Dr. Rajani Thiranagama — The story of an assassinated Human Rights activist
செப்டம்பர் 21, 1989
ராஜினி திராணகம அல்லது ராஜினி ராஜசிங்கம் திராணகம (பெப்ரவரி 23, 1954-செப்டம்பர் 21, 1989) இலங்கையில் இருந்த மனித உரிமை செயற்பாட்டாளரும் பெண் உரிமை செயற்பாட்டாளரும் ஆவார்.
வரலாறு
ராஜினி, வடக்கு இலங்கையின் யாழ்ப்பாணத்தின் தமிழ் கிறிஸ்தவக் குடும்பத்தில் பெப்ரவரி 23, 1954 இல் பிறந்தார். நிர்மலா, சுமதி, வாசுகி ஆகியோர் இவரின் சகோதரிகள் ஆவர். ஆரம்பக் கல்வியை யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில் முடித்துக் கொண்ட ராஜினி, 1973 இல் கொழும்புப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் மருத்துவப் புலத்தில் இணைந்தார்.
1977 இல் திராணகமவை ராஜினி மணந்து கொண்டார். அவர்களுக்கு நர்மதா (1978) ஷரிகா (1980) என இரண்டு பெண் குழந்தைகள் பிறந்தனர். 1986 முதல் தயாபால திராணகம தலைமறைவாக இருக்கிறார். பட்டப்படிப்பின் பின்னர், 1978இல் பயிற்சி மருத்துவராக யாழ்ப்பாண மருத்துவமனையில் இணைந்தார். பயிற்சியின் பின்னர், 1979இல் இலங்கையின் மத்திய மலை நாட்டின் அப்புதளைக்கு அருகில் உள்ள அல்துமுல்லை என்ற இடத்தில் மருத்துவராகப் பணியாற்றினார்.
1986 இல் பட்டப்பின் படிப்பை முடித்து தனது இரண்டு குழந்தைகளுடன் இலங்கை திரும்பிய ராஜினி யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் உடற் கூறியல் பிரிவுத் தலைவராக பொறுப்பேற்றார். இந்நிலையில் கணித விரிவுரையாளராக பணியாற்றிய ராஜன் ஹூலுடனும், சிறிதரன், தயா சோமசுந்தரம் என்பவர்களுடன் இணைந்து 1990 இல் வெளியிடப்பட்ட முறிந்த பனை (The Broken Palmyra) என்ற ஆங்கில நூலை எழுதினார்.[2] இவர்கள் நால்வரும் இணைந்து 1988 இல் மனித உரிமைகளுக்கான யாழ் பல்கலைக்கழக ஆசிரியர் சங்கத்தை தொடங்கினர்.[3]
கொலை
செப்டம்பர் 21, 1989 அன்று பணியில் இருந்து வீடு திரும்பும் வழியில் அடையாளம் தெரியாத ஒருவரால் சுட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டார். முறிந்த பனை நூலின் ஏனைய ஆசிரியர்களும் ராஜினியின் சகோதரி நிர்மலாவும் இக்கொலையை விடுதலைப் புலிகளே செய்ததாக குற்றம் சாட்டியிருந்தனர். [4][5][6]
Dr. Rajani Thiranagama — The story of an assassinated Human Rights activist
Raging in various degrees of intensity since 1983, it has been one of the least known but more intractable wars of the postcolonial era. Labelled as a "forgotten war," it has caused at least 65,000 deaths, displaced up to one million people, resulted in severe human rights abuses, and compromised Sri Lanka's once promising development.
________________________
by Firdaus Ali
(May 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) "Men in battle garb, whether they come with swords or guns, on a horse or in armoured cars, the price of conquest seems heightened by the violation of women," wrote Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, a few months before she was assassinated in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka.
And, it was exactly the subject of "woman and war" that captivated Montreal-based filmmaker Helene Klodowsky and formed the beginnings of yet another powerful film. "The real heroes in any war are the people. And, it is the strong women that help keep families, neighbourhoods, societies and nations alive during turbulent times, like in Sri Lanka," Helene said in a recent interview to Voice.
She was moved by the courageous story of Dr. Rajani — a mother, anatomy professor, author and symbol of hope — who was killed at the age of thirty-five. "Rajani Thiranagama's life was marked with vision. Her tragic death demonstrates the dangers faced by women everywhere who are struggling for human rights in the face of violence and corruption," reflects Helene.
The filmmaker believed that by following Rajani's lifestory and the circumstances surrounding her untimely death, several themes could be explored simultaneously: nationalism vs. anti-nationalism, the lives of women as both participants and innocent victims of war, and the belief in armed struggle vs. a critique of militarism.
