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"Mamanithar" award
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam awarded its highest civilian honour
posthumously to former Amparai district Parliamentarian Chandranehru
Ariyanayagam who was gunned down along with Kausalyan the tiger political chief for
Batticaloa - Amparai and four others along the A - 11 highway on February 7th.
Chandranehru became the first Eastern Tamil recipient of the "Maamanithan" or
"Great Person" hounour conferred by LTTE supremo Velupillai Pirapakaran.
Chandranehru known generally as Chandra and/or Nehru was the latest casualty
caught up unfortunately in the crossfire of a dirty war between the LTTE and its
former Eastern commander Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna. He had
gone by van to help out Kausalyan returning home from the Wanni. Nehru had met
the LTTE political head for the east and his comrades at Polonnaruwa and was
transporting them back when assassins struck fatally at Pillaiyaarady about five km
from the Welikande Army camp. His death was a tragic instance of being in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
The LTTE leader's decision to award Nehru the "Maamanithan" honour was not
motivated by Nehru's service to the tigers in this respect alone. It was due to a
combination of reasons. In the first place Chandranehru was an avowed LTTE
supporter and never hesitated to assert that position in public. Even after failing to
win a seat at the last poll the man had continued to serve the people of Amparai to
the best of his ability.
He continued to maintain a close relationship with the LTTE and in recent times
became a trusted confidante. His last act of going out of his way to give Kausalyan a
"ride" being a good example. He was also involved with the LTTE affiliated Human
Rights outfit known as the North - Eastern Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR)
In a climate where civilian supporters of the LTTE could have been intimidated by this
type of killing it was necessary for the LTTE to boost civilian morale by honouring
people like Nehru who were murdered by its foes. As a former Parliamentarian and a
human rights activist Nehru in LTTE eyes had the necessary credentials to deserve
such an award. Also it served to highlight the gruesome kiling thus earning the LTTE
some plus points. The tigers are now engaging in a lot of propaganda over Nehrus
killing as they hope to generate a lot of sympathy.
Regional considerations also played a part. Earlier the LTTE had given Nehru the
"Naatrupatraalar" title posthumously. This means "patriotic citizen" and is regarded as
the second highest civilian award of the LTTE. Subsequently the tigers revised their
position and honoured him with the greater award. The "Maamanithan" was given
Kumar Ponnambalam too in 2000 when the Tamil Congress leader was killed in
Colombo.
It was realised later that Nehru not being given the highest civilian honour may not go
down well with the Eastern Tamils. The high - profile LTTE contingent that came down
to the East from the Wanni to participate in the funerals felt in their interaction with
people that this could be perceived as discrimination towards the East. The Karuna
faction could have pinpointed this further. With the LTTE fighting a politico - military
battle in the East to win back the hearts and minds of the Tamil people awarding the
"Maamanithan" became almost an imperative.
The award was handed over to Chandranehru's widow at a special ceremonu held at
Paavattai LTTE base in the Kanchikudichhaaru region of Amparai district. Nehru's
wife is of mixed Tamil - Sinhala parentage and lives in Komari. Chandranehrus only
son living in Britain as well as his siblings living in Canada and elsewhere were
present. LTTE Batticaloa - Amparai military commander Ram presented it to Mrs.
Chandranehru after reading the citation signed by Pirapakaran. The LTTE leader
praised Chandranehrus exceptional service to the Tamil people and the Tamil cause
amid adverse circumstances.
Former Batticaloa - Amparai special commander Ramesh,ex - Political chief Karikalan
, LTTE financial controller Thamilendhi and ex - EROS leader and current senior
member of the LTTE Kamalisini Velupillai Balakumaran also spoke at the ceremony.
Nehrus body was lying in state at the tiger camp. Earlier the body was taken around
Batticaloa and Amparai distrists for people to pay their respects. After the award
ceremony the body was brought back to Nehrus native Thirukkovil and buried
according to Christian rites conducted by Methodist priests.
LTTE political wing chief and the Batticaloa - Amparai special commander "Col"
Bhanu were also expected to pay their respects at Nehrus funeral but could not do so
as they were not given helicopter transport from Kokkatticholai to Thirukovil.
Chandranehrus wife and son however went up to Palugamam later and met
Thamilselvan. The LTTE political wing head consoled the family and expressed his
sympathies.
Chandranehru Ariyanayagam was a colourful character with a flamboyant
personality. He was an old "sea dog" with about 30 years service as a mariner. Of
these at least 20 were as captain of a mercantile vessel. Years of sea going however
did not diminish the patriotism of this Eastern son of the soil whose family was
steeped in Tamil nationalist politics. He returned home a few years ago to put down
roots in his motherland and took to politics in a big way.
Hailing from Thirukkovil in the south of Amparai district Chandranehru was the son of
a well - known pedagogue KAW Ariyanayagam who made a name for himself in the
Gandhiyan way of Tamil national struggle some decades ago. Ariyanayagam was a
founder member of the Federal Party led by the "Gandhi of Eelam" SJV
Chelvanayagam.
Like Chelva he too was a protestant christian. If the North was a preserve of the
American Missionaries the East has been a Methodist stronghold from the time of
William Ault who came along to Ceylon with the pioneering seven methodist
missionaries led by Thomas Coke. Thirkkovil was one place that tok to Methodism in
large numbers. This Christianisation however did not prevent Tamil nationalism
entrenching itself there.
Ariyanayagam senior participated in all the non - violent struggles of the fifties and
sixties that the Tamils engaged in to win back their lost rights. He was the uncrowned
king of the Amparai district Tamils and fostered principles of non - violence in them.
As a result he was called "Arappor" (Ahimsa struggle) Ariyanayagam. He also wrote
the Tamil national anthem of yesteryear "Engal Eelath Thamil Thiru Naadu" modelled
on Tamil Nadu poet Bharatidasan's "Thiraavida Ponnadu".
Young Chandranehru also participated in many such demonstrations during his
student and early youth including the 1956 and 1961 Satyagrahas. LIke many Tamils
he became disillusioned with non - violent struggle and in later years an ardent
devotee of the armed struggle and the LTTE. He believed firmly that only an armed
struggle waged by the LTTE could win back the lost rights of Tamils.
Entering government service first as a fisheries department employee he worked in
Kalpitiya. The lure of the ocean was irresistible and he quit government service and
joined a Maldivian ship as second officer. In six years he was captain of his own ship.
He worked for many years in Maldivian ships. He also got married during this period.
If life on the high seas took Chandranehrus mind off Tamil politics a nasty experience
in the mid - eighties brought him back to reality. Coming home on a vacation he was
arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act and incarcerated in Boosa
for more than a year. The experience made him a determined Tamil nationalist
espousing separation through armed struggle.
He bade adieu to sea - faring at the end of the last century and returned home to
Thirikkovil. He bought a complex of shops and became a businessman. Poitics was in
his blood. Soon came the 2001 elections. Nehru contested on the Tamil United
Liberation Front ticket in Amparai district where Tamils were only 19% of the total
population. Though a newcomer and being away from the Country for decades Nehru
was able to win a seat of the total seven in the district.
One thing that helped him was the family background. His father Ariyanayagam would
have been an MP in 1960 when Amparai district was carved out of Batticaloa but for
the fact that the Tamils willingly "sacrificed" the seat due to them to let the Muslims
get additional representation during electoral demarcation. Such was the amity that
prevailed between both communities them. In 1977 when Pottuvil was made a multi -
member constituency Ariyanayagam would have been the first choice had he been
living. He passed away in 1972 and so entered M. Canagaretnam.
Apart from this one of Nehrus brothers Ruban was a popular methodist pastor. The
Christian community rallied strongly behind Nehru because of this. Another factor that
helped him was the fact that the Thambiluvil - Thirukkovil people mobilised strongly in
his favour because Nehru was a man from that area.
