From: Nagata Shojiro,
Kolam Art & Science Forum (KASF), Japan, 27 December 2007
Dear Editor,
The Beauty, Dynamics and Design of String Patterns in Folk Arts
I am glad to contact with you as one interested in
knots or knot/link like patterns. I am not a mathematician, but am now
studying knots /links in your web page -
Tamil Culture: the Heart of Tamil
National Consciousness - Kolam: Symmetry
in Threshold Design in Tamil Nadu.
It has just passed one year since the time when we had held
the
International Symposium on Katachi/Form in Folk/Traditional Arts (ISKFA06
Japan). We have now published the commemorative issue of that
conference - The Beauty, Dynamics and Design of String Patterns in Folk
Arts of the journal FORMA (English version)
and uploaded all texts at
the web of the Society for Science of Form - one of the
co-organizations of the conference. The figure of the cover
page is a Kolam image called the Diamond Carpet and the four color traces show
that though the original pattern looks like in Chaos, it however consists clearly of
the structure of Swastika with rotating symmetry shown in the web image display
the animation of that tracing.
Videos
titled
Beauty
and Dynamics of Kolam and
Kolam
Video for ISKFA 2006
produced by me, show some movies introducing how to draw Kolam in India with
real performances.
Appreciate to inform this news in your web.
Response by
tamilnation.org
Many thanks for your communication. We have
included the papers presented at
the Symposium together with the links to the Video presentations in
our Kolam page . We congratulate you and wish you well with
your research.
From: Selvarajah Senthan, Sri Lanka 18
December 2007
I am currently working as a Researcher on Media and Conflict Resolution
in Colombo. I am a regular visitor of your website. I must first thank you
for operating such an excellent website containing news, views and analysis.
This is a good database for social science research. I am one of the
beneficiaries of your service. Herewith, I am enclosing my thesis document
“The Discourse of the Peace Process in the Sri Lankan Press”, submitted to
the Orebro University, Sweden for the Degree of Masters of Global
Journalism. Could you please include it in your database, so that many
people can see it?
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for your comments. We have included your theses in our
data base - you will find the link
here.
Whatever we have done - and continue to do - is founded in our
belief that Joachim Israel was
right when he declared that "Social sciences do not reflect the
social world, but contribute to its constitution." We
find ourselves in agreement with the comment of Professor
Galtung which you have quoted in your theses -
“Journalism
tries to depolarize by showing the black and white of all sides, and to
de-escalate by highlighting peace and conflict resolution as much as
violence. Changing discourse within which something is thought, spoken of
and acted upon is a very powerful approach. This journalism
stands for truth as opposed to propaganda and lies, ‘truthful
journalism’. Truth aspect holds for all sides, just like exploration of the
conflict formation and giving voice to all”. (Galtung, 2002, p.262)
Here, you may also find
Truth and Propaganda
written some 9 years ago of interest.
From: Raj Rudran, 16 December 2007
I had the pleasure of looking at the Tamil Nation website after a
few years. It is heart warming to see its growth and achievements.
Congratulations. It covers every aspect of our culture and it's a
great reference site for anyone interested in what the Tamils stand
for. Paticularly pleasing for me to see was how you finished the
column on Tamil Music with
reference to our struggle for freedom. Excellent contribution to
Tamil.
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for having taken the trouble to write to us. Comments
such as yours sustain us in our determination to continue with our
efforts - and we are sincerely grateful. Mikka Nanri
From: Para Sundha, Australia, 11 December
2007
From: சு. கோதண்டராமன், சென்னை
4 December 2007
அன்புடையீர், வணக்கம்.
சைவ சமயம் பற்றி ஆழ்ந்து கற்று
வரும் எனக்குத் தங்கள் இணைய தளம் மிகப் பயன் உள்ளதாக இருந்து வருகிறது.
நல்ல பயனுள்ள முயற்சி. பாராட்டுகள். இது மேலும் சிறந்தோங்க இறைவனை
வேண்டுகிறேன்.
நிற்க, யான் இன்று தங்கள்
இணைய தளத்தில் சம்பந்தர்
தேவாரப் பகுதிக்குச் சென்றேன். அங்கு பல பதிகங்களை வாசித்தேன். ஆனால்
இரண்டாம் திருமுறை 34 ஆம் பதிகம் - திருப்பழுவூர்- மட்டும் சொடுக்கலுக்கு
இணங்கவில்லை. சரி செய்வீர்கள் என நம்புகிறேன்.
Response by tamilnation.org
Mikka Nanri. We have now corrected the error. Many thanks for pointing
out the error.
From: Viv Nathan,
Missouri, U.S.A 3 December 2007
I had the opportunity to listen to
Vaiko's speech on Isai-Gnani,
Ilairaja's musical composition towards 'Thamil-Isai' - via 'Thiruvaaskam' and Beethoven/Mozart. It was brilliant, and I was spellbound. We
have a
heritage of which we can all be proud.
From: Girija Manaalan, Thiruchi, Tamil Nadu,
26 November 2007
Paaratukal - அன்புடையீர்,
வணக்கம். உலகெங்கிலுமுள்ள தமிழர்களுக்குப் பயன்படும்படியாக இந்த
இணையதளத்தில் அறிஞர்களின் வரலாறுகளை அளிக்கும் தங்களது இந்தத்
தமிழ்த் தொண்டு வளரட்டும்! ........கிரிஜா மணாளன், செய்தி தொடர்பாளர்,
திருச்சி மாவட்ட எழுத்தாளர் சங்கம் திருச்சிராப்பள்ளி
Response by tamilnation.org
உங்கள் வாழ்த்துகளுக்கு
எங்கள் மனமார்ந்த நன்றி.
From: Nicolas Dupin
De Beyssat, Journalist, France Télévision [nicolas.dupindebeyssat@france3.fr]
20 November 2007
Hello, I’m preparing a TV documentury about the recent story of Sri Lanka
- political sitution, crise and war and specially about the Tamil’s feeling.
I’m looking for a contact in Sri Lanka who will accept to guide me in the
Tamil zone during thesecond part of the preparation. I project to film next
year. Thank’s a lot for answer.
