[Ifroham4]

¾¢½¢ôÒò ¾Á¢úî ¦º¡ø :--- "¿£÷-Å£ú"

¾Á¢ÆÕûÙõ ¦ÀÕõÀ¡Öõ §Å¾ Á¾õ ±ÉôÀÎõ †¢óÐ Á¾ò¨¾î §º÷ó¾Å÷¸û ¦ÀÕõÀ¡Öõ ¯ûǾ¡ø ¾Á¢Æ¢ø ż ¦Á¡Æ¢î ¦º¡ü¸û ¸ÄóÐûÇÐ þÂü¨¸....

þŠÄ¡Á¢Â Á¾ò¾ÅÃÐ ¦ÀÂ÷¸Ç¢Öõ §ÀÖõ «ÃÒ ¦Á¡Æ¢ ¦ÅÌÅ¡¸ì ¸ÄóÐûÇÐ §À¡Ä×õ
¸¢Ã¢Š¾Å÷¸û ¦ÀÂ÷¸Ç¢Öõ §ÀÖõ «Å÷¸ÇÐ Á¾-¦¿È¢-áÄ¡É ¨ÀÀ¢û ¦º¡ü¸û ¸ÄóÐûÇÐ
§À¡Ä×õ ¾¡ý.

§ÁÖõ ÀÄ ¦ÅÇ¢ ¿¡ðÎ ¦Á¡Æ¢î ¦º¡ü¸Ùõ ¸ÄóÐûǨ¾ì ¸ñ§¼¡õ .... þýȢ¨Á¡¾¾¡ø ...

¬É¡ø ¾Á¢Æ¢ø ²ü¸É§Å «¾ý ¦À¡ÕÇ¢ø §ÅÚ ´Õ ¦º¡ø þÕ쨸¢ø ....

... §¾¨Å¢ýÈ¢ Ò¾¢¾¡¸ ¯ÕÅ¡ì¸ôÀðÎò ¾¢½¢ì¸ôÀð¼ ¦º¡ü¸Ùõ ¯ûÇÉ.

«ò¾¨¸Â ¦º¡ø ¾¡ý.... "¿£÷ Å£ú".

«§¾ ¦À¡Õû ¦¸¡ñ¼ à ¾Á¢ú¡ø... "«ÕÅ¢"

¬É¡ø ¬í¸¢Ä §Á¡¸ò¾¡ø Water-falls ±ýÈ §ÅüÚ ¦Á¡Æ¢î ¦º¡ø¨Ä....

Water = ¿£÷; ...... Falls = Å£ú ±ýÈ ¸Õò¾¢ø...

"¿£÷-Å£ú" ±ýÈ §¾¨ÅÂüÈ ´Õ ¾¢½¢ôÒî ¦º¡ø¨Ä ¿¡§Á ¯üÀò¾¢ ¦ºöРŢ𧼡õ.

ÜÊÂŨà "«ÕÅ¢" ±ýÈ ¦º¡ø¨Äô ÀÂý ÀÎòÐÅÐ ¾¡§É º¢Èó¾Ð?

[LottiFurmann]

²Ä¡ò-¾Á¢ú:-- «Ãº¢ÉÕõ ºõÀó¾ôÀð¼ ²¨É§Â¡Õõ ¿¢÷½Â¢òÐ ²üÚ즸¡ñ¼¨Å¦ÂÉ¢Ûõ ¦À¡Ð Áì¸Ç¡ø ²ü¸ôÀ¼¡¾ ¦º¡ü¸û.

¯¾¡Ã½õ....

§ÀÕóÐ:-- "ÀŠ" ±Ûõ ¬í¸¢Äî ¦º¡øÄ¢ý ¾Á¢ú ÅÊÅÁ¡¸, ±íÌõ ±ØòÐ ÅÊÅò¾¢ø Íð¼ôÀÎõ
¦º¡ø. þò¾¨¸Â §ÀÕó¨¾ Áì¸Ç¢¨¼§Â ±ùÅÇ× ¯ó¾¢ò ¾ûǢɡÖõ À¢ÃÀÄôÀÎò¾¢É¡Öõ ܼ Áì¸û "ÀŠ¨…" Å¢ðΠŢ¼ò ¾Â¡Ã¡Â¢ø¨Ä.

