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The History of Sri Lanka

From: Journal of Third World Studies
Fall 2007 | Date: 10/1/2007 | Author: Imtiyaz, A R M

Peebles, Patrick. The History of Sri Lanka . Westport , Connecticut.: Greenwood Press, 2004. 216pp.

Sri Lanka (known Ceylon till 1972) has a long and rich history. The island, however, gained global attention in recent years, particularly for its deadly ethnic civil war and the tsunami that swept the shores of Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004 killing over 30,000 people. These and other developments require impartial academic inquiry, and Peebles’ research on the key events and activities of Sri Lanka daring from the early human settlements and socio-political activities of 28,000 B.C.E to the present is therefore timely and informative. Therefore, it is a prudent academic exercise and the appropriate time for someone, like Patrick Peebles to conduct a study from dated from till early 2006.

Peebles mainly focuses on how the key political decisions and choices made by the political actors affect the polity and relations between different ethnic groups. In the early chapters of the book, Peebles explains the complex relationships which existed between the Southern kingdoms and the Northern kingdom dominated by the Sinhalese and the Tamils, respectively, in the pre-colonial history.

Peebles then goes on to evaluate the processes and events which led to the demise of different indigenous political systems in the North and South of the island, and developments in the Western colonial society, particularly the British handlings of ethnic identities of the local people. Some assumed that the presence of the Western colonial system could ease ethnic tensions. However, colonial Sri Lanka proved otherwise, particularly during the British administration (1798-1948). As Peebles noted, some key British policies exacerbated ethnic tensions “emphasizing differences between ethnic groups,” and disproportionately allocating resources and opportunities to a certain ethnic group (p.67).

Peebles’ observations on post-independence Sri Lanka occupy the chapters from 8-13. They are more appealing and help readers understand how modernization efforts led by the Sinhala political class rather than narrowing ethnic disharmony generated ethnic tensions and distrust. Modernization can breed progress. However, when political leaders abuse the system or manipulate ethnic differences, modernization would likely produce blood rather than bread. Postcolonial Sri Lanka proves this scenario, and Peebles confirms such understanding.

In 1956, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) systematically mobilized a much more homogeneous Sinhala bloc than the liberal leaning United National Party (UNP) had ever focused on and favored the Sinhala Only as the official language with a reasonable use of Tamil (p. 105). The Sinhalese, particularly urban entrepreneurs, the rural petty-bourgeoisie, school teachers, village physicians, notaries, and village monks supported Bandaranayke. They felt that the minority Tamil community had taken an unfair share of power during the British Colonial administration by profiting from the opportunities for an English education which was available to them. Ironically, the leaders of the ethnic Moors (Muslims), whose members were the mostly Tamil-speakers, enthusiastically supported the Sinhala-Only official language policy. In 1956, the UNP adopted the Sinhala-Only policy and voted with the government (p.105). As far as the minority Tamils were concerned, Sinhalanization of the island eroded their trust in the impartial delivery of Sinhalese controlled state and its institutions.
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Peebles eloquently examines how the post-1956 political, economic and social developments, particularly after 1970, shaped the island years to come. The agendas of the Sinhala political class such as 1972 constitution, which included articles entrenching foremost place and state patronage for Buddhism and re-affirmed the pre-eminence of the Sinhalese language in all aspects of public life, and anti-Tamil education policies, had radically affected Sri Lanka polity. Also, such measures discouraged the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, which believed that the Tamils could win justice and peace without jeopardizing the unity of Sri Lanka . Sadly, Peebles notes that Sinhalese political establishment swindled the Tamil democratic voices. Thus, it encouraged some Tamils to adopt violence to seek a separate state (p.115). Also, it pressured some Tamil politicians to openly support the Tamil extremists and their programs (p. 127). On May 5, 1976 Vellupillai Prabakaran formed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lanka ’s economy is struggling to survive. Foreign investors share deep concerns over the chaos and instability. They expect warring parties freeze the differences and seek political solutions. However, efforts to seek political solutions, particularly since 1995, subjected to the attacks by the Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalists (p.171). As Pebbles correctly observes, devolution and power-sharing could strengthen Sri Lanka’s democracy, war-ridden economy, and ethnic harmony, in other words, they can aid Sri Lanka to realize its long beautiful dream- Singapore of South Asia.

