The Tamil Experience Of Being Alienated At Home

| by Charles Sarvan

( July 24, 2014, Berliner, Sri Lanka Guardian) What follows is consequent of a remark made by (Sinhalese) Mr Bradman Weerakoon on 20 June 2014 in the course of a eulogy on his close friend of many years, (Tamil) Mr Duleepkumar.

It was, I felt, both eulogy and elegy: “His last years were painful, mentally more than physically, as he took on himself the sad plight of what was happening to his people […] in the North and East.” As Literature teaches us, collective misfortune is finally experienced by individual, sentient, human beings; in turn, an individual life can give us insight into a wider, and therefore impersonal, anonymous, tragedy: as it has been noted, the noun ‘Literature’ can also be seen as a verb.

The Tamil Experience of Being Alienated at Home by Maria Anderson

Video: Rajapaksas Throw Celebrations While Poor Farmers Commit Suicide: UNP MP Harsha

July 24, 2014

The Rajapaksa regime’s apathetic attitude towards the masses has been summed up perfectly in a speech made by UNP MP Dr. Harsha De Silva in the parliament, where has has highlighted the plight of farmers in backwoods villages who are struggling to make a living while the regime stages grand merriment in Colombo.

Dr. Harsha de Silva MP

In his speech in the parliament on July 22, Dr. Harsha has remarked while the government has spent millions on renovating and the grand opening of the latest shopping mall in Colombo – the Independence Arcade – complete with fireworks, the flailing economic situation of the farmers in the Mahaweli zone has driven them to suicide.

“While Colombo’s rich enjoy hoppers priced at Rs. 200 each and designer goods that are for sale in this new mall, the poor farmers unable to deal with their debts due to damaged crops have consumed poison to escape the rising economic burdens,” MP Harsha told the parliament.

Quoting an article published in the Sunday Lankadeepa paper on June 20, he has quoted farmers who have complained about their crops being destroyed by floods as well as the lack of water following droughts during the past four kannayas (cultivating seasons).

He expressed concern over the water in irrigation tanks being channeled to large-scale agricultural ventures carried out by multinational companies to whom extensive plots of land have been handed over, which has left the farmers helpless without any water to nourish their crops.

He also spoke very critically of the lack of action by the government to face the challenges posed by changing weather patterns, despite several warnings given by government Ministers such as Champika Ranawaka themselves.

MR shuns C’wealth event in UK due to 

‘security concerns’

by Shamindra Ferdinando-July 23, 2014

An LTTE protest during President Rajapaksa’s last visit to the UK.

Taking into consideration the failure on the part of the British government to restraining the UK based LTTE groups during his previous visits, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided against attending the World War I Commemorative Service for the Commonwealth at Glasgow Cathedral on August 4.

External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, has, in a letter addressed to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport as well as Minister of Equalities stressed that the decision to skip the Commonwealth event had been taken due to the British government’s failure on previous occasions to rein in LTTE groups, though the LTTE remains proscribed in the UK. Alleging that the British law enforcement authorities turned a blind eye to violent protests against the Sri Lankan delegation including President Rajapaksa himself, Prof. Peiris has recalled how bottles and cans were thrown at the car carrying President Rajapaksa.

Responding to a query by The Island, a spokesperson for the British High Commission said: "This is a matter to pursue with the Sri Lankan government, but, yes, we were informed."

Referring to President Rajapaksa’s visit to London in June 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prof. Peiris has pointed that the diaspora groups disrupted the visiting Sri Lanka’s itinerary though the main event wasn’t targeted.

The Cameron government has been informed that the Sri Lankan government felt that it is unsafe for President Rajapaksa to participate at the early August event due to LTTE groups taking advantage of the situation to launch protests..

JHU questions CID 

July 24, 2014 
Why MPs not probed yet on drug dealings?
BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody
 
Leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya, Ven. Dr. Omalpe Sobitha Thera, yesterday (23) asked why the Criminal Investigation Department and the intelligence services were not investigating allegations that MPs and Ministers were connected to the drug trade.