âí¸¡:-- «¸¢Ä þó¾¢Â¡Å¢§Ä§Â ´Õ þâø-¿¢¨ÄÂò¾¢ý ¦ÀÂ÷ ¾Á¢Æ¢ø ´ýÚõ ¬í¸¢Äò¾¢ø §Å¦È¡ýÈ¡¸×õ ¦¸¡ñ¼ º¢ÄÅüÚû þÐ ´ýÚ. ¬í¸¢Äò¾¢ø... "À¡÷ì-þâø§Å-Š§¼„ý" .... ¾Á¢Æ¢ø... "âí¸¡ þâø-¿¢¨ÄÂõ". ¬É¡ø ÀÊò¾ÅÕõ À¡ÁÃÕõ âí¸¡-¿¢¨ÄÂõ ±ýÈ¡ø «Ð ±Ð ±ýÚ §¸ðÀ¡÷¸û... ²ý ?... Êì¸ð ¦¸¡ÎôÀŨç «ô¦ÀÂâðÎì §¸ðÎôÀ¡Õí¸û!... âí¸¡Å¡ ... ±í§¸? ±ýÀ¡÷. Áì¸û ÁðÎÁøÄ ±ø§Ä¡Õ§Á "âí¸¡¨Åô" ÒÈõ ¾ûǢŢðÎ "À¡÷쨸§Â" ²üÚì ¦¸¡ñÎûÇ¡÷¸û. ±É¢ý "À¡÷쨸§Â" ¾Á¢Æ¢Öõ ¿¢Ãó¾ÃÁ¡¸ô À¡÷ì ¦ºö¾¡ø ±ýÉ?

þ§¾ ¿¢¨Ä ¾¡ý µðÎÉ÷ (ʨÃÅ÷), ¿¼òÐÉ÷ (¸ñ¼ì¼÷)... Å¢„Âò¾¢Öõ

§ÁÖõ ¸¦Äì¼÷, ¾¡º¢ø¾¡÷, Óýº£ô, Å츣ø, §¸¡÷ðÎ,Àõô, ±ïº¢ý, À¢ÇõÀ÷, ¸¡÷, À¢§Çý ... §À¡ýÈ ¬í¸¢Äî ¦º¡ü¸¨ÇÔõ ±ÅáÖõ Áì¸û ÁÉí¸Ç¢ø ®§¼¡ Á¡ÚÀ¡§¼¡ ¦ºö ÓÊÂÅ¢ø¨Ä. Áì¸û ÀÊò¾Åá¢Ûõ À¡ÁÃá¢Ûõ º¢ÄÅüÈ¢ø ¾Á¢ú-¦ÅÈ¢ ¯½÷×ìÌ «ÊÀ½¢Å¾¢ø¨Ä. «ÛÀÅ-ź¾¢¨Â§Â Ó츢ÂÁ¡¸ì ¦¸¡û¸¢È¡÷¸û

þÐ ¾¡ý ¾¡÷ò¾õ ±Ûõ ¿¨¼Ó¨È-þÂø (Reality).

¯Ä§¸ µ÷ ܨâý ¸£ú ÅóÐ ¦¸¡ñÊÕìÌõ ¿ÅÔ¸ ¿¢¨Ä¢ø þó¾¢ÂÕû§Ç§Â À¡¼í¸Ç¢ø
Á¡½Å÷¸ÙìÌô ÀÄ ¦ÀÂâø ´§Ã ¬í¸¢Äî ¦º¡ø¨Ä ¦Á¡Æ¢-¦ÀÂ÷òÐì ¸üÀ¢òÐ ±ýÉò¨¾ì ¸ñ§¼¡õ?

¾Á¢Æ÷... "Á¢ýº¡Ãõ" ±ýÚõ ¦¾Öí¸÷ "Å¢òÔò-ºì¾¢" ±ýÚõ ż ¿¡ðÊÉ÷ "À¢ˆÄ¢" ±ýÚõ ´§Ã ¦º¡ü¦À¡Õ¨Ç §ÅÚÀ¡¼¡öì ÌÈ¢ôÀ¢ÎžüÌô À¾¢Ä¡¸ «¨ÉÅÕ§Á "±ÄìÊ⺢ðÊ" ±ýÈ «¾ý ...

