Tamils Remembering Their Past
Raj Subramaniam
To win the hearts and minds of the Tamil people it is of utmost importance that one understands and appreciates their political history and the hardships endured over the course of modern times. Starting in the 15th century Sri Lanka was colonized by the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch, and finally by the British, who granted independence after nearly 440 years of foreign interference in 1948. As the British packed their bags to leave the island, religious extremists took advantage of the confused situation, to seize the entire island for themselves and set forth what would become a long history of violence against Tamils, which has been systematically carried out countless times ever since. These events prove that every time outsiders steal control of our ancestral lands, Tamils become subject to slavery, oppression and violence. Our ancestors shared these hardships as they were enslaved, losing their rights to freedom, while today religious extremists continue to suppress fundamental freedoms in Sri Lanka forcing Tamils to follow their religion, speak their language, celebrate their traditions and study what they are directed.
Today Tamils have lost their collective identity and have forgotten the resolve to defend themselves on moral grounds. We have stopped asking ourselves important questions such as “why weren’t we treated with dignity” because the crisis of slavery continues to this day. Whether it is shown by bowing heads or by stooping to knees, our minds have adapted to the notions of enslavement. Those who ruled over us expected obedience, and over the course of centuries these characteristics of an inferior ethnicity have endured in our community.
