In General

The Other Side of LTTE

I’m talking about the good side. There’s so much negative image about LTTE now. Things were different earlier. Let’s go back about 25 years.

I remember when I was a small kid, my grandfather told me about LTTE which has left a lasting impression about them in my mind. He said, some of the LTTE folks would come regularly to his village, Rettanai, a beautiful little hamlet near Tindivanam.

Back then, they were the good guys. The village folks were sympathetic towards their struggle and generally gave them good support. They were mainly looking for shelter and food and there was never a shortage of that in the village.

The LTTE folks would come once every few months and stay on for few weeks. No one knew what they were upto. They would never cause hindrance. Certainly no money extortion. Infact, my grandfather told me that they were always flush with money but never showed any signs of ostentation. They would generously pay for the food, accommodation and transportation provided. They had a Robin Hood kinda image.

Ofcourse, things have changed immensely since then. They don’t come to the village anymore. Not in the last 15 years. The Rajiv Gandhi killing changed the scene entirely. They are now taboo. No more sympathizers. No one wants any trouble.

I wish my Granddad was alive now. I would have liked to ask him more about them now. Beneath the terror and the bad image, there’s something very mystique about this organization that catches one’s fancy.

The EU ban will be a huge body blow to them. With funds supply cut out, they’ll whittle sooner than later. I’m no supporter of LTTE but there’s some soft corner for them. Maybe, its because of what my granddad told me.