For some Tamil Hindu mothers, Diwali and other celebrations are still far away
by Melani Manel Perera

For the past 233 days, some Tamil Hindu mothers have been engaged in a sit-in in front of the Governor’s House. They want to know what happened to their missing children. In Trincomalee alone, 1,800 people went missing. The mothers want to know if there is justice for all.


Trincomalee (Asia News) – With the festival of Diwali, Hindus mark the start of the New Year in autumn. The festivity is the most popular event in Hinduism.

Spiritually it means the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, hope over despair. But for some Tamil Hindu mothers it is not. They do not celebrate any festivity, but live in pain, mourning their missing children.

After years, they still know nothing about their fate, and demand forcefully justice, even if it appears as something so far away.

The women addressed the governor asking clear questions. Eight years after the end of the civil war, they want information about their missing children, and they demand to be treated as human beings.

The women said that they have paid bribes, ranging from two to eighty thousand euros, to Navy soldiers, now in detention awaiting trial.

“My three children are all gone,” said Sadanandarasa Parameshwari of Periyakulam. “My heart has been pierced by a great pain that I cannot bear."

The mothers' stories are legion. They share the same suffering and pain. Their poverty prevents them from defending themselves.

Since they cannot pay for a lawyer, they know very well that their demands will fall on deaf ears. Still, they are also certain that perhaps, if they stand united, they will be able to give a voice to their demand for justice.