Home
Looking for Previous Year IAS Papers? Download now free!
You will be auto-sent a link to download the IAS Past Papers & Model Papers when you join the IAS Free Training Group

Home | Downloads | Careers | Books |IAS Online TutorialsIAS online Tutorials | Advertise Advertise| Contact Us | About Us | ForumForum| Link to usLink to us
Login Thursday, March 28, 2024

IAS Resources
About IAS
IAS Preparation
IAS Careers
IAS Syllabus
IAS Online Tutorials
IAS Free Online Exam
Indian Forest Service
Indian Engineering Service
Indian Foreign Service
Indian Police Service
Record and Opinion
Books and Links
Free Downloads
Miscellaneous


Home » IAS Articles » Indian Administrative Services Articles » First World Classical Tamil Conference

First World Classical Tamil Conference

A D V E R T I S E M E N T
>

Stage is all set for the first World Classical Tamil Conference in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The five day literary-cultural event starting from 23rd of June2010 is the biggest such gathering in the history of modern Tamil Nadu. President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil will inaugurate the literary-cultural extravaganza in the presence of the world torch bearers of Tamil language and the Tamil Culture that include Dr.M. Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil language that has an enviable history of more than 2000 years got its due recognition at national level when the Government declared it a Classical Language in 2004. This recognition paved way for reassessing the growth of Tamil language, prose and literature in the context of knowledge explosion of 21st century.

In this backdrop, it won't be out of place to look back to how the Tamil language and culture was embraced by missionaries and academicians from across the seas. Many interpretations have been given to the variety and richness of Tamil literature, Tamil grammar and prose by identifying its unique antiquity and legacy. Among them were many notable Christian missionaries and host of scholars who visited the southern parts of India at different periods of time in the history.

Roberto De Nobili, an Italian Jesuit missionary arrived in Madurai, the southern part of Tamil Nadu, in 1605. He studied Sanskrit and Tamil literature and made considerable contribution towards promoting Tamil prose. While expounding Christianity in Tamil soil, he brought several Tamil words to Christian Tamil literature. The words 'Kovil' (Temple), 'Arul' (Grace), 'Poosai' (Mass or Worship) were coined by him. Therefore, he was considered to be a pioneer in Tamil prose writing.

Ziegenbalg, a German Lutheran and first protestant missionary to India had arrived at 'Thrangampadi' (Tranqueber) in Tamil Nadu in 1709. He had first opened up Tamil language to the printing technology. The Tamil translation of New Testament done by Ziegenbalg was published in 1715. It is claimed that he only had brought the first book in English in Asia in 1716. He had also composed a Tamil Dictionary and Grammar book.

Succeeding Zieganbalg, Rev.Fr.Beschi also from Italy came to Madurai in 1711. He had studied deeply Tamil and wrote a literary piece and Tamil Grammar. Further he had composed quadruple lexicon popularly known as 'Chaturakarati'. This eminent work attracted the attention of many western and eastern scholars towards classical Tamil. His everlasting contribution to Tamil can be found in his extraordinary epic poem called 'Thembavani' having 3615 stanzas on the life of Saint Joseph.

Francis Whyte Ellis a civil servant of East India Company settled in erstwhile Madras in 1810 and remained there till his death in 1819. He pursued research in Dravidian languages - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada besides Sanskrit. He was considered the first scholar in the field of Comparative Dravidian Linguistics.

Bishop Robert Caldwell (1814�1891) had served in Tirunelveli as a Christian missionary. After studying and analyzing all Dravidian languages, he wrote his magnum opus 'Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages'. This work provoked a lot of intellectual debates and ignited the minds of scholars to go deep into the origin of Tamil, Dravidian and Indian languages.

Rev.Fr.George Uglow Pope (1820�1908) popularly known as G.U. Pope, was a Christian monk who came to South India to propagate his religion and became a savant of Tamil and interpreter of Thirukkural. Attracted by the erudite scholarship of Valluvar, Pope had said that "Kural owes much of its popularity to its exquisite poetic form. A kural is a couplet containing a complete and striking idea expressed in a refined and intricate metre. He tried to convey the universal message of Valluvar in his own way in the English language for the first time. He brought fame and name for Valluvar's immortal contribution to world literature.