Response by tamilnation.org Regretfully our remit does not extend to
making arrangements of the kind that you have requested. However, we are
posting you request in our Comments page so that visitors to tamilnation.org
may respond to you directly if they so wish.
From: Manohari
Velamati, New Delhi, India
[tapana2007@yahoo.com ], 12 November 2007
I’m pursuing my PhD on Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in the School of
International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi . Your
website is of great use for my research as it helps me have a broader
understanding of various perceptions of Tamils across the world. Considering
the active role of
the tamilnation.org
website, I felt that approaching you can greatly help in finding the
diaspora organisations in the UK as I have chosen London for my field trip.
I will be delighted to visit the concerned organizations in March 2008 and
like to interact with the concerned individuals or refer to pertaining
literature for enriching my research on the Tamil Diaspora. I could get some
organisations names from your website and other Tamil websites. If you could
suggest active organisations or individuals and their email addresses in
London or in other countries of Europe especially in
France/Germany/Switzerland which you consider will be of more help to me in
acquiring substantial resources for my PhD, I’ll be very grateful to you.
Could you please send me your response and the persons whom I can meet in
your organization as that they will help me in finishing my formalities
before I attend my field trip interview? Thank you so much.
Response by tamilnation.org
We are happy that you have found tamilnation.org
of great use in your research. Regretfully our remit does not extend to
making arrangements of the kind that you have requested. However, we are
posting you request in our Comments page so that visitors to tamilnation.org
may respond to you directly if they so wish.
From: Jey Raj,
Canada 11 November 2007
Hello, I am
really overwhelmed by the content on your site. This by far is the best
reference we Thamizh people have in reach. Although I used your site before,
I did not realize how much of content it is made up of and the depth of the
content. I am really happy and proud to use the resources available here in
my daily life. I am thankful for all your time and effort you have put in to
make available this resource across the world.
Response by tamilnation.org
We
would like to thank you sincerely for your comments about the site. Comments
such as yours truly sustain us in our efforts.
From:
Jiang
Huazhi,
Leshan Teachers College, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China, 11
November 2007
I know that Sri Lanka is a small but very beautiful country. But the
island has had very cruel war between the government and Tamils for nearly
30 years. Many people, young and old, men and women have been killed, which
is a national tragedy. Some Tamils want to establish a separate Tamil Eelam,
which is understandable but impractical. The reason is that Sri Lanka is a
very small country. If you have two nations on the island, the two countries
will be much weaker than today. Do you agree on the devolution proposals by
SLFP? Perhaps, a federal government with a two-chamber parliament is a good
way to solve your ethnic problems. What’s your opinion about peace in Sri
Lanka? What are your complaints about GOSL? I would like to listen to you!
Violence could solve nothing. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela have set a
shining example for everyone who is fighting for their own rights and
interests. Everyone has only one life. Everyone should respect one’s own
life and others’ lives. Live in peace with everyone! Tamils need peace. So
do Sinhalese .So does the whole world. Yes to peace! No to war! God bless
everyone in Sri Lanka! Thank you again!
Response by tamilnation.org
We share your deep felt desire for peace.
But peace comes in many different forms. We have the peace of the graveyard as well.
After all, if it was simply peace that the Tamil people wanted they may have been well
advised
to willingly submit to alien Sinhala rule - many years ago.
"The would be conqueror is always a lover of peace,
for he would like to enter and occupy our country unopposed. It is in order to prevent him
from doing this that we must be willing to engage in war and be prepared for it."
- Clausewitz quoted in
Philosophers of Peace and War, edited by Professor Gallie
The
people of Tamil Eelam seek a just peace. And justice is not an empty platitude.
It is the cry for justice that has led thousands of
young Tamils to give their lives, and continue to give their lives, in a struggle for
freedom from oppression. In this regard Nelson Mandela serves as a shining
example. We are reminded of something which
Nelson Mandela said from the dock in
Pretoria on 20 April 1964 -
"...I admit immediately that I was one of the persons who helped to form
Umkhonto we Sizwe, and that I played a prominent role in its affairs until I
was arrested in August 1962.... we felt that without violence there would be
no way open to the African people to succeed in their struggle against
the principle of white supremacy. All lawful modes of expressing
opposition to this principle had been closed by legislation, and we were
placed in a position in which we had either to accept a permanent state
of inferiority, or to defy the Government. We chose to defy the law. We
first broke the law in a way which avoided any recourse to violence;
when this form was legislated against, and then the Government resorted
to a show of force to crush opposition to its policies, only then did we
decide to answer violence with violence."
And, we may also want to pay
attention to what it is that moved even
Mahatma
Gandhi, the apostle of non violence, to remark -
".. I would rather have India resort to arms in order
to defend her honour than that she should in a cowardly
manner become or remain a helpless victim to her own
dishonour... Forgiveness adorns a soldier. But abstinence is forgiveness only when there is power to
punish; it is meaningless when it proceeds from a helpless creature. A mouse hardly
forgives a cat when it allows itself to be torn to pieces by her... "
As to why a 'small beautiful
country' such as Sri Lanka needs a division you may find the article
Why Division (written in 1998) of
interest. The harsh political reality is that so
long as the Sinhala people believe that they can conquer the Tamil homeland
and rule a people against their will (perhaps through quislings and
collaborators), so long will they fail to see the need to talk to the Tamil
people on equal terms. So long also will they fail to see the need to
recognise the existence of the Tamil people, as a people,
with a homeland and with the
right to freely choose their political
status. So long also will they fail to see the need to structure a polity where
two nations may associate with each other in freedom.
Finally, we too agonise over the
matters that violence brings in its train but as we have pointed out in 'Violence
and Integrity' we
judge that the struggle
of the people of Tamil Eelam for freedom from alien Sinhala
rule has
justice on
its side and we take the view that by so judging, and
placing
in the public domain the facts on which that judgment is founded, we are more likely to
bring
a just peace in the island of Sri Lanka than
by remaining a passive spectator. And here, we find the words of Martin
Luther King persuasive: "..The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."
