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Pazha Nedumara

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Pazha Nedumaran
Born (1933-03-10) 10 March 1933 (age 91)
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation(s)Politician, writer , activist
Known forFounder of Ulaka Tamil Peravai(World Tamil Confederation) and President of Tamils National Movement & Tamil Eelam Liberation Supporters Co-ordination Committee

Pazha Nedumaran (Template:Lang-ta) is a Tamil politician from the state of Tamil Nadu, South India. He is an ex-national Congressman, a writer and Tamil nationalist, who has authored many books in Tamil, as well as in English. Pazha Nedumaran was born in Madurai. He graduated from The American College in Madurai. He was a close associate of K. Kamaraj, and had met Indira Gandhi a couple of times in the company of K. Kamaraj. He was reportedly disillusioned with the Congress after Kamaraj's demise. He is the editor-in-chief of the by-weekly Tamil magazine Then Seidi (Template:Lang-ta). He is the leader of the Tamil Nationalist Movement and the இலங்கைத் தமிழர் பாதுகாப்பு இயக்க ஒருங்கிணைப்பாளர்.

He is noted for his long term vocal support for the LTTE, a liberation movement for Sri Lankan Tamils

His son Palani Kumanan is an investigative journalist of The Wall Street Journal and he won Pulitzer Prize for 2015.[1][2][3]

Personal Note

Date of Birth : 10 March 1933

Parents : Thiru. Ki. Palaniappanar – Piramu Ammaiyar

Father was the Secretary of Madurai Tamil Sangam and also the Founder of Madurai Thiruvalluvar Sangam. He also organised Muthamizh Conference at Madurai in 1942, Thamizh Thirunaal at Madurai in 1948 and the Golden Jubilee Conference of the Madurai Tamil Sangam in 1956. He was a well-known patron of a number of Tamil Scholars all over Tamil Nadu.

Education

  • St. Joseph's School – Madurai
  • St. Mary's Higher Secondary School – Madurai
  • American College – Madurai
  • Thiyagaraja College – Madurai
  • BA (Hons) – Tamil Literature – Annamalai University

Teachers

Renowned Tamil Scholars like, Dr. A Chithambaranathan, Dr. T. P. Meenakshi Sundaranar, Dr. Rasamanickanar, Thiru. Avvai Duraisamy, Thiru. A. K. Parandamanar

Public life

Students Organisations

  • 1958 : Took part in the students struggle in Annamalai University and was arrested.
  • 1958 – 59 : general secretary – Annamalai University Arts and Science Students' Hostel

Politics

  • 1962 : Organiser, Madurai District, Tamil National Party
  • 1964 : Organiser, Madurai District, Youth Wing, Indian National Congress
  • 1970 : President, Madurai District, Indian National Congress
  • 1973 – 1979 : general secretary, Tamil Nadu State, Indian National Congress
  • From 1979 Till Date : President, Tamils National Movement (Tamilar Desiya Iyakkam)
  • 1980 – 1984 : Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

Current Positions

  • Founder President, 'World Tamil Confederation' – From 2002
  • President, 'Tamils National Movement' – From 1979
  • Convener, 'Tamil Eelam Liberation Supporters Co-ordination Committee' – From 1990
  • Editor, 'Then Seide' – Tamil Fortnightly – From 1997

Socio-Political Activities

Political

  • 1979, when the All India Congress President and former Prime Minister of India Mrs.Indira Gandhi visited Tamil Nadu, she was attacked by the D.M.K., Mr.Nedumaran who accompanied her, shielded her and bore the brutal attacks on his body and saved her life.[4] After this incident, Mrs. Gandhi used to call Nedumaran as her eldest son.[citation needed]

