http://sify.com/news/tamil-pride-or-linguistic-suicide-news-columns-kg2pRMbahjh.html
There's a blood bath going on at Sify.com over this. Do feel free to join in. For the record, as a Tamil whose fluency in languages is limited to the abovesaid and English (though I horrify people with my Hindi and Spanish at will), I know how difficult it is to live in a place where you don't speak the language (my friends in Delhi, and more specifically, my landlords, will testify to this.)
I'd like to have spoken about how I'm not in favour of the imposition of Hindi in any state; nor am I in favour of the use of the vernacular (and this includes Hindi and Marathi and Bengali and the other eighteen official languages, aside from Tamil) in courts.
Another point that I couldn't make in this piece because that's a whole other story by itself is that if we want Tamil to grow, we need to make changes at the grassroots level, and that would mean spending money on establishing good Tamil-medium schools. But I doubt the Rs. 100 crore will be spent on that.
Anyway, here's where you can indulge in mud-slinging (at me or my detractors. Do feel free to aim in either direction. :-) http://sify.com/news/tamil-pride-or-linguistic-suicide-news-columns-kg2pRMbahjh.html )
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96 comments:
The Tamilnadu govt have said to add Tamil to the signboards not "only Tamil".
It have said the nameboards should be in Tamil and other languages which the owners prefer ( let it be english or Hebrew or Arabic..)
Hope you have got it..
so the board will be
------------------------
மார்க்ஸ் மற்றும் ஸ்பென்சர்
Marks & Spencer
------------------------
International Brands will not lose anything by writing in Tamil along with English.
Regards
Senthil Durai T
I have been to Malaysia.
I have seen the Boards in
Malay
English
Chinese and
Tamil
This is really good to see.
So no harm in adding Tamil to the existing English Signboards in Tamilnadu.
Nandini
Language is needed to interact with people.
English can be the LINK language for India instead of Hindi.
That way an average Indian( read Hindian ) learn English.
I have seen in IT companies, many northindians not talk fluent english and they just try to use hindi when they talk to other south indian freinds..( This is what we say Imposing )
Regarding State Government Sylabus to add Tamil......It is not imposing. As a Government which have OFFICIAL and STATE Language as TAmil - the Government have rights to add Tamil to schools..
Without knowing Tamil, one cannot survive in towns and villages of TN..... but without knowing Hindi....WE can still survive in TN,AP,Karnataka,Kerala,Assam,WBengal,Nagaland
...........................
Nandini..note we are not stopping learning of English at the cost of learning Tamil..
means We are Learning and Using TAmil ...along with English..
Sure MNC companies will prefer SouthIndian candidates due to this.
Dear Senthil
I'm well aware of the stipulations. Which is why I had said "displayed prominently". You don't seem to have got that I'm not in favour of Hindi imposition either. And where we can survive and what we can survive without is the kind of insular thinking that's putting this country in danger of dividing itself further. If you need references to this point of view in Tamil literature, Subramaniya Bharathiar might be a good place to start.
HI Nandini
Nice Blog...I completely agree with u...No one has the right to impose anything on any one.
@ Senthil..It should be left to the shop owners whether they want their name boards in tamil/ hindi/ arabic/ english. Its his money and and its his wish whether he wants to attract customers who dont know english or arabic or tamil. Y do u want to compare Malaysis or Singapore or any other country? Are the roads and public transport in Tamilnadu as good as Malaysia or Singapore? We only have Singara in Singapore..So lets not blindly think wat Malays do we shud do.
Y shud Govt have the rite to add tamil to schools. CBSE schools are not under the control State Govt and as a parent, i wud want my son to study Hindi or Sanskrit or Telugu, who the hell is this Govt to impose on my child, when I myself cannot impose my thoughts on my kid. And regarding not being able to survive in down south, I have stayed in places like Erode, Madurai, Tuticorin etc, where I had a lots of Rajathani friends who are abel to do business for years without still learning Tamil..
This Govt is hopeless and they have spent 300 crores of tax payers money jus to show off...We cud have used this money for Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims instead of conducting this conference...
When you see Hindi in big letters in our Rupees and English in small letters you accept it. When you see the same in Trains you accept that too, what made you oppose when Tamil Nadu implying the same 'within' Tamil Nadu?
