Acceptance speech by Veluppillai Thangavelu after receiving the CTC’s Service Excellence Award

உங்கள் அனைவர்க்கும் எனது பொங்கல் தமிழ்ப் புத்தாண்டு, திருவள்ளுவர் பிறந்த நாள் வாழ்த்துக்கள்.

I would love to speak in Tamil, my mother tongue, but since we have some distinguished guests who are not conversant with Tamil, I will, with your permission, switch to English.

In introducing me what Dr Meera Selvakone catalogued  many of my achievements, but I think those are  highly exaggerated!

Nonetheless, it is a great pleasure and an honour for me to be with you tonight.

I want to express my sincere gratitude for this recognition by CTC. It makes me feel both honoured and slightly inadequate at the same time. I honestly thought this award should go to someone younger than me and more deserving.

I expressed my reservations to Danton, the Executive Director of CTC but he will not listen. You know you cannot convince him easily.

I am happy the CTC is continuing the tradition of celebrating Thai Pongal and Tamil Heritage Month for the 18th year in a row. Such secular celebration will help us to preserve our ethnic identity, rich culture and the Tamil language. I have a suggestion to make. Let us along with Pongal, include Thai first as Tamil New Year and Thiruvalluvar Birth Day as well. This way we will fall in line with Tamil Nadu.

CTC is easily the best-organized Tamil community organization in Canada. It has been functioning since the late eighties and was the successor to FACT (Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils). I had the privilege of serving FACT as President/Secretary. FACT was mainly involved in lobbying the Canadian Foreign Ministry in the nineties when armed conflict was raging in Ceylon.

CTC has a sizeable membership and an active Board of Directors elected at the AGM. The real backbone of the CTC is its indefatigable Executive Director, Danton Thurairajah. His skills in organizing and coordinating CTC’s round-the-year events are commendable. He always works behind the scenes shunning undue publicity. If not for his hard work, dedication and commitment the CTC would not have morphed as a dominant Community Organization in the Diaspora.

CTC is engaged, even modestly, in improving the livelihood of war-affected families. This task is done through NEED. The launching of the Canada—Batticaloa Friendship farm in February 2024 is a landmark initiative and a concrete step towards economic sustainability and job creation in Thiraimadu, Batticaloa. We need more such economic initiatives in other districts in the Northeast.

I am concerned that CTC has recently come under vicious attacks by some, including former members, including an ex-President. To the CTC detractors, it has suddenly become an authoritarian and undemocratic organization. Their real target is Danton, who was at the receiving end of a well-orchestrated and character-assassination campaign. Fortunately, their efforts failed miserably.

A few self-styled leaders of the Tamil Community used the Himalaya Declaration, a first step towards reconciliation and healing and an outcome of a dialogue between Sanga for a Better Sri Lanka consisting of eminent Buddhist prelates and the Global Tamil Forum (GTC) to tarnish the CTC black. At its core, the Declaration articulated a vision for a Sri Lanka where citizens coexist in a state of tranquillity, adorned with dignity, trust, and the absence of fear or suspicion. However, elements opposed to peace and reconciliation used it as a subterfuge to attack CTC.

A few CTC detractors succeeded in breaking into and setting on fire its Headquarters in the early morning of 27 January 2024. It was a cowardly attack by those who were themselves victims of state violence and fled war-torn Sri Lanka and sought political asylum in Canada. After obtaining status in Canada, they resort to the same violence they had earlier complained.
This was followed by the violent and aggressive disruption of the CTC 10th Street Festival held in August 2024 in a barbaric and disgraceful manner. The protesters resorted to harassment, intimidation and threats to impede the event.

I guess that this award is in recognition of my long involvement in community and socio-economic activities. I have more by accident and less by design got involved in Trade union. social and political activities from an early age.

Strangely the catalyst that propelled me into politics was the Sinhala Only Act enacted by the SWRD Bandaranaike in 1956. He played the communal card as a shortcut to capture power and today, the country is paying a heavy price.

I am not one of those born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Life they say is a struggle and mine is no exception. Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

As the popular saying goes, “Behind every successful man, there is a woman” so the credit and praise go to my wife for whatever success I have achieved in my life. I would not be what I am today if not for her support, understanding and caring. Because I was heavily involved in public activities I had less time for my family. This vacuum was filled by my better half.

