Kaniyan Pungundran - Jaffna Monitor (Page 2)

The Roots of Sri Lanka’s Genocidal Mindset and Anti-Indian Sentiment Lie in the Mahavamsa: Writer N. Saravanan on His Bold New Translation

For nearly thirty-five years, N. Saravanan has been a steadfast voice in Tamil literary and journalistic circles. His journey began with Vidivu magazine, where his early writings reflected a deep commitment to social consciousness and cultural identity. He later served as one of the editors of Sarinihar, a publication renowned for its fearless engagement with issues of justice and human rights. In 2000, Saravanan migrated to Norway, where he continues to work as both a writer and activist, cont

Interview November 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Nov 16, 2025 — 17 min read

WE ARE SORRY

Editorial Thirty-Five Years of Silence, Thirty-Five Years of Shame On October 30, 1990 — thirty-five years ago — the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, with we Tamils as mute spectators, committed an atrocity that erased whatever moral or ethical ground our struggle once stood upon. In an orchestrated act of ethnic cleansing — not in scale, but in spirit comparable to the mass expulsion of the Rohingya from Myanmar; reminiscent of the 1948 Palestinian Nakba; echoing the forced displacement of

Editorial October 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Oct 26, 2025 — 7 min read

JVP Still Denies the Tamil Ethnic Question: Sharika Thiranagama Speaks to Jaffna Monitor

Photos by A. Priyakumar It feels like yesterday. As a student, I remember flipping through Amuthu, a Tamil-language magazine published by Lake House. One day, I came across an article about Dr. Rajani Thiranagama—her brilliant career, and how she was cowardly and mercilessly assassinated. More than the tragedy of that brave woman, what seared itself into me was the image of her two young daughters standing beside their mother. Even as a boy, I felt a deep and overwhelming compassion for them. T

Interview September 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Sep 16, 2025 — 28 min read

Nepal in Flames: The Shadow War Between Washington and Beijing

The defiant yet turbulent “Gen Z” protests that toppled Nepal’s government last week demand an analysis that goes beyond the surface narrative of a spontaneous youth uprising. While Gen Z undoubtedly played a leading role, the parallels with Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya in 2022 and Bangladesh’s student-led movement in 2024 are striking. Yet sources inside Nepal—including journalists and close contacts of mine—insist the story runs deeper. They argue the upheaval was not merely an outburst of youthful d

Editorial September 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Sep 16, 2025 — 9 min read

Mannar Wind Power Project: Sri Lanka’s Lifeline in the Face of Misguided Opposition

Sri Lanka: Where Coal Gets Love and Windmills Get Hate In Mannar, people — sadly swayed by calculated misinformation and a carefully packaged malicious agenda — once again poured into the streets to protest the windmill project. Curious about the logic behind this opposition, I asked my correspondent to call Mannar MP Selvam Adaikalanathan and bluntly inquire why he was against it. Of the many reasons he rattled off, one stood out for sheer originality — and sheer absurdity: “These windmills wi

Editorial August 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Aug 16, 2025 — 13 min read

Archbishop, Archbishop, why hast thou forsaken us in our hour of sorrow and slaughter?

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." - Isaiah 58:1 His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo and chief shepherd of the Catholic flock in all of Sri Lanka, has recently marked fifty years in the sacred priesthood. As the highest-ranking prelate whose dominion spans the entire island, he now stands as a mighty voice crying for justice, calling upon the nations of the earth for interv

Editorial July 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Jul 14, 2025 — 12 min read

Why Extremism Never Found a Home: The Bohra Approach to Faith and Scripture

"Tell me something," said a dear friend of mine—an expert in security studies—as we spoke about the Dawoodi Bohras over coffee one evening. "Have you ever heard of a Bohra being involved in a bomb blast? A shooting? Any terrorist group claiming to defend Islam through violence that had Bohra links?" He paused. "No, right?" "That's not a coincidence," he continued. "It's actually one of the most remarkable things about the Bohras—whether in Sri Lanka, South Asia or anywhere in the diaspora. Whil

Cover Story July 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Jul 14, 2025 — 4 min read

Jaffna Library Burning: The Day They Burned the buddha and his dhamma

Why South Asia Reveres Books-and Fears Their Destruction Irrespective of religion, across the Indian subcontinent, books have long held an exalted status. In the indigenous spiritual traditions that emerged from this land-Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism-knowledge is not merely valued; it is venerated in the highest order. In homes, temples, and schools across the region, people treat books with profound reverence-never touching them with their feet, and if done accidentally, offering a

Cover Story June 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Jun 16, 2025 — 14 min read