Peebles, as an expert of modern history of Sri Lanka , offers thoughtful and impartial investigation into the key events of history and their implications. This book is a must read, therefore, I strongly recommend the book to students, academics, and for general reading to understand the island of Sri Lanka .

A.R.M. Imtiyaz
Temple University , Philadelphia , PA.

By K.S.Sivakumaran

While most Lankans write realistic fiction in the three languages of the country, most foreign writers lay importance to imagination. ‘Imagination’ is the key word in most fiction in the English language, particularly in the U.S. and U.K. Even Lanka origin expatriate writers focus on exotica- meaning outlandish stories- based sometimes on Sri Lanka.

Because these books ’sell’. If you go through some of the book reviews of say NYT, you would find books coming under the category of crime, espionage, romance, historical etc. are reviewed under fiction. Most writers spin stories having Hollywood in mind. Sociological realistic fiction mainly comes from other nations using the English language.

Take for instance the book under review - In the Shadow of the Tamarind Tree by Mathew S Friedman.

He happened to be in Lanka just after the Tsunami disaster in December 2004. He spent a month working for the USAID to provide immediate relief support. He is interested in different cultures in South Asia.

He is a dreamer with rich images surging in his mind. He says:” having visited the island three times before, I felt as if whatever story was playing out in my mind was happening along the Sri Lankan coast”

I read this short fiction, but this type of story is not my cup of tea, but it doesn’t matter. I know a lot of teenagers would like to read this type of stories as they do Harry Potter, for instance.

The book is published by Vijitha Publishers. The kernel of the story is this: “Set in Sri Lanka, it traces a gentle relationship between an elderly widower who had given up on life and a young girl who had just lost her brother in a tragic accident. Both were trying to escape their respective grief and deal with the burden of guilt and sorrow when they were brought together by circumstance and fate.”

We agree that the ” story weaves the threads of love and loss of faith in the meaning of life together in a manner that walks the reader down a path where the concept of destiny, time and the affirming quality of life are called into question.”

Clearly the writer is trying to bring in a splash of religious concepts woven into the fiction. In that sense it is a welcome introduction to the western world some tenets of Buddhism.

The writer wants to highlight the ‘reality that rebirth and a sense of healing can follow even the most terrible tragedy.

Even if the book is targeted for a western readership, even Lankans could refresh folklore and strong cultural symbolism in inherent in their culture.

Contact:sivakumaranks@yahoo.com

by K. S. Sivakumaran

Vannathikulam-Butterfly Lake is an English translation of a short fiction originally written in Thamil. The writer is Lanka born Australian Noel Nadesan. He practises in that country as a veterinarian. He has an added appellation - Doctor. His translator is also a Lanka born Australian. He is Kandiah Kumarasamy. The latter’s nom de plume is Nallaikumaran.

Vannathikulam in Thamil means a pond or tank with butterflies. Vannathi has two meanings: butterflies and washerwoman (what we call a female dhobi). Kulam is known as Kulama in Sinhala. Vannathikulam, an ancient Thamil village is now renamed Padaviya in Sinhala.

According to the writer, this short fiction is ‘based on true events laced with a fictional love story, where two souls from different ethnic backgrounds fall in love. They want to live in a bond of harmony overcoming the perils of ethnic tribalism’. So, what this book is about is clear.

Before I seek to go into the story, I must bring to your notice two commentaries by two well known persons. One is senior journalist (political commentator explaining and analysing Lankan and Thamilnadu political scene in particular), D. B. S. Jeyaraj. The other is a former prominent member of the JVP, Lionel Bopage, who is also a Lanka born Australian. Besides these two, the writer has consulted another senior Lankan journalist, H. L. D. Mahindapala, also an Australian citizen. Noel Nadesan has also submitted his original script in Thamil, titled Vaalum Suvadugal (Footprints of Life), to R. Ambihaipahan (Ambi), who is also a Lanka born Australian, for editing. Ambihaipahan is spelt as Ambikaibalar, which is wrong. I had known Jeyaraj, Mahindapala and Ambihaipahan for a long time.

The significance of the book, apart from its theme, lies in the two commentaries included in the book. For general information in recounting the actualities that had taken place in the country not so far in time, it is useful to remind ourselves the follies in which we as citizens have got entangled.

Let me therefore quote salient comments made by the two people referred above, which to my mind are worthy of remembering the past.

