Tab Article

ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.4/5)
Genre: Biography, Sri Lankan History, Politics

Book Review:
''Handy Perinbanayagam: A Memorial Volume,'' edited by the esteemed scholar Santasilan Kadirgamar, is a vital and long-overdue tribute to one of Sri Lanka's most significant but often overlooked freedom fighters. This book restores S. Handy Perinbanayagam (1899-1977) to his rightful place in the nation's history as a pioneering architect of the movement for complete independence.

Perinbanayagam was a man of extraordinary vision and principle. Inspired by Gandhian ideals, he was not merely a campaigner for political freedom from British rule, but a deep believer in social justice, national unity, and linguistic rights. As a great educationist, he courageously fought for the right of children to be educated in their mother tongue and for the people's right to be governed in their own language—causes that would shape much of the 20th century's political struggles.

The book's centerpiece is Kadirgamar's own detailed account of the Jaffna Youth Congress (JYC), a movement that Perinbanayagam inspired and led. As Hector Abhayavardhana notes in his tribute, the JYC's perspective was ''all-island'' and its goal was ''independence, national unity, secularism and overcoming all caste barriers.'' It represented, he argues, ''the first manifestation of genuine nationalism in the country.'' This volume challenges narrow, divisive narratives by highlighting a Tamil patriot who fought relentlessly for Sinhala-Tamil unity.

The book is enriched by contributions and homages from a range of prominent figures, including Dr. N.M. Perera, who praised Perinbanayagam as a vital link between northern and southern struggles for independence, and Wiswa Warnapala, who urged those who ''see tigers among Tamils'' to read this book and discover a different, more inclusive tradition of Tamil patriotism.

This memorial volume is an essential contribution to Sri Lankan historiography. It recovers the legacy of a man who was, in the words of Professor John Bicknell Jr., ''a moment in the conscience of Sri Lanka.'' It is a must-read for anyone interested in the country's freedom movement, the history of national unity, and the lives of its unsung heroes