'Only God can save the Tamil people'

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: LTTE has defied stereotypes in more ways than one. Former child soldier, refugee and now author, Shobhasakthi recreates this unique world in Gorilla, who as a local thug runs wild over his son and narrator, Rocky Raj. He responds to Suman Tarafdar over email. Extracts:

The story of Rocky, and yours, is of many childhoods lost. What kind of an impact will that have for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka as a whole generation of young people are lost to the more usual pursuits of life?

Unlike in my time or in the time of Rocky, there is no way for a liberation fighter to get out of the Movement now. The Tigers have changed the design of their organisation in such a way that the child who joins or who is made to join the LTTE cannot leave it until he or she dies. Today there are only three outcomes possible for a young fighter. One, he will die on the war field; or, if he protests within the organisation, he will be killed by the Movement itself. If he escapes these two fates, then he will gradually move up the leadership ladder within the organisation. Our children are becoming graves, nameless corpses, and future lieutenant colonels. There is no sign in the near future for the Tamils in Sri Lanka that they might be able to live a life devoid of oppression.

For neither the Sri Lankan government nor the Tigers seek a peaceful resolution: the war has granted both groups uncontrollable power over the population.

How easy was it to pen the story, given that many parts run almost parallel to your life?

I wanted to build a political dialogue about the war in the novel that would transcend my own personal experiences. At the same time, I was careful not to fall into the category of dry political propaganda that would deny the reader the pleasure of reading a text. Therefore, it was not easy writing this novel.

The book was originally published a few years back. Have there been any major shifts in the nature of the battle between the Tamils and the Sri Lankan forces since then?