Aneesa dreams exhilarating dreams of her brother. They are moving together towards a sense of effortlessness.
She remembered the old Ceylon to the new Sri Lanka. The independence it had after 1948 and the unforgettable civil war that was to be blamed
The 35 years of hell which ended in June 2009 was just for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka to be known as the Tamil Eelam. The slow-burning memories of loss and grief were killing her.
Aneesa had gone back in time to 43 years to the start of the unequal treatment of races. The old refugee camps with pests running around together with unpleasant smells were starting to give her the disgust. She knew the reasons for the many conflicts and disputes, from the citizenship rights to the resettlements were all gushing through her minds. The unfairness and their disgusting sense of belonging were starting to turn her face red. She never wanted to think about it after her brother, Ramzi’s disappearance and now she had to and was forced to.
1948 after Sri Lanka got its independence, the Sri Lankan government passed an act called the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948.Aneesa vividly remembered going with her family to the immigration office about their pending citizenship request. ‘Were you born in Sri Lanka or do you have ancestors from who were born in Sri Lanka?’ were the questions repeatedly asked by the officer’s. Aneesa later found out that under this law, only two categories of people could become citizens. Those born or having ancestors born in Sri Lanka were granted with their citizenship.
Not forgetting the time when she, Ramzi and her mother had gone to Lebanon High School to appoint themselves a seat in that school. They both always had the dream of studying and wanted to become lawyers so that they could fight for the Tamils rights in the country. However, priorities were given only to the Sinhalese despite their poor a performance as the country adapts the ‘Sinhala only’ policy.
‘Come down for dinner Aneesa, what’s taking you so long?’ were the voices which had interrupted her vicious moments. She went down rushing, her thoughts still running. She sat on the small table in the middle of the kitchen with her mother and waited for her to finish helping herself. She started looking around her two-storey house with walls painted beautifully and wondered about the times when she had to share the same bed with fellow Sinhalese during the resettlement. She shooked with abhorrence. She had the feeling of living with an enemy. The Sinhalese had to occupy the Tamils huts as they had no where else to live. Those days were the most horrible.
‘What’s wrong Aneesa?’ were the voices which had disrupted her.
‘No, nothing mama.’ she replied with doubts.
‘Mama, why did the Sinhalese do such a thing? Firstly they felt that they were the ones who belonged here; next, they gave citizenships to those belonging to Sri Lanka. What’s wrong in having new races? Why are they so bias? I still can’t get the meaning behind it. Isn’t it going to improve their economical industry somehow? Why such a selfish decision? I can’t believe how narrow-minded and inconsiderate they are. The ‘Sinhala only’ policy, the university admission criteria’s and the resettlement! All of it was useless and meaningless.’ The war between the Liberation of Tamil Tiger’s (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan army remained so close to her heart.
‘Aneesa, why this sudden topic? What’ve I told you, never to bring up this topic wasn’t it? Now, jus eat. Besides, it has ended, our prayers have been answered and it’s over. He is dead now’.
(630 words)
She remembered the old Ceylon to the new Sri Lanka. The independence it had after 1948 and the unforgettable civil war that was to be blamed
The 35 years of hell which ended in June 2009 was just for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka to be known as the Tamil Eelam. The slow-burning memories of loss and grief were killing her.
Aneesa had gone back in time to 43 years to the start of the unequal treatment of races. The old refugee camps with pests running around together with unpleasant smells were starting to give her the disgust. She knew the reasons for the many conflicts and disputes, from the citizenship rights to the resettlements were all gushing through her minds. The unfairness and their disgusting sense of belonging were starting to turn her face red. She never wanted to think about it after her brother, Ramzi’s disappearance and now she had to and was forced to.
1948 after Sri Lanka got its independence, the Sri Lankan government passed an act called the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948.Aneesa vividly remembered going with her family to the immigration office about their pending citizenship request. ‘Were you born in Sri Lanka or do you have ancestors from who were born in Sri Lanka?’ were the questions repeatedly asked by the officer’s. Aneesa later found out that under this law, only two categories of people could become citizens. Those born or having ancestors born in Sri Lanka were granted with their citizenship.
Not forgetting the time when she, Ramzi and her mother had gone to Lebanon High School to appoint themselves a seat in that school. They both always had the dream of studying and wanted to become lawyers so that they could fight for the Tamils rights in the country. However, priorities were given only to the Sinhalese despite their poor a performance as the country adapts the ‘Sinhala only’ policy.
‘Come down for dinner Aneesa, what’s taking you so long?’ were the voices which had interrupted her vicious moments. She went down rushing, her thoughts still running. She sat on the small table in the middle of the kitchen with her mother and waited for her to finish helping herself. She started looking around her two-storey house with walls painted beautifully and wondered about the times when she had to share the same bed with fellow Sinhalese during the resettlement. She shooked with abhorrence. She had the feeling of living with an enemy. The Sinhalese had to occupy the Tamils huts as they had no where else to live. Those days were the most horrible.
‘What’s wrong Aneesa?’ were the voices which had disrupted her.
‘No, nothing mama.’ she replied with doubts.
‘Mama, why did the Sinhalese do such a thing? Firstly they felt that they were the ones who belonged here; next, they gave citizenships to those belonging to Sri Lanka. What’s wrong in having new races? Why are they so bias? I still can’t get the meaning behind it. Isn’t it going to improve their economical industry somehow? Why such a selfish decision? I can’t believe how narrow-minded and inconsiderate they are. The ‘Sinhala only’ policy, the university admission criteria’s and the resettlement! All of it was useless and meaningless.’ The war between the Liberation of Tamil Tiger’s (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan army remained so close to her heart.
‘Aneesa, why this sudden topic? What’ve I told you, never to bring up this topic wasn’t it? Now, jus eat. Besides, it has ended, our prayers have been answered and it’s over. He is dead now’.
(630 words)
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