LANGUAGE
Meeting new concerns
S. THEODORE BASKARAN
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A valuable resource for anyone interested in Tamil literature and society.
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Thamizh Ini 2000: Irupatham Nootrandu Ulakath Thamizh Ilakkiya Varalaaru; edited by MathivaNan and Rudramurti Cheran, published by Kalachuvadu Trust, Nagercoil, Price 750, with a 70 minute CD of the conference.
AN international conference organised by Kalachuvadu Trust in Chennai in September 2000 — Thamizh Ini 2000 — where hundreds of Tamil writers and scholars gathered to evaluate 20th Century Tamil literature turned out to be a momentous literary happening. In 40 sittings, participants from different countries set out to chart and explore some of the key issues and debates in contemporary Tamil literature, not just of Tamil Nadu but of the Tamil diaspora. It attempted to cover the whole gamut of literature — poetry, fiction, biography, Children's, Feminist, Marxist and Dalit literature, drama ... With both academics and non-academics taking part, writing in exile was also covered.
Critical look
The proceedings have now been published, as a bulky volume Thamizh Ini 2000. It is a collection of essays that take a critical look at the various dimensions of modern-day Tamil literature and reflects the standard of literary and social criticism. Eminent researchers from outside India, such as M.A. Nuhman and Cheran have also contributed to this anthology.
Compared to the hundreds of books on Ancient Tamil literature, works on contemporary writing are rare. Ka. Sivathambi points out in his insightful introductory piece that the world does not know as much about present-day Tamil literature as it does of Sangam works and Bhakti literature. The Government-sponsored Tamil literary events, like the World Tamil Conferences, largely ignore the contemporary dimension of Tamil literature. The writers who are invited for this conference are usually the pro-establishment, conformist and academia-bound scholars.
In striking contrast, the organisers of Thamizh Ini brought together writers and thinkers of varied hues to take a look at developments in the last century. They set about to discern and document from varied perspectives the social and cultural trends as reflected in the literature.
Significant omissions
A language has to equip itself to meet modern needs and to handle new concerns, like Feminism, Human Rights and transgender issues. In his essay, Sundara Ramasamy points out that, by contributing to such an empowerment of the language, the writer emerges as an important part of the civil society. The question is: has Tamil been developed in the last century with this need in mind? Why is there so little discourse on Environment, Cinema, on Modern art? Even in the book under review one notices significant omissions such as Green literature and Cinema. This validates Sivathambi's complaint that non-fiction works in Tamil have not received the attention they deserve
The book has been edited meticulously and produced with care. The articles are highly readable and full of fresh insights. However, the format is not uniform, some are too long; some brief and dense. While the scholarly quality included is high, essays of writers like Tha. Sanathanan (on the interaction between Tamil literature and painting), Vee. Araasu's essay on literature of the Dravidian movement, Manojkumar's piece on Children's literature, Ambai's and A.R. Venkatachalapathy's essays on Tamil novels and Murugesapandian's paper on Translated Literary works in Tamil and M.V. Ramachandra's article on the problems in Tamil word processing and cyber space usage stand out.
This book is an indispensable resource material for any one interested in Tamil literature and society. However, with a little effort, it could have been made more reader-friendly. A complete content list should have found a place in the beginning. Even a rudimentary index would have increased the utility of the work manifold. The editors have, thoughtfully, included details of the groundwork that went into the conference and details such as the conference programme, adding an interesting dimension. A 70-minute CD of the conference shot by filmmaker Ramani comes with the book. In this technocratic age, the ability to savour the delights of literature gains a new meaning and purpose. This tome will facilitate that process.
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