Helene has been writing and directing social, political and art documentaries for 20 years. A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and Queen's University, her films have been screened and televised around the world and have won more than 25 awards.
Her recent film "No More Tears Sister" offered food for thought and triggered off animated debates, when shown at a world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto last month. The film will screen at the Seattle Film Festival, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York and the Banff Television Festival later this spring.
"I knew that creating a portrait of a slain human rights activist would be no easy feat — especially given the fact that there were no surviving archives, few photos and, due to security concerns, no access to filming in Jaffna where Rajani lived and worked. In addition, most of her friends, former students and colleagues were far too fearful to speak about her on camera. Almost everything would have to be constructed, but based on careful research I wanted "No More Tears Sister" to reflect the passion and beauty of Rajani's ideals. I aimed at making a film that is political, feminist and aesthetic," adds Helene.
A story of love, revolution, and betrayal, "No More Tears Sister" explores the price of truth in times of war; Rajani was anti-war in every sense, openly condemning the LTTE's strategy and failures, just as she condemned the actions of the Sri Lankan military and the Indian Peace Keeping Force. She was shot dead as she cycled back home from the University one evening in September 1989. The bullets that killed her are believed to be that of an LTTE assassin's.
"One day some gun will silence me and it will not be held by an outsider but by the son born in the womb of this very society, from a woman with whom my history is shared," wrote Dr. Rajani in 1989, a few months before she was killed. And, to film her story, Helene traveled to the other side of the globe, researching and documenting one gutsy woman's journey and in the process opening up the violent, ethnic conflict of Sri Lanka, to the entire world.
Fifteen years after Rajani's death, her charismatic older sister Nirmala, a former Tamil militant and political prisoner, journeys back to Sri Lanka. She has decided to break her long silence about Rajani's passionate life, and her brutal slaying. Joining her are Rajani's husband, sisters, and grown daughters, as well as fellow activists forced underground. Stunningly photographed, using rare archival footage, intimate correspondence and poetic recreations, the story of Rajani and her family delves into rarely explored themes — revolutionary women and their dangerous pursuit of justice.
The film, a production of the National Film Board of Canada dwells on the theme: Sri Lankan Tamils must debate how to stop retributive killings in the community, not who's next.
The film, based mainly on interviews with members of Rajani's family and on archival material, and narrated by the Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, vividly captures her transformation from a sympathizer of the Tigers' cause to one of its fiercest critics.
Following Rajani's killing, Jaffna saw a few protests but they quickly fizzled out when the LTTE began contacting participants individually, asking them to pipe down.
As the documentary notes, those were the last spontaneous instances of free expression in northern Sri Lanka.
"The sensitive subject of the film made it impossible for a filmmaker from within Sri Lanka to make the film. Someone from outside was needed to tell Rajani's story," says Helene. The film was conceived of as a three-part series entitled ‘Women and War.’
"When I was first approached by the National Film Board of Canada to make a film about women and war, I considered myself up to the task. Besides making films about other conflict zones, I had lived close to the shadows of war. My mother survived the Lodz Ghetto and other concentration camps. Questions about war and women's experience in war were part of my daily vocabulary," recalls Helene.
She was drawn to the subject of women's experience of war in Sri Lanka — a conflict that scholar Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah has called the "ethnic fratricide" of his country.
Raging in various degrees of intensity since 1983, it has been one of the least known but more intractable wars of the postcolonial era. Labelled as a "forgotten war," it has caused at least 65,000 deaths, displaced up to one million people, resulted in severe human rights abuses, and compromised Sri Lanka's once promising development.
"I wanted to understand how ethnic conflict and nationalist struggles impact women — be they victims of war, militant fighters or peace builders. I wondered whether there was a feminist critique of both state and guerrilla violence? It was well known that the Sri Lankan military and the opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were both guilty of torture, illegal detention, disappearances and extrajudicial executions. I wanted to explore whether women were, on one hand, torn between loyalties to their ethnic community and, on the other hand, the community of women? Did oppressed minority women imagine fighting injustice in different ways than their male counterparts?"
Embracing feminism and a belief in human rights, Dr. Rajani felt that women in particular were the primary casualties of war. This film powerfully demonstrates the risks faced by people everywhere who are working to promote human rights and protect innocent lives.
This was an important film because of its feminist perspective, its strong voice for human rights, and its resonance here in Canada, which is home to the world's largest Tamil community outside Sri Lanka. Like all communities who have migrated here, Tamil Canadians have brought with them their concerns about events taking place in their homeland. It is vital that Canadians understand the politics and social issues of Sri Lanka.