Hindi has been given a special status in constitution which is wrong. In fact according to the constitution English is the primary language of communication for central government (and business). When hindi is being imposed this aggressively, I find it absolutely great to make Tamil an official language of India, let alone the name boards.
I'm not sure what to feel about this. As a largely westernised city slicker who can't read Tamil (I'm Tamilian-born but have lived practically all my life in bangalore), it's easy for me to agree with your take on the issue and the narrow-mindedness behind behind the government's stance.
Still, it raises the question of whether all this is the upshot of the ever growing Hindi-isation of the mainstream and the marginalisation of the other linguistic groups in the process. While the move to formalise Hindi as the undisputed national language was thwarted, it can't be denied that the desired effect has been achieved in more subtle ways; the media and Bollywood seem to have laid down a clear distinction of what's the acceptable norm (or 'cool', if you will) and what isn't, and as Tamilians constitute a highly distinct and significant linguistic group, we find ourselves at odds with the mainstream. And because of this we seem to be scrutinised all the more.
(To illustrate my point, as an example I observe that the chairman of selectors for the cricket team, K.Srikkanth from TN, is widely thought of as being extremely parochial in his selections, if the forums on reputed sites like cricinfo are any indication. It may be so - but regionalism has been a constant feature in indian cricket and yet there were far fewer voices of dissent when players from other states headed the selection committee. As another example, it seemed all too predictable that the antagonist in a highly influential film like 3 idiots had to be an acads-obsessed Tamilian who was made conspicuous by his terrible Hindi.)
Such attitudes naturally breed resentment among people of Tamil origin, and these measures proposed by the government seem reactionary more than anything else. Yes, it all smacks of xenophobia, and I'll take breezy Madras over a nativistic Chennai any day. But it still annoys me that if those store signboards were similarly displayed prominently in Hindi in the other big cities, there wouldn't be any suggestions of insularity.
(Sorry for the extra-long comment, your post got me thinking a little too much!)
Darling,
There are idiots and there are idiots. I can't say a damn thing about some of the shit that's being spouted in the comments thread. I get everyone's right to an opinion, but dude seriously there are some people who are not even seeing the point of the conference.
A city, a place of business and day-to-day life was shit down for FIVE DAYS for some geriatric megalomaniac to make a point about ONE LANGUAGE in a country this big. Sometimes I think Thackeray's fight for Marathi Manoos is not this blonde!
Absolute nonsenses’. Yes plural. I will first start with the lesser of them. Your article. I found myself nodding in agreement to each of the profoundly illustrated issues, but the “Conference “is NOT about Tamil! The bigger nonsense, the “Conference” itself. It is nothing but One Grand Big Political Farce.
Oh yeah, and the collateral damage, the obliterated aspiring bright young minds and the mediocrity of a generation.
Suhas, I agree with your sentiments. But I would have a problem, and do, with the imposition of Hindi.
A lot of people, both on my blog, and on Sify.com, seem pretty keen to know the extent of my travels and seem to believe I'm pro-Hindi. I don't believe any language, Hindi or Tamil or English for that matter, should be IMPOSED. One must retain the right of choice.
I agree with KK's point that a store owner should have the right to display the signboard the way s/he wants to. Anbumani Ramadoss' name plate read in Tamil, followed by English, followed by Hindi, when he was Health Minister.
When I lived in Delhi and London, seeing a Saravana Bhavan with Tamil lettering would thrill me. Often, the Tamil name was prominently displayed.
I think it's sad when any language, including Hindi, is imposed. It happens in Parliament all the time, and when Jairam Ramesh chose to answer Mulayam Singh Yadav in Hindi, I wish he hadn't, because that's succumbing to an imposition.
The fact that a language is enforced in China (there is no 'Chinese' for the information of those people who have raised the question, it's Mandarin, being used at the cost of Cantonese) or Japan or Bangalore or Bombay or Delhi doesn't make it right to repeat the mistake everywhere else.
While countries that speak a single language might survive, others are forced to look to a neutral one. Take Switzerland, which speaks French, German and Italian - they pay English teachers $200,000 a year, just so that they can communicate with each other.
