BETA

This has been a week of remembrance for many people in the Tamil community, this week saw the annual day of remembrance, otherwise known as ‘Maveerar naal’, for those lost in the war in Sri Lanka. Currently CIA statistics estimate that as a result of the on going conflict in Sri Lanka that 60,000 civilians and fighters have died and more than one million have been displaced. Surely after 26 years of fighting the question on everybody’s mind is, ‘when is this all going to end’? Sadly I do not have an answer or even a prediction for this, but what I can offer some insight into is why it is so important for our community to remember those who have died in the war. The fighters and innocent civilians who have been killed have all been killed in the name of ‘Tamil eelam’ and pursuing the belief that one-day there will be a Tamil eelam. 
What I am attempting to explain is why the Tamil community places such a divine importance on this day itself.
Ultimately besides the political importance of the date, is one thing that makes this day resonate amongst the Tamil Diaspora around the world, that one thing is remembrance. In everyday lives where one worry precedes another, work is hectic, chores are plentiful and daily stresses cloud ones mind there is no time to think about personal worries let alone the worries of an entire community. So the allocated date of the 27th is all the more poignant for Tamil who live outside of their native homeland. It is a day where personal worries are left behind and the thoughts turn to more profound worries of an entire nation. The collective gathering and feeling of unity helps each individual grieve and remember those who have sacrificed their life for the greater good of the Tamil community.