... ãÄ¡ø ÅÊÅ¢§Ä§Â ÀÂýÀÎò¾¢É¡ø ±ýÉ? ... ¾ÅÈ¡?..À¡ÅÁ¡?... ¾£ñ¼ò¾¸¡¾¾¡?

"†¡ŠÀ¢ð¼ø" ±ýÈ ¬í¸¢Äî ¦º¡ø¨Ä ¾Á¢Æ¢ø Áì¸û "¬ŠÀò¾¢Ã¢" ¬ì¸¢Å¢ð¼¡÷¸û. þ¡øÄ¢ý ¾Á¢ú ÅÊÅÁ¡É "¨Åò¾¢Âº¡¨Ä" ±ýÚ ±Ø¾¢ôÀ¡Õí¸û... ±ýÉ ¦À¡Õû ¦¸¡ûÅ¡÷¸û? ¬Ô÷-§Å¾ ¨Åò¾¢Âº¡¨ÄìÌõ ¬í¸¢Ä Ó¨È ¨Åò¾¢Âº¡¨ÄìÌõ §ÅÚÀ¡Î ¸¡ð¼ Å¢ÕõÒ¸¢È¡÷¸û ¦À¡Ð Áì¸û.

«Å÷¸Ç¢¼õ ÅñÊ ±ýÈ ¦º¡ü¦À¡Õû §ÅÚ. "¸¡÷" ±Ûõ ¬í¸¢Äî ¦º¡ü¦À¡Õû §ÅÚ. ¾Á¢Æ¢ø ¸¡¨ÃÔõ ÅñÊ ±ýÚ º¢Ä÷ ¦º¡øž¡ø Áì¸Ç¢¨¼§Â ÌÆôÀõ ¾¡ý Á¢ï͸¢ÈÐ ±ýÀ§¾ ¾¡÷ò¾õ.(Reality).

¬¸§Å ¿¨¼Ó¨ÈìÌ ´ùÅ¡¾.... Áì¸û ÁÉõ ²ü¸¡¾...

... þò¾¨¸Â ãÄ¡ø ¿£ì¸¢ô ÒÐ¡ø ¬ì¸¢Â

... "²Ä¡ò-¾Á¢úî"¦º¡ü¸û §¾¨Å¡?

- þ󿢨Ä¢ø ¸½¢É¢, ¦ºÂÄ¢ §À¡ýÈ ¾Á¢ú-¦Á¡Æ¢¦ÀÂ÷ôÒî ¦º¡ü¸û §¾¨Å¡?

- þùÅ¢„Âò¾¢ø «È¢»÷ þსƒ¢ «Å÷¸Ç¢ý ¸ÕòÐ °ýÈ¢ §¿¡ì¸ò ¾ì¸Ð.

- "¸õôäð¼÷" ±ý§È ¦º¡ýÉ¡ø ±ýÉ?... "¸½¢É¢" ±ýÈ ÒÐ¡ø ²ý?...

- ¦Á¡Æ¢ò ¾¨¼Â¢ýÈ¢ «¨ÉÅÕìÌõ ÒâÂÁý§È¡?

[PhillipHer]

"´¼õÀ¨Ã"

§¸¡ÂõÒòà÷ Åð¼¡Ãò¾¢ø.... ´Õ Å¢ò¾¢Â¡ºÁ¡É §ÀîÍ ÅÆìÌî-¦º¡ø... ´¼õÀ¨Ã.

"«Å÷ ¯í¸ÙìÌ ´¼õÀ¨Ã§Â¡?" .. ±ýÚ «ùç÷측Ã÷ ´ÕÅ÷ ¯í¸¨Çì §¸ð¼¡ø «¾ý ¦À¡Õû... "«Å÷ ¯í¸ÙìÌî º§¸¡¾Ãá?".... ±ýÀ§¾.

