I Am Jaffna

The Community Doctor

Dr N. Sivarajah

Dr Sivarajah is an expert in community medicine and a lecturer at the University of Jaffna. He reflects on the last thirty years of living in Jaffna and how the challenges keep him on the peninsula.

Interview language: English

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Even with the so-called terrorists, it’s possible to fight back

There was at one time my life was threatened. Because actually at that time, my daughters were sitting for the ‘A levels’. The previous year the LTTE went to the A level exam hall, and tore off all the answer scripts, and threw it away.

The following year they went and told the principals don’t send anyone for the ‘A level’ exam, mainly because there was an operation in Point Pedro and a lot of children were displaced and therefore they are unable to sit for the exams.

But then my daughters came and told me that they are not applying for the exams. I said, “No, no it can’t be” and I went to the principal of the school. She said, “The LTTE has told us not to apply so we are not sending any applications”.

Then one day while I was speaking with another professor, who was at that time talking to the principal, two fellows came with the gun. And they were the people who wanted these exams not to applied. So I had a big argument with them.

Their argument was that those people were… those children were unable to sit for the exam so as a mark of protest, we must… nobody should apply. So I told them it is true a lot of people are affected, but most of them have gone to Colombo — they were all rich people in Point Pedro and they have gone to Colombo — and they are sitting for the exams. Now only the poor children are going to get affected. Who can’t go to Colombo.

Even the children who are left over, I said we will make some arrangements with St John’s and Chundukuli to keep them in the hostels where prepare them for the exams. I said we will look after the expenses. The principal immediately said, “Yes, yes I will leave the hostel free for you all… for these children, when they come.”

Then they went off and… this went up to the higher levels. And at the higher level they probably made a decision not to interfere. This happened in the late 1980s, ‘89. And finally they didn’t do it. They never obstructed any exam after that.

So even with the so-called terrorists it’s possible to fight back. Of course there is a risk. I was a little scared, but not to the extent of running away. I told the fellows, we are… as Tamils we have been placing a lot of faith in education. If we interrupt the education, everything will collapse. And that was one turning point I think. If we had allowed that, today there won’t be the university, there won’t be anything.

About this portrait

Photographer: Kannan Arunasalam

Interviewer: Kannan Arunasalam

Editor: Kannan Arunasalam

Recorded: February 8, 2011

First published: August 3, 2023

Last edited: November 7, 2023

Comments

Kannan Arunasalam

February 12, 2011 at 02:38 pm

I first met Dr Sivarajah when I was doing a story on a community in Jaffna affected by leprosy. In the early 80s, Dr Sivarajah led a team of doctors to treat a disease that had begun to spiral out of control. I was impressed with his way of approaching life's challenges and his interesting experiences, and I knew he'd be perfect for the "I am" project. Like many people living through the war years in Jaffna, Dr Sivarajah is a survivor. His key to survival has been to always remain neutral. Not an easy thing during a war which has seen different masters of Jaffna. He has challenged the might of the Tamil Tigers and come out winning. Through his sound reasoning, he made them see sense. One thing I also wanted to ask Dr Sivarajah about was the Jaffna Tamils' obsession with doctors. Why did Jaffna Tamils prize medicine above all other professions? My mother - a doctor - was diasappointed when I decided not to follow her career. And why were so many of my relatives doctors? He suggested that one reason could be to do with the belief among many Tamils that the first hospital in Sri Lanka was the hospital started by American missionaries in the town of Manipay. He believed that the Tamils' link to medicine may have started there. So it took a doctor from Jaffna to explain to me why so many of my uncles, aunts, cousins and second cousins, as well as their spouses, living around the world ended up becoming doctors. But despite his own choice of career, Dr Sivarajah is not so impressed with the narrow ambitions of Jaffna Tamils. He felt they needed to expand their horizons a little. I felt my family could learn a lot from this community doctor's diverse experiences, someone who remained behind to help the people of Jaffna with their unique challenges. Indeed, these challenges are what continues to keep him on the peninsula.
Gayathri Naganathan (@Gaya_Naganathan)

March 29, 2012 at 05:22 am

Dr. Sivarajah, the community doctor | i am http://t.co/m1gfKq3y via @iam_project
Girish

May 9, 2012 at 08:25 am

I really like the "I Am" series, very nice. Such stories or courage & effort deserve this. Wonderful photographs as well.
Groundviews (@groundviews)

May 9, 2012 at 06:01 pm

RT @iam_project: Quick visit to Jaffna. Took time out to meet some elders from series one like Dr Sivarajah http://t.co/oLFafCMU at his book launch #lka