The Hon. (Dr.) S. Sri Bavanandarajah

¶ 01 [1.37 p.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, I thank you for the opportunity to speak on Hon. Mavai S. Senathirajah, born in our neighbouring village of Maviddapuram. He loved his village and people so much that he prefixed “Mavai” to his name. Educated at Veemankamam Maha Vidyalayam and Nadeswara College, and at Jaffna Technical College, he also registered as an external student at Peradeniya. Even in his teens, he formed youth bodies, led them, and engaged in social and political struggles for Tamil rights. He later obtained a Master’s in Political Science from Annamalai University.

¶ 03 He organized youth against standardization, university admission denials and “Sinhala Only,” for which he spent over seven years in various prisons. On each release, youth thronged to welcome him; as schoolchildren, we listened to his speeches near our school and saw youth apply blood tilak in welcome—he was “Mavai Annai” to us. Growing step by step, he worked with Thanthai Selva, Amirthalingam, Sivasithamparam and Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam. He helped many students, including me, to continue higher studies when obstructed, and from the TULF office in Chennai after 1983 he secured educational opportunities for many.

¶ 04 As a senior politician for about 60 years, he voiced Tamil liberation inside and outside Parliament. He was a noble human being.