Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, the daughter of a Tamil activist-turned militant, Arul Pragasam, was born in Hounslow, London. When she was six months of age, her family moved back to their native Sri Lanka. Motivated by his wish to support the Tamil militancy in Sri Lanka, her father became politically known as Arular and was a founding member of The Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), a militant Tamil group. Her alias, M.I.A., stands for both Missing in Acton and Missing in Action.
Arulpragasam has an older sister, Kali, and a younger brother, Sugu. Due to the conflict, much of her young age was spent moving from home to home. Contact with her father was strictly limited, as she says he was in hiding from the Sri Lankan Army. As the civil war escalated, it became unsafe for the family to stay in Sri Lanka, so they relocated to Cennai, Tamil Nadu, India, moving into a derelict house, with sporadic visits from her father. They later settled in Jaffna again. By now, the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka was at its peak, and the family once again tried to flee the country. Eventually, Arulpragasam, her two siblings and mother Kala made it back to London where they were housed as refugees. It was in the late '80s, on a council estate in Mitcham (South London), that an eleven-year-old Arulpragasam began to learn the English language. Here she was exposed to Western radio for the first time, hearing broadcasts emanating from her neighbours' flats. Her affinity for hip-hop and rap began from there. Acts including Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shante and N.W.A. would become just some of her early music influences.
Arulpragasam attended London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, where she studied Fine Art, Film and Video. Arulpragasam currently lives in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, New York in the United States.
source: www.desihits.com
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