Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

The writer behind the byline ‘Our Special Correspondent’ is also the editor-in-chief of Jaffna Monitor.

Dreaming to Fly in the Wrong Land, with the Wrong Ethnicity: An Exclusive Interview with Deluxion Mohan
Dreaming to Fly in the Wrong Land, with the Wrong Ethnicity: An Exclusive Interview with Deluxion Mohan

Dreaming to Fly in the Wrong Land, with the Wrong Ethnicity: An Exclusive Interview with Deluxion Mohan

Imagine a prodigy: blessed with immense talent, relentless hard work, and unshakable grit. He sets out to build an aircraft—perhaps the first of its kind in the country. Not with imported technology or expensive gadgets, but using only the raw materials at hand. Motorbike engines, makeshift components, and pure ingenuity. Against all odds, he was on the verge of success. In most countries, such brilliance would have been celebrated. He would have been hailed, encouraged, and supported. The gove
Interview September 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
"The LTTE's 2009 military defeat was the culmination of the diplomatic and moral isolation that began with Rajiv Gandhi's assassination." — Anirudhya Mitra, journalist and author of 90 Days, and writer behind the series The Hunt
Anirudhya Mitra

"The LTTE's 2009 military defeat was the culmination of the diplomatic and moral isolation that began with Rajiv Gandhi's assassination." — Anirudhya Mitra, journalist and author of 90 Days, and writer behind the series The Hunt

The teleseries The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case has emerged as both a cultural flashpoint and a streaming triumph — celebrated by many and debated with particular fervour within Sri Lankan circles and the global Tamil diaspora. At the heart of this narrative stands the man whose original work inspired the series: Anirudhya Mitra, author of the bestselling 90 Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassins. A gripping account of India’s most high-stakes manhunt, 90 Days
Interview August 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
"If Sri Lankan Tamils Truly Want to Shape Their Destiny, They Must First Become Financially and Institutionally Self-Reliant” – Prof. Thavam Thambipillai in Exclusive Interview with Jaffna Monitor
Prof. Thavam Thambipillai

"If Sri Lankan Tamils Truly Want to Shape Their Destiny, They Must First Become Financially and Institutionally Self-Reliant” – Prof. Thavam Thambipillai in Exclusive Interview with Jaffna Monitor

In many ways, Prof. Thavam ThambiPillai stands as an inspiring role model for Sri Lankan Tamils—and a guiding light for a community long in search of grounded, visionary leadership. A distinguished transplant surgeon, educator, and institutional leader, he became the first Sri Lankan Tamil—and possibly the first Tamil globally—to be elected World President of the International College of Surgeons (ICS). His journey is a masterclass in transforming tragedy into triumph and pain into profound purp
Interview August 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
“Sri Lankans Are Hilarious, Creative, Sharp - And We’re Finally Getting to Show That to the World”: Sri Lankan Diaspora Comedian Sath Nadesan Speaks to Jaffna Monitor

“Sri Lankans Are Hilarious, Creative, Sharp - And We’re Finally Getting to Show That to the World”: Sri Lankan Diaspora Comedian Sath Nadesan Speaks to Jaffna Monitor

When you scroll through your social media feed and burst into laughter at the unapologetically absurd sketches of Yeah Mad, chances are you’re catching a punchline from Sath Nadesan. Or rather, Sathya Nadesan—as he was named at birth. Born to a Tamil father, Vasanth Nadesan of Kandy, and a Sinhalese mother, Araliya de Silva of Mount Lavinia, Sath grew up straddling identities in Sri Lanka before making his way to Australia. Today, he’s a Sydney-based stand-up comedian, a full-time cast member o
Interview July 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
"Why Not?" — Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka’s Daredevil Surgeon, Speaks Exclusively to Jaffna Monitor
Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

"Why Not?" — Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka’s Daredevil Surgeon, Speaks Exclusively to Jaffna Monitor

What drives a surgeon born into a well-to-do Colombo family, educated at prestigious schools, and trained in Manchester’s finest hospitals, to choose rural Polonnaruwa as his first consultant posting? For Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke, the answer lies in his daredevil spirit—a trait that has defined his extraordinary four-decade career and continues to shape the man he is today. While most surgeons sought comfortable urban postings, Dr. Goonetilleke made a deliberate choice—to become the sole surgeon
Interview July 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
Noolaham.org:A Digital Middle Finger to the Arsonists Who Burned Jaffna’s Treasure Trove

Noolaham.org:A Digital Middle Finger to the Arsonists Who Burned Jaffna’s Treasure Trove

In the decades since the Jaffna Public Library was reduced to ashes-its nearly 97,000 books and manuscripts deliberately set alight in what remains one of the most egregious acts of cultural genocide in Sri Lankan history-a quiet yet determined renaissance has taken root. A new generation of Sri Lankan Tamils, both at home and across the diaspora, has come together to build a library that no racist mob can ever burn again. That library is Noolaham.org-Tamil for "repository of books." Today, thi
Cover Story June 2025
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
“We’ve Funded Temples. We’ve Funded Bullets. Maybe It’s Time We Fund Trauma Centres and Teacher Salaries”:

“We’ve Funded Temples. We’ve Funded Bullets. Maybe It’s Time We Fund Trauma Centres and Teacher Salaries”:

When entrepreneur and strategist Abbi Kanthasamy published his deeply personal essay, ''A Beacon Amidst the Bleeding: What Jaffna’s Doctors Taught Me About Life'', he may not have anticipated the resonance it would spark. Yet within hours, the piece went viral across social media — striking a nerve in a nation numbed by crisis. Born in Jaffna to a Director of Education father and a university lecturer mother, Abbi spent much of his early life in the North. Today, he is a dynamic figure in globa
June 2025 Special Interview
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent
Untreated War Trauma Can Turn Soldiers Into Agents of Violence

Untreated War Trauma Can Turn Soldiers Into Agents of Violence

Dr. Ruwan M. Jayatunge is a Sri Lankan born medical doctor and mental health professional whose work has spanned continents and conflict zones. A former commissioned officer in the Sri Lankan Army, he treated soldiers at the Colombo Military Hospital, becoming one of the first in the country to study and document the psychosocial effects of PTSD. With advanced training in psychiatry, trauma informed therapy, addiction psychology, and neuropsychology from institutions in Canada, the UK, and the
June 2025 Interview
Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent