Chinniah Rajeshkumar (Ragavan)

Neelan Unsilenced : The Life and Death of a Pluralist in a Divided Sri Lanka

“The way for emancipation is to renounce language pride, national pride, religious pride, and caste pride.” – Periyar. Neelan Tiruchelvam – Unsilenced Directed by peace activist and filmmaker Pitasanna Shanmugathas, Unsilenced revisits the life and assassination of one of Sri Lanka’s most courageous liberal thinkers. The documentary traces Neelan’s relentless commitment to pluralism, constitutional reform, and democratic values at a time when both state repression and militant authoritariani

Sep 16, 2025 — 11 min read

The Political Murder of Alfred Duraiappah and the Discourse on “Traitors” in Tamil Nationalist Politics

Alfred Duraiappah was killed 50 years ago, on 27 July 1975, by my early friend—who would later become the LTTE supremo—Prabhakaran, along with a few other young men. Although I had no role in the killing, at the time I felt a deep sense of satisfaction, believing that a “traitor” had been removed and that, for the liberation of our people, such individuals had to be eliminated. After the murder, Prabhakaran came to my village, Punnalaikadduvan, and I sheltered him for almost a year in my grandm

Article August 2025

Chinniah Rajeshkumar (Ragavan)

Aug 16, 2025 — 14 min read