Prominent Indian singer Srinivas and his daughter Saranya with their group of musicians performed for a large gathering at the Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre on Saturday (19). They arrived at Palaly Airport to a rousing welcome by the Jaffna Medical students on July 18.
Srinivas is an award-winning playback singer in the Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi music industry with over 3000 songs to his credit. He was a chemical engineer for 10 years before he turned to music.
The musical event was organized by the Medical Student’s Union of the Medical Faculty of Jaffna to raise funds to purchase a coach for their transportation needs.
The Medical Faculty of the University of Jaffna was commenced in 1978 and it has the reputation of surviving and functioning despite the thirty-year civil strife in the North. It suffered immensely with a significant number of high-profile academics attached to the Medical Faculty leaving the country due to security reasons.
One of the brilliant professors of Anatomy in Asia Prof. Rajani Thiranagama was shot dead outside the Jaffna Medical Faculty itself on September 21, 1989. An outspoken and dedicated human rights activist, she extensively promoted human rights to highlight the atrocities committed during the darker period in the North and East.
She was in the team of academic writers of the University of Jaffna who had brought out the popular book `Broken Palmyrah’ which highlighted the human rights violation and the brutalities committed during the war. The book was well received by the international community.
Following the cold-blooded murder of Prof. Rajani Thiranagama, a significant number of high-profile academics of the Medical Faculty as well as those who could afford to continue with their studies abroad, left the country and enrolled themselves in foreign universities.
However, it is admirable that the Jaffna Medical faculty and the Jaffna University at large managed to function despite the periods without electricity and with difficulties in obtaining essential goods such as fuel, food and medical items from other parts of the country. Medical students in particular, also faced difficulties in carrying out their laboratory and forensic studies.
Academics from other universities in the country were full of praise for the Jaffna University students for their dedicated and committed academic activities despite the hardships faced during the war.
The current batch of medical students expect to raise around Rs 25-30 million for their project. The coach they intend to buy will ease the transportation problems of the students who are boarded in the surrounding areas of the Jaffna Medical faculty which is located at Thirunelveli, Jaffna.
The bus is also expected to serve the students for their community outreach programs, including medical camps in rural areas.