Another irrefutable fact is that the conference was a political show; no one who was present in that conference has written a work in classical Tamil. Karunanidhi's poems are modified versions of the classical language, and I honestly haven't read a single good one, though several writings of his were part of the Tamil CBSE cyllabus in school and college. I chose to study Tamil voluntarily, and I love its classical form. But the colloquial form that you come across on the street...a big thumbs-down to that. And as someone who's lived surrounded by an alien tongue (in Delhi), I know how much more oppressive it is than living in alien surroundings with a familiar language (in London). I don't think an eye for an eye works in this case. It is, as I said, linguistic and economic suicide.
Just a note for future reference. Abuse will not be tolerated on this blog. Anyone who wants to make a point and start a discussion, please only bother to post if you think you can put it across in a civil manner. Thank you.
Looks like i was oblivious to another nonsense.The bunch of nit-wit bird brains who seriously believe the supremacy of Tamil must be established at any cost(and quite a steep one in this case).
Tamil language is suffocating to death because it is unable to project progressive ideas, unable to shake the mass. The instrument of suffocation are nothing else than themass media and the ruling elites.
The media and the ruling elites did not facilitate the grow and the advancement of the language in the era of the Technological Revolution. Why ? Because most the people are condemned to leave in a backward society, society of the servitude, where ideas are remote. Those people condemned are the mass, those who preserve the language, those whose shape it,those who give an eternal living to it. If that element of the society is suffocating, the language will suffocate with it. Tamil language is the thermometer of the Tamil mass.
The primary need is to improve the social condition of the mass, which will give rise to an educated mass. Then the language will be a fish in the ocean of languages.
The Conference, what a "manankaddy"
joke!A spectacle, for sure!
The campaign should be: " save the users" NOT THE LANGUAGE!
Kindly,
Neduntheevan
@ dove
I have no clue whether to disagree or agree with you.I please request you to re-read your comment,rephrase the words and sentences to give it any meaning.And when you refer to the common people it is not "mass" but masses"
Arun, Dove made a very good point about Tamil being lost as a language because parties are enforcing it rather than promoting it constructively. He's suggesting the money should have been spent on schemes to benefit people rather than thrown away on a political show.
I'm not refuting with what he said.Just that its abstract and i couldn't comprehend.
And someone,please,what is "manankaddy"?What language is it.Please dont tell me its Tamil!
Hi Arun,
The "mass" is often used in plural.
Meaning: underprivileged.
Please do check in the electronic version of Merriam-Webster:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass
Good luck!
PS: The sentences are grammatically structured.
A tolkappiyam work!
Unfortunately, Arun, it is Tamil and translates roughly into something like 'clay-headed'. That's the colloquial dialect that's in vogue these days - possibly used at political meetings too!
@ Dove: :-) at the reference to Tholkappiyam.
And I think you and Arun are on the same side of the debate.
Hi Arun,
"manankaddy": from sand "man in tamil" and to hold " kaddu in tamil".
Meaning you cannot hold sand together, this expression is widely used overseas, especially by the miserable people, condemned to servitude, living in that little island, Sri Lanka. It is used in the figurative sense.
Cheers
@ dove
Am sorry it might be because I'm only half awake and it appears as though we have the same views,so cheers.
I get it."mannan-gatty" would have been more clearer.But doesnt it mean a ball of clay/mud and is used as an analogy to worthless or stupidity?
Tamil as a language, it is sweet and very creative if you really study it thoroughly. There is a profound reason why it is still alive... Some know Tamil partially and end up confused, which is an unhappy business.This shaky part of the society, the growing middle class, may put an end to the so called Tamil language, and would probably give birth to Tamilish (with latin alphabet). As I said that is people who preserve the language not vice versa. More people got educated ( not mercantile education) in the era of telecommunication better it is for the survival of the language.
Longue vie a la langue Tamoule !
I agree completely, Dove. It is a beautiful language...one that can be trusted to preserve itself. I think the same goes for Sanskrit. Even if it's not a major spoken language anymore, everyone has recited a prayer in it, or heard one at the very least!
