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The 109th birth anniversary of M. G. Ramachandran, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and celebrated South Indian actor, was commemorated in Jaffna.
The event, held in front of the statue of M. G. Ramachandran in the Kalviyankadu area, was organised by the family of Koppay Sundaralingam, a friend and fan of the superstar, who passed away in 2021. Family members lit ghee lamps and offered floral tributes in remembrance of both M. G. Ramachandran and Sundaralingam, honouring their shared legacy of Tamil political commitment.
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Ramachandran, fondly known as MGR, was a wildly popular actor and became a cultural icon among Tamils from the 1950s right through the 1960s and 1970s. Through his movies, MGR propagated the Dravidian ideology to the Tamil masses which later helped him launch his political career. He was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka to an ethnic Malayali family on January 17, 1917. He died on January 24, 1987 in Chennai due to health complications.
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He was a vocal and material supporter of the Tamil Eelam independence movement. At a time when the Tamil nation in the North-East faced escalating repression by the Sinhala-dominated state, MGR used his political influence and personal resources to support Tamil resistance and humanitarian needs.
His backing extended to providing financial assistance support to the liberation movement spearheaded by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), during the early years of the armed struggle, reflecting a broader commitment to Tamil self-determination that resonated deeply among Eelam Tamils. For many in the Tamil homeland, MGR symbolised solidarity from across the Palk Strait.
A crucial benefactor of the armed liberation group, MGR was known for his generosity and, according to one source, provided Rs. 110 million to help build up LTTE.
LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran maintained a close relationship with MGR and has said in an interview that he fondly called him ‘Anna’. Prabhakaran and the LTTE received crucial help from their proximity to MGR who defied the central government of India to fund the movement.
In April 1984 LTTE leader Prabhakaran met MGR for the first time.
Prabhakaran and MGR meet in 1985.
The meeting bonded them and brought about a historic change in the Tamil Eelam freedom struggle. Panrutti S. Ramachandran, MGR’s minister and specialist on Sri Lanka, described their bond as “some chemistry”.
MGR would henceforth refer to Prabhakaran as “Thamby”, or younger brother, in a show of affection and respect.He would go on to provide immense financial support for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), once lending Rs.110 Million.
Prabhakaran reportedly met MGR to thank him after the funding allowed the LTTE to purchase new weapons. The LTTE leader presented the Tamil Nadu leader with an AK47, demonstrating how to dismantle and assemble the gun.
MGR died in December 1987 after being sick for over a year. The LTTE theoritician Anton Balasingham paid him a visit early that year when he was hospitalised. MGR reportedly sat up and from under his pillow fetched the AK47 Prabhakaran had presented him nearly three years earlier. MGR slept with it until he died, according to an account by T. Sabaratnam.
