Jaffna is Back

I was born in Jaffna, and except for two years of primary education, I did all my primary and secondary education in Jaffna.  My grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, teachers, schoolmates, and neighbors shaped my ways as I grew from a kid to an adult.  Although my life in Jaffna is only 15 years, about 20% of my life, the Jaffna boy inside me is very much alive.  

Except for two weeks in August 1984, I was absent from Jaffna from 1980 till 2010 for many reasons.  My first return to Jaffna in 2010 was arranged by my close friends from Bibila!  Since then, I have been to Jaffna a few times, and always for two or three days, because during the past 45 years, I have pretty much lost all contacts in Jaffna.  I felt that Jaffna was frozen for the 30 years I was away.  Nothing has changed except remnants of the war, such as the bullet-ridden railway station.

Jaffna Railway Station immediately after the war, and at present

My last trip was this week, again for two days.  During the Civil War, we had nearly 30 years of damage done to the infrastructure and morale of people in Jaffna.  In 2010, I felt that it might take more than two generations for those left in Jaffna to bounce back and lead the life they deserve – free from fear and violence, exhibit their entrepreneurial skills, and prosper.

After my trip this week, I believe that have been pessimistic in my views.  I think Jaffna is back, developed, and at par with any other city of the same size in Sri Lanka or anywhere else in South Asia.  Here are my reasons.

Education

Education up to high school was the best in Jaffna in Sri Lanka.  There were more A-grade high schools in Jaffna than in Colombo, the Capital, thanks to a healthy competition between Christian Missionaries and Hindu philanthropists.  Only a mile or two separated these high schools.  They produced top-notch applicants to Universities in Sri Lanka, which led to a foolish standardization system that led to the Civil War.  It was a sad development, which has been gradually rectified since then.  But it was too late to change the direction of movements that sought separation.  I think recruiting students to publicly funded universities now is fair and provides sufficient opportunities for students from rural areas without depriving those with merit.

The Administration Building of Faculty of Engineering, Jaffna University  

I visited the Faculty of Engineering of Jaffna Campus for a few hours and met with three academics.  The relatively recent infrastructure is as good as any university campus I have been to in Asia.  Of course, the essence of being old, which is ever present at Peradeniya University, is not at the Faculty of Engineering, Jaffna.  That has to be expected.  All three spoke confidently, were proud of their curriculum, and used government and international collaborators' funds to build the teaching and research facilities.  By splitting the students into groups and clever time-tabling, all students have equal access to their facilities.  The Engineering Society of Sri Lanka accredits the curriculum.  Hence, an Engineering student from Jaffna has the same education a student from Moratuwa or Peradeniya University would have.  They want to do more and build their research and post-graduate program.  A few of my Jaffna-origin contacts, who are internationally reputed, are volunteering time to support the young academics.  I have volunteered online support, the best I could do.

Religion

An attribute that underpins Jaffna culture is Religion.  All religions thrived, and Jaffna never experienced religious conflicts.  Everyone worshipped at all religious institutions.  A British Friend once said that Sri Lankans take insurance from all Gods—no chances taken.

Temples, Churches, and Mosques were unscathed even during the Civil War.  Despite the call for Muslims to evacuate from the Jaffna Peninsula during the Civil War, there's no evidence of mosques being damaged.  Now that the Islamic community has returned to their ancestral homes, they thrive well in Jaffna.  

All temples have their Kopurams (towers) repainted, which brims with pride.  Even the temple tower at Mavittapuram temple is undergoing rehabilitation.  It was used by Hindu fanatics to discriminate against fellow Hindus, leading the Courts to order a shutdown for all.  When the Courts in Sri Lanka denied the fanatics' call to refuse entry to specific Hindu Communities, the proponents took the case to the Privy Council in the UK.  It remains the last case taken from Sri Lanka to the Privy Council, and the Council did not entertain it either.  Unfortunately, the man who led the case for the fanatics was considered an intellectual of the time.  He was not alone.  It was the time when many intelectulas, used their interlect to pander hate among Sri Lankans.  Donald Trumps of Sri Lanka!

It can never happen in Jaffna anymore.  Jaffna is a much better society now than it was in the sixties.  During the Civil War, the Temple fell within the Protective Zone, and Government forces refused entry to this zone for decades.  All of it is history – efforts are underway to bring the Temple to the glory it deserves.