She easily meets the criteria laid by Thiruvalluvar in Cheaper 5 = Worth of a Wife (Kural 56)

தற்காத்துத் தற்கொண்டாற் பேணித் தகைசான்ற
சொற்காத்துச் சோர்விலாள் பெண். (குறள் 56)

உடலாலும் உள்ளத்தாலும் தன்னைக் காத்து, தன் கணவனின் நலன்களில் கவனம் வைத்து, குடும்பத்திற்கு நலம் தரும் புகழைக் காத்து, அறத்தைக் கடைப்பிடிப்பதில் சோர்வடையாமல் இருப்பவளே மனைவி.

Who guards herself, for her husband’s comfort cares, her household’s fame,
In perfect wise with sleepless soul preserves, – give her a woman’s name (Kural 56)

She is a wife who unweariedly guards herself, takes care of her husband, and preserves an unsullied fame.
Thirukkural is one of the greatest works on ethics and morality.

The influence of Thirukkural on me is profound and pervasive, touching various aspects of my daily life, from personal conduct to social interactions.

My children and grandchildren are fortunate too to have her as their mother and grandmother. Not to be left out are my daughter-in-laws and son-in-law.

During my days, a public servant did not have the right to engage in political activities. But I (we) used the opposition to the Sinhala Only Act to expose the Sinhala government’s suppression of the language rights of the Tamil people.

The legal challenge mounted against the Sinhala Only Act succeeded in the District Court, Colombo which declared the Act as null and void and had no force in law. But on appeal by the Government, the Supreme Court overturned the District Court verdict. An appeal to the Privy Council ended in a legal limbo. The Privy Council ruled the case should be remitted to the Supreme Court for further consideration of other issues related to the case. The 1972 constitution completely eliminated Section 29 of the Soulbury constitution which protected minorities from the tyranny of the majority. This brought to an end the legal battle against the Sinhala Only Act of 1956. It was a symbolic challenge and my colleagues and I were under no illusion that the legal battle was a panacea to the oppression and discrimination faced by Tamil people and their fight for equality and justice.

I am one of those not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My father was a farmer – owner of a few acres of paddy land in Poonakari. By a quirk of luck, my father admitted me to St. Johns College, a private College at that time. I passed my Senior School Certificate exam in 1951 and proceeded to study for a Higher School Certificate class. However, my family’s financial circumstances prevented me from entering the University.

So, I decided to sit for the Government Clerical Service exam in 1952. On passing the exam I was posted to Ratnapura Kachcheri. While working in Colombo, I followed a 4-year evening Diploma in  Accounting Course at the Colombo Technical College and passed. That qualified me to enter the Local Government Accountants Service in June 1966.

My first posting was to the Jaffna Municipal Council. While working at the Jaffna Municipal Council I was awarded a two-year (1968-1970) Commonwealth Scholarship under the Colombo Plan to complete my final ACCA in Birmingham, England.

One thing led to another. In 1980 I retired and joined the Bauchi State Audit Department as Principal Auditor. The 7 years I worked in Nigeria was a turning-point in my life.

 In 1987 I left Nigeria and sought asylum like others in Canada. I worked for Alaudin Jamal  Professional Accountants, Markham as  an Auditor. I also passed the CGA exam and got my membership in 1991. After retiring in 1997, I have spent my time as a full-time journalist, political activist and community worker.

Before I conclude I want to say a few things that have shaped my core beliefs, character and perspective on life. I believe acquiring knowledge without character is of no use. Despite our powerful intellectual skills and our ingenious engineering and sophisticated satellites into space we still lack the ability to live in peace and harmony.

(1) Name your children giving them pure Tamil names.

(2) Let us practice Valluvar’s sermon on virtue. He says அறத்தான் வருவதே இன்பம். That is true happiness comes from virtue. We must spend at least 2 1/2 per cent of our net income on charitable causes. For Muslims, it is compulsory to give 2 1/2% to charity (called zakat) from their net savings. It is the third out of five pillars of Islam.

(3) Let us promote a sense of scientific temper in what we do. Children should be encouraged to ask questions.  There is no scientific basis for beliefs like Astrology, life after death, hell and haven. These are all obstacles to human progress. For many centuries people believed that eclipses of the sun and moon were prophetic of pestilence or famine, and that comets foretold the death of kings, or the destruction of nations, the coming of war or plague. All strange appearances in the heavens — the Northern Lights, circles about the moon, sun dogs, and falling stars — filled our intelligent ancestors with terror. They fell to their knees — and did their best with sacrifice and prayer to avoid the threatened disaster.

