Late Shanmugam Sabesan

Sabeshan Anna ❤️

White shirt, dark jeans,
Salt-and-pepper beard,
Signature twisted moustache, and a gentle smile – that was him.

Towards the end of 2008, in front of the Melbourne Parliament,
he stood as the lead coordinator of the very first protest
against the genocide unfolding in our homeland.
"He was the man in charge."

In 2009, Sabeshan Anna played a vital role in many demonstrations held in Melbourne.
During a time filled with unrest and emotion,
he handled challenges with grace and helped the community protest peacefully, without obstacles.

Professionally, he was a senior officer in the Australian Government.
Legally or otherwise, any issue that arose – he had the ability to handle it.
I personally knew many who stood strong beside him.

We organised hundreds of protests.
Never once did we face a legal issue.
Even if one arose, Sabeshan Anna and his team would shoulder the blame – never letting it fall on anyone else.

That’s why we all called him “The Responsible One”.

One day, while driving in my car,
he emotionally shared the story of meeting Thalaivar (the Leader) during the height of the war.
He always carried with him a handwritten letter from Thalaivar addressed to
“Beloved Sabeshan” – a letter he preserved in his wallet.

When he handed it to me, the emotion I felt while holding it
is something I simply cannot express in words.

I still remember that day…
May 19, 2009.

At exactly 1:00 AM, Sabeshan Anna called me.
With tears choking his voice, he said:
“Thambi, it’s all over…” and he wept uncontrollably.
I had never seen him cry like that.

That was the day Sabeshan Anna died… emotionally.
From then on, he walked the world like a ghost –
a soul crushed under the weight of loss.

He had deeply loved the soil, the people, the struggle, and above all, the Leader.
He couldn’t bear that loss.

Truly, after that day, Sabeshan Anna fell into deep depression –
mentally distressed, detached from himself.

Everything he did or said thereafter wasn’t truly from him –
his sense of self was lost.

Many began to dislike him,
distanced themselves,
and removed him from responsibilities.

But those of us who knew the real Sabeshan Anna stood by him.
Even when he once got upset with me over a trivial issue and
angrily shouted:
“Even if I die, don’t you dare shed a tear for me!” –
I never hated him.

Because I understood…
That was his final phase.
He had become like a child.

Later, at one event, he ran toward me, hugged me tightly and said:
“Thambi…”
He lifted my son, kissed him lovingly, and blessed him as
“Our little Tamil firebrand!”

That was Sabeshan Anna ❤️

Time rolled on…

In 2020,
Sabeshan Anna finally departed from us –
forever.

When I went to bid him farewell for the last time,
he was peacefully asleep, eyes closed, resting in silence.

As I placed flowers at his feet and turned to leave,
I heard a voice whisper…

“Thambi…”

Sabeshan Anna…

I really miss you.

– Tamil Podiyaan 🖤