Gandhi is Dead, Long Live Violence!!!

Anton Balasingham is no more….. Mr. BalaSingham was critically instrumental in crafting the LTTE’s ideology and was fairly successful in nurturing and instigating the “LTTE’s philosophy” in the hearts and minds of millions of Tamils. Acclaimed as a master strategist, a chief negotiator during peace talks – the magnitude of his loss is nothing but colossal.

For over 3 decades now, LTTE’s struggle and demand for a separate nation has grown in great depth and magnitude, leaving the Tamil minority in crossfire. The forlorn faces and the tattered lives of people who seek refugee in Tamilnadu (India) speak volumes of the agony, the distress, the mental pain and suffering caused to these harmless souls, who fight all the odds stacked against them, expect nothing but a right to life. I deeply empathize with my Srilankan Tamil brothers and sisters, I completely understand the trauma they undergo & I would be forthcoming to support them to the extent possible. Not unlike many hot blooded young Indian men, with strong inclination towards violence & communism, I was fascinated by the heroic activities of rebels like - V Prabhakaran, Fidel Castro & Che Guevara. I grow up allowing myself to develop the ill-conceived conviction that "Violence" is the panacea to fight the evil in this society, to wrestle the heinous crime, to encounter corrupt politicians, to eliminate jingoists, to slaughter mindless hegemony in this world. Thanks to the movies which influenced me to a higher degree and helped reinforce my conviction and etched my thought process deterring me to think of nothing but violence as a fix-it-all solution.

Education, time and people can alter perceptions & offer new dimensions to life. I was no exception. Two years of my management education helped me to re-read history – now I was careful enough to read between lines – introspect and appreciate true values and beliefs. Leadership miracles by Jesus, Gandhi & Nelson Mandela intrigued and inspired me to seek the truth, which I understand is non-violence. Undoubtedly, non-violence yield better proven-results, prevents loss of life & property making the world a better place.

Pondering on why Gandhi and his principal-concept of non-violence not being followed by his own countrymen would give me Sleepless nights. I blame none for we have created a world filled with Violence and blood-shed. But now I firmly assert there is “one-solution” which would reverse all the blood-shed – NON VIOLENCE.

Had rebels resorted to non-violence and make it part of its central-strategy, had the Kashmir insurgents considered non-violence as a potential weapon, had the mighty leaders and their followers placed enough belief on non-violence, many wars could have been averted, many lives could have been saved, fruitful amicable solutions could have been born.

Gandhi realized it - We enjoy the fruits (freedom) borne by non-violence, Nelson Mandela stood for Non-violence - South Africans are successful in curbing racism. But sadly, BalaSingham chose violence. I have no doubts that their struggle would not fructify. With a heavy heart, I foresee, Srilankan Tamils would suffer for years to come. I don’t see light at the end of the tunnel. The LTTEs are now busy proclaiming “GANDHI IS DEAD, LONG LIVE VIOLENCE”.