David envisaged human emancipation through Tamil struggle: Sachithananthan
“The late Gandhiyam David was an example of a very cultured Tamil,
soft-spoken, strong in his views, dedicated to his land and rooted to
the soil – he was definitely a person who represented Tamil Eelam,” said
Ma'ravanpulavu K. Sachithananthan, a senior activist and former UN
consultant, in a video interview to TamilNet in Jaffna on Monday while
remembering the contributions of the veteran Gandhiyam leader of early
1970s. “Very few people in history make such determined effort to save
their community and hold on to their principles. [...] Even today, many
of us hold on to very strong views about our future. We may not be
there. But the dream will be there. David's dream will be there. [...]
His dream was human emancipation through Tamil emancipation. He was
dreaming for the community, not because he loved those around him, but
because he loved the humanity,” Mr Sachithananthan said.
S.A. David at 60
S.A. David photographed at the age of 88 in Tamil Nadu
Even at the age of 92, Mr David was
talking about continuing what he did in early 70s. He was talking about
possibilities of developing cashew plantations in the East, Mr
Sachithanthan, who is also a writer and publisher based in Chennai and
Jaffna.
Gandhiyam David was always interested in farms and making Tamils self-sufficient.
He
was a historical variant with vision. He never wanted anything to him
personally. To be very frank, he was a detached person. Detached to the
core. To the last, he held one view: Tamils should rule themselves.
“David
would talk continuously of achieving self-rule or a separate State for
the Tamils. He would never bargain on that. He would never give up his
ideas because of ‘changing situations’. He was very clear,”
Sachithananthan added.
“David was not a very strong believer in
violence. But, he said there was no other way at the time when the young
men took to violence. Even though he was a Gandhiyan, he felt he was
not there to block them,” he added.
Sachithananthan remembered
how hopeful David Aiyaa was in January 2009 when Barack Obama was
elected US President. “He had high hopes. Obama has come. We are
definitely going to have some change in the American policy, Mr David
was saying. But, when Mr Obama failed, when he did not grow up to the
expectations of David Aiyaa, he fumbled.”
“Sachi, this American Establishment is against us, David Aiyaa would say.”
David
aiyaa's dream is not limited to his life. It is a continuous process,
because subjugation is also a continuous process. “We think subjugation
is time-bound process and that somebody would conquer it. No. History
repeats continuous situations.”
“The history also repeats David Aiyaas”.
The
senior ITAK Central Committee member was also hinting about the serious
work that needs to be done among the Tamils in the Indian Ocean Region
and was sharing his and Gandhiyam David's work in the past on this
regard in Mauritius.
Mr Sachithananthan went to Mauritius in
1980 and met the leaders of Tamils, Hindus, representatives of the
political parties, government leaders including the prime minister, the
governor and the opposition leader. Upon his return, he reported to the
then TULF leader A. Amirthalingam and Kathiravetpillai urging them to
send a political delegation to Mauritius. The people and the leaders of
Mauritius were keen in extending their support to Tamils against the
anti-Tamil pogroms taking place in the island of Sri Lanka at that time.
But, the TULF leaders were not keen in respecting the request
of Mr Sachithananthan to send a delegation to Mauritius. However, in
1982, the late PLOTE leader Uma Maheswaran organised a delegation to
Mauritius on Sachithananthan's behest. Mr S. A. David and T.
Siddharthan were part of the delegation.
“If the Mauritius
government did not host the Commonwealth meeting or did not participate
in the meet [held in Colombo], it was because of the foundations we laid
[in early 80s]. We found a nucleus among the Mauritius Tamils who would
prop the political leadership there to take a pro-Tamil stand or an
anti-pogrom stand,” Mr Sachithananthan observed.
“In 1977, when I
phoned the Prime Minister's office, they immediately took it up with
the Sri Lankan government. I had a contact in Prime Minister's office,
Mr Ponnusamy. He is still around.”
“In 1983, after the riots, I
spoke to the prime ministerial candidate Anerood Jugnauth. He was
campaigning in the Tamil platform that he would speak for the Tamils and
they voted for him.”
“In 1983 September, thanks to David Iya and
to Siddharthan – and my efforts were also there – Mr Jugnauth spoke at
the United Nations. He was the first Prime Minister [of a country] to
voice the concerns of the Tamils in Sri Lanka,” Sachithananthan said.
“Subsequently,
India was not very happy with that situation because they were taking
control and they did not want any other government to be independent of
their efforts. Neither Mr Amirthalingam nor any other leaders went to
Mauritius. But the Mauritius Tamils kept the torch. [...] I think we
should thank David Iya for that,” he said.
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