Quotes from DBSJ:

“The book is set in the period of 1980 to 1983 as a backdrop.Medawachchiya, Padavia and Vavuniya are in the border regions of Thamil majority Northern and Sinhala majority North -Central Provinces. These places serve as backdrop to the novel. The qualities underlying the theme is about love blossoming between a Thamil male and Sinhala female. This love grows gradually to the stage where both enter wedlock through a registered marriage.”

The above quote makes my task easy in going into the theme of the novel once again.

But what Jeyaraj says later is of significance. He says: ” Whatever the direction taken by political forces determining the contemporary political scene the ordinary people, irrespective of ethnicity, have decent humanitarian qualities.Sadly, powerless and helpless human beings cannot prevent or control the violently destructive hatred unleashed by the demonic forces of oppression. Innocent mortals are crushed and charred by the ferocious horror of present political trends. Yet they strive valiantly to preserve basic values and the inherent goodness of humanity in the face of overwhelming adversity. Padaviya is etched in the collective Thamil memory as a symbol of Sinhala majoritarian racism.”

Now, let’s see what LB underscores:

“In my opinion, one important factor is that Sri Lanka, in the name of defending great Sinhala Buddhist civilisation, linguistically isolated itself by drastically limiting and weakening the provision of English education to its people. Another factor is that while at the economic level, Sri Lanka was willing to embrace capitalism in all its manifestation, at social and cultural level, it endeavoured to retain many of its semi-feudal vestiges. Thamil youth of Jaffna were the first to publicly protest against colonialism.As was clearly visible since the 1940s, sectarian, one-sided and power hungry politicians never endeavoured to work towards building a Lankan nationhood. They continued to harness the differences among socio-economic and ethnic diversity of Sri Lanka peoples, aroused and used each nationalism against each other, to protect their own self-interests and privileges.”

In view of the length of the passages appearing on pages xiii and thereafter, I refrain from quoting, but the ideas expressed by Lionel Bopage are worthy of being understood by the extreme nationalists from both sides of the divide.

Noel S Nadesan says: “During the course of my work, I visited Sinhala villages bordering Thamil areas of North and East Many incidents that took place during my stay at Medawachchiya affected me deeply and left many unforgettable memories.”

He adds:” The Sri Lankan racial riots of July 1983 were neither accidental nor spontaneous. They were meticulously planned and carried out by politicians of that era. Seeds of discord sown in the early 1980s resulted in the pogrom of 1983 and the subsequent armed violence”

Now, let’s come to the realistic fiction. The book is a novel with erotic sensibilities amidst ethnic tensions among the Lankans even as early as quarter century ago. It is refreshing to note that a Thamil man and a Sinhala woman could really love each other despite hatred propagated by a few self-interested ultra nationalists.

Instead of my analysing the theme, plot, characterisation setting etc, I think the story will get its placing if I give you selective passages that explain everything you want to know. It’s contemporary history plus commentary from Thamilian points of view.

The translation helps one to understand the Thamilian idioms better and the the language used is a kind of Lankan Thamilian English. We must remember that it need not be ‘English - English’ as that mode is vanishing if you read contemporary world literature in English. However, a few careless errors have occurred in some places.

The story in 128 pages is divided into short 20 pages. Let me show those portions which struck me for actuality, tenderness and critical observations:

P 3: However, when I went to the University in the south and got to know the Sinhala undergraduates, I realised that the politics pursued by the Sri Lankan Government and the common Sinhala people were two different things.

P10 & 11: Padavia, he explained, is one of the colonies where new settlements prospered. The jungle was cleared for the unemployed and landless youth to settle in these colonies. Most of the inhabitants have come from the South of Sri Lanka. Some landless Kandyan Sinhalese also have settled in these colonies. My father is one settler. We were given not only free land, but also free rations of rice, dhal and dried fish for three years. My father was an early settler of the scheme. Even though the land and rations were given free, people were reluctant to come and settle down, as it was jungle area.”

P 12: Kandyan beauties were glamorized in popular songs. They were often referred to as “Menike’, meaning gem. Their fair skins and aristocratic bearing made them very attractive. However, the charming figure before my eyes mesmerised me. It was one of those sights that capture you eyes, your heart and mind instantly.

After touching the water in the glass as done in traditional Sinhalese custom, I accepted the cup of tea.