Human Rights

  • 1981, in the name of encounters against naxalites, the police shot down many innocent youth in the Dharumapuri District of Tamil Nadu, India. At that time, Pala. Nedumaran, toured the affected villages of the district, met the people, interviewed them and uncovered the truth. He found that the landlords had been exploiting the agricultural laborers of the suppressed and backward communities and committing atrocities against them. He exposed the fact that the police force, in support of the landlords, had falsely accused innocent youth as naxalites and had suppressed them. He gave a report on his findings to the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and brought these atrocities by the police force to an end.
  • Many Tamil freedom fighters from Sri Lanka, who had been badly wounded by the Sri Lankan Army were arrested and held in the special camps of Tamil Nadu. Nedumaran fought for them legally in the Courts, and made complaints to the National Human Rights Commission of India. Through these measures, many of them were retrieved from the Special Camps.
  • In the assassination case of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, 13 Indian Tamils and 13 Sri Lankan Tamils, were sentenced to death by the Poonamalle TADA Special Court. The Supreme Court later quoted this judgment as 'a Judicial Murder'. Nedumaran, formed 'Save 26 Tamils Committee', in which more than 80 organisations were members. Through this committee he organized a campaign against the death sentence. He took the case over to the Supreme Court, and engaged Senior Advocates to appear for the accused. As a result, the Supreme Court released 19 of the 26, and reduced the death sentence of 3 to life sentence.
  • Even after the Supreme Court judgment, Nedumaran continued the campaign against the death sentence. He toured all over Tamil Nadu with the people released in the case, made them talk to the public about how they were brutally and inhumanly treated and falsely implicated in the case, and sentenced to death. As a result of his campaign, 'Abolition of Death Sentence' became a national issue. He also organized a signature campaign against death sentence, through which more than 10 million signatures were collected against death sentence. A huge rally for the cause was conducted in Chennai, at the end of which the signatures collected was given to the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. As a result of all this, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, exercised his discretionary powers to reduce the death sentence of Mrs. Nalini, one of four sentenced to death by the Supreme Court.
  • When Kannada film actor Dr. Rajkumar (actor) was abducted by the notorious dacoit Veerappan, there arose a tense situation in the adjoining states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The situation was such that at any time racial riots could break out resulting in arson and killings of thousands and thousands of innocent people. As such, on the requisition by the Chief Ministers of both states, a team of emissaries led by Nedumaran, went into the forests, met Veerappan and rescued Dr. Rajkumar.[5]
  • Nedumaran toured all over the State of Tamil Nadu, exposed the atrocities committed by the Special Task Forces of the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in the name of capturing Veerappan. He gained the support of the people all over Tamil Nadu to fight legally against the atrocities of the Special Task Forces and to help the people thus affected. For this purpose he formed the 'Federation for People's Rights', in which various political organisations and human rights groups are members.
  • 121 innocent villagers were arrested under the draconian Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), accused as Veerappan's helpers and were put in Mysore Prison for more than 8 years without any trial. Nedumaran brought the plight of these innocent people to the notice of the Karanataka State Government, and insisted on carrying out the legal proceedings quickly. He also engaged able advocates to appear for the accused in the case. Thus, through his efforts, the Special Court immediately heard the cases pending against these people and they were acquitted and released.
  • 2007, he organised a campaign to collect food and medicines for the people starving in Jaffna, due to the economic blockade of the Sri Lankan Government. Aids worth Rs. 10 million were collected. He sought the help of the Indian Red Cross Society to send the aid to Jaffna. Indian Red Cross Society readily agreed and in turn sought the permission of the Indian Government to carry the aids. But the Indian Government did not respond for more than 10 months. Nedumaran demonstrated several agitations seeking the Indian Government to grant permission. As all were in vain, he announced that he and his comrades would carry the aids to Jaffna by boats from Rameshwaram and Nagapattinam, the coastal towns of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Police stopped him from doing so. Hence he undertook a fast-unto-death until a solution was attained for this issue.[6] The fast lasted for 4 days and after the assurance from the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu through Dr. Ramadoss, Convener, PMK, he completed the fast.

Tamil Eelam

  • 1982, when the Jaffna Public Library was burnt in Sri Lanka, Nedumaran personally visited the place. During that visit to Sri Lanka, he also visited Ratnapura, where several estate laborers of Indian origin were living. Further, he met various Tamil leaders, representatives of various political and social organisations and obtained an idea of the truth behind the explosive situation that prevailed in Sri Lanka; and presented an exhaustive report in the All Party Leaders meeting convened by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Consequently, on the suggestion of Nedumaran an all party delegation headed by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, went to New Delhi, met the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, and gave a report on the happenings in Sri Lanka.
  • In July 1983, when an ethnic riots happening in Sri Lanka, Nedumaran gathered more than 5000 volunteers in Tamil Nadu, conducted a Sacrifice March, and brought the conflict to the attention of India and other countries of the World.
  • 1985, Nedumaran made a secret tour in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, and video graphed the atrocities committed by the Sri Lanka army there; and documented the consequences of the atrocities. He then toured the world with this evidence, and brought global attention to the issue.[7]
  • 1987, when Thileepan undertook fast-unto-death, he once again visited Sri Lanka and reported home the actual situation prevailing there.
  • 1987, he helped to smuggle arms and explosives from Tamil Nadu to Jaffa and helped LTTE to fight against Sri Lanka army and IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka)
  • 1991, Nedumaran once again toured in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, and gathered evidence on the atrocities committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force there, and presented the same personally to the then Prime Minister of India, V. P. Singh, and demanded the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force from Sri Lanka.
  • 1993, the Indian Navy in the international waters blocked the ship in which LTTE commando Kiddu was travelling. As such the ship was drowned and many of the LTTE comrades including Kiddu sacrificed their lives. The crew of the ship of 9 people was arrested by the Indian Navy and was brought to India. Nedumaran took up the case of the 9 sailors to the Supreme Court of India and helped them to get acquitted.

Arrests

  • For the cause of helping the affected Eelam Tamils, Nedumaran was arrested under the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), and put in prison, in the year 1993. He was however acquitted by the Special Court as the allegations against him were proved false.
  • In the year 2002, he was arrested in the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), for having spoken in support of LTTE, and was held in prison for 18 months. Even after release in bail, he was prohibited from giving public speeches or interviews for another 18 months.

Books

Political books

Novels

References

  1. ^ https://www.wsj.com/articles/wsj-new-york-times-win-pulitzers-1429557628
  2. ^ http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2015-Investigative-Reporting-Group2
  3. ^ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-04-22/news/61417360_1_pulitzer-prize-wall-street-journal-graphics
  4. ^ "They are innocent. We'll do everything to free them". Rediff. India. 12 October 1999.
  5. ^ "Veerappan has promised to give up violence". The Hindu. Bangalore, India. 19 November 2000.
  6. ^ "Nedumaran on fast unto death". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 September 2007.
  7. ^ "A voice for Nedumaran". Tehelka. India. 14 May 2005.[permanent dead link]
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