On Saturday (30th December), BJP chief JP Nadda will release a commemorative postal stamp on 200 years of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka. The program will take place at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Headquarters in New Delhi.
Senthil Thondaman – the governor of the eastern province of the island country – will also be present in the program as a representative of the Government of Sri Lanka.
The stamp will recognise the toil of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka in establishing the plantation industry and other infrastructure. It’s been 200 years since the first set of people from Tamil Nadu reached Sri Lanka to work in the plantations in the Central province.
Our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl has always regarded Sri Lanka as our Civilisational twin & has contributed enormously to the welfare of the Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) December 29, 2023
It's been 200 years since the first set of people from Tamil Nadu reached Sri Lanka to work in the… pic.twitter.com/bFiQuskBsw
In a press release issued by the Tamil Nadu state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP state president K Annamalai said, “Our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has earnestly undertaken several initiatives to ensure the welfare and development of the Indian Origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka ever since he assumed office in 2014.”
He further said, “The Central Government, under the leadership and guidance of our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sanctioned 14000 houses in addition to health, education, cultural facilities and basic amenities in a ceaseless manner to the Indian Origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, owing to India’s neighbour-first policy, about $4 billion worth of financial aid was extended to Sri Lanka when the country reeled from an unprecedented economic crisis.”
K Annamalai added, “Our beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sternly believes that Sri Lanka is a civilisational twin of India, is untiringly delivering support to aid the wellbeing of the lakhs of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka. The Bharatiya Janata Party, in its solemn efforts, has been striving to ensure the prosperity of the Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka.”
Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka
The history of Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka, particularly linked to the plantation industry, traces back to the early 19th century during British colonial rule. Around the 1820s, the British, having established control over Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), began focusing on commercial agriculture. Coffee, and later tea, rubber, and coconut plantations were developed, requiring a substantial labour force.
To meet this demand, the British initiated a large-scale movement of workers from southern parts of India predominantly from Tamil Nadu in November 1823. These workers, who were mostly Tamils, were brought to Sri Lanka under indentured labour contracts. They settled in the central highlands, labouring in harsh conditions on the plantations.
This migration significantly altered Sri Lanka’s demographic landscape. The Indian Tamil community, distinct from the native Sri Lankan Tamils, formed a significant part of the island’s population. They lived in isolated plantation communities, facing socio-economic and political challenges, including discrimination and lack of citizenship rights.
Following Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948, the Indian Tamils’ status became a contentious issue. Legislation passed in the 1940s and 1960s affected their citizenship rights, leading to statelessness for many. It wasn’t until agreements between India and Sri Lanka in the 1960s and later reforms in the 1980s and 2000s that their citizenship and political representation issues began to be resolved. Today, the descendants of these Tamils in Sri Lanka form a vital part of Sri Lanka’s socio-economic fabric.
