Latest news with #CentralInstituteofClassicalTamil
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Scholar Thayammal Aravanan receives Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Classical Tamil Award
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, on Tuesday (June 3, 2025), presented the Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Classical Tamil Award for 2025 to eminent Tamil scholar Thayammal Aravanan. The award carries a cheque of ₹10 lakh and a citation plaque. The award was presented in a function in Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai that marked the 'Semmozhi Day' celebrations on the occasion of the birth anniversary of late DMK leader and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. The CM also released two works published by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil — Tamil Vinayadigal - Varalatru Mozhiyiyal Ayvu by Rajendran Sankaravelayuthan and Sanga Ilakkiya Solvalam by P.R. Subramanian. Mr. Stalin also handed over enhanced financial aid to elderly Tamil scholars — M. Chakkaravarthi, R. Mohanasundaram, Bhanumathi alias Aathira Mullai, A. Idayageetham Ramanujam and N. Sundari. The CM also released a book listing out the achievements of the DMK government during the past four years, as published by Tamilarasu. The CM also handed over prizes to students, who emerged winners in various competitions held to mark 'Semmozhi Day'. Ministers K.N. Nehru, I. Periyasamy, .V. Velu, M.R.K. Panneerselvam, KR. Periakaruppan, M.P. Saminathan, Ma. Subramanian, P.K. Sekarbabu, Chennai Mayor R. Priya; MDMK founder Vaiko, VCK founder Thol. Thirumavalavan, CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan, IUML national president K.M. Khader Mohideen, MPs A. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran; legislators Thayagam Kavi and senior officials were also among those present. Earlier in the day, Mr. Stalin accompanied by Ministers and elected representatives paid floral tributes at the memorial of late leader M. Karunanidhi in Anna Square, statue of the late leader in Omandurar Government Estate campus and other places.
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Stalin to lead ‘Semmozhi Day' celebrations on Karunanidhi's birth anniversary
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is set to lead a series of commemorative events on June 3, marking the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister and DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi. The state government has officially designated the day as 'Semmozhi Day' to honour Karunanidhi's lifelong contributions to the Tamil language and literature. According to an official release, Stalin will begin the day by paying floral tributes to Karunanidhi's statue located at the Omandurar Government Estate campus on Anna Salai. The tribute ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. The main event of the day will be held at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, where a grand function has been organised by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT). As part of the celebration, Chief Minister Stalin will release a new set of Tamil scholarly books published by the institute. In line with the government's commitment to promoting the Tamil language and academic excellence, Stalin will also distribute certificates to scholars who have completed their doctoral studies in classical Tamil. This is seen as part of a broader push to encourage higher education and research in Tamil linguistics and heritage. Further underscoring the state's focus on preserving Tamil culture and recognising contributions to the language, the Chief Minister will hand over enhanced financial assistance to senior Tamil scholars. This aid is aimed at supporting elderly language experts who have spent their lives promoting and enriching Tamil literature. Additionally, prizes will be awarded to school and college students who emerged victorious in various Tamil-related competitions conducted in connection with 'Semmozhi Day'. These competitions were designed to increase student engagement with the language and to inspire a deeper appreciation for Tamil classical and modern literature. The state government's decision to observe June 3 as 'Semmozhi Day' annually reflects Karunanidhi's enduring legacy as a scholar, writer, and passionate advocate for Tamil. Officials stated that the day would continue to be marked with programs that promote Tamil language, literature, and culture across the state. With these initiatives, the government aims to keep alive the ideals that Karunanidhi stood for and to inspire future generations to take pride in their linguistic heritage.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
T.N. government plans series of events to mark Karunanidhi's birth anniversary on June 3
