WORLD CLASSICAL TAMIL CONFERENCE

President Pratibha Patil inaugurated the five day classical Tamil Conference on Wednesday 23rd June,2010. The president said Tamil has the oldest literature among the living language of the world. Many concepts intrinsic to India’s society and critical to its polity were found in Tamil discourse over the millennia. The message of peace, uni versality and the spirit of of equality was propounded in sangam poem(purananooru) more than 2000 years ago.
President, presented the Kalaignar m. Karunanidhi classical Tamil award to Prof.Asko Parpola, renowned indologist for his work on the Dravidian hypothesis in the interpretation of the Indus script.Tamil is an old living language with an extra ordinary volume of literaturee and grammar.
The president said Tirrukkural, written by Thiruvalluvar was a remarkable treatise on ethics. Silapathikaram and Manimekali were works of excellence, as were the epics of Jeevakachintamani, Kamba Ramyanam, and the soul- stirring hymns of Nayanmars and Alvars.The poem and songs of Subramania Bharathi evoked in the minds of the people” deep feelings of patriotism during our freedom struggle. History of the Tamil is our nation’s pride. The president said the Tamil ethos based on pluralism, tolerace and humanistic approach had contributed in a variety of ways to india’s progress and shaping its identity as a nation that was rich in art, music, archetecture and literature.
Chief Minister M. Karunakaran said” Tamil is not only aninternational language, its is like a mother for all langugages. Tamil words were present in many languages of the world.The UPA government at the centre that granted the classical language status in october 2004.
The Tamil conference is a big step forward in preserving, enriching and spreading Tamil culture.Tamil Nadu Chief miniser M. Karunanidhi should be congratulated with out any bias. Globalisation imposes a consumer culture’ as the only culture for humanity and forces us to assimilate it through the media. The world Tamil Conference must come out with practical solutions to preserve the heritage of language instead of mere resolutions and empty slogans. Any solution has to include the youth who form the majority of the population.
The Tamil Nadu government has set an example for other states, especially Kerala. Malayalam Language is also rich in literature and culture.The Malayalam conference will help in inducing pride and awarness among the young on the rich cultural heritage.
Prof. John Kurakar