Migration and Return - Institute of Social Development

P.D. Millie’s account of the early days of coffee planting in Ceylon (circa 1878) cites the arduousness of this journey thus: “This jungle fever more or less attacks coolies and masters all along immigration road. Generally on a soft, short sward of grass, in the opening of the jungle, may be seen the groans of the coolies who dies on the road. Sometimes a rude sort of cross maybe erected at the heads of them – these are Christian probably, almost invariably Roman Catholics. These graves were dug hurriedly, without any proper tools, in a hard scorched-up ground, were very shallow and insufficient depth. The consequences were that Jackals dug into them and fed on the corpses. Sometime even drawing them out of the graves, so that there might be seen scattered about bleached skulls and bones. It was not unusual to see dying coolies and dead bodies, lying along roadside. During onward journey the sick were frequently left behind in order that the whole gang might hurry on to the estate as speedily as possible”.

My name is Chandrasegaram. I was born on 3 June 1943 at Badulla Rockhill estate. My parents were estate workers there. I became a trade unionist, eventually becoming Assistant District Representative for Haputale. In 1968, without informing me, my parents had applied for Indian citizenship under the Sirima-Shastri Pact. I refused to leave with them. I told them “this is my country”. In 1977 I visited my parents. They lived in a small hut in the village of Karambakudi without any facilities. It was bearable for me to see them like that. I returned to Sri Lanka, vowing never to live in India. While working at the Trade Union, I started a small printing press in the Haputale town. In the ethnic riot of 1983, my printing press was burned down. I was left with nothing. This incident changed my mind. I felt, “I could no longer live in this country that I loved so much and was determined to live until my last days”. In 1985 I left the country with nothing more than one shirt and a pair of trousers. I landed in Chennai and experienced first-hand, the suffering of migrants that I had seen before when I visited my parents. Later, I moved to Kothagiri and together with Mr. Sivalingam we formed an organisation called Malayah Makkal Maruvalvu Manram (Hill-country Peoples Renascence Movement) to work for the betterment Sri Lankan re-migrants who, after generations as indentured labourers in Sri Lanka, suffer upon their return to India. Hopefully, a new generation can enjoy the rights we were denied because of it.

My name is M.C . Kandaih. My father was born in 1913 at the Namukula estate in Badulla district. My grandfather was brought to work in Ceylon in the late 1800s. My family moved from one estate to another and I was born in Sambuwatta estate. I am fifth among nine children. I studied in the estate school up to the 4th grade as the school there was only up to Grade 5. Due to the poverty, I was unable to continue studying beyond that. At age 13 I started working as a shop assistant in Kandy to help my family. In the 60’s I started to write poems and short stories to the papers. During this period my parents applied for Indian Citizenship under Sirima–Shastri Pact. I opposed it and took a decision not to leave my motherland. In 1969 I became a member of the Communist Party of Ceylon (Peking wing) and from 1970 onwards I became a full-timer of the party. A few years after the 1971 insurrection when our party-leaders were jailed, the party split into two factions. I disagreed with both so I, together with some other Tamil-speaking members, formed Malayaha Makkal Iyakkam (Hill-country People’s Movement) in 1976. Following the 1977 ethnic riot MMI organised a meeting to discuss the future of the plantation community when it was decided that they would encourage the community to migrate to India. I opposed that move and disassociated from the Movement but continued my work thinking of myself as a son of this soil. During the 1983 ethnic riot, the owner of my rental home saved my family from the mobs but told me that he couldn’t guarantee our safety in the future. This touched a nerve and in 1985 my family and I migrated to India with a heavy heart. I am still nostalgic for Sri Lanka.

My name is Nageswari. I was born in Rattota, Matale. In 1983 during the ethnic riots, the mobs came to the estate. At that time, my mother, my siblings and I, hid in the jungles adjoining the estate. After five days of chaos, my father took us to Killinochchi. When we reached Killinochchi, we didn’t know anyone. We had slept on the road for two days. We were exhausted and scared. Later my father spoke to a man there, and told him that we were looking for a place to live and work. Through that, we found this bit of land. It was a thick jungle then. My parents cleared the land and put up a little hut. There were six in my family, one elder brother and four sisters. It is still where we all currently live. The Tamils who were native to Kilinochchi, used to call us Vadakaththiyan (Northerners) to insult us. They used to taunt us and tell us that we didn’t have any rights here. We felt like we didn’t belong anywhere. Still, in 1993, I joined the Movement (LTTE). My brother also joined. Later my four sisters also joined the Movement. All my sisters died in action. Only my brother and I survived. While in the Movement I got married and left. During the war we suffered unbearable hardship. Currently I am divorced and I live here with my two children.