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is scheduled to take part in a series of events to mark the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on June 3, 2025. Mr. Stalin will pay floral tributes to Karunanidhi's statue at Omandurar Government Estate campus on Anna Salai at 9.30 a.m., an official release stated. With the government issuing orders to observe June 3 as 'Semmozhi Day', a function has been organised at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, where Mr. Stalin would release new books published by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil and distribute certificates to candidates who have completed their doctorates. Mr. Stalin will also distribute enhanced financial aid to elderly Tamil scholars and would also distribute prizes to students who excelled in various competitions.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Thirukkural translated into Kurukh, Gondi, Malto, and Brahui: A literary Milestone for Dravidian languages
The timeless wisdom of Thirukkural is set to break new ground. The Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) has commissioned its translation into four medium and minor Dravidian languages — Kurukh, Gondi, Malto and Brahui. Dravidianism Revival Centre, a not-for-profit organisation working on promoting Thirrukural in Dravidian languages, is involved in talent identification, resource sharing and guidance. The translation of Thirukkural marks a literary milestone in these languages, rich in oral traditions but nurturing their written forms. Former IRS officer and a native Kurukh speaker Mahesh S. Meenz is translating the Tamil treatise to Kurukh. In Gondi, Varaprasad Sidam, who has been promoting the language by putting out articles in the wikimedia incubator, is up for the task. For Malto – spoken by less than two lakh people – Rev. George Edward is involved in the Thirukkural translation. For the language of Brahui of Balochistan, Professor Muhammad Afzal Brohi has translated it. He is Professor at the Department of Architecture, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. He was formerly Director, UNESCO Mohenjo-daro Conservation Cell The Dravidian family Scientific studies, anthropologists and linguists confirm that these languages are part of the Dravidian family. Kurukh is a northern Dravidian language spoken by the Kurukh / Oraon tribe in eastern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Gondi belongs to the south-central branch of the Dravidian family and is spoken by Gond communities across central India. Malto, also part of the Northern Dravidian group, is spoken by the Malto (Paharia) tribes in the Rajmahal Hills and surrounding regions. Brahui, a linguistic outlier of the Dravidian family, is spoken in Pakistan's Balochistan province, as well as parts of Afghanistan and Iran—far from the traditional Dravidian heartland, yet situated at the very heart of the pre-Harappan Mehrgarh civilization (7000–5500 BC). According to Finnish Indologist Asko Parpola, this culture later migrated into the Indus Valley, eventually giving rise to the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization. All these languages lack a substantial body of written literature but the oral literature is rich with songs and poetry. 'In ancient Tamil Sangam literature, the male hero (talaivan) often shares a deep emotional bond with a male confidant, referred to as pāṅkaṉ. A similar tradition exists in Kurukh culture, where a young boy, with parental consent, may form a fraternal relationship—known as iar or sangi—with another boy from another clan, said Dr J Ravikumar Stephen G, founder, Dravidianism Revival Centre. Indian anthropologist Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi extensively studied the Malto tribe's belief systems and classified their language under the Dravidian family. In his comparative studies, Russian linguist Mikhail S Andronov placed the language among Northern Dravidian languages. There is evidence of a shared origin between Gondi and Tamil, as well as other Dravidian languages, due to their notable grammatical and syntactic similarities. 'Gondi and Tamil share thousands of cognates (words with a common ancestor) and grammatical features, making them both members of the South and Central Dravidian branch of the Dravidian language family,' said Dr. Annie Tisha Jerald, Junior Research Fellow, International School of Dravidian Linguistics, Thiruvananthapuram. Brahui, geographically isolated from the rest of the Dravidian family, shows strong connections to the Dravidian land. 'The 37 known Brahui tribes constituted a distinct polity, reminiscent of the 'Kurunila mannarkal' – the minor kings of ancient Tamilakam. These tribe rulers formed a confederation, just like the 'Nadu Vali', federation of Tamil Chera kings in early South Indian history,' Ravikumar Stephen said. A literary milestone The governments of West Bengal and Jharkhand have officially recognized Kurukh as one of the state languages. The development of exclusive scripts for Kurukh in the 1990s advanced the teaching of the language in schools and training centers across Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. Meanwhile, linguists in Telangana are advocating for the inclusion of Gondi in the Eighth Schedule. Malto lacks official recognition and a standardized script, which has hindered its development in formal education systems. Unlike the 19th-century German missionaries, the present-day Christian missionaries from Tamil Nadu have established Hindi-medium schools, which, according to Bishop Dr. Ravikumar, has significantly contributed to the decline of the Malto language. Many Brahui speakers are bilingual, often using Balochi or Urdu in daily life, which has led to concerns about language preservation, despite the fact that the University of Balochistan offers degree programs in Brahui from the bachelor's to the doctoral level. At such a time, translation of classical texts like the Thirukkural serves both political and literary purposes. 