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Last updated
31/12/06

Cauvery River Water Dispute and Karnataka Massacres: Part 1, February 1998

"...Cauvery river flows from Karnataka State to Tamil Nadu and irrigates many thousands and thousands of acres of farmland in Thanjavur (Tanjore or Thanjai), nearby districts and Pondycherry. It is the life source for Tamil farmers of these areas... Karnataka started holding back the water that are legally Tamil Nadu's share. Tamil Nadu government took the matter all the way up to the Indian Supreme Court and a Cauvery Tribunal (Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal) was set up to decide how much water Karnataka should release to Tamil Nadu. Following a Supreme Court order, the tribunal instructed Karnataka to release 205 TMC feet of water to Tamil Nadu for the year beginning July 1, 1991. Karnataka State Chief Minister Bangarappa refused the instructions and organized a state wide strike on December 13, 1991 to protest. The strike turned into an orgy of violence against Tamils living in the state and continued for over two weeks. Tamils were beaten, tortured, raped and murdered; their houses were looted and burned. Fearing for their lives, Tamils fled the Karnataka State to Tamil Nadu State or the neighbouring Kerala State with only what they can carry on a long walk to these safe havens..." more

Cauvery River Water Dispute and Karnataka Massacres: Part 2, March 1998

"If Tamil Nadu is a part of India and if Tamils of Tamil Nadu are citizens of India, then there are responsibilities and obligations on both the Tamil people and the Indian government. On their part, Tamil people should pay their share of taxes and obey the laws enacted by the Indian government. In return, Indian government's obligations are:

It should give Tamil Nadu its share of benefits in the form of industrial and infrastructure developments.

Protect Tamil Nadu's economic interests (for example, their share of Cauvery water to Tamil farmers, Tamil fishermen's right to fish in international waters between India and Sri Lanka).

Provide a safe environment so that Tamil people can live and work without fear for their lives (for example, live without fear in Karnataka or Maharashtra, or anywhere in India; fish in international waters without fear of the Sri Lankan Navy).

Indian government has definitely not met these obligations to the Tamil people"...more

An Exchange of Views: Can Tamil Nadu be freed from Indian Rule? , July 1998

Against: First, I should tell you that I am a Tamil. The article "Karnataka Massacres" and especially its conclusion are very controversial. The author wants the Tamil population of Tamil Nadu to fight for independence from India. There are a lot of impediments in the way. How many Tamil people want Tamil Nadu to separate from India?.. I understand your arguments in favor of getting independence, but is it really possible?

For:  "..How many people want independence for Tamil Nadu from Indian rule? I do not know. No one knows! Only way to know is to conduct a plebiscite (a vote) in Tamil Nadu with two choices: (a) I want Tamil Nadu to continue as a state of the Indian Union. (b) I want Tamil Nadu to be an independent country...The Indian government would never allow such a plebiscite (a vote) voluntarily because they suspect that the outcome would be for an independent Tamil Nadu. Otherwise, they would have conducted such a vote and shut the few "loud voices of independence" once and for all..." more

A Sikh Perspective on Freedom for Tamil Nadu, September 1998

"...Please do not believe that just because majority of the Tamil people support freedom for Tamil Nadu you have the strength to fight the Indian Government. Please do not underestimate the power and resources of the India.. They are in the process of implementing a version of the Terrorist and Disruptive Acts Prevention Law (TADA) in Tamil Nadu. Please read the laws under it and the power the law enforcement agencies have under it. They have the Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF), Border Security Forces (BSF), the Army and God knows what else.." more

Sikh -Tamil Nadu Collaboration for Freedom from Indian Rule, September 1998

"...During the early 1980s when the great Sikh freedom fighter Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale was still alive, two of his representatives visited the office of the Tamil writer-poet-editor Perunchithiranar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu... Perunchithiranar has championed the cause of a free Tamil Nadu through his speeches and his prolific writings since the late 1950s. Mr. Bhindranwale's representatives invited him to visit Punjab and give a series of speeches at various places in support of Khalistan. Perunchithiranar agreed. He was eager to visit Punjab and establish a liaison between Sikhs and Tamils. But, before the tour materialized, in 1984, the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent the Indian army into the Amritsar Golden Temple and killed Mr. Bhinderwale and many other freedom fighters during Operation Blue Star. Perunchithiranar wrote and published some articles supporting the Sikh freedom struggle in Tamil magazines... Perunchithiranar passed away in 1995..." more

Why Freedom for Tamil Nadu from Indian Rule? April 1999

 "...No one needs to explain to the French why France should be an independent nation (independent country), and not part of Germany or Britain or some other country. No one needs to explain to the Germans why Germany should be an independent nation, and not part of France or Poland or some other country. No one needs to explain to the Cambodians why Cambodia should be an independent nation, and not part of Vietnam or Laos or some other country. But, alas, it has become necessary to write in magazine articles and speak in public meetings explaining why Tamil Nadu should be an independent nation... and not a part of India. This is the result of two centuries of history.. The British conquered the various kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent one by one. Then, for ease of administering (ruling) the conquered territories, the British set up an administrative unit called India. ..India, as a country, by any name, never existed before the British colonial rule in all history, in spite of the oft-repeated false propaganda of the long history, one-ness and unity of India...".. more

