தமிழீழ எழுச்சிப் பாடகர் வர்ண ராமேஸ்வரன் அவர்கள் இயற்கை எய்தினார்.

 தமிழீழ எழுச்சிப் பாடகர் வர்ண ராமேஸ்வரன் அவர்கள் இயற்கை எய்தினார்.

நெஞ்சை உருக்கும் மாவீரர் நாள் பாடலான 'மொழியாகி எங்கள் மூச்சாகி நாளை முடிசூடும் தமிழ்மீது உறுதி' என்ற பாடல் உட்பட தாயகப்பாடல்களைப் பாடிய பாடகர், சங்கீத, மிருதங்க கலாவித்தகரும் இசைக்கலாமணியுமான வர்ண ராமேஸ்வரன் அவர்கள் இன்று  (25-09-2021 )சனிக்கிழமை காலை கனடாவில் சாவடைந்துள்ளார். கொரோனா தொற்றினால் ரொறோன்ரோ மருத்துமனையில் சிகிற்சை பெற்று வந்த நிலையில் அவர் உயிரிழந்துள்ளார்.

யாழ்ப்பாணம், அளவெட்டியைப் பிறப்பிடமாகக் கொண்டவர்  வர்ண ராமேஸ்வரன் அவர்கள். ஆரம்பக் கல்வியை அளவெட்டி சீனன்கோட்டை ஞானோதய வித்தியாசாலையிலும், பின்னர் உயர் கல்வியை தெல்லிப்பழை மகாஜனக் கல்லூரியிலும் கற்றார். 

சிறுவயதிலேயே வாய்ப்பாட்டு, பண்ணிசை, வீணை, வயலின் எனும் கலைகளைத் தமது தந்தையாரான 'கலாபூஷணம்' 'சங்கீதரத்தினம்' வர்ணகுலசிங்கம் அவர்களைக் குருவாக் கொண்டு கற்கத் தொடங்கியவர். பின்னர் மிருதங்கம், பியானோ ஆகிய வாத்தியக் கருவிகளையும் முறையாகக் கற்றுக் தேறிய பெருமைக்குரியவர்.

வடஇலங்கை சங்கீத சபையினால் நடாத்தப்பட்ட வாய்பாட்டு, மிருதங்கம் ஆகியவற்றுக்கான பரீட்சைகளில் ஆசிரிய தரம் வரை கற்றுத்தேறி சங்கீத,  மிருதங்க கலாவித்தகர் என்ற பட்டம் பெற்ற பின்னர், யாழ். பல்கலைக்கழக இராமநாதன் நுன்கலைக் கல்லூரியில் இசைக்கலாமணி பட்டம் பெற்று, அங்கு ஐந்து ஆண்டுகள் இசை விரிவுரையாளராகவும் பணியாற்றிவர்.

இலங்கை வானொலி மற்றும் தொலைக்காட்சிச் சேவைகளின் நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் இசைக்கலைஞராக இருந்து பல சிறப்பு நிகழ்ச்சிகளுக்கு இசையமைப்பாளராகவும் பணியாற்றிருந்தார். 

இலங்கை இந்து கலாசார அமைச்சினால் இசை நடன ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு என நடத்தப்பட்ட பயிற்சிப் பட்டறைகளை தலைமை தாங்கி நடத்தியிருந்தார்.

சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் இசை மேற்படிப்பை மேற்கொண்ட வர்ண ராமேஸ்வரன், தமிழகத்தின் முதன்மைக் கலைஞர்களில் ஒருவரான திருவாரூர் பக்தவத்சலம் அவர்களிடம் மிருதங்கத்தையும் இசை மேசை ரி.எம். தியாகராஜன் , கல்கத்தா கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி, ரி.வி கோபாலகிருஷ்ணன் ஆகியோரிடம் இசை நுணுக்கங்களையும் கற்றுத்தேறி, தமிழ்நாட்டில் பல இசைக்கச்சோிகளையும் நடத்திப் பலரதும் பாராட்டைப் பெற்றவர்.

தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் போராட்டத்தில் தம்மை முழுமையாக அர்ப்பணித்து  போராட்டத்திற்காக பல  விடுதலைப் பாடல்களைப் பாடியிருக்கின்றார். அதில் மாவீரர் நாளில் மட்டும் ஒலிப்பரப்பாகும் பாடலான `மொழியாகி எங்கள் மூச்சாகி நாளை முடிசூடும் தமிழ்மீது உறுதி` என்ற (ஈழப்புலவன் புதுவை இரத்தின துரையின்) பாடல், வர்ண ராமேஸ்வரானால் பாடப்பட்டது. அத்துடன் பல மாவீரர்கள் நினைவுப் பாடல்கள், போராட்ட வெற்றிச் சமர் பாடல்கள், நல்லை முருகன் பாடல்கள் என அவரால் பாடப்பட்ட பாடல்கள் பல எம்முன்னே இருக்கின்றன.

அந்த ஆலமரம் -:வர்ண.ராமேஸ்வரன்

(தீபன் விளையாட்டுக்கழகத்தின் தாயக நிதிசேகரிப்பு நிகழ்ச்சியில் வர்ண.ராமேஸ்வரன் பாடிய பாடல் )

1997 ஆம் ஆண்டு தமிழர்களின் போராட்ட குணத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தும் புறநானூறு பாடல்கள் பலவற்றை நவீன இசையில் இசையமைத்து (இவருடன் வேறு நபர்களையும் இணைத்து) இசைநாடகமாக தமிழீழத் தேசியத் தலைவர் மேதகு வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரகாரன் அவர்கள் முன் அரங்கேற்றி பாராட்டைப் பெற்றிருந்தார். இதில் அன்று இம்ரான் - பாண்டியன் படையணியின் போராளிகள் குறித்த இசை நாடகத்தில் பாடல்களைப் பாடி நடித்திருந்தார்கள்.

கனடாவுக்கு- ரொறன்ரோவுக்குப் புலம் பெயர்ந்த வர்ண ராமேஸ்வரன் அவர்கள் மிருதங்க, நடன அரங்கேற்றங்களுக்கு முன்னணிப் பாடகராக விளங்கினார். வர்ணம் இசைக் கல்லூரியை அவர் அங்கு உருவாக்கி பல நகரங்களில் இசை வகுப்புக்களை நடாத்தப்பட்டு வருகின்றன. குறிப்பாக வர்ணம் ஒன்லைன் இணைய இசைக்கல்லூரியை உருவாக்கி அதனை நிர்வகித்து வந்திருந்தார்.

அத்துடன் கனடாவில் தாயகப் போராட்டத்திற்கு வலுச்சேர்க்கும் `தாய்` அமைப்புடன் இணைந்து அன்றைய காலகட்டத்தில் நடத்தப்பட்ட பல போராட்டங்களுக்கான பல பாடல்களை இசையமைத்துப் பாடியுள்ளார் என்பது இங்க நினைவூட்டத்தக்கது.

அவர் வாழ்ந்த காலத்தில் தாயத்தில் தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள் அமைப்புடனும் புலம் பெயர் நாட்டில் தாயகம் நோக்கிக் கனடாவில் செயற்பட்ட  தாய் அமைப்புடனும் இறுவரை நின்று போராட்டத்தை வலுவாக்கும் இசைத்துறை ஊடான தனது கடமைகளை  முடிந்தளவு செய்து தனது இசைப் பணிக்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைத்துள்ளார். அந்தவகையில் எம்முன்னே வாழ்ந்த அந்த தேசப் பற்றாளனை நாமும் ஒரு கணம் நெஞ்சில் நிறுத்தி வணக்கம் செலுத்துவதே அவருக்கு நாம் செய்யும் இறுதி மரியாதையாகும்.

நன்றி: பதிவு இணையம்.சாதனா Saturday, September 25, 2021  கனடா

திலீபன் அஞ்சலிக்குத் தடை! தடையை மீறி இதயத்தால் அஞ்சலி செலுத்தினர் ஜனநாயகப் போராளிகள் கட்சியினர்!