From: Helene Wigh, Denmark 11 November 2007
Hello, I hope that you can help me. My sister in law has just given birth
to a little boy and since she was born in Sri Lanka, she now lives in
Denmark, she was adopted when she was very small, she should like to give
her boy a name that comes from Sri Lanka, or a name that is often used in
Sri Lanka. Their daughter is named after herself, she is called Champika.I
have promised her to help, yet I have trouble finding such names. I,
therefore, hope that you can help me, either by mailing me a list of
different names or by mailing me a link to where I can find some. Neither of
us speak or understand Tamil, so it has to be in English. I really hope that
you can help me.
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam.You may find the web page at anbutamil.com helpful -
http://www.anbutamil.com/BoyNamesA.htm There are also a few Tamil names
in English at
http://www.tamilnation.org/culture/tamilnames.htm
From: Kandasamy Periyasamy , 19 October 2007
Vanakkam. Naan Kandasamy Periyasamy Tamilnation web pakuthiyaip
padiththu varukiren. Tamilnation web pakuthi ulaka makkalukku perithum
payan ullathaaka vilangkukinrathu. Ithanvazhi naan thamimoziyin
arumaiperumaikalai arinthu makizkiren. Tamilnation web pakuthiyil tamil
ezuththukalai kaana mudiyathillai. En kaniniyil tamil ezuththukal
varuvathillai. Itharku yaaraavathu vuthavi seithaal nanri theriviththuk
kolveen. Mikka Nanri.
Response by tamilnation.org
To read Tamil text please install a Tamil Unicode
font from
here -
and for detailed
help please see
Tamil Fonts & Software
From: S.Ranganathan, USA
1 October 2007
Dear Tamil brother
tamilnation.org:
I want the whole world to know what a fantastic service you are doing for
all of us, Tamils. Your site is the model of civility, courage, honesty,
nobility and inclusiveness – all qualities of Great Tamils. I only wish the
present Tamil Nadu government would take a few lessons from you.
On our struggle to have Eelam: I am extremely sad and disturbed to see the
conditions in Sri Lanka. I also see the enormous sufferings of my fellow Sri
Lankan Tamils. Can not the Singhalese government drop this militaristic
attitude and come to a bargaining table with the Tamils?
I was in India (Chennai) and I had to travel extensively by air. One
thing I noticed was that the announcements on the plane were in Hindi and
English – even when the flights were within Tamil Nadu. To me, this is
unacceptable. I can bet almost nobody on these planes understood Hindi!
Besides, what prevents these airlines to make announcements in Tamil? On my
flight from London to Chennai, British Airways made all announcements in
Tamil! Mr. Karunanidhi professes his love for Tamil but nothing is done in
this front.
Thru a relative of mine, I have found that many
CBSE (Central Board of
Secondary Education) schools
in Tamil Nadu
continue to impose Hindi (as compulsory subject), while Tamil can be
conveniently skipped. This is sharp contrast to Karnataka where all schools
including CBSE School, which do not teach Kannada as compulsory subject,
will be de-recognized. Mr. Karunanidhi has come to power the 4th time now;
still the Hindi imposition in CBSE flourishes in Tamil Nadu.
Why are Tamil Nadu's ports of entry, i.e., airports and ports staffed by
people who speak Hindi and do not know Tamil?
I salute you, Sir, for your outstanding work for the cause of Tamil.
Nandri, Anbudan... "Chenthamizh Nadenum Pothinile Inba then thamizh
payuthu kathinele"
Response by tamilnation.org
Comments such as yours humble us and also sustain us in our work. We
continue to believe with Mahatma Gandhi that 'as human
beings... we must become the change we wish to see in the world' and that
'whatever you do may be insignificant but it is important that you do it'.
செந்தமிழ் நாடெனும் போதினிலே -
இன்பத் தேன்வந்து பாயுது காதினிலே. Mikka Nanri. May God Bless, Anbudan..
From: Tulasi Ram, Bangalore, India 17
September 2007
Hello, I am a media buyer at MediosOne (www.mediosone.com). I am
interested in buying advertising inventory on your site
(www.tamilnation.org). We currently have some new advertisers coming in that
we would like to run with you. If you could please provide me with some CPM
and CPC rates for your traffic I can relay those to the advertisers. I am
really looking forward to hearing back from you and exploring all buying
opportunities with you. Thank you for your time.
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam. Many thanks for your
interest. However, we do not at present advertise on our site. Should this
policy change we will get in touch with you.
From:
Lakshman Gunasekara, Sri Lanka 12 September 2007
Dear
tamilnation.org, I was pleased to see that your website carries
the text of my Sivaram
Lecture in full, more so with your own comments and added weblinks and
references. I wish to congratulate you on your very systematic treatment of
such articles. I, personally, found the comments and the helpful weblinks
that you have included, extremely useful and I thank you for it. You may be
interested to know that many things that I said in my Sivaram Lecture, I
have said, perhaps in slightly different ways, some years ago - even a
decade ago - in my commentary column 'Observations' that I wrote weekly for
about 5 years in the Sunday Observer newspaper (I subsequently became
Editor of the Sunday Observer). For example, I have devoted whole
columns on the racist nature of the Sri Lankan State and the
politico-military project of Sinhala-Buddhist ethno-supremacism. There are
many related subjects of cultural politics, nationalism, ideology, State
formation, and the peace process that I have also written on in my
'Observations' column. You are welcome to
access the Sunday Observer and peruse my columns. I find
www.tamilnation.org a
commendable effort. Wishing you success, sincerely
Response by tamilnation.org
We thank you for your comments. At the end of the day
it is for the Tamil people and the Sinhala people to be unafraid (yes,
unafraid) to have an open and honest conversation with each other and in
this way help mobilise a critical mass of people committed to secure justice
and democracy - a democracy where no
one people rule another. An independent Tamil Eelam may not be
negotiable but an independent Tamil Eelam can, will, and indeed must
negotiate.
A meaningful negotiating
process will need to address the question of working out a legal framework for
two free and independent peoples to co-exist - a legal framework where they may
pool their sovereignty in certain agreed areas, so that they may co-exist in
peace.
There may be a need to telescope two
processes - one the creation of an independent Tamil Eelam state and the other
the terms in which an independent Tamil Eelam state may associate with an
independent Sri Lanka.