Against: Why Thanjai Nalankilli's arguments for freedom for Tamil Nadu are artificial and shallow. First of all be clear about one thing; Tamil Nadu is still a concept only... Today the concept of Tamil Nationalism is corrupt and an undeveloped war cry from opportunist politicians. Groups identified by various castes are at loggerheads in pushing their way into political power. Things are limited to caste ...The collapse of politics in Tamil Nadu is in no way a divide and rule policy of the Indian government. It is the pathetic story of nationalities with decaying social and political conditions made worse by the vice like local rule in villages by middle castes. Can you deny the rule of middle castes like Thevars, Mukkulaththors, Gounders and Padayachis (leave out the lowest castes and the Brahmins and fill all other castes here) in Tamil Nadu? You go to Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa... just change the caste names and all the above observations hold good..." more

For:  "I also want to emphasize that Tamil Nationalism is a unifying force across castes and religions. If we think of ourselves as Tamils and fight our common enemy - the Indian government dominated and controlled by Hindian politicians - we are more likely to forget our caste and religious differences. The contrary is also true. .. I will end this response with a little story..

'Long time ago, in a village lived a man with his wife and four young children. Another villager (a thief) started stealing from this man's coconut grove. The man complained to the village elders. The elders called the thief and asked him, "Why are you stealing from this man?" The thief, instead of answering the question put to him, said, "Respected Sirs, this man has four children and they often quarrel among themselves". The elders said, "Oh, that is bad, but what has it to do with your stealing from his coconut grove. What right have you to steal from him?" The thief said to the elders, "Learned Sirs, this man is a selfish fellow. He enjoys life well but gives his wife and children only the bare necessities of life." The elders said, "That is bad. We will have a talk with him. But, what right do you have to steal from him? Your stealing from him makes things worse. Now he has even less to spend on his wife and children. Steal no more, and repay for everything you stole from this family...'

 ...the arguments in favor of an Indian government, dominated and controlled by politicians from Hindi states, transferring hundreds of millions of Rupees from Tamil Nadu to Hindi states every year is as ludicrous as that thief's arguments before the elders!" more

Who is this Perunchiththiranar?, October 1999

"..Perunchiththiranar was not the first one to raise his voice for an independent Tamil Nadu but he was the only one among 'popularly known personalities' to work relentlessly towards this goal until his death. Dravida Kazhagam (DK) founder E. V. Ramaswamy (popularly known as Periyar or EVR) and his disciple and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) founder C. N. Annadurai (popularly known as Anna) did demand independence for Tamil Nadu. In fact, Annadurai's DMK won sizable number of seats in the Tamil Nadu state assembly in the 1962 elections on the "independence" platform. Fearing this electoral approval for independence, the Indian government under the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru passed a law the next year (in 1963) prohibiting parties and persons demanding independence for states from contesting elections. Annadurai immediately gave up his independence demand. As for Periyar, he did stick with the independence demand until his death. His newspaper "Viduthalai" (Independence) did publish a slogan for independent Tamil Nadu in every issue in his later years, but he did very little else for it; his long public service spanning several decades was concentrated on social reforms, especially breaking the stronghold of Brahminism over the Tamil society. Unlike Annadurai, Perunchiththiranar never gave up his demand for independent Tamil Nadu in spite of threats.. Unlike Periyar, Perunchiththiranar considered his fight for independence to be his prime work for the people of Tamil Nadu..." more

Nine Hundred Year Historical Perspective of how Tamil Nadu Lost its Sovereignty - Part 1, December 2001

"..Tamil Nadu was divided into three principal kingdoms, namely, Chera Nadu, Chola Nadu and Pandya Nadu, and ruled by Chera, Chola and Pandya kings. (This arrangement goes back to from the very beginning of written Tamil history.) During the reign of Rajathi Raja Cholan II over Chola Nadu (1163 - 1179), there was a quarrel within the Pandyan royal family for the throne of Pandiya Nadu. Both Parakkirama Pandyan and Kulasekhara Pandyan claimed the throne. Local chieftains within Pandya Nadu (who ruled small principalities subservient to the Pandya throne) took sides and a civil war ensued in Pandya Nadu.