Dear Nandini K.,
I am writing this as a show of support to what you have written. Not that I am not of the same view,too. I read your article and all the comments too.some were really sick and were asking for you address,too.I hope that person gets reported.I am going to try.B'coz one should not take the love for one's language to such extremes.Reading in todays news about an opposing Party man being attacked in His house for being critical of the "you-know-who" leaves one apprehensive. As Dove said They obviously love the Language more than the People who speak it.[About "manangatty" and "manankaddy" could it be a transliteration Typo error or is the word pronounced in two different ways.,I am curious].
About the Conference {this was written about in the comments as well-Two people from CBE giving opposing views about the same event.] The second commenter is obviously a party aficionado].As a CBE resident,i was grateful for the schools being closed as it was really difficult to get our child to school and back because of the Oorvalams.I came across an elderly man who is obviously a Party card holder,,,,,,saying that he had gone to the Maanaadu and had also gone to all the preceding maanaadus wherever it was held.{he was referring to the party Maanaadus]and he was not the exception as the news reports on the following days said. I had heard reports of the small schools with buses being pressured to give their school buses under [veiled] threats of de-recognition.So were the small businesses.The Lay public wanting to visit the stalls were turned off saying they can view them after the event.As for the hastily got up infrastructure,we hope it will survive the S.W. Monsoon if/when it comes.The were a lot of Officials pressed into the service,especially Highway department,but they have failed to give us ,the masses,even a pedestrian Crossing at important intersectons of Avinashi road.Seemed like they were not interested in the common man.
There is no shame in speaking any language as long as it is english. FYI geographies, demographies, cultures change n pretty soon frequently will disappear 2. The universe banged out of a hole and will certainly shrink back into that hole and english will be the last thing getting in. winner all the way and the lid of the universe to cement the remaining scum !!
Nandini,
I reported the abusive ones on sify and spoof ,they disappeared.Only to let you know. Unfortunately I had to report one that had a reply supporting you,mentioning how the conference has been turned into a Tamasha for the first family of TN.I am sorry,I had not expected it.I am sorry if you feel I had been presumptive,but it was not just you but a community as well,that was abused.
Thank you for your support, Sita. And I'm very sorry to hear of the problems you had to contend with in Coimbatore.
Also, thank you for letting me know about the comments on the Sify page. I don't handle the administrative aspects of it, I only contribute articles. But I have no problems with your reporting messages you find offensive.
In my own case, I find most of my articles have their detractors and supporters, so I'm quite immune now. People usually resort to personal attacks when they run out of arguments. :-)
Am for Tamil but also for Madras.
Tamil is recognized elsewhere in Singapore, Malaysia, Ceylon & Fuji but not in India.
It's high time that we opt for a different country & serve our people needs.
Hail Tamil, Hail Madras.
Wikipedia states that the 2001 census puts TN population to be 62 Million (56 Million are Tamils) with a 11.5% growth rate from the previous decade, 89% claim Tamil to be their mother tongue and 74% are literate.
Making an assumption that the population has increased by 10% and the literacy rate has moved to 75%, we are looking at a conservative number that is at least 45 Million (89%*75%*1.1*62 Million).
When we consider the expats who do know to read and write Tamil, this number is bound to be higher.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_India_by_Tamil_speakers
A good blog expressive of rational thoughts, which is expected of the so-called rationalists. Fairness is what I saw, all through your blog. Kudos to you and keep blogging.
My take on the conference.
Well, when there are lot many priorities that need urgent attention, we find a state that summons people through its diktats, puts in the entire state machinery for this exercise and fools around with the poor people.
Dudes, tamil would see you get ostrasized from the rest of the country, not to talk about the world.
There is no denying that love for language has to come from one's heart and not by imposition.
Well, the government might even intend having all communications all over, in tamil alongwith a translated copy in english.
The wisdom of the tamil-saviors seems to be seeing no rationale.
Well, why should the so-called lot see all these, when the intent is something else.
A nice blog. Keep blogging.
Ravi, a lot of people love the language. But what I have a problem with is a government assuming it's the arbiter of a language. And foisting a language on immigrants to the place will make the different sections of India more insular.
Adept, thank you very much for your comments.
Om, my point is that Madras should not work keeping only Tamils in mind. Also, a lot of people don't teach their children to speak or read or write Tamil.
I don't think I have the authority to pass judgment on what people should do with their children's education, but the fact is that a lot of expat Tamils themselves can't read the language.