Among the several European Tamil scholars, Professor Gilbert Slater was the first Economist from England who was given the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Economics, University of Madras in 1915. He had first introduced field studies in Economics and taken students to Iruveli Pattinam village in the then South Arcot district and Selaiyur village in the then Chengulput district of Tamil Nadu. As a multi-lingual scholar, he wrote the famous research book on "The Dravidian Elements in India's Culture". He was the first scholar to state categorically that the antiquity of Tamil language and civilization belong to more than 3500 years. His interpretation to the word 'Dravidian' itself is noble and novel. Dr.Gilbert Slater had given modern interpretation to the economics of Tamils.

He had also compared Tamil with Latin and Greek, the classical languages of Europe and stated that "Tamil versification is based on quantity, like Greek and Latin; it also employs rime, but at the beginnings, not the endings of verses; and alliteration, but within the verse and not as a link between verses. Tamil music is based upon quarter-tones, i.e. there are twenty eight divisions of the octave instead of seven. Indian culture, with its special characteristic of systematic and subtle philosophical thought, must have come from people capable of originating and developing it. That capacity would naturally be exhibited also in the evolution of language, and the purest Dravidian language does exhibit it in the highest degree � in a higher degree than any other Indian language."

The contributions of European scholars led to the resurgence of research in Tamil language, literature, prose and poetry not only in Tamil Nadu but also other parts of the world. Tamil is having more than four lakh words. The Tamil lexicon composed by great scholar Vaiyapuri Pillai and published by the University of Madras had more than 1.25 lakh words with explanations. Tamil lexicon prepared by the great scholar Pavaanar published by the Government of Tamil Nadu traces the etymological origin of each and every Tamil word. In its continuation, the Department of Tamil Development, Government of Tamil Nadu has so far published 20 volumes of etymology of Tamil words. It is a work of monumental proportions reflecting the diction of Tamil words in every detail possible. Tamil University, Thanjavur published 'Dictionary of Technical Terms from English to Tamil' edited by Dr.Aruli, a scholastic researcher. The Tamil language is the rich repository of more than three lakh technical words to the surprise of many linguists and scholars as elaborated by Dr.Aruli. Many private publications have also brought out Tamil to Tamil, English to Tamil, Tamil to English dictionaries and lexicons by a group of eminent scholars. These are the standing testimonies to the Tamil's eminence, modernity of expression and its classical character.

In this context, the First World Classical Tamil Conference in Coimbatore will be a milestone in the development and promotion of Tamil language in the 21st century. Great scholars, poets, novelists, religious savants and linguists of international repute will present research papers and deliver lectures during the five day conclave.

No doubt, the outcome of the conference will blossom and carry the fragrance of uniqueness, richness and legacy of the Tamil language all over the world and add a new dimension to India's inclusive growth process



More Indian Administrative Services Articles
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next



Discussion Center

Discuss

Query

Feedback/ Suggestion

Yahoo Groups

Sirfdosti Groups

Contact Us







Members Login Here!
EmailId:
Password:


Forgot Password?
New User? Register!
Toppers View



INTERVIEW EBOOK
Get 9,000+ Interview Questions & Answers in an eBook. Interview Question & Answer Guide
  • 9,000+ Interview Questions
  • All Questions Answered
  • 5 FREE Bonuses
  • Free Upgrades

IAS PREPARATION EBOOKS

IAS Exam, IAS 2024, IAS 2025 Training, IAS 2023 Papers and Solutions, IAS Preparation & Related Pages