"Rajani had a vision for her people, the Sri Lankan Tamils. She envisioned a time when they would live in peace and dignity, enjoying democratic rights and freedoms. Standing against oppression and brutality in all its forms, she is a beacon of light for a community living in fear and struggling for self-respect. She will never be forgotten and is an icon for everyone in Sri Lanka fighting for freedom."
Helene's candid style of filmmaking accompanied by the interweaving of compelling personal narratives and complex political analysis makes the film unforgettable. Though set in Sri Lanka, Rajani's story has parallels in postcolonial societies around the world. She was part of a generation of political activists of the 1960s and '70s who dreamed of radically transforming their societies. Sadly, this idealism often fell victim to narrow nationalist agendas.
For years the government and rebels kept trying to bury the story of Rajani and only succeeded in having songs sung in her praise. In the midst of the ongoing conflict, Rajani's story constantly gives Sri Lankans a reason to affirm and celebrate themselves as a people. They should continue to do so in the name of peace and justice.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
Best known for the book The Broken Palmyra, she had predicted the demise of LTTE
In September 1989, Sri Lanka’s Northern Province lost one of its most prominent human rights defenders following the death of Rajani Thiranagama, who was gunned down, reportedly by the rebel Tigers.
A human rights activist and feminist, Rajani is best known for her contribution to the The Broken Palmyra — a book she co-wrote with three other members of the University Teachers for Human Rights, Jaffna — that documented atrocities committed allegedly by the LTTE, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) and the Sri Lankan forces on the Tamil civilian population in Jaffna. The book remains one of the few works critiquing human rights violations by all sides.
Only 35 at the time of her assassination Rajani was head of Jaffna University’s anatomy department and the mother of two young girls then.
Twenty five years later, her colleagues, associates and family decided to come together in Jaffna last weekend to remember her work but quite a few hurdles came their way, bringing into focus concerns over shrinking democratic spaces in the country.
Organisers said they had obtained prior permission to hold a meeting at the University of Jaffna, where Rajani served, and police permission to hold a procession. However, both were revoked days ahead of the event. When contacted, University vice-chancellor Vasanthy Arasaratnam said: “No one came to me to obtain permission,” adding that some of the organisers, working with the University, were “always troublemakers”. Deputy Inspector General of Police-Jaffna Rohan Dias denied having given permission to the procession as “it would inconvenience the public in the narrow roads of Jaffna”.
Ahilan Kadirgamar, Jaffna-based political economist and member of the Rajani Thiranagama Commemoration Committee, said, “We wanted to organise a series of events to remember not only Rajani but all those who had stood for democracy and justice during the tragic war that had torn apart our society and our country.”
Later, municipal authorities revoked permission obtained by the organisers to hold one of the seminars at Jaffna’s public library, Mr. Kadirgamar said, adding that authorities prevented their attempt to hold the event in public spaces in a transparent way. The municipal commissioner in-charge of the library could not be reached for comment. The organising committee, its members said, had to find alternative venues in the last minute.
Amid concerns about constant military surveillance in the Northern Province, a few men turned up at the seminar on Sunday, organised in the premises of a church, introducing themselves as members of the CID and taking details. On the visit of “CID officials”, the DIG said: “I don’t know who they are. The CID is not in my purview. And sometimes, some people in civilian clothes just claim they are from the CID.”
After Rajani’s assassination in September 1989, her fellow activists and family members had to leave Jaffna as they faced similar death threats. Over two decades later — and five years after Sri Lanka’s brutal war ended — the group of academics and activists that put the event together saw the event as an opportunity to reflect on the process of democratisation and issues of the marginalised sections of the war-torn people, something that resonated with Rajani’s work.
Speaking at the commemorative meeting, health worker Sarada Devi said: “The war was intense and we were terrified seeing many of our loved ones dying. Many of us were detained, tortured and put through enormous difficulty. I was so affected that I could not even cry at that time. It was Rajani who lifted me up and brought me out of my terrible situation.”
Initially assisting the LTTE — offering medical support to its wounded combatants — Rajani left the movement, completely disillusioned with the armed struggle and what she saw as the group’s “narrow nationalistic politics.” Rajani’s was also one of the few voices in the north at that time that critically reflected on Tamil nationalistic politics and the implications of an arms movement.
She was equally critical of the Sri Lankan armed forces and the IPKF, the Indian military on a peace-keeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990.
Rajani had, in fact, predicted the fall of the LTTE in The Broken Palmyra, observing, “The Tigers’ history, their theoretical vacuum, lack of political creativity, intolerance and fanatical dedication will be the ultimate cause of their own break up. The legendary Tigers will go to their demise with their legends smeared with the blood and tears of victims of their own misdoings.
The Hindu
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