamil Hindu charitable organizations in Sri Lanka were busily collecting relief items that included dry rations, clothes and school uniforms for the flood-impacted destitute. This is one example of the emerging irrelevance of the Tamil Canadians to the lives and fortune of Sri Lankan Tamils.
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Wuliangguobinjiu / February 3, 2013
Ha ha! Times they are changing! Money Power which the Jaffna Tamils respect so much is at the core.
Sadly in SL you have no political rights – period
So it will be like plain English of the UK and Standard English of the US where the UK is the American poodle where both are democracies.
Bringing it closer to home it is like plain Tamil of Tamil Nadu and classical Tamil of SL. The tamil diasporas the world over have a collective turnover of 2 times the SL budjet of $60billion. Who runs Israel and from where??
Taiwan will never join China until the per capita is the same.
Put your house to order first before trying to tell the powers with the money how they should think?
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Tamil woman / February 4, 2013
Wuliangguaobinjiu,
I read your different comments with regards to this article. You are a bright individual.
I would differ with you on several points – but let me confine myself to just two. I do not think a comparison can be made between the financial worth of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and the Jewish diaspora that finances Israel. That is a stretch. Further, I am not sure whether the Sri Lankan Tamil turn over overseas is as high as you claim.
Two, I think you are overstating it when you say that the concept of zero was a Tamil contribution. It is an Indic contribution – shunya. This said, you must continue commenting. We need to hear bright voices such as yours – I sincerely mean that. The Sri Lankans have a smug complacency that needs a bit of shaking up.
Vanakkam
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Senguttuvan / February 1, 2013
She is the only one of Lankan Tamil origin in the Canadian Federal Parliament presently. I believe we will see 1-2 more soon – possibly from the Greater Toronto Area. This is nothing unusual when you do even a casual study of the composition of both British Houses of Parliament that has so many of Indian Sub-Continent origin.
Sadly none from Sri Lanka so far. Perhaps soon the Tamil diaspora will create history here as well. In Rathika’s capacity, she certainly can bring greater understanding and more friends for her perspective in the Lankan Tamil issue. There are many senior politicians, like Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff, who have been to Sri Lanka many times and who have a better-than- average-appreciation in the debate. I have met both and am impressed with the deep knowledge of international affairs Canadian MPs accumulate. It is good diplomacy that is needed to engage constructive criticism. This has been conspicuously absent in our diplomacy in the Canadian side for a long while.
Senguttuvan
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Park / February 1, 2013
Was she dressed appropriately to attend the Parliament? I am not sure any other MP would have dressed so casually, especially on a day when she was presenting a “Tamil Heritage Month Act”. If she truly believed in Tamil Heritage, at least on the day when she presented this important Act in the Parliament she should have dressed appropriately. Some one should first give her a lesson how to dress when she attends Parliament.
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mike / February 1, 2013
I believe some day she might be made a “cleavage” minister!!
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shasha / February 1, 2013
does your wife, daughter wear sary all the time,insted of encouraging and supporting this tamil representative,all you had to say was talk about her dress.Get Civilized man
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Park / February 1, 2013
Shasha, I do not think you read my note properly. I did not say that she should have worn a saree, what I said was she should be dressed properly to attend the Parliament. Once before too she was pulled up. In the Parliament, if you see the other lady MPs they are all in business attire not in casual clothing. Exactly, I want her to be civilized. Saree or no saree does not matter, proper clothing is a must.
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Aney Apochchi! / February 3, 2013
Park and the rest of the wanna-be “intellectuals”:
Perhaps, given your ignorance, you are not aware of the fact that if Rathika (or any Member of Parliament, man or woman) was inappropriately dressed he or she would not be permitted in the House.
What do they say? “It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and he considered foolish than to open it and confirm the fact?”
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Hiphop / February 3, 2013
Never mind being permitted in the house, if she doesn’t start laying off the pies soon she’ll have trouble fitting through the doors.
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dicky Bird / February 1, 2013
Yes…There will be many more in the Canadian Parliament went Toronto gets Eelam.
The clevage and a pony tail goes well.
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Mahela / February 1, 2013
The latest I herd was Rajapakse regime is planning to hire a complete set of FOREIGN advocacy, Media, Law and lobbying firms spending millions of foreign currency to counter upcoming March UN human rights alligations against Sri Lanka.
