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It has been one of my lifelong dreams to visit the Pamban Bridge in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Can anyone in Tamil Nadu elaborate on the safety of a Sri Lankan in Tamil Nadu. I know there is a travel advisory as well as a ban on sportsmen from Sri Lanka, but is there a probability of being attacked on the streets or any other sort of discrimination/inconviniences (I have heard hotels regularly refuse to board Sri Lankans from the south)

Please note that I am from the south and I don't speak Tamil.

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    If you speak English, how are people going to know you are Sinhalese? I live in TN. I think that at worst, you'd get a few frowns. Why mention it at all? If you stick to English, you could pass as an Indian from out of state.
    – Fiksdal
    Commented Apr 22, 2016 at 6:22

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The bans on Sri Lankan sportsmen is against the spirit of the Indian Constitution which guarantees freedom of movement between states which are a part of India. However as you know, there is resentment against the Sinhalese people in Tamil Nadu for various reasons which you'd already be aware of.

That said, overall Tamil Nadu is one of the safest states in India by most indicators, violent crimes, rapes etc. You needn't worry about your safety if you visit, you will not be attacked or heckled on the streets as long as you don't openly advertise your lankan ties. To avoid problems with refusal of boarding I'd recommend you book your stay in advance with a reputable hotel or resort online(3+ star).

I would also recommend that you brush up on basic Tamil before your visit because the penetration of English is rather low in rural parts of the state.

I wish you all the very best for your trip, if you do choose to make it.

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  • Thanks, can you suggest anyway I could hide my southern sri lankan identity (or how i would likely reveal it)? could i pass off as a sri lankan muslim?
    – toing_toing
    Commented Jan 16, 2016 at 3:09
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    I don't think most Indians can identify a Sri Lankan in a crowd, what I meant was to not wear the Sri Lankan cricket jersey or the flag or any symbol that would indicate affinity to Lanka.
    – nikhil
    Commented Jan 19, 2016 at 19:08
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    +1 for language learning. Learning some basic greetings and such in the local language is useful almost everywhere. It is nearly universally true in Latin America, where knowing some basic conversational Spanish will be very appreciated and lead locals to treat you much better. It's not the level you reach, but your effort - give it a try and others will help you along if and when you make a mistake or get tongue-tied. If you shout in English you will be treated as another rich, entitled tourist to be gouged.
    – Robert Columbia
    Commented Mar 31, 2020 at 13:43

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