 

தியாக தீபம் திலீபனுக்கு அஞ்சலி! முன்னாள் இந்நாள் பா.உ.கள் கைது!

தடையை மீறி இதயத்தால்  அஞ்சலி செலுத்தினர் ஜனநாயகப் போராளிகள் கட்சியினர்!

தமிழ்த் தேசிய மக்கள் முன்னணியின் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் செல்வராசா கஜேந்திரன் இன்றைய தினம் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்.

தியாக தீபம் திலீபனுக்கு சுடரேற்ற முற்பட்ட நிலையிலேயே அவர் கைதாகியுள்ளதாக தெரியவருகிறது.

யாழ். நல்லூரில் அமைந்துள்ள தியாக தீபம் திலீபனின் நினைவுத் தூபியைச் சுற்றி பொலிஸார் கடமைக்கு அமர்த்தப்பட்டிருந்ததாக செய்திகள் வெளியாகியிருந்தன. 

தியாக தீபம் திலீபனின் நினைவுத்தூபியில் அஞ்சலி நிகழ்வு நடத்தும் எந்தவொரு நபரையும் கைது செய்யும் வகையில் பொலிஸார் பாதுகாப்பு நடவடிக்கையில் ஈடுபட்டிருந்த நிலையிலேயே இவர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதாக தெரியவருகிறது.

மேலும் மட்டக்களப்பில் அறுவர் கைதாகி விடுதலை ஆகியுள்ளனர். சாணக்கியன், முன்னாள் பா.உ.கள்,மற்றும் மாநகர பிதாவும் அடங்குவர். இவர்கள் மீது ``போரில் இறந்த தீலிபனுக்கு`` அஞ்சலி செலுத்தியாக பொலிசார் குற்றம் சாட்டியுள்ளதாகவும், திலீபன் உண்ணாவிரதமிருந்து இறந்தவர் என்பதை நீதிபதிக்கு விளக்கி அவர்களை விடுதலை செய்ததாகவும் சட்டத்தரணி சுமந்திரன் பத்திரிகையாளர்களுக்கு தெரிவித்தார் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது!

ENB

செப்டம்பர் 27 விவசாயிகளின் அகில இந்திய பந்த் வெல்க!

 

Why Sri Lanka is losing many European tourists

 Why Sri Lanka is losing many European tourists 

The tourist season, in Sri Lanka, will comence in November. Tens of thousands of tourists from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and a couple of other European countries, except Ukraine and Russia, will not visit Sri Lanka for the following reason: They hate quarantine in a Level 1 Hotel for 24 – 48 hours because they think that quarantine, is unnecessary and they are right, because they bring their Certificate of Vaccination to prove that they have been vaccinated twice. They have undergone a PCR test in their home country less than 72 hours before departure and they will bring the certificate indicating that the test result is negative. All they want is to leave the airport and go straight to the hotel of their choice in Sri Lanka without undergoing the 24 to 48-hour quarantine. They want the freedom to go anywhere in Sri Lanka immediately after leaving the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). Unfortunately, this is not possible in Sri Lanka. Level 1 Hotels are expensive. European tourists do not want to spend their foreign currency unnecessarily on accommodation in a quarantine hotel. This is another reason they hate quarantine.

Consequently, instead of coming to Sri Lanka, they will go to Zanzibar, Greek Islands, Sharm El Sheik or some other place because those certificates are accepted there and they can leave the airport immediately and go to the hotel of their choice without undergoing quarantine.

''Question: Who are the losers?

Answer: The millions of ordinary people, hotel workers, tour guides, drivers, employees of National Parks, souvenier shopkeepers and many more, who have lost their livelihoods because tens of thousands of European tourists are not visiting Sri Lanka because of the unnecessary quarantine regulations of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Tourism.''

The correct method for the BIA authorities is to conduct PCR tests on them upon their arrival, take their contact details including their mobile phone numbers, and allow them to proceed to the hotel of their choice. They are to always wear a mask during their stay in Sri Lanka.

The risk of allowing them go is negligible because they have been fully vaccinated. Letting Sri Lankans who are not vaccinated walk on the streets in the country poses a much greater COVID-19 risk to the population.

Ravi Kumudesh, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, has told The Island of Wednesday , that the PCR lab at the BIA has the capacity to test 4,500 people a day and issue reports within 90 minutes. This lab is not operational because the Health Ministry has not authorised it to start administering PCR tests to tourists. The BIA lab has not received a single sample from tourists. Why? Because a group of Health Ministry officials have made large amounts of money from private laboratories and quarantine centres. Some of them are part-time practitioners in private labs. They continue to block the use of the state-of-the-art lab at the BIA premises built by the Airport and Aviation Authority. It is alleged that some of these ministry officials either own or have shares in these quarantine hotels and private labs. They keep sending tourists to Level 1 Hotels and quarantine centres and use their private labs to make money. They continue to maintain the unnecessary 24 to 48-hour quarantine regulation for European tourists to fill their own pockets. Are the Ministers of Health and Tourism aware of this racket?

Question: Who are the losers? Answer: The millions of ordinary people, hotel workers, tour guides, drivers, employees of National Parks, souvenier shopkeepers and many more, who have lost their livelihoods because tens of thousands of European tourists are not visiting Sri Lanka because of the unnecessary quarantine regulations of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Tourism. Quarantine is necessary for tourists from Ukraine, Russia, India, Middle East and some other countries, but not tourists from Europe. More than 75 percent of the people in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and a couple of other European countries have been fully vaccinated.

The Swiss Edelweiss Airline brings 350 tourists per week from Switzerland and neighbouring Germany (Zurich to Colombo non-stop flight) during the period from November to April every year. That is about 9,000 tourists per year. Last year they had to cancel all their flights to the BIA because Europeans hate being subjected to quarantine at a Level 1 Hotel. I booked a flight with Swiss Edelweiss to come to Sri Lanka last March. One month before departure they informed me that the flight had been cancelled because they could not fill even 10 percent of the seats. They got their airfare refunded and I came to Sri Lanka on a Qatar Airways flight. I had to undergo two weeks quarantine in a Level 1 Hotel in Wadduwa despite being fully vaccinated. Moreover, I’ve had two PCR tests, one before departure and another at the quarantine hotel in Wadduwa on the day of arrival, administered by a private lab in Maggona. Both results were negative. You can imagine my frustration, I almost cursed those idiots in the Ministries of Health and Tourism. A spokesman for Swiss Edelweiss Airline says that they will have to cancel their flights to BIA this year as well unless the Ministry of Tourism abolishes this quarantine nonsense. They say that all their passengers have been vaccinated twice, that they agree to take a PCR test at the BIA, they will leave their contact details with the airport and afterwards should be free to go anywhere in Sri Lanka.

The other charter airlines in Germany, Austria, Sweden and a couple of other European countries that brought thousands of tourists to Sri Lanka say the same thing. So, we have lost tens of thousands of tourists from Europe.

This 24-to 48-hour quarantine regulation and the PCR tests administered by private labs for tourists is a racket invented by some unscrupulous officials of the Health and Tourism Ministries. They have turned a blind eye to the fact that Europeans are fully vaccinated. They want to continue to make big money from private quarantine centres and private labs. They don’t care two hoots about the millions of hotel industry workers in Sri Lanka who have lost their jobs.

''The BIA lab has not received a single sample from tourists. Why? Because a group of Health Ministry officials have made large amounts of money from private laboratories and quarantine centres. Some of them are part-time practitioners in private labs. They continue to block the use of the state-of-the-art lab at the BIA premises built by the Airport and Aviation Authority. It is alleged that some of these ministry officials either own or have shares in these quarantine hotels and private labs. They keep sending tourists to Level 1 Hotels and quarantine centres and use their private labs to make money. They continue to maintain the unnecessary 24 to 48-hour quarantine regulation for European tourists to fill their own pockets. Are the Ministers of Health and Tourism aware of this racket?''

