TAMIL culture:
the Heart of Tamil National Consciousness

Culture & the Tamil Diaspora

Paragnanam Sathasivam,
Canada 4 June 2001

see also
The Preservation of Culture by Dispersed Tamils - Ramalingam Ganeshalingam together with comment by Ramalingam Shanmugalingam

I wrote two poems last year. These poems portray the anguish I  felt at seeing my three sons growing up in foreign countries and finally  realizing that it was impossible for us to reestablish ourselves in a new  country, help our family in Tamil Eelam, help our children succeed in their country of refuge, and transmit the Tamil heritage we preserved through many  generations. We ran away from Sri Lanka to provide physical safety for ourselves. However, we could not give the most valuable contribution to Tamil children - our heritage. The question and answer reflects my grief and a wish, that in a small way our children can still identify and contribute to their Tamil heritage.