Shadows of War – Part 1

Shadows of War – Part 1

Jaffna in the 90s Portrayed through Photographs

All was quiet on the Jaffna front after bitter fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) with the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka and also the Indian Peace Keeping force (IPKF).

But just because it was quiet did not mean that the war was over, no, not at all. The guns remained silent, but the damage had been done to fellow human beings and property which could not be estimated. The war could have erupted at anytime. No one knew when?

The peace that existed at that time helped me to get about to visit some important sites in Jaffna. Some of these were important landmarks in the city of Jaffna, but sadly were in ruins.

The few doctors who were working in the General Hospital, Jaffna as well as the staff in the Faculty of Medicine showed their gratitude to the two visiting examiners by inviting us for fellowship, Lunch and Dinner on many occasions.

I was able to capture some photographs in the city of Jaffna and in the outskirts.  I managed to take a few ‘snap shots’ as well during fellowship with the doctors in Jaffna.

These are placed on record for the benefit of the readers of my ‘blog’ as well as for posterity.

Dear Reader, you might like our next gallery which is a continuation of this, titled : ‘SHADOWS OF WAR – PART 2’

You also might be interested in watching some of our other photo gallery links are given here : ‘WAR FRONT – 1’ / ‘WAR FRONT – 2’ / ‘PHOTO GALLERY – PICTORIAL JOURNEY OF SURGERY’ / ‘MY LIFE’ / ‘SPORTS’

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25 thoughts on “Shadows of War – Part 1

  1. Superb pictures Gamini. Thank you for sharing. Gives a glimpse of your varied life experiences

  2. Very educational- the destruction of historical monuments by war. Evidence of waste. hope this will not repeat itself anywhere in the island nation.

  3. Nice memories…..Children were playing football Jaffna Central College. It is one of the oldest schools in Sri Lanka.

  4. Picture 13 is really touching……. so sad. In this, the picture tells many things. All she had and her faith too!

  5. Memoirs of a great surgeon and humanitarian frankly and lucidly presented with relevant pictures

  6. I was glad to see the friendliness on the faces of the people around you. This leaves room for positivity in the future, where hopes for an united Sri Lanka is possible provided that justice, freedom and rule of law is provided.

  7. Great pics for posterity and it also shows your dedicated and selfless service to humanity, I can relate to this period as I studied in Jaffna till I was in grade 7 in 1990 and your friend Dr Ganesharatnams son Ramana was in my batch at St Johns College

  8. Once again I am blown away by your experiences. You discharged all your duties with aplomb leaving us a standard to aspire, albeit in different fields.

  9. We were touched by the smiling kids photo with you and the one of the sick woman living with such deep faith and also that neighbours are concerned. WE wish and pray that many more folks will learn to bring a smile to the face of any kid and care for the elderly neighbours also

    1. Dr Gamini Goonetillake has answered beyond his call of duty to the country and the people.It is up to us all to take forward the lessons well learned and ensure that history does not repeat .I only hope that my hope is not against hope.The beneficiaries of that tragedy are enjoying their success and do not wish to extinguish the embers. – Brigadier Ranjan de Silva

  10. Glad to see good-hearted people like yourself bringing up the real pictures of Jaffna during the war to the public.

  11. Read the book In The Line of Duty ……….
    A great man with a great service to the Nation during the war.

  12. It feels like reading a novel, but a true story. Life is so interesting if you help people in different ways.
    salute you Sir!

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