Nehru's Parliamentary baptism was funny. He came wearing a batik bush shirt and the
speaker refused to let him take his seat as he was improperly attired. So Nehru had
to borrow the white long sleeved shirt of a Parliamentary staffer and take his seat. He
was a firebrand and often made controversial pronouncements. He took no effort to
disguise his unbridled admiration of the LTTE.
When the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a resolution calling for Pirapakarans arrest
and deportation to India Nehru lost his temper. He described India not as
"Thainadu"(Mother Country) of the Tamils but a "Pei Nadu" (Devilish Country). He
also threatened to bring Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha Jayaram to trial under
the Tamil Eelam penal code.
The irony in all this was that his father Ariyanayagam was a great admirer of India. He
himself was named after two great sons of India. The Chandra was for Subash
Chandrabose and the Nehru obviously for Jawarhalal Nehru.
When the Karuna revolt occurred Chandranehru was in a quandary. He took no sides
initially and urged unity saying "Praba and Karuna were the right and left eye of the
Tamils". Later he was compelled to throw in his lot with Karuna and spoke at a rally
where Prabakarans picture was burnt publicly.
Despite this Nehru was not trusted by Karuna who had brought in Pathmanathan
earlier to contest on the TNA ticket along with Nehru. Pathmanathan was from
Karaitheevu and married in Thambiluvil. Thus he dented Nehru's Thirukkovil -
Thambiluvil vote bank while garnering Karaitheevu votes too.
In the early stages Nehru was backed strongly by the Amparai district tiger political
wing chief Bawa. About a week before the election Bawa deserted Karuna and went
over to the Wanni. This left Nehru in the lurch and deprived him of LTTE support. The
intra - Tamil National Alliance campaign between Nehru and Pathmanathan was very
fierce leading to much violence before and after the elections.
Another factor was the "religious" card being raised. The support of all Hindu temple
trustees was obtained to mobilise Hindu voters and keep the "Vedhakkaran"
(Bibleperson) out. Despite this Nehru lost only by a narrow margin to Pathmanathan.
The Eastern situation changed within a week of the 2004 election. Karuna left
Batticaloa after some fighting and the Wanni hierarchy re- gained the upper hand.
Nehru appealed that he should be given the national list nomination for the East but
did not succeed. It was given Joseph Pararajasingham who had boldly hitched his
wagon to the Pirapakaran star while Chandranehru had been vacillating between
Pirapa and Karuna.
As time progressed Nehru re - established better relations with the tigers in the East
as well as Wanni. Kausalyan in Batticaloa and Balakumaran in the Wanni helped
Nehru salvage himself politically with the LTTE supremo.The tiger hierarchy realised
that he was an ardent Tamil nationalist whose heart was in the right place in spite of
temporary problems.
He was then made Amparai district representative of the North - Eastern Secretariat
On Human Rights headed by Rev. Karunairatnam.In a newspaper interview Nehru
waxed eloquently about the NESOHR and what he proposed to do. He stated that it
would be even handed and pull up the LTTE too if it violated human rights. This
however had to be taken with more than a pinch of salt.
In practice the NESOHR is yet to prove its impartiality and independence. Its reports
are an exercise in glossing over alleged LTTE offences and whitewashing it. When it
was formally inaugurated at Kilinochchi Thamilselvan went public with the
pronouncement that the NESOHR was being set up to take forward the "Tamil
national leaders" ideas and thoughts.
In recent times there has been a lot of tragedy in Chandranehru's family. He lost two
brothers in the past two years. Both died due to illness. The recent Tsunami disaster
hit Thirukkovil hard and according to a close relative 26 of Chandranehrus relations
were killed.Now Chandranehru himself is no more. He leaves behind his wife, son,
octogenarian mother and seven siblings. [Sunday Leader]
on a vacation
he was
arrested under
the draconian
Prevention of
Terrorism Act
and
incarcerated in
Boosa for
more than a
year."
