Today tens of thousands of Tamils, from all ages and backgrounds, will gather across the homeland to pay tribute to those who laid down their lives in the armed struggle. The lighting of candles and silent bowing of heads comes despite another year of repeated intimidation and harassment from the Sri Lankan state. Regardless, the nation continues to gather en masse to honour the men and women who fought for it. In paying tribute to the sacrifice of their heroes, the resilience of the nation and its unbowed resistance to destruction is reaffirmed. It cannot be broken.
A memorial to Lieutenant Shankar, the first fighter from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to lose his life in the armed struggle, was renovated and freshly unveiled this week, ahead of the anniversary of his death on Monday.
Events were held in the UK, Canada, and other places across the Tamil diaspora this week to honour the families of cadres who gave their lives in the struggle for Tamil Eelam.
In the run-up to Maaveerar Naal on November 27, the families of fallen fighters are traditionally honoured.
Tamil newspapers on the island carried articles on Sunday to mark the 69th birthday of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The Mullaitivu Magistrates Court issued an order on Friday 24 November 2023, prohibiting all remembrance events and places in Mullaitivu dedicated to fallen Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres ahead of Maaveerar Day (27 November 2023). The order, prompted by complaints made by the Mullaitivu police department, specifically targets several individuals and organisations involved in organising the commemorative events in the district.
In advance of the 36th Maaveerar Naal commemoration, Tamils across the homeland are preparing cemeteries to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the armed struggle.
The 69th birthday of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was marked at several locations in Jaffna earlier today, including outside his childhood home.
Former MP M K Shivajilingam cut a cake in Valvettithurai, the leader's hometown, to mark the day.
Sri Lanka’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director of the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) pledged to take legal action against those who attempted to mark Maaveerar Naal, as Tamils across the North-East geared up to commemorate their fallen fighters on Monday.
A book titled 'Enathu Makkalin Viduthalaikkaga' (translated as 'For the Liberation of My People'), a compilation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's memoirs from 1984 to 2009, was launched in London, United Kingdom on Sunday 12 November 2023.
The Tamil nation, in the homeland and in the diaspora, holds steadfastly to records of the liberation struggle. The well-known dates and the lesser known dates are tirelessly observed. Heroes are canonised in the Maaveerar Naal calendar.
But with the destruction of LTTE records and cemeteries, it becomes inevitable that some names are lost to us, at least momentarily.
The record of Muslim fighters remains incomplete. Their contribution to the Tamil struggle for liberation is often overlooked in the mainstream commemoration of Maaveerar Naal.
On 23rd November, the University of Nottingham’s Tamil Society held a memorial event to commemorate Maaveerar Naal.
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A book titled 'Enathu Makkalin Viduthalaikkaga' (translated as 'For the Liberation of My People'), a compilation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's memoirs from 1984 to 2009, was launched in London, United Kingdom on Sunday 12 November 2023.
