The 93rd birth anniversary of Annai Poopathy Kanapathipillai, the Batticaloa mother who laid down her life in a hunger strike against the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF), was marked today with a tribute led by her eldest daughter.
Annai Poopathy began her fast on 19 March 1988, demanding an immediate ceasefire and peace talks between the IPKF and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Her protest, held in the midst of intensifying military brutality in the Tamil homeland, lasted a month. She died on 19 April 1988, becoming a symbol of civilian resistance against occupation.
Image courtesy of @saygi
A mother who had already endured profound loss, she had two sons killed by Sri Lankan state forces and another detained and tortured at the infamous Boosa army camp. Her hunger strike came to embody the grief, determination and political resolve of an entire nation fighting for its rights.
Commemorations for Annai Poopathy continue every year across the North-East, where she is remembered not only as a mother who mourned her children, but as a figure who sacrificed her life for justice and peace.
