When Art Is Refuge

When Sri Lankan couple Chidambaram and Bhuvaneswari boarded a ferry to Tamil Nadu, holding their eight-month-old daughter tightly in arms, in a bid to escape the turmoil swallowing up the island nation in the 1990s, one thing was certain in their minds.

- Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam @Madurai

When Sri Lankan couple Chidambaram and Bhuvaneswari boarded a ferry to Tamil Nadu, holding their eight-month-old daughter tightly in arms, in a bid to escape the turmoil swallowing up the island nation in the 1990s, one thing was certain in their minds. That they would return, one day. However, three decades down the line, their daughter found a haven amidst the 'temporary' shelter, and has been persevering to make it her own sweet home.

C Jegatheeswari Sasidaran, a Sri Lankan refugee residing in Anaiyur Refugee Camp, is ever-ready to make lemonade when life gives her lemons. While numerous Sri Lankan Tamils, who arrived in Tamil Nadu seeking asylum, are yet to figure out their calling in a new country, this woman in her thirties is trying to make the journey less painful, at least for a few of them. Applying her ideals, she traces sponsors to ensure the higher studies of the children of her refugee camp.