Recent months have seen numerous events in India and Sri Lanka to mark the completion of 200 years of the organised migration of Tamils from Tamil Nadu to the island nation for employment in estates. India’s Postal Department had even brought out a commemorative stamp. A number of articles and books have also been published. One such publication, Malaiyakam: Nilaimaarrththinai Noakki (Hill country: Towards Transition) is a compilation of essays written by P. Muthulingam, a political commentator and activist based out of Kandy, Sri Lanka, over the last 35-odd years.
The articles in the book highlight the issues and problems of hill country Tamils in the neighbouring country, all of which should be of interest to Indians generally, as the Tamil community’s roots are in Tamil Nadu. One is a piece written in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in May 2017 to Hatton, one of the areas largely inhabited by the community, and another is on the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, which did not cover refugees from Sri Lanka though those from three other south Asian countries had been included.
The first piece, giving a historical account of the treatment by the Sri Lankan political establishment of the hill country Tamils, suggests ways to address the problems faced by the community in areas of housing and education, especially technical education. The financial assistance scheme of the Indian government for housing of the Tamils should be converted into a permanent fund, recommends Mr. Muthulingam, also the founder of the Institute of Social Development that is working for the marginalised and discriminated plantation community. In the second piece, the author, explains why India would not give citizenship to refugees living in Tamil Nadu as this would lead to a decline of its influence over Sri Lanka.
The author can be contacted at isdkandy@sltnet.lk
