World Disability Day: Moving scenes at Kilinochchi

JDCSI launches Wanni Branch of its Holistic Healing Centre amidst a large gathering

(March 21, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) Tuesday March 15, the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI) launched its Wanni Branch of the Holistic Healing Centre at Kandy Road, Kilinochchi doubling this event appropriately with the World Disability Day. Its head office is situated at Green Memorial Hospital, Manipay.

There were emotions-stirring scenes as hundreds of war-ravaged people who have suffered enormously gathered at the JDCSI Church premises under a specially constructed pandal that overflowed its capacity, responding to the open invitation given by the JDCSI to participate in this fellowship.

Disability is a major factor for the community to come to terms with today. Awareness of this reality and how we should address ourselves to the consequent suffering of people holds the key to how we should seek redress and solutions.

We cannot turn a blind eye to this problem and hope for some Good Samaritans to appear on the scene. The people of the Wanni are our own and they have contributed immensely to our wealth for decades mainly through agriculture.

The devastating war was fought on their rich agricultural lands by outside forces holding them to ransom. The loss they suffered is immeasurable with deadly weapons of war indiscriminately dumped on their lands. The arms merchants made their fortunes and Wanni’s productive capacity was totally destroyed; corruption further aggravated this terrible tragedy.

Students in particular should be helped to become conscious of the need to orient their career plans and commitment towards the rebuilding of our community.

With the kind of injuries the war had inflicted on the people of the Wanni, innocent victims caught in the crossfires of terror and might for thirty long years, they really had to struggle to get to the Kilinochchi Church. Everyone needed help and assistance and some were even borne to the church. Immaterial what faith they followed, everyone was warmly welcomed. It was indeed a healing mission and they had come to the right place for succor and relief.

The incumbent issue now is how best these people can be helped and not the pros and cons of what caused this destruction. Rehabilitation is what matters most for the thousands whose lives have been ruined ruthlessly and shattered to bits.

"We cannot turn a blind eye to this problem and hope for some Good Samaritans to appear on the scene. The people of the Wanni are our own and they have contributed immensely to our wealth for decades mainly through agriculture."

The World Disability Day event was meticulously planned to inspire courage and hope to those who needed help. They were given the assurance they will no more be the unnoticed . They will be provided to ensure a new life for them.

The JDCSI is actively involved in several areas in the Wanni including Mankulam, Murukandy, Kilinochchi, Murippu, Konavil, Visuvamadhu, Unionkulam, Bharatipuram and Cheddiluam , and their work in this region goes back to more than three decades.

There are also areas where the work of the JDCSI will be revived especially in the field of medical services.

The day’s proceedings began with a prayer by the Secretary of the JDCSI, the Rev Indradas Rajkumar. This was followed by a challenging opening remark by Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah in which he emphasized that the unnoticed will be noticed. We will, he said, fulfill our ideals, responsibilities and obligations as fellow citizens of those who need our help.

He then invited Dr Thaya Thiagarajah, the coordinator of the Holistic Healing Centre to take over with her welcome address. Wanni, she said has offered a major challenge to seek wholeness from ruins. She was all praises for her team of young volunteers who have begun to appreciate the need and effectiveness of holistic healing. It is multi-dimensional; physical, emotional and spiritual.

Thereafter, Mr. Karl Schellmann, the resident representative of the Medicines Sans Frontier (MSF) in Sri Lanka was invited to declare open the Kilinochchi centre and the events of the day.

Admiring the highly committed work of the JDCSI, Mr Schellmann said this is a formidable task and the MSF would gladly associate with it in its future plans. Earlier Bishop Thiagarajah referred to an incident how some years ago the MSF had saved his life from a bad accident in the Wanni.

Mr Schellmann also appreciated the field work enterprise of Dr Thaya Thiagarajah who has along with a team headed by the young priest, the Rev Dixon visited large numbers of families in the several villages and townships of the Wanni and spontaneously touched the hearts of people in need. They went lierally searching for those in need and lift them out of the mire into which they were sinking without any hope of making something out of their lives. There have been many suicides in the Wanni since the end of the war. Timely intervention even in those tragic cases could have saved many lives.

