Photo-essays Ampara and Moneragala Districts

I Lost My Mind

  • 1
    Even now when I meet a Tamil person there’s a sense of hatred that I feel. But I know there is no point in hating. They are also mothers who have lost their children; at least my son is alive and here in front of me. I don’t feel angry with all Tamils; not all of them were responsible.
  • 2
    It was with such difficulty that I brought up my four children. My husband worked hard as a day labourer. My son decided to join the army because he saw how hard his father worked. We didn’t want him to join. But he insisted.
  • 3
    When my son lost his legs I lost my mind. I took medicine for about three months and felt slightly better. People don’t understand why I feel so terribly sad all the time. But even now when I think of my son, my head hurts.
  • 4
    Things are better now that the war has stopped. We are no longer afraid. I have convinced myself that what happened was for the country and for the nation. It’s bearable when I look at it that way.
  • 5
    We’ve experienced fear for different reasons. There was the JVP earlier. Then the Tigers would attack villagers and buses. They would be hiding in the jungle.
  • 6
    My son is 20. He is building his house. I would like to see it complete. That would make me happy. I have one single aim now, which is that my son builds a good life for himself.