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Why Renaming Jaffna Cultural Centre Stirred a Storm in Sri Lanka

Last week, the Indian High Commission had announced that the centre in Jaffna will be renamed as ‘Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre’ to honour the Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar, but it was soon renamed again. 
Jaffna Cultural Centre, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/ Theeveralst (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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New Delhi: Following backlash from politicians and intellectuals of an Indian-made cultural centre in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, the Indian authorities have decided to rename it once again to now call it ‘Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre’.

Earlier known as ‘Jaffna Cultural Centre’ (JCC), on January 18, the Indian High Commission had announced that it will be renamed as ‘Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre’ to honour the Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar. 

“High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka H.E Santosh Jha and Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Hon’ble Hiniduma Sunil Senevi jointly announced the naming of the Cultural Centre in Jaffna as ‘Thiruvalluvar Cultural Center’, in honour of the great Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar, at a ceremony held on 18th January 2025,” read a communique released by the high commission.

Built on a piece of land belonging to the Jaffna Municipal Council with finances granted by the government of India, the Jaffna Cultural Centre (JCC) – the tallest building in the city – was described as India’s gift to the people of Jaffna. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the centre in 2015, while it was inaugurated by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar in 2022.

The Indian government is funding its running cost and maintenance for five years, while the Indian consulate in Jaffna is in charge of its administration.

Following the ceremony, Modi, Jaishankar and other Indian officials welcomed the renaming in social media posts, celebrating it as a testament to India-Sri Lanka relations.

In a post on X, Modi called it “a testament to the deep cultural, linguistic, historical and civilisational bonds between the people of India and Sri Lanka”. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi said it was “another milestone” in Modi’s “continued efforts to celebrate and propagate the pride of Tamil language and culture worldwide”. 

However, it was not received well by the Sri Lankan side.

Backlash over the name change

According to some media reports, it appeared that the renaming exercise had been undertaken suddenly, without consulting any Tamil representatives and was a “hush hush” affair confined to Indian officials and sections of the Anura Dissanayake Government. 

According to a report by The Hindu, the Government of Sri Lanka “had no objection” with the name change. However, the controversy spiralled across the Tamil media in Sri Lanka and on social media platforms. 

However, Sri Lankan fisheries minister Ramalingam Chandrasekhar was quoted at the opening of an NPP public relations office, saying that he had no idea of this name change. “It was only after the unveiling that I noticed the name change,” he was quoted saying by Daily FT. While he did not express objection to the renaming, he said it would have been better if the name remained as Jaffna Cultural Centre.

Sri Lankan minister Douglas Devananda questioned if the name change was influenced by any “hidden agenda aimed at eroding the cultural identity of the Tamil people”.

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), a dominant Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, held an emergency meeting following which they submitted a memorandum to the Indian consul general in Jaffna condemning the move.

“We revere the saint poet Thiruvalluvar here [in Sri Lanka], we have installed several statues of his. We do not oppose him. But the removal of the word “Jaffna” (from the Cultural Centre’s earlier name) amounts to insulting us,” read the letter, as reported by The Hindu

Journalists, political activists and local residents of Jaffna called it an “avoidable” controversy.

Soon after, the centre was quietly renamed as the ‘Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre’ as seen in the recent post of Indian consulate general in Sri Lanka. 

The city of Jaffna holds much cultural significance for the Sri Lankan Tamil community, and is also known to be the birthplace of Tamil separatism.

The 11-storey Jaffna Cultural Centre has a capacity of 600 people, a multimedia library with online research facilities, exhibition and gallery space and a museum. It has hosted several shows showcasing local artists, cultural performances and talk shows of artists and scholars from India.

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