þ¡ø ±ýÉ ¦Á¡Æ¢... ±ýÈ¡ø... àÂ-¦ºó¾Á¢§Æ ¾¡ý...

"¯¼ý-À¢ÈÅ¢".... ±ýÈ ¦º¡ø §ÀîÍ-ÅÆ츢ø "´¼õÀ¨Ã-¡¸" ò¢Ã¢óÐÅ¢ð¼Ð.

[S.T.D.]

http://www.iomx.com/online_ebooks.htm
http://www.iomx.com/download.htm
http://www.iomx.com/webmaster.htm
http://www.iomx.com/

[Ifroham4]

dear fsg,
all are acceptable except "naachchiyaar":

aai,aayar
aaichchi,aaichchiyaar,
aaichchiyar
naagar=naayar;["ka" in middle of a word is a tautomer (interchangeable-look at the beauty of Tamizh language!!), ka=ya;similarly, "sa" is interchangeable with "ya"
sa=ya]]-"kagara-sagaram mayangiya yagaram"

continuing the same , the pen'paal of
naagar[naayar]=naaichchiyar [in plural form]
=naaichchiyaar ="naachchiyaar" [in singular form ]
eg.
naagar [mentioned in puranaanooru]
naagar[nagaland,nagpur,nagapattinam,nagarkoil]
naayar[a section of people in kerala present]
aai[master of a cattle herd,herdsman, eg., "aayarpaadi kannan" description ]
[in puranaanooru, king aai an'diran and aai eyinan - lord of huge cattle fleet] =leader of a group of people ,leader of a family[grandfather,father]="makkalai katti maeippavan," the king,
aaichchi-[herdswoman,eg.,"aachchi thandha moar"-the yoghurt of herdslady;also mean as female leader of a group of people,a family=queen,grandmother,="aaychchi"="aayaal' " ="aayaa"=grandmother;also, "aayi"=mother]]

NAAGAR-one of the five primary groups of ancient Tamizh people(like the 5 major land types of ancient Tamizh country [if you want to call them castes;not like castes-but only called by the following names because of their individual profession] as mentioned in puranaanooru:
(1)vael'ireople who did agriculture,raise cattle;include hunters too[vaeduvar]
(2)mazhavareople who did skilled professions other than food-generators;eg.,artisans,musicians,poets,merchants, ministers and administrators;
(3)naagar:derived from the root word " nagam"-the nail of a finger which protects the extremities of hands and feet;
nagam literally meant to defend the boundaries of the ur,the village/town/city;{like the presentday "border security force " on the boundaries of each country.}
that's why we find naagar settlements in ancient history around Madurai,Nagarkovil around Oliyamangalam[the capitals of Pandyan kingdom in late Koodal period] and Nagapattin'am around old Poompugaar[which stretched almost from Thillai to Nagapattinam in the Koodal period]
naachchiyaar=considered as ladies of royal families, who protect and defend their country,e., veera nachiyaar,kundhavai nachiyaar,mangammaa naachchiyaar;
(4)mar'avar:the soldiers,the kings and generals;"during wartimes atleast one from each family goes to the battlefield as a soldier"-puranaanoru;
(5)otrtrar-the spies-recall "5-aam padai!";,such intense was the aristocratic race for supremacy between the Tamizh kingdoms and empires, that many citizens were official spies serving in their home capital or in their enemy's land ; at any time 1 in 10 men and women among the general population of the capital cities like Poompugaar and Vanji and Madurai, were spies , either native spies or foreign enemies' spies !]
Thus in any family there were all types of people originally, a mazhavan,a naagan, a vael'ir and a mar'avan-all in one famiy based on the job each did! Each member of the family had the independence of doing what they liked and what they did best!
This was the secret of successful continuation of the Tamizh civilization , Tamizh Empires and Kingdoms and brilliant and then (and still) the most advanced social system for more than 10,000 years of continuity!;But later on each professionals seggregated from each other, as a mar'avan's son became another mar'van and a vael'ir's son continued his father's work of farming and so on.
VAELIR:vael'aan'mai=agriculture, vael=farmers
and vaeduvar=vaedar=hunters;
vael'=one who generates food=the root word "vil'ai";cf. "vil'aiththal,vil'aichchal"
one who did the lighter and easier way of generating food
=farming=vael'ir;paguthi{the root wod} end with mellina "l'agaram";
one who did the harder way(vanmur'ai=to kill=hunt down of generating food
=hunting , killing the forest animals=vaedar;paguthi end with vallina "ta garam".
mellinam=lighter way=agriculturing , farming ;
vallinam=harder way=hunting , gathering ;

