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Research Journal of the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka- Rohana 11, 2019

receive educational benefits through post-independence welfare programs but much
of their education was based on the vernacular language of Tamil. This put them in

an untenable position because after receiving education, they expected to enter the

government professions but were restricted from even applying for the posts as the
official language was Sinhala. The following comment was made during a key

informant interview by a lower caste Tamil man who had participated in militant
activities in the 1970s.

“My father was a traditional drummer from the Paraiyar caste. Over thousands of

years our people had been discriminated against by upper caste Tamils. I was able
to go to school in the 1960s. However, we faced discrimination even in the schools

by the upper caste students. Despite many challenges I studied up to the Ordinary
Level. I hoped to enter one of the white-collar professions as I did not wish to
become a tom-tom beater like my father. But I was handicapped by my vernacular

based education as it did not empower me to access my dream job. I did not want to
be further deprived by the discrimination of Vellalahs. As a young lad I was
aggressive and wanted to transform the Jaffna society in a violent manner to build

up an equal society. Therefore, I joined the militant organization that emerged in
the 1970s in Valvettithurai” – Key Informant 3 (12.11.2018).

One of the early Tamil militant leaders, Ragavan (2009) mentioned that the Jaffna

Tamil middle class family’s aim was to educate their children and turn them into a
doctor or engineer; this reflected a production line mentality. At least one child,

preferably the elder child, should try and become a doctor, an engineer or at least an
accountant. But during the post-independence period high caste Tamils were also

brushed aside in the professional fields due to the heavy competition from

mainstream Sinhalese. In this competition the depressed caste groups naturally did
not stand a chance as they were marginalized by both internal and external factors.

Therefore, the unemployment problem affected the depressed caste Tamils very
badly.

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