Admittedly, the negotiating process may be complex but if Germany and France
were able to put in place such 'associate' structures despite the suspicions and
confrontations of two world wars, it should not be beyond the capacity of Tamil
Eelam and Sri Lanka to work out structures, within which each independent
state may remain free and prosper, but at the same time pool sovereignty in
certain agreed areas.
Tamils who today live
in
many lands and across distant seas know only too well that
sovereignty after all, is not virginity.
From: Mageshree Naidoo, South Africa, 7
September 2007
Good Morning, My boyfriend is interested in learning
Tamil....I have obtained lots of information for him from your
Learning & Teaching Tamil page and I
hope that it will help him. Is it possible for him to contact you if he
needs assistance with the pronounciation of certain words? Thank you
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam. We are glad that you found our
Learning & Teaching Tamil page
helpful. As you may know we are based in the United Kingdom. Regretfully our
remit does not extend to providing the assistance that you have requested.
From: Hariram Someshwaran,
Tamil Nadu, 30 August 2007
Vanakkam. I happen to read through the article by Dr.Muthu Mohan-"Sikhs
and Tamils -The Indus Connection". It was quite an interesting article
by Dr.Muthu Mohan. But after reading through the article I had a feeling
that Dr.Mohan was concentrating more against the Brahmins and the
Vaishnavities rather than the subject itself. Although I am a Saivite, I had
a feeling that the article itself can create some friction between the
Saivites and the Vaishnavites. I would suggest that he listen to
Arthamulla Hindu Matham by Kavingar
Kannadasan. And finally, I would like to appreciate tamilnation.org for
the tremendous work that they are doing.
From: T.Sreedharan,
Tamil Nadu, 10 August 2007
Dear Tamilan, I am very happy to visit your web site and note the
services you are providing for Tamil society. I like to introduce
myself. My name is Sreedharan and I am working as a primary school teacher
in Perundurai. I want to know what the abbreviation V.O.C
in V.O.Chidambaram Pillai (Kappalottiya
Tamilan) stands for. I know that C
stands for Chidambaram Pillai but I cannot find what V.O. stands for. It be
will be useful for our teacher's community to explain about such a great
personality. I looked for this in many websites, but I cannot find the
answer. I await your reply. Thanking you..
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for comments about the website. The question
that you have raised is well taken. We must confess that we ourselves do not
have a definitive answer. In Tamil V.O.Chidambaram
Pillai is referred to as வ.உ.சி. and
not as, say வி.ஒ.சி. or
வு.ஒ.சி.. V.O.Chidambaram Pillai's father was Ulaganathan
- உலகநாதன் and this would seem to suggest that the
initial உ stands for his father's name and it is
possible that உ became O in English. But we must
admit that this mere conjecture on our part. Again, as you undoubtedly know,
in Tamil Nadu the name of the birthplace is often an initial in the
person's name. But V.O.C.'s birthplace is usually given as Ottapidaram - and
it will be difficult to suggest that somehow Ottapidaram stands for either
உ or வ. You are right to point
out that you were unable to find a satisfactory in your search of websites.
Wikepedia, for instance has this to say - " Vulaganathan Othapidaram
Chidambaram Pillai popularly known by his initials, V.O.C. (spelt Vaa.Vu.Ce
in Tamil) was born on 05 September 1872 to an eminent lawyer Vulaganathan
Pillai and Paramyee in Ottapidaram, Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu State
in India." We find that Wikepedia fails to explain why in Tamil V.O.C. is
always referred to as வ.உ.சி. and not as,
வு.ஒ.சி.. - and in any case, it would be unusual,
though not impossible, for Ulaganathan to be spelt with a Vu or
வு. We ourselves feel that the answer may lie in
identifying more clearly the name of V.O.C.s birthplace in Tamil. In the
case of C.N.Annadurai for instance, C.N. stands for Conjeevaram Natarajan -
it is the first initial that stands for his birthplace. One may well imagine
the confusion if Conjeevaram had been spelt Kanchipuram!
From: M.Prasath, Trivandrum, 8 August 2007
Hi, the web site is really good. I was searching for a site like this for
a long while. The search ends here.
Almost
all the Tamil epics are converted in pdf. It is a really fantastic job.
Response by tamilnation.org
Mikka Nanri. The PDF files are the work of
Project Madurai - a
group of volunteers led by Dr.K.Kalyanasunderam in Switzerland and
Kumar Mallikarjunan in USA.
From: Afaaf Rajbee, London, 23 July 2007
I am a student studying for a Masters in International Public Policy at
London University and am extremely interested in your website. After seeing
its professionalism and vision, I am doing a research project on the use of
the internet by unrecognized nations... I am looking to interview the
webmaster of this site, or anyone involved in
tamilnation.org
about the motivations and visions behind creating the website, and what you
hope from the future. I hope that you will be willing to participate.
Response by tamilnation.org
At the outset, may we thank you for your comments - and for your
interest. However we ourselves do not participate
in interviews etc in relation to the site and we regret that we cannot
accede to your request.
Said that, we do wish you success with your research project
on the use of the internet by unrecognized nations. As we have pointed out
in What is a nation?, the
digital revolution is helping to forge
anew the togetherness of a people. State boundaries are becoming increasingly porous,
not only to the market but also to
information,
human
rights and political activism - and deep rooted kinship ties are finding fresh avenues
for expression. We do hope that you will find the material at
tamilnation.org
of some help.
From: Ravi Shankar Vaidyanathan, United
States, 19 July 2007
I am a PhD student (in biomedical engineering) in U.S. I am searching for
Tolkaapiyam in book format with English translation. Could you please tell
me where I could procure this. Also, please let me know where I can find
(with English translations) kurunthogai, agananuru, paripaatal and works
like silapathigaaram. Thanking you.
Response by tamilnation.org
An
English translation of Tholkappiyam by Dr.V.Murugan is in print at
the International Institute of Tamil Studies at Chennai and you may contact
them as to availabilty. There is also a
Tolkaapiyar Discussion Group
which may be able to help.
There are several translations of Cilapathikaram. You will find them
listed in the Cilapathikaram page.
The
translation by R.
