“When the Guns Fell Silent, So Did Our Art and Literature”: Aingaranesan

“When the Guns Fell Silent, So Did Our Art and Literature”: Aingaranesan

“Just as the weapons fell silent in Mullivaikkal, our art and literature too have lost their voice,” lamented P. Aingaranesan, leader of the Tamil National Green Movement and author of Vermugangal (Rooted Faces). His latest book is a collection of interviews with leading figures in art and literature conducted by Aingaranesan himself. Speaking at the launch of the book in Mulliyawalai recently, Aingaranesan said art and literature once carried the heartbeat of the Tamil national struggle—explai


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

Except Cycle Party, We All Are United, C.V.K. Sivagnanam Tells India

Except Cycle Party, We All Are United, C.V.K. Sivagnanam Tells India

Acting leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), C.V.K. Sivagnanam, has voiced frustration over India’s repeated calls for Tamil political unity, insisting that all major Tamil parties — except for the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), widely known as the Cycle Party — are already united in their demand for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Speaking to the media, Sivagnanam questioned the rationale behind New Delhi’s constant reminders. “On the matte


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

Gajendrakumar Says LTTE Sought Ceasefire to Evacuate Civilians in Final Days of 2009 War

Gajendrakumar Says LTTE Sought Ceasefire to Evacuate Civilians in Final Days of 2009 War

Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has made explosive revelations about the final days of Sri Lanka’s civil war, alleging that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sought a humanitarian ceasefire to evacuate trapped civilians — but that the government instead intensified its military operations. Mediator Between the LTTE and the Government In a recent address, Gajendrakumar revealed that he personally acted as a mediator between


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Network Behind Ishara Sewwandi’s 8-Month Flight to Nepal

Jaffna Network Behind Ishara Sewwandi’s 8-Month Flight to Nepal

Ishara Sewwandi, the prime suspect in the February 19, 2025, murder of underworld figure Ganemulla Sanjeewa at Colombo Magistrate's Court, has been apprehended in Nepal following a coordinated international operation. The 25-year-old suspect fled Sri Lanka shortly after allegedly assisting the gunman who shot Sanjeewa inside the courthouse. Police revealed that Sewwandi escaped with the help of a Jaffna man, identified as Kennedy Bastian Pillai — also known as J.K. Bai — who facilitated her rem


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

Tilvin Silva Functions as Sri Lanka’s Shadow President, Says Mano Ganesan in Conversation with Jaffna Monitor

Tilvin Silva Functions as Sri Lanka’s Shadow President, Says Mano Ganesan in Conversation with Jaffna Monitor

To grasp the shifting currents of Sri Lanka’s politics, Jaffna Monitor sat down with Mano Ganesan—Member of Parliament and leader of the Democratic People’s Front (DPF) and the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), both part of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the country’s main opposition. What follows is a no-holds-barred conversation with one of the most outspoken voices in Parliament. How do you see the one-year performance of the NPP government? Although it may still be too early to draw firm conc


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

Less Than 1% Representation: Tamil Publishers Challenge Colombo Book Fair Exclusion
Muhammad Sabry

Less Than 1% Representation: Tamil Publishers Challenge Colombo Book Fair Exclusion

For 26 years, the Colombo Book Fair—organized by the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association (SLBPA)—has transformed Colombo into a hub of books, bustle, and festivity. What began as a trade fair has grown into a cultural carnival, drawing thousands from every corner of the island and earning its place as one of Colombo’s most anticipated annual events. But behind the festive atmosphere, Tamil publishers allege that they have been systematically sidelined, with their repeated requests for stalls


Our Special Correspondent

Our Special Correspondent

Directions
Image courtesy https://www.pickpik.com/river-rushing-water-green-plants-daytime-huka-river-54422

Directions

Translated from the original Tamil short story ticaikaḷ (திசைகள்) from his 1992 collection of short stories by S.L.M. Hanifa. The original collection is available at noolaham.org. If you have any questions, please contact ez.iniyavan@gmail.com. Co-translators: eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ and Fasmila Raviraj. Māntarāṟu river rampaged with full ferocity, like a stampede of elephants in musth. Manikkam’s eyes were fixated on the treacherous maelstroms appearing here and there on the river’s surface, only to


Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ

Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ

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

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


Kaniyan Pungundran

Kaniyan Pungundran