After fraudulently killing 40,000 innocent tamil people by armed forces during 2009 so called humaniterian operation,impressioned Gen.Fonseka after contesting Presidential election and Impeaching CJ Shirani Bandaranayake on fraudulent charges now Rajapakse Govt. plan to hire top Foreign Law, advocasy and Lobbying firms spending millions of forreign currency to cover up it’s human right violations.
Time has come for all country loving patriots, political parties, religious groups, trade unions, NGO’s and INGO’s, human right and free media groups to come forward and tell the truth to the world community how Rajapakse regime wasting and distroying country’s Politics, economy , image and resources and to bring justice to helpless communities.
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Jim Softy / February 1, 2013
When Whole North America is made up of immigrants, when NAtive americans are neglected and live like THIRD world Nations with very very poor facilities, inside the developed world, why she wants to promote Tribalism ?
Why only Tamil Heritage is important in Canada not the heritage of other immigrant communities.
Every immigrant community had a culture unique to them before they come to Canada
Tamils culture is Indian and only the Language is the binding force.
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Geo / February 1, 2013
There is ‘heritage’ month for other communities you silly Jim Softy ! those are NOT reported in the Sri Lankan media !
For instance , Feb is ‘black heritage month in many countries including UK/USA !!
This has nothing to do with ‘Tamil Eelam’, this is to do with promoting Tamil culture among the youth, again in the US, German culture is taught to children even if the family has been in the US for 5-6 generations, this is normal –maybe not for you I guess.
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shasha / February 1, 2013
Jim oh Jim while your Govt and most of your race is hell bent on destroying Sri lankan tamils at least the canadians will safeguard their cultre
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Native Vedda / February 2, 2013
shasha
“Jim oh Jim while your Govt and most of your race is hell bent on destroying Sri lankan tamils at least the canadians will safeguard their cultre”
Please bear with me I am bit thick.
What is Tamil Culture as I never understood it in the past?
PS
For your information Sinhala/Buddhists are hell bent on destroying the whole island.
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Jim softy / February 3, 2013
Shasha:
what is this Tamil Culture ?
Bharatha (indian) Natyam ?
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Aney Apochchi! / February 3, 2013
Jim Softy:
Despite your obviously huge knowledge of Canada, the fact that it has a Multiculturalism Policy that encourages the celebration of ethnic identity seems to have escaped your scrutiny!
Why don’t you express your opinion about things that you know something about or does that category not exist in your case?
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Wuliangguobinjiu / February 3, 2013
You are a very vicious man with a mother tongue that does not even have a complete dictionary even though it has borrowed from numerous languages. Plain English is also borrowed from Latin and Greek the classical language.
Tamil language is unique even in India because it’s the “only classical language” spoken and written even today. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand is the only state to have accorded Sanskrit the official status and its struggling.
What’s more it’s the Tamil language no not Arabic that gave birth to Zero and the decimal points therefore the westerners know how to count their billions and trillions. It’s the classical language with nursery rhymes that the English copied from. Later it will be Carnatic and Sufi music given official status.
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Mahela / February 1, 2013
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Mahela / February 1, 2013
We won’t be able to edit your language in future, please read our comment policy – CT
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy
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Not A Hater / February 1, 2013
Hate to bring out the common cliche of a canadian Tamil being an LTTE. however we must acknowledge the fact any person involved in the system of government should not proceed with blind ideology. I say this because a friend of mine in canada thought Sri Lanka’s official language is Tamil. Yes now if thats not brain washing. Please help me understand. I’m all ears. and all i ask is to have individual’s unbiased of their own beliefs. look at Isarael and benjamin nettanyahu he may be a ivy league graduate but doesn’t really address issues of state in an orderly manner.
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Naga / February 2, 2013
Looks like a cheap publicity stunt by Rathika to ensure her re-election in the next election.
I have not seen or heard of any British or Australian MPs attending Parliament attired in such a casual dress – a bloody T shirt. Look at how the other MPs seated around her are attired. Poor taste and poor behaviour on the part of this young Tamil girl. Is she stupid?
She may have good looks but surely Canadians could have elected a more matured, cultured and educated Tamil as their Member of Parliament. She is a very poor choice. She reflects the quality of Tamils who migrated to Canada as Tamil refugees in recent times. I do not think Tamil refugee migrants to Canada are highly regarded for their education or professional achievements. All kinds of Tamil fellows went to Canada and suceeded in getting imigrant status. In Australia, until the recent surge of boat fellows, the Tamils who migrated were highly educated and professional. Hence they are highly regarded by the white Australians and others. Unfortunately, those Tamils who now go to Australia by illegal boats are just scums looking for a better life and not genuine refugees. Obviously white Australians hate them. The opposition coalition is up in arms and the illegal boat people issue is a disaster waiting to happen to the re-election prospects of the present Julia Gillard government in the forthcoming September Federal Election.
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Wuliangguobinjiu / February 2, 2013
You are an ignorant and jealous moron it is a sweat shirt over shirt finally an over coat. You have no clue of the dress sense of the west. It’s the migrants to Canada who respect her the most and the refugees follow. She does not stoop to the level of Sri Lankan gass gembo politicians
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Sinhala Lankan / February 2, 2013
Tamil Heritage Month, does not mean Sri Lankan Tamil Heritage month. Tamil is a language spoken in many countries as an official language and in addition today Tamil speaking people live in numerous countries. There is nothing wrong in declaring Tamil Heritage Month.
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Ram / February 3, 2013
The natives of Canada have no such recognition and live in abject poverty, while the recent illegal immigrants are granted political favours by previous immigrants.
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anura priya / February 3, 2013
Why not Bharathanayam month instead of Tamil heritage? what heritage are you talking about when one cannot even pee as s tamil in sri lanka? Why not introduce it in sri lanka instead of canada where you can only do bharathanatyam and call it tamil even if you cant speak tamil?
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Shantha Ranasinghe / February 4, 2013
Her cleavage is excellent :)
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 5, 2013
She should remind Tamil Canadians of their Tamil heritage by wearing a sari to the Canadian parliament on all occasions. The most respected professor I had at the University of Guelph in the 1970,s was Dr. Parvathy Basrur, a Canadian of Kerala origin who wore the sari o work, come winter, spring, summer or autumn.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Dev / February 5, 2013
Wy don’t you wear a ‘vetti’ ?
She can wear anything she likes before you preach to others you start with you and then your family, make sure your wife wears a saree all the time !
All talk and no action as usual, we R still waiting for the public fund you we going to set up for the ex CJ lol
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 6, 2013
I am not promoting Tamil heritage in Canada!
Dr.R.N
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Sandilyan / February 5, 2013
The choleric, & caste conscious Tamils want to always live in isolation and polarised. All this cow droppings ideas are generated because of the strong focus on caste. At whatever cost they want January “Thaipongal day” to be Tamils New Year day so that the half “Vellalar” can be on top of everyone. If Tamils can produce “six headed Lord Murugan” through the sparks coming out of the forehead of Lord Siva, then Tamils can produce anything. This is not an insult, but it depicts the truth of stories. I am not against religion but against fiction in the 21st century.
I am a Tamil and a Hindu, but believe in science.
Thai Pongal is a “Thanks Giving day” where all Tamils cook rice pongal as a sacrifice to the Sun. Illiterate Tamils say that it’s Sun God, because not all understand the difference between “Nuclear Fission” and “Nuclear Fusion”. By enacting a statute they want to show that they have achieved something and that they are big on to of all other Tamils. Most of the other caste members do not understand this conspiracy.
Refugees went to Canada to live. Tamils should make it a process to integrate and assimilate if necessary with the Canadians, but not live in isolation and show superiority above the Canadians. There will be a day when Canadians will be up in arms against these racists Tamils.
Now the world should know what Tamils did to SriLanka and how they tried to destroy SL.
If the Canadian government is democratic and true to its citizens, they should dump this private member’s bill into the bin. Canada should recognise and respect all citizens in Canada. Tamils are only creating tensions wherever they go, because we live in a fish bowl.
If I tell this member that my age is: I have travelled approx… 41.1 billion miles in the Solar System, and to work out my age can she work it out. Most can!. Let us come out to the real world.
Tamils have no historical links with the Canadian region.
