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

From: Para Sundha, Australia, 11 December 2007

From: சு. கோதண்டராமன், சென்னை 4 December 2007

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 T�l�vision [[email protected]] 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 [[email protected] ], 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

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, [ [email protected] ]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 [ [email protected] ], 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

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

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

From: Harry Hammond, Met Police Press Office, Scotland Yard, London, United Kingdom [[email protected] ], 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: Krishna Chaitanya, India, 6 April 2007 [ [email protected] ]

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

From: Kundran Veeran, Malaysia, 22 March 2007

From: S. Thyagarajan, Tamil Nadu, 12 March 2007

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

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

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

From: P.Ganash Kumar, Xchanging, Bangalore, India 13 February 2007

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

From: S. M. Segaram Pillai, Australia, 7 February 2007

First I would like to congratulate you on the service being rendered to the Tamil Language .This portal could bring the Tamilians of the World together.

I would like to bring to your attention that the Madurai Kamaraj University in Tamil Nadu has expanded in the USA. They have started a Distance Education Study Center in Maryland therefore enabling people interested in continuing their education to attain a degree of their desire. The University offers 99 courses and these courses are affordable compared to the American Universities. The degrees offered by the Madurai Kamaraj University are recognized through World Education Services and is then equivalent to any degree offered in the US.

I would like to encourage people to check into this. This program helps one acheive his/her goal at one's own pace and at a resonable price. The website for this study center is www.mkudeusa.org and the website for the Madurai Kamaraj University is www.mkudde.org

This site is really fantastic. But it can be still more impressive and interactive with the public.

Hello Sir/Madam, I bumped into your website, as I am currently doing a dissertation on Self-Determination. I found your website very interesting and informative, and I quite liked a lot of what I read... However, I was somewhat disappointed when I looked at the list of "Nations" that are yet to attain their full autonomy, and I did not see Biafra. I assume that you are well informed in affairs of international Law, as you have Ogoni on the List, obviously because of the well-publicised hanging of the Ogoni leader in 1994..... but then, we are not all knowing and perfect...so I shall give you a bit of history

Biafra, for your information is the first African Nation in the African Continent to name and define itself outside the British colonial structure. They attempted to secede from Nigeria in 1967 and fought a bitter civil war that lasted till January 1970. The British and Soviet Union did their very best to undermine and sabotage every effort of the Ibos, and to prevent us building a nation where we can join the progressive states of the world.

It was in Biafra that the world first saw pictures of starving children when the Nigerian Government launched a war of Genocide where millions of women and children died of starvation

The nation of Ibos or Igbos, is yet to gain self determination and there is a peaceful movement on board to actualise this dream... Please see www.Biafraland.com for more information.

Hello, I read some of the articles in your Tamil Nation website, they are very stimulating and thoughtful articles. I would like to use one of the articles written in Tamil to record an audio of the article, mostly read by me and is it ok to record it and put it on my blogger, can you write to me the author's e-mail, so that I can check with the author too. The title of the article is Castes "Sathi" in Tamil by Shanmugam Sabesan from Melbourne, Au

Response by tamilnation.org Many thanks for your comments. We have forwarded your email to Mr.Sanmugam Sabesan in whom the copyright vests.