Dear Ministers of Health and Tourism, please get the PCR test lab at the BIA up and running so all tourists from Europe can be administered PCR tests upon arrival. Take their contact details and allow them to go to hotels of their choice. They hate quarantine. Stop this 24-to 48-hour quarantine nonsense for tourists from Europe thereby opening the doors for tens of thousands of tourists to come to Sri Lanka. When you make things easier, more and more European tourists will come to Sri Lanka. The result: A million people in the tourism industry will get their jobs back. Additionally, take disciplinary action against those unscrupulous ministry officials who have been continuously blocking the authority of the PCR test laboratory.

It has been reported that Sri Lankans arriving at the BIA (those who are fully vaccinated) are now allowed to go home after taking a PCR test at the airport. The report is issued three hours after the test. If the report is negative, they do not have to go into quarantine and can leave home. Why not apply the same rule to European tourists as well?

Fully vaccinated travellers from Sri Lanka will no longer need PCR testing before departure for England. Our Minister of Tourism should apply the same rule to European tourists arriving in Sri Lanka because they will be given a PCR tests upon arrival at the BIA. Make things easier for them thereby gaining tens of thousands of European tourists who will provide the foreign exchange that Sri Lanka desperately needs.

By Anton Peiris, Nyon, Switzerland 2021/09/23 The Island

Fertiliser ban could cut estate worker wages

Fertiliser ban could cut estate worker wages

Workers, as a result of the current crisis on the tea plantations due to the ban on chemical fertiliser, will be directly affected with earnings likely to drop by about 30 per cent.

By next January workers will lose about 25-30 per cent of their earning capacity due to the lack of crop, Planters Association Media Spokesman and Hayleys Plantations Managing Director

Dr. Roshan Rajadurai told the Business Times.

Owners of Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) predict that due to the loss of fertiliser, weedicide and fungicides the workers will also face a loss of earnings at the same rate at which the crop productivity drops.

He noted that at present people are working about 25 days at a minimum per month with some even working on Sundays.

However, this situation is likely to change if the authorities continue their ban on chemical fertilisers and glyphosate (weedicide) that will gravely hinder production and increase plant-destroying weeds.

Dr. Rajadurai pointed out that they could only conform to Tea Research Institute (TRI) guidelines in the application of fertiliser.

When the glyphosate ban came into force in 2015 the industry saw a significant drop in sales to Japan and this resulted in a continued drop over the past few years since then.

He also pointed out that despite the availability of people it would not allow the companies the possibility of hiring them to work on the fields to weed the plantations because they “cannot afford to pay them” above the price they receive for the sale of tea.

Sri Lanka has been selling at least 7.5 million kg annually of Ceylon Tea to Japan prior to the glyphosate ban but now this has dropped to about 5 million kg, Dr. Rajadurai noted.

He explained that this is a clear indication of the consequences of losing one’s market share and the difficulty in regaining confidence. Tea Small holders Federation President Kehel Gunaratna told the Business Times that they too expect a production drop by around 30 percent by January and that leaf production has dropped by about 10-15 percent already.

When this happens he noted that they will not be able to make the same payment to their workers as the earnings will also fall.

However, the industry is remaining confident that the government is likely to provide them with some form of fertiliser industry by December following discussions with the Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa recently.

Over the years the tea industry has been facing a number of obstacles in its 150-year journey and most complicating is the concern over the ban on glyphosate in 2015 that was lifted only in July 2018 as a result of which Sri Lanka made significant losses in productivity and weeds overran the plantations.

The Sri Lankan government took a decision to ban the use of chemical fertiliser in May this year.

The Sunday Times 26-09-21

Bottom trawling by Indians: Top level naval meeting on Wednesday

இந்திய ஈழ கடல் எல்லை

Assam horrific video of BJP police brutality

 At least two protesters were killed and many others, including nine police personnel, injured during clashes between police and locals at Dholpur Gorukhuti area in Assam's Darrang district on Thursday.

