The Yukthiya
Reproduction
By Gagani Weerakoon
Parents often name their daughters ‘Seetha’, as the name resonates with virtue and purity, as depicted in the mythology of the Ramayana.
However, the parents of Seetha Ranjani, the eldest of six children, could never have imagined, 70 years ago, that their daughter would lead a life that truly embodies the meaning of her name.
In Hindu culture, ‘Seetha’ signifies a furrow or an earthen lane, symbolising virtue and purity; it essentially represents a strong and resilient woman.
Born on 8 March 1954, coincidentally on International Women’s Day, in the rural village of Perimiyankulama in the Anuradhapura District, Wannihamilage Seetha Ranjani moved to Colombo from Rajarata in 1986.
She went on to become a trailblazer in Sri Lankan journalism.
She dedicated her journalistic career to telling the stories of unfairness and injustice faced by the powerless at the hands of the powerful.
The woman who led many struggles against draconian rulers, impunity and for the betterment of downtrodden persons and communities for more than three decades and fiercely fought against cancer for over two decades was finally forced to take a break and rest in power just few weeks before she turned 71.
Seetha or Seetha akka for many irrespective of whether you are in your twenties, thirties or even sixties decided to take her final breath on 16 February and were buried under the same sky, in the same soil she was born.
Many comrades and fellow journalists recalled Seetha’s struggles under most difficult conditions and there was one thing that echoed- fear was something she unheard of.
(I did not know these stories I was away in United kingdom)
The year 1986 was a pivotal one for Seetha as she received an invitation to join the editorial board of the ‘Vivarana’ magazine, published in Colombo.
This opportunity was the reason she left Anuradhapura and moved to Colombo. By that time, she was working as a grade B radio announcer in Rajarata Radio.
“Everyone told me that moving to Colombo would be good for my creative life. There was no particular reason for me to stay in Anuradhapura. I had no special attachment to the dry environment there, nor did I find much beauty in it that I needed to experience. Although I had no close relationships, I eventually decided to come to Colombo. I arrived and stayed in a boarding house for about three months before I took up the job at ‘Vivarana’. During those three months, my life at the boarding house became quite uncomfortable,” she recalls in a previous conversation with Athula Vithanage of Journalist for Democracy Sri Lanka (JDS).
Seetha who acquainted with Leena Irene Haputhanthri, a leading activist in the Women’s and Media Collective, found a solution to her accommodation issue when latter arranged a room for her at the office of the Women’s and Media Collective in Rajagiriya.
“It was there that I got used to living alone and handling everything on my own. Leena would stay there one day a week. We spent many evenings talking, and those nights were beautiful. The building where the ‘Vivarana’ office was located also housed the offices of the Movement for the Defence of Democratic Rights (MDDR). It was there that I met people like Wimal Perera, S.G. Punchihewa, and Sivagurunadan. They even offered me membership in the MDDR. ‘Vivarana’ had a small editorial team. The chief editor was Vincent Kurumbapitiya, and the team included Yasalal Wanniarachchi, Karambe Gunannandathera, Pushpa Ramlini Rathnayake, and me, along with other editors. In addition to my work at ‘Vivarana’, I also got involved with the activities of the Women’s and Media Collective in my free time. I also contributed to ‘Shakthi’ magazine, which was published by the Collective. Thus, my weekends were spent working on collective programmes. It was during these events that I met people like Rohan Pereira, Deepthi Kumara Gunaratne, and K.K. Saman Kumara. By then, I had the opportunity to write poems and short stories to ‘Ethttha’ Newspaper. After seeing my work, Piyal Somaratna from ‘Mawatha’ magazine came to meet me at ‘Vivarana’. Later, I even attended their discussions. During that time, I had two of my poetry pages published in ‘Mawatha’ Magazine,” she elaborated her journey.
In 1989, while Seetha survived the horrors of the civil conflict, she found herself still living in danger.
By 1990, the MERGE organisation, had launched the newspaper, titled ‘Yukthiya’ (Justice) by merging artistic publication ‘Sankalana’ to meet the market’s need for a news publication.
Consequently, the tabloid-sized ‘Yukthiya’ was printed and distributed to readers on May Day of the same year.
“Initially, it was just Sunanda (Deshapriya) and I working on the paper. I was entrusted with editing the literature and arts section.
The distribution was handled by Joseph from MERGE. About two months later, C. J. Amarathunga, Amare, Nirmal, and Joe Senewiratne joined the paper. Shortly thereafter, Sarath Saranga was brought in to organise the newspaper’s sales. Within a year, C. Dodawatta also joined ‘Yukthiya’.
About a year later, Saman Wagarachchi joined.
Saman, who had been working on environmental projects, was brought in by Sunanda. During this period, the newspaper’s page layouts were designed by Sendaruwan Senadheera, a former advertising professional. His fees were fair, and as a result, we brought in Ravi Chandralal to assist with the layouts. Ravi had previously worked in an advertising agency, and his speed was unmatched, which was critical for the paper. We helped him out until he took full control of the task.”
