<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The vast majority of Tamil speakers, honestly believe that our loyalty is to a vague North, which exists only in our imagination.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Obviously, you've never lived in Tamil Nadu. No one has any particular loyalty to North India <i>over-and-above</i> their loyalty to their own language-region. For Tamil Hindu people, they recognise India - not North or South India - as their homeland. Having been to Chennai for a month just recently, I have seen over 4 autos and hired cars with the label "I love India" alongside the various pictures of Gods. Those were the vehicles that caught my eye, I wasn't even looking for it. There might have been more.
You might want to imagine a Tamil Nadu where people are more sympathetic to a Tamil-only identity, but in reality Tamil people regard Tamil as our well-loved mother language and Indian as our identity and culture. Our religion is Hindu.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The vast majority of Tamil speakers, honestly believe that our loyalty is to a vague North<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Your imagination.
If you speak of all Tamilians with the reference to 'Tamil speakers' you are very much mistaken. As for Tamil Nadu's brahmin community, if you are referring to them, then you are once again very mistaken. Tamil brahmins' home region is Tamil Nadu, for some it's the Tamil speaking portion of Karnataka and for a few it is a part of Kerala where they have lived since times long forgotten.
Indian Tamils do have sympathy with Tamils living in Sri Lanka (shared language, neighbouring people), but the Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus settled where I live have sympathy with both the Hindu and Buddhist populations in Sri Lanka - or as your racially oriented brain would understand it, their sympathies lie with both the Tamils and the Sinhalese. That's because, unlike you, they <i>know</i> the LTTE, its goals and its ruthless ways.
Or perhaps you're an LTTE sympathiser, which would explain a lot. It's not the Tamil brahmins that are keeping Tamil Nadu from supporting and aligning itself with the LTTE's cause. It's all Tamils. People who are agitating against Buddhists and Hindus are obviously people who'd have trouble with anything and everyone. It doesn't take a genius to understand that.
Many Sri Lankan Tamils are Sri Lankans - most of their ancestors are Sri Lankan. Your confusing linguistic and national boundaries. We share their language and religion, but have not been connected historically with their region. If we are to blindly support them only for being Tamil, then we ought to also blindly support the Sinhalese for being equally of Indian ethnicity. If we ought to support the Tamils for having many Hindus among them (on the other hand, many of the LTTE controlled villages are now Christian and other Tamils are Islamic), then we ought to agree with their Hindu viewpoint that the LTTE is militant and anti-Hindu as well as anti-Buddhist.
I do sympathise with the Tamils in Sri Lanka, which is why I understand and have come to agree with their view of the situation there and of the LTTE in particular. Without the LTTE and missionary interference in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Hindus and the Buddhist Sinhala could quite easily sort out their differences and live amicably alongside themselves. They believe this and have convinced me of it. Historically, the Buddhists and Hindus there got on very well.
The international media, when it bothers to cover the region, alters the whole thing by portraying the LTTE as representative of the Hindu population. It is not even representative of the Tamil population, however it might wish to be. But perhaps we shouldn't wonder about the media bias, when the Churches are making great progress amongst the Tamils brainwashed by the LTTE's lies.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I felt very ashamed that even unknowingly I was a party to an act of denial of human dignity.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Yes, feel ashamed. And please try and undo what <i>you</i> did, instead of accusing others of having done the same thing. You're the one who trampled over others' human dignity (if I'm to believe your post), not others. Just 'cause you're a bank robber doesn't make the rest of the world guilty of theft, now does it?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->When we (my grandfather with me) met certain people on the street, they used to stay a few feet away from us, close their mouth and address us. Certain other groups used to go uleleleing on seeing our approach<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->My condolences for being the first and only 'brahmins' (Tamil or otherwise) I've heard of to match up with the stereotypical profile created for them by missionaries. You're also the first Tamil brahmin to be ignorant about Carnatic music whilst simultaneously pretending to know about it. The first to think that the Kanchi mutt is the central be-all-and-end-all of all Tamil brahmins and the first to parrot-wise repeat all the anti-brahmin propaganda as if it were fact. Geez, I wonder how we saw right through you?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Make peace with your fellow Tamil Hindus and try to get on with it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->You're the one in need of doing so.
