SRI LANKA Healing the wounds of war with organic farming in Batticaloa

Batticaloa () – “Not only when the sun was shining, but also in the dark, we would dive into the jungle and in the bunkers we could barely hear the sound of grenades and mortars. We would sleep fitfully until dawn, fighting off mosquitoes. When the shooting stopped or when dawn began, we would return to the village in fear. Sometimes, when we returned home, we would wonder if this was the same house we had left, because it was destroyed. We, who once lived in fear, now thrive on joy, serenity, wealth and affection, and we live and work together.” These are the genuine feelings shared by the Tamil and Muslim inhabitants living in the two separate sections of the village of Iyankarni Gramaniladhari (village office) in the Batticaloa district of the Eastern Province.

War as a dividing line

For 30 years, the war decimated lives and property indiscriminately in the country, and was particularly harsh in the Northeast. Trust and goodwill between the Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil communities were destroyed, and friendship and business between them were lost. The Iyankarni area in Batticaloa is a case in point. “In the old days, we all – Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim – lived in peace. We traded, we organised parties, the Muslims came to our Hindu festivals and we participated in their Ramadan festivals, we exchanged tasty food and drinks and lived in friendship. But that was before the war,” says Muthumari, an elderly Tamil from Iyankarni village.

Joseph Mayura, a mother who lost her husband and lived through the war from the age of 10, said: “I know the sound of gunfire and bombs well. I still remember those days when our mothers would take whatever they could and drag us to schools and the most hidden camps. We were afraid when we heard the sound of guns, bombs exploding, the voices of the security forces.” Meanwhile, some people from both sides joined some security force officers and started chasing each other, breaking into villages and destroying houses, seizing land and stealing and killing animals.

In this context, the war has made very cruel decisions in the lives of 198 men, women, young people and adults in Iyankarni village alone, and it is not known for certain whether they are alive or missing. Of them, 145 were university students, young men and women who were studying and working. There are also men and women who were injured in clashes between government forces and Tamil fighters and are still alive, and none of them have received any help from the warring parties or the government.

The impotence that the war produced

According to UN estimates, between 40,000 and 70,000 civilians in the north and east were killed in the last months of Sri Lanka’s protracted armed conflict that ended on 18 May 2009, and another 150,000 died in 30 years of brutal atrocities. In addition, nearly 60,000 men and women must be added to the number of missing persons and, according to data from the North-East Division Secretariat estimated in 2020 and not updated, there are 127,000 female heads of household in the east. Of these, 51,000 live in Batticaloa district. In the face of war, surviving without sustainable aid is a very serious task for women who must support their families.

In the Iyankarni area, the Tamil and Muslim population were very scared after the war and Tamils ​​were strictly forbidden to enter the Muslim area and vice versa. This happened on the initiative of the youths of both sides. “This situation has become worrying for the common people and as the gap has deepened, the love between the two sides has been destroyed and only hatred has remained,” says Ghaneshamurthy Maidili, 38, who lives in the Bharathipuram area of ​​Iyankarni.

Help to get back on your feet

After the war, the Sri Lankan government, foreign countries, the United Nations, the World Food Programme, the International Red Cross and many foreign NGOs provided humanitarian aid following the basic idea of ​​”resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction”. The programmes also provided assistance to people living in displaced persons camps, especially in the north and east.

From interviews with 35 Muslim and Tamil men and women, young and old, living in Iyankarni village, Batticaloa district, it emerged that many of the war victims received financial assistance from Samurdhi, as well as some war widows, but it is not enough in relation to the cost of living at the moment. Maidili also said that apart from the subsidies that were given in special situations, such as epidemics and disasters, they do not currently receive any assistance from the government. In consultations with the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Reform and the Ministry of Agriculture, it was found that there are no new programmes for them either.

Although there has been talk of “building reconciliation, building their lives and working together” to build true reconciliation as a long-term goal, the programmes have not been implemented and organisations in the South are still planning various programmes in the Northern and Eastern provinces. But it is observed that in these programmes there is no place for reconciliation which is actually demanded by the people of the North and East, said Anthony Jesudasan, former National Coordinator of the People’s Dialogue for Peace and Sustainable Development of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO).

Udaya Rajidhika, who lives in Bharathipuram, said that long after the war, some understanding began to develop between the two sides in Iyankarni village, a positive start thanks to programmes launched by various government and non-government organisations. “Among all these programmes, a project recently launched by Caritas Batticaloa has given us great direction for reconstruction. The activities of these programmes and the home-based farming project have helped us Tamil Muslims heal many wounds we suffered during the war, and we are very happy now,” she said.

Rebuilding broken lives in diversity

Gnanpragasam Vijaya from Iyankarni Tamil village said that the organic farming project introduced by Caritas Batticaloa in January this year has brought a new dawn to the lives of the people of Iyankarni village. “We have been committed as a group to organic home gardening and because of these vegetables and fruits the whole family is living a healthy life; we sell organic vegetables and fruits at discounted prices for our consumption and for the people of the nearby villages and now we have financial savings as well,” Vijaya said.

“According to the settlement pattern of Tamils ​​and Muslims in the village, although it is presented as two separate zones, there are 31 families from the Muslim zone and 26 families from the Tamil zone associated with Caritas Batticaloa who have benefited directly, and many other families indirectly, from this home organic gardening project,” explained Father Samson Jayanixon, director of Caritas Batticaloa – Centre for Human and Economic Development (EHED).

“Not only do these women practice organic gardening at home, but both Muslims and Tamils ​​operate four common farms. They share all the work, assign days and hours and contribute generously to its growth, because these farms are theirs, as is their income. An equitable system of income sharing has been arranged,” he continued. Fr Jayanixon also explained that through these projects they are regaining the wealth, values, culture and life they had and lost during the war. “I am happy about this, because healing people and building harmony among them is the heart of religions.”

Economic benefits, community markets and reconciliation

Dambagalle Vanarathana Thero, the main in-charge of Punyarama in Eravurpattu area, expressed how much she appreciates the unity and understanding that has been created between the local Muslim and Tamil communities due to the visionary step taken by Caritas Batticaloa in introducing a valuable organic farming project. “For a long time we have been paying much higher prices to consume what we bought from the market. And people were falling ill. Now we are living very happily due to organic farming. We all eat fresh and non-poisonous fruits and vegetables. The best thing is that due to this project a great relationship and unity has been rebuilt between us and the Tamil people. We are very happy about that. All credit goes to EHED, Caritas Batticaloa Centre and Fr. Jayanixon,” said Marshuka, who lives in the Muslim area of ​​Iyankarni village, along with many other women who benefit from the organic farm.

Muslim women belonging to 31 families, including Hamzia, Sulfica and Marzuka, speak with respect about the organic farm and say that it is a great opportunity offered by Caritas at a very difficult time of economic crisis. “Now we sell the surplus vegetables we grow at home at reasonable prices, and thus we also earn additional income. Eating non-poisonous vegetables, having surplus income and growing the unity of Tamil Muslims – what more do we need?” they said. “Now we work together like in the old days, with unity and love. Our children go to school together and play together. This is the true voice of reconciliation and development of the Tamil and Muslim community in Iyankarni village in Batticaloa.