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Righting a grave wrong

It was to be a Red Letter Day for the Northern Province, but sadly it is not to be. The reconstructed Jaffna Public Library was to be ceremonially declared open today, but unfortunate circumstances have caused the Jaffna Municipality to postpone the event indefinitely.

The worthy councillors, it appears, have been under threat by interested parties and what would have been a healing experience has now been transformed into another painful punctuation mark in our tortuous history.

It is too early to say whether the re-establishment of the library would have proven a healing gesture, as far as the affected populace is concerned, but it certainly was meant to express the goodwill of the State and those desirous of peace and reconciliation in the South, towards the people of the North. In the bridge-building exercise linking North and South, the reconstruction of the Library would feature as an important milestone, evocative of a spirit of humanity stemming from current efforts at rejuvenating the land.

As is well known, the destruction of the Jaffna Public Library 22 years ago, was an act of vandalism unheard of in Sri Lanka's modern history. Considering the stature the Library enjoyed in the whole of Asia as a wellspring of knowledge and culture, the torching of the Library could have been considered an attempt at wantonly undermining the educational heritage of not only the people of the North but of that of a sizeable section of humanity. For, most literate sections in this part of the world were united with the Tamil people in that searing moment of suffering and loss.

The reconstruction of the Jaffna Public Library, therefore, by the Lankan State could be looked upon as a profound act of rectification. It is an attempt at rectifying a grave wrong which had been visited upon the people of the North. Only time will tell whether the great loss suffered has been amply recompensed or whether the reconstructed Library matches up to its predecessor's repute and standing in the world of knowledge and wisdom.

Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the foundation has been laid for the reemergence of the Library, Phoenix-like from the ashes of political vandalism. With the unstinted cooperation of the Lankan State and other well-wishers, both local and foreign, the library stands a very good chance of re-establishing its fame.

Our hope is that the value of the Library, whenever it opens again, will be felt throughout the length and breath of this land. The contents and spirit of the library surely is part of the cultural fabric of all of our peoples and we have to value it as such.

The destruction of the Library was a sign of those cruel times we need to put behind us. There was monstrous violence during those times and the burning of the Library was one of them. The torching of the Library, a maniacal act was sourced by a macabre and seethingly cruel intention. The game plan, apparently, was to hit a community in a spot which hurt most - its well-spring of learning and culture. Education and learning bring advancement in almost every conceivable sphere.

These aspects of the tragedy need to be perceived by all sections in the North today. The reconstructed Jaffna Public Library needs to be progressively strengthened and enabled to reach its former stature, if the well being of the Tamil community is uppermost in the minds of those who try to influence developments in the North. This effort to stymie the growth of the Library would only backfire on the Tamil community.

The threats by interested parties to hinder the re-opening therefore are an attempt to prevent the healing process that we all need to go through.

Perhaps, this is a time when the need for more and more libraries and centres of learning should be felt by the whole of Lanka's populace and the State. We do not see how a country could march into the future without these invaluable learning resources.

We call for a rejuvenation and expansion of the Public Library system in Sri Lanka. Let knowledge and learning be further democratized.

We also call on the Southern public to shower their goodwill on the people of the North by helping to re-equip and restore to its former standing, the reconstructed Jaffna Public Library, when the people of the North are ready to accept this hand of goodwill.

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