No homeland can exist without physical inhabitants. It is in the Earth’s nature to shift. As people migrate – whether through necessity or choice – the remaining inhabitants of an environment will shift into the vacated spaces. Regardless of expediting factors, this change is inevitable. One way to maintain a Tamil homeland is by becoming an actual part of it: by moving back.
The Tamil Diaspora’s ability to earn and send remittances to Sri Lanka is a gift. However, one must not underestimate the impact of actual contact. Take for example a rape victim. Money will not actually help her in her time of most immediate need. She will need doctors and counsellors who can be present, to hold her and emotionally restabilise her through the beginning phases of recovery. Sri Lanka’s Tamil population is suffering from post-war trauma and our community simply does not have the trained human resources to cope.
In addition to this trauma, our community is crippled by internal poisons. Domestic violence and alcoholism have become more prevalent. Adherence to the caste and dowry systems remains unabated. Without fresh blood, who will question and challenge these traditions, future generations on the island will perpetuate these ingrained practices. By returning to Sri Lanka, whether for 3 months or 3 years, members of the Tamil Diaspora can inject our community with fresh and forward ways of thinking.
For the coming-of-age Diaspora generation, the concept of homeland is doubly complicated. Many were born outside of Sri Lanka or emigrated at a very early age. We speak with western accents and have visited Sri Lanka only a handful of times. Yet we were raised with stories of yesteryear. Stories of ammammas chasing naughty chiththappas and quiet evenings beneath the maa-maram. Our bodies crave the exquisite combinations of pittu and kuzhambu, parappuand pickle. And while we are most comfortable in English, the Tamil language (whether we speak it well or not) becomes a portal into an inexplicably rich and deeper side of our character. We have needs to contribute to a community with whom we feel connected because within this community lies an integral element to our sense of “home”.
A homeland cannot survive if its members do not have the strength to stay. The Tamil spirit is strong, but the war has left our people emotionally weakened. The Tamil population in Sri Lanka has been significantly diminished. Those who had the financial opportunity have left. Others continue to search for ways to emigrate. There are brave individuals who choose to stay, to persevere in service towards our community. But without an influx of people who are willing and able to sacrifice the luxuries of a Diasporic life, people who have the knowledge and interest to contribute to a rebuilding of society, the Tamil community in Sri Lanka will continue to wane.
For many, the idea of returning to Sri Lanka is a fantasy but not a practical reality. There are limits to what one is able to do. Those who have children, extended families, and life responsibilities simply cannot afford to drop everything and go back. And deeper still, the idea of returning to the devastation of what once was a paradise home is more than some are emotionally able to bear. Even though the war is ended, the island is still not safe and those who are just beginning their lives may be unwilling to risk everything and return.
We must remember that a “homeland” is more than a vacation destination. Preserving a culture takes time and requires real connection. Those who are unable to move back to Sri Lanka can foster this connection with those who live there by visiting more consistently and for longer periods of time. Sri Lanka’s Tamil population is unbounded in its ability to love and survive. For those who have the freedom to be a part of this growth, please come. Your homeland is waiting.
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