Catalyst for ethnic harmony

While Universities in the South are once again in turmoil it is quite the opposite in the North. With the dawn of peace the Jaffna University is now fully functional with students attending to their academic activities with zest. Not that the Jaffna University was affected much even during the height of the war.

If there was one thing Velupillai Prabhakaran did not disrupt it was the smooth running of educational activities in the North. Like the traditional Northerner even he must have attached great store to education as the vehicle for upward mobility of a people fighting against severe odds.

This phenomenon was even referred to by most politicians in the South at the time to demonstrate the drive and tenacity of the Northerner when it comes to education, when chiding with those disruptive elements in the South responsible for the closure of our Universities.

Thus while Universities in the South were closed even the guns and bombs could interrupt the academic life in the North. So much value was attached to education by the Northern students.

The Northern students too it appears have taken after their elders who are known for their legendary hospitality. As any old time would recount visitors to the North from the South were given the typical warm welcome.

Our weekend paper the Sunday Observer in its main story gives a glimpse of this treatment. According to the story, 72 students from the South who gained admission to Jaffna University were given a rousing welcome and not ragged by the senior students of the University. Not only that the freshers from the South were virtually given the red carpet treatment with a cultural event too organized by the Law Faculty students to greet the newcomers. A sightseeing tour too was thrown in for good measure.

This gesture it is hoped would act as a catalyst for the forging of fresh bonds between the once estranged communities giving hope for a Sri Lanka where all its people would view each other as equals shorn off any racial and ethnic prejudice.

Such a spirit of camaraderie no doubt would go a long way in building amity and brotherhood among the two communities and prove a sobering influence on those who may yet harbour any vestiges of bitterness and resentment. It is vital that the generation emerging from the ashes of conflict are not affected by this ethnic baggage.

Typically the new Sri Lanka that is envisaged should be one where ethnic differences has no place.

It is left to the new generation to ensure this ethnic polarization was a thing of the past and what better start than having educated intelligent youth to show the way on how to build unity and concord to be emulated by the rest. It is best that such a spirit of renewal be built in this spontaneous fashion among the communities themselves rather than have politicians come into the equation.

It goes without saying that this type of gesture is a great boost to the post war integration process that is gathering momentum.

It is hoped that we would soon see more and more youth from the South enter the portals of Jaffna University to symbolize this unification of the once estranged communities.

It is already being reported that for the first time in 30 years a large number of students are entering the Jaffna University from the South.

Similarly one could expect more and more students from the North enter Universities in the South to continue with this strong bond that has been forged.

There was a time when schools in the North had a ready appeal to Southerners. Parents even among the elite sent their offspring to these schools. Even some big names in the political scene were products of schools from the North and often reminiscized about those halcyon days when they shared a common bond and understanding with their fellow students in the North mirroring the quintessential ethnic harmony.

This new development it is hoped would hark back to that past realizing Sri Lanka’s dream of becoming a truly united nation bound together by all religions, cultures and ethnicities.