18 hours ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Echoes of Tamil woven on palm leaves
THANJAVUR: In the quiet corridors of Thanjavur, where centuries-old wisdom rests between brittle palm leaves and fading paper, Tamil Pundit Mani Maran finds his true calling—not just in preserving the past, but in passing it on. Even after the day's work ends, his mission continues as the 55-year-old sits with eager students, guiding them through the intricate art of reading ancient Tamil manuscripts. What began as a quiet passion has now grown into a mission—to train the next generation to unlock the forgotten voices of Tamil heritage, one script at a time.
Every Sunday evening, on a rented premises adjoining a temple on South Main Street in Thanjavur, 15 students gather around him to learn 'Tamil Suvadiyiyal' — the study of old Tamil palm leaf and paper manuscripts. 'There are lakhs of manuscripts in India, but only about 10% have been read and published. There's still so much hidden knowledge waiting to be discovered,' says Maran, who holds a doctorate in Tamil.
This journey began in 2017 when he and a few friends felt the urgent need to train more people in manuscript reading. Together, they formed a non-profit trust called Yedagam – Education, Social Development and Research Centre. Their mission is to teach others how to read and publish ancient Tamil texts.
They started with evening classes, two or three times a week, after work hours. The first batch had 14 students. Over time, Yedagam partnered with institutions like the International Institute of Tamil Studies and Bharathidasan University to offer recognised certificate and diploma courses.
