The Prabhakaran Saga: The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior , by S. Murari

V.Prabhakaran, the man who took up arms at the age of 17 and led one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist organisations to realise the dream of the Tamil Eelam, died in the final battle with the Sri Lankan forces in May 2009, leaving behind Tamils who are a disillusioned and demoralised ‘nation’. The end of the war established the writ of the Sri Lankan state and re-established Sinhala hegemony. S. Murari, in his book The Prabhakaran Saga: The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior, depicts the Prabhakaran era in the history of Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict in an objective manner.

S. Murari, as a special correspondent of the Deccan Herald in Chennai, made innumerable visits to Sri Lanka to cover the ethnic conflict. The experiences, earned during these extensive visits and interactions with both Sinhalas and Tamils involved in the conflict, are well presented in the book. Beginning from 1987 until the end of the war in 2009 and beyond, the author elucidated the political developments in Sri Lanka in a lucid manner without being judgmental. The author points out: