It's taken the wind out of my sails-so now you're always on my mind!

By Rypvanwinkle

My dear Velu,

I thought I must write to you after hearing what you had to say last week in your annual address to the nation which is probably awaited with even more anticipation and trepidation than Mahinda maama's budget speech!

Listening to you, Velu, I could hardly believe my ears. There you were trying to give us all a lesson in history as you see it, and then complaining bitterly that the international community had let you down. The way you argued, it seemed as if that was the reason for the recent escalation of the war, not your tactics of terror!

Listening to you, it was as if one could almost believe Mahinda maama's claim that you were on your last legs and pleading for a respite in the war. It was no wonder then that some people in Colombo were overjoyed at your speech and even predicted that it would be your last!

But of course, you have always had a keen sense of timing and proved that you were a master strategist. Who else but you could come up with a plan to rob the Green Man of victory at the last election, not because you loved Mahinda maama more but because it just suited your plans to the letter?

So, what most of us didn't realise therefore was that while you were making that surprisingly docile annual proclamation of yours, orders had already gone out to create mayhem the next day and prove to all of us that the Tiger was only licking his wounds.
How else could you explain what happened on Wednesday, Velu? Just when people heard of one explosion in the morning and thought that they had heard the hottest news for the day, there was another assassin lurking in the shadows, hunting his prey in the evening.

That second blast was much, much more devastating than the first, claiming twenty lives at the last count but you have to admit, Velu, that you just don't seem to be able to get your man, Douglas. I suppose even you would concede that he is a courageous chap, doing what he is doing and surviving this long!

So, Velu, after a long time you seem to have gotten back to your old habit of targeting civilians. You must surely know that the international community won't admire you for doing this, but then that is how you seem to want it, at least for the moment.

I am sure you are aware, Velu, that Mahinda maama has his hands full these days just retaining his numbers in Parliament which is probably why you have chosen to act in this manner. But then, don't forget that Mahinda maama was by and large your choice for the top job and he comes with a lot of baggage that includes three siblings!

Right now, after what you did on Wednesday, there are quite a few bomb scares every day. But of course, you would have guessed that we being who we are, we will drop our guard soon and get back to our old careless ways, leaving you free to strike again!
But I hope you do also realise that all your deeds of the past week have only resulted in all of us taking two steps backwards and that as long as you continue in this vein there will be no end to this war in the near future. But then, asking you to understand that is a bit too much to expect, isn't it?

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha
PS- If you thought that we would all be demoralised after what happened on Wednesday, you are wrong, Velu. We have the perfect antidote for such a situation that ensures that we forget all our problems: we have a series of cricket matches starting this week; Mahinda maama himself couldn't have asked for anything more!