Parthasarathy is well regarded and is available at Amazon.com. As for
the Ettuthokai works such as kurunthogai, agananuru, paripaatal we ourselves
do not have any specific information abour translations, though you may want
to have a look at our
Sangam Classics: Ettuthokai/Melakannaku
- the Eight Anthologies page. You may find helpful information at Dr.Kalyanasundaram's
Tamil Electronic Library.
From: Monica John, Nashville, Tennessee,
USA 3 July 2007
Good afternoon! I would like to say that I really enjoy your site. It is
wonderful. Please keep up the great work. Sincerely,
From: Nirmalan Vethanayagam 21 June 1007
I really do appreciate the service you are doing in upholding and
nurturing our centuries old
Thamil history &
traditions, through your
website. I hope you could give me some answers or links to quench my age old
thirst in regard to the architectural wonders (Indian) of South East
Asia.
1. When did this migration take place to countries like Burma, Indonesia,
Thailand, Cambodia, Bali - and under whose direction?
2. Were they South Indians - could we indentify them as Dravidians - what
language did they speak?
3. Why have research books failed to say much on the South Indian factor
- rather than crediting Khemer regimes for the creation of Anchor Wat.
4. To which extent did Indian Government glorify this link - or hide the
link because of the South Indian factor?
5. Does the current population in these countries ever think about their
South Indian forefathers?
6. What kind of transportation/technology was available during the hay
day of migration, and how often did the ships travel the dangerous waters of
the Indian Ocean?
Response by tamilnation.org
The matters that you have raised are important areas for
research. Said that we ourselves do not have the skill set to engage in
independent research in these areas. You may find
G.K.Rajasuriyar's Kappal Oddiya
Thamilan of some interest. Rev. Father Thaninayagam also researched in
some (but not all) of the areas that you have mentioned
e.g.Tamil Diaspora
- Myanmar - மியன்மார் , Tamil
Diaspora - Trinidad - ட்ரினிடாட்,
Tamil
Diaspora - New Caledonia and
Tamil Migrations to
Guadelope & Martinique, 1853 to 1883 - Xavier S. Thaniyayagam.
Here, the papers submitted at the Conferences organised by the International
Association for Tamil Research may provide some helpful pointers - you will
find the links at
http://www.tamilnation.org/conferences/index.htm. A
Brief History
of Tamils in Mauritius by M.Sangeelee may be of interest. Two
other papers which may be of interest are
the
Tamil Migration Cycle 1830 - 1950
by Christophe Z Guilmoto and
Birds of Passage - Migration
of South Indian Labour Communities to South-East Asia; 19-20th Centuries,
A.D.by Adapa Satyanarayana, 2001 .
From: Elango Cheran 21 June 2007
Dear
Editor:
re
http://www.tamilnation.org/digital/mark_whitaker.htm
In this page, the title is incorrect ("Address by Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister, M.Karunanithi - Inaugration of Tidel Park for IT
industries"). You deserve many thanks for
maintaining such a great website. Without your website, where would there
be a documentation of everything affecting Thamils? Where would there be
an archive of Taraki articles? etc..
Do you know if there are any efforts in the Diaspora to make another
compilation of Taraki's articles in the recent few years into another book?
I think that would be a good idea
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for your comments and pointing
out the error – this has now been rectified. We ourselves are not aware of a
project to make another compilation of Taraki's articles - that is not to
say that such a project is not in hand.
From: Sudha Govindasamy, 14 June 2007
Awesome! You people are really doing a wonderful work. I was looking for
this E-copy of
Ponniyin Selvan and am glad I could find it here. For people who have
interest in literature but not able to buy the hardcopy and for those living
abroad this is really a great source. Keep up with your good work.
Response by tamilnation.org
Mikka Nanri. The E-copy is the work of
Project Madurai - a
group of volunteers led by Dr.K.Kalyanasunderam in Switzerland and
Kumar Mallikarjunan in USA.
From: Maithily, United Arab Emirates, 4
June 2007
Hi, I am a frequent reader of
tamilnation.org.
Really systematic information. It is an
encyclopaedia
of Thamil and its world.
Response by tamilnation.org
Mikka Nanri.
From: Siva Ratnam, 27 May 2007
From: Jiang Huazhi,
Leshan Teachers
College, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China, 22 May 2007
I’m so happy to have viewed your website, which is very nice. You know,
I’m Chinese and I’m studying something about your
Constitution of 1972. The
Constitution has 134 articles. But on your page, there are only Articles 1 to
65, 134.Could you tell me how I can get Articles 66-133? I’m looking forward
to hear from you. Thank you.
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam. Many
thanks for your interest. We have recently posted Articles 66 to 90. We will
be posting the remaining articles during the course of next month. As you
may know, the
1972 Sri Lanka
Constitution was later replaced by the
1978 Constitution. We wish you
success with your studies.
From: Praveen Kumar, Info Edge India Ltd,
22 May 2007
We are exploring various opportunities to advertise our real estate
vertical 99acres.com on different portals across India. We are looking to
increase property searches on 99acres.com from visitors through your site,
who would be landed directly on our home page. We would like to know
different advertising options that you could offer for 99acres.com.
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam. Many
thanks for your interest. We wish you success with your efforts. We regret
that we do not place ads in our website.
From: Jim Brodie, [
jim.brodie3@btinternet.com
]Edinburgh, 16 May 2007
For several years now I have been trying to find a description of an
ancient two pronged digging implement which may be similar to those carvings
on Pictish symbol stones in Scotland. No luck so far. Does the digging
fork your article mentions [first
page of Who
is a Tamil ] have two long prongs and a short
handle. In all about 70 cm. long? Thank you for any help that you can give
me.
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam. We have been unable to contact
the author and we regret our inablity
to respond to your query. We are however posting your request in our
Comments page so that visitors to site who may be able to help may contact
you directly.
From: Sarah Raymond [
sarahr@gardenmoment.org ],
15 May 2007
Hello, I don't have a large budget but I will pay you something in the
ballpark of $35 dollars to place a text ad on your webpage:
http://www.tamilnation.org/indictment/indict039.htm I can pay you
immediately through paypal. The text ad would be for a website that sells
designer glasses. Please let me know if you are interested! Thanks :)
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam. Many
thanks for your interest, though we did find your
choice of
link somewhat intriguing. Be that as it may,
we do not, in any case, place ads in our website.
From: Arumugam Boopathy, 13 May 2007
Thanksgiving - I am delighted at the invaluable service you are
rendering to the Tamils of the world.
Please keep it up.
Response by tamilnation.org
Mikka Nanri.
From: Puvirajan Rajen, Malaysia, 11 May
2007
I refer to the
report in
Tamilnet (10-5-2007) about the Bisop of Jaffna, Rt Rev. Dr
Savundaranayagam with Ambassadors Blake and Boucher. The Bishop executed his
Dharma and Duty very well. He
spoke the truth from his heart. My doubt is with the 'receptivity skills' of
the US Ambassadors. Do they know an Ambassador's Dharma?
From their looks and expressions, I sense they still have this thought
somewhere in the corner of their mind to bring about the defeat of the LTTE
which will then lead to genocide and destruction of not only Tamils but also
Tamil Eelam. This plan unless sanctioned by God will fail.
Nowhere in his message did the Bishop say a word to condemn the LTTE because
he knows that only the LTTE with the Grace of God will be able to protect
the legitimate rights of the Tamils and Tamil Eelam.
It is my humble prayer that Boucher and Blake convey the above true picture
to that bloke Bush in the White House so that it reaches Blair! Thank you. Many Sai Rams to Blake, Boucher, Blair and Bush!
Embodiments of Love and Wisdom,
"... the human family is one indivisible Unity ... there is only one
caste, the caste of Humanity .... there is only one religion ... the
religion of Love ...."
What simple logic! What simple Truth this! Yet even such a thing cannot
be understood, will never be accepted, will be condemned as
blasphemy, ignored, despised upon and discarded! And so was the
advice given more than 2000 years ago, "Do not cast pearls before swine,
lest they ... turn against you ... Such is the way of this world or as
some ascribe to be the play, drama of God.
GOD loves Democracy!
From: Piyumi Samaraweera,
London, 9 May 2007
This is a message for Mr. Nadesan Satyendra.
Dear Mr. Satyendra,
My name is Piyumi Samaraweera and I am currently reading for my MSc in
Political Communication . I am doing my dissertation on new age diasporic
media and its role in nation building, and find
www.tamilnation.org
a wonderful example of this. I need to know if you are open to a dialog with
myself on the matter. I have done some (though admittedly not extensive)
research on the site but there's nothing quite like getting it from the
horse's mouth so to speak. I am currently also a student of
Nationalism and see so much of the body of
knowledge which resonates true within the
tamilnation.org
site. I realise that mine is one amongst many hopeful requests that get
posed to you on a regular basis, and also that your time is probably
limited. But I hope you will be agreeable to some form of exchange.
Response by Nadesan Satyendra
First, let me thank you for your comments re
tamilnation.org.
They were a source of encouragement and I was reminded again of the Albert
Camus quote
"...A writer writes to a great extent to be read - as
for those who say they don’t, let us admire them but not believe them." Your
area of research is a stimulating one. During the later part of the 19th
century, the print revolution brought Tamil from the ola leaves to
paper, from the select few literati to the many. Today,
the digital revolution is bringing Tamil
from paper to the computer and the internet - and is helping to bring
together Tamils living in many lands, not simply culturally but also
in political and economic terms. Having said that,
given the constraints on my own time I regret that I will be unable
to accede to the request that you have made.
I wish you well with your research efforts
on new age diasporic media and its role in nation
building.
From: Maria Bernard, Canada, 9 May 2007
Immigration and Settlement Canada Carleton Research
Hello, my name is Maria Bernard. I am working as a researcher for a
project led by Prof. Karim H. Karim of Carleton University. The project
looks at how whether the media provide information to immigrants to assist
them in settling in Canada. Is it possible for you to answer some questions
about your website, specifically the Canadian segment? This will not take
longer than 15 minutes. Your assistance in this research will be greatly
appreciated and would be helpful for your community as well.
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for your interest. Regretfuly our remit does not extend to
making arrangements of the kind that you have requested. We wish you well
with your reasearch project.
From: Preeti Desai, Vice President
Strategic Alliances, Rediff.com India Ltd, 4 May 2007
We at Rediff.com would like to partner with you using our customized online
QnA [Question and Answer] service. Some of the features of Rediff Q & A
which is an extremely user friendly service are: a) Users from both the
sites can post questions and answers on categories of their choice. b) An
excellent opportunity to build a knowledge platform c) Opportunities of
users to become experts on subjects of their choice. We will customize the
service for you and it will be available to your users under your brand
name.
Response by tamilnation.org
We thank you for your interest. But at this time, we do not seek
to enter into 'partner arrangements' of the kind that you have suggested. We
wish you well with your efforts at
http://www.rediff.com
From: Sathya Narayanan, Chennai 1 May
2007
Anbula Aasiriyar avargaluku, This is an excellent web site where I visit
often. It is so educative that helps me to teach my kids. The best part
I like is
Auvaiyar's
Athichoodi. Please continue this service. May God bless you.
Response by tamilnation.org
Mikka Nanri.
From: Safina Abbas Ali,
Pakistan, 28 April 2007
I am an undergrad student of Anthropological Perspectives of ethnicities
and nationalisms at Lahore University of Management Sciences. I am working
on my research project on the role of Tamil women in the Tamil nationalist
movement.
I wanted to know about the works published about the women in Tamil
nationalist movements, womens' role, their struggle and their motivation in
changing their role from domestic characters to active part of the movement.
It would be really great if you provide me with the names of books or papers
published on this topic and the content on your site regarding this topic. I
am sure it would be of great help in my research.
Response by tamilnation.org
You may find
Women & the Struggle for Tamil Eelam
and Women,
Nation & Struggle of interest. We wish you well with your research
project.
From: Kapil Goyal, USA 14 April 2007
Greetings, I am based in Chespeake, Virginia. We would like to place a
small ad on your website regarding our real estate business in Chennai.
Please let us know if that is possible and what formalities would be
involved. Sincerely,
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for your interest. Regretfully, we do not place ads in our
website. We wish you well in your real estate business in
Chennai.
