Netaji’s famous pronouncement was: “I shall fight for the freedom of my land until I shed my last drop of blood.” Prabhakaran subscribed to these sentiments wholeheartedly. At one stage Netaji disapproved of Gandhi’s “non-violence” and went on to form the Indian National Army (INA) to launch an armed struggle against the British. Prabhakaran’s ideal leader and idol was Subash Chandra Bose, known as Netaji. He read the Tamil version of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography ‘Satya Sodhanai’ in his early teens but was not enamoured of it and the principle of non-violence greatly. The Indian freedom struggle fascinated him. He was particularly fond of reading history – about historical battles and historical figures.
Young Prabhakaran had a photogenic memory and was an avid reader. This was due to Prabhakaran being more interested in other things rather than in formal education. This does not mean that he was unintelligent or did not possess a thirst for knowledge. He was not a model student and did not even pass his GCE O/Levels. Prabhakaran studied at different schools in Jaffna, Vavuniya and Batticaloa because his father was constantly transferred. I think he retired from Government service when the late Gamini Dissanayake was Lands Minister. Prabhakaran’s father Velupillai joined the Government clerical service and eventually became a district lands officer. They were known as belonging to the “Thirumeni kudumbam” or Thirumeni family. Prabhakaran’s family hailed from the northern coastal town of Valvettithurai, referred to generally as VVT. Both are no more, having died of natural causes. Prabhakaran’s mother’s name was Paarvathipillai. Prabhakaran’s father was Veerasamy Thiruvengadam Velupillai. Prabhakaran’s pet name “Thamby” stuck to him throughout his life. Since he was the youngest in the family of four children, Prabhakaran’s pet name became “Thamby” or younger brother. Thiruvengadam Velupillai Prabhakaran was born on 26 November 1954. Since I have written about him on previous occasions also, I shall be relying to some extent on those writings. I shall do so by highlighting certain facets of Prabhakaran’s eventful life. What I hope to do is to try and shed some light at least on the man and his personality without attempting to glorify him. At a time when the Sri Lankan media is being saturated with news about the COVID-19 pandemic and impending constitutional crisis, this article intends focusing on the life and times of the man who determined the politico-military course of the island nation for many years.Īt the outset I would like to make it clear that this article is neither a biography nor a eulogy. Though Prabhakaran is no more, the Sri Lankan Tamil people are yet to recover fully from the ravages of the lengthy war fought by the Tigers. The longest war in South Asia came to an end after the military debacle of the LTTE on the shores of Nandikadal Lagoon in the Mullaitivu District of northern Sri Lanka. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed 11 years ago in combat with the armed forces of Sri Lanka on. DBS Jeyaraj, in Daily FT,, where the title is “Tale of a Tiger: Facets of LTTE Chief Prabhakaran’s life” ++