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| Tuesday, 30 March 2004 |
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The revered S.J.V. Chelvanayakam - the man and his mission by M.K. Eelaventhan, General Secretary, Tamil Eelam Liberation Front "His life was gentle and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the world 'This was a man!' - Shakespeare Mr. S.J.B.V. Chelvanayakam, the founder President of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi, Co-President of the T.U.L.F, above all the undisputed beloved leader of the Tamils, threw away his mortal framework and has gone to the land of no return.
In fact the death of Mr.Samual James Velupillai Chelvanayakam, as his full name goes, removes from the political scene, a fatherly figure who was respected, loved, admired and venerated by all irrespective of their political ideologies. Many leaders were respected and admired but only few have been venerated. Mr, Chelvanayakam ranks foremost among them. Politics is a dirty game but it must be said to his eternal credit that he purified it to a very great extent. When many politicians formulated policies to suit the next election. Mr. Chelvanayakam thought and acted in a manner that would give an everlasting solution to the future generations. That's why he was not classified among the ordinary politicians. He was an ascetic, a saint, and a statesman of colossal stature. In fact he was a leader who could not be bought over for the plums of office. He spoke less and wrote less, but his thoughts were profound. Every word he uttered was measured and was meaningful. His concern was more for the content of the words than the beauty of words. A leader must lead and never be led. In keeping with this concept he led the Tamil masses and he was never led by them. But as a true leader, he was always conscious of the aspirations of the masses. He read their pluses in a perfect manner. Mr. Chelvanayakam really entered politics in his late forties, in the year 1947. His hold on the Tamil masses and the respect he has earned from non-tamils and his political opponents continued undiminished. That speaks for the quality of the man. The Sinhala political parties and the Sinhala masses, though opposed to his political philosophy, felt his continued presence necessary to prevent Tamil "extremists" taking an upper hand. The Tamil youths remember with deep gratitude his political vision and prophecy. We fear to think as to what would have happened to the Tamils if he had not entered the political scene in the late forties to guide them. It won't be considered an exaggeration to say that if he had not taken to politics not only the Tamil rights but even the Tamils as entity would have ceased to exist. Ceylon has witnessed the birth of innumerable politicians but it is not difficult to count on one's fingers the number of statements produced by this island. Mr. Chelvanayakam ranks foremost among the statesmen Ceylon has produced. After Sir P. Ramanathan and Sir P. Arunnchalam the vacuum that was created, though filled to some extent by the late Mr. G.G. Ponnamplam was not sustained by him. It is to the eternal credit of Mr. Chelvanayakam that he has filled this void in a most able manner. Though Mr. Chelvanayakam may not have attained such cminence as the Ponnamplam brothers yet he stands unique for his political vision, sagacity and honest conviction. It was a Herculean task he had to perform to convince the Tamils of the dangers that were in store for them. The Tamils are now convinced as to what political philosophy they should adopt if they are to survive in this country as a separate entity preserving their language, culture, civilization and their way of life. As to how much our Sinhala brothers are convinced about our problems and as to how far they are prepared to concede our rights remains a debatable point. But it is beyond doubt that all Sinhalese are now convinced that there is a gigantic Tamil problem and that it should be solved if there is to be real peace, harmony and progress in the country. Mr. Chelvanayakam stood for federal constitution for the past 25 years or more as the ideal solution for the multi-lingual and multi-national problems facing the country. He pursued this policy with the sincere hope of changing the hearts of the Sinhalese leaders. After having agitated for this goal and after the repeated disappointments on talks and pacts he had with the successive Sinhala Governments, he came to the irrevocable decision of having a Sovereign Tamil State - Tamil Eelam State as the only solution left for the Tamils if they are to live with self respect in this country. This was not an easy decision. For Chelva it was a very painful decision knowing quite well the consequences that would flow from implementing the same. Very often in his public pronouncements he has said that for freedom the Tamils must be prepared to undergo untold suffering in the process of which they may even have to embrace death. He compared the present plight of the Tamils to a cankerous growth in our body. As all medicines and injections have been tried and have failed, we are left with no alternative but to perform an operation. The operation is fraught with danger but if the operation is not performed death awaits the Tamil patient. He appealed to us to try this method and we are determined to follow him though he is no more with us. Mr. Chelvanayakam was by no stretch of the imagination an orator. Oratorical skill was something unknown to him. But where brilliant orators and legal luminaries could not succeed he succeeded immeasurably. When he spoke in an inaudible feeble voice measuring each word and pausing in between words the audience tuned their ears to grasp the meaning of what he said because each word he uttered conveyed deep and profound thoughts. It was really a treat to listen to his speech and watch the reaction of the audience. (To be continued) |
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He passed away on the 26 of April 1977, roughly a month after the
freedom lovers had celebrated his entry into the eightieth year. The
wonder in Mr. Chelvanayakam was that though he was very old and in
declining health he was not classified as a person who had outlived his
usefulness. It was strange but true that even contradictory forces valued
his presence in Tamil politics as the main unifying factor.