Maavittapuram Temple Kopuram is being renovated

Festivals at Temples are at their best ever now.  In the seventies, a neighborhood Temple my family went to had a Priest who would be assisted by another priest from a neighborhood temple during annual festivals.  I went there a few days ago when the annual festival was inaugurated this year.  The Chief Priest had five assistants.  Rituals are expanded more than they were in the seventies.  Garments worn by the deities and the priests were more colorful than before, reflecting their availability and affordability.  Good on them.

Vibrant Poojas at Hindu Temples

Industry and Economy

Before the Civil War, there were two prominent factories; one produced Cement at Kankesanthurai, and another produced chemicals at Paranthan.  The cement factory contributed to air pollution and breathing difficulties for locals.  Both have been inactive since the commencement of the Civil War.  There have been discussions and plans to rehabilitate the facilities and resume operations over the years, but progress has been slow.  Large capital injections would be required, and the revival must be done based on its environmental sustainability and financial viability.  Recently, the garment industry has emerged as a significant employer in Kilinochhi.  I also know that the Tamil Diaspora supports small businesses with Capital and expertise.  There are Travel agencies, Goat farms, and Construction Companies supporting the Jaffna Economy.  The Jaffna Bazaar is full of people.  

Jaffna Bus Station

Descendants of successful businessmen in the seventies have re-established businesses, maintaining the brand names – Subhas and Gnanams, for example.

Gnanam Guesthouse - It was Gnanam Studio in the Seventies - Yes, we went to a studio to take photos

Lifestyle

I cannot comment on this, as my stays have always been brief.  But what I saw on the streets was encouraging.  Newly built bridges have solar powered street lights.

Road connecting Poonagari with Jaffna Penisula - A site of fierce battles during the Civil War

Despite far better roads now, there's traffic – mostly motorbikes and scooters, and fewer bicycles than before.  School children are appropriately dressed and marching to school with cricket-wickets.  

Books in the back, and Wickets in hand, time for school

Auto rickshaws and mini busses have replaced hire cars of the sixties, in which students were stacked as sardines.  Women of all ages are on scooters – they move freely, which is always a good sign of the social fabric.  

Women on the move, as always!

There are restaurants and eateries everywhere, at all prices.  The abundance of these restaurants indicates that the locals are frequenting them to ensure their financial viability.  I think they should serve local foods, rice & curry, hoppers and so on.  Most of the upper-end restaurants serve Chinese and Indian food rather than Jaffna food.  Maybe because people eat Jaffna food at home and want to try something different when they go out, I get it.

Chollan Restraurant in Kilinochi - Could easily seat 100 patrons at a time

Deceased are taken on modified four-wheel drives.  And the drummers are playing modern drums – not the locally made drums (parais).  The tunes have not changed, though.

Overall, Jaffna's resurgence is a testimony to the resilience within human beings.  Without the war and injection of funds from the government, donors, and the diaspora, and with their hard work and inherent values, Jaffna is BACK!

Student Protests & Life without Internet in Dhaka

I came to Dhaka on the 13th of July 2024 for work, and I was informed by a Bangladeshi friend that there had been ongoing protests rejecting a quota system for Government Jobs.  56% of all jobs are reserved for various groups, and the remainder was provided to the candidates on pure merit.  The key beneficiaries are the freedom fighters and their descendants, for whom 30% of all Government vacancies are reserved.  This is in addition to a lifelong pension for the freedom fighters, which I have no problems with.  The other 26% is allocated to women, indigenous people, LGBTQ, and disabled populations.  It is interesting to note that there are allocations for women and the LGBTQ community in a Muslim dominant country,

Protesters in front of the Hotel Intercontinental at 1:30 AM

My concern is the effect of a quota system, which will deny positions to those better qualified than to those who are less qualified.  I think the less qualified will introduce mediocracy within the Government Bureaucracy and trigger a vicious cycle of decline in productivity.  

Furthermore, it reminded me of the quota system introduced in the 1970s in Sri Lanka, which led to a civil war that lasted for 30 years.  Will Bangladeshis lose the fruits of the sacrifices during their liberation war to their self-inflicted quota system?

