“With ffaith, ddiscipline aand sselfless ddevotion tto dduty, …monsoonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/04_Ar… · · 2015-02-08an overhaul of the entire process-ing system

U.S. Credit Crunch and it's Impact on Canada

A Common Language linksdifferent ethnic communities,says Media Consultant...

By Arjunan Arasaratnam"See page 42 for details"

India's RunawayEconomic

Growth Expectedto Slow Down

MarginallyDetails on Page 6

Monsoon JournalA parfait media publication VOL2 ISSUE 11 APRIL 2008

Monsoon

New Year ...

Monsoon Health 9

Monsoon Business 20

Monsoon Real Estate 23

Waterloo News 33

Monsoon Photo Journal 36

Monsoon Auto Mart 37

Monsoon Food Court 38

Quarter Million Dollars raised throughBowlathon events for ProvidenceHealth Care Tamil Caregiver Project

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By Arun Senathirajah"Speculation is like Bubbles in

a Stream"-Lord Maynard Keynes(British Economist who predictedthe 1930 Great Depression)

When U.S. sneezes, it isCanada that catches the cold.

Big Businesses in Canada maytake a beating as a result of theFinancial crisis that is enveloping

the U.S. Economy. The economicgloom that has set sail south ofthe border is casting spells on it'sneighbor.

Income drops, disappearanceof jobs, less demand for Canadiangoods are some of the fearsraised in the minds of Economistsas a result of the U.S. CreditCrunch. But more often, it is

Speculation that casts it's shadowon the ups and downs in the shareand stock markets. As the BritishEconomist Keynes advocated, theill effects can be minimized byprudent monetary and fiscalmeasures adopted by theGovernment.

(A detailed analysis appearson Page 20)

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By Harini SivalingamAt a community roundtable on

immigration held in Toronto, theImmigration Minister used acleaver analogy to describe thecrisis in Canada's immigration sys-tem. The Minister described theimmigration system as an over-flowing bathtub. In describingthe problems with the immigra-tion system, she stated that theimmigration backlog is like a clogin the drain that is preventingapplications from beingprocessed. While this clog isresulting in serious delays in pro-cessing applications, the faucetkeeps on running and is causingthe water level in the bathtub torise. Over the years the waterlevel in our immigration bathtubhas increased and is now overfill-ing, causing a flood on the bath-room floor.

In order to address theseplumbing problems, the Ministeris proposing a series of changesto the immigration system. Someof these measures are administra-tive and managerial in nature,while others are legislativechanges that will have a drasticimpact on the face of immigrationin Canada. The Minister is sug-gesting that in order to preventvaluable water from overflowingout of the tub, we need to intro-duce measures to (1) remove thebacklog caused by the clog and(2) be able to control the flow ofimmigration application by adjust-ing the faucet taps.

Some of the proposed admin-istrative changes to address thebacklog are in the right direction,such as the proposed increase invisa processing officers in target-ed countries where there are themost serious delays, such as NewDelhi, Manila and Hong Kong.These increased resources allo-cated through Budget 2008 willgo along way toward removingthe clog. However, according tothe Minister this is not enough. Itis also necessary to control theflow of immigration, and theMinister is proposing legislativechanges to the Immigration andRefugee Protection Act that wouldincrease the discretion of visaprocessing officers to reject appli-cations that would otherwisequalify. In addition, the Ministerherself would have the authorityto create categories of classes ofimmigrants that could be expedit-ed based on Canadian economicneeds. It is these legislativemeasures that are causing con-cern to immigration advocates.

While initially these may seemlike the kind of changes thatwould be beneficial, upon closerexamination there are seriousconcerns. Firstly, increasing thediscretion of visa processing offi-cers increases the possibility of

bias decision making. The wholeidea of the point-system was toensure that applicants were treat-ed is a fair and objective manner.By increasing the discretion ofvisa processing officers the fair-ness and impartiality of our immi-gration system is called into ques-tion. Furthermore, these changeswill have significant impact offamily reunification in caseswhere refugee children in Canadaare separated form their lovedones aboard. Secondly, there areconcerns about the transparencyand openness of the immigrationsystem when the Minister cansimply create and expedite certainclasses of immigrants, withoutany known guidelines. There wasa time in Canadian history whenimmigration was indeedprocessed in this manner, whereimmigrants were selected notbased on the merits of their appli-cation, but rather on the colour oftheir skin. We can not let our-selves go back to a system suchas that.

As most homeowners know,plumbing issues are a seriouscause for concern. The measuresproposed by the Minister areshort-term solutions that do notaddress the root cause of theimmigration problem. When wehave a clogged toilet, or a leakydrain in our sink, we may initiallytry to fix the problem ourselves.However, over time, we maycome to realize that the problemsare structural in nature and pro-fessional help is required. It couldbe that our plumbing problemsare a result of old pipes, andunless we make these necessary

changes, our plumbing systemwill continue to experience thesame or even more exacerbatedproblems. Similarly, our immigra-tion system has some serious andfundamental flaws that need to beaddressed not only with cosmeticchanges to the fixtures, but alsoan overhaul of the entire process-ing system. Perhaps instead oftaking long and luxurious bubblebaths, Canada should be takingmore showers instead.

APRIL 2008MONSOON JOURNAL 3

The Immigration BathtubSCARBOROUGH. A group of

concerned citizens, including promi-nent Ontario legal professionals andmembers of the Tamil community liv-ing in Canada, is finalizing a reportabout current conditions in Sri Lankainvolving human rights and the rule oflaw in that south Asian island country.

This report marks the first time inCanada that a grassroots group of vol-unteers has investigated governance,legal and rule of law issues in SriLanka. The report is scheduled forrelease in April 2008. It is the result ofmore than three months of study andresearch. The report is based on infor-mation obtained from a wide range ofsources, including government andinternational non-government organi-zations, such as Human Rights Nowand Amnesty International.

The report has two objectives:" To develop a concise plan of

action to help restore peace and sta-bility in Sri Lanka; and

" To provide specific recommenda-tions so the Government of Canadacan address the Sri Lanka issue byworking through international agen-cies, such as the United Nations andthe Commonwealth of Nations

The volunteer group preparing thereport includes senior members of theOntario Bar Association, as well asTamils who have immigrated toCanada from northern Sri Lanka.Tamils are a minority among the 20million Sri Lankans. Thousands ofTamils have left their home country toescape the long-standing armed civilwar.

"Historically, Canada has led theCommonwealth in bringing peacefulresolution to conflicts involving mem-ber states," said Chuck Konkel, a con-

cerned citizen who is spearheadingthis report. "It's time to resolve theviolence and human suffering that hastorn apart Sri Lanka."

Konkel notes that 2008 marks the25th year of ethnic violence in thatisland country and the 60th anniver-sary of Sri Lanka's independence.

Canada and other nations havebeen involved in past initiatives thathave been unable to stem the violencein Sri Lanka. Konkel points out that theduration and intensity of these hostili-ties indicate that structural defectsexist in Sri Lanka's system of gover-nance and human rights protection."Canada's experience with safeguard-ing minorities' rights and protectingcitizens can be a model for effectivedemocratic governance and lastingpeace in Sri Lanka," he said. "After aquarter century of violence, action isneeded in Sri Lanka without furtherdelay."

Konkel has been active in humanrights and public policy issues formore than 30 years. A veteran policeofficer, he was a driving force behindthe creation of Canada's hate crimelegislation in the 1990s. He holds amaster's degree in international rela-tions and has extensive experience inpolicing - throughout Toronto, as wellas internationally. He's served as apolice inspector in Hong Kong, a policeadvisor in Poland, and a special lectur-er at the FBI Academy.

Konkel, whose family immigratedto Canada from Europe when he wasa child, is active for the ConservativeParty of Canada in the Scarborough-Guildwood riding. That area of easternToronto has one of the highest con-centrations of Tamil residents outsideof Sri Lanka.

Canada can lead peaceprocess in Sri Lanka:citizens group


From the Publisher’s Desk ...Dwindling supply of rice and food supplies…helping

farmers help us all…"None can swim the sea of vice, but

those who are united to the feet of thatgracious Being who is a sea of virtue." -

Thirukkural # 8

Monsoon JournalPrinting the Winds of Change

around us All lands home, all men kin.

Managing Editor & PublisherLogan Velumailum

Editorial & Marketing Consultant Siva Sivapragasam

Promotion Co-ordinatorSenthi Senthivel

Layout DesignSantosh Kumar K.A

Graphics Consultant Gnane B. Gnanendran

Contributing Columnists Anand. J

Abizar BadaniHarish . G

K.T. Kumaran Krishni. L

Kumar PunithavelMithura Anandarajah

Nate. VRaymond Rajabalan

Rudy RuthranShiyam. L

Sri Krishnan. SCirculation Co-ordinator

S.S. Mathavan

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Prices on food have beensoaring worldwide, including rice,which has doubled in the last cou-ple of months. Rice, the staple forso many people and culturescould get even more expensive,reports say. The price of somerice, for example, is up 100 percent in the last year, and 30 percent in the last month alone.

International aid agencies areincreasingly worried by the recentdramatic rise in food costs, andparticularly rice prices, across Asia

and the effect this will have onfood assistance projects for thepoorest people in the region.

Escalating food price rises arereportedly threatening the UN'sability to feed around 73 millionpeople in 2008 and is also causingmajor problems for the world'spoorest countries, the World FoodProgram said recently.

The organisation had beenforced to increase its budget byan extra half a billion dollars for2008 in February, from 2.9 billion

dollars budget to 3.4 billion. WFP said it was concerned

about a rise in malnutrition andunder nourishment for children asfamilies were already eating lessfood and less nutritious food.

In many cases the supplyshortage is caused by growingdemand for rice and other foodsupplies around the world.

But in some countries weatherfactors along with internal con-flicts are impacting on rice sup-plies.

For example, several paddyfields are being kept as off limitsto Tamil farmers in Sri Lanka’sNorth-East, marked as highSecurity Zones by the Sri Lankanarmed forces. Farmers and thecommunities at large have beendenied of bountiful harvests fromthese paddy fields for nearly twodecades.

Reports also say thatChanging rainfall patterns in SriLanka have prompted later paddyplanting by farmers and affectedthe country’s overall rice yield inseveral other parts of the country.M S Swaminathan, eminent agri-culture scientist and former headof the International Rice ResearchInstitute (IRRI) said recently,"People at the grassroots will bethe first to bear the brunt of cli-mate change and train people vil-lages needs to be trained to beclimate managers."

IRRI is now promoting gov-ernment and private sector part-nerships to improve rice supply bydeveloping and planting varietiesthat will produce increased yields.

The Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation recently announced agrant to IRRI for US$19.9 millionover three years to initially helpplace improved rice varieties andrelated technology into the handsof 400,000 small farmers in SouthAsia and sub-Saharan Africa.Farmers are expected to achieve a50 percent increase in their yieldswithin the next 10 years, an IRRIpress release says.

The Monsoon Journal joins theseveral non governmental organi-zations around the world in callingattention and support throughgovernments, the private sectorand individuals in addressing allissues faced by farmers.Industrialization and urbanizationare getting key resources at theexpense of those who till the landto feed us.

Projects spearheaded by indi-viduals with expertise on food andfarming development technolo-gies can make a difference for thebetterment of the lives of farmers,farms and the communities atlarge.

Watchful eye on how internalconflicts are harming those whofarm also needs the world’s atten-tion.

The Monsoon Journal drawsattention to fertile paddy fieldsbeing kept off limits to farmers inplaces such as Sri Lanka’s North-East provinces. The world human-itarian community must act toallow these paddy fields tobecome green again, in theseworsening conditions of food andrice supplies.

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By Anjana PasrichaA Pakistani film has been

released in India for the first timein four decades. At the sametime, movies from India'sBollywood industry are also beingscreened in Pakistan, after beingbanned there for decades. Therenewed cultural exchange wasmade possible by a peace processlaunched between the once bitterSouth Asian rivals in 2004.

The widely acclaimedPakistani film Khuda Kay Liye (Inthe Name of God) explores the riftbetween radical and liberal Islam,and has been a hit in Pakistan.

Now the film is beingscreened across theaters inIndian cities. It is a rare eventbecause intense, political rivalryhas limited cultural interactionbetween the two countries fordecades.

Nadish Bhatia of PerceptPicture Company, which is mar-keting the film, says he does notknow how it will fare at the boxoffice. But he says its screening isa landmark.

"We are more proud to be thefirst ones to get a Pakistani film to

India after 43 years, so for us,that definitely is a bigger high,"Bhatia said.

Indian audiences are not theonly ones getting to watch a filmfrom across the border afterdecades.

In Pakistan, several block-busters produced by the Indianfilm industry known as Bollywoodhave been screened in recentmonths after Islamabad lifted aban on films shot in India earlierthis year. The ban was imposed in1965 after the rivals fought a war.

But a peace process launchedin 2004 has lowered tensionsbetween the neighbors, andprompted Islamabad to allow anexchange of films between thetwo countries.

Pakistani filmmaker, ShoaibMansoor, who directed Khuda KayLiye says the exchange will opennew markets to the film industryon both sides. He says it will alsohelp to stem a decline in thePakistani film industry, which ismuch smaller than Bollywood.

"More excitement is foreseenin the future. In competition it isalways the underdog which bene-fits more, I am seeing the filmindustry that is completely downthe drain in Pakistan will end uponce again on its feet when theIndian films start coming overthere. The cinema business willflourish," he said.

Pakistan is no stranger toBollywood movies. Before theban, Indian films drew hugecrowds in cinema halls. After theban, illegal video discs, or DVD's,were widely circulated, and pri-vate cable television channelsbeamed the films into homes.

Bollywood stars are householdnames in Pakistan.

India and Pakistan - once asingle nation before being parti-tioned in 1947 - share a commonculture.

Now, filmmakers on bothsides want to draw on that com-mon culture to establish deeperlinks. The Pakistani movie KhudaKay Liye stars an Indian actor,Naseeruddin Shah. Pakistaniactors, singers and composershave also been hired byBollywood filmmakers in recentyears.

Filmmaker Mansoor sees the

trend intensifying."Just take my example. I have

received a number of offers to dojoint productions or work forIndian films as writer-director,"Mansoor said. " So talent will pre-vail, whosoever deserves anopportunity will get one."

The South Asian neighborshave made slow progress on tack-ling their political differencessince the peace process waslaunched. But people on bothsides have used the opportunityto put decades of hostility firmlybehind them and reach out toeach other.

[voa]

India, Pakistan Exchange Films For First Time in Decades

A Scene from Khuda Kay Liye

Khuda Kay Liye Poster

Scene from Khuda Kay Liye

India's Runaway Economic GrowthExpected to Slow Down Marginally

The quintessential psycho-pathic baddie of Tamil cinema, theman who gave villainy on screen agood name, Raghuvaran died hereat a private hospital in Chennai onMar 19th, after battling personaldemons and a few other debilitat-ing physical problems. He was 49.

Raghuvaran is survived by hisformer wife actress Rohini (thecouple had divorced) and theirson, Nanda.

Raghuvaran had been unwellfor the last few years and hadtaken a sabbatical from activefilms for some time.Sivapathigaram, released sometime last year, marked his come-back. After that he was a regularfigure acting in big films includingRajnikanth's Sivaji. His last releasewas however Sila Nerangalil andBheema (which had been madesome time back).

The life of lanky Raghuvaran,who made his debut as a broodingCommie hero in EzhavathuManithan under the direction ofHariharan, eventually turned outto be bitter-sweet as he had toconstantly fight his tendency toembrace the easier pleasures thatwere easily available to impres-sionable youngsters in Kollywood.

Unable to handle the successand fame that came his way early,Raghuvaran fell into bad habits,from which he never really cameout till his untimely death today.

But even as he was living lifeon the edge with women, wineand many other seductive things,Raghuvaran also managed to wina name for himself as someonewhose acting ability was refresh-

ingly sans the usual Kollywoodcliches. After playing hero rolesnot with egregious success,Raghuvaran was quick to switchover to the archetypal middle-class character roles. Films likeSamsaram Adhu Minsaram, Aaha,Mugavari, Amarkkalam, Run, andmany others with Rajnikanthincluding Muthu, Arunachalam,Siva, Sivaji, Raja Chinna Rojaproved his versatility.

But it was as a villain, withshades of deep black and a touchof enigmatic and over-the-topeccentricity, that Raghuvaran'seventual screen image came to bedefined. The scene in which hecompletely lets himself loose,mouthing I know for heavenknows how many times, in thefilm Puriyatha Puthir, became sopopular that his real-life imagewas almost suspected to be some-thing similar. It was one of themyths that he could never reallyshake off.

But even as he was fightingwhat eventually turned out to be alosing battle with the bottle, aspiritual and an ersatz philosophi-cal side to his persona alsoopened up. He also became adevotee of Sai Baba. It was duringthis phase he struck a romanticchord with actress Rohini andmarried her.

The marriage, as it happened,like his film career promised a lot,but ended up mighty short. Thecouple had a son Nanda, onwhom Raghuvaran was doting.When the marriage ended up inthe courts, Raghuvaran becamean even more broken man and


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By Anjana Pasricha In India, questions are being

raised over how a possible eco-nomic downturn in the UnitedStates will impact India's fast-growing economy. India's econo-my is expected to slow downslightly, but continue to grow at ahealthy pace in the coming year.

Four years ago, retired armyofficer, Rakesh Dhir, invested alarge chunk of his savings in theIndian stock market.

His investments multipliedrapidly as the market grew by anaverage of more than 40 per centa year, prompting him to put moremoney into stocks.

Dhir, like millions of other mid-dle class investors, was optimisticthat the stock market would con-tinue to flourish in an economythat has been growing at a rate ofmore than eight percent since2003.

But in January, the Mumbaistock index, the Sensex, plungedalong with other Asian markets,amid fears of a global economicdownturn sparked by a possiblerecession in the United States. Inthe weeks since, stunnedinvestors have seen the Sensexlose more than 20 per cent fromits peak earlier this year.

The stock market's volatilityhas triggered concerns amongpeople like Dhir about how hardIndia will be hit by a potentialslowdown in the West.

"Hearing stories about reces-sion in the West, I keep wonder-

ing whether I should stay investedin the stock market or not. Itkeeps me awake nights," saidDhir.

Economists are trying to calmsuch fears. Saumitra Chaudhuri, isa member of the EconomicAdvisory Council to the PrimeMinister. He says a potential U.S.recession will have only a moder-ate impact on economic growth inIndia.

"There will be some impact,however the direct impact from aUnited States slowdown is notvery large, because the bulk of theIndian economy still caters tomeeting domestic demand, notexport demand," he said.

India's domestic demandcomes from its 50 million-strongmiddle class. Their growingincomes have fueled purchases ofautomobiles, mobile phones andhomes, and contributed to rapidbusinesses growth.

However, economists warnthat consumer demand will not beas buoyant as it was in previous

years - primarily because risinginflation in the past year hasprompted the government to raiseinterest rates.

Chaudhuri warns that moreexpensive credit could mean lessspending.

"Prices of all kinds of goods,particularly food and commoditiesare going through the roof," hesaid. "When you have a very highinflationary situation, inflationarypressure, it is likely that the actionyou might take to reduce thatinflationary potential from beingrealized would actually slow theeconomy down a bit more."

The government says itexpects the economy to expand at8.7 per cent in the coming year,compared to 9.6 per cent a yearago.

For investors looking for cluesabout the stock market, thedecrease may be disheartening.But India is still expected to rankamong the world's fastest growingeconomies.

[voa news]

Actor RaghuvaranPasses Away

reportedly fell into his self-createdabyss. Though well-meaning indi-viduals, who thought highly of hisacting skills, tried to shore him upwith some film offers all throughlast year, Raghuvaran was for allpractical purposes had called it

quits on films and life too.In the event, his end, though

surprising in its immediate after-math, was something that wasforetold the moment he courtedearly success. Raghuvaran's life,like some of his movies including

the almost biographical Idhu OruManidhanin Kadhai, was some-thing of a cautionary morality play.A noir show of how success couldbe as lethal as a failure, some-times.

[newstodaynet]


Labelling Sri Lanka "a failedstate, a condominium of anarchy,and a shame on humanity" that"terrorized its own Tamil citizens,"Dr. S. Ramadoss, leader ofPaaddaa'li Makka'l Kadchi (PMK,Toilers' Party) and a constituentally of the Congress-led Indiangovernment, said that it was notpossible to remain "passing by-standers to this human tragedy atour doorstep" in his letter toIndian Prime Minister ManmohanSingh on March 29th.

"The sixty million Tamils inIndia cannot wait and watch whiletheir sisters and brothers arebeing decimated across the Palk

Straits and Gulf of Mannar," hesaid.

Not possible to remain mutespectators on the plight ofSri Lanka's Tamils:Ramadoss to Indian PM

The standoff between TamilNadu and Karnataka on the issueof a water project and attacks oncinemas screening Tamil moviesin Bangalore have broughttogether ruling and oppositionparties in Tamil Nadu assemblywhich are otherwise divided overmost issues.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhihimself thanked the members asit brought the ruling and opposi-tion parties under one umbrella.

"We should welcome the actsby the linguistic-fanatic groups.For, this has made us cometogether for the cause of theTamils," he said in his reply to aspecial call attention motionbrought in by various parties inthe House recently.

Thanking the parties for theirunanimous support to the govern-

ment, which he said is firm inimplementing the Rs 1334-croreJapan Bank for InternationalCooperation (JBIC) fundedHogenakkal Intgerated DrinkingWater Project, Karunanidhi saidthe future course of action wouldbe decided after consulting allparties.

PWD Minister Durai Muruganalso thanked the House for"standing behind the govern-ment" and said that though mem-bers were divided on politicalagenda, they were one when itcame to the welfare of the state.

"Such oneness can help us alot," he said.

Recalling a letter written toPrime Minister Manmohan Singhby Karunanidhi a few days back,the minister said the projectwould benefit about 30 lakh peo-

ple of the districts of Krishnagiriand Dharmapuri.

"We are not going to drawwater at Karnataka's expense..wewould draw 1.4 tmcft out of the419 tmcft allotted to us by theCauvery Water Disputes Tribunal",he said. [PTI]

Row with Karnataka over waterproject unites Tamil Nadu parties

PWD Minister Durai Murugan

Dr. S. Ramadoss

The Indian government hasbanned the export of non-basmatirice to try and control soaringdomestic food costs.

The decision, one of a seriesof measures to curb inflation, wastaken during an emergency cabi-net meeting.

The price for exports of aro-matic basmati rice has also beenraised to $1,200 per tonne to dis-courage exports.

The move could have animpact on rice prices globally asthe country is the third largestexporter of the grain - a staplefood in many countries.

The move is the latest in aseries of increases in the export

price of non-basmati rice.The price of such rice was

increased from $650 to $1,000per tonne in the month of Marchalone.

The government imposed atotal ban on non-basmati riceexports last October but lifted itfollowing protests from exporters.

India is the second-largestrice producer in the world. It usu-ally exports more than four milliontonnes of rice a year.

The government alsoannounced that it would be scrap-ping import duty on all crude edi-ble oils as part of its inflation-curbing measures.

India ended its reliance onfood imports in the 1970s, largelyto the government's so-calledGreen Revolution.

But two years ago, it importedwheat for the first time in sixyears following a significant dropin its stockpiles.

The government wants toavoid a similar situation for its ricestocks.

In mid-March, in an attemptto bolster its stocks, India abol-ished import duties on rice.

The problem is an internation-al one, as global rice stocks havereached a 25-year low.