'The official recognition granted by the Jharkhand government to the Tolong Siki script—developed by Dr Narayan Oraon—has elevated the status of the Kurukh language in the region. That's why the Thirukkural translation project will carve out a meaningful space for Kurukh,' said Mahesh Meenz, a former IRS officer and the translator. 'The Thirukkural's portrayal of lifestyle themes—especially those related to love and agriculture—resonates deeply with both Tamil and Kurukh-speaking communities,' Mahesh added. Gondi, the language learned even by the IAS officers to communicate with people of Adilabad in Telangana, has ample oral literature in the form of riddles, folk songs and puzzles. 'Only two out of 100 speakers of Gondi can read and write the language, in Gunjala Script. Once translated, Thirukkural will serve as a philosophical guide to us,' said Varaprasad, who has completed seventeen chapters of Gondi translation using Telugu and Gunjala script, which is the oldest script of Gondi language. The other script, Masaram, is widely popular in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The translators share their connect with Thirukkural. 'While translating the Thirukkural, I felt as though it was written on the mountains and waters of Brahui. I could imagine Thiruvalluvar speaking with the king and the people here,' said Professor Muhammad Afzal Brohi. Translation enriches a language and the absence of written literature often leads to the extinction of a language. 'Kambar's Ramayanam, a transcreation of the epic in Tamil, surpassed many original and translated versions and set a high standard for Tamil narrative poetry. Other works such as The Bible, the Mahabharata, and later, John Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress', transcreated to Tamil in pure poetic format as 'Ratchanya Yathrigam' are some phenomenal works,' said Ravikumar. The challenges The translation project has encountered several challenges, most important among them being the difficulty in finding qualified translators and reviewers of the translated work. 'It took me more than three years to find translators for Malto. Through outreach via social media and word of mouth, I could achieve the feat,' said Ravikumar. Secondly, content translation was a tough task, as with the exception of the Malto translator, all of the others did not know Tamil. 'I provided them with existing translations of the Thirukkural in various languages such as English, Hindi, Bengali and Telugu,' Ravikumar said. As these languages are not exposed to scientific and philosophical genre, many words are just absent. Translators are coining new words with the help of century-old dictionaries created by GermanLutheran missionaries likeRev. Ferdinand Hahn. The translation project calls for an elaborate fact checking and review procedure. 'Thirukkural itself is imbued with secular and universal values. Unfortunately, some translators tend to introduce their own religious or cultural biases. For example, in the third couplet which describes the divine as 'the one who walked on a flower'—many translators inserted the term Kamal (lotus), which subtly implies a specific religious symbolism,' Ravikumar added. Political sensitivities can also pose challenges to translation initiatives. For instance, in the case of the Brahui translation—where the translator is a Pakistani national—clearances were required at the ministerial level. 'The Brahui translator submitted the application to the Union Minister for Education just hours before the tragic Pahalgam incident, and a response is still awaited,' said Dr Ravikumar Stephen. Despite such complexities, the CICT seems committed to making Thirukkural accessible in every Dravidian language. Director of CICT, Professor R Chandrashekharan has already published Thirukkural translations in medium and minor South Dravidian languages such as Badaga, Kodava, Koraga, and Tulu
The Wire
05-05-2025
- General
- The Wire
Union Government's Agastya Push Leaves Tamil Hearts Unmoved
Historical evolution of Tamil writing. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Donate now When someone in Tamil Nadu hears the name Agastya, what usually comes to mind is a short, pot-bellied sage with a dramatic aura – perhaps best remembered through Sirkazhi Govindarajan's portrayal in old Tamil cinema. What does not come to mind? Tamil grammar. And yet, in 2025, Agastya has intrusively staged an unlikely return – not through temples or folklore but through flashy seminars, conferences and institutional campaigns. As tradition goes, Lord Shiva dispatched Agastya to the south to restore balance to the earth, which had tilted due to overcrowding at his Himalayan wedding. With the Vindhya mountains promising not to grow and rivers in tow, Agastya brought Vedic knowledge to the south and settled in the Podhigai hills, forging his Tamil connections. A full-blown myth-making effort is underway to install