He added that though large consignments of narcotic opiates coming in from Pakistan, were being seized, only two-bit hustlers were arrested, while kingpins and masterminds of the operation, who are politicians, remain free.
"What about the consignments that come which the Police and the Customs are not able to detect?" he questioned.
 
Sobitha Thera opined that there was no transparency in the investigations into the drugs hauls that were being confiscated.
 
"What happens to the drugs? What is the state of the cases? Are they in Court? Where are the politicians involved?
Are other senior associates of these politicians punished or remanded or have they been promoted to other ministries? In the name of national security and the reputation of the country the relevant authorities should look into the nexus between MPs and the drug trade, otherwise those living outside will think we are a nation that survives by ingesting drugs," the Thera lamented.
Exec. Presidency cause of all evil – Sobhitha Thera 
BY NIRANJALA ARIYAWANSHA-July 24, 2014

Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera says the President is ruling the country in an arbitrary manner using his executive powers and not taking into account the Judiciary and the Constitution, which is the holy law of a country.
Sobhitha Thera said the Commissioner of Elections is only a figurehead, with no powers under an Executive President, and due to this the public has lost confidence in the elections process.
 
"When the elections process loses its credibility, people try to take arms into their hands."
Sobhitha Thera was speaking at a media briefing organized by the 'People's Movement' for a fair society, at the Naga Vihara in Kotte.
 
"It is the SLFP who opposed the Executive Presidency. But the SLFP is now silent although all political parties claim the Executive Presidency should be abolished. We demand the SLFP reveal to the people if it has changed its policies. From the President down to councillors of Pradeshiya Sabhas, presidential powers are misused. They are not accountable or responsible to anyone. Politicians had cut trees in about hundred thousand acres of lands in our country.
 
All this is due to the Executive Presidency," Sobhitha Thera said.
He said a signature campaign demanding the abolition of Executive Presidency will be launched today (24) at New Town Hall, Colombo.

Sri Lanka Has Fallen Prey To Israel Traps: Dayan Jayatilleka

July 24, 2014

Sri Lanka has fallen prey to Zionist forces of Israel and by way has given leeway for extremist Tamil forces to rise and the Western powers to undermine the war victory, former diplomat Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka has stated at a meeting held in solidarity with the Palestenian people of Gaza.

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

Dr. Jayatilleka addressing the meeting held on Tuesday, had stated that the recent media release issued by the foreign ministry on the Israel- Palestine conflict is exemplary of the Rajapaksa regime’s mistaken stance on the situation in Gaza.

“The statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry contains major flaws; it does not mention Palestine or Palestinians, there is no condemnation of the bombings carried out by Israel or of its illegal occupation of Palestine, it does not offer solidarity for an independent Palestine and neither is it mentioned anywhere that the two nations should strive to live peacefully,” Dr. Jayatilleke said pointing out at a recent External Affairs Ministry media statement issued on July 15 – describing it as a reflection of the ‘lack of a policy, empathy, backbone or a brain’ on part of the Sri Lankan government.

He said that today Sri Lanka is attempting to follow and imitate Israel and pointed out that is a flawed move quoting a statement made by his father Mervyn De Silva before the Mossad Commission appointed by former President Premadasa in which he had warned that the Sinhala majority should never believe that Israel would side with them because the Zionists have always identified themselves with the LTTE struggle.       Read More

Hindu Temple In Idyllic Kauai

By S. Sivathasan -July 24, 2014

S. Sivathasan

“If there is a heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here” – Persian Poem

A three day visit to the Hindu Temple at Kauai was rewarding. A few lines to describe it. In a verdant stretch of land complete with gardens, groves, glens, ponds and waterways, nestle two temples of exquisite beauty. It is here that heaven and earth meet, some others may say. As charming as the temples is the hill and dale and surrounding landscape of lush green foliage atop soaring trees. One would wonder whether it was any mystical intervention that helped select an abode for the Divine. An account answers in the affirmative.

This Hindu Monastery was founded in 1970 by Gurudeva Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927 – 2001). How is the choice of location explained? It is said that “This temple was inspired by a series of mystical visions of Siva that came to Gurudeva early in the morning on February 15, 1975”. In that vision “he saw Lord Siva seated on a boulder that was later discovered on the then overgrown property”. On this spot Iraivan (Tamil word for God) Temple designed to be worshiped a thousand years and more is being built. It is all of granite, black and white, sculpted by hand in famed Mahabalipuram and brought 10,000 miles to Kauai.