As I pondered, my meetings with government functionaries were held as planned, on the 14th and the 15th.  Then, the protests started affecting my meetings.  On the 16th, as I finished a meeting at the USAID Bangladesh and was about to exit the building, the siren went off, and the PABX announced to everyone to duck under a table and stay away from windows.  Security personnel, including a few armed US Soldiers, were running around, and building doors and compound gates were shut electronically.  I was in a modern prison with US Embassy and US AID staff for about two hours.  Finally, I was granted special permission to be escorted outside the building.

I called a UBER to return to my hotel.  Communication in Dhaka in English was much more difficult than in Delhi or Colombo.  What makes it more difficult is that even the number plates of cars carry Bengali numerals instead of Arabic numerals.  So, I would not know when the ride I booked will arrive and will be unable to communicate with the driver.  Fortunately, UBER provides real-time car movement on its App, and the fare to be paid is displayed at the journey's end.  

The journey back to the hotel from the Embassy had many hurdles.  Several roads were blocked, and traffic was not moving on roads that were not blocked.  The driver struggled.  At times, he must do a U-Turn, come to a point he had been there before, and chart a new course.  The journey, which was to take 30 minutes, took about 75 minutes, and I reached the hotel.

On the 17th, I was advised to stay at the hotel.  Meetings were arranged at the hotel or online.  I managed to go to a market about 2 km from the hotel on a cycle rickshaw for a haircut and lunch.  I used the remaining time to catch up with documentation.  

The Government hosted a dinner for my delegation at the hotel.  While we were at dinner, the news broke that six protesters had been killed.  The PM was on TV, promised necessary actions against the perpetrators, and appealed to the students to wait until the Supreme Court decides on the applicability of the quota system on Sunday, the 21st.  The appeal was to no avail.

The students called for a national strike on the 18th.  Again, I used the time for paperwork, had a meeting online, and met with personnel from another government agency who defied the restrictions and came to meet with my delegation.  I went to sleep at 8 pm but woke up at midnight to find out that 29 students had been killed, and the Government TV station had been set alight.  

All communications within and outside Bangladesh had been cut – no internet, no phones, etc.

As I write this on the 19th morning, I am still in the hotel without access to the rest of the world, especially my wife and daughters!  While taking a lift to the lobby, I met a few Indian youngsters, discussing how to contact families at home and sharing my concerns.  One of them sounded optimistic; he was telling his friends that he could send messages to his family.  I sought his help, and he obliged.  I sent a text message to my wife.  The Indian also told me that I could use the hotel phone to make a call internationally, but after dialing the number, I had to wait about 30 seconds to connect.  I tried, and it worked, but the connection was scrambled and too poor.  It was good enough for my wife to recognize me and for me to recognize her.  We understood that all was okay at both ends.  

Now, I am a Prisoner of events.  I spent the day listening to Donald Trump rambling at the RNC Convention.  I also learned that an IT outage disrupted flights in Australia and Europe.  

There was no letdown of protests in Dhaka.  Now, the death toll has risen to 50, and a high-profile Opposition leader has been arrested.  I was woken up by the hotel reception at 1:30 am on the 20th to be informed that the Government had issued a curfew order, and I should not leave the hotel until further notice.

I began to appreciate the power the technology, the Internet, in particular, has over us.  With no Internet access and IT outages affecting travel, we are now prisoners to technology.  Although alone, I cannot use my time effectively without access to the Net.  The way we deal with academic issues has changed.  Before the Internet days, we did a literature search and assembled the necessary information and data before starting writing.  Now, we have a narrative in mind and seek information on the fly, as it is available for us to access anytime.  The Internet has changed the way our brain works!  

The only consolation during this semi-confinement was the access to BBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera to understand how the world is moving on without me.

7:30 AM 20th July.  Al Jazeera reported the deployment of the Army on the streets and a death toll of over 105, and the arrests were about 70.  The situation is not improving.  Still, I have no access to the Internet.  The curfew was lifted at noon but reimposed at 2 pm.  

The panic is about to set inside of me.  I asked how I could go to the airport on Monday, two days from now.  The hotel receptionist said to wait another day before I made reservations for hotel transport.  For a trip that should cost 800 BDT, I am paying 6800 BDT to be safe and use hotel transport.  

