Dr Varathan's Early Childhood and Education

Dr. Varatharajah Thurairajah, also known as Dr. Varathan, was born on 03.03.1975.  He was born in a small village called Thampalakamam of the Trincomalee District in the Tamil homeland. He was born alongside 5 siblings and commenced his education in that village. Dr. Varathan was first exposed to Tamil genocide during the Black July riots which occurred in 1983 when he was 8. When he was 11 years of age, the occupational Sri Lankan armed forces forcibly militarised his village of Thampalakamam, by establishing a military camp there.  The army remained inside their camp apart from the instances where they targeted and randomly fired at innocent civilians. They further tortured, injured and murdered those Tamils. All those who were arrested by the occupational forces were forcibly disappeared with their plight unbeknownst to their families. It is noteworthy that the SL army had predominantly targeted men between the age bracket of 15 and 50.

As a result of the intensified COIN methods which were unleashed upon the innocent Tamils, the villagers sought refuge across various locations such as Kinniya, to protect themselves. Subsequently, the citizens were often temporarily displaced and only returned to their village when the occupational Sri Lankan forces had departed. The heavy military presence significantly disrupted the Tamil children's education through a destruction of their normalcy in routine - but also through psychological implications. As a result, Dr. Varathan and his family had made the decision to remain in Kinniya to ensure the continuation of his studies. Nonetheless, their family was again forced to shift to Mullaitivu due to increased threats.

When they moved to Mullaitivu, his family did not have a home to reside in and were forced to remain in a damaged old house. A lack of daily resources further impacted the family's livelihood. The hardships forced Dr. Varathan's education to come to a halt for around 4 months where he experienced depression due to his inability to pursue his studies. As a result of child poverty, he had to seek out a job to assist his family. However, he was inevitably subject to child labour as well. The economic deprivation that he was exposed to further led to his physical and emotional vulnerability.

His school informed his family that he had passed his scholarship exams and advised him to continue his studies. That news gave him a sense of hope and incentivised him to pursue his education in Mullaitivu. At that time, the Indian army* arrived in Sri Lanka as a peacekeeping force, and provided the Tamils a false hope that peace would be implemented. Sharing a similar sentiment, Dr. Varathan's family felt secure and decided to resettle in Thampalakamam in 1987.

The illusion of peace which was generated by the IPKF was scrutinised when conflict erupted between the IPKF and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam** due to the IPKF's failure to safeguard the Tamils' rights and aspirations. As a result, countless Tamils were killed by the IPKF. It is also noteworthy that many Tamil women were raped by these supposed peace-keeping forces. The IPKF's bipartisan activities caused the Tamils to comprehend the combined initiatives undertaken by both the Sri Lankan government and India to oppress Eelam Tamils. As a result of the widespread violence, many Tamils attempted to flee the occupied Tamil homeland by seeking refuge in Tamil Nadu, India. Whilst escaping via small boats, countless Tamils were shot or their boats were sunk by the SL navy. The LTTE's political head of Jaffna at the time, Lt. Col. Thileepan, came to the conclusion to that such genocidal conspiracies should be countered. As a result, he undertook a hunger strike unto death whilst directing demands towards the Indian government to rightfully reinstate justice for Tamils through allowing them to exercise their autonomy. Nonetheless, his demands went unheard thus resulting in his demise. Annai Poopathy, a mother of of martyrs who had struggled for Tamil liberation, commenced her hunger strike and she was ignored as well. The selfless sacrifice of both Lt. Col. Thileepan and Annai Poopathy combined with the arrogance of both the Indian and Sri Lankan governments infuriated the Tamil population causing many young individuals to realise the political reality of Eelam Tamils.

During this time, Dr. Varathan. was a leader of the Student Union and led a nonviolent protest against the Indian army. As a part of this movement, the students and teachers embarked upon a hunger strike to express their solidarity for those who had perished in their hunger strike demanding justice. Similar protests were organised in many schools across the Tamil homeland (Tamil Eelam). In the early 90s, the IPKF were withdrawn back to India thus reigniting tensions between the genocidal Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE. The Sri Lankan forces' genocidal onslaught significantly intensified in the aftermath of the IPKF era thus amplifying the effects of psychological warfare amidst the population. As a result, many Tamils who had engaged in violent and non-violent forms of resistance became afraid of their safety as the SL army began to target all resistors of oppression.

In 1990, Dr. Varathan was forced to live in the jungle with access to limited resources alongside other men for weeks due to the Sri Lankan army's dominance. Finally, the LTTE, rescued around a thousand displaced men - including Dr. Varathan. Eventually, the group of men began to trek through the jungles towards Mullaitivu. They hid in the trees during the days and walked during the night and arrived at their destination after around 10 days. Fortunately, Dr. Varathan was able to rejoin the job that he had engaged in when he was younger. In the subsequent months, the members of his family had gradually joined him in Mullaitivu.

Soon after, Dr. Varathan recommenced his education. As a result of a lack of electricty, he often studied under the light of a kerosene lamp, yet continued to attain his educational goals. Whilst balancing his work and studies, Dr. Varathan became one of the few students who were accepted into medical college.

In 1995, the Sri Lankan government bombed the Navali church of St. Peter and St. Paul through an airstrike which was conducted by their air forces. It was estimated that at least 125 civilians who had taken refuge inside the church had died as a result of this incident. The victims included men, women and children. During that time, Dr. Varathan continued to help the Jaffna Hospital staff as a pre-medical college student through treating the casualties of the 1995 Jaffna Church Bombing as a volunteer and donated blood to the wounded who required the supply.  

* Henceforth referred to as IPKF.
** Hereon referred to as LTTE.