Agastya as the father of Tamil grammar, leapfrogging over Tolkappiyar – the actual author of the Tolkappiyam, the oldest surviving Tamil grammar. Suddenly, Agastya is everywhere. Or, so we are told. This push to elevate Agastya, backed by institutions like the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, Kashi Tamil Sangamam, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Ayush, Bharatiya Basha Samiti and IIT Madras, promotes him as an all-knowing sage and founder of Tamil grammar. This effort seeks to replace Tolkappiyar's rightful place with a manufactured legacy, advancing historical revisionism. But why now? And why Agastya? The 'Agastya Returns' campaign has been aggressively propelled by Union government-sponsored initiatives. From seminars to Sangamams and even heated episodes over a Valluvar statue in Kashi aka Varanasi, the message is clear: Agastya is the 'Man' – even though he left behind no Tamil grammar texts. Meanwhile, the Valluvar episode seems conveniently forgotten. On March 7, 2025, Indus researcher R. Balakrishnan, former civil servant and the author of Journey of a Civilization: Indus to Vaigai, took the stage at Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and did what any thoughtful Tamil intellectual does – asked questions. His lecture, 'Agastya – A Relook', was not a tribute but a forensic audit. It drew inspiration from K.N. Sivaraja Pillai's 1930 work 'Agastya in the Tamil Land', and was described as a symbolic 'hero stone' honouring a fellow sceptic grounded in the Tamil tradition. Balakrishnan began by listing 389 books attributed to Agastya name, covering astrology, medicine, tantra, mysticism – but not a single Tamil grammar. Agastya's footprint in early Tamil literature is practically non-existent, with only a handful of speculative verses scattered about. Interestingly, two magazines were published bearing his name. Agastya, he shows, is a busy figure in mythology – featuring in the Rig Veda, where he penned 25 hymns, married Lopamudra and had a son, a tidy Vedic family. The sage then made appearances in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, South Indian tales and even had a stint in Southeast Asia. In terms of travel, he starts from Uttarakhand, makes a stop at Varanasi, swings by Nashik, pauses at Badami, drops into Podhigai Hills and finally ends up in Java. He also doubles as a family priest for Pandya kings and Kashyapa lineage, advises Rama in Dandakaranya and moves to Podhigai Hills – where, as the story goes, he finds spare time to write Tamil grammar. Agastya even finds time to curse people. Some legends claim he even cursed Tolkappiyar and Lopamudra – like a Vedic soap opera. As David Frawley, better known in Hindutva circles as Vamadeva Shastri, bluntly declares: 'There is no Tamil Agastya apart from the Vedic Agastya.' Unfazed by folklore, Balakrishnan combed through the 389 titles linked to Agastya. Nearly all fall into esoteric domains. Not one is a treatise on Tamil grammar. To me, it seems that if Agastya were to apply for a Tamil teaching position today, he would not even qualify for the shortlist. Balakrishnan also presented a case study on the Agastya-Lopamudra pair to examine how their story later permeated into Tamil culture. Balakrishnan views the Agastya-Lopamudra pairing, worshipped in A. Vallalapatti in Madurai and Maravakadu near Mannargudi, as a symbol of Vedic continuity, drawing a parallel to the Parasurama myth in Kerala. This shows how Vedic symbolism spread across both regions, but Tamil Nadu and Kerala have preserved distinct identities from Northern India, a difference still visible today. He also argues that 'Sangam literature consistently maintains a dichotomy with Sanskrit values,' and that evidence cannot be altered by mere tales. So, where did this claim originate? One thread traces back to 14th-century commentator Nachinarkiniyar, who, in his commentary on the Sangam poem Maduraikkanchi, attempts to infuse Agastya into the Tamil tradition by calling him 'Mudukadavul' – the old god. He also equates Ravana with 'thennavan' – the southern king. Balakrishnan notes that while the Tamil literature venerates Murugan as the Tamil Kadavul and credits his divine father, Shiva, with leading the first Tamil Sangam, Nachinarkiniyar without foundation elevates Agastya as the ancient god of Tamils. This mirrors Agastya's later elevation in Vedic tradition to the star canopus, despite not originally being part of the Sapta Rishi. Unimpressed, Balakrishnan quips, 'Calling Agastya the 'Old God' is the last thing a Tamil would do,' reminding us that for Tamils, Murugan is the god of choice.' As for Ravana, temples dedicated to him are found in Uttar Pradesh (Bisrakh, Kanpur) and Andhra Pradesh (Kakinada), but not in Tamil Nadu. Balakrishnan highlights the incongruity of Ravana, revered in certain parts of North India but hardly venerated in Tamil Nadu, arguing that if Ravana's presence in Tamil land is questionable, Agastya founding Tamil grammar becomes even more tenuous. Turning to the Tolkappiyam, our actual starting point for Tamil grammar, the foreword– attributed to Panampaaranar, a fellow disciple – claims that Tolkappiyar was familiar with the Aindra, a grammar text ascribed to Indra, who better renowned