I was told my ticket would be the curfew pass, and I needed a hard copy.  I can't send emails, as I would have done if I had access to the Internet.  So, I copied my e-ticket to my USB drive and returned to the reception, only to find out the PCs at the reception do not have USB ports.  I was sent to the Business Center; USB ports were present on the PC but had been disabled on their PC.  The Officer brought a laptop and connected it to the printer but failed to pick the correct printer for printing the file.  There were four printers on the desk!  Finally, I got my ticket printed and returned to my room.  

Joys of our dependence on continuously changing technology.  Fifteen years ago, USB drives were state-of-the-art and a potential source of viruses and security breaches.

My friend visited me during the curfew.  He lives about ten minutes' walk from the hotel.  He said it was safe to go out walking to a local market near the hotel, so we did.  He took me to a kitchen bazaar, where essential food commodities are sold.  It appears there are a few kitchen bazaars in Dhaka.

My favourite Vegetable at Kitchen Bazzar near Karwaan Bazzar

I wanted to shorten the length of my trousers and took that with me.  The bazaar was active and full of street vendors despite the curfew.  No protests, though.  Young men were playing cricket in a half-empty market space.  We found a street tailor who agreed to mend the pants.  While waiting, one of the acquaintances of the tailor lamented that the Bangladeshis were destined to suffer.  He is not very wrong.  Over the past 55 years, it had a liberation war, the assassination of the PM and family, military rule for more than 15 years, and few changes of Government.  The current party has been in power for more than 15 years and got re-elected about six months ago.  Many feel that the election was rigged in its favor.   

Street Side Tailor

I bought a couple of sarongs, a mango, a pineapple cut into bite sizes, and a lunch pack.  Tropical fruits in Bangladesh are delicious.  We returned to the hotel by motorized cycle rickshaw, a local invention.

Motorised Cycle Rickshaw

Now it is 7:10 am on the 21st.  Still no internet, and the curfew will be lifted in a few hours.  The Supreme Court's verdict on the legality of the quota system is expected in a few hours.  If the SC voids the quota system, the original call from the students will be met.  But, over the past day or two, they are calling for the resignation of the PM for mishandling the protests, which will not happen.  No one relinquishes power so easily.  

I feel very bored and dejected this morning.  There appears to have been a jailbreak, and 826 prisoners have escaped.  I am beginning to understand how a prisoner would feel.  Isolation is horrible for the human mind.  I have plenty to do, but I can't without access to the Internet.  It had been well over 48 hours without the Internet.  This technology underpins almost every aspect of our lives and has been rudely denied by the Government.  I wonder if denying access to the Internet these days is a human rights violation.  I have nothing to look forward to for the day except a lunch meeting with fellow team members who are also staying at the hotel.  They will leave the hotel in about 12 hours, and I will leave it in about 24 hours, Insha Allah.

Around 2 pm, the Supreme Court decided in favor of the students' demand.  Allocation to freedom fighters' kin is reduced from 30% to 5%.  Indigenous, disabled, and LGBTQ population gets 2%, and the remaining 93% is allocated on merit.  The noticeable drop is the special allocation to women, probably because they are academically doing well as well or better than their male counterparts.

The competition is for about 3000 Government jobs annually.  For a country of 151 million, this is a small number.  Yet, the revision of the quota has cost over 140 lives and caused enormous property losses.  A government TV station, a Data Analytics Center, and two newly built metro stations are damaged, and the repair is expected to take a year.  The interest in obtaining these rare government jobs tells us that the private sector is yet to be an attractive employment sector in Bangladesh, which is the case now in Sri Lanka.

As I expected, the students wanted more.  They have an additional eight demands; one of them is the release of about 70 leaders who were arrested, and the other is the resignation of two key Ministers.  I'm not sure if the Government will agree to the second demand.

My team members left at 7:30 pm.  I felt a bit sad; I had become accustomed to their company over the past week.  A hotel staffer said that there was only one foreign Guest remaining.  That's me.  I am the last man standing at the hotel.  I, too, will leave in about 12 hours.

I left for the airport in the morning, and the roads were empty.  The hotel provided me with a car, a driver, and a security guard.  There was only one roadblock on the way, and soldiers recognizing the hotel car let it pass without delay.  Thanks to the curfew, a journey that would take about 90 minutes took only 15 minutes.  The driver had special access to the terminal, so he took my bags, cleared security, and let me at the check-in counter.  I felt that it was a good service for the extra 6000 BDT.  I will be genuinely relieved once I board the Plane.