Malaravan, born in April 1972 near Jaffna, was the youngest of his four siblings. He joined the Tamil Eelam movement in 1990.
'The child you threatened once, the young shoot you stepped on,
the Tamil you teased, is standing with a gun in front of you.'
This short diary was recovered from Malaravan's kit after he was killed
in action in 1992, when barely twenty. In it, he recounts his unit's journey
to Maankulam, the island's granary, to fight a critical battle where they
routed the Lankan military. The LTTE's planning and tactics, the fervour
and camaraderie of the young Tigers, and the actual combat are minutely
chronicled. As a foil to the violence, Malaravan brings out the beauty
of the Tamil forest and countryside and the humanity and support of the
common people for them, despite their suffering under army rule.
Bittersweet, fresh and lyrical at times, War Journey is a testament
to the Tamil longing for a homeland and the wider conflict
that once engulfed the island.
