Topic of the day:-“Nine Years After: On Ninth Anniversary Of The End Of Civil War In Sri Lanka”
Nine years is perhaps too short a time for deep wounds to heal, but it is enough time to begin to introspect. However, going by the polarised views around the anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, there are few signs of that. For the Tamils who gathered in Mullaitivu district in the Northern Province on Friday, it was a day to remember loved ones killed in those savage final days of the war that ended on May 18, 2009 — according to UN estimates, nearly 40,000 died. The southern Sinhalese political leadership, on the other hand, makes it a point to celebrate “war heroes” around the same time, hailing their efforts to bring peace. Even this year, national leaders, including President Maithripala Sirisena, saluted the soldiers for their sacrifice, while offering nothing but silence to the civilians who were caught in the conflict. The two disparate narratives of trauma and triumph can never meet, and in such a context, the chances for fruitfully negotiating this hard-won peace will remain slim. Time will only make it harder for the two communities to resolve the ethnic division that has outlived the war. The government led by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe came to power in 2015 promising, among other things, a political solution to Sri Lanka’s national question. It initiated the drafting of a constitution that would potentially devolve more powers to all provinces, including the Tamil-majority north and east. Preoccupied with the persistent tension within the ruling coalition, the leadership has done little to take the exercise forward at a convincing pace, let alone complete it. Even the welcome initiatives of the government in the affected areas, such as the release of military occupied land or efforts to probe cases of enforced disappearance, will have only limited appeal or impact in the absence of a durable political solution. The international community has spared the government of pressure on the accountability front, hoping that it would proactively address other concerns that linger for the Tamil citizens. If initiatives on the political front have been so stalled, efforts to revive the economy do not offer much promise either. Almost every family in the north and east is neck-deep in debt and young people are desperate for employment. To say that time is running out is to state the obvious. Addressing the present challenges is one way of helping a wounded people cope with their troubled past. The memories that haunt them may never die. But some healing may be possible if they have a better future to look forward to. This government, which came to power with the overwhelming support of Tamils, must not let them down. It must not add to the list of missed opportunities.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Cessation
Meaning: The fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.
Example: “the cessation of hostilities”
Synonyms: End, Termination
Antonyms: Start, Resumption
2) Retaliate
Meaning: Make an attack in return for a similar attack.
Example: “the blow stung and she retaliated immediately”
Synonyms: Respond, React
3) Respite
Meaning: A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.
Example: “the refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering”
Synonyms: Rest, Break
4) Escalated
Meaning: Make or become more intense or serious.
Example: “the disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot”
Synonyms: Develop, Increase
Antonyms: Shrink
5) Equilibrium
Meaning: A state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.
Example: “the task is the maintenance of social equilibrium”
Synonyms: Balance, Equality
Antonyms: Imbalance
6) Home-grown
Meaning: Belonging to one’s own particular locality or country.
Example: “home-grown talent”
7) Alienation
Meaning: The state or experience of being alienated.
Example: “a sense of alienation from our environment”
Synonyms: Isolation, Detachment
8) Riskiness
Meaning: The degree to which something is risky.
Example: While the fund’s returns increased, so did its riskiness as an investment.
9) Gesture
Meaning: An action performed to convey a feeling or intention.
Example: “Maggie was touched by the kind gesture”
Synonyms: Action, Movement
10) Calibrated
Meaning: Carefully assess, set, or adjust (something abstract).
Example: “the regulators cannot properly calibrate the risks involved”
11) Complementary
Meaning: Combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize the qualities of each other or another.
Example: “they had different but complementary skills”
Synonyms: Supportive, Compatible
Antonyms: Incompatible
12) Ceasefire
Meaning: A temporary suspension of fighting; a truce.
Example: “the latest ceasefire seems to be holding”
13) Conflict
Meaning: A prolonged armed struggle.
Example: “regional conflicts”
Synonyms: War, Campaign
Antonyms: Peace
14) Gunned down
Meaning: To shoot someone and kill or seriously injure them, often when that person cannot defend himself or herself.
Example: The police officer was gunned down as he took his children to school.
15) Taken up
Meaning: To start doing a particular job or activity.
Example: He’s taken up the position of supervisor.
16) Tatters
Meaning: Irregularly torn pieces of cloth, paper, or other material.
Example: “he was forced to wear rags and tatters a beggar would scorn”
17) Outreach
Meaning: An effort to bring services or information to people where they live or spend time.
Example: The center was awarded a grant for counseling and outreach to the homeless.
18) Isolated
Meaning: Having minimal contact or little in common with others.
Example: “he lived a very isolated existence”
Synonyms: Solitary, Outlying
Antonyms: Accessible
19) Introspect
Meaning: Examine one’s own thoughts or feelings.
Example: “what they don’t do is introspect much about the reasons for their plight”
20) Polarised
Meaning: To cause something, especially something that contains different people or opinions, to divide into two completely opposing groups.
Example: The debate is becoming polarized and there seems to be no middle ground.