‘Yukthiya’ was printed at the ‘Navamaga’ Press in Dehiwala, owned by Kelli Senanayake, a leader of the 1971 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).
In 1991, President Premadasa sealed off ‘Navamaga’ Press in a bid to stop printing ‘Yukthiya’.
However, the paper was eventually printed by a different press and released to the market.
This made ‘Yukthiya’ gain further popularity among readers.
As Seetha Ranjani became more involved in media and social activism, some believed that her creative pursuits had somewhat diminished.
However, her response to this was sharp:
“Since my childhood, I always envisioned myself engaging in some form of collective work for the common good. That’s why I focused my energy on working for society. I also had the opportunity to remain at home and write. A publisher came to meet me, asking to publish my creations. But I felt that my work wasn’t of a high enough standard to be published. Instead, I contributed to collective efforts, which I found fulfilling. Some of the publications I contributed to include Donkara: Poems from the Battlefield, The Talking Flames (Katha karanagini dal), Raman: The Story of a Tamil Guerrilla, Tangamma (a collection of song lyrics), Those Who Carry the Heavy Burden (a radio drama), Yakku
(a collection of Tamil short stories), and Tsunami Victims.
All of my publications were presented as results of collective work.” She explained.
Seetha, who was always seen clad in colourful attires with an extra effort put into match her dress with accessories, as many of her friends and colleagues would remember, in her own subtle ways has proven feminists and activists are no longer bra-burning, man eating strange species.
Seetha in her last poetry collection ‘uraga winsathiyaka kurulu biththara’ in her own typical unconventional use of the language questions, provokes and contemplates what will happen to bird eggs if snakes get wind of those when they come out of the cold, dark, muddy places of hibernation.
Through her poem ‘Upasaka Aeththo’ in the same collection, Seetha in not-so-poetic language takes those who turn a blind eye to injustices in the society to task while claiming it is ‘none of their business’.
She questions the morality of those who selfishly ignore social responsibility and equals their ignorance to the perpetrators.
Diagnosed with cancer for several years, Seetha challenged death few occasions and emerged victorious. She continued to share her expertise with the younger generation generously and engaged in her activism until few days before she took her last.
Seetha’s long-time comrade or partner in crime Sunanda Deshapriya posting an old picture of Seetha on Meta recalls:
“This photograph represents an important milestone. It was on the day of the Richard-Rajini memorial ceremony in 1991.
We organised it under Yukthiya newspaper.
It was the first major protest against the oppressive rule of Premadasa.
Seetha was never afraid of oppression. Once she took on a task, she saw it through to the end. When we had difficult organisational work, it was Seetha we entrusted it with.
On that day, Seetha, with defiance, started the protest by grabbing this torch and running. We spent a month preparing for the protest. We made posters, sold them, and our fellow readers came from all over the country to assist at the office. There were days when we didn’t rest for two or three days in a row.
The Yukthiya staff consisted of fellow activist gang.
The only woman amongst us was Seetha!
We used the proceeds from the newspaper, which amounted to several hundred thousand rupees, to fund the event.
We chose Richard and Rajini because we wanted to highlight personal murders and the wider political oppression.
Our plan was to establish a memorial at the place where Richard’s body had been found, and from there, to carry a baton of resistance towards the Viharamaha Devi Park, walking along the way, step by step.
The Police had a presence there early in the morning.
Richard’s mother, Manorani, also came. She stayed with us, continuously working with us.
The two fishermen who had seen Richard’s body for the first time also joined the memorial. Breaking through the Police line, we walked a bit further.
When we arrived at the Viharamaha Devi Park, it was already dusk. Even before the event started, the area was full of people.
Kalo (Fonseka), Manorani, and I addressed the gathering.
A musical performance was held, and the place was filled with other singers and musicians. To the best of my knowledge, it was the only day when people from various backgrounds and without any political party support gathered to fill the Viharamaha Devi Open Theatre.
It was the day when the challenge was made against the repression of Premadasa!
Back then, we had nothing to lose. When threatened, we would say, “If you’re afraid of ghosts, you wouldn’t build houses in the graveyard.” Seetha, who carried a heavy burden, told us that “Yukthiya” meant more than just a newspaper.
We were doing campaign journalism. Seetha also ran the poetry page, and the poems she wrote were like fire – words that spoke out. If you haven’t read them, find them and read. It feels like you’re still in the battle!
This photograph was taken on the first day of our national “Free from Fear” campaign. I’ll never forget how Seetha laughed and faced the Police.
We were there to start a battle; Proudly.
The story behind the laughter in this photograph is just that. We were in it for the game. When the game is fair, the result is immense joy. There’s an ego to it.
Seetha, continue to smile just like that today, just as you did back then. If you’re afraid of ghosts, you wouldn’t be building houses, would you?
Life is a struggle. If that struggle becomes sweet, life itself becomes a victory. It transforms from being an ordeal to being an achievement. That’s the true sweetness.