You might want to imagine a Tamil Nadu where people are more sympathetic to a Tamil-only identity, but in reality Tamil people regard Tamil as our well-loved mother language and Indian as our identity and culture. Our religion is Hindu.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The vast majority of Tamil speakers, honestly believe that our loyalty is to a vague North<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Your imagination.
If you speak of all Tamilians with the reference to 'Tamil speakers' you are very much mistaken. As for Tamil Nadu's brahmin community, if you are referring to them, then you are once again very mistaken. Tamil brahmins' home region is Tamil Nadu, for some it's the Tamil speaking portion of Karnataka and for a few it is a part of Kerala where they have lived since times long forgotten.
Indian Tamils do have sympathy with Tamils living in Sri Lanka (shared language, neighbouring people), but the Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus settled where I live have sympathy with both the Hindu and Buddhist populations in Sri Lanka - or as your racially oriented brain would understand it, their sympathies lie with both the Tamils and the Sinhalese. That's because, unlike you, they <i>know</i> the LTTE, its goals and its ruthless ways.
Or perhaps you're an LTTE sympathiser, which would explain a lot. It's not the Tamil brahmins that are keeping Tamil Nadu from supporting and aligning itself with the LTTE's cause. It's all Tamils. People who are agitating against Buddhists and Hindus are obviously people who'd have trouble with anything and everyone. It doesn't take a genius to understand that.
Many Sri Lankan Tamils are Sri Lankans - most of their ancestors are Sri Lankan. Your confusing linguistic and national boundaries. We share their language and religion, but have not been connected historically with their region. If we are to blindly support them only for being Tamil, then we ought to also blindly support the Sinhalese for being equally of Indian ethnicity. If we ought to support the Tamils for having many Hindus among them (on the other hand, many of the LTTE controlled villages are now Christian and other Tamils are Islamic), then we ought to agree with their Hindu viewpoint that the LTTE is militant and anti-Hindu as well as anti-Buddhist.
I do sympathise with the Tamils in Sri Lanka, which is why I understand and have come to agree with their view of the situation there and of the LTTE in particular. Without the LTTE and missionary interference in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Hindus and the Buddhist Sinhala could quite easily sort out their differences and live amicably alongside themselves. They believe this and have convinced me of it. Historically, the Buddhists and Hindus there got on very well.
The international media, when it bothers to cover the region, alters the whole thing by portraying the LTTE as representative of the Hindu population. It is not even representative of the Tamil population, however it might wish to be. But perhaps we shouldn't wonder about the media bias, when the Churches are making great progress amongst the Tamils brainwashed by the LTTE's lies.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I felt very ashamed that even unknowingly I was a party to an act of denial of human dignity.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Yes, feel ashamed. And please try and undo what <i>you</i> did, instead of accusing others of having done the same thing. You're the one who trampled over others' human dignity (if I'm to believe your post), not others. Just 'cause you're a bank robber doesn't make the rest of the world guilty of theft, now does it?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->When we (my grandfather with me) met certain people on the street, they used to stay a few feet away from us, close their mouth and address us. Certain other groups used to go uleleleing on seeing our approach<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->My condolences for being the first and only 'brahmins' (Tamil or otherwise) I've heard of to match up with the stereotypical profile created for them by missionaries. You're also the first Tamil brahmin to be ignorant about Carnatic music whilst simultaneously pretending to know about it. The first to think that the Kanchi mutt is the central be-all-and-end-all of all Tamil brahmins and the first to parrot-wise repeat all the anti-brahmin propaganda as if it were fact. Geez, I wonder how we saw right through you?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Make peace with your fellow Tamil Hindus and try to get on with it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->You're the one in need of doing so.