P 14; Chitra’s eyes with her fluttering eyelids made me want to change the name Padaviya to Vannathikulam, which meant Butterfly Lake

P 22: However corrupt it may be, it is difficult to go against a system without upsetting the entire social order. I went along with the system. I wasn’t in Medawachchiyato start a social revolution.

Yet in this remote corner, one becomes accustomed to the established ways. There are no rebels or crusaders here.

P 23: They, who were unable to even to keep the court premises clean, could waste the time and money of the Government by postponing this case for the simple reason that I appeared in the witness box with folded shirt leeves.

P 55: She placed the sari on her chest. The red sari on her yellow sari resembled red kumkumam on top of a sandalwood tray.

P 56: She leaned against me and gradually moved down my chest until her head nestled on my lap. When I placed my hand beside her neck and lifted her head close to me, she closed her eyes.

I brought her face closer to me. Now she opened her eyes. I pressed my lips over her s. She closed her eyes again; her hands snaked around my neck like a creeper grabbing me tightly. I wondered how she got her strength, as I struggled for my breath. Nevertheless, my arms ran round her waist and held her tight. I closed my eyes as I felt that it was not right to look at this world.

P 69: There is another place which is hot in cold weather and cold in hot weather.

What is it?

Come closer to me. I dragged her closer to me and rested my head on her breast saying, this is the place. Chitra, have you heard of a Thamil book called Thirukkural? Of Course!

It is said that the saliva of a girl is like a mixture of milk and honey.

P 94: During World War 2, the German Air Force was given categorical instructions not to bomb Oxford and Cambridge Universities. It was an order given by Adolph Hitler. In this case [they] surpassed even Hitler.

They have done it with the knowledge that the Jaffna Public Library is instrumental in making Jaffna people prosper in their education, Rukman said.

This is a false notion. They introduced standardisation with this idea in mind. The militant organisations sprang up because of the standardisation. The educated students started to have faith in the armed struggle. Even schoolchildren said that it is of no use going to school and started joining the militant organisations voluntarily. The youth-cadres who were more educated became their leaders. The issues such as burning of the Public Library will push the entire people towards armed struggle. When an armed struggle commences through incidents of this nature, it would be natural that revenge, enmity and swift justice automatically take the upper hand. There won’t be any humanitarian and intellectual approach o these issues. Then not only the Government but also the entire country will hit rock bottom.

In this country, it is better not to talk in any language. Then there will be peace. Languages have divided the people. Religions have destroyed them.

P107: If all Tamils behave like you then there will be no ethnic problem, one of the Sinhala students commented at that time. (1997 -P’deniya ‘varsity). As far as he was concerned, all Tamils known to him were good souls and only those Tamils unknown to him were bad.

P114: Tamils were killed during the racial riots in 1958. At that time, Tamils never asked for Tamil Eelam. Tamils residing in Colombo and the hill country areas were the worst affected during the riots. These people are destined to live among Sinhalese even if separation took place.

Ordinary Sinhalese people are almost unaware of the numerous problems Thamils are confronted with. The problem of the Tamils was looked as a problem of the politicians of both sides. Many Tamils were murdered in Jaffna during the early part of 1983, being branded traitors.

P 116: Pulmoaddai is an area close to the sea. The people who lived there were Tamil-speaking Muslims. Thennaaaravadi was the adjoining village and Tamil people lived in this village. These two villages formerly belonged to the Trincomalee District. Recently, both villages were amalgamated into the Anuradhapura District. The geographical continuity of Northern and eastern provinces were broken by this proclamation. The intention of the politicians was to deprive Tamils of statehood by settling Sinhalese in colonies and creating Sinhala villages in between the said two villages. These two villages came under my veterinary division.

P 128: Her fluttering eyelids looked like the wings of a beautiful butterfly. Her butterfly eyelids somehow comforted me, providing me with a sense of belonging to someone and security of knowing that she was with me.

This is a story narrated in the first person by the protagonist Sooriyan. He loves Chitra and she reciprocates. Through human relationships coming into his life, Sooriyan recounts the passage of time in the 1980s in the country. The political or rather ethnic actualities are reminded to young readers who might not have been familiar why these racial prejudices came about.

The book is published by Vijitha Yapa Publishers.