The clashes broke out at a time when a team of security personnel went to the area to evict illegal encroachers from the land belonging to a state farming project. When the security personnel reached the area, thousands of locals gathered and raised slogans against the eviction drive. The Assam cabinet had earlier taken a decision to recover the land completely from encroachers and convert it to a state farming project.

A judicial probe has been ordered by the Assam government in the incident after reports and videos of police brutality emerged.

Meanwhile, a purported video of the incident has gone viral on social media where a photographer is seen kicking a person, presumably dead. The video shows hundreds of policemen firing at unseen targets from behind the trees, and a man in vest and lungi running on a dusty street. A photographer ran behind him until the time the men in uniform surrounded the man as gunshots rang in the background.

The photographer was seen being led out by a policeman, but soon returned, jumped over his body, and hit him with something he had picked up lying close by. The man's left arm lifted momentarily, before he lay still, with a red circle of blood from a bullet wound on his chest, and a 'Gomosa', the traditional stole associated with Assamese pride, lying crumpled beside him.

The drive on Monday was carried out in Dholpur Bazar area, West Chuba area, Dholpur no. 1 and and 3 under Sipajhar revenue circle. The clashes took place between Dholpur no. 1 and and 3 area when the security personnel and officials of district administration reached the area Around 12.30pm, thousands of protesters gathered in the area and engaged in heated argument with security personnel and officials of district administration. Around 1.10pm, some protesters started pelting stones at the police and attacked them with sharp weapons. This led to police firing in the open and using tear gas shells.

Darrang district Superintendent of Police (SP) Sushanta Biswa Sarma, younger brother of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, said nine police personnel were also injured in the attack. "So far, I have received information that two protesters were injured in police firing and they were rushed to hospital. Update will come," Sushanta Biswa Sarma said.

Condemning police firing on Dholpur residents, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Assam is on state-sponsored fire. I stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the state- no children of India deserve this."

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah said that the very act of eviction is inhuman especially during Covid situation.

"The Supreme Court had also given a directive against eviction during pandemic situation yet the Assam government led by CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has remained adamant behaving in an autocratic manner to evict the residents of Dholpur who have been living in the area since the 1970's," he said.

Bhupen Kumar Borah said that before eviction, the government should have arranged for rehabilitation and alternative housing.

"The people in the area have been subjected to harassment repeatedly by the BJP government since they came to power in 2016. Without alternative arrangements for land and housing where will these poor people go and how will they survive? They are mostly cultivators and their source of sustenance is being attacked. A government's job is to work for welfare of people and not create problems for people by making them homeless without food, shelter , education which are basic human rights," Bhupen Kumar Borah said.

"We demand that CM should first rehabilitate the people and not evict them forcefully. It is becoming very clear that the BJP government only knows how to govern through the might of the bullet as seen in fake encounters and now in open firing on people. Such type of governance is highly condemnable and is dangerous for a democratic society," Bhupen Borah added.

The Congress warned the BJP government to not indulge in actions that will turn Assam into a police state and has sought judicial probe into the incident.

Many organizations, including All Assam Minorities Students' Union (AAMSU), have staged protest against the incident in Morigaon, Darrang and many other parts of the state.

The eviction drive

Over 800 families were rendered homeless after the Assam government carried out a massive eviction drive Dholpur Gorukhuti village in the Darrang district on Monday. The government recovered 4,500 bighas of land. 

The village is populated mostly by Muslims of East Bengal origin.

The first eviction drive in the village was conducted in June after which a fact-finding committee visited the area. The committee had stated that 49 Muslim families and one Hindu family had been uprooted in the drive, which local newspapers said had “cleared” 120 bighas of land (1 bigha is around 900 square yards), purportedly belonging to “pre-historic” Shiva temple, according to a news report.

Some residents of Dholpur Gorukhuti told a news organization that the number of evicted families was more than 900, which would take the count of affected people to at least 20,000.

The project was announced by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after he visited Dholpur Gorukhuti, a day after the first eviction drive had been carried out by the district administration on June 7.