Women carry camphor pots for their "missing" fathers, brothers, husbands and sons
by DushiYanthini | December 14, 2012 at 6:12 AM
“I have searched everywhere, but nobody is telling me the truth” ~ shared Ashadevi Shanmugalingam while weeping on the streets. Her son went missing from Wellawatte, Colombo in 2006Women, whose fathers, brothers, husbands and sons have been disappeared over the past years, took part in a religious protest recently in Colombo. Nearly 25 women from Batticaloa, Colombo, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu and Trincomalee carried burning camphor pots from Sri Ponnambalawaneswarar temple in Kochchikade to Jeyanthi Nagar Sri Sivasubramaniya Swamy Temple in Ginthupitty on barefoot during a balmy day, while chanting religious hymns and crying.
“We need to know what happened to our loved ones; we feel lifeless without our fathers, brothers, husbands and sons; we are unable to move on without knowing anything about our loved ones” protesters prayed and pleaded.
The burning camphor pot carrying protest was jointly organized by the Committee for Investigating Disappearances (CID), and Movement for the Release of Political Prisoners (MRPP) to remember the disappeared.
Please click http://www.passionparade.blogspot.com/2012/12/camphor-campaign.html to read and view more moving photos and personal stories.
Women on foot with burning camphor pots
Jegatheeswary Thiagarajah from Puthmaaththalan, Mullaithivu district in the northeast of Sri Lanka still searching for her husband, who went missing during the war
“My son has been missing from Wattala since 2006” ~ Rajeshwary Manikavasaga Sharma
News in Pictures on Ceylon Today of 04th of December 2012
Comments
Thanks for sharing Dushi
This is eye opening! How could I have ever known about the experiences of Rajeshwary and her likes if you never shared this piece. I don't even want to imagine the pain in the hearts of these women. I can only pray that their actions yield positive results.
Keep sharing.
Olanike