(4) When it comes to marriage don’t consult an Astrologer to compare horoscopes. There is no scientific basis for Astrology, the belief that the motion of the planets and stars influences or predicts human behaviour. Countless proposed marriages have fallen apart despite matching the evasive planets and stars. There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that horoscopes can determine compatibility between a prospective groom and a bride. According to Tholkaapiyar the compatible qualities of the prospective bridegroom and the bride are –

பிறப்பே குடிமை ஆண்மை ஆண்டொடு
உருவு நிறுத்த காம வாயில்
நிறையே அருளே உணர்வொடு திருவென
முறையுறக் கிளந்த ஒப்பினது வகையே (25) சூ. 274

1.Family history. (To see if both families have had guilt-free births)

2. Morals of both. (To see whether both are good in personal morality)

3. Personality. (To see if there is a masculine personality, a feminine personality, a feminine fear, shyness, shyness, etc.)

4. (Both are the same age)

5. (To see if they are similar)

6. Lust. (See if both are compatible.) This should be known from the appearance and habits. Without explicitly stating it, the interlocutors blur ‘to see if they are of the same sex’).

7. Temperance. (Practice of controlling one’s thoughts, feelings, or actions, especially in terms of moderation and self-restraint. It can also refer to the act of abstaining from or limiting the consumption of alcohol.)

8. Gracefulness. (the union of woman and man’s milk, and man and woman’s milk, after marriage, with understanding and understanding).

9. Consciousness. (See if they have the same idea.) For example, neither of them should be angry beforehand, nor both of them be without forethought). (Both are of equal economic status.)

10. Economy (to see if both have the same economic status)

Tholkaapiyar also gives incompatible qualities of the bridegroom and the bride They are –

நிம்பிரி, கொடுமை, வியப்பொடு, புறமொழி,
வன்சொல், பொச்சாப்பு, மடிமையொடு, குடிமை,
இன்புறல், ஏழைமை, மறப்போடு ஒப்புமை
என்றிவை இன்மை என்மனார் புலவர். ( தொல்.1216 )

Nimbri, cruelty, astonishment, paganism, vulgarity, falsehood, laziness, civility, misery, poverty, and forgetfulness. (Th. 1216).
 

1. Nimbri is filthiness,

2. Cruelty is the intrigue that surrounds immorality,

3. Astonishment is the thinking of oneself as great,

4. Paganism is the neglect,

4. Vulgarity is the uttering of harsh words,

5.Falsehood is the weariness or forgetfulness or non-observance of oneself,

6. Laziness is the lack of effort, civic suffering is the suffering of one who values oneself too much because of one’s race and one’s birth,

7. Civility is formal politeness and courtesy in behaviour or speech.

8. Misery is a state or feeling of great distress or discomfort of mind or body.

9. Poverty is the state of being extremely poor.

10. forgetfulness is the forgetting of what one has learned and heard, analogy is the annual event that a man or a woman sees the one with whom he has fallen in love. It was excluded that it would not be the head of the world in the event that the world would not be submissive and blind.

Tholkaapiyar lived at least 2,500 years ago. Yet his thinking dialogue  with modern day principles of  rationalism  and that had  influenced Western thought.

Tholkappiyam at least in parts is the earliest work in Tamil. It is a book on phonology, grammar and poetics. Therefore, it implies the prior existence of Tamil literature.

The Tamils are regarded as hard working, tolerant, pragmatic, down to earth and above all for frugal living. But it makes no sense when they waste their hard-earned money on ceremonies on lavish weddings, funerals, puberty functions etc.

This honour isn’t just mine; it belongs to all who stood by me. Let’s keep pushing forward.

Finally, I have some good news. I am writing my life story and my daughter has promised to publish it. Tamils are poor at recording history. I want to make amends even in a small way.

I will see you next year Pongal, New Year and Thiruvalluvar Birthdays celebration by CTC.

Thank you again.

Nanri
January 18, 2025

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-வணக்கம். உங்கள் அனைவர்க்கும் எனது பொங்கல் தமிழ்ப் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்.

It is a great pleasure and an honour for me to be with you tonight.

I want to express my gratitude for this recognition by CTC that makes me feel both honoured and slightly inadequate at the same time. I honestly thought this award should go to someone younger than me and more deserving.

I expressed my reservations to Danton, the Executive Director of CTC but I could not convince him.

I am happy the CTC is continuing its tradition of celebrating Thai Pongal and Tamil Heritage Month for the 18th year in a row. Such secular celebrations will help us preserve our ethnic identity, our rich culture, and the Tamil language. I have a suggestion to make. Let us along with Pongal, include Thai first as Tamil New Year and

 Birth Day as well. This way we will fall in line with Tamil Nadu.

