Flags, portraits and memorials sweep North-East, as Maaveerar Naal preparations surge

^{Tamils gather outside the Sri Lankan Army's 51st Division base, which sits on top of an LTTE cemetery in Koppay, Jaffna.}

More than sixteen years after the genocide at Mullivaikkal, the Tamil homeland is witnessing its most widespread Great Heroes’ Day preparations in years, with red and yellow flags lining the streets, portraits displayed at makeshift memorials, and communities resurrecting destroyed cemeteries to honour the fighters who gave their lives for Tamil Eelam.

In towns across the North-East, bunting now lines streets, junctions and residential lanes, marking a level of public remembrance not witnessed in more than a decade. For some villages, it is their first time marking Maaveerar Naal under Sri Lankan military occupation.

In the run-up to 27 November, dozens of events have already taken place across the region. Hundreds of parents of fallen fighters have been honoured in ceremonies resembling those held during the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) era. Families were garlanded, presented with saplings and welcomed as honoured guests at community events throughout Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa and Amparai.

Portraits of fallen cadres have also been painstakingly displayed at makeshift memorials across the homeland, where local residents have erected temporary shrines, lit lamps and laid flowers. The most prominent among them is the large memorial installation in Nallur, where the names of tens of thousands of fallen fighters have been displayed. Photographs of Black Tigers are also included among the many commemorative images placed there.

Maaveerar Naal, marked annually on 27 November, is the most significant day in the Tamil nationalist calendar. It commemorates the death of the first LTTE cadre, Shankar, killed in 1982, and has since evolved into both a day of remembrance and a day of explicit Tamil nationalist expression. The commemorations traditionally culminate at 6.05 p.m., the exact time Shankar fell, when lamps are lit across the Tamil homeland. Before 2009, massive gatherings were held at dozens of thuyilum illams – literally translated to ‘resting places’ - where thousands of LTTE fighters were buried.

Every one of these cemeteries was later destroyed by the Sri Lankan state. Graves were flattened with tanks and bulldozers, tombstones smashed and sites desecrated. Some were paved over entirely; others, like the thuyilum illam in Koppay, had military bases built on top of them. That cemetery once contained the bodies of more than 2,000 cadres.

After the 2009 genocide, even private acts of remembrance were criminalised. Families who attempted to light a single lamp were arrested. Commemorations retreated underground, with many forced to mourn their loved ones in secrecy.

In recent years, however, public resistance has grown. Families began returning to the destroyed cemeteries, gathering scattered fragments of tombstones and cleaning the grounds despite military surveillance. That resistance has been growing year on year.
This year, preparation work began weeks in advance. Bulldozed cemeteries were cleared, rubble carefully collected and temporary memorial structures erected.

In Koppay, where the cemetery remains under occupation, Tamils constructed a memorial on adjacent land to ensure remembrance continued. Community groups, youth volunteers and local organisations worked openly despite ongoing threats from the Sri Lankan police and intelligence services. 

In Valvettithurai, the birthplace of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, preparations are under way across the town. On a roadside, a flag bearing the karthigaipoo — the gloriosa lily once declared the national flower of Tamil Eelam — flutters on a roadside, opposite a freshly cleaned memorial space. Inside, garlanded photographs of fallen LTTE fighters are on display.

“The CID and Sri Lankan police intimidation has not stopped,” a journalist in Jaffna told the Tamil Guardian this morning. 

He pointed to the how Sri Lankan police in Tellippalai seized speakers used to play commemorative songs on Tuesday, and how the president and secretary of the Polikandi Fishermen’s Association had been summoned for questioning by the security forces for the display of remembrance banners earlier this week.

“But the people are taking the little space has opened up with a lot more courage. That is why these commemorations matter so deeply.
Even the younger generation are stepping forward in ways that would have been impossible a decade ago. They have grown up under occupation, and yet they are the ones rebuilding memorials and cleaning the cemeteries. That says everything.”

The breadth of remembrance this year certainly seems to reflect that enduring resilience and the ongoing appeal of Tamil nationalist politics. Several politicians from across the Tamil political spectrum have already taken part in commemorative events. Earlier this year, a Tamil lawmaker from the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) coalition even paid tribute to LTTE political leader Thileepan.

“Maaveerar Naal is more than just a memorial day,” the journalist added. “It is a political declaration and illustrates the strength of the Tamil nation.”