Hello Dude (Mr. Senthil)
It is for the owners of the shops to decide the language in which they would like to display the name.
The government hasn't locus-standi in this.
It makes one think that the government has started expressing its audacity overtly.
The ulterior motive is the 2011 elections, a known truth.
Tamil should be compulsory in CBSE schools. Hindi imposition in CBSE schools should be stopped immediately. CBSE fraud of giving low rankings and over-burdened syllabus to II language Tamil takers (forced with III Hindi) should be immediately stopped.
For the last 50 years, a foreign origin language like Hindi is having crores of money being wasted from CBSE schools to trains to ATMS to unused govt website. What bigger chauvinism is government sponsored Hindi chauvinsm - shameless taking pride in a foreign origin language?
Please travel to China, Korea, Middle East or anywhere - the official language of the respective region gets prominance.
Whether you like it or not, journalists like you or people sitting and typing replies in this blog form a VERY VERY SMALL MINORITY.
An average person in Tamil Nadu is poor and not convent educated - HE OR SHE CANNOT READ ENGLISH ONLY SIGNS.
Tamil Signboards is to aid readability for the average person and not for 'Yuppies' who prefer English or Urdu (Hindi?) at the cost Tamil.
Hi Nandini,
Government is providing all facilities to run your business smooth .
social security,safety and protection .
your business registered under corporation shops and establishment act in which you have accepted to have display board in local language ........
why you argue for unreasonable favor ....?
Tamilnadu proved beyond doubt among the Indian states on all quarters ,also marching well ahead of others so your concerns dint have any validity ............
It is IYER CONCERN ...
Baskar.
Jayasankar - the Hindi and Urdu scripts are different; and I doubt either of them is the yuppies' language of preference. If you want a Hindi vs. Tamil debate, you might want to look at another space for it. I don't carry flags for either. I'm not convent-educated either, but that's besides the point.
Baskar, I don't remember making a comment on Tamil Nadu's progress in the past. I also don't see what Iyers have to do with Tamil Nadu's economy. I'm not Iyer either, incidentally.
Hi Nadini ,
[More significantly, it could drive the economy of the state into jeopardy]
The present economy , growth rate and social living in Tamil Nadu is the best ....
By having Tamil name board will the economy jeopardize
Its habit of IYERS , so quoted ....
Dear Nandini:
I support your article. If the government instead focuses on economic development and creates an atmosphere in the state for businesses to survive, the language would flourish by itself. No one forces English on people but still people learn the loanguage and use it as it is perceived as vital to one's economic well being.
The proposal about signage is stupid...typical government high handedness...they should rather let the businesses decie that if a particular business wants to attract those who can only read tamil, then they can cose to do it..why should the govt care....
I am glad you have the courage to speak up for common sense. Pls. do not back down or water your stance down...
Best Wishes
Krishna
Nandini
I dont know understand what your problem is having Tamil Signboards in Tamil Nadu. The GO is prominance for Tamil and not Tamil-only. Having Tamil in prominance is something one should take pride. Just take any photograph of a Chinese, Japanese or Korean city. You will not see absence of their respective languages which you see in Tamil Nadu.
India should like Europe with numerous language which take pride. Not like USA or Australia which have destroyed their languages for English. The only answer to government racist Hindi policy is to have a pro-Tamil policy.
Overwhelming majority in Tamil Nadu want Tamil getting prominance.
Please!Of all topics why are we obsessing about sign boards?Its trivial in comparison to the other issues.
Sign boards in Tamil and English hurt no one.If the government decides to include Flemish in the signboards,I don't see how it'll affect others as long as it has English and Tamil.Fortunately,in the case of sign boards,English has not been sacrificed.Having Tamil is going to affect none.Shall we stop obsessing about the Sign Boards?
