Tamil political leaders slam India for omitting “Jaffna” in cultural center name
Two senior Tamil politicians from Jaffna have written to the Indian consulate officials expressing their deep anguish and disappointment over the arbitrary renaming of the Jaffna Cultural Centre as “Thiruvalluvalar Cultural Center”.
Apart from Tamil political leaders, social media is also abuzz with condemning and criticizing India over the renaming of the cultural center built in the heart of the Jaffna city built by the Indian government and donated to the people of the North.
In a letter to the Indian Consul General (CG) in Jaffna Sai Murali handed over in person, CVK Sivagnanam, Deputy leader of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi expressed the party’s displeasure and deep resentment at the word “Jaffna” missing from the name of the cultural center.
The cultural center was built on a land parcel belonging to the Jaffna Municipality adjacent to the Jaffna Public Library -where the open-air theatre existed earlier- by the Indian government.
In his letter to the CG the senior leader of the ITAK pointed out the “Jaffna Cultural Center” was jointly inaugurated in 2023 by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe.
“The administration of the center should have given to the Jaffna Municipality. But pointing out to the financial difficulties of the Municipality and certain important political reasons, it was administered by the CG. All of us should accept such a situation arose only because the building was built without looking into detail all the aspects”.
In his meeting with the Indian CG in Jaffna questioned the sudden change in the name of the center as “Thiruvalluvar Cultural Center”, without even the sons of the soil, political leaders, or for that matter anyone else aware of it.
“We would like to register our deep displeasure and resentment this has caused. Also, please note this feeling comes from the bottom of our hearts and is a very sentimental issue between India and the Sri Lankan Tamils”.
His letter also speaks about the respect and affinity the Tamil people have for the ‘Divine Saint Thiruvalluvar’.
“The Tamils have erected statues at many places in honour of the Divine Saint Thiruvalluvar. Not only that we have also erected the same for another Avvayaar, Mahatma Gandhi and ‘Mahakavi’ Subramaniya Bharati. We are not against Thiruvalluvar”. As such removing the name “Jaffna” which is our pride and identity and removing it is akin to insulting us”.
CVK Sivagnanam says the name “Jaffna” is non-negotiable and strongly believes such deletion should not cause a rift in the strong relations between India and them and has demanded it should be reconsidered immediately and rectified.
“This demand is placed only after due consultation with various people and in the interest of continuing the good relations between us”.
Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister of the Northern Province C V Wigneswaran also expressed his strong disapproval for the change of the name. In a statement, he has questioned the rationale behind such a move.
“The Jaffna Cultural Center is a gift of India to Sri Lanka via the people of the Jaffna Peninsula. It was hitherto referred to as the Jaffna Cultural Center. What prompted you to change the name to Thiruvalluvar Cultural Center?” he questioned.
Both the leaders have also raised the issue of Tamil not being given prominence in the name board. The name in Tamil appears below the English and Sinhala versions.
“And why an inferior status to Tamil Language? Under the Sixteenth Amendment, Tamil language is primus inter pares. If such change was done by the Government they would have been aware of this. Minister Chandraseker has denied knowledge of this change prior to the opening. Therefore, the responsibility for the change falls on the Consul General's office”.
In his meeting with and letter to the CG, the former commissioner of Jaffna Municipality and senior leader of the ITAK Sivagnanam pointed out Tamil has been pushed to the third place even in the name change and they are unable to understand the reason behind it.
“According to the 16th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, Tamil is the administrative language in the North and Eastern Provinces. The next administrative language will be Sinhala and English will only be a link language. However, here the order on the name board is English, Sinhala, and then in the last Tamil which is unacceptable and in violation of the constitution”.
In a post on the website of the Assistant High Commission of India in Kandy quoting the High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha says the naming was with a reason.
“The initiative not only served to pay tribute to the great Thiruvalluvar, it was also a celebration of a shared history, a shared culture, and the unique and unbreakable bond between India and Sri Lanka. He remarked that the occasion marked the beginning of a journey guided by the wisdom of Thiruvalluvar, towards a future rich in culture, collaboration, and shared prosperity”.
Thiruvalluvar popularly referred to as a ‘Divine Saint’ in the Tamil world is known for his epic couplets which speak about various aspects of life. His 1330 couplets are divided into three categories namely virtue, wealth, and love. Widely translated into various Indian and world languages, Tamils claim it has a unique place in the Tamil literary world.
All the couplets have seven words-four in the first line and three in the second and is known for its universality and secular nature.
Similarly, Avvayar is also known for her literary and religious works which are highly valued in Tamil literature.
Neither the Indian High Commission in Colombo nor the CG in Jaffna has responded to the strong condemnation and criticism from the public and politicians about “Jaffna” not being mentioned in the Cultural Center’s name board.
