TOPIC – An eviction in Sri Lanka, this day, that age
As societies overwhelmed by the novel coronavirus pandemic witness heightening fear, economic deprivation, and a persisting curtailment of public events, remembering the past to chart a progressive future has become a casualty. On October 30, 1990, the northern Muslims of Sri Lanka, a population of 75,000, were abruptly evicted by the LTTE that sought to reign supreme as the “sole representative” of the Tamils and their “homeland”. The families were forced to leave with just a shopping bag and a few 100 rupees in hand. For the 30th anniversary of the inhuman expulsion, there will not be any public events of remembrance, unfortunately. Over the last decade since the end of the war, remembering this act of ethnic cleansing at gunpoint (which displaced generations to live in refugee camps) was a way of mobilising support for resettling this long-suffering community, and in doing so, rebuilding fraught relations between Muslims and Tamils, fellowminoritiesinSriLanka.Thetragicpredicament of theNorthern Muslim community, distraught by an unwelcoming Tamilnationalist political landscape andin fear of being attacked by SinhalaBuddhist majoritarian forces,isbut a symptom of polarisation that gravely threatens Sri Lanka’s chances for a pluralanddemocraticpostwarfuture. After the end of the war in 2009,the Muslim community began returning to the North gradually, butthe state had no coherent plan for their resettlement. Of the approximately 8,000 families who originate from Jaffna, about 2,000 registered with the local authorities to return; now only about 700 families have been able to return as residents. The displaced families have faced social and economic challenges, including bureaucratic hurdles to gain housing grants for thewaraffected,contestedclaimsoverlandaftertheirdisplacement,andtheabject lack of support forlivelihoods. While there has beensome progress with respect totheir housing needs, the changigpolitical contextin the backdropof attacks on Muslims in the soth,particularly by chauvinist goon squads since 2012, to the vilification of Muslims after the Easter Sunday 2019 bombings, has cornered the community even in places like Jaffna. Constituting about 10% of Sri Lanka’s population, Muslims have proved ready targets in the past even if they are geographically spread over and are mainly Tamil speaking but with a distinct ethnic identity. The extreme nationalists among the Sinhalese and Tamils, seem to be objective allies when it comes to the Muslims as they draw from the global and South Asian discourses of Islamophobia. The “war on terror” spearheaded by the United States in 2001 continues to resonate with the militarised Sri Lankan state; the antiMuslim assertions of Hindutva inneighboring India are also being emulated by chauvinist actors in Sri Lanka. In a country fast coming under the grip of majoritarianism and authoritarian populism, the everyday lives of minorities are eclipsed by fear. And the dynamics of such polarising politics at the national level inevitably manifests itself regionally as well. Indeed, the current context does not bode well for TamilMuslim relations in the remotest villages in the island’s north and east. For, when polarisation is the dominant game in politics, suspicion, and fear of treachery prevail.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
Curtailment (noun) – The reduction of expenditures in order to become financially stable
Synonyms – retrenchment, suppression, decrease, diminution, epitome
Antonyms – extension, plethora, updation, enlargement, exhort
Abruptly (adverb) – Without giving notice or without the usual forms
Synonyms – suddenly, briskly, curtly, bluntly, tersely
Antonyms – gradually, lightly, blandly, calmly, affably
Expulsion (noun) – The act of forcing out someone or something
Synonyms – ejection, removal, dismissal, discharge, exile
Antonyms – recruitment, blend, avow, assimilation, integration
Predicament (noun) – A situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
Synonyms – plight, difficulty, dilemma, crisis, mess
Antonyms – ease, luck, boon, agreement, elucidation
Distraught (adjective) – Deeply agitated especially from emotion
Synonyms – overwrought, agitated, worried, disturbed, anxious
Antonyms – calm, gladdened, normal, tranquil, idle
Polarization (noun) – The condition of having
Synonyms – bias, arguing, hostility, variance, repelling
Antonyms – reunion, convergence, confluence, concourse
Coherent (adjective) – Capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner
Synonyms – consistent, lucid, clear, orderly, perspicuous
Antonyms – irrational, incoherent,
Abject (adjective) – Most unfortunate or miserable
Synonyms – miserable, wretched, despicable, contemptible, scummy
Antonyms – noble, exalted, worthy, magnificent, excellent
Goon (noun) – An aggressive and violent young criminal
Synonyms – hoodlum, thug, punk, lummox, toughie
Antonyms – wizard, ace, thinker, genius, virtuoso
Vilification (noun) – Slanderous defamation
Synonyms – smear, libel, slander, revilement, obloquy
Antonyms – blessing, acclaim, flattery, eulogy, applause
Assertions (noun) – A declaration that is made emphatically
Synonyms – affirmations, declaration, contentions, theses
Antonyms – applesauce, denials
Emulated (verb) – Strive to equal or match especially by imitating
Synonyms – imitate, mimic, echo, ape, mime
Antonyms – neglect, spurn, disregard, dispossess, affront
Eclipsed (verb) – Be greater in significance than
Synonyms – overshadow, surpass, outdo, beat, trump
Antonyms – reveal, accretion, explain, addendum, increase
Bode (verb) – Indicate by signs
Synonyms – augur, portend, presage, betoken, foretell
Antonyms – unforeseen, approachable, genial, assail
Treachery (noun) – Violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence
Synonyms – betrayal, perfidy, treason, deceit, disloyalty
Antonyms – honesty, devotion, allegiance, fidelity, bluntness