I wish readers from the major community knowing English read this fiction based on real events and even translate into Sinhala to undo the prejudices that some of the Sinhalas and Thamilians have towards each other.

Contact: sivakumaranks@yahoo.com

Title: Vannathikkulam-Butterfly Lake (128 pages, translation)

Author: Dr Noel Nadesan

Publisher: Vijitha Yapa Publications

By Brian Jeganathan

Vannathikulam (Butterfly Lake) is an autobiographical novella, cleverly woven using fiction and the author’s existential reality in the backdrop of ethno-nationalistic politics and conflicts in Sri Lanka in the early ‘80s.

The protagonist and narrator, Sooriyan, is a young Tamil veterinary surgeon from Jaffna, the former stronghold of northern insurgency. Having passed out from Peradeniya University, he has been posted to Medavachchiya, - a district predominantly inhabited by Sinhalese– which exists cheek by jowl with predominantly Tamil districts, which were gradually being shunted into a recalcitrant civil war.

The story line is simple: Sooriyan arrives in Medavachchiya and shares accommodation with few others, mostly Sinhalese, and then falls in love with his boarding mate Rukman’s sister Chitra, a teacher from Padaviya and decides to marry her. Neither of the families wage war on the lovers, but warn of the perils of interracial marriages in a climate of deep-seated communal antipathy. Rukman becomes a fugitive because of his strong links to the ultra leftist JVP (Peoples Liberation Front), facing imminent proscription by the incumbent capitalist regime. Sooriyan and Chitra, eventually, leave the country following the 1983 racial riots - flying away leaving their birthplace to become migrants in a strange land.

Padaviya, a Sinhala settlement, forms the locale of the romance. It is one of the settlements that Tamil nationalists have singled out to accuse the majority Sinhala governments of calculated colonization projects set up to alter the demographic balance of indigenous Tamil communities.

The period, 1980-83, in which the novella is situated, marked a radical turning point in Sri Lanka’s ethno nationalistic politics. The 1983 July riots and the proscription of the JVP precipitated the rapid militarization of civil society. More than three decades of political struggle for power sharing between the Sinhalese and Tamils was slithering down the slope of militancy and anarchy. On the other hand, several years later, the JVP, having gone underground, re-emerged as the architect of the bloodiest of southern youth uprisings tearing apart whole of civil society.

At a cursory glance, the novella may seem a familiar formula for a piece of creative work, essentially defeatist. However, at another level, the narrative, in fact, sums up the unendurable tragedy that has befallen this island nation of Sri Lanka. Though sketchy, the story resonates with the contemporary plight and flight of men and women, who no longer can live a normal human life in an atrophying society.

The author, Dr Noel Nadesan, succeeds in retaining the literary flavour of the fiction, using the device of fusing together anecdotes to form a coherent piece of work. The style and form combine to present a frank and crucial perspective to the ethno political discourse. In my view, Sooriyan does not stand for rash adventurism, or tokenism, but portrays a fresh humanism that transcends all that is baser in the contemporary ethno-nationalistic politics.

The narrative further fulfills its purpose of demystifying the entrenched jingoist ideologies that have justified the violence and destruction perpetrated in the name of ethno-cultural absolutism. It unravels the pernicious truth how southern and northern politics have been instrumental in demonizing and criminalizing one ethnic group by the other. He also questions the emancipatory political nostrums offered by extreme political breeds such as the JVP.

The novel opens with Sooriyan’s arrival in the farming district of Medavachchiya - a stranger and ‘the other’. Sooriyan’s father warns him “to work very cautiously with the Sinhalese”, but he settles in amicably among the Sinhalese. Contrary to his father’s admonition, he discovers later in the story, how Chitra puts her neck, literally against the cold gun of a Sinhalese soldier to save him: “Instinctively, Chitra held the barrel of the sub-machine gun and shouted in Sinhala: ‘This is my husband’”. By doing so, Chitra, takes on the very personification of the Sinhala hegemonic forces, to protect her Tamil friend, who later becomes her husband. Once again, during the 83 riots, it was another Sinhalese woman, Mrs. Wijesinghe, who offers Sooriyan a gun to protect himself from the marauding Sinhalese mobs. Thrusting the shotgun into Sooriyan’s hands she says, “Please have this gun and torchlight with you. There is only one bullet in the gun. What can we do if anything happens to you?”