[bbc.co.uk]

India introduces rice export banNew Delhi: India has asked

the Tibetan spiritual leader, theDalai Lama, not to engage inpolitical activities that could hurtthe country's ties with China,media reports said on Apr 1.

"Dalai Lama is a religiousleader. India will render all thehospitality to him as he is arespectable guest, he will havefull freedom to preach religion inIndia but he can't conduct any

political activity in this countrythat harms India-China ties,"External Affairs Minister PranabMukherjee said in remarks broad-cast on TV channels.

Speaking at a function inBehrampore in West Bengal, Mr.Mukherjee said there was nochange in the Indian policy onTibet that was formulated byNehru.

[DPA]

India asks Dalai Lama torefrain from political activities

The Communist Party of India(CPI), a prominent ally of the rul-ing Congress party, has urged theIndian Government to "immedi-ately stop supplying arms to SriLanka that was mindlessly killingTamil people." A resolution to thiseffect was passed recently in theparty's four-day 20th NationalCongress at Hyderabad.According to reports in the Indianmedia, D. Pandian, State

Secretary, Tamil Nadu moved thisresolution which sought NewDelhi to interfere in the war-tornisland's ethnic problem towardsfinding a political solution.

Pandian noted that it wasshocking to learn that the SriLanka Army has unleashed allkinds of attacks on its own citi-zens. "The brutal atrocities andhuman rights violations by theSLA keep increasing by the day.

India is affected because of thisstrife in Sri Lanka. TheGovernment of Sri Lanka unilater-ally withdrew from the peacetalks. A majority of the Sri LankanParliamentarians who were elect-ed to represent the Tamil peoplehave been pressurizing theGovernment of Sri Lanka to comeforward to hold talks in order tofind a peaceful political solution"he said. [TN]

Stop arms supply to Sri Lanka: CPI urges Indian government

Describing as an "error" theIndia government decision torecognise Tibet as a part of China,former Indian Defence MinisterGeorge Fernandes has said theCommunist nation was "potentialthreat number one" to India andflayed the current dispensationfor allowing it to be "bullied".

Venting anger over the Tibetcrisis and India's response to it,the former Defence Minister said

the Olympic torch should not beallowed to come to India and thathe had asked his "colleagues" andothers to make "whatever effort"to prevent the flame's run in thiscountry.

"It was not a mistake but anerror. It should not have beendone," he said about India's deci-sion to recognise Tibet as part ofChina during the previous AtalBihari Vajpayee government in

which he was the DefenceMinister.

Former Indian Defence Minister urges disruption ofOlympic torch relay in India over Tibet

George Fernandes


The Honourable Jim Flaherty,Minister of Finance, recently intro-duced legislation in the House ofCommons to implement keymeasures from Budget 2008. Thebill also includes language to pro-tect the Government's fiscal planfrom the effects of Bill C-253.

"Budget 2008 is a plan that isprudent, focused and responsiblein this period of economic uncer-tainty," said Minister Flaherty."The bill being tabled today willbenefit all Canadians with meas-ures such as the new Tax-FreeSavings Account. It will also pro-tect the fiscal framework from aPrivate Member's bill that risksplunging the federal governmentback into deficit."

Today's budget legislation will:Allow Canadians to invest up

to $5,000 a year in a new Tax-Free Savings Account, starting in2009. Investment income earnedwithin the account, including cap-ital gains, will not be taxed andwithdrawals will be tax-free.

Benefit small and medium-sized businesses by improving thescientific research and experi-

mental development tax incentiveprogram.

Increase the residency com-ponent of the Northern ResidentsDeduction by 10 per cent, effec-tive for the 2008 tax year.

Support Canadian studentswith a $350-million investment in2009-10, rising to $430 million by2012-13, in a new consolidatedCanada Student Grant Programthat will reach 245,000 collegeand undergraduate students peryear when it takes effect in thefall of 2009.

Commit $123 million overfour years starting in 2009-10 tostreamline and modernize theCanada Student Loans Programand expand online services forstudents, enabling them to man-age their student loan accountsonline.

Modernize the immigrationsystem with a $22-million invest-ment over two years, growing to$37 million per year by 2012-13,including legislation to speed upthe processing of permanent resi-dent applications, ensuring short-er wait times and making

Canada's immigration systemmore competitive.

Improve the managementand governance of theEmployment Insurance (EI) pro-gram through the creation of theCanada Employment InsuranceFinancing Board, an independentCrown corporation with a legislat-ed structure which ensures thatEI premiums are dedicated exclu-sively to the EI program.

Provide $400 million allocatedproportionately through a third-party trust for provinces and terri-tories to support their efforts inrecruiting 2,500 new front-linepolice officers.

Invest $500 million in 2007-08 through a third-party trust,allocated on a provincial-territori-al per capita basis, for public tran-sit infrastructure.

Set aside $250 million for afull-scale commercial demonstra-tion of carbon capture and stor-age in the coal-fired electricitysector and for research projectsto accelerate the deployment ofthe technology.

Build on Canada's knowledge

and people advantage ingenomics with an additional $140million for Genome Canada.

Provide $110 million to theMental Health Commission ofCanada to support five innovativedemonstration projects across thecountry to develop best practicesto help Canadians facing mentalhealth and homelessness chal-lenges.

Invest $60 million per year toensure that low-income seniorswho work can realize greater ben-efits from their earnings throughan increase in the Guaranteed

Income Supplement earningsexemption.

Detailed explanatory notesrelating to the tax measures inthe bill tabled today will be avail-able free of charge on theDepartment of Finance website inthe near future. Printed copieswill also be available from theDepartment of FinanceDistribution Centre at 613-995-2855.

More information on theseand other Budget 2008 measurescan be obtained by visiting theDepartment of Finance website orby phoning 1-800-O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) or 1-800-926-9105 (TTY for the speech andhearing impaired/deaf).

For further information, mediamay contact:

Chisholm PothierPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister of

Finance613-996-7861David GambleMedia RelationsDepartment of Finance613-996-8080

Minister Flaherty Tables Legislation to Implement Budget2008 Measures and Protect Canada's Fiscal Framework

The Canadian Flag is a symboldear to the hearts of all Canadians.The "Red Maple Leaf" is a sign of whowe are - we sew it on our backpackwhen we travel and it welcomes uswhen we return home; we wave it onCanada Day; and, yes, we drape thecoffins of our heroes with it as a signof that all Canadians are grieving. TheCanadian Flag which flies from thePeace Tower, over Parliament Hill, isthe most important flag in Canada.When the new Canadian flag wasraised for the first time on February15, 1965, it was raised on The PeaceTower. The Peace Tower Flag is notlowered when a Canadian is killedwhile serving Canada overseas. OnApril 2, 2008, Motion M-310 passedthe House of Commons. TheHonourable Jim Karygiannis had theprivilege of seconding the Motionwhich reads:

"That, in the opinion of the House,in order to show respect and to hon-our Canadian Forces and otherCanadian government personnel whoare killed while serving in overseaspeacekeeping, peacemaking orhumanitarian missions, the govern-ment should lower the flag on thePeace Tower to half-staff for the dayfollowing their demise as a remem-brance of their important service toCanada and Canadians and that amoment of silence to be observed inthe House, if the House is sitting onthat same day".

When Canadian soldiers are killedoverseas, we fly them home to CFBTrenton. Then, they are driven alongthe Highway of Heroes. Canadians,men, women and children, line theoverpasses and wave the CanadianFlag as the cortege, carrying theremains of the soldier and the soldier'sfamily, pass by.

Mr. Karygiannis stated: "I think itwould be very befitting if we also thinkabout lowering the flag on the Peace

Tower every time we lose a soldier."On June 20, 2007, Sergeant ChristosKarigiannis, a fourth cousin of Mr.Karygiannis, was killed in Afghanistan.During a debate in the House ofCommons, Mr. Karygiannis comment-ed:

"As a privy councillor, when I passaway, the flag on the Peace Tower willbe at half-mast. I would trade thathonour any time for my cousin whodied. It was with great dissatisfaction,that when Sergeant ChristosKarigiannis died, the flag was not low-ered."

All Members of the Oppositionvoted in favour of the Motion. NoMembers of the Government voted forthe Motion. Mr. Karygiannis furtherstated:

"The former Liberal Governmentwas lowering the Peace Tower flagwhen we lost a brave Canadian. TheHarper Government is happy to sendCanadians into harm's way but won'trecognize them when they pay theultimate price. The actions of theGovernment Members today are des-picable. Before the vote, the HarperGovernment has indicated that itwould ignore the wishes of the Houseit the Motion passed. I hope they re-think their position and pay respect toour fallen heroes."

Presently, the Peace Tower Flag islowered to half-mast on the followingoccasions:

1. on the death of the Sovereign,the Governor General and the currentPrime Minister

2. on the death of members of theSovereign's Family

3. on the death of a FormerGovernor General

4. on the death of a Former PrimeMinister

5. on the death of the ChiefJustice of Canada and currentMembers of the Canadian Ministry

6. on the death of current

Lieutenant Governors 7. on the death of Privy

Councillors and current Senators 8. on the death of current

Members of the House of Commons 9. on the death of Accredited

Heads of Mission to Canada while inCanada

10. on April 28, Workers'Mourning Day;

11. on the last Sunday inSeptember, Police and Peace Officers'National Memorial Day;

12. on November 11, Rememb-rance Day;

13. on December 6, NationalDay of Remembrance and Action onViolence Against Women.

14. on April 9, Vimy Ridge Day;and,

15. for the Annual MemorialService to remember deceasedParliamentarians.

Conservative vote against Motion to Half-Mast the Peace Tower Flag - Karygiannis

Duncan Fletcher, TheProgressive Conservative PartyCandidate for Markham-Unionvillesays that “recent moves by theCanadian Immigration Minister torespond to Canadian labour mar-kets needs is not meant to impedefamily reunification.”

In a recent press release,Duncan Fletcher, ConservativeM.P. Candidate for Markham –Unionville said that in Budget2008 the Conservative govern-ment has moved to help reducewait times for immigrants – whichis why it was introduced as abudget item via $22 million in newfunding.

He emphasized the need toprocess immigration applicationsfaster stating “immigration is the

backbone of Markham –Unionville. The outrageous back-logs hurt us more than the aver-age community because of ourhigh immigrant population. Wemust do everything in our powerto reunite families and bring moreskilled workers here. Our commu-nity deserves better than foot-dragging and partisan fear-mon-gering from Liberal quarters. Itdeserves action.”

He emphasized that familyunification remains a priority forthe government and the changesdo not affect refugee claims. Hechided the Liberal Party for sug-gesting that the door is beingclosed on family reunification andrefugee claims.

Government moves are towards betteringimmigration process, says Duncan Fletcher,Markham-Unionville PC Candidate

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The announcement of pregnan-cy in the family brings with it a flur-ry of emotional experiences.Excitement, fear, anxiety and joyare just a few of the feelings foundon the spectrum of emotions. Oncethe initial shock wears off, themother and her significant othersthen have to deal with the physicalchanges that occur. As her bodyand the baby evolve, they impactevery part of her daily lifestyle, be ither diet, sleep patterns and hersocial life. While the physical andemotional changes may be appar-ent, what is often neglected butendured, are the musculoskeletalchanges. Ultimately, a mother maycarry 20-30 pounds. To support thischange pregnant moms adjust theirwalk by tilting their pelvis forwardand curving their lower spine. Whatresults is that the pregnant mum'scentre of gravity changes. Thiscauses a new weight bearing stanceand adds pressure to several bodyparts: knees, low back and feet. Inother words…pain!

While the focus during the preg-nancy can often be the child, it isimportant that the mother takescare of herself. As her body physi-cally changes and she developspain/discomfort, she is further limit-ed by medication for pain relief.There are, however, alternatives

that should be explored. Massagetherapy for example, is a simplepain relief alternative that is safe forthe child, and can promote painrelief and stress relief for the moth-er.

Musculoskeletal changes:During pregnancy, joints

become hypermobile as a result ofhormonally induced ligamentouslaxity. Because of this, there is apotential of joint injury especiallyfor weight-bearing joints of theback, pelvis and lower extremities.Abdominal muscles are alsostretched to their elastic limit by theend of pregnancy. Massage therapycan help relieve tension in thesemuscles to reduce the stress placedon joints. This especially impactsjoints that are weight-bearing likethe low back and pelvis. It is impor-tant to keep the muscles and liga-ments of the body loose andrelaxed to limit the stress and ten-sion on the attachments of bone tomuscle.

Posture:During pregnancy, the body's

centre of gravity shifts upward andforward due to fetal weightincrease, with weight shifting to theheels. What results is called lumbarlordosis. Lordosis means that thecurve in the spine of our low backbecomes further accentuated.

Shoulders become rounded due tobreast enlargement with forwardhead posture which compensatesfor shoulder position. Massagehelps corrects all of these problems.General massage or deep tissuetechniques can be used to improveposture, spinal alignment, and cir-culation. Also it can decreaseswelling due to weight increase andminimize pain that is experienced.If the muscles in the back arerelieved, pressure will be taken offthe shoulder blades and cervicalspine (neck) thus releasing some ofthe pull which is causing the round-ed back and forward head posture.

Cardiovascular System:During pregnancy, blood vol-

ume increases, with increasedvenous pressure to lower extremi-ties. Swelling in the lower extrem-ities develops, mainly in the latterpart of pregnancy by the end of thesecond trimester. The enlarging

uterus places pressure on the bloodvessels in the pelvis and legs caus-ing circulation to slow down andblood to pool in the lower extremi-ty. Water retention may also occurbecause the body requires morefluid to regulate blood flow and pro-vide liquid for the developing baby,including amniotic fluid. Edemaincreases at the end of the day andduring warmer months. It cancause painful aching legs and feet.Foot massage and posterior legmassage can help move away bloodand lymphatic flow that is trappedin the lower extremities. Massagetherapy will help redistribute bloodto other areas in the body so thatblood will not pool in the legs andfeet or hands and arms. Other sim-ple suggestions include:

a) Elevating your feetb) Wearing compression stock-

ings and seamless cotton socks. Achiropodist can be consulted tofacilitate this process.

c) If driving for a long period oftime, take regular breaks to stretchyour legs and promote circulation

d) Exercise regularlye) Drink plenty of water and eat

healthy. Avoid food high in salt-thiscan cause water retention

f) Wear correct and proper fit-ting footwear. You may benefitfrom custom fitted orthotics to sup-port your feet and correctly alignyour posture. Custom madeorthotics are made by yourChiropodist with plastar of pariswhile your feet are held in subtalarjoint neutral, after a biomechanicalassessment has been completed.These devices will provide you witharch support and support your feetto reduce the extra strain on anyjoints and ligaments. A custommade orthotic will prevent commonfoot problems such as plantar fasci-tis, heel spurs, metatarsalgia andany tendonitis.

It is evident that the physicalchanges of pregnancy should beaddressed, especially since thesechanges have effects on the bodylong after the pregnancy. While theabove issues mainly address themusculoskeletal changes, theyshould be part of the package ofmedical and social management.Considering that a pregnancy issuch a life altering event, address-ing these changes will have a posi-tive outcome on the mother andchild. One can hope that relievingthe pains of pregnancy, may relievesome of the pains of delivery!


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The Pains of PregnancyBy Mithura Anandarajah, PT



Toronto will be celebrating anotherNew Year on the 14th of April in the

year 2008. With the rich diversity of ethnicitythe city is blessed with many celebrations.The New Year among the Hindus andBuddhists vary from region to region. TheTamil Hindus, around the world will be cele-brating this day, and the Singhalese who aredominantly Buddhist too celebrate this day asNew Year. Toronto which has a large Tamilcommunity will be celebrating by going to thetemples around the city.

The celebrations of the Tamil New Year,unlike in the west, which has great many par-ties, will be filled with religious rituals in theircelebrations. The day and exact time of birthis calculated by an astrologer using the plan-etary positions. Among the Tamils the daybefore the New Year, the house and com-pound is cleaned, and made ready to receivethe New Year.

At the auspicious time the full house holdwill take a customary herbal oil bath. Theherbal mix for such ceremonial bath is usual-ly supplied by the village temple. The familyusually adorn new cloths to receive the NewYear. Each year different colours are consid-ered to be lucky. This year the preferredcolours are blue and……….

At the predetermined time, the traditionaloil lamps are lit and worship is done in thefamily shrine room by all the members of thefamily. After offering of prayers the childrenprostrate at the feet of the elders asking for

their blessings. The above tradition of prostration benefits

the children in teaching them to respect theelders and their wisdom gained by experi-ence. Such respect to elders is lacking in thebusy modern world, and there by leading thechildren in harms way. It also enhances senseof acceptance in the elders which is the besthealth medication for the elders.

The prayer is followed by a family feastconsisting of sweet rice called 'SarkaraiPongal' and many delicious snacks. As mostpeople attend the temple this day non vege-tarian food is avoided.

Another custom which is greatly look for-ward by the children is called `Kaivisesham`.This is the dealing money for the first time inthe New Year. One would like to acceptmoney from the person whom he or she feelswill bring him luck. The receiving of gifts ofmoney on this day from the wealthy and influ-ential persons is believed to bring luck andprosperity in the New Year. This gift of moneyis also a form of charity indulged in by thewealthy when all their employees, depend-ents and needy neighbours visit them andreceive gifts of money. The most suitable timefor such exchange of money too is computedby astrologer. During this time the merchantand tradesmen start their business for thefirst time in the New Year. Of course the chil-dren love this custom, as they will have someextra spending money.

What begins as a family observation in

the morning ends in the evening with commu-nity celebrations. There will be many tradi-tional sports competitions held where theyoung lads will get ample opportunity to showoff their strength and ability. The young ladiestoo have sports activities where they have awonderful time participating. The sprit ofcommunity and neighbourly relationship

receive very special consideration in the after-noon. Every one greets the other in the tradi-tional `Puthaandu Valthugal`. The MonsoonJournal too wishes its Tamil readers`Puthaandu Valthugal`.

By:- Kumar Punithavelemail: [email protected]

Tamil and Singhalese New Year'Puthaandu Valthugal'


Nrithya Natya Mandram, adancing school operating inToronto for well over 15 years pre-sented a fund-raising dance pro-gram "Abinayam" , conducted bySmt. Sakunthala Mohan on FridayMarch 7th, 2008 at the ArmenianYouth Centre. She is a renowneddancer and a Teacher attached tothe School Board and also thePresident and founder of NrithyaNatya Manram. She had trainedmany students in her career andorganized many Arangetrums(Arangetrum means, a studentafter completing all programs andwhen ready, performs a StageProgram).

Disciples of Sakunthala Mohanwere trained to perform beautifuldance program for "Abinayam".

The program was a very creativeand unique way in order to raisemoney for the Scarborough GraceHospital. Brain Dawe, thePresident of Scarborough HospitalFoundation along with many otherattendees were present for thisbeautiful event that was initiatedfor a good cause. Near the end ofthe show Brian Dawe was pre-sented with the value of a fivethousand five hundred dollarcheque as a charitable fundtowards the Scarborough Gracehospital.

"Monsoon Journal" wishes tocongratulate Smt. SakunthalaMohan and her troupe for thegreat efforts undertaken to organ-ize such a wonderful and charita-ble program.

Nrithya Natya Manramhosts fundraising event forScarborough Grace Hospital

Brian Dawe being presented the donation cheque collected thru'Abinayam Program by Smt. Sakunthala Mohan

The International MedicalHealth Organization (IMHO), a U.S.based non-profit humanitarianorganization established in 2003,held a successful fundraising eventon April 5th, 2008 in Toronto. Over400 attendees supported the event

and raised $75,000.00 towards anutritional support program for mal-nourished pregnant mothers in theNorth and East of Sri Lanka.Nutritional deficiency and anemiaare cited as common problemsamong pregnant mothers and chil-

dren in the Jaffna peninsula.Through this program, IMHO willprovide much needed milk productsand vitamins to these pregnantmothers. This is an ongoing projectthat IMHO is committed to main-taining through consistent fundrais-

ing initiatives. IMHO is also imple-menting many other healthcareprojects in the North and East,including, building and improvingpsychiatric units in Vavuniya andThellipalai, establishing a Diabeticcenter at Jaffna Teaching Hospital,

and running mobile health clinics inrural and areas and refugee camps.For more information this programand other activities of IMHO,

please visit their website atwww.imhousa.org

Malnourished Pregnant Mothers Gets Support from IMHO

Left to Right: Dr. Rajam Theiventhiran, NewYork, Dr. Varagunan, Newfoundland, SivarajanSivanandarajah, Toronto

Dr. Lambotharan, IMHO Organizing Committee in Toronto

Dr. Raguraj Sinnarajah, PresidentIMHO, Baltimore, Maryland

Supporters at the Fundraising EventSupporters at the Fundraising Event


The Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council (CSLBC) salutes the

tremendous work done by our friend and colleague -

Nirantha De Silva. He joined the Council in 1999, and served on

the board of directors since 2001. He was elected Vice President

of the Council in 2005 - a position he held with distinction

until his sudden passing on February 5, 2008.

Nirantha was passionate in taking the Council to the next

level. We shall always remember with fondness his mischievous

smile and the true spirit of camaraderie he brought to our

organization. His integrity was beyond question. The board

of directors entrusted Nirantha with many chal-

lenges. He executed these tasks with ease and

exceeded our expectations at all times.

We enjoyed his company and shall miss

him in our midst.

May his soul rest in eternal peace!

TRIBUTE TO THE LATE NIRANTHA DE SILVATRIBUTE TO THE LATE NIRANTHA DE SILVA

Founder: Pierre CardinBorn: 1922, San Biagio di Callalta, Italy

Often overlooked and regarded as abusinessman than designer, Pierre Cardin'screative talents have been eclipsed by hisability to put his name to just about anyproduct around, from perfumes to ties(over 600 products by 1970). His skill atlicensing his name is only matched by hisability to publicize it. Cardin's appearanceon the cover of Time magazine had himclad in just a bath towel - a Pierre Cardinbath towel. By the same token, Cardin was

the first French designer to establish mar-kets in Japan (in1958), China (in 1978) andmore recently Russia. It was this businesstalent that made him not only a householdname but also, at one time, the world'srichest Haute Couture Designer.

Pierre Cardin grew up in Loire region ofFrance, leaving home in 1935 to work forManby, a tailor in Vichy. He moved to Parisafter France's liberation in 1944, with theintention of studying architecture, but soonbegan working for Elsa Schiaparelli and thehouse of Paqin.

In 1946 he became head of ChristianDior's design studio. He set up his ownbusiness in 1949, making an odd mix ofsober suits and extravagant theatre cos-tumes (he had already designed costumesfor Jean Cocteau's film La Belle et la Betein 1947). In 1954 Cardin opened his firstshop, called Eve, on rue du Faubourg SaintHonore in Paris, and is 1957 he launchedhis first Womenswear collection. Ready-to-wear followed in 1963.

Cardin's widely influential, bold designshave always shown a taste for the futureand the conceptual. Although associatedwith the use of knitted body stocking stylefabrics, leggings and cat suits, in the1950's he also designed bubble skirts, bias-cutting over a stiffened frame and unstruc-tured shirts. He moved on to cut-out dress-es (those outsized appliqué pockets in theearly 1960s. Along with Andre Courreges'collection of the same year, Cardin's ' SpaceAge' collection in 1964 comprised cat suits,batwing jumpsuits and helmets.

A-Z of Hair

Want the sexy look of an A-lister?