CTC is engaged, even modestly, in improving the livelihood of war-affected families. This task is done through NEED. The launching of the Canada—Batticaloa Friendship farm in February 2024 is a landmark initiative and a concrete step towards economic sustainability and job creation in Thiraimadu, Batticaloa. We need more such economic initiatives.

I guess that this Award is in recognition of my long involvement in community and social activities. Due to fortuitous circumstances, I got involved in trade union and political activities from an early age.

Strangely, the catalyst that propelled me into politics was the Sinhala Only Act introduced by the SWRD Bandaranaike in 1956. He played the communal card as a shortcut to capture power, and today, the country is paying the price.

I am not one of those born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Life they say is a struggle and mine is no exception. Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. 

As the popular saying goes, “Behind every successful man, there is a woman” so the credit and praise go to my wife for whatever success I have achieved in my life. I would not be what I am today if not for her support, understanding and caring.

The influence of Thirukkural on me is profound and omnipresent, touching various aspects of my daily life, from personal conduct to social interactions.

Before I conclude I want to emphasise certain values that have shaped my core beliefs, character and perspective on life. I believe acquiring knowledge without character is of no use. Despite our powerful intellectual skills and sending sophisticated satellites into space we still lack the ability to live in peace and harmony.

I take this opportunity to suggest a few things that are dear and near to my heart.

(1) Give your newborn babies pure Tamil names.

(2) Valluvar says அறத்தான் வருவதே இன்பம். That is true happiness comes from virtue. We must set aside 2 1/2 per cent of our net income for charitable causes.

(3) Let us promote a sense of scientific temper, children should be encouraged to reason and argue. Superstitious beliefs like Astrology, life after death, hell and haven are all obstacles to human progress.

(4) When it comes to marriage don’t consult an Astrologer to compare horoscopes. There is no scientific basis for Astrology, the belief that the motion of the planets and stars influences or predicts human behaviour. Countless proposed marriages have fallen apart despite matching the barren planets seen millions of miles away and stars hundreds of light years away.

(5) Two thousand years ago Tholkaapiyar in his magnum opus Tholkappiyam, laid down ten favourable matching factors before finalising a marriage alliance. They have the same family background, discipline, confidence, age, appearance, virtues, compassion, education and status of wealth. He also gives ten unfavourable factors.

(6) The Tamils are famous for frugal and prudent living, but it makes no sense when we waste money on extravagant weddings, funerals, puberty functions etc.

This honour isn’t just mine; it belongs to all who stood by me. Let’s keep pushing forward.

I will see you next year Pongal, Tamil New Year and Thiruvalluvar Birthday celebration by CTC.
 

Thank you again.  Nanri

வணக்கம். உங்கள் அனைவர்க்கும் எனது பொங்கல் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்.

It is a great pleasure and an honour for me to be with you tonight.

I want to express my gratitude for this recognition by CTC that makes me feel both honoured and slightly inadequate at the same time. I honestly thought this award should go to someone younger than me and more deserving.

I expressed my reservations to Danton, the Executive Director of CTC but I could not convince him.

I am happy the CTC is continuing its tradition of celebrating Thai Pongal and Tamil Heritage Month for the 18th year in a row. Such secular celebration will help us to preserve our ethnic identity, our rich culture and the Tamil language. I have a suggestion to make. Let us along with Pongal, include Thai first as Tamil New Year and Thiruvalluvar Birth Day as well. This way we will fall in line with Tamil Nadu.

CTC is easily the best-organized Tamil community organization in Canada. It has been functioning since the late eighties and is the successor to FACT (Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils).

CTC has a sizeable membership and an active Board of Directors elected at the AGM. The real backbone of the CTC is its indefatigable Executive Director, Danton Thurairajah. His skills in organizing and coordinating CTC’s round-the-year events are unbeatable.  He always works behind the scenes avoiding undue publicity. If not for his hard work, dedication and commitment the CTC would not have morphed as a dominant Community Organization. 

CTC is engaged, even modestly, in improving the livelihood of war-affected families. This task is done through NEED. The launching of the Canada—Batticaloa Friendship farm in February 2024 is a landmark initiative and a concrete step towards economic sustainability and job creation in Thiraimadu, Batticaloa. We need more such economic initiatives.

