Over 400 people from various villages in Salem, Tamil Nadu, held a candle-light vigil for Maveerar Naal in the village of Puliyoor, reports the Times of India.
Marking a 21-year-old tradition, men, women and children gathered at the ‘Ponnammaan Memorial Bus Shelter’, holding candles and singing songs in praise of Eelam and the nation’s heroes.
Mrs Kanagarathinam from nearby Mettur Dam who attended the event with her husband Mullaivendan said:
"The (LTTE) cadres fought for the rights and died for the Sri Lankan Tamils. We salute them for their sacrifice."
A resident of Puliyoor, P S Palanisamy, recalled the origin of the village’s affinity with Eelam:
"In January 1983, over 130 cadres of LTTE got training in Kumbarapatti village. The training was given by Ponnamman. The public of Kumbarapatti, Kolathur and surrounding areas gave rice and cereals to them. The cadres mingled with the public and explained the situation of Sri Lankan Tamils. The training was held at my farm and I spent most of the days with them. The name of the village was changed to Puliyoor (the village of Tigers) after the training camp."
A resident of Kolathur, Mr Balasaubramaniam, said that he had met Prabhakaran and had named his son ‘Thambi Prabhakaran’ as he had “great regard” for the man and his ideals. 20-year-old Thambi is reportedly part of a generation in which being named after a martyred LTTE commander is not uncommon.
Palanisamy also added: “We hope the fight against Sri Lankan army will begin soon."
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