[radikal]

§ÀẢâÂ÷¸§Ç/ «È¢»÷¸§Ç ÀÄ÷ þôÀÊ ±ØÐõ§À¡Ð, ±ý ¦ºöÅÐ?
¦Á¡Æ¢ Á¡Ú¸¢ÈÐ ±ýÚ Å¢ðÎÅ¢¼§ÅñÊÂо¡ý!!

[Beerinkol]

My Dear TAMILIAN- FRIENDS,

Please DO NOT CHANGE THIS TAMIL-THREAD INTO AN ENGLISH ONE... anymore.

Please POST IN TAMIL FONT only... as it is existing from the initiation

Otrherwise we will have to FACE THE CURSE OF OUR BHARATHI

[Lillie_Steins]

Thanks for the good info.

[Big A]

Quote: "F.S.Gandhi vandayar"

// Dear Thiru Sudhaama, I understand and appreciate the notion behind your thought.

Here we have a chance of popularising our history not only to tamil masses but also to other world people.

Our literature / history never belongs to tamils only or written only for tamils. They have globalisation in nature.

Hence when we talk about tamils history we talk about global history.

I think in this perspective kindly take it in positive way.//

¯Ä¸-Áì¸¨Ç ¿¡õ º¢ó¾¢ì¸ò àñΞüÌÓýÒ ¿õ ¾Á¢ú-Á츨Ç... º¢ó¾¢ì¸ò-àñÎŧ¾ ¿ÁÐ Ó¾ý¨ÁÂ¡É §¿¡ì¸õ.

...«¾¢Öõ þíÌ ¿¡õ ±ÎòÐì-¦¸¡ñÎûÇ Å¢„Âõ ..."Å¡Øõ-¾Á¢ú¦Á¡Æ¢"... «¾¡ÅÐ þý¨È "§ÀÍõ-¾Á¢ú"... "ÀÆÌ-¾Á¢ú" ÀüÈ¢ÂÐ.

... þÐ ¾Á¢ÆÃøÄ¡§¾¡÷ìÌõ ¾Á¢ú-¦Á¡Æ¢¨Â «È¢Â¡§¾¡÷ìÌõ Óýɾ¡¸ ¦¾Ã¢ó¾¡¸-§ÅñΧÁ¡?

¾Á¢Æ÷¸Ç¢¨¼§Â ¿¡õ «ÇÅǡר¸Â¢§Ä...¿ÁÐ ±ñ½í¸û ¸ÕòÐì¸û ¡×õ ¿ÁÐ ¾¡ö-¦Á¡Æ¢Â¢§Ä§Â ÅÆíÌÅÐ ¾¡§É º¢Èó¾Ð?

¯í¸¨Çô §À¡Ä ´Õ¾¨Ä¡¸ §Àº¢ô-§Àº¢ò-¾¡ý... ¾Á¢Æ¢ø §ÀͧšÕõ ÀÆ̧šÕõ ±ØЧšÕõ ¿¡ÙìÌ ¿¡û «Õ¸¢ ÅÕÁ¢ýÈÉ÷.

¾Á¢Æ÷¸¨Ç-§¿¡ì¸¢ À¡Ã¾¢ «¨È-ÜŢɡý

"±ÉÐ «ýÒ츢ɢ º§¸¡¾Ã÷¸§Ç!...¾Á¢Æ÷¸¡û!... ¿õÓû§Ç ¿ÁÐ ¾¡ö-¦Á¡Æ¢Â¡É º£Ã¢Â ¦ºõ¨Á ¦Á¡Æ¢ ¾Á¢Æ¢§Ä «ÇÅÇ¡Ð-Å¢ÎòÐ... ¬í¸¢Ä-¦Á¡Æ¢Â¢§Ä ¯¨Ã¡Îõ «ÅÄ-¿¢¨Ä ±ýÚ Á¡Ô§Á¡?" ±ýÚ.

