In the eastern Sri Lankan town of Batticaloa nearly a 1,000 women, men and youth had gathered for a cultural programme organised by the District Action Group, a partner of the campaign. They were enthralled by the young vocalist Janani who stirred them with a song of a woman victimised by her husband and other family members. "The song brought back old memories, “said an extremely moved 50-year-old lady in the audience.

The song was written and composed for the occasion by Sinniah Krishnapillai, who writes under the pen name Thimilai Thimulan. A noted Tamil poet from Batticaloa, his work has been published in Sri Lanka and India. The 71-year-old retired teacher began writing when he was 15 and has hundreds of poems, novels, short stories, plays and folk stories to his credit. Many of his compositions are based on folklore.
"I wrote this song on the request of my niece," says Thimilai. "She asked me to write a poem so that she could sing it at that cultural programme."

Writing about a woman's woes is not new for Thimilai. He has written numerous poems and short stories on the issue of violence meted out to women in homes and in society at large. "I have written and composed more than 100 poems and songs on the subject. I focus on patriarchal issues and the need to promote equality in society," he says.

Thimilai's writing is based on real life incidents of violence in his home town and his own understanding of domestic violence. "I have always felt that women deserve equal status in the society as their roles as mother, wife and sister are crucial. They do not deserve discrimination of any sort and our folk stories are full of instances where women commanded superior positions in the society.”

The septuagenarian writer and poet draws inspiration from the famous Indian poet and social reformer Subramanian Bharathi.

As a trainer of teachers at the Teachers' Training College in Batticaloa, Thimilai taught Tamil, primary education, sociology and psychology to his students. During the course of his work, he also encouraged his students (many of whom took up teaching in schools all over north and east of Sri Lanka) to be sensitive to social issues, particularly violence in homes.

"Violence in the family affects children,'" he says. "As teachers it is our duty to take care of our pupils and ensure that they get a proper environment to grow up and blossom as citizens and responsible human beings."

Thimilai has inspired all his seven children. His three daughters and four sons, some of whom live abroad, write songs, poems, short stories and novels. Many of his students have also been inspired by him to write on social issues.

Various radio and television networks that have Tamil language programmes prominently feature Thimilai's compositions. Currently his work is being featured on Eye Channel, which telecasts Tamil programmes all over the country.