A - ALCOHOLYour skin may hate it, but the devil's

juice works wonders for your hair. 'If yourhair is looking dull and flat [been drinkingtoo much?], rinse it with a real ale or beer(not lager), 'says Sienna Miller's stylistJohnnie Sapong. 'The wheat protein andhops will give it a real shine.' Alternatively,try Apple Cider Clearing Rinse.

B - BLOW-DRYThe beauty girl's press-ups. 'Blow-dry-

ing at home needs patience and strong armmuscles, 'says Keira Knightley's stylist,James Gavin, 'Save your energy for the toplayer of hair as this will cover up any mis-takes on the bottom. 'And for a flat, sleekfringe, ditch the irons. ' Blow-dry it first oneway, then immediately the opposite way,

'says L'Oreal colourist Rae Palmer. Protectyour hair with styling lotion by Bumble andBumble.

C- CHEWING GUMHair's worst enemy! 'If, God forbid, you

ever get chewing gum stuck in your hair,rub sum chunky peanut butter onto thearea, 'advises hairdresser Ben White atFordham White salon. ' The abrasive actionhelps to remove the gum.'

D - DIFFUSERA diffuser is a must to create curl defi-

nition for summer's more relaxed styles. 'If

you're travelling or at the gym without adiffuser, put a sock over the end of yourhairdryer. It will mimic a diffuser's effectsand protect hair from direct heat,' saysJohnnie Sapong.

E - ELIMINATING FRIZZ'Use a lower heat setting and keep your

dryer's nozzle moving round so you don'toverheat and damage the hair,' says JoelGoncalves, UK creative director of JohnFrieda salons. 'Keep the hair cuticle flat bypositioning the dryer behind the brush, fol-lowing it down the hair shaft. Always directthe heat south or you could end up with ahalo of frizz. 'Frizz Ease Hair Serum by JohnFrieda is the ultimate frizz fighter.

F - FINE HAIRGet beautiful, get retro. 'Crimp some of

the underneath sections so that thestraight hair on top is supported and standsaway from the head,' suggests Ben White.Or go crazy for colour. 'Colour is a greatfriend to fine hair as it gives lift and createsmore texture, 'says Kylie's hair stylist, Kevin

Murphy. Also lay off any styling productscontaining oil and try a vitamin spray - suchas Perfect Endings Essential Moisturiser byAndrew Collinge - on the ends instead ofregular conditioner. A shampoo that con-tains balancing ingredients such as lime,lemon and sage will keep your hair in topcondition.

G - GROWTH'Hair grows about half an inch a month;

six inches a year, 'says trichologist PhilipKingsley. 'It grows faster in summer than inwinter due to heat and extra UV from thesun, which increases metabolism.Theoretically, sitting under a heat lamp,using hotter than usual water when sham-pooing or going into a sauna should all helpboost growth.'


Designer ProfilePIERRE CARDIN


H - HANGERSGot a static problem? ' Get rid of

unsightly static hair by grabbing a coathanger and running the metal hook downthe length of your hair, 'says GHD andClairol UK style director James Brown. Athermal protector such as Poker StraightFlat Iron Protection Shine Mist by LeeStafford, will control flyaway hairs bydeflecting heat damage and adding mois-ture.

I - INTENSIVE CONDITIONING'I remember women along the Riviera

slicking their hair back with coconut oilbefore they went to the beach,' says hairstylist Frederic Fekkai. 'Heat helps the oilabsorb into the hair shaft, so it can saturatethe hair.' No sun? No fear. 'Slather on adeep conditioner, pop on a shower cap andhit the steam room,' says Rae Plamer. TryLifetex Nutri-Care Extra rich-Nutrition Self-

Warming Mask by Wella.

J - JUICE'Aloe Vera juice is natural detoxifier

which makes hair squeaky clean,' says hairstylist Errol Douglas. Try Aloe Vera condi-tioning shampoo by Crabtree & Evelyn.

K - KETCHUP'Tomato ketchup will remove the green

tinge on blonde hair caused by chlorine inswimming pools,' says Yasmin Le Bon's

colourist, Charlie Double. 'Sponge it ontothe hair and rinse immediately to avoidstaining the red hair!' After a swim, use UVRescue After-Sun Shampoo by Redken tocleanse and clarify.

L - LATHERIt's not just your hair that needs wash-

ing. 'Your comb or brush picks up dirt inyour hair, so wash it in hot soapy wateronce a week to help hair stay clean,' saysPhilip Kingsley. The best hairbrush is aMason Pearson, as spotted in Kate Moss'shandbag.

M - MASSAGE'Scalp massage increases blood flow to

make hair grow faster,' says Philip Kingsley.Enhance the process with Scalp Mask byPhilip Kingsley.

N - NUTRITION'Hair consists or protein, so include this

in your diet for strong, healthy hair,' advis-es Philip Kingsley. 'Breakfast is the mostimportant meal of the day, as the energylevels to your hair follicles are at their low-est in the morning.'

O - OLIVE OIL

'Olive oil is ultra moisturising and addsshine to lacklustre hair,' says Fredric Fekkai.Liz Hurley's colourist, Jo Hansford, whips upa homemade conditioning treat. 'Mix twoeggs with two table spoons of olive oil,smooth it through hair, wrap with cling film,leave for 10 minutes then rinse thoroughly.'

...continued in Page 45

by Parthepan Kugadason (PK)

continued from previous page


The last 18 years ofKanavathipillai Thangarasa's lifehave been in constant flux. The62-year-old man and his familyhave been displaced from theirhome on numerous occasionssince 1990 by fighting in easternSri Lanka between governmentforces and the Liberation Tigers ofTamil Eelam (LTTE).

In 1991, his 15-year-old sondisappeared while travelling tothe capital, Colombo, 330km fromhis native village Vavunathivu inBatticaloa District. The strain ofthose years shows onThangarasa's face, which is domi-nated by wrinkles and heavy-seteyes.

"All we have ever wanted ispeace, to live like anyone elsewithout fear of having to run inour night clothes," he told IRIN.Like many in his village and thou-sands of others in easternBatticaloa District, Thangarasahopes the latest phase of evictionand resettlement is the last of hislifetime.

Thousands fled and returnedto villages like Vavunathivu andVakari, further north of Batticaloatown, within a span of six months

in 2007 when fighting flared up.They remain nervous about theireconomic futures.

"A year ago I was either livingmy life in a bunker or runningfrom shell fire," NalathambiShanthi, a 23-year-old womanfrom Vakarai, said. "Today, I amliving in a house but still unem-ployed."

Resettlement plansSigns of over a decade and a

half of fighting are evident."There are still big holes in thewalls of my house," ThayabaranPremila, a 29-year-old mother ofthree from Uriyankettu village inVakarai, said.

The last harvest was one ofthe first in recent times thatallowed farmers in the newlyresettled areas to cultivate with-out fear of war. "The last crop wasgood because we could sell thepaddy at a high price," 29-year-old Sinnathambi Wimalendran

from Vavunathivu said, notingthat rice prices were highthroughout the country.

When fighting broke outbetween government forces andthe Tigers in early 2007, thou-sands of civilians fled villages likeVavunathivu and Vakarai, whichwere then under the control ofthe Tamil Tigers, to the relativesafety of government controlledparts of the district.

By June 2007, governmentforces had chased out the Tigersfrom areas they held in the east-ern district and a massive reset-tlement drive was launched.According to the Ministry ofResettlement and Disaster ReliefServices, 31,200 families(104,000 people) have beenresettled in the district, with27,000 of them, including theThangarasa family, returning toVavunathivu.

Lagging behindDespite the mass resettle-

ment, areas like Vavunathivu stilllag far behind the rest of thecountry in development, accord-ing to economist MuttukrishnaSarvananthan, the author of therecent study Economy of theConflict Region in Sri Lanka: From

Embargo to Repression, publishedby the East West Center, inWashington, DC.

"Newly settled areas have along way to go," he told IRIN."They lack basic amenities and

infrastructure such as properhouses, roads, electricity, watersupply and telecommunications.Further, human resource develop-ment is at a very low level."

"It is very important that jobsare created to ensure long-termsustainability of these areas,"Thandi Mwape, the head of theBatticaloa sub-office of the UNOffice for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Several international organi-sations have launched pro-grammes targeting peopleinvolved in fishing, home garden-ing and food crops in the newlyresettled divisions of Batticaloa.

Roads need repair and hous-es, most of which still bear the telltale signs of a protracted war,need rehabilitation.

Kick-start developmentMwape said the UN and other

agencies provided transitional

shelters during the resettlementand that government agencieswere looking at ways to recon-struct permanent houses.

The government hopes thesuccessful completion of elections

on 10 February for nine bodies inthe Batticaloa District, includingthose overseeing Vavunathivuand Vakarai, will kick-startlocalised development projects.

Each of the councils was allo-cated Rs 2.5 million (aboutUS$23,000) by President MahindaRajapaksa at the 20 March swear-ing-in ceremony in Colombo. "Younow have to find solutions to their(voters) problems," he told thenewly elected members.

The Tamil Makkal ViduthalaiPulikal (TMVP), a breakaway fac-tion of the Tamil Tigers, won con-trol of all nine councils at the elec-tion, the first held since 1994.

The newly resettled familiesare eager to get back to normalproductive lives. "My village is stillovergrown and looks like a jun-gle," Thangarasa said. "With halfbroken houses, flooded roads andpeople still living off handouts . . .it's time for all of this to change."

[irinnews]

Newly resettled IDPs dream of life without war

[Children in front of the shelters they live in inIchchanthivu, Batticaloa District]

[Villagers in Vakarai stand in front of their home, whichstill bears the marks of fighting-pic: Sanjaya Nallaperuma]

[A bicycle repair shop in Ichchanthivu, Vavunathivu whichis doing brisk business due to a lack of public transport-pic:

Amantha Perera]


Changing rainfall patterns inSri Lanka have prompted laterpaddy planting by farmers andaffected the country's overall riceyield, government officials said.

Traditionally, rice farmerswould begin planting in earlyOctober for the Maha harvest -the main growing season in thecountry.

However, variable rainfall inthat month over the past twodecades has pushed farmers towait until the rains arrive, some-times as late as the end of themonth.

"For about 15 years we havenoticed this. The farmers wouldwait till the rains arrive," Dr BPoonyawardena, head of theAgro-climatology Division at thecountry's Department ofAgriculture told IRIN.

But now the Maha crop, gen-erally harvested in February andtraditionally a dry month, is fallingin mid March.

"This year stronger than usualtorrential rains in mid-March leftthe harvest even more vulnera-ble," Poonyawardena said.

Heavy rains affect400,000 people

According to the National

Disaster Service Centre, heavyrains beginning on 12 Marchlashed the island nation, affectingclose to 400,000 people in 10 dis-tricts.

"In some of these areas therainfall was sometimes 70 percenthigher than the usual," S HKariyawasam, the deputy directorat the Department of Meteorologytold IRIN, resulting in heavyflooding in Ampara, Mannar, andBatticaloa districts, as well asparts of the Polonnarauwa District- all major rice producing areas.

Sri Lanka produces around 3.3million metric tons of rice annual-ly, says the country's Departmentof Census and Statistics.

But this year's rains and thesubsequent flooding destroyedabout 2.5 percent of the totalyield, Shantha Emithiyagoda,deputy director at the AgricultureDepartment noted.

"The problem is that this willadd to the 10 percent shortfallbetween the harvest and localdemand, making it 12.5 percent,"he said, referring to this year'syield.

Rice price risingThis in turn has increased

pressure on local market prices,

and led to a drop in quality,Emithayagoda said.

"We would have to locateseed paddy for the next harvestand also there will be qualitativeand quantitative effects onprices," he explained, adding hisdepartment has already moved tolocally procure six million kilo-grammes of paddy seed for thenext harvest.

Rice prices have already risensignificantly over the past yeardue to a combination of factors,including high local demand andrising global prices.

Some varieties have recordedprice gains of between 60 to 90percent in the retail market,according to the Census andStatistics Department.

Limited understanding ofclimate change

Meanwhile, researchers andexperts worry that limited scien-tific studies on climate changeand local harvests have preventedthem from gaining a proper han-dle on the situation.

"Obviously, there have beenchanges to the harvesting due thechanging rains over the years,"Nalin Munasinghe, programmeassociate at the Food and

Agriculture Organization inColombo said.

But planting delays in Octobermay be an indication that thefarmers have already begunadjusting. "They may not havethe scientific knowledge, but theyfeel the practical changes andthat may be one reason why theplanting is delayed," he said.

One solution being suggestedis to use sturdier rice varieties,rather than trying to tinker withplanting patterns.

"Most paddy cultivations areon low level fields and excess

water flows over those fields. Oneway (to get over this) is by select-ing suitably tolerable paddy vari-eties for floods," GunawarganaBanda Giragama, research fellowat the Hector KobbekaduwaAgrarian Research and TrainingInstitute said.

"If there are warnings of badweather the crop can be harvest-ed even two weeks before matu-rity. But it should be consumed asearly as possible. It is difficult tostore for longer durations," headded.

[irin news]

Variable rains and flooding impact on rice harvest in Sri Lanka

Variable rains and flooding impact on rice harvest in Sri Lanka


"...[U]nder a recent militaryoffensive to wipe out those rebels[from LTTE], government forceshave abducted hundreds of mem-bers of the Tamil minority group,including civilians, according tohuman rights groups. Many of the"disappeared" never turn upagain," Washington Post said inan article on Apr 1st 2008. Thepaper further said, "abductionsare carried out in various ways,according to activists and relativesof those who have disappeared.Sometimes Tamil men of fightingage are rounded up at check-points, hurried into white vansand never heard from again.Sometimes they are arrested withlittle explanation in house-to-house raids at night."

"The government denies thatabductions have become wide-spread and says heightened vigi-lance at checkpoints is necessary-- even if Tamils complain of eth-nic profiling. Authorities cite thedanger of suicide bombings, likeone that killed more than a dozen

people, including members of ahigh school baseball team, inFebruary," the paper said.

The article quoted rightsactivists as saying, "PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa and his lieu-tenants are intent on eliminatingthe separatist insurgency knownas the Liberation Tigers of TamilEelam, or LTTE, no matter thecost. They also say Sri Lanka'sgrowing ties with Iran, China andRussia have emboldened the gov-ernment to ignore criticism fromthe United States and otherWestern powers."

"The government arrestsTamils for being Tamil," the papersaid quoting Mano Ganesan, par-liamentarian and leader of theCivil Monitoring Commission inColombo. "And they ask questionslater. I hate terrorism. I don'twant bombs to go off. But thatdoesn't mean the governmentshould conduct mass arrests with-out even giving proof or updatesto the families," the paper added.

Sri Lanka offensiveclaims civil victims-Washington Post Sri Lanka's double-digit infla-

tion is not driven by runawayglobal crude prices but by pooreconomic management, theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF) said on Mar 30th.

Reporting on the IMF report,the AFP news agency said:

The Indian Ocean islandnation's official year-on-yearinflation rate rose to 24.0 percentin February, up from 21.6 percentin January and 7.1 percent a yearearlier.

The government, which isbattling over three decades ofwar with Tamil Tiger rebels, hasblamed accelerating inflation onrising in global crude oil, com-modity and food grain prices.

However, the IMF report thatstudied Sri Lanka's inflation in2006 and 2007 found that "exter-nal shock" such as oil prices wereonly partly to blame.

"Since late 2006, Sri Lanka'sinflation has increased sharplyrelative to other economies in theregion," said the 28-page report

titled "Pass-Through of ExternalShocks to Inflation in Sri Lanka."

"The sharp increase in infla-tion compared to other countriesin Asia points out that increasesin oil prices in the recent pastcannot explain most of theincrease in inflation in Sri Lanka."

The study found that most ofthe inflation in Sri Lanka is home-grown.

It said only 25 percent ofrecent consumer inflation couldbe explained by external factorswith oil accounting for about sixpercent, import prices 11 percentand the exchange rate about 10percent.

The fund concluded that"domestic shocks likely play amore significant role on inflationin Sri Lanka," indicating that bet-ter economic policies were need-ed to lower inflation.

"With external shock not play-ing a major role in influencingdomestic inflation, domestic poli-cies can be very important in con-taining inflation," the report said.

Sri Lanka's fiscal policyreversed sharply in 2004, whenthe then-government began tohire more people into the already-bloated public sector and stoppedprivatising loss-making state enti-ties, which lead to higher budgetdeficits.

In 2004, inflation, which wasclose to zero in the first quarter,was driven towards 20 percent bythe end of the year with oil subsi-dies themselves being financedwith central bank credit.

IMF says Sri Lanka's double-digit inflationis due to poor economic management

By Mendaka Abeysekerain New York

The United States has clearlyindicated that it has serious con-cerns over Sri LankanGovernment's growing ties anddiplomatic relations with anti-USaxis, with countries like China,Iran and Russia. It is learnt thatthe US State Department hasalready displayed its displeasureover Sri Lanka's bilateral relation-ship with President MahmudAhmadinejad's administration.Despite, the Iranian President'sscheduled state visit to Sri Lankain April, the US State Departmentconveyed its displeasure toColombo through diplomaticchannels.

The high ranking Sri LankanForeign Ministry officials inColombo downplayed the impor-tance of Sri Lanka's close tieswith Iran as traditional bilateraldiplomatic relations between twoindependent countries.

"We learn that the US StateDepartment is totally satisfiedwith Sri Lankan Government'sdiplomatic response," diplomaticsources said. ( Mendaka, This isabsolute Nonsense, and I do notknow why you even published it?)

During his state visit,President Ahmadinejad is expect-ed to visit the water power plantproject in Uma Oya and otherprojects developed with the helpof Iranian grants.

During President MahindaRajapaksa's visit to Tehran inNovember 2007, the IranianGovernment agreed to grant aUS$ 1.6 billion line of credit, pri-

marily to help Sri Lanka buyIranian oil. Iranian line of credit isthe biggest single foreign grant,which Sri Lanka has received dur-ing the last few years. Rajapaksadiscussed regional and interna-tional issues including Palestineand the expansion of bilateral tiesbetween Tehran and Colombo,during his trip. He also met withSupreme Leader of the IslamicRevolution Ayatollah Seyyed AliKhamenei and some high-rankingofficials.

China and Russia are SriLanka's main arm suppliers.According to Jane's DefenceNews, Sri Lanka has alreadyadvanced talks with Russia overthe procurement of five new MiG-29 fighter aircraft.

Last year, ChineseGovernment's assistance hasgrown to nearly US$1 billion,eclipsing Sri Lanka's long-timebiggest donor, Japan.

Last week, The New YorkTimes, discussed the new devel-opment with Sri Lanka's Foreign

Secretary Palitha Kohona. Headmitted that Sri Lanka's 'tradi-tional donors' namely, the UnitedStates, Canada and the EuropeanUnion, had "receded into a verydistant corner," to be replaced bycountries in the East. ForeignSecretary Kohona gave three rea-sons: The new donors are neigh-bours; they are rich; and theyconduct themselves differently."Asians don't go around teachingeach other how to behave," hesaid. "There are ways we dealwith each other - perhaps a quietchat, but not wagging the finger."

In January, ForeignOperations and Related ProgramsAppropriation Act 2008, whichwas passed by the US Congress,banned the supply of militaryequipment and services to SriLanka.

According to this Act, beforeany military supplies are made toSri Lanka, the Secretary of Stateshould certify that Colombo hasimproved its human rights recordin certain specific areas.

US concerned over Lanka's 'anti US axis'

London based human rightsgroup Amnesty International (AI)says Sri Lanka government hasbreached international covenantson civil and political rights indetaining a Tamil journalist.

The editor of the OutreachLanka website and a columnist forSunday Times, JS Tissainayagam,was detained by the TerrorismInvestigation division (TID) since07 March, 2008.

In a Fundamental Rights (FR)petition to the Supreme Court, Mr.Tissainayagam said he was inhu-manely treated in custody and notinformed of any charges againsthim.

He was arrested as he visiteda colleague arrested by the TIDon 06 March, the journalist said.

He is at risk of going blind if

he does not receive specialisttreatment for a serious eye condi-tion

He was allowed to meet thelawyer after filing the petition butthe AI says he was only onceallowed to meet the legal repre-sentative on 21 March.

The arbitrary arrest underemergency Regulations, AI says,has clearly violated Sri Lanka'sobligations under internationaltreaties.

"He is at risk of going blind ifhe does not receive specialisttreatment for a serious eye condi-tion," an AI statement issued onApr 4th said.

The Sri Lanka government hasaccused the journalist of support-ing the Tamil Tigers.

Amnesty Internationalsays Sri Lanka violatedinternational treaty indetaining Tamil Journalist


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www.monsoonjournal.com

By Raymond Thibodeaux As violence surges in Sri Lanka, so does

the number of abductions and disappear-ance of mostly Tamil men. That is theassessment of human rights activists andinternational aid groups operating in theIndian Ocean nation.

Soli Chana, 23, is trying to find outwhat happened to her husband. Witnessessay three men in civilian clothes stoppedhim, not far from his house in Vanuniya incentral Sri Lanka. They handcuffed him,shoved in a plain white van and sped away.That was a year and a half ago. He has notbeen heard from since.

"She is shocked and upset, [very]upset. She made complaint to the police,the Red Cross, the Human RightsCommission and ICRC [RedCross/Crescent] also," Chana said. "Allthey can say is, 'We will search.'"

Thousands of other families across SriLanka are doing the same - making therounds at human rights agencies to findfamily members who have disappeared.

The missing and the families leftbehind, most of them left struggling,impoverished without their breadwinners,are caught up in a growing list of atrocitiesbeing committed by both sides of this 25-year conflict between the Sinhala-dominat-ed Sri Lankan government and Tamil mili-tants, known as the Liberation Tigers ofTamil Eelam.

The American government and others,around the world, say the LTTE is a terror-ist organization.

The numbers of the disappeared are indispute by the Sri Lankan government, buthuman rights groups and foreign observersay that thousands of mostly Tamil menhave been abducted in the past decadeand remain missing.

Palitha Kohona is Sri Lanka's foreignaffairs minister. He says the government issincere in trying to locate those who havedisappeared. He says the numbers arebeing exaggerated by Tamil activists andinternational aid agencies to tarnish thegovernment's human rights record.Kohona says he helped investigate the dis-appearance of 355 people from list that anAmerican diplomat recently handed to him.

"To us, one person disappearing is onetoo many," Kohona said. "When you have355 it is a matter of serious concern. But,in that list, when we went through the list,there were some repetitions in it. Therewere 23 in that list whom we have located,up to now, and they are well and kicking.And, there are others whose names aresuspiciously similar to those recorded by

our immigration authorities as people whohave left the country."

He says nearly half of the 355 peopleon the list were accounted for and thatauthorities are continuing their investiga-tion.

Father Henry Miller is a Jesuit priestwho has . He has a list of eight-thousandpeople - mostly young Tamil men - whohave been abducted in the past decade. Hesays most of them are still missing.

He says the Sri Lankan government istouting a recent election here as a sign thatdemocracy is flourishing in a part of thecountry once controlled by the LTTE. Thewinner of that election - the first here in 14years - was an supposedly-less-militarizedpolitical split-off of the LTTE, known as theTamil Makkal Vidutalaip Pullikal, led by aformer LTTE commander.

For some, their victory could usher in anew era of trust between the Sri Lankangovernment and the Tamil community.

But Father Miller is skeptical. He saysthe TMVP is merely a proxy party of thegovernment.

And, now the government can say wehave restored self-government to the peo-ple of the Batticaloa District and it has notbeen done," Miller said. "This is the gov-ernment's program. And, with this theyproclaim to the world that they have liber-ated and restored democratic governmentto the people of Batticaloa. It is a falsity."

Father Miller says that, in the govern-ment's ongoing attempt to control Tamilmilitants, they treat all Tamils as potentialterrorists. He says that, with Sri Lanka'scivil war flaring up once again in the Tamil-dominated north, that is not likely tochange anytime soon.

A March report issued by the U.S. StateDepartment cited almost daily extrajudicialkillings and attacks against civilians by thearmy, paramilitaries and pro-governmentmilitias in the government-controlled JaffnaPeninsula.

[VOA]

Number of Missing SriLankan Tamils Increasing,Human Rights Groups Say

Father Henry Miller runs a Catholic dio-cese in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, for about

60 years


Arun Senathirajah MBA (Banking Mgmt)

Subprime mortgages amountedto US$34 billion in delinquent statethat made severe impact on US$57trillion US economy and the globalfinancial system has a history ofpast 70 years. Repackaging ofmortgages into credit derivatives-MBS (Mortgage Backed Securities)and CDOs (Collateralized DebtObligations) by major Wall Streetbanks and securities firms usingmodern financial engineering tech-niques has given an impetus to anew home mortgage market struc-ture. This structure shifted the ele-ments of risk from mortgage grant-ing bank or institutions to mortgageasset purchasers. This inherent fea-ture embraced the entire globalfinancial system into a crisis.

Prime Mortgage: Fannie Mae(Federal National MortgageAssociation) started in 1938 haslending guidelines for what it con-siders to be "prime" borrowers onconforming mortgage loans. Theirstandard provides a good compari-son between those who are eligiblefor prime vs. subprime loans.Eligible borrowers for prime loanshave a credit score above 620, adebt-to-income ratio (DTI) nogreater than 75% (meaning that nomore than 55% of net income paysfor housing and other debt), and acombined loan to value ratio of90%, meaning that the borrower ispaying a 10% down payment.

Subprime Mortgage: The termsubprime lending refers to the prac-tice of making loans to borrowerswho do not qualify for market inter-est rates due to various risk factors,such as income level, size of thedown payment made, credit history,and employment status. Subprimemortgage is a lending at a higherrate than the prime rate. This isalso known as B-paper, near-prime,or second chance lending. The term"subprime" in mortgage lendingalso refers to loans that do notmeet Fannie Mae or Freddie Macguidelines. Many of these loansincluded exorbitant fees, hiddenterms and conditions and frequent-ly lead to default, seizure of collat-eral, and foreclosure.

The CrisisAs early as the 2003 Annual

Report issued by Fairfax FinancialHoldings Limited, Prem Watsa wasraising concerns about securitizedproducts: 'We have been concernedfor some time about the risks inasset-backed bonds, particularlybonds that are backed by homeequity loans, automobile loans orcredit card debt…' Nouriel Roubini,a professor at New York Universitysaid that if the economy slips intorecession 'when you have a sys-temic banking crisis like we haven'thad since the 1930s'. The contro-versy surrounding subprime lendinghas expanded as the result of an

ongoing lending and credit crisisboth in the subprime industry, andin the greater financial marketswhich began in the United States.During 2007 and 2008, this led to arestriction on the availability ofcredit in world financial markets.Hundreds of thousands of borrow-ers have been forced to default orfile for bankruptcy. Hundreds ofsubprime lenders or brokers haveclosed, some have filed for bank-ruptcy and several have beenacquired. As housing prices startedto drop moderately in 2006-2007 inmany parts of the U.S., refinancingbecame more difficult. Defaults andforeclosures increased dramaticallyas ARM interest rates reset higher.During 2007, nearly 1.3 million U.S.housing properties were subject toforeclosure activity, up 79% from2006. The value of U.S. subprimemortgages was estimated at $1.3trillion as of March 2007, with over7.5 million first-lien subprime mort-gages outstanding. Approximately16% of subprime loans withadjustable rate mortgages (ARM)were 90-days delinquent or in fore-closure proceedings as of October2007, roughly triple the rate of2005. By January of 2008, thedelinquency rate had risen to 21%.

Role of the US Government: USGovernment is the initiator of thecurrent crisis by creating govern-ment sponsored enterprises thatwere supportive of the marketstructure and process. The USGovernment started Fannie Mae,Ginnie Mae (Government NationalAssociation in 1968), and FreddieMac (The Federal MortgageCorporation in 1970) and originatedthe Mortgage home mortgage secu-ritization process. Fannie Maebought eligible mortgages andreturned cash proceeds to themortgage issuing institutions inorder to enhance the liquidity of thehousing mortgage market. Itacquired the credit risk, market riskand liquidity risk. Ginnie Mae devel-oped Mortgage Backed securities(MBS) and shifted the federal fund-ing to the mortgage market andmarket risks to MBS investors.Freddie Mac's role is to securitizeconventional mortgages and to pro-

vide competition to the privatizedFannie Mae.

Securitization: This is a processof pooling of mortgages into a spe-cial-purpose vehicle, which is nor-mally a corporation registered inoffshore. This corporation issuesshares that represent claims on themortgages. The structure pools topass through the payments on itsmortgages to security holders.Securitization allows originators toearn fees and interest income,Issuers of MBS earn underwritingfees, investors get more liquid anddiversified portfolios of mortgageassets and Fannie Mae and FreddieMac earn guarantee fees for securi-tized issuances. Private label securi-ties issues accounted for only 24%of the MBS and the rest 76% of theissues were by government spon-sored enterprises such as FannieMae and Freddie Mac in 2003.Major Wall Street firms such asJPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, WellsFargo, Lehman Brothers, BearSterns etc. and several high risksubprime borrowers such asIndymac, WAMU and Countrywide.By 2006 market shares radicallychanged to 57% by Private labelsecurities issues and 43% with gov-ernment sponsored enterprises.That means subprime mortgagerelated securities emerged to domi-nate the market. The mortgagelenders who bear the credit riskwere supposed to be affected, aspayment defaults increases. But,major banks and other financialinstitutions around the world havereported losses of approximatelyU.S. $175 billion as of March 16,2008. Through financial engineer-ing process called securitization,many mortgage lenders had passedthe rights to the mortgage pay-

ments and related credit/defaultrisk to third-party investors viamortgage-backed securities (MBS)and collateralized debt obligations(CDO). Corporate, individual andinstitutional investors holding MBSor CDO faced significant losses, asthe value of the underlying mort-gage assets declined.

Credit CrunchCrisis has caused panic in finan-

cial markets and encouragedinvestors to take their money out ofrisky mortgage bonds and shakyequities and put it into commoditiesas "stores of value". Most of therecent increases in global foodprices have been the result of spec-ulation and the collapse in the valueof the US dollar. Since the majorcomponent of assets (MBOs&CDOs) of the financial institutionsdeclined in value, their stock pricesin the stock markets also diveddown drastically. This trend spreadtoo many other countries as well.This uncertain situation madeimpact on financial institutions andtheir lenders were reluctant to lendeven at higher interest rates. So,the financial institutions restrictedfunding on the issuance of commer-cial paper by their corporate clients.This liquidity problem facing banksand financial institutions is the coreissue of the credit crunch. The liq-uidity concerns drove central banksaround the world to take action toprovide funds to member banks toencourage the lending of funds toworthy borrowers and to re-invigor-ate the commercial paper markets.The subprime crisis also placesdownward pressure on economicgrowth, because fewer or moreexpensive loans decrease invest-ment by businesses and consumerspending, which drive the economy.

Crisis Management Housing Market Correction:

According to the S&P/Case-Shillerhousing price index, by November2007, average U.S. housing priceshad fallen approximately 8% fromtheir 2006 peak. Sales volume ofnew homes dropped by 26.4% in2007 versus the prior year. ByJanuary 2008, the inventory ofunsold new homes stood at 9.8months based on December 2007sales volume, the highest levelsince 1981. Housing prices areexpected to continue declining untilthis inventory of surplus homes isreduced to more typical levels. AsMBS and CDO valuation is related tothe value of the underlying housing

collateral, MBS and CDO losses willcontinue until housing prices stabi-lize.

Rescue Operations by CentralBanks: The U.S. central bankingsystem, the Federal Reserve, inpartnership with central banksaround the world, has taken sever-al steps to address the crisis.Federal Reserve Chairman BenBernanke stated in early 2008:"Broadly, the Federal Reserve'sresponse has followed two tracks:efforts to support market liquidityand functioning and the pursuit ofour macroeconomic objectivesthrough monetary policy. BetweenSeptember 18, 2007 and March 18,2008, the target for the Federalfunds rate was lowered from 5.25%to 2.25% and the discount rate waslowered from 5.75% to 2.5%,through five separate actions.

Fed Chairman Bernanke advo-cated several solutions, includingthe reduction of loan principalamounts. This solution was high-lighted to address a growing con-cern that an estimated 8.8 millionU.S. homeowners with negativeequity will have a financial incentiveto "walk away" from the property,further exacerbating the crisis. InMarch 2008, the Fed also providedfunds and guarantees to enablebank J.P. Morgan Chase to purchaseBear Stearns, a large financial insti-tution with substantial mortgage-backed securities (MBS) invest-ments that had recently plunged invalue. In addition, Bear had takenon a significant role in the financialsystem via credit derivatives, essen-tially insuring against mortgage andother debt defaults. The risk to itsability to perform its role as coun-terparty in these derivative arrange-ments was another major threat tothe banking system. Lenders andhomeowners both may benefit fromavoiding foreclosure, which is acostly and lengthy process. Somelenders have taken action to reachout to homeowners to provide morefavorable mortgage terms.Homeowners have also beenencouraged to contact their lendersto discuss alternatives.

President George W. Bushannounced a plan voluntarily andtemporarily to freeze the mortgagesof a limited number of mortgagedebtors holding ARMs.

Banks worldwide are still findingit difficult to raise money to lendout, even though central bankshave injected huge amounts ofmoney into the financial systemsince the credit crunch first hit in

Monsoon BusinessMonsoon BusinessSubprime Mortgage Crisis

Continued in Next Page


August. Central banks around theworld, including the Bank of Canadahave announced a coordinated planto pump billions more into thefinancial system to ease the globalcredit crunch. The U.S. FederalReserve, the Bank of England, theEuropean Central Bank and theSwiss National Bank are also part ofthe agreement. The Bank of Canadasaid the measures are "designed toaddress elevated pressures in short-term funding markets." The Bank ofCanada said it would providearound $3 billion in funding. It willalso expand the kind of securities itwill accept as collateral. The globalplan will put more than $67 billionUS in extra liquidity into the finan-cial markets over the next sixmonths - including more than $40billion US by the Fed, $20 billion USby the ECB and $4 billion US by theSwiss National Bank.

US Government Actions: A sep-

arate but related dynamic is thedownturn in the housing market,where a surplus inventory of homeshas resulted in a significant declinein new home construction andhousing prices in many areas. Thisalso places downward pressure ongrowth. With interest rates on alarge number of subprime and otherARM due to adjust upward duringthe 2008 period, U.S. legislatorsand the U.S. Treasury Departmentare taking action. A systematic pro-gram to limit or defer interest rateadjustments was implemented toreduce the effect. In addition,lenders and borrowers facingdefaults have been encouraged tocooperate to enable borrowers tostay in their homes. The risks to thebroader economy created by thefinancial market crisis and housingmarket downturn were primary fac-tors in several decisions by the U.S.Federal reserve to cut interest rates

and the economic stimulus packagesigned by President Bush onFebruary 13, 2008. Both actionsare designed to stimulate economicgrowth and inspire confidence inthe financial markets.

Regulations: Guidelines canalso influence the nature, trans-parency and regulatory reportingrequired for the complex legal enti-ties and securities involved in thesetransactions. A sweeping proposalwill be presented regarding the reg-ulatory powers of the U.S. FederalReserve, expanding its jurisdictionover other types of financial institu-tions and authority to intervene inmarket crises. Banks have soughtand received additional capital fromsovereign wealth funds, which areentities that control the surplus sav-ings of developing countries. Anestimated U.S. $69 billion has beeninvested by these entities in largefinancial institutions over the pastyear. On April 02, 2008 FederalReserve Chairman Ben Bernankeaccepted that recession is possible

in the first half of 2008. US TreasurySecretary Henry Paulson has comeout with a plan to overhaul thefinancial regulations. President'sWorking Group on Financial Marketsto cover entire financial sector, cre-ate a Mortgage OriginationCommission to develop uniformlicensing standards for mortgagemarket participants, merger ofCommodity Futures TradingCommission with SecuritiesExchange Commission, establish anOffice of National Insurance underthe Treasury, and establishing ofthree major regulators - MarketStability Regulator, PrudentialFinancial Regulator & BusinessConduct Regulator are the propos-als put forward by the secretary. Itwill take a considerable time line tofully organize and implement theseproposals.

Impact on CanadaAs a result of the subprime cri-

sis write-downs on the value ofloans, MBS and CDOs by Canadianbanks - CIBC amounted to $3.2 bil-

lion and RBC to $0.360 billion.Owners of non-bank Asset BackedCommercial Paper (ABCP) are themain victim of the crisis in Canada.This market is not much regulated.Owners of the ABCP which areexposed to credit default swaps,worth of $35 billion are at the brinkof losing 50% of the asset value.The National Bank of Canada andthe Caisse are the biggest holdersof the ABCPs facing the loss. ABCPsare traded in OTC (Over-the-count-er) market and their risk exposure isnot disclosed to the investors.Canadian housing market was notmuch affected compared to thelevel of the US market. Canadianeconomic growth is expected toslow down by more than half a per-cent next year. Future prospect ismuch dependent on the quickrecovery of the US housing market,responsive action of the Bank ofCanada and the channeling of liquidassets by central bankers as alreadyinitiated.

A networking event hosted byCTCC was held on March 7th atthe Millcreek Restaurant inMississauga. Inspite of a heavysnowfall in the evening over 100business persons and others par-ticipated in the event. Hon.Ontario Minister Harinder Thakarwas the Guest speaker for theevent. The minister in his speechstressed the importance of thegrowth of small businesses inOntario and stated the OntarioGovt. will provide all assistancefor the growth of businesses.Earlier while introducing the

Minister, a former President ofCTCC, Gnana Gnanachandrancomplimented the CTCC in takingan initiative to host such meetingin Mississauga which was first ofits kind and also attended by aProvincial Government Minister.The President of CTCC GaryAnandasangaree stated that suchfuture events will be held regular-ly in Mississauga and other cities.The event was sponsored by AjithSabaratnam of Sun Life. Seenhere are pictures taken at theevent.

Picture Courtesy: Sivam

Networking Event hosted byCanadian Tamils' Chamber of Commerce

Ajith Sabaratnam of Sun Life

Esa Para, a former DirectorGuests at the event

Members with Minister Harinder Thakar Minister presenting a plaque to President Gary President Gary, Minister Harinder and guests

Subprime Mortgage CrisisContinued from previous page

Monsoon BusinessMonsoon Business


-George Thambithurai -Corporate Secretary, MargosaCredit Union Limited

Margosa was created to meetthe needs of a fast growing SriLankan community that is not wellserved by the major banks. TheFinancial Services Commission ofOntario has accepted the fact,that we are a strong and a vibrantcommunity and that our commonbond of association is that we areall from Sri Lanka. This was amajor factor when they decidedto give us this approval.

We started this journey fortymonths ago, and during this peri-od we have made considerableprogress. We are now on our lastlap. Are we seeing the light at theend of the tunnel? The CanadianWinter this year has to a greatextent hampered our progressbut we are seeing some rays oflight. Just a little more effort andwe are bound to have a FinancialInstitution, to call our own. Thechallenge before us now, is toraise the 1.5 million.

Raising of Initial Capital:Our Board of Directors and

some dedicated Incorporatorshave spent their time and energy,in trying to convince our membersthat Margosa Credit union is hereto stay.. We have tried quite a fewoptions in trying to get our mes-sage to our community.Sometimes this pattern of gettingour information does not seem tolast long. In today's changing fastpaced world, nothing lasts.Nothing has a shelf life of morethan half a day. In this age of con-tinuous news cycle, the newpushes out the old, regardless ofsignificance or importance. Whatcannot be known at this point ishow our message is resonatingaround our communities. Thequestion that is being asked ishow have we prepared our com-munity? What should we do toget our people become membersand become actively involved inour crusade to collect enoughdeposits? After a series of cre-ative brain storming sessions, wehave come to the conclusion thatwe have to resort to the applica-tion of the three C's. They areCommunication, Contact, andCommitment. The teams havebeen visiting potential Investorsand met them individually and weare convinced that this strategywill show substantial results in thedays and weeks to come.

A Start-up FinancialInstitution like us, need to exploreevery financing option and getour hands on Funds from as manymembers as possible. We not onlyneed Investors to build up a cap-ital Base, but we also need mem-bers who will begin to use ourservices. When we open our doorfor Business, we will be a full-service financial institution. It will

also be a trusted, reliable homeenvironment where language,culture and unfamiliarity with theCanadian market place will nolonger be barriers for our peoplein obtaining appropriate financialservices on fair terms.

As a start up Credit Union, weneed much more capital thanwhat we could raise through themembership fee. In order to raisethe extra capital, the financialservices commission of Ontariohave permitted us to sell invest-ment shares to our Members.This is the only tool that is avail-able to us to build our Equitywhich in turn will support ourgrowth. The Investment shareissue is the method used to raisethe starting capital. It is alsoimportant to remember thatinvestment shares are equityshares which are designed to pro-vide the permanent capital thatwill allow Margosa to grow andprovides its members the financialservices they need now and in thefuture.

Investment Shares forSale:

Margosa credit union wasauthorized to sell to its members,Class A and Class B Investmentshares on September 28, 2007.There are more than 1,500,000Class A and Class B Shares forsale and each share will be sold at$1.00 per share. We have open-ings for two types of investors -the small time investor who wouldlike to associate with us, justbecause it is a Sri LankanVenture. These Investors couldpurchase Class A shares whichare Cumulative. The minimuminvestment for this type of shareis $500.00and maximum is$5000.00. The Class B shares isNon Cumulative and the purchaseof these shares is from a mini-mum of $5000.00 to a Maximumof $25,000.00 This type of shareis for the affluent in our commu-nity who typically invest $5000 to$25,000 of their money at a time.

Dividends will be paid as andwhen declared by the Board ofDirectors of Margosa. Dividendson the Class A shares are cumula-tive, meaning that they accumu-late, and once accumulated mustbe paid before dividends are paidon shares ranking below the ClassA shares. Once dividends are paidon Class A shares, Dividends maybe paid on the Class B shares.The Dividend rate on the Class Ainvestment share exceeds by 1%the simple average of the yieldson the monthly series of theGovernment of Canada five- yearBonds as published by the Bankof Canada for each month inMargosa's Fiscal year. Once theseshares are issued, they are notredeemable for a period of 5years. Exceptions will be made onapproval by the Board of

Directors.Investment shares will be sold

to Margosa Members only. Theywill be given a copy of the ShareOffering Statement which carriesall the important information.They could pick up a copy bydropping by our Office located at2100 Ellesmere Road, Suite#100A. If you need a copy in themail, just call us at 416 915 8989.We would be more than willing todiscuss your concerns and will notobligate any member to purchaseshares.

The Process:Assuming that you choose to

buy, you can subscribe for invest-ment shares by completing theSubscription and theAuthorization Forms which areincluded in the share offeringstatement. The subscription formwill set out the number, class andthe dollar amount of the sharesyou wish to buy. This form withyour cheque will be forwarded toConcentra Financial. TheAuthorization Form is to give yourconsent to Concentra to placeyour funds in Escrow.( Escrow is aform of Trust agreement in whichfunds are temporarily placed withConcentra until specific conditionsas set out by FSCO are met.)Concentra will act as the Trusteefor Margosa. Concentra willescrow all purchase funds untilsuch time as the Investmentshare issue reaches the desiredlevel of $1.5 million. At that point,the funds will be released toMargosa and the ShareCertificates will be issued to theInvestors. It is only then, will thetime period for dividend calcula-tion, begin. Concentra will providethe assurance to all the investorsthat margosa will not have accessto the funds until it has compliedwith all contractual agreements.

What we hope to achieve:Successful Credit Unions have

made their start with their com-munity. From the beginning, wehave strived to achieve a signifi-cant impact as ethically based,democratically controlled SriLankan Owned FinancialInstitution. Our aim is to bringCredit Union advantage to all who

can benefit by being a Memberwith Margosa. We will bring anentirely different dimension to theprovision of banking services toour community. Margosa willachieve long term self- sustain-ability by reaching a membershipof at least a Thousand. Only thenwill we make a positive impact inour community. At a time whenthe Financial Industry is inTransition, the reason that precip-itated in getting a credit Union forSri Lankans was the dissatisfac-tion with the locally availablefinancial service options. This is asituation that is not only faced byus, but also by other communitiesin Toronto. Among MainstreamBanks, the trend is clearlytowards mergers and consolida-tion and this will end up in closureof bank branches.

We would like to ask ourmembers in our community tobecome first a Member by paying$25.00 which would give themthe right to do their banking busi-ness with us. The best compli-ment you could pay Margosawould be to pass along your pos-itive connection with us to yourfriends and family. Given the pres-ent Credit Market, in which cer-tain categories of borrowers can-not purchase credit, or can onlydo so on disadvantageous terms,then the importance of such analternative increases. Our Loanand Mortgage policies are likely tobe the most liberal in the commu-nity, because we know and canrelate to the problems our mem-bers are facing. We will providemoney saving interest rates andhassle free service and follow theprinciples of co-operation. It istherefore important that ourmembers invest in our communi-ty. If you own a business, therewill come a day when you believe,that there has to be a more flexi-ble way to do your business bank-ing. As a Sri Lankan, Margosa willbe there for you. Margosa willstrive to make a differencethrough their commitment. Whoyou know is a simple reflection ofthe truth in business ownership.Who you know makes what youknow and what you do even bet-

ter. Our Main Financier: Credit

Union Central of Ontario: (CUCO) Credit Union Central of

Ontario exists for only one rea-son: To help Credit Unions likeMargosa to survive and thrive. Itwill act as a Wholesale Bank forMargosa. It will provide us with allthe payment and banking servic-es. It has 154 Credit Unions inOntario as its members and serv-ices more than 1.2 millionOntarians, who are members.Central's primary financial role isto maintain a large pool of fundsfor its member credit unions.CUCO will become our mainfinance facility. They will providepayments and Banking services toMargosa.

They will make sure thatMargosa has access to short termcash and will even provide loansto Margosa on fair terms. TheMembers of Margosa pool theirsavings together. These savingsthen provide a pool of funds fromwhich loans will be made.Margosa will borrow money fromits savers and will pay them areturn (dividend) on their money.The money borrowed from mem-bers is then lent out to othermembers, who will pay intereston the Money loaned to them.

Our Challenge now is toattract large enough number ofsavers to provide a sufficient liq-uidity level to meet memberdemands for loans. We havepledges, which need to be con-verted to deposits. Once that isdone, we will start the marketingof Margosa in real earnest. Wecall upon all who call themselvesSri Lankans to join us, because asSpring turns into Summer,Margosa will soon become a real-ity and we do not want you to beleft out of the equation - TrustMe.

For all your questions andconcerns, Please call or Contactus at:

Margosa Credit Union Limited2100, Ellesmere Road,Suite# 100 AToronto.ON. M1H 3B7.Tel :416-915-8989 : 8988: 8987: Fax: 416-915-8986Email:[email protected]

Margosa Credit Union Shares - An unexplored source of Investment



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KANNAN’s

THENDRALInaugural Function soon!