Your article covered the topic well, however one aspect was not highlighted - violence instigated by people in power. People have been comparing the situation in korea or singapore, etc. My answer would be: pls don't compare with other countries, where they do not preach enmity or hatred against other languages to promote their own language. (e.g) in Singapore, you cannot simply denigrate other language (or even religion for that matter) and get away with it. will be straightaway locked up in prison. what's happening in TN ? the so-called champions of Tamil simply promote hatred and poison against other languages - be it Hindi or Sanskrit or even Telugu or Kannada or Malayalam. Not so long ago, Vijaykanth was branded as Telugu, MGR was branded as Singala/Malayalam, JJ was branded as Kannada, etc. One may propagate their mother tongue, that is alright, but not spread venom against other languages in the midst, which is being done even now as can be seen by some of the comments. That is deplorable and needs to be condemned. Surprising that they cling on to evr even though he is Kannadiga and openly declared that Tamil is a barbaric language !! Not only this, the so-called Mayor leads a mob in the streets to 'seek & destroy' nameboards in other languages - "thadiyeduthavan thandalkaran" !! Simply by jumping into the street, he is only inciting others to do similarly !! What a pity ! What a shame !
About the conference, where is the necessity of spending 500 cr on this now ? they could have simply constructed houses for the Tamil refugees in their own land srilanka. That would have served a better Tamil cause than this !
Thank you, Krishna. No, I don't intend to water down my stance.
Arun, I guess people are whining about signboards and pointing out that a million other countries have signboards in their languages because they choose to ignore the point about insularity. Alluring people with a sense of false ownership over the language and its manifestations seems to have been a successful government tactic!
Thank you, VJ. You made some excellent points - the way Rajnikanth was made to clarify his stance on Hogenakkal was quite deplorable. Sometimes, I think what George W Bush said about being with "us" or "them" is more applicable to linguistic chauvinists in India than anyone else. :-) About the violence - well, a gentleman had written in pretty good detail about how shopkeepers are being subdued, in the comments section. I might write a whole other article on it later. This one was rather long even without taking that into consideration.
It seems that some of the respondees have a very myopic view of what the author intended to say. It is sad that TN is inundated with such short-sighted people, who have poorly understood what the author tried to drive home.
Let these people try to understand that there are better ways to do it and more organizedly, than conduct a 5-day conference for 500 crores.
Mr. Baskar, do you know what development is and at what cost ?
Do you know the total debt that the TN government owes ?
Ohh! Development in your lexicon means having power-cuts and huge debts.
If one is confined to tamil, he or she has to remain within the confines of TN or to put it correctly, 'Coovam'.
By the way, Middle east uses englsh extensively eventhough arabic is the official language.
If they are to use arabic extensively, then most of the indians in white-collared jobs would be losing their jobs.
Check your facts before you pass a comment.
I guess, u need to be a bit informed before writing stuff like this...Lets see what the so called International Brands are looking for in India.
1. Money
2. Money
3. Money
Money is the only thing behind the petti kadai or the International brand, so i dont think they would have a problem to bend.(excuse the pun).
I would suggest, you to to look into whats the official language in the courts of Rajasthan, and in what language you need to learn to get a job in Kerala.
All said, the article is nice, but you could use your writing skill to reach out to audience with a positive approach and for good.
Oops, i just read your profile, it states
About Me : Freelance writer with dreams of doing watchable stand-up
History, shows people tend to do anything to get noticed (watchable stand-up),i meant, kannagi. I guess, u know some history.
Taking up a controversial topic is a good idea to get noticed, but the content is very important...(im sure you must have spent a lot of time, arriving at the choosiest words for your title, which might get the attention)
Hi Naresh
Thank you for appreciating the writing. I think you might have misunderstood what I'm trying to say.
Would you work in Rajasthan or Kerala under those circumstances? I'm not saying what everyone else is doing is clever and Tamil Nadu stupid.
I think all of them are being short-sighted. TN has been sensible about language for decades, but imposing any language is wrong.
@ Naresh
You have puled an elephant out of the hat.One of us is blatantly ignorant.
Kannagi and stand-up comedy?I have nothing to argue against this,can you please brief me by what you intended?
Hahaha, Arun...I'd not seen that earlier...yeah, I didn't realise Kannagi was a stand-up act either :-)
@ nandhini
Lol.On a personal Note am a huge fan of Stand-up Comedy.My favourites being 1.Eddie Izzard 2.Lewis Black 3.George Carlin 4.Jimmy Carr.
Your Favourites?I know this is an unrelated response,so i'd understand if you delete it.