Parakkirama Pandyan held the capital city of Madurai and Kulasekhara Pandyan laid siege to it. Instead of keeping the fight within Pandya Nadu or even seeking help from a fellow Tamil king, Parakkirama Pandyan sought help from the Sinhala king Parakramabahu who was ruling the nearby island of Lanka... At the root of this bloody and shameful episode in Tamil history is the feud within the royal family of the Pandya dynasty. Unable to settle their differences within the family as to who should ascend to the throne, they fight. Then the loser, instead of accepting defeat, seeks help, not from a fellow Tamil king, but from a foreigner (Sinhalese king). He allows the the foreign army to come to Tamil Nadu. The foreign army comes in, puts its puppet on the throne and plunders and loots the Tamil land. The foreign soldiers, who are alien to Tamil culture and have no respect for the Tamil people, brutalize the Tamil people. It took the military might of another Tamil king (the Chola king) to evict the occupying foreign army (the Sinhala army) from Pandiya Nadu. Much blood was shed in this liberation war..." more

Nine Hundred Year Historical Perspective of how Tamil Nadu lost its Sovereignty - Part 2, February 2002

"...The famed Madurai City that was the capital of the ancient Pandya dynasty and the home of the Third Tamil Academy (Third Tamil Sangam) that brought us some of the greatest jewels of Tamil literature went under foreign rule in the fourteenth century, and Tamil people are yet to regain full sovereignty over this ancient Tamil city. Tamil Nadu State Government cannot do anything (even put up a stone carving or statue) near some of the ancient historical sites in Madurai  (as well as other historical sites in ancient cities like Thanjavur  (Thanjai or Tanjore)) without getting permission from the Indian Government located couple of thousand miles away and dominated by politicians who do not know of Tamil history or culture. In fact, the Indian Government refused permission to the Tamil Nadu State Government to install a statue of Emperor Raja Raja Cholan near the Thanjai Big Temple (Thajavur Peria Koil) that the emperor built.." more

Hindi Imposition and Independence for Tamil Nadu, August 2002

"..Hindi imposition, more than anything else, symbolizes the Hindian rule over Tamil Nadu. There are very few Tamils who would voluntarily accept Hindi as the official or national language of India; studying Hindi is not an indication of accepting Hindi, it is rather an indication that one has to know Hindi in order to get or hold Indian government jobs even within Tamil Nadu. Virtually all Tamils want Hindi imposition stopped and the preferential treatment given to Hindi over Tamil and other languages ended..." more

Tamil Nadu National Flag and National Anthem, October 2002

"...My tentative choice for Tamil Nadu National Anthem is Bharathidasan's " Engal Vazhvum, engal valamum ...". (You need to install TneriTSC fonts to read it.) This song is rather widely known among Tamils. It has been set to music, and has an "up-beat" quality to it. A drawback of this song is the use of couple of non-Tamil words (singam, nijam) in it. These words may be replaced suitably without violating the tune of the song. Of course the final choice is up to the people of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Constituent Assembly will be elected and convened after independence and that assembly shall decide the national anthem, national flag and national emblem after independence!.." more

DMK, Dravida Nadu and D.B.S. Jeyaraj, July 2003 

"...I wrote in the April 1999 issue of Tamil Tribune, 'Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK's) dramatic success of winning 50 state legislature seats in the 1962 general election on the platform of independence from India scared Hindi politicians. The then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru quickly passed a law banning any party or individual voicing "secession from India" (that is, independence from India) from contesting in elections. Immediately, the DMK dropped its independence demand.' Mr. D. B. S. Jeyaraj wrote in the May 14, 2000 issue of the Sri Lankan publication Sunday Leader, 'The DMK that had 15 seats in 1957 won 50 in 1962 after they dropped separatism.' Which statement is correct? ... Here are the facts. 1) The 1962 general election for the Madras State Legislative Assembly was held between February 17 and February 24, 1962...  2) ...The DMK Central Committee (Maththiya Seyarkuzu) met on November 3, 1963 at the DMK Office in Royapuram. Mr. Nedunchezian presided. The central committee voted unanimously to drop its demand for independent Dravida Nadu, in view of the 16-th Amendment to the Indian Constitution. The record is clear. DMK dropped its "separatist demand" (independent Dravida Nadu demand) more than a year after the 1962 election. So my statement is correct..." more

DMK and Tamil Nadu Independence: A Recent Political History of TamilNadu, November 2003 

"Tamil Nadu Independence Movement and aspirations of Tamil people for independence from Indian rule predates the formation of Dravida Munneta Kazagam (DMK), in fact it predates the formation of its parent party Dravidar Kazahagam (DK). However, from the very beginnings of the Tamil Nadu Independence Movement, you will see in the forefront leaders who would later found DK and DMK. Tamil people lost their sovereignty with the fall of the last standing Tamil royal dynasty, the Pandya Dynasty, around 1311. The three major kingdoms of Chera Nadu, Chola Nadu and Pandya Nadu ceased to exist, and a succession of outsiders, namely, the Sultans, the Nayaks, Maharashtrians and the Nawabs, ruled Tamil Nadu in fragments for some time. Then came the Europeans; all of Tamil Nadu, with the exception of Pondichery, fell under British colonial rule. (Pondichery was ruled by the French.) British integrated all the conquered nations of the Indian subcontinent into a single administrative unit and formed the "British India".." .. more