Articles from Eminent South Asian Writers !!

Each copy for a Donation of $1 only

Attractive 72 Color Page Monthly Magazine with variety of

Entertaining Features - of course with ADVERTISEMENTS!

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By: Krishni LoganthanThe Tamil Caregiver Project

initiated by Board Member andTreasurer of ProvidenceHealthcare Foundation, KanishThevarasa began as a way to pro-vide targeted healthcare educa-tion and support to Tamil speak-ing caregivers within our commu-nity. The goal of the TamilCaregiver Project is to facilitateunderstanding and access to relieffor caregivers as a quality-of-lifeoutcome. The Bowlathon was away to encourage and raiseawareness to people and busi-nesses to support the TamilCaregiver Project.

Many sponsors took on thechallenge to ensure that the toolswere available to make this proj-

ect a success. Lead sponsors ofthe event included R.J. MultiLitho, who has continued to bethe lead sponsor for the fourthconsecutive year. The co-leadsponsor this year was AutobahnFreight Lines, and many othersponsors followed generouslyincluding TD Canada Trust.

The event began with Mo D asthe MC welcoming the guests tothe Autumn Bowlathon and enter-taining the guests humorouslythroughout the event. The festivi-ties continued with bowling anddinner as guests networked andmingled with one another. An auc-tion and silent auction also tookplace which added to the gener-ous donations that were made.

Leading sponsors and winners

of the Bowlathon for the fourthconsecutive year was RJ MultiLitho. They were truly winners ofthe event as they continued toshow their support for this worthycause.

The event was a success as itraised $73,000 to the grand totalof over $250,000 for the TamilCaregiver Project. With the helpof the generous sponsors, donors,Bowlathon volunteers, committeemembers and ProvidenceHealthcare staff the Bowlathonwas a huge success. The contin-ued support of everyone is need-ed to ensure that the TamilCaregiver Project achieves thegoals it has set out to do.

April Showers bring Autumn BowlersBowlathon raises Quarter million for TamilCaregiver Project run by Providence Healthcare

Jennifer Stewart with Lesley McCarroll and Luci Anderson (all from Providence Healthcare Foundation)

Youngest Bowler at the Bowling Alley

Kanish Thevarasa, Partner, Kanish & Partners, NamitaKanishkan and Julian Emmanuel, Partner, Kanish & Parners receiv-

ing a plaque in appreciation for their Sponsorship and all their effortsfrom Jennifer Stewart, Vice President, Providence Healthcare

Foundation & CDO

A free Diabetes Clinic was held at the Kennedy Road Pharmacy, Scarborough last month and aRegistered Nurse was at hand to answer questions from participants. Free door prizes weregiven to the first 50 participants. Picture shows Bill Liu,Pharmacist from Kennedy Pharmacy,John-a Registered Nurse and Greg Johnson -Senior Professional Representative fromLifeScan,Canada Ltd.,a Johnson&Johnson Company,present at the clinic.

Kanish Thevarasa, Partner, Kanish & Partners (Chair, Board Member and Treasurer, ProvidenceHealthcare Foundation with Co-Lead Sponsor Kulwant Mann of Autobahn and Lead Sponsor RJ Multi

Litho partners Frank Barbosa and Rajee Muthuraman

Amanda Falatico, Director, Community Outreach with DavidJeyasingh of Tamil Caregiver Project and Jennifer Stewart, Vice

President, Providence Healthcare Foundation & CDO

In the constant quest to findsatisfaction in the new and differ-ent, people forget about thebeauty of existence, says PremRawat widely known as Maharaji,who travels the world asking peo-ple to search within for self-fulfill-ment.

In his presentations, he oftenrelates stories that illustrate howeasily people get distracted fromtheir true nature.

"Once there was an exquisite,beautiful musical instrument," hesays. "When it was played, itmade the most beautiful sound. Itwas exquisite in every detail. Itwas precious.

"But then, people startedlooking for the new, the different.That's what people wanted-thenew and the different sparkedtheir curiosity. They invited othermusicians to come and play,musicians who could play drums,guitars, and flutes. But none ofthem knew how to play this onevery special instrument.

"Although it was beautiful,slowly the instrument started tocollect dust because it wasignored. It wasn't played, and ithad gone out of tune. Nobodyunderstood what the fascinationand the beauty of this instrumentwas. They would look at it andwonder, 'What good is this instru-ment?' It was put away becausenobody knew how to play it.

"Then one day, someonecame along and said, 'Why haveyou cast aside this most beautifulinstrument?'

"People looked at him andquestioned. 'What is he talkingabout? Which instrument? Thedrums are all in tune, the flutesare great, the violins are perfect,and the piano is in tune.'

"The man said, 'Don't youremember this one instrument? Itis because of this instrument thatyou even became interested inmusic. Because of this one instru-ment, you built this place.Because of this one instrument,you started to gather, to listen toit. Now that your curiosity hasgone to the new and different,

you have ignored this instrument.' "Nobody understood. 'Why is

this man so interested in this olddusty instrument? Why is heattracted to this old, dusty,ignored instrument?' Not every-one was interested. But somewere, and they asked, 'What is sospecial about this instrument?'

"The man said, 'Let me showyou.' He cleaned the instrument,and when he had cleaned it, itbegan to shine. Then the man didthe most important thing: hetuned it. He gave it back to thepeople and said, 'Now, you play.'When they began to play, theywere mesmerized by its beautiful,

incredible sound, because herewas an instrument that couldtruly touch the heart."

In the same way, Maharajisays, people have forgottensomething essential.

"In our race for the new anddifferent," he says, "we have for-gotten ourselves.

"We look and the first thingwe see is the dirt. We form ourimpressions by what we see. Buta person who has the ability tosee beyond that dirt can clean thedust and renew its beauty, itsspark and glory.

"When you can listen to thisinstrument, when it is tuned andyou play, you will hear a melodythat is the melody of this breathcoming to you."

Maharaji began talking aboutthe universal search for happinessand the possibility of finding itwithin as a very young child inIndia. By the time he was 13 hehad attracted the attention of

people in the West who invitedhim to come to speak in theircountries. Since then he hasspent many years bringing topeople around the world the sim-plest human truths-understandingand accepting the gift of beingalive, and knowing how to playthis instrument of life. He alsooffers inspiration and assistancein that quest.

Maharaji suggests we findourselves in the beauty of thatinstrument. "It is such an exqui-site instrument," he says. "Thesound is so pleasing to this exis-tence, to this heart. This is thegift we have been given."

For a free DVD to know moreabout what Maharaji offers,

Call 416 657 2124416 431 5000 Tamil514 273 0546 +ext 21 877 707 3223 Toll Free

[email protected]


The Forgotten Instrument

Om Namah Shivay rent theair at Shri Ram Mandir as

young, old and aged prayed toLord Siva on the occasion ofMaha-Sivaratri". Over 5,000 Hindudevotees congregated at Mandirand sought blessings from Siva -for fulfilment and success in life.People thronged the temple sinceearly morning starting at 6 AM on5th March and until 6 AM next daymorning inspite of very snowstorm which disturbed the flow ofdevotees to Mandir. The templeremained opened for Shiv puja allthe time. The attending priests

were dressed in white Kurta anddhoti, headed by PanditRoopnauth Sharma the spiritualleader. The Siva Lingam was wor-shipped throughout the night bywashing it every three hours withmilk, curd, honey and rose wateras the chanting of the mantra"Om Namah Sivaya" (praise toSiva) continued. This is one daywhen bhakti (devotion) over-whelms and unites. A speciallingam of ice made for the occa-sion was placed in the Mandir forthe worship by the devotees.

Mahashivaratriperformed atShri Ram Mandir

Lingam in Ice

Lingam being worshipped

View of Devotees


It is said, "Life turnsColourful" when it is time

for Holi. HOLI HAI... HOLI HAI...Come holi and the streets willreverberate with the chants ofHoli hai... in India . Holi is anancient festival of India and wasoriginally known as 'Holika'. AtShri Ram Mandir we are celebrat-ing Holi on 21st March this year.

On this day everybody takesdelight looking at the other, as heor she is usually drenched incolour. Really, the other name ofthe festival is FUN. Whatever bethe choice of colour, nobodyremains in their original texture atthe end of the play as Holi knowsno bars, everybody feels it is theirright to enjoy and enjoy they do.Songs, dance, drinks, food every-thing goes in excess when it istime for Holi.. It is not just chil-dren, but the young and the oldalike who take delight in this joy-ous festival of colours. Seniorstoo, move in their groups (tolis).Their enthusiasm is at timesgreater than that of their childrenas they forget the bars of age andfollow their hearts.

The literal meaning of theword 'Holi' is 'burning'. There arevarious legends to explain themeaning of this word, mostprominent of all is the legendassociated with demon kingHiranyakashyap. Hiranyakashyapwanted everybody in his kingdomto worship only him but to hisgreat disappointment, his son,Prahlad became an ardent devo-tee of Lord Naarayana.

Hiaranyakashyap commanded hissister, Holika to enter a blazingfire with Prahlad in her lap. Holikahad a boon whereby she couldenter fire without any damage onherself. However, she was notaware that the boon worked onlywhen she enters the fire alone. Asa result she paid a price for hersinister desires, while Prahlad wassaved by the grace of the god forhis extreme devotion. The festi-

val, therefore, celebrates the vic-tory of good over evil and also thetriumph of devotion.

Legend of Lord Krishna is alsoassociated with play with colorsas the Lord started the traditionof play with colours by applyingcolour on his beloved Radha andother gopis.

Young Krishna is known to bevery playful and mischievous. Thestory goes that as a child, Krishnawas extremely jealous of Radha'sfair complexion since he himselfwas very dark.

One day, Krishna complainedto his mother Yashoda about theinjustice of nature which madeRadha so fair and he so dark. Topacify the crying young Krishna ,the doting mother asked him togo and colour Radha's face inwhichever colour he wanted. In amischievous mood, naughtyKrishna heeded the advice of

mother Yashoda and appliedcolour on her beloved Radha'sface; Making her one like himself.

Well, there is also a legend toexplain Krishna 's dark complex-ion. It so happened that once ademon attempted to kill infantKrishna by giving him poisonedmilk. Because of which Krishnaturned blue. But Krishna did notdie and the demon shriveled upinto ashes. The beautiful scene ofKrishna 's prank in which heplayed colour with Radha andother gopis has been made alivein myriad forms in a number ofpaintings and murals.

Gradually, the play gainedpopularity with the people ofNorth India and became a tradi-tion. This prank of Krishna later,became a trend and a part of theHoli festivities. Southern India isthat of Lord Shiva andKaamadeva. According to the leg-

end, people in south celebrate thesacrifice of Lord of PassionKaamadeva who risked his life torevoke Lord Shiva from medita-tion and save the world.Celebration of the various legendsassociated with Holi reassures thepeople of the power of the truthas the moral of all these legendsis the ultimate victory of goodover evil.

In spite of being such acolourful and gay festival, thereare various aspects of Holi whichmakes it so significant for ourlives. Though they might not beso apparent but a closer look anda little thought will reveal the sig-nificance of Holi in more waysthan meets the eyes. Rangingfrom socio-cultural, religious tobiological there is every reasonwhy we must heartily enjoy thefestival and cherish the reasonsfor its celebrations. So when, itstime for Holi, please don't holdyourself back and enjoy the festi-val to the hilt by participating withfull enthusiasm in every small tra-dition related to the festival.

Bollywood has typically por-trayed the mood of Holi from timeto time. Folk touch in the filmsongs on Holi have made them allthe more popular amongst themasses so much so that thefamous Holi numbers havebecome as much essential part ofHoli celebrations as the coloursitself.

No Holi celebration can becomplete without the famousAmitabh Bachchan number fromthe film Silsila. The song was aninstant success... and hit.

Rang barse bheege chunarwali, rang barse

Are kaine maari pichkaari toribheegi angiya

O rangrasia rangrasia, hoRang barse bheege chunar

wali, rang barse ...Sone ki thaali main jona

parosaAre, sone ki thaali main jona

parosaHaan, sone ki thaali main jona

parosaAre, khaye gauri ka yaar

balam tarse rang barseHoli hai!!!O, Rang barse bheege chunar

wali, rang barse ...Rang Barse...the song has

become the Holi anthem of India. This song was penned down bylate Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan,father of Amitabh Ji.

An attempt was made toduplicate the magic of that songabout two decades later with MrBachchan again in the movieBaghbaan, by incorporating thefamous folk song- Holi kheleRaghubeera..awadh mein Holikhele Raghubeera.

Kanayalal RainaBrampton

HOLI HAI HOLI HAI

Indian Tamil Film "Killathe"Production by Meena Cine Combines Selvaraj and Director K.S. Saravanan,

Music by Kapileshwar Canada. On this film "Killathe" Popular Music director

Deva sung a song in Kapileshwar's music direction. In the picture above,

K.S. Saravanan, Deva and Kapileswar.

The Good Friday Service of theTamil Christian Church of Canadawas held at the BridletowneChurch Building in Scarboroughwith the usual traditional songs,meditations and devotionalprayers. The service which lastedfor more than 2 hours was basedon the seven words that Jesusspoke from the cross. The Rev. I.Selvaratnam who led the servicestressed the need for forgivenessin uplifting the nature of humanity,eulogizing Jesus's first statementfrom the cross- "forgive them,they do not know what they aredoing. "Forgiving spirit' is the veryessence of humanism and it is vitalfor smooth, meaningful humanrelationships. He related the storyof an American commander in Iraqwho helped to heal an Arab young-ster ailing with the problem ofcoronary ventricular failure('hole inthe heart'). He had contacted hiswife in the U.S to make arrange-ments for the heart surgery.In themeantime , the American com-mander got killed by the Arabinsurgents. In spite of the disaster,the wife of the general faithfullyfulfilled the request of her hus-band and helped to heal the Arabyoungster and adopted him as oneof his sons in America. Doing goodto those who hate you demandsthe best in you. It's the spirit offorgiveness that gives humanitythe glimmer of hope to lead usefullives in a world of sin, hatred andrevenge. The other sayings fromthe cross were elucidated and pre-sented by The Rev. Bobby Mather,Messrs. Joel Joseph, WilmotOlagasegaram, Thaya Ponniah and

Mrs. Daisy Hensman.The choir rendered meaningful

songs and thevarams to depict thewords from the cross to theaccompaniment of scintillating tra-ditional and western musicalinstruments.

There was a large number ofworshippers at the meditationsworship service from all overToronto and its conurbations.

Community News byJ. Atputharajah

By Philip FernandoMallika Wanigasundera

passed away at the ripe age of81. In the early sixties those of usaspiring to be journalists, like myfriends Siva Sivapragasam, ThalifDeen and others, found Mallika tobe a great mentor and friend. Ifound Mallika always in the com-pany of two stalwarts, VijithaFernando and SumanaSaparamadu. The trio adornedthe editorial department. Thosewere the heydays of Lake Housewith Esmond Wickremesinghe atthe helm. Mallika's stunninglyarticulate and forthright pieces inthe Op-Ed pages of the DailyNews were our daily cup of tea aswe gasped for inspiration insideEsmond's somewhat stuffyResearch Unit headed by Dr.Rangenekar. Every year a newcrop of freshmen took up posi-tions awaiting the winnowingprocess: those willing to take theserious plunge into journalism.Many, I am certain, would write inglowing terms about Mallika. Thisis a short account of fond memo-ries of an icon who never failed toinspire me during my impression-able days as a journalist.

Mallika was a Peradeniya

graduate who joined Lake Housein 1956. Her stint earlier, asHealth Minister A.E. Nugawela'sprivate secretary got her ethosfortified for pursuing her career injournalism. . She paid her duesdoing the rounds at Janatha,Daily News and Observer and wasstuck for good at the editorialdesk of the Ceylon Daily News asfeatures and editorial writer andan excellent sub-editor. Shenever stopped writing and the lastarticle she penned was to theAsian Tribune last year aboutHillary Clinton's famous statementabout international terrorism.Many took the cue from her andcriticized Senator Clinton. Mallikawon the Gold Medal forExcellence in Journalism given bythe Newspaper Society, EditorsGuild and Free Media Movement.

Remembering someone whois a close associate is hard butMallika's insightful forays into theoft ignored national issues cometo mind immediately. In her writ-ings, she caught the inner crav-ings of the nation struggling to berid of the colonial legacy. Sheguided those crossing the bridgefrom the colonial mindset to afreer spirit d'corps, with an

unabashed passion of her own.She showed that there was achoice between subservience andfreedom. She was provocativeand daring but never mean. Shetook features writing way abovethe painfully dull stuff dished outby many practitioners of thegame.

To reminisce is to be nostalgicand also be painfully sad. Likewhat was said of the "last editor"Jim Bellows, Mallika never failedto be true to herself. She epito-mized the distinctive spirit of aculture she believed in withoutany reservations.

Good bye and May She AttainNibbana!


- Siva SivapragasamMrs. Senthi Chelvam Ratna-

thicam, former Vice- Principal ofHindu Ladies College, Colombo(formerly known as SaivaMangayar Vidyalayam) passedaway recently in New York at theripe age of ninety-four.

Those of us who knewMrs.Ratnathicam of yester-yearwill remember her as a strict dis-ciplinarian in the teaching profes-sion yet adored greatly by her stu-dents for her fair and just ways.She demanded nothing but excel-lence from her students. Sheserved the institution for thirtylong years and retired as the Vice-Principal. Her role as a teacher didnot end for the students whenthey left school. She continued toguide them in their lives providingwise counsel whenever it wasnecessary. She invested a lot oftime and energy providing guid-ance in the careers and sociallives of the students who cameunder her wing. The love andattachment she showered on herstudents were evidenced in thenumerous calls she used toreceive during her later years inlife in New York. Although shemoved to New York in 1980 to bewith her children, retirement wasnot to her liking. She joined theField Library in Peerskill, andworked in their Archive Room untilabout four years ago, althoughshe had reached ninety.

Mrs. Ratnathicam was thedaughter of Rasamma andRamanathan from Jaffna and waseducated at the famous girls'school-Ramanathan College. Mrs.

Ratnathicam had Abdi Ratnathi-cam as her life-partner and hewas himself a teacher by profes-sion at the prestigious RoyalCollege in Colombo. As a studentof Royal, I can still visualizeMr.Ratnathicam's portly figureboth in the class room and thesports field.

Mrs. Ratnathicam leavesbehind her cherished sisterChenthimani Mylvaganam (for-merly of Radio Ceylon), five sonsNiranjan, Wijayan, Sanchayan,Jayanthan,and Raguvaran, (all ofUSA),nine grand children, twogreat grand children, and heradorable Menika, who lookedafter for the past 63 long years.

Mrs. Ratnathicam's contribu-tion to womanhood was the disci-pline and decorum she impartedto the Hindu girls of her time atSaiva Mangayar Vidyalayam. Shewill always be remembered forthat.

She perfectly fits into thewords of Simone De Beauvoir that"One is not born a woman;One becomes one."

Remembering Mrs. Senthi ChelvamRatnathicam, former Vice-Principalof Hindu Ladies College-Colombo(Saiva Mangayar Vidyalayam)

Journalist Mallika Wanigasundera, Mentor and FriendAAPPPPRREECCIIAATTIIOONNSS

“Forgiving spirit-the very essence of humanism”

VALERIE HILLRECORD STAFF, WATERLOO

REGIONImmigrant women face

numerous obstacles when theycome to Canada, not the least ofwhich is losing the stability of thefamiliar: How will they fit intotheir new culture? Will they beaccepted?

"I didn't have the self-confi-dence," admitted Renu Bhandari,who came to Canada from Indiawith her husband in 1974.Though she hoped to pursue amedical degree, the nearest med-ical school was too far away soshe settled on a business pro-gram, which brought a whole newset of anxieties.

"I went to Laurier," she said. "Ididn't know if I'd be able to do thecourse, to study."

Bhandari surprised herself,scoring 99 per cent in one course,100 per cent in the other.Suddenly, she was confidentenough to pursue a certified man-agement accountancy designa-tion.

Bhandari has worked forCanada Revenue Agency for 27years, most of that as a teamleader. Her success has been suchthat she wanted to help otherimmigrant women, through FocusFor Ethnic Women, in Waterloo.

Tomorrow, Bhandari will beone of two immigrant womenhonoured for their achievementsat the organization's seventhannual Focus on Friends gala andfundraiser, which this year focuseson women in finance.

Accepting the same award willbe Ramona Servellon, a SunLifeFinancial support clerk and a busyvolunteer.

It was fear and tragedy thatbrought Servellon to Canada fromHonduras in August 1995, at age48 with her husband and threeteenagers. Only her husbandspoke English and her children,particularly her daughter, wereconfused and miserable overmoving from their house inHonduras to a two-bedroom

apartment in Waterloo.It was a necessary move after

Servellon's mother was attackedby youths wielding baseball batswhen she walked to church oneday. After 10 days in hospital, shedied.

"When you live in a countrythat's not safe, you're alwaysunder stress," Servellon said. "Icame here with no English . . . . Ilearned English and got a job. I'mso happy."

Servellon learned work andlanguage skills at Focus for EthnicWomen. The agency then landedher a placement at Sun Life,which offered her a full-time job.

"It opened the door for me,"she said. Servellon's three chil-dren completed post-secondaryeducation and all work in a pro-fession while her husband, aforester, runs his own business.

Servellon and Bhandari areimmigrant success stories, butboth women agree that it wouldhave been much more difficultwithout the support of an organi-zation like Focus. The womenhave served on the board of direc-tors for Focus, volunteered oncommittees and are today leadersfor new immigrant women arriv-ing in Canada, facing all the samefears and uncertainties.

Executive director OlgaGeorge-Cosh said women areusually not the ones who makethe decision to uproot the familyand come to Canada. And whenthey come, there is often a "deep-er sense of isolation."

Her organization recognizesthat helping the mother has a rip-ple effect throughout the family.

"When you help a woman, youknow the kids are going to behelped, and her husband will behelped too."

[email protected]

Colin HunterRECORD STAFF, KITCHENERAn immigrant couple stands in

a grocery store, dumbfounded bytheir options.

They only want a can of toma-toes. But which can? Diced?Chopped? Crushed? Spiced?Stewed? Brand name or no-name?

Back home, they were neverfaced with such a surplus of pos-sibilities. Paralyzed by indecision,the couple begins to bicker. Theynever imagined that coming toCanada, the land of plenty, wouldcreate such challenges at everyturn.

This particular couple is fic-tional -- two characters in a play -- but their feelings of confusionand alienation are universal, andare among the fundamentalthemes in the play Seasons ofImmigration.

The show, which has a specialone-night-only staging at Centrein the Square Tuesday, is the cre-ation of MT Space, a multiculturaltroupe founded three years agoby Majdi Bou-Matar.

"The show looks at the com-mon themes of the immigrationexperience," says Bou-Matar."The language barriers, the cold-ness and vastness of the newland, conflicts between parentswho are of one culture and chil-dren who are raised in another . .. the doctors and engineers driv-

ing cabs in their new country."It may sound like heavy,

depressing fodder for a play, butit's quite the opposite, Bou-Matarsays.

"It's all done in a very light-hearted way. The issues are muchmore complex than the ways weportray them."

The six actors in the castcome from a variety of culturalbackgrounds, and they portraycharacters in the show with evenmore diverse histories. The goal isto highlight and celebrate culturaluniqueness, not simply bemoanthe hardships of immigration. "Asartists we can work together,using our differences to createsomething greater collectively,"Bou-Matar says .