«ýÀ§Ã.!... À¡Ã¾¢ìÌ ¯í¸ÇÐ ÁÚ¦Á¡Æ¢ ±ýÉ?

.. ¿£í¸û ¸¡ðÎõ ÅÆ¢¨Âô À¢ýÀüȢɡø ¾Á¢ú ÅÇÕÁ¡? Å¡ØÁ¡? //

When in the Same way... Bharathi was asked by one Englishman... he replied...

"In this respect, let us... We the Tamilians... first SET RIGHT OUR HOUSE FIRST...prior to spreading our Message to others."
.

[doctorzlo]

I agree with Sudhama and thanks are due to fsG for his wonderful explanations.

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

now we all can use default unicode tamil that comes with Microsoft.

[softy54534]

Tamil is suddenly all pervasive..

It’s been hard to live down the image of the quintessential Tamilian, that Mehmood so kindly immortalised as the dhoti-wearing, nammam-sporting, tum kya bolta ji-spewing Brahmin from Madras in the 1968 hit Padosan.

But those days of suffering were long before Kareena Kapoor gyrated in titillating red to Chammak Challo, taunting her robot lover with Kannil kannai pooti vital, sirikka matiya.

And, not without good reason. From our Chennai Super King's Whistle Podu number to Kolaveri Di, Tamil has gone from being just about ‘mind it’ jokes to a lingo that youth across the nation don’t mind interspersing with dialogue-baazi.

The catty idli-dosa references and appadiya clichés have given way to more hip usage of words like machan, dai and paavum.

And with folk artiste Chinnaponnu sharing the stage with Shaan and B’town hotties grooving to her rustic live performance or Ranbir and SRK mouthing-off lines in Tamil at a recent awards function, it’s telling of the fact that Tamil is the new language of cool.

Suddenly, Tamil is all pervasive! Says Chanrachoodan Gopalakrishnan, who hosts photo walks in Chennai and is involved with Puram, a podcast on Tamil Nadu’s political scenario, “What’s been happening over the last few years is that people from Madras have been migrating everywhere.

Old bastions and boundaries have fallen. As more and more people marry outsiders the scope and reach for all things Tamil grows. Tamil classical music (Pittsburg tyagarajar festival etc.) and folk music have now become viral on the concert circuit globally. Be it Shankar Tucker’s Shruti Box or the Chennai Super Kings campaigns, Twitter — largely populated by people from Chennai — has taken things from here and turned them into a national phenomenon.”

Ushering in the change, rapper BlaaZe says, “It’s a great time for Tamil music and Tamil art to really reach out to the world. As a member of a diverse society, when we are exposed to different languages and cultures, it’s only natural to be amused at first, accept it next, and then grow fond of it,” he smiles.

But the syntax and rich phonetic collection of the language surely do make it unique? Says lyricist Madhan Karky, “I’ve studied different languages in the course of my work and find that Tamil is very beautifully designed. A lot of thought has gone into its construction. It has a big range of phonetics and sounds. From a musical and lyrical point of view especially it’s very pleasing.”

Tamil may very well soon be the language of Gen Y, but actress Shruti Haasan believes that Tamil has never had to fight a popularity contest. "Tamil is such an ancient language, it has nothing to prove to anyone. Having lived in America and later Mumbai too, I've always held my mother tongue in high regard and believe that no one can mock something that one is proud of,” says the actress who has a vernacular tattoo on display.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tablo...oo-cool-da-081

[Slonopotam845]

From: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chann...literature-936

Pen unites Tamil, Japanese literature

M. Muthu, 93, of Salem and his pen friend of 42 years, Shuzo Matsunaga of Japan, who is also 93, have been exchanging literary works and translations of poems and novels in an effort to pass on art, literature and culture of their respective countries to the next generation.

In conversation with this newspaper, Mr Muthu recalled his pride when the Japanese government brought out a stamp in his honour in 2007 — Tokyo had first decided to dedicate the stamp to Mr Shuzo for his contribution towards literature, but the generous Japanese told his government that Mr Muthu deserved the honour more.