I've not watched quite as much as you have...but Seinfeld, Rowan Atkinson, Fry&Laurie and John Cleese are favourites...Kannagi comes close, though :-)
I haven't seen a few of the names you mentioned,I'll try watching.I think you'll really enjoy Lewis Black as he mainly is a political comedian.Do try some of his.
"short-sighted", ha ha. Britons and the East India Company have done their job.
In 1835, Thomas Macaulay articulated the goals of British colonial imperialism most clearly:"I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace the old and ancient education system, her culture, because if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them to be, a truly dominated nation.
@ArunNat, i guess you are a byproduct (in terms of language) of what Macaulay said, so that you feel superior by putting hi-fi words like "Intelligent, egoistic, indulgent, skeptical, atheistic, impulsive, extroverted opinionated unreserved Nihilist" in your profile.
Just for one second assume a world(soceity/community/india), wherein, everyone speaks the same language, coz in India, there are two kinds of people, one who can speak English(self-proclaimed superior quality), one who can speak only native language.
Btw, regarding, kannagi, i would like to withdraw the post, coz it was not intended to convey the meaning it is doing now.
But, i strongly oppose, the usage of word short-sighted, and like to use the word against you, coz you are unable to imagine the situation what i said before.
This is a meaning of a Black Poem as narrated in the Tamil Conference. According to a African Poet, "When the Britishers came, we (Africans) had land and we spoke our language, we had our own god, our culture etc etc..., now, they own our lands, and we hold their Bible and in their language and their AK 47's". There are lots of things i learnt from the conference, but i pity u for having learnt just the 3 or 4 rules made..and question me (tamils), will u work in a state where only native language is spoken (for the rajasthan example i quoted earlier)
@Naresh
Thanks for the bit of publicity.
And how on earth can you use a word against anyone?I implore you to review your text before post it.They certainly don't make any sense to me.What is it that you're trying to tell?
@ArunNat, i never meant to hurt you, i was just trying to prove that you are defending a language(English) and im defending Tamil. It was not a direct reference to Arun as a person but to the language Arun defend's.
@ Naresh
Why would I be hurt?I probably pride myself on the things you said.
And i am not defending any language as such.Throughout my posts i have not spoken against Tamil or for English.I have my views but i am not willing to get into a debate now.Where in my posts have i defended English over Tamil?
Naresh, your gleaning of wisdom from the conference seems to be restricted to a couple of quotes that have literally been around since Queen Victoria, and have been in NCERT school textbooks since Independence. So, clearly, the Rs. 300 crore or whatever the budget was, could have been better used.
Also, I think bloggers put up their profiles to tell people who they are. I doubt digging up little bits from anyone's profile is going to hurt. But if you have to resort to personal attacks instead of making your point, you should bow out of the argument before you're hung out to dry.
Arun, thanks for the input...will try to dig up his videos on YouTube. :-)
Dove, I've deleted your comment because of the language you've used. If you intend to present your point of view, please keep it refined. Thanks.
@Nandini, if you saw my post as a personal attack, i really feel so bad, coz of ur inability to see the real meaning behind the post.
@Arun, i know you never made any "direct" reference to the language.
@ naresh
Where have i made an indirect reference about the language?
I'll bite,I'll see beyond your personal attack.Before that can you help me by translating "Intelligent, egoistic, indulgent, skeptical, atheistic, impulsive, extroverted opinionated unreserved Nihilist" into Tamil?A genuine request.
@Arun - I could see you getting desperate. There is a thin line between curiosity and desperation.
@ naresh
Thanks for putting a smile on my face.I am neither desperate nor curious.please be articulate and try to convey what you're really telling than to meander about useless innuendos.
Hi Adept ,
Debt is part of growth .....
Any industrial growth and migration of population will have its own effect on its capital , Chennai is not exempted ....
Presently on an assignment living at UAE , i do have good insight of how the local languages/culture are protected/ handled here..... the Indian techies doing business with Indians or otherwise with europeans , Arabs dealing with Arabs ,Duabai with modern buildings and state of the art air condition facilities Arabs wear traditional Kandoora dress and deals in Arabic , ........ .......and also nowhere it is mentioned English speaking people will be thrown out of Tamil Nadu
To protect and update the mother tongue with the technology revolution spending is not big deal ,with out choice i do accept the major portion of money wasted on political leaders stage ............