It is no surprise and a credit to her work and commitment that Thaya Thiagarajah’s services as a counselor is much sought after by needy folks. She was virtually the first person to rush to the Wanni after the 2004 tsunami and also the first one to get to the Wanni once the horrendous war ended. From that time onwards she has relentlessly formed a team of volunteers many of whom had gone through the war and faced continuous suffering that is unimaginable.

Gathered under the pandal were people who had suffered limb losses including toddlers and children, shrapnel embedded in their bodies and beyond surgical help, torture victims, dear ones who have perished, orphans, families that had lost their children and literally everyone whose means of livelihood have been virtually wiped out. The torture victims in particular bear evidence of the extremities of inhumanity that was perpetrated on the civilian population.

Their situation is pathetic however their faces glowed with hope and determination. For them the JDCSI had come to their aid.

Bishop Daniel and Thaya Thiagarajah moved freely among them with words of comfort and assurance of help.

Bishop Thiagarajah has often emphasized that we have to be co-sufferers with those who suffer and be compassionate towards them and offer them comfort at all times. Their needs are immense. The emotional and physical scars will take a very long time to heal, if ever.

As a symbolic gesture to mark this day, Chandrachelvam, a victim of the war rendered immobile was gifted with a modern wheelchair with various accessories including commode facility with the assurance that those who needed similar types and other aids of various kinds will be provided too in due course. When Chandranchelvam who lives in a lowly hut in Visuvamadhu got the wheelchair, he took his little boy on his lap and cried like a baby and many assembled there were in tears. It was a moment that spoke a million words. No more the nightmare of the war will haunt him. He hugged his little boy as if he was certain that he and his sibling sister will live in times of peace and hope. His tearful gesture of gratitude to Thaya Thiagarajah and Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah caught the eyes of many.

The price of that wheelchair was Rs.15, 000 (US$.150) and a great many such are needed in the Wanni apart from other aids. One victim commented that for the price of an AK4, a hundred wheelchairs could be bought; one brings despair and the other hope and peace.

An intimate testimony of the war experience was given by Dr Sivanesan who had to amputate the leg of a priest without anesthesia and also deal with the bomb-shattered face of his father. Choking with emotions, he had to struggle to deliver his feelings. The ZOA representative Gaidy Pongalan also addressed the gathering.

Later, following a tribute in verse for the work that is being done by the JDCSI headed by Dr Thaya Thiagarajah by Gettha Samuel and the Rev Sivaguru Joseph’s closing prayer, Bishop Thiagarajah pronounced the benediction.

During the morning, a staff of volunteers recorded and registered the needs of the people – and there were many and varied – to ensure that the help they need is provided.

A midday lunch was provided for everyone Reminiscent of the biblical Feeding of the Five Thousand, despite the presence of large numbers, packets of food, deliciously prepared kept flowing to the premises where the event was held.

The work of the Holistic Healing Centre has identified many leaders at the grass roots in the Wanni, most of them young people who have survived the horrendous war. They were seen in action helping to make the World Disability Day a great success.

Some of them apart from day care teachers who were not able to be present are Vijayakumari, Mithi, Cowshalya, Suhirtha, Sapthasangari, Sasikala, Jeyaranee, Jeyam, and the Reverends Thayalini and Madurani.

The Kilinochchi Centre will extend its arms to every village and township in need in various ways including in particular education in skills, crafts and small scale community agricultural and industrial projects as well as day care centres and women empowerment programmes. This is a much wider development from JDCSI’s foundational Palmyrah Project now expanded due to the demands of current circumstances. The earlier village projects especially training programmes have also expanded in such places as Sandilipay, Gandhijigramam, Thevakiramam, Anaicoddai and Delft under the co-leadership of Dr Thaya Thiagarajah and Jeyaranee Saverimuthu.

Women and children are the most vulnerable in such situations and they are the potential leaders too and the Wanni is already showing signs that the new leadership of nation-building will come from them.