From: Harry Hammond,
Met Police Press Office, Scotland Yard, London, United Kingdom [Harry.Hammond@met.police.uk ],
13 April 2007
Hello, It's Harry from the Met Police Press Office based in Scotland
Yard. I have an important press release that needs sending out to various
Papers and websites. I'm hoping you can help me on gaining contact details
for them, the press release is basically about getting the Sri Lankan and
Tamil community to come forward with information about organised crime
affecting their community. I have already sent the press release to
Lankaweb.com, Asian Times, Asian, Voice, BBC World Service, UK Lanka Times
and Tamil's Information Ltd. However I'm still missing details for
Newslanka paper, Asian Post and Eelamurasu. If you could send me details on
how to contact them it would be great. If you would also like the press
release please send me your details too. Thanks, Harry
Response by tamilnation.org
Vannakam.
Regretfully, we do not have the information that you have requested. Perhaps
a Google search or a WHO IS search may be helpful.
Having said
that, we are posting your request in our Comments page so that
visitors to the site may contact you directly if they so desire. We wish you
every success in your efforts to combat organised crime affecting the Sri Lankan and Tamil
community - and organised crime, generally.
From: J.Venessa, California, USA 6 April
2007
I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago, now in California and
trying to trace or obtain as much information as I can about my great
grandfather who came from South India. I came across your site while trying
to obtain some information about Indians in
Guadeloupe and if any made their way
to Trinidad in the early twenty century.
Over the years, I have done a lot of research and collected
stories/info from my relatives. What led me to search for Indians in
Guadeloupe was that my relatives said that my great grandfather came from
South India to Guadeloupe and later made his way to Trinidad. I was looking
for any information relating to that matter.
However, when I clicked on the Trinidad link I was even more astonished by
what I read. My great grandfather by the way his name is Pandora Terriminy
came to Trinidad with the priest "Seshaiyar" they were boat
brothers as they put it and later was good friends, but I have no idea where
they came from. Thanks to your site I know the date my great grandfather
came.
However, do you have any idea if any people from Guadeloupe made there way
to Trinidad in the early twenty century? Also any information about the
priest "Seshaiyar" from the Caura Road Temple would be a great deal of help.
Thanking you in advance.
Response by tamilnation.org Regretfully,
we do not have the information that you have requested, However if any
visitor to this site has any info that may help you in your search and
emails the same to us, we will be happy to forward the same to you.
Meanwhile we wish you well in your efforts - and we are happy that we have
been of some little help.
From: Krishna Chaitanya, India,
6 April 2007 [
kc_dcm@yahoo.co.in ]
Greetings. This is Krishna Chaitanya V., from India. I have one request
for you. I am working on a paper examining empirically the determinants of
Military Expenditure of Sri Lanka from 1980 to 2006. I have taken most of
variables which directly or indirectly affect the Lankan military
expenditure, which include, GDP, openness, civil war, number of political violence events,
number of deaths, population, ability of the government to
fund military expenditure (proxied by Treasury Bill Rates and
foreign aid)
and budget deficit. However, I think one of the other important variable
which one must consider in the econometric model is Security Web, which is
described as the sensitivity changes in neighbouring country's military
expenditure or that country's military expenditure with which we have
trouble. Since Sri Lanka does not have any such external troubles like India
has with Pakistan and Bangladesh, I prefer to take LTTE's military
expenditure. This tells us as to how the Lankan government's military
expenditure is sensitive to the LTTE's military spending or expenditure. Now
the problem is, I do not know where to get the data on LTTE's military
expenditure. If you have any data or information about LTTE's military
expenditure, I kindly request you to inform me or share with me the data.
Regards & wishes.
Response by tamilnation.org
We do not have the information that you have requested
- and, in any case, our remit does not extend to acquiring or storing
or supplying information of the kind that you have requested. Given
that the LTTE is banned in India
(and in a few other countries) we understand the difficulty that you must be
experiencing in getting the information that you appear to require for your
research study. Perhaps, the Sri Lanka Defence Ministry may be in a position
to help.
From: Cem Sevingen, 31 March 2007
Re your "Ernest
renan, what is a nation?" lecture page - first, a thank you for the
translation. Second, there is a small typing error in the introduction
which changes the whole meaning -
“The piece in this volume to which I attach the greatest importance
is the lecture ‘What is a a nation?’ I weighed each part with
greatest care. It is my profession of faith regarding human affairs,
and I hope that these twenty pages will be recalled when modern
civilization founders as > FLOUNDERS AT the result
of the disastrous ambiguity of the words: nation, nationality,
race.” Ernest Renan in the Introduction to his Collected Speeches
my sincere regards...
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for pointing out the error. We have corrected "founders" to
read "flounders". We feel that "flounders as a result
of the disastrous ambiguity of the words: nation,
nationality, race" gives a clearer sense of that which Ernest Renan
said.
From: Kundran Veeran, Malaysia, 22
March 2007
From: S. Thyagarajan, Tamil Nadu, 12
March 2007
I am interested in carnatic music CDs which are recorded and sold by
Amutham, USA. Are they available in Bombay or Chennai ? If so, can I
have the contact phone/address please?
Response by tamilnation.org
You will find some information about Amutham Music
at
Winston Panchacharam, the Original Disc Doctor
Additionally you may want to address your request to the contacts
mentioned in Amutham
Music website.
Dr. Winston Panchacharam (USA) has been the spark of
inspiration for the birth of Amutham Music.
From: Sarah Bliss,
Stumble Upon.Com, 3 March 2007
From: Christian Brackett, 1 March 2007
Hello. I've been looking all over the internet on how to pronounce
"Tiruvalluvar" or "Thiruvalluvar." Could you please tell me?
Response by tamilnation.org
The Tamil spelling is
திருவள்ளுவர் and the "correct"
phonetic pronunciation would be Thiruvalluvar.
From: Narayanaswamy Viswanathan,
Iflex
Solutions, 26 February 2007
Hi , I wanted to know
the English version of all the Kural’s … So , I had visited this
page to get the same. It was really good But , I can get Kurals
only till 1080. Can you please provide the rest of the Kural meanings
also.