Kadavul Temple                                            Read More

In the Face of Blood Thirsty Settler State of Israel’s never Ending Barbarity

So called human rights champions US, UK and Europe have been traditional collaborators while UN remains helpless.

by Latheef Farook

On Monday 7 July 2014 Israel,  the racist  terrorist entity planted by  European colonial powers  lld by Britain  in the robbed Palestinian land  by means of violence, lawlessness, deceit  and destruction, unleashed its latest relentless  and barbaric aerial,

In the Face of Blood Thirsty Settler State of Israel’s Never Ending Barbarity by Maria Anderson

Sri Lanka condemns “deliberate attacks” causing civilian deaths

24 July 2014

The Sri Lankan government has expressed “deep concern” at the escalating violence in Gaza and said it condemns all “deliberate attacks causing mayhem and loss of life of civilians”, in a statement read at yesterday’s special session on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in the UN Human Rights Council.

Sri Lanka welcomed the convening of the session to address the current human rights issues in the region and said it was “deeply concerned [at the] tragic loss of civilian lives, and extensive damage to property”

“One cannot remain unmoved by the cruel fate of children who are innocent victims of violence. We offer our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and for the devastation and grief they have suffered recently,” the statement said.

Sri Lanka, speaking ahead of the passing of the resolution calling for an international inquiry into human rights violations, expressed hope that the resolution would get “the widest support” in the Human Rights Council.

See full statement below.

Mr. President,

We welcome the convening of this special session of the Human Rights Council to address the current human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and refer the Council to the Statement made by Iran on behalf of the Non Aligned Movement.

Mr. President,

The Government of Sri Lanka is deeply concerned at the recent escalation of violence in Gaza, resulting in the tragic loss of civilian lives, and extensive damage to property. One cannot remain unmoved by the cruel fate of children who are innocent victims of violence. We offer our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and for the devastation and grief they have suffered recently.

As each day passes, we see more innocent lives lost or harmed. We condemn all acts of deliberate attacks causing mayhem and loss of life of civilians. We are convinced that dialogue remains the only viable option that can effectively address the issues confronting the region and reaffirm our commitment to a peaceful solution.

Sri Lanka calls upon the parties concerned to exercise the utmost restraint in a bid to halt the violence and ensure a climate conducive to the recommencement of negotiations for a lasting solution to the conflict. We urge the parties to engage at the earliest in direct dialogue, which is the only sustainable path to peace and security in the region. We remain hopeful that since both parties wish to secure the right to life for their peoples, concerted action would be taken towards this end. The Egyptian ceasefire initiative would be a meaningful starting point for this purpose.

Mr. President,

The draft resolution presented to the Council in this regard provides a trajectory in keeping with the ground situation, to overcome the challenge to achieve peace and security in the region which we hope would get the widest support in the Council.

I thank you, Mr. President.

காஸா இனவழிப்பு போருக்கு சவூதி அரேபியா ஆதரவு!

காஸா இனவழிப்பு போருக்கு சவூதி அரேபியா ஆதரவு!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014

“காஸா : இஸ்ரேலின் முள்ளிவாய்க்கால்” என்று ஏற்கனவே குறிப்பிட்டு எழுதி இருந்தேன். 2009 ம் ஆண்டு, வன்னியில் நடந்த அதே இறுதிப்போர், இன்று 2014 ம் ஆண்டு காஸாவில் நடந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறது. இரண்டு போர்களுக்குமான தயாரிப்புகளும் முன்னெடுப்புகளும் கிட்டத் தட்ட ஒரே மாதிரி அமைந்துள்ளன. புலிகளின் இடத்தில் ஹமாசும், சிறிலங்கா அரசின் இடத்தில் இஸ்ரேலிய அரசும் உள்ளன.