IAS Forum | Civil Services | IAS Overview | How to Prepare for IAS | IAS Eligibility Criteria | IAS Exam Pattern | IAS Exam Syllabus | IAS Application Form Centers | Sections Under IAS Examinations | Postings of an IAS Officer | Method of Making Notes | Style of Answering Questions | Time Management | IAS Regulations | Cut off Marks in IAS | Training Institutes for IAS | IAS Tips | Time Table for IAS 2024 Exam | Calendar for IAS 2024 Exam | Top Scorers in IAS Exam | Post Offices for IAS Exam Form | Sample IAS Exam Paper | IAS Current Affairs | Career in IAS | Jobs Offered in IAS | Nature of Work | Interview Tips for IAS | Interview Techniques for IAS | IAS Syllabus | IAS Preparation Strategy | IAS Model Notification | Daily / Periodicals for IAS | Art and Craft | IAS Tutorials | IAS Tutorials for Agriculture | IAS Tutorials for Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science | IAS Tutorials for Botany | IAS Tutorials for Chemistry | IAS Tutorials for Economics | IAS Tutorials for Essay | IAS Tutorials for Geography | IAS Tutorials for Geology | IAS Tutorials for Indian History | IAS Tutorials for Physics | IAS Tutorials for Psychology | IAS Tutorials for Sociology | IAS Tutorials for Zoology | Previous Years Test Papers for IAS | IAS Mock Exam | Current Affairs for IAS | IFS - Indian Forest Services | IFS - Indian Forest Services Examination Plan | IFS - Indian Forest Services General Instructions | IFS - Indian Forest Services - List of Head Post Offices | IFS - Indian Forest Services Special Instructions | IES - Indian Engineering Service | IES - Indian Engineering Service Model Notification | IES - Indian Engineering Service General Instructions | IES - Indian Engineering Service Examination Plan | IFS - Indian Foreign Service | IFS - Indian Foreign Service - Selection & Training | Career in IFS - Indian Foreign Service | IPS - Indian Police Service - Modern Ranks and Rank Badges | IPS - Indian Police Service in History | IPS - Indian Police Service - External Resources | Reward of Brilliance | Deputation | Civil Lines | IAS Toppers Opinion | Renumeration in IAS | AKHAND PRATAP SINGH - IAS Topper | Anay Dwivedi - IAS Topper | Anupama - IAS Topper | D DIVYA - IAS Topper | Divyadharshini - IAS Topper | Divyadharshini Shanmugam - IAS Topper | Dr Sumit Seth - IAS Topper | GAGAN - IAS Topper | Garima Mittal - IAS Topper | GARIMA MITTAL - IAS Topper | Iqbal Dhalibal - IAS Topper | Iva Sahay - IAS Topper | JAI PRAKASH MAURYA - IAS Topper | Karthik Adapa - IAS Topper | Mangesh Kumar - IAS Topper | Manish Ranjan - IAS Topper | Muthyala Raju Revu - IAS Topper | Nila Mohan - IAS Topper | Pankaj Dwivedi - IAS Topper | PC Vinoj Kumar - IAS Topper | Prasad Praladh Akkanouru - IAS Topper | Prince Dhawan - IAS Topper | R V Varun Kumar - IAS Topper | RAVI DHAWAN - IAS Topper | Roopa Mishra - IAS Topper | Rukmani Riar - IAS Topper | Saswati Dey - IAS Topper | SASWATI DEY - IAS Topper | Shah faesal - IAS Topper | Shena Agrawal - IAS Topper | Sorabh Babu Maheshwari - IAS Topper | Sweta Mohanty - IAS Topper | TANVI SUNDRIYAL - IAS Topper | Vijayalakshmi Bidari - IAS Topper | IAS Books | SSC Exam Pattern | CDSC Exam Pattern | NDA Exam Pattern | GA - General Awareness Exam Pattern | PG - Post Graduate Exam Pattern |
Copyright © 2024. One Stop IAS.com. All rights reserved Privacy Policies | Terms and Conditions | About Us
Our Portals : Free eBooks | Interview Questions | IndiaJobForum | Free Classifieds | Vyoms | One Stop FAQs | One Stop GATE | One Stop GRE | One Stop IAS | One Stop MBA | Free SAP Training | One Stop Testing | Web Hosting | Sirf Dosti | Your Project Code | Cook Book Global | Tests World | Clean Jokes | Vyom | Vyom eBooks | Vyom Links | Vyom World | Shayari | C Interview Questions | C++ Interview Questions | Send Free SMS | Placement Papers | SMS Jokes | CAT 2024 Notification