Response by tamilnation.org
The
page
you visited contains the English translation by
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami of the Himalayan Academy.
He confined his effort to 108 of the 133 chapters
i.e. to verses 1 to 1080. You will find the English translation of the
remaining chapters (verses 1081 to 1330 included in the work of
Kavi Yogi Shuddhananda Bharatiar
- specifically at காமத்துப்பால்
- களவியல் and at
காமத்துப்பால்
- கற்பியல்.
From: Roop Kumar, 22 February 2007
I am one of MGR's ardent fans. I am writing a Blog about MGR from
December 2005, and updating regularly. Please vist my Blog
www.mgrroop.blogspot.com
that is in English and
www.allaboutmgr.blogspot.com
in Tamil. Please help me to propagate this Blog to the World
Response by
tamilnation.org
We have included the links to
your blogs in our
One Hundred
Tamils - MGR page. MGR's contribution to the
Tamil Eelam freedom
struggle will always be
remembered by the people of Tamil Eelam.
From: B Bhuvanakrishna,
22 February 2007
I am really pleased to note that you have inserted
Ullagam Suttrum
Valiban – Title Song this week. I must also
thank you for inserting it at the appropriate time. God’s blessings for your
continued service to the Tamil Nation. Perform your duty without regard to
the fruits of action. Never let your sense of 'morals' prevents you from doing
what is right. Death never destroys the great souls who lived their life for
truth.
Response by tamilnation.org
Mikka Nanri. May God Bless.
From:
Angelika, Elisabeth, Peder &
Zikhder, Sweden 15/21 February 2007
Hello! We are four students at a masters programme in International
Museums Studies in Gothenburg, Sweden. We are currently working on an object
from a museum collection, gathering information about it and later on we
will make an exhibition including this object. The object is a kavadi with
the God Murugan riding a peacock which was collected in South India, the
Kunrakudi Temple during the
1920s.
Now, we are wondering if someone at this address can help us
with some information or if you know anyone else that can help us?
Our questions are as
follows -
What is and has the value of the kavadi been? Value concerning religion,
culture, national identity and such?
Is the kavadi only used during the Thaipusam Festival or also at other
times?
If the kavadi was to be a part of a museum exhibition, how would you like
to see it displayed? In what context? As a piece of art? As a religious
object?
As a Hindu object? As a Tamil object?
Concerning museum storing, are there any specific rules or
recommendations?
Who can/should handle it? Are there any traditional ways of storing it?
We would of course appreciate any kind of information, thoughts, ideas,
photos on the subject.
Thanks a lot! Angelika.
Response by tamilnation.org
We ourselves do not have any special expertise in this area.
We are posting your request here so that visitors to this site who may want
to help may contact you directly. You may also
find the following link of interest -http://www.murugan.org/kavadi.htm.
Additionally, you may want to raise your query in the
Agaththiyar
Discussion List
moderated by Dr. S. Jaya Bharathi (from
Malaysia) who is very knowledgeable in these matters.
From: Sastha.J.S, 15 February 2007
Sir, I am very much proud to see your dedicated work for
Tamil literature... There are no
words to praise your work.
From: Ali Hassan Awadh, Bahrain, 14
February 2007
I have a friend who speaks only Tamil, and wishes to learn English. Can
you help me where can I find books, materials that I can buy for him?
Response by tamilnation.org
You may find
Learning English Through Tamil by
Manikam Krishnan of interest.
From: K.
Narayanan, 13 February 2007
Hello, with much doubt, I made a
search for 'auvaiyar'.
I was surprised to see
the good
work you have done. I should thank you on behalf of all Tamil people
for that. I was going through
Konrai
Venthan. The
eighth verse "Eva
Makkal
Moova Marunthu" ஏவா மக்கள் மூவா மருந்து
is something that perplexed me.
I could not get the meaning. Can you please
elaborate on that.
Response by tamilnation.org
An elaboration is given in a World Tamil Women Organization,
USA publication 'Kondrai Venthan Illustrated' as follows -
"The children who do their duties with no bidding act like ambrosia
to save parents from old age"
Professor Y.S.Rajan
suggested translation is "An active life is antidote to the ageing process"
Another suggested meaning is "குறிப்பறிந்து
செயலாற்றும் பிள்ளைகள் தேவாமிர்தம் போன்றவர்கள்"
From: P.Ganash Kumar,
Xchanging,
Bangalore, India 13 February 2007
Hi, I have recently seen your site towards my
search of Thirukural. I am surprised to see that your
first Kural translation
might be wrong.
'A'
leads letters; the Ancient Lord
Leads and lords the entire world.
Your translation for ‘Aathi’ is nothing but the
SUN. But, you are confusing the people by saying ‘The Ancient Lord’.
You can argue that the Sun must be the Ancient God but do explain the
things shortly / simply so that other than Tamilians can understand
easily. Thanks and Regards.
Response by tamilnation.org
Many thanks for your interest. However, the
translation is not by us but
by
Kaviyogi Maharishi Shuddhananda Bharatiar.
It appears that you may have missed the reference to the translator at
the top of the page.
We have also published the
English
translation of the Kural by
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
of the Himalayan Academy which you may find of interest. The
translation reads -
"A" is the first and source of all the letters. Even so is God
Primordial the first and source of all the world.
அகர முதல எழுத்தெல்லாம் ஆதி
பகவன் முதற்றே உலகு.
From: Aravind Kumar,
South Africa, 10 February 2007
vazha tamil! valarha Tamil! engum Tamil! I am proud to belong to a
South African Tamil family. Vanakkam.
From: Hema Suresh, 10 February 2007
Hello Sir, I visited your website. It is really a wonderful site for
Tamil. tamilnation.org
ku engal panivarntha nandrigal. Valzha Tamizh. Valarga Tamizh.
From: S. M. Segaram Pillai, Australia, 7
February 2007
I am a regular visitor to your esteemed website. Selected articles you
publish provide in-depth information about the
art,
culture and the
political struggle of the Tamil people.
Sanmugam Sabesan's articles, in
particular are authoritative, informative and factual, as far as the
Tamil struggle for freedom is concerned. It is a pity English translations of such articles does not
appear at regular basis.
