When Memory Dies

Tales of three generations of Tamil men in northern Sri Lanka are told against the backdrop of the civil war raging between the Tamil Tigers and the ruling majority, the Buddhist Sinhalese. The author describes how he left his rural upbringing to become educated, then went to work as a postal employee at the end of British colonial rule. His son, born in 1930, became a teacher in the newly independent but racially divided country, and his grandson became a political rebel, with tragic consequences. In their way, all three manage to hold onto their idealism in an increasingly violent, polarized society. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.