I am concerned that CTC has in recent times had come under vicious attacks by some former members, including an ex-President. To the detractors, CTC has suddenly become an authoritarian and undemocratic organization. In fact, their real target is Danton, who was at the receiving end of a well-orchestrated and character-assassination campaign.  Fortunately, their efforts failed.

CTC detractors succeeded in breaking into and setting on fire its Headquarters in the early morning of 27 January 2024. It was a cowardly attack by those who were themselves once victims of state-engineered violence.

This was followed by the violent and aggressive disruption of the CTC Street Festival held in August 2024 in a barbaric and disgraceful manner. The protesters resorted to harassment, intimidation and threats to break the event.

The best answer we can give to our critics is to take the CTC to new heights.

I guess that this award is in recognition of my long involvement in community and socio-economic activities. I have by accident or by design got involved in trade union. social and political activities from an early age.

Strangely the catalyst that propelled me into politics was the Sinhala Only Act introduced by the SWRD Bandaranaike in 1956. He played the communal card as a shortcut to capture power. And today the country is paying the price.

As a public servant, I was denied the right to get involved in political activities. But I (we) used the opposition to the Sinhala Only Act to expose the Sinhala government’s betrayal of the language rights of the Tamil people.

We launched a legal challenge against the Sinhala Only Act and succeeded in the District Court, Colombo, but on appeal by the Government, the Supreme Court overturned the District Court verdict. An appeal to the Privy Council ended in a legal limbo. The 1972 constitution completely eliminated Section 29 of the Soulbury constitution which protected minorities from the tyranny of the majority.  It was a symbolic challenge and my colleagues were under no illusion that the legal battle was a panacea against discrimination and injustice.

I am not one of those born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Life they say is a struggle and mine is no exception. Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. 

As the popular saying goes, “Behind every successful man, there is a woman” so the credit and praise go to my wife for whatever success I have achieved in my life. I would not be what I am today if not for her support, understanding and caring. Thiruvalluvar says –

தற்காத்துத் தற்கொண்டாற் பேணித் தகைசான்ற
சொற்காத்துச் சோர்விலாள் பெண். (Kural 56 – Chapter 6 The Virtue of Wife)
உடலாலும் உள்ளத்தாலும் தன்னைக் காத்து, தன் கணவனின் நலன்களில் கவனம் வைத்து, குடும்பத்திற்கு நலம் தரும் புகழைக் காத்து, அறத்தைக் கடைப்பிடிப்பதில் சோர்வடையாமல் இருப்பவளே மனைவி.

She is a wife who tirelessly guards herself, takes care of her husband, and preserves an unsullied fame. As you know, Thirukkural is one of the greatest works on ethics and morality.

The influence of Thirukkural on me is profound and pervasive, touching various aspects of my daily life, from personal conduct to social interactions.

Before I conclude I want to say a few things that have shaped my core beliefs, character and perspective on life. I believe acquiring knowledge without character is of no use. Despite our powerful intellectual skills and sending sophisticated satellites into space we still lack the ability to live in peace and harmony.

I take the liberty to suggest a few things that are dear and near to my heart.

(2) Name your children giving them pure Tamil names.

(3) Valluvar says அறத்தான் வருவதே இன்பம். That is true happiness comes from virtue. We must set-aside 2 1/2 per cent of our net income for charitable causes. For Muslims, it is compulsory to give 2 1/2% to charity (called zakat) from their net savings. It is the third out of five pillars of Islam.

(4) Let us promote a sense of scientific temper, children should be encouraged to reason and argue. Superstitious beliefs like Astrology, life after death, hell and haven are all obstacles to human progress.

(5) When it comes to marriage don’t consult an Astrologer to compare horoscopes. There is no scientific basis for Astrology, the belief that the motion of the planets and stars influences or predicts human behaviour. Countless proposed marriages have fallen apart despite matching the evasive planets seen millions of miles away and stars hundreds of light years away.

(6) The Tamils are famous for frugal and sensible living, but it makes no sense when we waste money on extravagant weddings, funerals, puberty functions etc.

(5) Two thousand years ago Tholkaapiyar who wrote his magnum opus Tholkappiyam, laid down ten favourable matching factors before finalising a marriage alliance. They have the same family background, discipline, confidence, age, appearance, virtues, compassion, education and status of wealth. He also gives ten unfavourable factors.

This honour isn’t just mine; it belongs to all who stood by me. Let’s keep pushing forward.

I will see you next year Pongal, New Year and Thiruvalluvar Birthdays celebration by CTC.
 

Thank you again.
 

Nanri
 

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Writer and Journalist living in Canada since 1987. Tamil activist.

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