Behind the political leaders stage the 5 day conferences aggressively works on certain long term strategies that will not appear in head lines .
I do enjoy my daily news paper Dinamalar, Dinamani and Tamil literatures written by Auvaiyar during Chola period, which include Aathichoodi, Kondrai Vendhan, Moodhurai, Naalvazhi.
and
Tamizhil Thirukural
On my IPHONE 3GS , OS 4 .it all happened because of the earlier world Tamil internet conferences ....
I have a lot in agreement with this article of Nandini's. This attempt to Tamilianise Madras disgusts me because I am from Madras. Not ethnically Tamil but I speak the language fluently and can read and write it (self-taught) with some degree of proficiency. I have nothing against the language or its people (my wife is Tamil). Before the Tamil chaunvinists start jumping into the fray with their intemperate remarks on my antecedents, let me remind them that my family moved to Madras as early as 1925. My forebears were at the forefront of the Justice Party - the forerunner of the various Kazhagams that arrogate to themselves the right to defend Dravidian ideals. These relatives of mine would not have approved of/defended these moves by the DMK to Tamilianise Madras to the exclusion of all the other cultures that have given the city its flavour. And for all those Tamil chauvinists around who trot the globe as computer programmers, code-writers etc....I want to know how many of such programs have they written in Tamil and how much Tamil pays for their livelihoods. MK has for long been pursuing a dangerous parochial agenda and right thinking citizens of Madras need to call a halt to this. For one, there should be a movement to restore the name of the city to the old 'Madras'. Secondly, we need work towards restoring Madras to its old glory....as the gateway to the South (something that has now been been taken away by both Bangalore and Hyderabad). MK and his party of merry men don't seem to be concerned about such matters instead they are busy drawing up plans to rename the city's streets and thoroughfares. At this rate, the Madras I know is going to be a dump rather than a cosmopolitan city that is a melting pot of cultures.
Jaidev, :-) at the remark about software programmers. And yes, I guess that's what worrying all of us - the fact that a language and culture we love have been hijacked and subverted to create an anti-outsider milieu. If there's a move to re-convert our city to Madras, count me in!
Great! As a first step, we should, as far as practicable, use the name Madras instead of the DMK innovation - Chennai. As regards Tamil itself, little has been done by Tamil scholars to coopt the language into daily use. Most Tamilians still use words such as bus, train, cycle, switch, current/electricity, station, internet, school etc. and not their Tamil equivalents. We need to recognise that Tamil has fallen behind in being a practical mode of communication in today's world (esp. in the world of technology and business). Also, contemporary Tamil literature falls way below the standards of literature around the world (English in particular). All these issues need to be fixed - but no, our politicians are keen on Tamil Maanaadus that sing their paens and Tamil signboards that do little for the language itself....as though these measures will revive Tamil and make it the foremost amongst world languages.
The point about contemporary Tamil literature is very true. I find it rather painful to read any writing dating after Bharathiyar's time.
As for Madras, that's how I refer to it (unless I'm writing for news, in which case I have to use the official term).
Your point about contemporary Tamil literature shows your ignorance. Have you heard of Kalki.R.Krishnamurthy, Sandilyan, Jayakanthan and more recently Jeyamohan?
Grow up girl!
Shaan, if you want a debate here, I suggest you learn to speak properly.
To address the less juvenile of your concerns, yes, I've heard of them.
And if you did your research, you might have come across a few death dates, which makes them ummm...not exactly contemporary.
And the only one of them I like is Kalki - I don't think he would have compared himself with the greats of yesteryear either.
I hope that clears up your doubts.
Regarding Jaidev's comment on using English language in Tamil..
correct we Tamils in Tamilnadu are using such words even though they have their tamil words பேருந்து
, கடிகாரம்.
The first way to do is to make writing in Boards the correct tamil words then usuage of same in TV or Print or Radio medias.
Regarding Radio, I was just hearing few Channels from Singapore,Malaysia or Even from Ceylon, we could realise that they ware using only Tamil in Tamil Radios.
check it here.
http://radiotime.com/genre/c_161/Tamil.aspx
Tamil letters with indcative phonetic signs information its superb one ....Nice gather this information....good job
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