However, Mr Muthu is more excited these days as his four books of translation of Japanese folk tales are getting ready for release early April by a reputed publisher in Chennai.

Residing with his son Mr Kannan, 63, a retired PWD engineer, Mr Muthu spends all his time reading, writing and translating for his friend. “Our relationship remains afresh even today. He sends photos and wishes during Pongal and Deepavali along with a big parcel of books. I also send him important literary works,” he said. The duo has translated Tamil ancient literary works like Naladiyar, Manimekalai and Panchathanthira Kadhaigal.

Mr Muthu was naturally anxious when the Fukushima nuclear disaster destroyed neighbourhoods in Japan. “I was relieved only after a letter from Shuzo. We met once in 1981 when Shuzo took part in the world Tamil conference in Madurai,” he said.

Mr Shuzo has written four volumes of books on marriage, birth and death ceremonies, important festivals of Tamil Nadu with inputs and photos sent by Mr Muthu. “Shuzo’s book India as Seen Through Letters, was very popular in his country. I have copies of his books. I want to preserve them,” he said. So far Mr Muthu has penned seven books with the help of Mr Shuzo.

[Lt_Apple]

Creating The Next Generation Of Tamil Storytellers
From: http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/201...-storytellers/

Singapore’s Tamil community is stepping up efforts to pass along its unique story-telling traditions to a new generation with a month-long literary festival, and with a little additional help from one of the world’s best-known Tamil writers, S. Ramakrishnan.

April is a special month for Tamils in Singapore, when many celebrate their language and culture. And to take their story forward, Tamils need to empower the next generation of storytellers with the necessary skills and tools, said the India-born Mr. Ramakrishnan, who was in town to conduct a two-day story-writing workshop that concluded Sunday.

The workshop marked the beginning of a month-long festival of Tamil literature being held under the auspices of the ValarTamil Iyakkam, an organization dedicated to promoting Tamil writing and storytelling, and attracted a wide spectrum of participants – teachers, students, professionals and established writers – who sought to gain from Mr. Ramakrishnan’s perspective.

“It was especially encouraging to see so many students eager to acquire the skills needed to become successful writers,” says multifaceted local Tamil enthusiast Paalu Manimaran, who runswww.thangameen.com, which organized the event. Thangameen is an e-zine focused on Tamil writing from Singapore.

“Everyone among us has so a story to tell. Readers are just people who haven’t started writing yet. All aspiring writers should acquire the requisite skills and craftsmanship needed to translate imagination into literature,” says Mr. Ramakrishnan, one of the most acclaimed and popular Tamil short story writers in recent years.

A familiar name to readers of top Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan through his weekly columns, he has authored award-winning novels, plays and essays and has also dabbled in screenplay writing.

“There are various reasons why people write–more than what Primo Levi listed–but at the core is the impetus to share what we have either seen, heard about, experienced, or imagined,” says the author of acclaimed novels such as Upapandavam, Nedunkuruthi and Yamam.

So what propelled him to become a writer? “I realized early on that my tastes and perception of the world were different, and I soon developed an insatiable urge to chronicle whatever I felt was important. Stories are our way of communicating to someone, somewhere whatever is of importance to us. There is a reader somewhere who we can connect with. Writing is also the only way to experience various worlds that we don’t literally inhabit.”

Peppered with instances drawn from real life and popular fiction, his sessions stressed the importance of plot, technique, style and language. A voracious reader himself, Mr. Ramakrishnan continuously reiterates the need to read. “Many writers stop reading once they get busy writing.

Actually, you should read more after you become a writer.”

One of the workshop’s sessions was devoted to the need to explore and get acquainted with classic short stories from Tamil and world literature.

“There is a universality of theme in many classic stories from various corners of the world that resonates with us. The story of the oppressed, the suffering of the marginalized. That’s what a story does–it gives a voice to the voiceless.”

With books battling television and the Internet for young minds, and attention spans of readers fast shrinking, the writer is under greater stress to communicate using fewer words, he says. “This is the Twitter age. We are all under pressure to write shorter stories. No one has the patience for 75-page short stories anymore.”