“Neelan: Unsilenced” is a documentary film that was directed by documentary filmmaker Pitasanna Shanmugathas and released on the 26th death anniversary of prominent lawyer and politician Neelan Tiruchelvam. This documentary records the life, advocacy and achievements of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam with accounts narrated by his friends, family and those who were familiar with his work. Dr. Tiruchelvam was a Harvard-educated lawyer specialised in constitutional law with an illustrious career in law, politics and academia. Through this documentary, he is remembered for his advocacy for constitutional reforms for a peaceful solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict as a member of parliament representing the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). He was subsequently assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 29th of July 1999.
The filmmaker Shanmugathas had successfully gathered accounts and reflections on Dr. Tiruchelvam from Dr. Vasudeva Tiruchelvam (brother), MK Ealaventham (politician), Arum Kandiah (friend), G.L. Pieris (politician), Henry Stenier (Havard Law School), Pakiasorthy Saravanamuttu and Rohana Edirisinghe (Directors of Centre for Policy Alternatives), C.V.K Sivaganum (former municipal commissioner) among others. The documentary showcases footage from Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict that raged on for 30 years, particularly the 1981 burning of the Jaffna public library and the 1983 Tamil-Sinhala riots. The burning of the Jaffna library, which was a treasure trove of ancient manuscript and knowledge sources for Tamils, was remembered as a “cultural genocide” by Mr. Sivaganum.
The documentary goes on to explain and reflect on the constructive role that Dr. Tiruchelvam played through these violent periods in history such as the setting up of the Law and Society Trust and the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo to advance research, diplomacy and advocacy on matters of national importance. Vasuki Nesiah, Professor at New York University, explains the importance of these research institutes that integrated foreign researchers with local knowledge. His vision was to articulate Tamil grievances through constitutional means which were proposed to the Kumaratunga government prior to his assassination. His colleagues from the National Democratic Institute such as Larry Garber and Ken Wollack also described his consultative role in Chile’s 1988 plebiscite and promoting free and fair elections in South Asia through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Former Canadian Minister of National Defense from the Liberal Party, David Collenette was also featured in this documentary as a person who had come across Neelan Tiruchelvam during his lifetime. This educational documentary memorializes his legacy as a courageous activist who shared his knowledge with international personnel contributing to historically pivotal democratization movements. An example is working alongside Steve Kanter from Lewis and Clarke Law School on the making of the Kazakhstan constitution following its’ independence from the Soviet Union. While he continued to receive prominent roles internationally and gained recognition for the work he did to advance Tamil minority rights, he was not well received by the LTTE locally. As Sharika Thiranagama, professor at Stanford University explains, any Tamil at the time who was working with the central government of Sri Lanka was considered traitors by the LTTE.
Ultimately what this documentary serves, is to educate and inform generations of Sri Lankans, irrespective of their ethnicity, of the existence of such honorable men who chose peaceful means to address issues facing the Tamil community. Even today as young diaspora Tamils continue to hero worship Velupillai Prabhakaran as the leader of the Tamils, figures such as Dr. Tiruchelvam are lesser known or unheard of. Dr. Tiruchelvam’s life work is not only a pride to the Tamil community but also to the whole of the Lankan nation.
Watch our podcast with Canadian Tamil filmmaker and peace advocate Pitasanna Shanmugathas, director of the documentary “Neelan: Unsilenced”, here.
