M.I.A. has stated in interviews her father shared revolutionary ideals , and that he was a politician , although she has had no contact with him since the early 1990s . Rarely speaking about her father publicly , in an interview with '' The Guardian '' in 2005 , M.I.A. stated " He never had a practical , physical influence " in her family 's life . On his involvement in the war and some writers referring to him as a former Tiger rebel , she has said " People write it because it 's easy . The Tigers were big in numbers but my dad was too selective . The Tigers had machetes and said , ' They killed my mum so I 'm going to fucking fight them . ' And my dad was like , ' No no no no , read this amazing book about revolution . Let 's sit down and draw up a manifesto . " In 1997 , he set up an Institute of Sustainability Development at Trincomalee on the Eastern Province 's coast . The same year , he wrote a seminal book on Tamil history , and was based in the island 's north east and Tamil Nadu until the mid-2000s . He contacted his daughter following the release of her debut album in 2004 , telling her to change its name , however she refused . His house was flooded after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami . Arulpragasam moved to Britain and now heads the Britain-based Global Sustainability Initiative , which has overseen inventions such as a redesigned bullock cart , a motorised wheelbarrow and a car that consumes less petrol . Arulpragasam has explained " GSI 's mission is to develop a program with a global perspective . " Arul Pragasam is the father of jewellery designer Kali Arulpragasam , musician/filmmaker/visual artist Mathangi " Maya " Arulpragasam ( better known by her stage name , M.I.A. ) , and Sugu Arulpragasam . His family moved back to Sri Lanka when Maya was six months old . M.I.A. named her debut album '' Arular '' in 2005 after this name , partly for him to get in contact with her . " Arular " was his nom de guerre during the civil war . M.I.A. said of her upbringing : " I only had my mum . I never grew up with my dad so I do n’t know what he ’s like . I think I ’m a mixture of both . My mum ’s really passive , quiet and she ’s not feisty . She cared about bringing in food and getting us to school and stuff but that ’s as far as it went . Growing up without a dad , I was going to school and turning up at parents ’ meetings on my own . At the time everyone was like , “ Oh if you had a dad he ’d pay for your school and you ’d have a better future . ” At the time , my mom was bringing us up and she was like , “ The only thing your father gave you was a name . ” So that ’s why I used his name “ Arular ” on my album to turn it into a statement that my mom always made . If the only thing he ’s going to give me is a name , then that ’s what I ’m going to use . " In 2005 , M.I.A. told EGO Magazine that despite her father 's involvement in the conflict , she felt no affiliation to either armed party in the war , noting her work to be the voice of " civilians and refugees that get caught up in the cross fire of politics " and shocking enough to invoke discussion in young people that felt they had no right to talk . Following the end of the armed conflict in 2009 , M.I.A. condemned the Government of Sri Lanka for engaging in systematic genocide against Tamils . In a 2010 feature for '' The Fader '' , she stated of the US and Sri Lankan government 's behaviour towards her following her rise in prominence : " He negotiated peace processes , brought in the new army , and when he goes to Sri Lanka , it ’s the government who gives him security against the Tigers , ” she explains . “ They used it the other way and told the world my dad ’s a Tiger which got me to this point . It ’s like , ‘ Wow I did n’t know this guy , and this guy has been working for you for 20 fucking years , and when you feel like it you want to use my own dad against me to discredit what I do . ’ " Arulpragasam , Maya ( 2002 ) . '' M.I.A. No. 10 '' ( Paperback ed . ) . Pocko Editions .
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
Arul Pragasam