The show was created in early2005, when Bou-Matar, himself anew immigrant to Kitchener fromLebanon, put out a call for sub-missions of stories about theimmigration experience.

Dozens of immigrants respo-

nded with tales about their ownexperiences, and Bou-Matarlooked for elements common toall.

An eight-week "creation work-shop" followed, during which Bou-Matar and a crew of co-writerspieced together the vignettes thatmake up Seasons of Immigration.

The play has since beenstaged three times at TheRegistry Theatre, and Tuesday'sperformance at Centre in theSquare will be its debut at a largemainstream theatre.

Other theatre companiesaround the province have recent-ly expressed interest in stagingproductions of Seasons ofImmigration.

"I hope this is the beginningof the play's real success story,"says Bou-Matar. "I hope audi-ences will be touched by it, theywill smile from their hearts, andthey will connect with this play."

[email protected]


Immigration Stage Agency honours volunteers whoconquered obstacles in Canada

Liz MonteiroRECORD STAFF, WATERLOO

REGIONThe face of Waterloo Region is

changing. Locally, the visible minority

population has risen to 13.8 percent from 10.7 per cent in 2001,according to a report StatisticsCanada released yesterday. The2006 Census shows that in theKitchener Census MetropolitanArea -- all of Waterloo Regionexcept for Wellesley and WilmotTownships -- one in seven peopleis from a visible minority group.South Asians, people of EastIndian, Pakistani and Sri Lankandescent, make up the largest visi-ble-minority group in the region,accounting for 3.6 per cent of thepopulation.

Yoke Kennedy, a settlementworker at the K-W MulticulturalCentre, said when she startedworking with immigrants in 2000,she went looking for clients, dis-

tributing business cards at com-munity centres. "I used to get soexcited when I saw someone whowas Chinese at Conestoga Mall,''said Kennedy, who came toCanada in 1981 from Singapore."Now I see them everywhere."

Toronto had the largest pro-portion of visible-minority immi-grants -- 42.9 per cent. Across thecountry, more than five millionCanadians identified themselvesas a visible minority, accountingfor 16.2 per cent of the popula-tion. Provincially, 22.8 per cent ofthe population hails from a visibleminority group.

Statistics Canada spokesper-son Sylvie Bourbonnais said theregion ranks 10th in a list ofCanadian cities with high numbersof visible minorities, just behindWinnipeg at 15 per cent. Guelph'svisible minority population is 12.7per cent, while Hamilton is at 12.3per cent. Windsor is slightly high-er at 16 per cent.

Bala Thambypillai, controllerfor the Delta Hotel in Kitchener,with responsibilities inMississauga and Stratford, saidthe latest census data showsimmigrants are choosing Canadaas their new home. Sri Lankan-born Thambypillai came toCanada with his wife and two chil-dren from Saudi Arabia 10 yearsago. "This is one of the bestplaces to live,'' he said.Thambypillai's daughter recentlygraduated from Wilfrid LaurierUniversity with a degree in busi-

ness economics and his son is afourth-year engineering studentat the University of Waterloo.

Thambypillai, director of pub-lic relations and finance for theTamil Cultural Association ofWaterloo Region, said locally theSri Lankan population is slowlygrowing. Thambypillai said SriLankans are coming to the areaand working at Sun Life, Toyotaand RIM. "It's smaller, less pollu-tion and the cost of living andhousing prices is better thanToronto,'' he said. "People preferto raise their kids here.''

Linda Terry, executive directorof the Cambridge and North

Dumfries Social Planning Council,said supports must be in place toassist new immigrants comingfrom South Asia rather then tradi-tional European countries such asPortugal.

"How are we going to maketheir lives easier?'' she said. "Howdo our services best meet theneeds of these people?''

Terry said she's concerned thecommunity may not be able tomeet the need because of recentcutbacks in English as a secondlanguage at the public schoolboard and immigrant work pro-grams.

[email protected]

Latest census shows 61,455 of region's478,121 residents are visible minorities;Region's diversity increasing


Study conclusion: Immigrantfarmers need help getting back toworking the land.

Researchers: Prof. StewartHilts, director of the University ofGuelph's Centre for Land andWater Stewardship, and researchassistant Peter Mitchell.

Study focus: The researchproject is aimed at removing bar-riers for immigrant farmers.

As a result, okra, green chilies,sweet potatoes and other ethnicfoods may soon be growing inrural Ontario.

Hilts and Mitchell have talkedto six immigrant groups in thegreater Toronto area to find outwhat's preventing them from con-tinuing with the farming life theyonce had in their home country.

"It surprises me the number ofimmigrants who were farmersback home or have a PhD in agri-culture and are driving taxis inToronto," Hilts said.

"They would like to continuefarming here, even if it's parttime, but they can't afford to buyland.

"As a result, Canada's multi-ethnicity is not reflected in what'sbeing grown in the province."

The project is also targeted atremoving barriers for youngerpeople interested in farming.

"We're starting to see youngurban people wanting to learn tofarm and grow organic vegeta-bles, but they don't have accessto training or farmland," Hilts said.

"With the number of farms

and farmers declining along withthe amount of farmland, it'simportant to create opportunitiesfor a new generation of ethnicallydiverse farmers and young farm-ers, including children of currentfarmers."

Results: As a result of theresearch, Friends of the GreenbeltFoundation awarded $400,000 tohelp establish training farms inOntario's greenbelt.

The farms will allow immigrantfarmers to try their hand at grow-ing food indigenous to their homecountry in the Canadian climate,as well as give young farmers thechance to learn the profession.

Researchers are also trying tofind solutions to other barriersfacing immigrant farmers, includ-ing insufficient lease term agree-ments for rented land and difficul-ty in getting loans.

They're investigating whatcrops immigrant groups would liketo see grown in Ontario that arenow being imported.

An Environics public opinionpoll found that one-third ofOntarians have increased theirconsumption of ethnic or multicul-tural foods over the past fiveyears.

Researchers are working todevelop programs that will linkimmigrant farmers and youngfarmers with members of theexisting agricultural community.

Source: University ofGuelph news service.

Immigrants unableto farm in Canada

THE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA - A new study suggests

second-generation Canadians, partic-ularly visible minority males, facemany of the same challenges theirimmigrant parents did.

The Statistics Canada study com-pares the earnings of young men andwomen born in Canada to immigrantparents with those of their peers withCanadian-born parents.

Taking education levels intoaccount, the study found that youngwomen with two immigrant parentshad significantly higher earnings thanyoung women with Canadian-bornparents.

But young men had no suchadvantage-in fact, some visible minor-ity men with two immigrant parentsappeared to have a significant disad-vantage in earnings compared to theirpeers with Canadian-born parents.

The study looks at 17-to 29-year-olds during two six-year periodsbetween 1996 and 2004.

It says roughly half of women'sadvantage in hourly earnings was dueto geographic distribution.

Three-quarters of youngCanadians with two immigrant parentswere concentrated in Ontario andBritish Columbia, and more than

three-quarters lived in large urbancentres.

In contrast, half of their counter-parts with Canadian-born parentslived in less economically prosperousregions such as Atlantic Canada,Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.And about 60 per cent lived in smallercities, small towns and rural areas.

The agency says a large part ofthe annual earnings advantage amongyoung women with immigrant parentswas also because they were less like-ly to have been married or had chil-dren.

The study says visible minority

status had no bearing on women'searnings, but it had a large impact onthose of men.

Visible minority men born to immi-grants in Canada earned significantlyless than young men with Canadian-born parents.

But the earnings of second-gener-ation men who were not visibleminorities were no different fromthose of men with Canadian-born par-ents. In fact, the study found someevidence suggesting that the earningsof those with one immigrant parentmight be higher.

CChhiillddrreenn ooff iimmmmiiggrraannttss ffaaccee cchhaalllleennggeessbbeeyyoonndd ffiirrsstt ggeenneerraattiioonn,, ssttuuddyy ffiinnddss

Sri Lanka was one of the hard-est-hit nations when a tsunamistruck Boxing Day 2004, losing20,000 people, and thousands ofhomes. The disaster sparked anunprecedented outpouring ofsympathy and aid. Since then,about 80 per cent of the homeslost have been replaced.

But the work of municipal vol-unteers, recruited from citiesacross Canada, goes beyond basicaid. The Federation of CanadianMunicipalities (FCM), in partner-ship with Sri Lankan communities,is boosting local services.

"Collecting garbage and taxesmay not seem very glamorous,but they're essential to help cre-ate ongoing stability," says

Kitchener Councillor BerryVrbanovic, a Vice-President atlarge with FCM.

"Garbage is a huge problem inthe developing world," says ToddPepper, General Manager of theEssex-Windsor Solid WasteAuthority. "Uncollected trashattracts mosquitoes which carrymalaria," says Pepper. We showyou his made-in-Sri Lanka solu-tion which has not only slashedone community's garbage outputin half, but also rehabilitated sea-damaged land.

Joyce Evans is the top tax col-lector in Kitchener. "If we didn'tcollect taxes, there would beabsolutely no services available toanybody within the municipal

areas," says Evans. We follow herto Batticaloa, on the east coast, asshe helps modernize that city'stax office.

There's also a trip to a locallibrary which lost more than 5,000books when sea water poured in.With financial help from FCM, andexpertise advice from Kitchenerlibrarians, we reveal the transfor-mation.

AFTER THE TSUNAMI: CITIES HELPING CITIES

The Affordable HomeOwnership component of theCanada-Ontario

Affordable Housing Program isbeing delivered by the Region ofWaterloo on behalf of the Federaland Provincial governments.

The program provides quali-fied low to moderate-incomehouseholds with Down paymentassistance loans of 5 per cent ofthe purchase price of a home, fora maximum of $10,400. Startingin March 2008, a series of lotter-ies will be held to select an esti-mated 208 applicant householdsto receive this assistance towardthe purchase of a new or resalehome in Waterloo Region that has

a maximum purchase price of$208,000.

The down payment assistanceloan is forgivable after 20 years,provided there has been nodefault under the terms of theloan. If the home is sold before20 years, or the loan is in default,the principal amount of the loanplus 5 per cent of the capital gainrealized through the sale ispayable to the Region ofWaterloo's Revolving Loan Fund.

Are you eligible to apply?To be eligible to apply, you

must:* Qualify for a mortgage,* Have a maximum household

income of $61,400,

* Be at least 18 years old andcurrently renting,

* Not own or have an interestin a home,

* Not owe money to a com-munity housing landlord,

* Be a legal resident ofCanada, and

* Intend to have this home asyour one and only residence.

you can call 519-575-4046 torequest for an application pack-age.

Completed applications can bedropped off, mailed or faxed to:

Region of Waterloo, HousingDivision

Attention: Affordable HomeOwnership Program

150 Frederick St., 8th Floor,Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3

Fax: 519-575-4449Incomplete applications will

not be included in the lottery!

Therefore, if you have ques-tions, please contact by phone at519-575-4821 or e-mail:[email protected]

Lottery Draw DatesThursday, June 12, Monday,

September 15, Monday,December 15

Application DeadlinesMonday, June 2, Friday,

September 5, Friday, December 5Applications must be submit-

ted a minimum of 10 days prior tothe draw dates in order to beincluded. Only one application isrequired to be included in alldraws that take place after yourapplication is submitted.

Affordable Home Ownership Program - Waterloo Region



Holi, Celebrating everlasting love,life and joy in colours

Holi-the Festival of Colours, isone of the major festivals in India.It signifies the end of winter andwelcoming the spring. Peoplesmear each other with colouredpowder and splash with water.The colours are traditionally madeof Neem, Kumkum, Haldi andBilva and various other medicinalherbs. It is believed that, smear-ing with coloured powder hasmedicinal significance. Peoplealso believe that the brightcolours represent energy, life andjoy. It is originally known as"Holika", an ancient festival ofIndia. This is a festival that is asmuch a gateway to celebrate thearrival of spring as much as it is away to celebrate the season oflove.

There are many legends givenas reason for celebrating Holi.

One among many stories is astory of everlasting love betweenLord Krishna and Radha. Krishna,being the mischievous child ofYasotha, was a prankster and wasalso the creator of many legendsfor himself. He once asked hismother-why is Radha fair and heis dark in complexion. MotherYasotha replied to him saying-Ifyou are so much jealous ofRadha's colour then go and putdark colours on her and she willalso turn dark like you . LordKrishna went ahead and smearedcolours on Radha. Since theneach lover usually puts colour onhis or her beloved to pay homageto Lord Krishna.

In the state of Tamil Nadu,people worship Lord Kamathevan

for his supreme sacrifice on theoccasion of Holi. People know Holiby three different names-KamanPandigai, Kamavilas, and KamaDahanam. People of Tamil Naduhave great faith in Lord Shiva andLord Kaamathevan. The story isthat, Lord Shiva went into deepmeditation after the death of hisconsort-Sati. Due to Lord Shiva'sindifferent attitude, Gods becametensed and worried. And thedaughter of the mountains-Goddess Parvathi started to med-itate to get Lord Shiva as her hus-band.

The Gods sought help of LordKaamathevan in order to get LordShiva back to his original state.Kaamathevan is a God of Love.

He was well aware of the reper-cussions of such act, but LordKaamathevan agreed to help.Lord Kaamathevan shot his pow-erful arrow on Lord Shiva, whilehe was meditating. Enraged LordShiva opened his third eye andburnt Lord Kaamathevan intoashes. However the arrow hadthe desired effect and Lord Shivaagreed to marry Parvathi.

But Lord Kaamathevan's wife-Rathi felt very sad, and she toldher sad story to Lord Shiva andrequested him to revive her hus-band-Lord Kaamathevan.

Lord Shiva listened to herstory and agreed to her request.

In Tamil Nadu songs are sungon Holi day depicting Rathi'sextreme sorrow. People offer san-dalwood to Lord Kaamathevan to

ease the pain of burning. Peoplealso believe that, LordKaamathevan was revived on theday of Holi, and celebrate the fes-tival in his name. It's the celebrat-ed season of love.

This is a colourful festival cel-ebrated with much joy and fer-vour all over North India. Whitecolour dresses are preferred to beworn on Holi day. Folk songs anddance are also important featureof the festival.

Holi festival will be celebratedon the 22nd of March this year.

A Holi celebration was held atthe South Lawns of Taj SamudraHotel in Colombo on March 4th2007.

[[email protected] ~HumanityAshore.com]

by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Performing Bhangra dancer from Punjab

High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka Shri AlokPrasad and Deputy High Commissioner of India inSri Lanka Shri A. Manickam are seen enjoying the

festival The festival is full of feelings and movementsTrees wrapped with cotton sarees

The spirit of Holi is colour People used to prepare holi colours at home earlierby using flowers blossomed on Tesu tree


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Italian cuisine as a nationalcuisine known today has evolvedthrough centuries of social andpolitical change. Its roots can betraced back to the 4th century BC.The cuisine changed significantlywith discovery of the New Worldwhich helped shape much of whatis known as Italian cuisine todaywith introduction of items such aspotatoes, tomatoes, bell pepperand maize, which are all centralparts of the cuisine but were notintroduced in scale until the 18thcentury.

Ingredients and dishes varyby region. There are many signif-icant regional dishes that havebecome both national and region-al. Many dishes that were once

regional, however, have prolifer-ated in different variations acrossthe country in the present day.Cheese and wine are also a majorpart of the cuisine, playing differ-ent roles both regionally andnationally with their many varia-tions and regulated appellationlaws. Coffee, and more specifical-ly espresso, has become highlyimportant to the cultural cuisineof Italy.

Italian cuisine has evolvedextensively over the centuries.Although the country known asItaly today had not officiallyformed until the 19th century, thecuisine can claim roots going backas far as 4th century BC. Throughvarious influences throughout the

centuries, including neighboringregions, conquerors, high-profilechefs, political upheavals as wellas the discovery of the NewWorld, a concrete cuisine hasformed to what is known today asone of the premiere cuisines inthe world.

Each area has its own proudspecialties, primarily at regionallevel, but also even at provinciallevel. These regional variancescan come from the influence of abordering country (such as Franceor Austria), vicinity to the sea ormountains as well as economicprogress. Italian cuisine is notonly highly regional, but is alsodistinguished by being very sea-sonal with high priority placed onthe use of fresh, seasonal pro-duce.

Meals are structured in a cycli-cal order in Italy and invariablycontain no fewer than 3-4 cours-es. Meals are seen as a time tospend with family and friendsinstead of immediate sustenance,as such the regular daily mealscan be a bit longer than other cul-tures. During holidays, many fam-ily feasts will last for many hours,if not the entire day.

In many homes today the tra-ditional Italian menu is kept forhigh days and special events (asweddings) while the everydaymenu only includes the first andsecond course, the side dish andcoffee. One notable aspect of anItalian meal is that the primo or

first course is usually the morefilling dish and will consist ofeither risotto or pasta, both beingrich in carbohydrates. ModernItalian cuisine also includes singlecourses (all-in-one courses), pro-viding carbohydrates and proteinsat the same time (e.g. pasta andlegumes).

Aperitivo apéritif usually enjoyed as an

appetizer before a large meal.Popular drinks include Campari,Cinzano, Byrrh, Suze, andVermouth.

AntipastiLiterally "before (the) cours-

es", hot or cold appetizers Primo"First course", usually consists

of a hot dish like pasta, risotto,gnocchi, polenta or soup.

Second"Second course", the main

dish, usually fish or meat.Traditionally veal, pork and chick-

en are the most commonly usedmeat, at least in the North,though beef has become morepopular since World War II andwild game is very popular, partic-ularly in Tuscany. Fish are thosewhich are caught locally.

Contorno "Side dish", may consist of a

salad or cooked vegetables. A tra-ditional menu features saladalong with the main course.

Formaggio e frutta "Cheese and fruits", the first

dessert, usually served together Dolce"Dessert", such as cakes and

cookies CaffèCoffee/espresso Digestivo "Digestives", liquors/liqueurs

(grappa, amaro, limoncello)sometimes referred to as ammaz-zacaffè ("coffee killer")


Ingredients14 ounces skinless boneless chicken

breast2 tablespoon butter2 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced2 small red onion, thinly sliced3 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper2 1/2 cups whipping cream2 cup chicken stock 4 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 10 ounces fettuccineAdditional grated Parmesan cheese

PreparationSprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet overmedium-high heat. Add chicken and cookuntil brown on both sides, about 5 min-utes. Transfer chicken to plate. Add greenand red bell peppers and onion to sameskillet and sauté until crisp-tender, about5 minutes. Add minced garlic andcrushed red pepper to skillet and sauté 4minutes. Add whipping cream and chick-en stock. Simmer until sauce thickens

slightly, about 10 minutes. Cut chicken into strips and add to

sauce. Simmer until chicken is cookedthrough, about 4 minutes. Add basil and1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese tosauce, stirring to incorporate. Seasonsauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot ofboiling salted water until tender but stillfirm to bite. Drain and return to pot. Addsauce and toss to coat. Serve, passingadditional Parmesan separately. Servedwith garlic bread.

Fettuccine with chickenand cream sauce

Ingredients10 oz Ricotta cheese1/2 cup chopped pitted black olives2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme1/2 tbsp dried basil1 tbsp dried oregano4 tsp minced garlic6 cups prepared pasta sauce2 lb whole-wheat lasagnaFreshly ground black pepper3 small zucchini, diced3 small squash, diced1 cup bottled roasted red pepper, diced1/2 cup grated Parmesan

PreparationHeat oven to 375°F. Mix ricotta

cheese, olives, thyme, basil, oregano,and garlic in a bowl; season with salt andpepper. Spread 2 cup pasta sauce on thebottom of an 8" x 11" baking dish. Addone layer of lasagna and season withblack pepper. Add a layer of zucchini,squash, and red pepper. Dollop spoonfulsof ricotta cheese mixture over vegetablesand spread to cover. Repeat layers, finish-ing with pasta and sauce. SprinkleParmesan on top, cover with foil and

bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5minutes or until top browns. Let stand 10minutes; serve with garlic bread.

Vegetable Lasagna

Italian Cuisine

by Chef [email protected]


A statue of the Virgin Maryhas been relocated from SriLanka's most revered Catholicshrine for the first time in cen-turies because of intense fighting.

The most sacred statue of"Our Lady of Madhu" was shiftedfrom its home shrine on Apr 3 bya small group of Roman Catholicclergy and civilians, due to thevulnerable situation in the area onaccount of heavy fightingbetween the Sri Lankan militaryand the LTTE.

As security situation deterio-rated in Madhu, church authori-ties in Mannar had decided tomove the sacred statue toThevanpiddi Church inMulangavil, a Roman Catholicarea, close to Kilinochchi District.

Mannar Bishop, RayappuJoseph, told media last that thechurch authorities had decided tomove the statue from the churchimmediately, due to the unstablesecurity situation in the area fol-lowing heavy fighting.

"We are going to take it to asafer location, we cannot allow itto remain there as it is our treas-ure," he said. The bishop saidpeople who were sheltering at theshrine had also fled.

Referring to the statue he said"our lady had to go with them".

The bishop said some priests

and nuns had decided to remainwith the statue in Madhu churchfor the time being, but added thatno one could afford to remainlong because of deterioratingsecurity situation.

According to the bishop, thecivilians in the area had alreadyfled through fear of heavy fight-ing. He said people had begun toflee the area after a bus bombkilled almost 20 civilians, including

school children, on January 29this year.

He said the heavy rains andflooding in the area were an addi-tional problem.

The shrine at Madhu is a well-known pilgrimage site forCatholics. But now the statue ofthe Virgin Mary which they travelto venerate has been taken awayto a new location for the first timein more than 400 years.

Revered statue of the VirginMary relocated in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Minister ofHighways & Road Development,Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, was killedin a bomb blast at the public play-ground in Weliweraya, located inthe Gampaha district of WesternProvince, around 8:00 a.m.Sunday April 6th.

13 persons were killed and 60wounded in the attack that tookplace while the minister was wav-ing a flag to start off a marathonrace in connection with the Tamiland Sinhala New Year celebra-tions. 16 of the wounded havesustained serious injuries, Policesaid.

The 55-year-old minister, whois also the chief government whipof the Sri Lankan parliament, hasbeen elected to Sri Lankan parlia-ment for five consecutive terms.

He was fluent in Sinhala, Englishand Tamil languages and func-tioned as a propagandaspokesman for the current SriLanka government.

An Attorney-at-Law, Fern-andopulle began his politicalcareer in 1970.

He is survived by wife Dr.Sudarshani of Faculty of Medi-cine, University of Colombo andtwo children.

Senior Sri Lankacabinet ministerkilled in bomb blast

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By S. Sri KrishnanUttarkhand is often called "the

Land of Gods" or "Abode of Gods"because of the presence of a multi-tude of Hindu pilgrimage spots. Mostnotably the four abodes;

The Gangotri.The Yammunotri.The Kedarinath andThe Badrinath.Uttarakhand was known as

Uttranchal (from 2000 to 20060 wasuntil recently a part of Uttarpradesh.It became the 27th state of theRepublic of India on November 9,2000. It is a region of outstandingnatural beauty. Most of the northernparts of the state are part of GreaterHimalaya ranges, covered by the highHimalayan peaks and glaciers, whilethe lower foothills were denselyforested till denuded by the British logmerchants and later, after independ-ence, by forest contractors. Recentefforts in reforestation, however, havebeen successful in restoring the situa-tion to some extent. The uniqueHimalayan ecosystem plays host to alarge number of animals includingbharal (Himalayan blue sheep), snowleopards, leopards and tigers, plantsand rare herbs. Two of India's mighti-est rivers, the Ganga and the Yamunatake birth in the glaciers ofUttarakhand, and are fed by myriadlakes, glacial melts and streams in theregion.

Gangotri altitude approxi-mately 3050 metres.

Gangotri the origin of river Gangais located near the Indo-TibetianBorder. It attracts thousands ofPilgrims and tourists every season.For devotees and tourists the gates ofthe temple are opened between themonths of May and October. It isclosed during the rest of the year as itis covered by snow. The physicalsource of the holy river is at

Gaumukh, 18 kms further uphill, alongthe Gangotri Glacier. Several pilgrimstrek upto the source to offer prayerseither on foot or on ponies.

According to mythology,Goddess Ganga - the daughter ofheaven, manifested herself in theform of a river to absolve the sins ofKing Rishi Bhagirath's predecessors.She came to be called Bhagirathi at

her legendary source. A shrine forKing Bhagirath is located very close tothe river Ganga or Bhagirathi.

Along the right back of Bhagirathistands the shrine of Gangotri dedicat-ed to the Goddess. Perched at aheight of 3050 mts. It was construct-ed in the early 18th century by aGorkha Commander, Amar SinghThapa.The Goddess is moved toMukhba, her winter abode (12 kmsdownstream) during the off season.

Yammunotri-altitude approx-imately 3235 meters.

The present temple was built byMaharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19thcentury. In 1923, the temple wasdestroyed by an earthquake, but sub-sequently rebuilt.It is a place of para-mount religious importance to cevout

Hindus. Here a holy dip in the tankfilled by hot springs, and cooking ricein its water are part of the rituals.Situated at an elevation of 3235metres above sea-level, the shrine ofYamunotri is one of the 'four dhams'of Uttarakhand. The source of

Yamuna lies about 1 km. ahead at thealtitude of about 4421 metres. Theapproach is extremely difficult and pil-grims therefore offer pooja at thetemple itself.The temple can bereached by bus or private car up tothe Village of Hanumanchatti.which isstill 13Km from the temple. Fromthere a 5Km ride in jeeps is necessaryto reach another village called JankiChatti. The last 8Km can only be cov-ered by ponys or walking along a verydifficult climb up mountain slopes.

There are hot springs close to thetemple, a bath in them is very refresh-ing after the tedious 13 kms trek.

Kedarnath-altitude 3580meters

The shrine of Kedarnath is veryscenically placed, and is surroundedby lofty, snow - covered mountains,and grassy meadows covering the val-leys. Immediately behind the temple,is the high Keadardome peak, whichcan be sighted from great distances.The sight of the temple and the peakwith its perpetual snows is simplymagnificient. Kedarnath is amongstthe holiest pilgrimages for the devoutHindu. It is set amidst the stunning

mountainscape of the GarhwalHimalayas at the head of theMandakini River. Kedar is anothername of lord Shiva, the protector &the destroyer. Shiva is considered theembodiment of all passions - love,hatred, fear, death & mysticism whichare expressed through his various

forms.Lord Shiva manifested in the form

of Jyotirlingam or the cosmic light.Kedarnath is one of the twelveJyotirlingas. This ancient and magnifi-cient temple is located in the RudraHimalaya range. This temple, over athousand years old is built of massive

stone slabs over a large rectangularplatform.Ascending through the largegray steps leading to the holy sanc-tums. Inscriptions in Pali are found onthe steps. The present temple wasbuilt by Adi Shankaracharya.The innerwalls of the temple sanctum areadorned with figures of various deitiesand scenes from mythology. Outsidethe temple door a large statue of theNandi Bull stands as guard. A conicalrock formation inside the temple isworshipped as Lord Shiva. The tem-ple, believed to be very ancient, hasbeen continually renovated over thecenturies. It is situated at an altitudeof 3,581 mt.Buses and private vehi-cles can only reach the village ofGaurikund which is still 14km from thetemple.The last 14 km up the moun-tain slope have to be trecked by Ponysor walking along the unpaved andrugged path.

At the approach of winter in themonth of November, the holy statue ofLord Shiva, is carried down from thetemple to the village of Ukhimath, andis reinstated at Kedarnath, in the firstweek of May. It is at this time, that thedoors of the temple are thrown opento pilgrims, who flock from all parts ofIndia, for a holy pilgrimage. Duringits closure the shrine is submerged insnow and worship is performed atUkhimath.

Badrinath altitude 3130KmABODE OF LORD VISHNUCradled in the twin mountain

ranges of Nar and Narayan is the holi-

est of the four main shrines, Badrinathalong the left bank of river Alaknanda.With the splendid Neelkanth moun-tains(6597m) as the backdrop, it is animportant destination on the sacreditinerary of every devout Hindu. Oncethe spot was carpeted with 'badris' orwild berries.

The revered shrine is still alivewith myriad legends from mythology.Its sanctity is emphasised in theancient scriptures as " There are manysacred spots of pilgrimage in theheavens, earth and the nether world,but there has been none equal toBadri, nor shall there be".

Situated 297 kms from the holytown of Rishikesh and about 600 kmsfrom Delhi Unlike Yamunotri andKedarinath, Badrinath is accessible bybuses and private vehicles..Considered to be amongst the mostpious of the eternal Hindu shrines ofKedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri andYamunotri..

The present temple is believed tohave been built by Adi GuruShankaracharya - an 8th century'sphilosopher-saint.

The Temple has been renovatedseveral times due to damage by ava-lanches. The present structure is 15mtrs high and has a gilded cupola.The chief priest of the temple is aNamboodripad Brahmin from Kerala.The temple is divided into three parts- the sanctum sanctorium, the dar-shan mandapam where the rituals areconducted and the sabha mandapamwhere devotees assemble.

At Badrinath one can witness oneof the greatest wonders of Nature inthe Hot water springs of Taptakund onthe banks of river Alaknanda. Thetemperature of the water in this Kundis 55 degree centigrade whereas thenormal temperature in this region formost part of the year at 9-10 degreecentigrade to sub-zero levels. Beforevisiting the temple the pilgrims take aholy bath in the Taptakund.


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Uttarkhand "The abode of Gods"


By: Raymond Rajabalan

This article is being pub-lished to commemorate thebirth anniversary of late S.J.V.Chelvanayagam, the founderand the leader of the FederalParty in the ealry fifties.

"He died like Moses himselfwithout reaching the Promised Landbut the vision he saw, he leavesbehind as the heritage and chal-lenge to his people." - Rt. Rev D.J.Ambalavanar said at the funeral ofThanthai Chelva, April 1977.

This single sentence alonespeaks volumes to the great-ness of a man who was lovedby everyone from all threecommunities in Sri Lanka, evenby those who did not agreewith his political views.

"Throughout the ages theSinhalese and Tamils in the countrylived as distinct sovereign people tillthey were brought under foreigndomination. It should be remem-bered that the Tamils were in thevanguard of the struggle for inde-pendence in the full confidence thatthey also will regain their freedom.We have for the last 25 years madeevery effort to secure our politicalrights on the basis of equality withthe Sinhalese in a united Ceylon"

"It is a regrettable fact that suc-cessive Sinhalese governmentshave used the power that flowsfrom independence to deny us ourfundamental rights and reduce usto the position of a subject people.These governments have been ableto do so only by using against theTamils the sovereignty common tothe Sinhalese and the Tamils."

"I wish to announce to mypeople and to the country thatI consider the verdict at thiselection as a mandate that theTamil Eelam nation shouldexercise the sovereigntyalready vested in the Tamilpeople and become free" wasthe statement by S.J.Chelva-nayagam after winning the by-elec-tion for the KankesanturaiParliamentary seat, held belatedlyon 7 February 1975, two years afterhe had resigned the seat to seek amandate for Tamil Eelam.

A man who fought for the rightsof the oppressed minorities by non-violent means frustrated by failureof various negotiations and pactsdone with successive Sinhala lead-ers was forced to change his standtowards the end of his politicalcareer, advocating for anIndependent Tamil homeland.

"What was Mr. Chelvanayagam'sachievement?

To quote - Late Rt. Rev.S.Kulendran, Bishop of Jaffna, Churchof South India:

About 450 years before theChristian era the Carthaginianarmies invaded Italy and defeated

the Romans in every battle butCincinnatus, the Roman Dictatorwould not give up. And the RomanSenate passed a resolution thankinghim, because 'he had not despairedof the republic'. The logic was 'if hedid not despair, why should we?'

The Tamils of Ceylon, in likemanner, looked upon this gaunt andhaggard man, stricken by disease,who could hardly walk and couldhardly speak above a whisper, whothrough a life of continued failureand disappointment, yet had notdespaired; and they asked them-selves, the question, 'if he did notdespair, why should we?'

This was Chelvanayagam'sachievement:

He taught the Tamils of thiscountry to believe in them-selves."

S. J. V. Chelvanayakam knownas Thanthai Chelva was the founderpresident of the Ilankai ThamilArasu Kadchi (ITAK), co-presidentof the Tamil United Liberation Front(TULF), above all the undisputedbeloved leader of the Tamils threwaway his mortal framework and hasgone to the land of no return. Hepassed away three decades ago onApril 26, 1977 nearly a month afterthe freedom loving Tamils celebrat-ed his eightieth year of birth.Though he is no more, yet his loftyideals remains permanently etchedin the hearts of Tamils.

The wonder in Mr. Chelva-nayakam was that though he wasvery old and in declining health hewas not classified as a person whohad outlived his usefulness. It wasstrange but true that even contra-dictory forces in the country valuedhis presence in Tamil politics as themain unifying factor.

In fact the death of SamuelJames Velupillai Chelvanayakam, ashis full name goes, removed fromthe political scene, a fatherly figurewho was respected, loved, admiredand venerated by all irrespective oftheir political ideologies. Many lead-ers were respected and admired butonly few have been venerated. Mr.Chelvanayakam ranks foremostamong them.

Politics is a dirty game but itmust be said to his eternalcredit that he purified it to avery great extent.

When many politicians formu-lated policies to suit the next elec-tion, Mr. Chelvanayakam thoughtand acted in a manner that wouldgive an everlasting solution to thefuture generations. That's why hewas not classified among the ordi-nary politicians.

He was an ascetic, a saint, anda statesman of colossal stature. Infact he was a leader who could notbe bought over for the plums ofoffice.

He spoke less and wrote less,but his thoughts were profound.Every word he uttered was meas-

ured and was meaningful. His con-cern was more for the content ofthe words than for the beauty ofwords. A leader must lead andnever be led. In keeping with thisconcept he led the Tamil massesand he was never led by them. Butas a true leader, he was always con-scious of the aspiration of the mass-es. He read their pulse in a perfectmanner.

Mr. Chelvanayakam reallyentered politics in his late forties, inthe year 1947. His hold on the Tamilmasses and the respect he earnedfrom non-Tamils and his politicalopponents continued undiminished.That speaks for the quality of theman.

The Sinhala political parties andthe Sinhala masses, though,opposed to his political philosophy,felt his continued presence neces-sary to prevent Tamil "extremists"taking an upper hand.

The Tamil youths of todayremember with deep gratitude hispolitical vision and prophecy. Wefear to think as to what would havehappened to the Tamils if he hadnot entered the political scene inthe late forties to guide them. Itwon't be considered an exaggera-tion to say that if he had not takento politics not only the Tamil rightsbut even the Tamils as an entitywould have ceased to exist.

Ceylon has witnessed the birthof innumerable politicians but it isnot difficult to count on one's fin-gers the number of statesmen pro-duced by this island. Mr.Chelvanayakam ranks foremostamong the statesmen Ceylon hasproduced. After Sir PonnampalamRamanathan and Sir PonnampalamArunachalam, a political vacuumwas created, and it is to the eternalcredit of Mr. Chelvanayakam that hefilled this void in a most able man-ner for nearly thirty years.

Though Mr. Chelvanayakammay not have attained such emi-nence as Ramanathan &Arunachalam brothers, yet hestands unique for his political vision,sagacity and honest conviction. Itwas a Herculean task he had to per-form to convince the Tamils of thedangers that were in store for them.The Tamils are now convinced as to

what political philosophy theyshould adopt if they are to survivein this country as a separate entitypreserving their language, culture,civilization and their way of life.

As to how much our Sinhalabrothers are convinced about ourproblems and as to how far they areprepared to concede our rightsremain a debatable point. But it isbeyond doubt that all Sinhalese arenow convinced that there is agigantic Tamil problem and that itshould be solved if there is to bereal peace, harmony and progressin the country. Mr. Chelvanayakamstood for a federal constitution formore than 25 years as the idealsolution for the multi-lingual andmulti-national problems facing thecountry.

He pursued this policy with thesincere hope of changing the heartsof the Sinhalese leaders. After hav-ing agitated for this goal and afterthe repeated disappointments ontalks and pacts he had with the suc-cessive Sinhala governments, hecame to the irrevocable decision ofhaving a sovereign Tamil state-Tamil Eelam State, as the only solu-tion left for the Tamils if they haveto live with self respect in this coun-try.

This was not an easy decision.For Chelva it was a very painfuldecision knowing quite well theconsequences that would flow fromimplementing same.

Mr. Chelvanayakam was by nostretch of imagination an orator.Oratorical skill was somethingunknown to him. But where brilliantorators and legal luminaries couldnot succeed, he succeeded immea-surably. When he spoke in aninaudible feeble voice measuringeach word and pausing in betweenwords, the audience tuned theirears to grasp the meaning of whathe said because each word heuttered conveyed deep and pro-found thoughts. It was really a treatto listen to his speech and watchthe reaction of the audience.

In his personal life he was sim-ple. His residence at Tellipallai,Jaffna, and his rented house inColombo revealed his simplicity.Anybody could meet him at anytime and explain their problems. His

patient hearing and above all hisnatural smile had a magnetic and asoothing effect on all who came incontact with him.

In Sri Lanka many enter politicswith little wealth but end up amass-ing a great fortune during theirpolitical careers. Mr. Chelva-nayakam's case was just thereverse. As a leading civil lawyer hewas very wealthy when he enteredpolitics, but at the time of his deathit can be said without contradictionthat his wealth was at its lowestebb. That speaks volumes for theenormous sacrifices he has madefor the cause he championed.

Mr. Chelvanayakam who was aman of few words deep thoughtwas an outstanding civil lawyer.Unlike some lawyers who for theirlove of words have lost their cases,Mr. Chelvanayakam was extremelycareful in choosing his words. Infact every word was measured anduttered. If he was ever guilty ofanything when choosing his wordsit was more the case of understate-ment than overstatement. It wasoften said that he used Biblical lan-guage. At the negotiating table hewas at his best.

He was a hard bargainer whonever yielded on fundamentals. TheBanda-Chelva pact was a classicexample of his grasp of the essen-tial. Though Mr. Chelvanayakamwas very often compared withGandhi for his political honesty itwould not be wrong to compare himwith Jinnah for his grip and determi-nation and or his unyielding attitudeon fundamental issues. Typical ofan able civil lawyer he knew howand where he should lay the stress.

Among the Tamil leaders only avery few have emphasized thepreservation of the traditionalhomeland as an essential ingredientfor the survival of the Tamil commu-nity. Mr. Chelvanayakam excelled inthis thinking far above all leaders."What the body is to a soul is theland to a linguistic group". It is nec-essary for its self-expression.

This undeniable truth had beenrepeatedly emphasized by Mr.Chelvanayakam and the Tamils arenow much more conscious of thisissue than any other issue that isfacing them.

Mr. Chelvanayakam was a rarephenomenon in Ceylon politics, atype of which may not appear in thefuture. Whether anyone agreedwith this political philosophy or notit is readily accepted that his impactis permanent in the political sphereof this country. Mr. Chelvanayakamwas essentially a man of peace. Heliked to find solutions to problems ina peaceful manner.

But certainly he did not desirethe peace that prevails in the grave-yard. He wanted peace with honour.He was a political prophet nay amessiah who had shown thePromised Land to the Tamils.

S.J.V.Chelvanayagam - A great man with a greater Vision

Chelvanayakam, Amirthalingam & Mangayarkarasi


Arajen beauty centre's demo on bridal dressing and makeup was held on Sunday March 31st, at CanadaSelvasannithi Temple in Scarborough.

Models posing with Arajen's founder Mrs Sasi Naren.Group shot - all participants with guests.Photos by - Gnane's Digital touch.

Arajen’s demo in Bridal Dressings

By Arjunan ArasaratnamA common language like

English will link different commu-nities and create a sense of equal-ity among them in a multi-racialsociety and the best example ofthis is the success story ofSingapore, said Mr. SivaSivapragasam, a Media Consultantwith over 30 years Journalistic

experience when he addressed aConference on Human Rights atthe Ryerson University recently.The conference was hosted by theTamil Students Association of theRyerson University. The otherpanelists for the conference wereProf. J. Chandrakanthan, Prof. T.Amin Khan and Mr. SamyAppadurai.

Mr. Sivapragasam traced thehistory of the ethnic crisis in SriLanka which led to the war and

remarked that Human Rights vio-lations are the direct result of thewar. According to him, the intro-duction of Sinhala as the only offi-cial language in 1956 was the fun-damental cause for the presentcrisis as it brought about aninequality between the two racesin education, holding of Publicoffices and difficulties of day today official correspondence for theTamil speaking community.

Prof. Chandrakanthan referredto the experiences the Tamil pop-ulation underwent in Jaffna due tothe war over the last twenty-five

years. He related the humanrights violations, displacement ofpeople from their traditionalhomes and disappearances whichare continuing even today. Prof.Chandrakanthan remarked thatthe Tamils should not be referredto as a minority race but should beregarded as a community with anational identity and entitled to a

land of their own.Prof. Amin Khan touched on

the question of Human Rights andhow these violations come about.He also attempted to uncover thecauses for the war in Sri Lanka.He referred to the importance ofnational identities and how differ-ent communities like to preservetheir language, religion, and cul-ture.

Mr.Samy Appadurai, who hadauthored books on the Sri Lankan

Tamil Diaspora traced some of theproblems faced by the Tamil pop-ulation and also referred to theabuses which had resulted in theviolations of human rights.

A short documentary film of avisit of Sandra Jordan, a journalistto Sri Lanka was shown to theaudience. Her visits to Jaffna,Eastern parts of Sri Lanka and thecapital Colombo reveal the causesfor the escalated war and spot-lights Human Rights violations,Dissapearances and the internaldisplacement of the people.

Human Rights Conferenceat Ryerson University

A Common Language linksdifferent ethnic communities,says Media Consultant…

Picture shows the team of Panelists for the Conference-(Left toRight), Prof.J. Chandarakanthan, Prof. Amin Khan, Media Consultant

Siva Sivapragasam and Community Activist Samy Appadurai

Section of audience

A new web portal, known asThe Scarborough HospitalCommunity Consultation RoundTable, was officially launchedtoday. The round table is a website where visitors can find outinformation on the consultationprocess at The ScarboroughHospital, review governanceresource documents and shareideas for the hospital's future.

"We've embarked on a fairlysignificant process at TheScarborough Hospital," explainsRob Devitt, Supervisor of TheScarborough Hospital. "We'regoing out and looking at boardgovernance in the broadest possi-ble sense - what works world-wide? What are the best prac-tices?" Some of that research canbe found on the web portal, and itis being added to on a regularbasis.

"We're also looking closer tohome, at what works inScarborough," says Devitt."We're consulting with the boardmembers from agencies andorganizations in Scarborough and

across the Central East LHIN tofind out what works best in theirorganizations and this communi-ty."

Consultation meetings willalso be held with key informants -active members of the communi-ty, including local politicians andmembers of community associa-tions. Feedback is also beingsolicited from the public at largethrough the web portal.

"Board members will need theskills to govern a complex organi-zation, but will also need toensure that they are addressingthe unique characteristics of thiscommunity," explains Devitt."Finding that balance, and ensur-ing that the community hasmeaningful methods to providefeedback is critical. We need tofind structures that will facilitatean open, honest and meaningfulexchange of ideas, and ultimatelyhelp us provide the best possiblehospital services to this communi-ty."

The web portal can beaccessed through the hospital's

website (www.tsh.to) or directlyat www.tshconsult.org. TheScarborough Hospital is currentlyrecruiting prospective boardmembers; the role description canalso be found on the hospital'swebsite or the consultation portal.

The Scarborough Hospital(TSH), Canada's largest urbancommunity hospital, delivers inno-vative, high quality patient care,advocates for our community'shealth and wellness issues, and isa leader in research, teaching andlearning. TSH is a regional treat-ment centre for dialysis and isrenowned for its sexual assaultcare centre and mental healthprograms. Affiliated with theUniversity of Toronto, TSH is alsoa referral centre for vascular sur-gery, pacemakers and cornealimplants.

For more information: Anne Marie Males Director, Public Affairs The Scarborough Hospital 416-438-2911 ext.6790 [email protected]

The Scarborough Hospital ConsultationRound Table on Governance Launched

The Schizophrenia Society ofOntario is happy to be presentingits third annual Yogathon onSaturday May 10th at Toronto'strendiest location -the distillerydistrict- the site of BritishCommonwealth's oldest distillerysouth of front off ParliamentStreet. Did you know thatParliament gets its name as it isthe site of Canada's firstParliament?

The Yogathon raises funds for

early intervention programmesavailable to youth at risk of men-tal illness. If you talk to anyone ofnumber of Physiatrists' servingour community they will confirmthe severe trauma of the unfortu-nate youth who get this diseaseand the suffering of the families ofthese youth trying to cope withthis situation.

All day Yoga event with someof Canada's top Yoga teachers is aunique concept-it's a union of

Hatha Yoga with Karma Yoga.Karma Yoga is Yoga of action andselfless service. This is the call toparticipants to raise money forthis cause and come and enjoy aday of yoga. 100 % of all dona-tions are tax deductible.

For more info please go to www.yogathon.ca <http://www.yogathon.ca>

or call the event coordinator YogiTambiraja @416 850 5989.

Fundraising Program forSchizophrenia Society by Yogathon


Dead Line for entries:Apr 25, 2008

Entries have to be made onoriginal paper, photocopies not accepted.

The Winner will be selectedand posted in the Mayissue.Please mail to:Monsoon Journal3107 Sheppard Ave EastToronto, ON. M1T 3J7

Monsoon Kids CornerColor Me Competition - 3

Winner for March 2008

Color Me competition-2

Anjali SuthakaranAJAX

Congratulations from

Monsoon Journal

$10 cash will be mailed

to the winner.

By Sanal EdamarukuPresident, Rationalist

International India has granted visa extension

to exiled Bangladeshi writer TaslimaNasreen for six more months. Fornow, the nightmare of an ill anddesperate Taslima being forcefullyexpelled from her adoptive home ofseven years to start anotherodyssey into an uncertain future isover. "All I want to do is live peace-fully in this country. I have nowhereelse to go," wrote Taslima in anopen letter. When the showdownbegan and time was running out,Rationalist International started acampaign and appealed to thePrime Minister of India. Within threedays, our appeal was supported bymore than three thousand eighthundred letters from India, USA,Canada, Australia and all overEurope. Under public pressure byTaslima's many supporters, theGovernment of India allowed her tostay.

The success, however, is tar-nished. While staying in India,Taslima Nasreen's life will - accord-ing to a statement from the ForeignMinistry - be restricted to the "sta-tus quo". And that is what horrifiesher. The "status quo" describes arather inhuman situation. It is near-ly three months now that theGovernment of India keeps TaslimaNasreen in complete isolation at anundisclosed location near Delhi.Nobody, not even she herself,knows her whereabouts. Guardedby some officials, she has not evenbeen allowed to meet close friends.Her only connections to the outerworld are mobile phone and laptop.

