The Prabhakaran Saga
The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior
- S. Murari - Formerly Associate Editor, Deccan Herald, India
The book is a first-person account by the author based on his innumerable visits to Sri Lanka during its turbulent years. He looks at the Prabhakaran era, a critical phase in the country's history, objectively, without being judgemental.
[The book] offers an easy narration of the complex history of the rise and fall of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, through the multiple axles of politics and violence in Sri Lanka, India and the Sri Lankan Territories occupied by the Tamil Tigers. The Chronological account of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is the core of the book. The unfolding of events is presented with comprehensive details so that even a novice in the subject can become quite well versed in the same.
The chronological coverage of melange of conspiracies and assassinations, politics and perfidy, and the tragedy of mindless violence enables the reader to understand the complexities of war and its root causes. Written in journalistic style, factual account has all the ingredients of a fictional one...the book is full of interesting first-hand-anecdotes and vignettes of backroom political machinations that went on in Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere...the book also covers critical developments in Sri Lanka to broaden the understanding of the issue. The author’s observation on events as they unfolded before him make the book useful for students of contemporary history...the book, besides outlining the history of Lanka’s Tamil problem, provided a few lessons on how to handle insurgencies and their aftermath. A good buy.
