Annaviar Velmuruhu Thambimuththu:

A rare kind of Artist is living among us and Honored.


Velmuruhu Thambimuththu is one of the veterans Annaviar of the Eastern part of Sri Lanka. He was born in 05.07.1947 and residing in Siththandy, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

Even though Thmbimuththu Annaviar belongs to the tradition of an Annaviar family, other than to his father, he practices his art under the guidance of various Annaviars who were exponents in the art of Kooththu in the Batticaloa tradition.

Thambimuththu Annaviar is a specialist in both Vadamody and in Thenmody Kooththu (Traditional Theatre) of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

He is one of the very few artists who have the skill to make the instruments in the field of traditional arts. He is working with the Third Eye Local Knowledge and Skill Activists Group to share the rare quality of this kind of skill for the future generation.

The future of the art of Kooththu is heavily depended on the existence of art of making and repairing the instruments of the traditional arts. The commitment and contribution of Thambimuththu Annaviar in this regard is praiseworthy.

The involvement of Thambimuththu Annaviar in the Reformulation of Kooththu Program in Seelamunai, Batticaloa is also very commendable. His presence and contribution in the process of Reformulation of Kooththu Program shows the power of skills and knowledge of Annaviars to the younger generations.

The art of living of the artists like Thambimuthtu Annaviar in the communities are the essence of existence of art of Kooththu and the other traditional form of arts.

S.Jeyasankar
17.10.2006

AJ: The Deep Spring of Knowledge

There are no waves
There are no roars
There are no hard blows of winds

But
A spring
A deep and deep
Spring of knowledge
AJ
The Nilavarai* of intellectualism

The spring nourishes
The field of intellectualism
And yields flowers and fruits
Of hearts
With the love of humanity

Now, now
It remains and remains
Only in the hearts and minds

It’s always in the hearts and minds
Of spirits that urges
For the evergreen of the intellectualism
For the love of Humanity

Oh the generation of the future
Come, come and visit
The silent and deep Nilavarai
The spring of resource
And think of our Great AJ


S.Jeyasankar
16.10.2006

*Nilavaray – A bottomless and ever filled well in the northern part of Jaffna peninsula.

DEATH NOTICE


ALOSIOUS JEYARAJ CANAGARATNA
( A.J.CANAGARATNA)

26.08.1934 – 11.10.2006

A.J. Canagaratna who is known in the literary circle as AJ has passed away on the early hours of 11th October 2006 in Colombo hospital.

AJ has been a writer, critic and translator for more than thirty decades and well known among the Tamil, Sinhala and English literary circles.

He was also a versatile editor.
He worked as a feature editor for the Daily News and co edited the weekly Saturday Review with Gamini Navaratna.
He was also edited a journal of the Northern Co operative Union-“The Cooperator”
and in the editorial board of a Tamil weekly published in the 90s from Jaffna- THISAI.

A.J. has been a senior instructor in English at the English Language Teaching Unit at the Jaffna University from 1976 to 1992.

Recently he had edited the works of late Regie Siriwardana titled as “Selected Writings of Regie Siriwardena- Literature and the Arts” in two volumes published by the ICES, Colombo.

The remains of late AJ will be at A.F.Raymonds from 9.00 am to 4.00pm on 12th October, Thursday and will be cremated at 5.00 pm at the Jawatha cemetory, Colombo.

Our deepest condolence and respects to our great friend.

Good bye AJ!


Department of Languages & Department of Fine Arts
Eastern University Srilanka
11.10.2006

A.J. Canagaratna
26.08.1934-11.10.2006

ALOSIOUS JEYARAJ CANAGARATNA



Dear Jayasankar,
I read your note on AJ. Recently Tamil Literary Garden of Canada honoured AJ for his outstanding contribution to Tamil by awarding him a special prize. It consisted of a certificate and cash prize of Rs 50000. This was delivered to him on the hospital bed on 30 September 2006. Kindly include this information in your note about AJ.

anbudan

a.muttulingam
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Dear Sivagnanam Jeyasankar ,
I send you my most sincere condolences.
Augusto Boal

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My dear Jeysankar,

I don't know what to say. We all have lost a great force of strength that stood by us. Last I saw him in May at Rosmead Pl. He went through my paper for the Canada conference. Never realised that it would be the last meeting.
Ragu
(Professor P.Ragupathy)

**************************************************************************************

Dear Jeya,
That is sad news. The end of a very unique and distinct life.
Darshan
(Dr. Darshan Ambalavanar)

A.J. Canagaratna
26.08.1934-11.10.2006


ALOSIOUS JEYARAJ CANAGARATNA


A.J. Canagaratna who is known in the literary circle as AJ has passed away
on the early hours of 11th (Wednesday) October 2006 in Colombo.

The remains of late AJ will be at A.F.Raymonds from 9.00 am to 4.00pm
on 12th (Thursday) October, and will be cremated at 5.00 pm
at the Jawatha cemetory, Colombo.

Third Eye

Demise of a Great Scholar


A.J. Canagaratna
26.08.1934-11.10.2006
ALOSIOUS JEYARAJ CANAGARATNA



The Power of A.J.Canagaratne

A Great Scholar of the Thamils of Sri Lanka Mr. A.J. Canagaratne was passed away on the early ours of 11th of October 2006 in his early seventies. He was a person who had functioned like an alternative Institution for generations of scholars who are marginalized by the ‘powerful people’ within the ultimate higher institutions among the Thamils of Sri Lanka.

A.J.Canagaratne never posed himself as an utmost Intellectual but generations of intellectuals and artists not only from Thamils of Sri Lanka or all the other nationals of Sri Lanka but also from people outside Sri Lanka will always respect his caliber.

The power and beauty of AJ is his genuine intellectual characteristic. He is always conscious of his words and the correctness of the information. He took much effort to share authentic information.

AJ is very strong enough to share new things to others and push them to new frontiers to bring fruits of knowledge and skill to the people who nourished the intellectuals with their hard earned money for the free education system.

The sharp and subtle arguments and interpretations of AJ are the fruits of his deep knowledge.

AJ is an intellectual of the people but he seldom uses the word people.

Brevity is the essence of AJ but he is an epic!

Sivagnanam Jeyasankar