ஈழத்தில் நடந்த இன அழிப்புப் போருக்கு அயலில் இருந்த பெரிய நாடான இந்தியா ஆதரவளித்தது. அதே மாதிரி, இஸ்ரேலுக்கு அயலில் உள்ள பெரிய நாடான சவூதி அரேபியா, இன்றைய காஸா இன அழிப்புப் போருக்கு உதவிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது.

இந்த உண்மையை சொன்னால், பலருக்கு நம்ப முடியாமல் இருக்கலாம். ஈழத்தில் கொல்லப் பட்ட பெரும்பான்மை தமிழ் மக்கள் இந்துக்களாக இருந்த போதிலும், ஓர் "இந்து நாடான" இந்தியா அந்தப் படுகொலைகளை அங்கீகரித்தது. காஸாவில் கொல்லப்பட்ட பெரும்பான்மை அரபு மக்கள் முஸ்லிம்களாக இருந்த போதிலும், ஒரு "முஸ்லிம் நாடான" சவூதி அரேபியா அந்தப் படுகொலைகளை அங்கீகரித்துள்ளது. "ஒரே மதத்தவருக்கு இடையிலான ஒற்றுமை" வெளியில் மக்களை ஏமாற்றுவதற்காக மட்டுமே பயன்படும். உள்ளுக்குள்ளே அவரவர் பொருளாதார நலன்கள் மட்டுமே முக்கியமாக கருதப் படுகின்றன.

இஸ்ரேலிய தொலைக்காட்சியான சனல் 10 ல் நடந்த கலந்துரையாடல் ஒன்றில், முன்னாள் பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சர் சாகுல் மபாஸ் (Shaul Mofaz) அதனை பகிரங்கமாக ஒப்புக் கொண்டுள்ளார். (Mofaz proposes role for Saudi Arabia and UAE to disarm Gaza; https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/12931-mofaz-proposes-role-for-saudi-arabia-and-uae-to-disarm-gaza)  காஸாவில் தற்போது நடந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் போருக்கு சவூதி அரேபியாவும், ஐக்கிய அரபு எமிரேட்சும் நிதியுதவி செய்யுமளவிற்கு சென்றுள்ளன! அதற்கு என்ன காரணம்?

மேலும் படிக்க...

Israeli shells hit UN shelter in Gaza

Shelling reported to have killed at least 15 people and injured 200 in a UN-run school in the Gazan city Beit Hanoun.

At least 15 people have been reported killed and 200 injured in the Israeli shelling of a UN school in northern Gaza that was being used as an emergency shelter.

UN official confirms attack on Gaza civilian shelter

24 Jul 2014 14

Al Jazeera's correspondent Nicole Johnston, reporting from Gaza, said the school in Beit Hanoun came under fire on Thursday. She said sources had told Al Jazeera that up to 30 people had been killed in the bombardment.

The Gaza health ministry later said that 15 were confirmed dead, and 200 injured.

The AFP reported a UN official as confirming "multiple dead and injured".

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Robert Turner, the director for UNRWA, the UN's humanitarian organisation in Gaza, said there was no warning from the Israelis before the shells landed. He confirmed there were casualties. 

He said the UNRWA were in contact with Israeli forces about a window to evacuate the school before the attack happened

"This is a designated emergency shelter," he said. "The location was conveyed to the Israelis.

"This is the fourth strike on our installations in three days."

Israel has attacked UN schools before, saying that they were safe havens for the armed Palestinians.

UN has criticised the Palestinian groups various times for using UN schools to hide fighters and weapons.

Turner said he had no information that there was military activity around the school.

"This was an installation we were managing, that monitored [to ensure] that our neutrality was maintained.

"We always call on all parties to ensure that civilians are not harmed."

A witness who arrived at the Kamal Adwan hospital after the attack told Al Jazeera: "We were sitting in the school, because we were told it is safe.

"By God, there was not a single fighter, not a single shot was fired from the school. Why did they shoot at the school?  Why? Can someone explain that to me?  Why would they shell the school?" 

Thursday's strike is the fourth time a UN facility has been hit in the 17 days of Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

Death toll rising

At least 730 Palestinians have been killed in the 17-day Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. More than 4,600 people have been injured.

Two Israeli civilians have been killed by fire from Gaza since the offensive began.

The total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the military assault stands at 32. One more soldier has been listed as missing and is believed to be dead.

Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief, said on Wednesday there was "a strong possibility" that Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza.

In a vote in Geneva later on the same day, the UN Human Rights Council decided to launch an independent inquiry in Israel's offensive on Gaza to investigate possible violations.

Has Islamic State ordered FGM for all women and girls?

THURSDAY 24 JULY 2014

Islamic State, which controls of a third of Iraq, orders all girls and women in and around Mosul to undergo female genital mutilation, the UN says - but there are claims the edict is a hoax.

The UN's humanitarian co-ordinator in Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock, said the fatwa issued by Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate state in northern Iraq, could affect four million women and girls.

This is not the will of Iraqi people, or the women of Iraq in these vulnerable areas covered by the terrorists.Jacqueline Badcock

"This is something very new for Iraq, particularly in this area, and is of grave concern and does need to be addressed," she said.

"This is not the will of Iraqi people, or the women of Iraq in these vulnerable areas covered by the terrorists."

However, the Independent has reported that the edict - which has been posted around social media - may be a hoax.

The newspaper quoted Shiraz Maher, a senior fellow at King's College London specialising in the Middle East, as saying he thinks the edict is a hoax - possibly spread by Islamic State's opponents.

FGM outcry

An international outcry has focused attention of the issue of FGM, also known as FGC (female genital cutting).

This week London hosted the first Girl Summit to tackle the issue of violence against girls – something former Foreign Secretary William Hague, alongside Hollywod A-lister Angelina Jolie, campaigned against.

This harmful and degrading practice is not based on any valid premise.Navi Pillay

It is estimated that an 103,000 women in England and Wales are at risk from female genital mutilation.

Worldwide the problem is generally associated with a number of sub-Saharan African countries, such as Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

According to the UNICEF, in the 29 countries with the highest prevalence rate, more than 125 million girls and women have been subjected to FGM.

Last week Navi Pillay, the human rights chief, called for concerted efforts to address the issue, saying the "harmful and degrading practice is not based on any valid premise".

"When FGM is eradicated, communities are healthier," she said. "Freed of the terrible pain and trauma that FGM creates, girls and women are more able to develop their talents and use their skills. Economic, social and political development can surge forward."

Missing Air Algerie plane from Burkina Faso has crashed: Algerian official

BY HAMID OULD AHMED-ALGIERS Thu Jul 24, 2014 

(Reuters) - An Air Algerie flight crashed on Thursday en route from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to Algiers with 110 passengers on board, an Algerian aviation official said.
Missing Air Algerie Plane From Burkina Faso Has Crashed Algerian Official by Maria Anderson

France's Ship Sale to Russia Latest Example of Commerce and Policy Clash

• BY KATE BRANNEN-JULY 23, 2014

France is under increasing international pressure to cancel or, at the very least, scale back its $1.6 billion sale of two Mistral warships to Russia. The sale has been under the microscope for some time, given Moscow's supplying of weapons to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its annexation of Crimea in March. But following charges that Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, pressure on France to pull out of the sale is at an all-time high.

France's Ship Sale to Russia Latest Example of Commerce and Policy Clash by Maria Anderson

Joseph Rudolph Wood execution: Inmate dies 2 hours after lethal injection

55-year-old was 'gasping and snorting for more than an hour' before death, lawyer says

Posted: Jul 23, 2014
A condemned U.S. inmate gasped and snorted during his almost two-hour execution Wednesday in an episode sure to heighten the national scrutiny surrounding the death penalty.

Lawyers for 55-year-old Joseph Rudolph Wood filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court while the execution was underway, demanding that it be stopped. The appeal said Wood was "gasping and snorting for more than an hour."

• 'Why are there botched executions? Because technology fails'
• Clayton Lockett's body returned without heart after botched execution
• Oklahoma inmate dies after botched execution
• The 3-drug mix that failed in Oklahoma
• Map: Death penalty, state by state in America
• A short history of capital punishment in the U.S.
• Warren Hill, mentally disabled man, tests America's harshest execution law

Word that Justice Anthony Kennedy denied the appeal came about a half hour after Wood's death.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's office said Wood, a convicted murderer, was pronounced dead at 3:49 p.m., one hour and 57 minutes after the execution began.