I am in regular phone contactwith Taslima. She feels her life hasturned a never-ending nightmare. "Iam like the living dead: benumbed;robbed of the pleasure of existenceand experience; unable to movebeyond the claustrophobic confinesof my room", she writes in a letter.Under the pressure of her enforced

isolation, her health is deteriorating.Being a physician herself, she feltalarmed about her symptoms someweeks back and request to see acardiologist. After several days,some anonymous and obviouslyunqualified physician gave her amedication that nearly killed her.She had to be rushed into theIntensive Care Unit of the All IndiaInstitute of Medical Sciences inDelhi. After first signs of improve-ment, she was swiftly taken back tothe isolation of her room innowhere.

Her ordeal began on 21stNovember 2007. That day, the gov-ernment of the Indian state of WestBengal forced her to leave withinminutes her house in Calcutta,where she had been living andworking since more than sevenyears peacefully and unchallenged.They claimed that they could notprotect her against the wrath ofsome Muslim fundamentalist groupsand forced her to leave the state byflight - hidden under a veil. She wasnot able to take anything with herbut her mobile phone and her lap-top.

Taslima Nasreen's forcefuldeportation from West Bengal wasclearly a move to appease Muslimfanatics in the hope they couldinfluence the Muslim "vote bank".Precisely, she was used as a lighten-ing protector at the very time ofmass protest against the state gov-ernment's confiscation of Muslimowned farmland for an industrialmega project in Nandigram. TaslimaNasreen had been victim of the LeftFront government's preemptivesubmission to fundamentalistdemands earlier. Some years ago,they banned her book Dwikhondito,but the ban was finally lifted by theCalcutta High Court.

On the fateful 21st November,Taslima landed in Rajastan. Afterone day, the Rajastan state govern-ment shunted her off to Delhi,where she spent several uncertain

days in the Rajastan House, beforethe Indian central government tookcharge of her. Then she was spiritedaway and never seen again. Evenwhen the French President Sarkozy,ahead of his India visit in January,expressed the wish to personallypresent Taslima Nasreen with thecoveted Prix Simone de Beauvoir onthe day of the French author's100th birth anniversary, Delhiturned the proposal down.

Taslima Nasreen is desperate toescape her isolation cell. She yearnsfor the day of her return to Calcutta.After fleeing from Bangladesh in1994 to escape fatwa and deaththreats by Muslim fanatics, she livedin Sweden, Germany, USA andFrance, before she moved toCalcutta in 2000. She made WestBengal her adoptive home, as itshares language and culture withher native country. Only here, if notin Bangladesh, she feels at homeand is able to write. "I am a Bengaliwithin and without; I live, breathe,and dream in Bengali", Taslimawrites about her life in West Bengal.If the West Bengal Government andthe Indian Government in Delhihave their say, she may never beable to return to her life and work inCalcutta.

"I am only breathing. I don'tthink I am alive like you are. Cananybody live like this? It wasbeyond my imagination that in asecular democracy like India, such athing could happen to a writer,"writes Taslima.

Taslima Nasreen remains confined to aroom at an undisclosed location


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By: Kumar PunithavelIt is one hundred years since he

passed away on 8th February 1908.Rev George Uglow Pope was bornon the 24th April 1820 in a hamletin Prince Edwards Island, Nova-Scotia, Canada. His parents migrat-ed to England when he was aninfant. In 1839 at the age of nine-teen, he went to South-India to doevangelical service. He spent up tohalf a century of his life in South-India. In preparation for his carrierhe started to learn Tamil on hiseighteenth birthday. This student inTamil ended up a scholar in Tamil,Sanskrit and Telugu.

Being a strict disciplinarian Rev.Dr. G. U. Pope was always in troublewith others. Of him the commentmade by then Bishop Caldwell was;‘The chief drawback to his successwas the severity of his disciplinewhich led, after a succession ofpetty rebellions, to his withdrawal’.

His service to Tamil language ismonumental. He published greatworks such as Tholkapiam, Nannooland made classical Tamil easier forfruitful study of classics.

He always believed that oneshould learn literature of differentlanguages. As he observed in thepreface of his translation ofThiruvasakam; ‘For no literature canstand alone’. This made him totranslate many Tamil literatures intoEnglish. The long list of books hehad contributed to the treasure ofthe English literature is given at theend of this essay.

His appreciation of the Tamillanguage amply shown in the pref-ace he had written to Thirukural;‘Tamil is a sophisticated unique lan-guage, with a rich vocabulary. It isthe mother of all South Indian lan-guages, Tamil literature wasdesigned to create high moral stan-dards, ethical codes and Thirukuralis a great example of that. It is in aland of people with very high ethicalcodes and who nurture human dis-cipline that such moral books arecreated and could be created.Thirukkural is as clear as an unpol-luted spring. Yes! Thirukkural, theunique book, has come to removethe impurities of this world. ‘Withina short time of my learning Tamil, Icommenced translating Thirukkural,for the benefit of Europeans. It tookseveral years to complete the trans-lation and I offer my gratitude toGod for the final result’.

Though a strong believer inChristianity, his service to Tamil andSaivism defy reckoning by weightsand measures. One could see thenoble heart which was beyond reli-gions bounds. This, one could see inreading the passage below extract-ed from his preface to the transla-tions to the great “Thiruvasagam”;

I date this on my eightiethbirthday. I find by reference, thatmy first Tamil lesson was in 1837.This ends, as I suppose, a long lifeof devotion to Tamil studies. It wasnot without deep emotion that Ithus bring to close my life’s literarywork.

Some years ago, when this pub-lication was hardly projected, oneevening, after prayers, the writerwas walking with the late Master ofBalliol College in the quadrangle.The conversation turned upon Tamillegends, poetry and philosophy. Atlength during a pause in the conver-sation, the Master said in a quickway peculiar to him, ‘You must printit’. To this the natural answer was,‘Master! I have no patent of immor-tality, and the work would be verylong’. I can see him now, as heturned round,-while the moonlightfell upon his white hair and kindlyface, - and laid his hand upon myshoulder, saying, ‘To have a greatwork in progress is the way to livelong. You will live till you finish it’. Icertainly did not think so then,though the words have often cometo my mind as a prophecy, encour-aging me when weary; and theyhave been fulfilled, while he haspassed out of sight.

Rev. G.U. Pope returned toEngland after forty-two years of dis-tinguished service in South-India in1882. On his return he accepted theprofessorship at Oxford University,to teach Tamil and Telugu. Hereceived the coveted Gold Medalgiven once in three years for meri-torious service and to mark theDiamond Jubilee of Queen Victoriain 1906.

His magnum opus, the transla-tion of Thiruvasagam appeared in1900. On the preface to this bookhe mentions ‘with this my long lifeof Tamil studies has come to anend’.

Rev. G. U. Pope delivered hislast sermon on May 26, 1907. Inforwarding a copy of his lastSermon preached in Balliol CollegeChapel on May 26,1907, Dr Pope

writes on the Christmas eve in hisautograph which will interest allIndian lovers of this Tamil veteranscholar and servant;

26 Walton Bell Road,Oxford, Dec 25, 1907My dear friend,In the heart of this last sermon,

lie truths that harmonize with allthat is best in Thiruvasagam andSivanyanam (Siva-gnana botham)

I am very old. May the fatherbless you and yours.

Ever truly your friendG. U. Pope.He had expressed his desire to

J.M Nalla Samy Pillai the editor of‘Siddhantha Deepika’ by a letterwritten on October 20, 1900,requesting that after his death, theepitaph on the headstone should be‘A Tamil Student’, and at least a por-tion of the cost to erect such aheadstone should come with dona-tions from wealthy influentialTamils.

He was laid to rest on hisdemise on 12th February, 1908, atSaint Sepulcher Cemetery, inOxford. True to the desire of thenoble soul the epitaph reads as;George Uglow Pope D.D of southIndia sometime lecturer in Tami andTelugu in the University and Chaplinof Balliol College, Oxford, born 24thApril 1820. Died 11th February1908. This stone has been placedhere by his family and by his Tamilfriends in South India in lovingadmiration of his long labours in thecause of oriental literature and phi-losophy’.

Books written by Rev U. G.Pope:-

*Thiruvasagam-English Hymns1-10

*Thirukkural English Translationand commentary- by Rev Dr. G. U.Pope, Rev. W. H. Drew, Rev. *JohnLazarus and Mr. F. W. Ellis

*The Tiruvasagum, sacredUtterances of the Tamil poet, saint

and sage.*Naladiyar of four Hundred

Quatrains in Tamil.*Sacred Kural of Thiruvalluva

Nayanr English Translation*A compendious Tamil English

dictionary*A compendious English Tamil

dictionary*Catalogue of the Tamil books

in the library of the British Museum*Tamil poetical Anthology with

Grammatical Notes and Vocabulary*A Tamil prose reader: Adopted

to Tamil Hand book*A Handbook of the ordinary

dialect of the Tamil language*A first catechism of Tamil

grammer*Extracts from the Tamil Purra-

porul venba-malai and the purra-nannuru

*Tamil Poetical Anthology – withGrammar Notes and Vocabulary

Email: [email protected]

Rev. Dr. George Uglow Pope M.A. D.D

Continued from Page 12

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Senator Leahy of the US pointed out that the MillenniumChallenge Corporation suspended over $11 million in aid intend-ed for Sri Lanka, based on a statement by Freedom House that theserious rights abuses and excessive restrictions on freedom ofspeech and association by the GoSL merits the removal of thecountry from the list of eligible recipients of such aid.

Illegal Firearms Program Co-oordinator of South Asia SmallArms Network Ranjith Srilal Piyaratna [a Sinhalese] said that thereare 2.3 million small arms in SL, of which 1.3 million are illegal (ina country of about 20 million), leading to an escalation of crime.

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Novak in a state-ment to the UN Assembly Third Committee said that torture is wide-ly practiced in Sri Lanka.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Summary orArbitrary Executions Philip Aston has called on the UN GeneralAssembly and the UN Human Rights Council to act on Sri Lanka,as the situation in the country has worsened.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour whovisited the island was taken on a conducted tour by the govern-ment, but was prevented from visiting areas controlled by theFreedom Fighters. In her final Press Conference she lamented thedire state of human rights in the island and called for independentmonitoring. The Sinhalese Human Rights Minister blindly rejectedthe idea.

Asian Human Rights Commission issued a statement on law-lessness which said that within the policing systems higher officersranging from IGP to ASPs have shown an irresponsibility that isalarming.

33 community and city based organisations have written to theInternational Committee Co-ordinating National Institutions forPromotion and Protection of Human Rights in Geneva not to lendcredibility and legitimacy to the Human Rights Commission of SriLanka.

Human Rights Watch in the USA says that the breakaway LTTEgroup (the Karuna group, also known as the TMVP) has been givenprotection by the GoSL, even though it has forcibly recruited sever-al hundred children and was involved in kidnappings of wealthy,predominantly Tamil, businessmen.

Reporters Without Borders has reported that the TMVP was act-ing as death squads.

G. Luciani, in an article in the Tamil Canadian website, quotesArticles 15, 16, and 17 of the first Geneva Convention and saysthat it is a war crime to remove the clothes of the 20 dead libera-tion fighters, both male and female, who were killed during theattack on the Anuradhapura airport and allowing the public to takephotographs, The bodies were buried without being handed overto the Red Cross to be given to their headquarters as had been thepractice. The bodies were buried by the army and it was reportedthat the magistrate had given an order to bury them. The magis-trate later denied having done so! The Liberation Fighters undersimilar circumstances buried dead soldiers with full military honors.

Lucia Withers, Asia Program manager of the Coalition to StopChild soldiers, said in London that forcible abductions from tem-ples, playgrounds and refugee camps are taking place by theTMVP in army controlled areas.

Senator Leahy of the US pointed out that the MillenniumChallenge Corporation suspended over $11 million in aid intend-ed for Sri Lanka, based on a statement by Freedom House that theserious rights abuses and excessive restrictions on freedom ofspeech and association by the GoSL merits the removal of thecountry from the list of eligible recipients of such aid.

Paul Willms, ex-MM.P.of the Netherlands, urged theInternational Community to put in place sanctions on the GoSL forfailing to deliver a reasonable proposal to meet the legitimate aspi-rations of the Tamil Community for three decades, and to improvethe deteriorating human rights records, aimed specially toward theE.U., India, and the US, to implement an even-handed approachand policy aimed at resumption of talks for a peace settlement.

Human Rights Watch, in a Nov. 7th 2007 letter to AmericanHouse of Representatives Nita Lowey and Frank Wolf, states,"Sincemid-2006 resumption of military operations, civilians has bornethe brunt of the fighting. More than 1,000 have reportedly disap-peared. Several hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Inthe past 18 months there has been a significant jump in abuses bygovernment forces, such as indiscriminate shelling and extra-judi-cial executions and forced disappearances. In addition, there is evi-dence that Sri Lanka Govt. forces have stood by while pro-govern-ment armed groups have carried out abuses, including forciblyrecruiting children into their forces. Members of the governmentsecurity have long enjoyed impunity from prosecutions: there is lit-tle evidence that the govt. is bringing perpetrators of serious abus-es to justice. It is important to note that the Department of State haspublicly supported a strong UN Monitoring Mission and urged theSri Lanka Government to meet the conditions in the Senate bill.(Note that, since this letter, news have appeared in the Daily Mirrorof 10th November that the US has handed over a radar-bbased sur-veillance system and several rigid hull inflatable Boats to Sri

Lanka.)

Allan Rock, Special Rapporteur for UN Representative Ms.Radhika Coomaraswamy, said in a report to her that not onlyKaruna (a deserter from Liberation Fighters and now leading aparamilitary group) not only recruited children, but alleged thatsome sections of the armed forces aided Karuna in such recruit-ment.

World Bank Managing Director Graeme Wheeler says thatthere is an alarming rate of killings, abductions, and disappear-ances taking place in Sri Lanka. He has also emphasized the needfor a political solution soon.

A Policy Report of the East /West Center- a Washington thinktank says "Political Buddhism and Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalismhave contributed to national ideology that has been used toexpand and perpetuate Sinhala Buddhist supremacy within a uni-tary Sri Lankan State, create laws, rules, and structures that institu-tionalised such supremacy; and attacks those who disagree withthis agenda as enemies of the State."

The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons(IIGEP) appointed by the President to oversee the Commission OfInquiry (COI) and appointed to probe abductions, disappearances,and extrajudicial killings of only a selected 15 incidents that tookplace since 2005, has criticised the performance of the COI.

The mandate of one year of the COI will expire at the end ofNovember without resolving any of the incidents probed. The IIGEPalso stated that the Attorney General's involvement in the panel ofcounsels to the Commission was a severe conflict of interest. TheAttorney General has totally disagreed with this view.

The final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry ofmissing persons says "Most of the disappearances have beencaused by the army and police."

The Members of Parliament of the East, both Muslim andTamils, protested to the Sinhala majority Government of Sri Lanka(GoSL) that the captured areas of the East are being colonised withSinhalese convicts, eg. plantations of the Cashew Corporation.They have also criticized the GoSL's decision to have developmentprojects in the East managed by the security forces and police.

Dailly Mirror.Nov.27th, 2007(a) The UN says that armed groups continue to operate in the

Amparai District (government controlled area in the East) withharassments, intimidation of civilians and executions. Statement bythe Inter Agency Standing Committee, (IASG) an UN umbrellagroup.

(b) Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission also last week expressed con-cern over continuing disappearances, killings and abductions inthe eastern part of the country.

Dailly Mirror Dec.4th 2007The Director General of UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura has con-

demned the government's air strikes on Voice of Tigers RadioStation, saying there can be no excuse for military strikes on civil-ian media. It also condemned mass arrests of Tamils in their thou-sands

Dailly Mirror Dec.5th 2007Amnesty International has urged government to repeal or

revise Emergency Regulations so as to bring in line withInternational Human Rights law and standards.

Dailly News Dec.5th 2007Minister and government Chief Whip Jeryaraj Fernandopillai

confirmed mass arrests of over 2,500 Tamils indiscriminately andwithout inquiry and that over 2,000 were released after inquiry.

Sunday Times Dec.9th 2007UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour made an

appeal along with the New York based Human Rights Watch andthe London based Amnesty International to set up UN field opera-tions with a strong mandate to monitor the human rights situation.The government rejected the call.

Dailly Mirror Dec.10th 2007The UN affliated Inter Agency Standing Committee said that

humanitarian agencies have emphasized that the activities ofarmed groups in and around Internally Displaced Persons campsand return areas in Batticaloa have a negative impact on projectsimplementation.

Reuters Dec, 10th 2007Asian Human Rights Commission said that "Human rights

abuse have made Sri Lanka one of the most lawless places in theworld and the government must do more to investigate them". Itcomplained of what it called "the constant killing of people in policedetention and the falsification of information to justify crimes com-mitted by state agencies" Describing Sri Lanka's criminal Justice sys-tem as "dysfunctional", the group said "as long as this situationremains, life will remain a nightmare to all civilians in the country"

AFP Dec 10th 2007The Asian Human Rights Commission urged immediate inter-

national scrutiny and action in Sri Lanka to prevent abductions andkillings of civilians. It further said "Sri Lanka had the highest fre-quency of cases of disappearances in the world reported to the UN.The present situation requires immediate scrutiny and action on the

part of the UN and the International community."

AFP Dec.17th 2007The international Red Cross said one of its workers had been

abducted and murdered in Sri Lanka's government controlledJaffna peninsula-reportedly by the army intelligence unit.

Dailly Mirror Dec 18th 2007Human Rights Watch has said that the recent downgrading of

Lanka's National Human Rights Commission by an InternationalCommittee highlights the need for independent international mon-itoring.

Morning Leader Dec.19th 2007.(a) Human Rights Watch said that the country needs interna-

tional monitors to monitor human rights violations following down-grading due to lack of credible domestic institutions to addresshuman rights violations.

(b) The International Coordinating Committee of NationalInstitutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights hadreduced the status of the National Human rights Commission to anobserver due to government encroaching on its independence, andconcerns that the appointment of its commissioners was not incompliance with the Sri Lankan law and the commission's practicewas not balanced, objective, and non-political.

(c) Deputy Assistant Director Human Rights watch ElainePeason said Sri Lanka lacks credible domestic institutions toaddress human rights violations, and the National Human RightsCommission failed to address the hundreds of violations in SriLanka over the past two years.

AP Dec.19th 2007US lawmakers have decided to bar all but a small amount of

military aid to Sri Lanka till the Bush Administration has certifiedthat the Sri Lankan has made certain improvements in its humanrights practices.

Dailly Mirror Dec 19th 2007The government has reduced the security granted to some

Tamil member of Parliament as follows;-(a) Mr.S.Srikantha. From the Ministries Security Division ,

from 9 to 5(b) Mr.T.Maheswaran From 18 to 2(c) Mr.Mano Ganeson from 10 to 2.The members had asked for additional security. (Note: Mr.

Mano Ganeson was recently awarded the runner-up prize for thefirst Freedom Rights Defender's award from the US government. Heis also the Founder of the Civil Monitoring Commission.)

Morning Leader Dec 19th 2007(a) The Internationall Coordinating Committee of Nationall

Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights hadreduced the status of the nation's ((Sri Lankka) Human RightsCommission to an observer due to government encroaching on itsindependence, and concerns that the appointment of its commis-sioners was not in compliance with the Sri Lankan law and thecommissioners' practice was not balanced, objective and non-polit-ical.

(b) Human Rights Watch said the Country (Sri Lanka) needsInternational Monitors to monitor human rights violations followingdowngrading (of the National Commission)due to lack of credibledomestic institutions to address human rights violations

(c ) Deputy Assistance director, Human Rights watch ElainePearson said that Sri Lanka lacks credible domestic institutions toaddress human rights violation and that the National HumanRights Commission failed to address the hundreds of violations inSri Lanka over the past two years.

Reuters Dec 19th 2007The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons

(IIGEP) said that the President's office wrote to the commission thatit was not necessary to probe the conduct of the Attorney Generalor his department regarding investigations relevant to the probe. Ithad also interfered with a commission probing civil war rightsabuses and murders that included some blamed on state securityforces

Dailly Mirror Dec 19th 2007Sri Lanka has been ranked third worldwide in the number of

journalists killed in 2007, behind Iraq and Somalia. 110 werekilled as against 96 in 2006 and 68 in 2005.

Dailly Mirror Dec 20th 2007The IIGEP said that there is failure of the commission to effec-

tively probe the failings of the original police investigations into thecases under consideration, as well as difficulties encountered by thecommission in securing cooperation and disclosure of informationfrom the state officials and other persons.

The commission has so far not succeeded in identifying why theoriginal police investigations failed to identify and prosecute theperpetrators of these serious crimes.

It reinforced the IIGEP's view that the inquiry's process fallsshort of international norms and standards. The commission's worklacks transparency and there continues to be a lack of full andtimely disclosure of information to the IIGEP. Lack of independence,ineffective witness protection measures and shortcomings withinvestigations, persistent disregard for its recommendations by thegovernment of Sri Lanka, and the COI, tend to render the IIGEP'scontinued role irrelevant, and urged the government to take imme-diate steps for implementing corrective action.

Recent Quotes on Sri LankaCompiled by Nadodi - Courtesy: Sangam.org


MRS. SELVARATNAM (SELVAM) GANESANSEPTEMBER 12, 1931 – MARCH 24, 2008

The family is eternally grateful to all who paid their respects and

attended the funeral services held in Toronto for our dear mother

Mrs. Selvaratnam Ganesan She was a gracious lady who single handedly brought up her seven children

after the early demise of her beloved husband, the late Arumugam Ganesan (Bubby)

Dearest Mother of Wignesan (Wicky), Asokumar (Aso),

Sugumar (Sugu), Sivanesan (Siva), Rajini, Sulochana and Suresh.

Mother-in-law of Suhirtham, Christine, Sheela, Saharin, Sathiawan, Roy Mahesan, Chithra

Grandmother of Jonathan, Jeorge, Sera, Sanjay, Sofia, Gajan,

Rajiv, Lavaniya, Vithiya, Rebecca, Priya, Sudev and Sujitha

OUR SINCERE THANKS TO THE MEDICAL AND NURSING STAFF

OF SCARBOROUGH GENERAL HOSPITAL (DIALYSIS UNIT) AND

SCARBOROUGH GRACE HOSPITAL (WARD 3B), AND TO DR. PON SIVAJI

The family also extends their grateful thanks to the following

Chief Priest and Devotees of Sri Durka Hindu Temple;

Chief Priest and Devotees of Sri Varasitithi Vinnayagar Hindu Temple

and to the Minister of Health & Long Term Care Hon. George Smitherman;

Minister of Energy Hon. Gerry Phillips; Minister of Citizenship & Immigration Hon. Michael Chan;

Hon. Maria Minna, P.C., M.P.; Hon. John McCallum, P.C., M.P.; Hon. Jim Kariyaginnis, P.C., M.P.;

Derek Lee, M.P.; Yasmin Ratansi, M.P.

and the Sri Lanka High Commissioner to Canada His Excellency W.J.S. Karunaratne

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“With ffaith, ddiscipline aand sselfless ddevotion tto dduty, …monsoonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/04_Ar… · · 2015-02-08an overhaul of the entire process-ing system