Sandilyan
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Senguttuvan / February 5, 2013
Minorities in Canada are encouraged to retain and develop their own
cultures in the widely espoused spirit of multi-culturalism. But as
Minister Kenney recently pointed out – and correctly too – they should not “import” into Canada their historical conflicts at home
creating security problems to Canada. Lankans have lived and adapted into the Canadian society, as I found in my regular visits there, exemplarily and usefully – to use the words of the Canadian PM.
Many minorities have a day assigned to them as Heritage Day. The old and large Indian community (over a million) have done much better
In the Brampton-Mississauga areas boast of nearly 4 Federal MPs and
many more Provincial MPs and local Councillors. They even had a street
named in the area after legendary Indian actor Raj Kapoor. The Indians maintain their separate cultural identity while quickly becoming good and useful Canadian citizens. So the Chinese, Italians, East Europeans too.
Senguttuvzn
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PROF. KOPAN MAHADEVA, LONDON / February 6, 2013
I have been sent this News Item by some one, and have read it with great interest and disappointment. I am glad the new Canadian MP with Tamil origins is trying to promote her culture in Canada. After all, Canada is a fair and open-minded multi-cultural country. It has the heart and the space for all the major cultures of the world — which are bound to benefit the country. The MP is properly proposing an Act through the Parliament. And why not? I think it might have been wiser to have asked for a TAMIL HERITAGE WEEK since then the 52 weeks in the year could have accommodated the recognition and promotion of several more cultures. Any way, let us wait and see the outcome. It could well be that finally it would be a TAMIL HERITAGE WEEK that would be approved,as I suggest. My disappointment is about the unholy debate that is going on under false names and pseudonyms. Let democracy prevail for the Tamils, at least in Canada, if not in Sri Lanka.
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 6, 2013
Let democracy prevail in Sri Lanka for all Sri Lankans!
Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
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Sandilyan / February 6, 2013
It will be appropriate to throw some light to readers about culture, ethnicity, hatred & rivalry practiced by Tamils in SriLanka and India.
We all know that Indians invaded SL and mass murdered significant number of Sinhalese over several centuries. Did their culture and hinduism embrace all this killing? I have heard people speak of Raja Raja Cholan as being the just king, who built temples all over the SE Asia. Portraying him as a just super emperor is despicable because as a king he should protect his own country and do something good to his people. However, he invaded countries that does not belong to him. He shovelled his own culture onto others. This makes him a scavenger and an animal.
SL Tamils wanted and did build temples in places other than the N&E of SL. However, when the Sinhalese wanted to build a Buddhist temple, Tamils were up in arms. Words like colonisation, invasion, oppression etc. were propagated. Today, only 577,246 Tamils live in Jaffna while the rest of 1.693678 million live outside Jaffna.
Although Tamil Nadu politicians pretend as if they want SL Tamils to have a peaceful life, what they are doing is harming Tamils behind their back. TN people cannot even give support to SL refugees. We hear of girls being raped, ill-treated etc.
Don’t you all think that 70 million people in India need a separate country? What is the culture in TN today? A sambar culture. They cannot even sustain their own culture, language, but talk of Tamil existed 5000 years. What a crap.
Multiculturalism in any country is the first step towards destruction of peace and harmony over a 50-100 years horizon. Evidence is the third world, developing countries, and some developed countries today. Within the multicultural complex, most Tamils are inundated and mindset with fundamentalism. Today’s theme around the world is “CHANGE IS A CONSTANT”. However, are Tamils prepared to change? We want the same rice and sambar even in the west.
Can the lady give valid reason to make January a “heritage month” in Canada? Tamils have no historic links with Canada. Its pure egoism, fundamentalism, and racial concept that has inflicted in the minds of Tamils for centuries which is driving to these panic-stricken concepts
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 7, 2013
Sandilyan,
Thanks for your radical thoughts, though they will be controversial. I think it was Mark Twain who said, ” East is east and the west is west and never the twain shall meet”. The attempt to promote Tamil heritage in Canada or elsewhere is futile. It is an attempt to have the best of both- though obviously contradictory- worlds. Being a Tamiil or any other is a way of life dictated by language, culture and environment. I have heard many so-called Tamil Canadians who returned after decades, trying to seek a little bit of Canada in Jaffna. They are no longer able to identify themselves with the land, its people or their cultural heritage. Similarly, the People in Jaffna do not identify themselves totally with these half-baked aliens and look up to them as benefactors and as a model they could be, if given the opportunity to migrate. What is damning is that both the resident and visiting Tamils have no idea what the Tamil heritage is!
Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
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Sandilyan / February 7, 2013
Thank you Doctor Narendran
I read most of your admirable articles in various media. I agree with your views. The shortfall of our society is we seem to misapprehend or have misconception on matters relating to life and living. You have explained above at various blocks, however, do you think they will agree with you. I agree.
E.g. Heritage is defined as: “what is or may be inherited”.
Peter Spearritt BA (Hons) Syd, PhD (ANU) is a Professor of History at the University of Queensland and Chair of the University of Queensland Press Board. I refer to his essay on Heritage: Heritage is a relatively new, catch-all term that in recent times has encompassed both the built and the natural world. The word has gained wide international acceptance and usage since 1972, when UNESCO created the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Convention, which Australia signed in 1974. For some decades now more and more countries have vied with each other to get their built and natural heritage sites on the World Heritage List.
But in another sense, there is nothing new about heritage, not least because almost everything designated to have heritage value is older than the present, from rock art and stone churches to the Great Barrier Reef. And while the European occupation of Australia might be just a tad over 220 years old, archaeologists and anthropologists date indigenous settlement back over forty-thousand years.
City of Subiaco explains that Heritage consists of the places and objects that we have inherited from the past and want to pass on to future generations.
Have Tamils inherited anything in Canada? My observation is that most of us do have a shortfall of understanding with pure reasoning.
Sandilyan
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 8, 2013
Sandflyan,
Thanks. While heritage as you have explained has to come to be identified with man made structures that have survived wholly or partially the ravages of time, the human component of this heritage, represented by what I term the ‘way of life’ is generally overlooked. The music, dance, art, thoughts, food, agricultural practices, building techniques, dress, etc, that evolved amongst people’s in particular environments are being discarded thoughtlessly to the extent that we are becoming a rather uniform people defined only by our colour, shape and labels. We have lost the heritage that really matters within a few decades of the Americanisation of the world since World War II , which we did not lose even after decades of European colonialism. The Americanisation of diverse peoples and cultures has been unrelenting, insidious, suffocating and brutal. The materialism and consumerism it has enthroned has destroyed everything of value that evolved over the millennia , within a few decades.
To promote trivia in the name of Tamil heritage in Canada or elsewhere, is like trying to place the symbols of what we identify as our almost dead heritage in formaline jars! Heritage cannot be transplanted to alien environs, when it has been rendered mute in its own environment. A living heritage has to evolve and adapt to the needs of the times, if it is to survive. Unfortunately, what should have evolved and adapted has been totally abandoned. We have abandoned our rich heritage yet meaningful/ relevant, for the tinsel of consumerism and materialism promoted relentlessly by the western world led by the Americans. In the future we will rue this phenomenon. Unfortunately, we have also failed to imbibe the heritage of the western world, while abandoning ours!
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 8, 2013
A corrections:
1. — explained has come to be—
2. —- centuries of European colonisation.
Dr.R.N
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Sandilyan / February 8, 2013
Dr.Narendran
I understand the different spectrum in heritage. Eg. Intangible cultural heritage, Natural heritage, Art, Architectural, etc.
I agree with your concepts.
Today, even the Indians are progressing to lose their cultural heritage in TN, and have americanised as you stated. Our people wear mini-skirts. If you remember during the 1958 riots, girls who came as refugees from Colombo to Jaffna were laughed off because of their dress.
Our Professors still go on stating : “Kal thonri man thonra kaalaththil thonriyathu thamizh kudi and mozhi”. What a lot of crap.
Therefore, heritage shrinks to restrict itself into a reduced breadth. Today’s theme is: “CHANGE IS A CONSTANT”.
Anyway I have nothing to say anymore to our people.
Sandilyan
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kris / February 14, 2013
Very good keep the elam in Canada, we are not worring about that , one day only canadian white mans will suffer the way last 30 years we have suffered , white canadian should have learned the lesson from SL,
“onece yor hold the tiger tail what will happen to you”
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