"A Search that Depressed Me" by Mahendran Thiruvarangan

DESCRIPTION
This poem, written by Mahendran Thiruvarangan, examines the struggles of Sri Lanka's diverse communities to coexist amidst a long history of ethnic and communitarian violence. Mahendran Thiruvarangan was interviewed and is an advisor for the Archival Creators Fellowship project on Ilankai Tamil Feminism. During his interview, he discussed the challenges and importance of coexistence and how to actualize coexistence in ways that do not shy away from the disproportionate harms perpetrated by the state and other powerful political actors against vulnerable communities, ethnic and otherwise. This poem expresses the emotions that were likely very much present for the writer in the political vacuum enveloping Sri Lanka and its Tamil diaspora in 2010, just one year after the Sri Lankan Civil War's violent and horrific end.

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: 2010
Subject(s): Mahendran Thiruvarangan
Type: Text
Source: Archival Creators Fellowship Program
Creator: Kartik Amarnath
Contributor: Mahendran Thiruvarangan

PROVENANCE
Collection: Kartik Amarnath Fellowship project
Donor: Mahendran Thiruvarangan
Item History: 2022-07-08 (created); 2022-07-12 (modified)

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