The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) requested that renowned musician Santhosh Narayanan postpone a scheduled concert in Jaffna this week, as it clashes with the anniversary of India’s massacre of dozens of Tamils at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
Narayanan is currently in Jaffna, and the music composer will be performing at his concert 'Yaazh Gaanam' on October 21st alongside Tamil diaspora artists from around the world.
At least 68 civilians, including 21 medical personnel, were killed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) as they stormed the hospital building on the 21 and 22 October 1987, throwing grenades and firing indiscriminately at staff and patients. The building had been shelled by artillery before the raid.
The TNPF said that as a performer whose music often highlights marginalised voices, Narayanan has a dedicated fanbase among Eelam Tamils.
It goes on to draw attention to the genocide of Tamils and the importance of remembering lives lost during such tragic events. It specifically mentions the IPKF massacre and how Tamils have been commemorating this sombre occasion for years. The party argued that by holding a concert on that date, the commemoration of such important historical events may be watered down in future generations.
The letter states that holding the concert on that date could be negatively viewed by Tamil people who are still experiencing an ongoing systemic genocide at the hands of the Sri Lankan state.
See the full text of the letter below.
Last month, Narayanan paid tribue to Lt Col Thileepan at a memorial in Nallur, Jaffna as the Tamil nation marked 36 years since his fast unto death. Thileepan, a political wing leader of the LTTE fasted to death on hunger strike, appealing to the Indian government to honour pledges made to the Tamil people.
