Mahendran Thiruvarangan Oral History Interview
At the time of this interview, Mahendran Thiruvarangan ('Thiru') is a senior lecturer at the University of Jaffna Department of Linguistics and English, and is a scholar who focuses on postcolonial literatures, the relationships between land and literature, radical democracy, and nationalism and co-existence. He received his PhD in English in 2019 from the City University of New York.
Thesis on the Jaffna Exodus During the Sri Lankan Civil War
Mahendran Thiruvarangan's undergraduate thesis, titled "The Politics of Narrating the Exodus of 1995," was his first formal exploration on the theories and critiques of nationalism, drawing on his own personal experience enduring the Jaffna Exodus during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
"A Search that Depressed Me" by Mahendran Thiruvarangan
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.
Dr. Rajani Thiranagama's Portrait
The University of Jaffna Teachers' Association displays the portraits of deceased university academics in the Senior Common Room. When an academic or ex-academic dies, a commemoration event is organized by the Association and afterwards the portrait of that person displayed in the Senior Common Room.
Land Commission Meeting in Northern Sri Lanka
Mahendran Thiruvarangan was part of a land commission initiated by an umbrella organization that works on land related issues known as People's Action for Right to Land. This photo was taken when a Muslim woman in Mullaitivu spoke about the challenges she faces in re-claiming her land following her return to Mullaitivu.
Mahendran Thiruvarangan Performing as Lago in Shakespeare's Othello
A stage performance of Othello in which Mahendran Thiruvarangan ('Thiru') acted as Iago in Shakespeare's Othello when he was fifteen years old at Jaffna College. Jaffna College is discussed in detail during Thiru's interview for the Archival Creators Fellowship project on Ilankai Tamil Feminism, for which Thiru is also an advisor.
Mahendran Thiruvarangan's PhD Dissertation on Coexistence and Nationalism
Mahendran Thiruvarangan's (also known as Thiru) dissertation on nationalism, resistance, and coexistence is discussed in detail during his oral history interview for the Archival Creators Fellowship project for which he was also an advisor.