Sooriyan’s romance with Chitra sprouts out based on “love at first sight”. Soon, the love-struck couple’s story bourgeons out, but without much fanfare. And the author is extremely cautious not to exploit the Tamil-Sinhala ethnic dichotomy to dramatize or sensationalize his love story. His love affair with Chitra –Goddess with her fluttering butterfly eyelids - is written about as an occurrence, natural and normal. The moments spent with his lover is not larded with mushy, maudlin dialogues. But they are straightforward, witty, and refreshing. After his return from Jaffna, Sooriyan satisfies Chitra’s desire to know what he had told his folks in Jaffna about her: “A Sinhala cuckoo had punched my heart and taken it,” Later he tells his folks, “I saw a girl called Chitra. I had not seen her language, race or religion but I have found affection flowing in abundance from her heart,”

The author’s ability to strip the language of paraphernalia and embellishment gives power to his little narrative. Packed with details, the narrative flows smoothly without hiccups. His anecdotes include the mundane and the sophisticated, but all harmoniously traveling in one direction to form a memorable story. Using the devices of “recollection”, “reminiscences”, and “borrowed information”, the author populates the story with events, and axiomatic tales from Tamil classical literature to give breadth and depth to the story.

In a sense, Sooriyan is the ideal man for our society shredded by communalism and tribalism. Story is rooted in realism. Sooriyan is ordinary and attempts to understand the obfuscating welt of issues as an ordinary human being. He contemplates upon them, questions them, but avoids subscribing to any, as they do not fit into the paradigm of his humanism. His humanism dictates that he should listen to his conscience, and conscience only.

He is not schizophrenic or ambivalent. He deals with the social and political world unequivocally. Hence, he is a realist-humanist. Though he accommodates religion, culture and societal rituals, he is acutely aware of the catastrophic effects of language and religion. “In this country, it is better not to talk in any language. Then there will be peace. Languages have divided the people. Religions have destroyed them,” Sooriyan knows that language is always and all ready ideological; and violence is inherent to religions. This should not be construed as a call for passivity and non-dissent.

When in Jaffna, he feels a sense of subservience in the face of the occupying Sinhala military forces. He is indignant about it: “I have hated it. This type of hatred would not be felt after passing south of Vavuniya. Jaffna is our country. We are a subjugated nation.” Though he is justifiably angry, he does not hastily hold a brief for Tamil nationalist leaders who joined the bandwagon to trundle down the abyss of war. “The fact is that Tamil politicians were not only hasty but also entered the ring without any basic plans. I thought that their actions were tantamount to the actions of an irresponsible man of a family who jumped from a moving vehicle in anger because the conductor of the bus had scolded and assaulted him, yelling at him and his whole family to jump out,”

In a deeper sense, Sooriyan suffers from an acute sense of nostalgia for his native Jaffna, especially Eluvaithivu, the obscure islet, which has been abandoned and isolated by the governments. Though he is attached to Padaviya, where his love sprouts out, he feels the deep alienation from his birthplace. He equates the tragedy in the apt lines “the ordinary people accepted these problems as their destiny, since the Government seemed to them as far away as God’’.

During one of the emotional trips to Eluvaithivu with Chitra, Sooriyan expresses his innermosts disconnect with his birthplace poignantly: “At least, let my feet embrace the soil”. This sense of being exile within one’s own country, gives the tragic edge to the story. Thus, the poetics and politics of the book situate the novella in the realm of tragedy. Sooriyan’s and Chitra’s ultimate deracination from their birthplace and the flight to the unknown culminates in that tragedy, which stems from the abominable and macabre social and political conditions unleashed by the lords of war.

BOOK LAUNCH

VANNATHIKKULAM (Butterfly Lake) Novella by Noel Nadesan

Book will be launched by Jude Pereira MP (State Member for Cranbourne)

Function presided by: S.Raveendran (Lawyer)

Book review:

Preeti Jabbal (Indian Link)

Channa Wickremesekera (Author - Walls, Distant Warriors)

Nithi Nithiyananthanan (Bharathi Academy & Dramatist)

On 3rd June 2007, 4 p.m., Churches of Christ Theological College

44-60 Jackson’s Road, Mulgrave Vic 3170

Mel. Ref.: 80K3

Contact: Noel Nadesan

9561 0242 / 0411 606 767

uthayam@optusnet.com.au