Wood gasped more than 600 times before he died.

'Today my pain stops'

Defence lawyer Dale Baich called it a botched execution that should have taken 10 minutes.

"Arizona appears to have joined several other states who have been responsible for an entirely preventable horror — a bungled execution," Baich said. "The public should hold its officials responsible and demand to make this process more transparent."

'This man conducted a horrific murder and you guys are going, 'Let's worry about the drugs.' Why didn't they give him a bullet?'- Richard Brown, family member of victim

Family members of the victims said they had no problems with the way the execution was carried out.

"This man conducted a horrific murder and you guys are going, 'Let's worry about the drugs,'" said Richard Brown. "Why didn't they give him a bullet?"

Wood looked at the family members as he delivered his final words, saying he was thankful for Jesus Christ as his saviour. At one point, he smiled at them, which angered them.

"I take comfort knowing today my pain stops, and I said a prayer that on this or any other day you may find peace in all of your hearts and may God forgive you all," Wood said.

Heart attack killed Oklahoma inmate

Lethal injections across the U.S. are being questioned after two controversial executions, including that of an Ohio inmate in January who snorted and gasped during the 26 minutes it took him to die. InOklahoma, an inmate died of a heart attack minutes after prison officials halted his execution because the drugs weren't being administered properly.

The body of Clayton Lockett, who died after a botched execution of what corrections officials have said was an apparent heart attack, was returned from an independent autopsy without the heart or larynx, a state medical official said Monday. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections, File)

Arizona uses the same drugs — the sedative midazolam and painkiller hydromorphone — that were used in the Ohio execution. A different drug combination was used in the Oklahoma case.

States have refused to reveal details such as which pharmacies are supplying lethal injection drugs and who is administering them, because of concerns over harassment.

Wood filed several appeals that were denied by the U.S. Supreme Court, including one that said his rights under the First Amendment of the Constitution were violated when the state refused to reveal execution details.

Wood argued he has a right to details about the state's method for lethal injections, the qualifications of the executioner and who makes the drugs.

Such demands for greater transparency have become a new legal tactic in death penalty cases.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had put the execution on hold, saying the state must reveal the information. But the Supreme Court has not been receptive to the tactic, ruling against death penalty lawyers on the argument each time it has been before justices.

Wood was convicted in the 1989 shooting deaths of Debbie Dietz, 29, and her father Gene Dietz, 55, at an auto repair shop. Wood and Debbie Dietz had a tumultuous relationship during which he repeatedly assaulted her. Dietz tried to end their relationship and got an order of protection against Wood.

Indian boy has 232 teeth removed

Surgeons operating on lump in Ashik Gavai's jaw found many 'pearl-like teeth' and a solid 'marble-like' growth

Surgeons examine the 232 teeth and 'marble-like' material removed from Ashik Gavai's jaw. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Thursday 24 July 2014

Surgeons in Mumbai have removed 232 teeth from the mouth of an Indian teenager in what they believe may be a world-record operation.

Ashik Gavai, 17, sought medical help for a swelling on the right side of his lower jaw and the case was referred to the city's JJ hospital, where they found he was suffering from a condition known as complex odontoma, said head of dentistry Sunanda Dhivare-Palwankar.

"We operated on Monday and it took us almost seven hours. We thought it may be a simple surgery but once we opened it there were multiple pearl-like teeth inside the jaw bone," she said.

After removing those they found a larger "marble-like" structure that they struggled to shift and eventually had to "chisel out" and remove in fragments.

Some of the teeth Indian surgeons found when they operated on the growth in Ashik Gavai's jaw. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Ashik's father, Suresh Gavai, said the family had been worried that the swelling was a malignant growth.

"I was worried that it may turn out to be cancer so I brought him to Mumbai," Gavai told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper.

Dhivare-Palwankar said the literature they had come across on the condition showed a maximum of 37 teeth being removed in such a procedure, whereas she and her team had counted more than 232 taken from Gavai's mouth.

"I think it could be a world record," she said.

Gavai's jawbone structure was maintained during the operation so it should heal without deformities, the surgeon added.