for his colourful escapades than for treatises. Even if we take such preface seriously, it introduces three individuals: Tolkappiyar, his contemporaries Panampaaran who authored the foreword and Athencottasan who presided over the book's release – all said to be disciples of Agastya. Yet, neither the preface nor the verses of the Tolkappiyam contain any mention – direct or indirect – of Agastya. Sangam literature, too, remains entirely silent on him. Quoting this, Balakrishnan wryly remarked that either they were the most ungrateful disciples in 'history', or Agastya had nothing to do with Tamil grammar. Balakrishnan finds Sangam literature and the Tolkappiyam – texts rooted in real landscapes, lived experiences and social customs – as the litmus test of Tamil antiquity. He noted that while Tolkappiyar acknowledges his predecessors as Enmanaar Pulavar and Noolari Pulavar yet makes no mention of Agastya whatsoever. Naturally, efforts have been made to conjure up Tamil sutras attributed to Agastya. In 1912, S. Bavanantham Pillai published a set of sutras, claiming they were from a larger corpus – 165 out of an alleged 3,000 – that had originally been printed in 1862 by Vedagiri Mudaliyar. Reading them aloud, Balakrishnan called them post-medieval in tone, clumsy in form and lacking linguistic finesse. 'If these were genuinely written by Agastya,' he said, 'it would be the gravest insult to Tamil grammar.' Why is Agastya being resurrected now? Balakrishnan connects this trend to efforts at reshaping Indian history to fit a pan-Vedic, Sanskritic narrative. In December 2023, David Frawley declared the Harappan civilisation to be the 'Vedic Saraswati Civilisation', drawing strong rebuttals from archaeologists like Disha Ahluwalia, who noted that 'Harappan' simply follows the type-site naming convention. Yet, Frawley's was not a lone voice. Social media also buzzed with similar claims, including assertions that the Indus script had been deciphered. One such voice was Jijith Nadumuri Ravi, a former scientist (per his Facebook bio), who eagerly linked Harappan finds to mythology, backing the controversial decipherment attempt by US-based Yajna Devam. His posts – such as 'Who Was Agastya?' and 'Is Tamil Devoid of Samskrt Influence?' – are prime examples of mythic extrapolation masquerading as historical insight. Curiously, critics usually quick to challenge Tamil assertions maintained a studied silence. Given this climate, it is hardly surprising that IIT Mandi now teaches rebirth and reincarnation to engineering students or that IIT Kharagpur's 2022 calendar featured a Saraswati-themed reinterpretation of the Indus Valley civilisation. In today's New India, scientific temper has taken a backseat, while mythology now takes centre stage in academia. Nevertheless, in Tamil Nadu, a different account is taking shape. Under the robust leadership of DMK's Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, the state government hosted an international Indus conference and announced a million-dollar reward for deciphering the Indus script in January 2025, followed by the unveiling of a statue of Sir John Marshall in March. Additionally, the State Archaeological Department published two reports: Indus Signs and Graffiti Markers of Tamil Nadu and Antiquity of Iron. Balakrishnan argues that Agastya's resurgence acts as a counter-narrative – a Sanskritic response to Tamil cultural claims based on empirical evidence, positioning him as a cultural envoy from north to south. This shift focuses less on grammar and more on cultural symbolism. He critiques the narrative, noting that 'Agastya is positioned in contrast to John Marshall,' highlighting the irony that the centenary of the Indus Valley civilisation was only celebrated in Tamil Nadu despite its national significance. However, not everyone is accepting this resurrection. Several Tamil associations like the Organisation of All India Tamil Sangams, have passed resolutions reaffirming Tolkappiyar as their revered figure – not divine, but documented; not mythical, but unmistakably Tamil – even as the Union government, through the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, funds Agastya-themed events. Suggesting a deeper cultural politics at play, Balakrishnan likens Indian pluralism to a rainforest—thriving through interdependent diversity. Unlike a melting pot or salad bowl, India's strength lies in preserving native traditions while embracing external influences, fostering a balanced cultural harmony. Therefore, the idea of 'one nation, one culture' does not fit India, where diversity is a foundational element of its identity. In Balakrishnan's words: 'Agastya is another Drona imposed on Tolkappiyar. But Tolkappiyar is no Ekalavya.' The metaphor stings. Like Drona demanded Ekalavya's thumb as guru-dakshina, robbing him of his skill, the 'Agastya Returns' risks, once again, true authorship from Tolkappiyar. Balakrishnan calls it a feeble attempt to strip Tolkappiyar of his rightful glory. As I walked out of that lecture, one thing was clear: Agastya may return now and then, but Tamils never noticed his absence, as he holds no meaningful role in their grammar. Dhileepan Pakutharivu is an advocate practising before the Madras high court. Views are personal.
