From Ram
S. Ravindran November 1998
Some thoughts on how to build Tamil pride.
1. Money and wealth earn
respect
Look at China. 15 years ago
they had a trade balance of less than a billion
dollars. Now they have 100 billion dollar surplus. They
are a factor in the thinking of the Europeans and the
Americans. We should develop a healthy attitude toward
making money. As a whole the province has to become
rich. Let us not blame any other factor except us. And
let us not kid ourselves thinking that someone else or
the centre is responsible for it. When people have
found out a way to make money, let them expand the
business, let them learn to trust others besides the
relatives. Let them expand to other parts of
India.
We have to brainwash ourselves
and our kids away from thinking that the Government job
is the way to go.. why? It does provide security .. but
there is no money in it. How many of the Tamilian
companies do business outside of Tamil Nadu?
2. Tangible
achievement
We need to put into the heads
of our kids the idea of achieving in every sphere. We
still think in terms of how to get the kids to become
doctors, engineers and now computer programmers and
send them abroad to earn a living. Why, what is wrong
in going the route of business? Why should not the
Government encourage setting up business schools
too?
3. Healthy attitude toward
manual labour
Develop a healthy attitude
toward manual labour. Hindus as a whole have a negative
attitude toward manual work. In my opinion the
Tamilians are the worst. Everyone thinks that brain
work is better than manual work. They would live in
filth because the servant lady is sick, than clean
their surroundings. Everyone complains about how
difficult it is to get a good servant! Why should
someone else has to do your dirty work! Even a high
school educated traveller thinks that is beneath him to
carry a small suitcase. Instead he would employ an
emaciated boy to carry his things.. why?
4. Decency in politics and
government
I hate to name names. But some
of the politicians seem to behave so badly that you
feel ashamed that you are one of them (Tamilians).
Being elected to run the Government is a honourable
job. It is an opportunity to do some public good. What
is the point about talking about religious values and
reading about Thirukkural, and other moral books when
they are not practised.
In this respect the 'higher
caste' groups have to take the initiative and do
something for the good of the society. How many
volunteer organisations really do the physical work
needed to clean up a place, beautify a place or have a
social gathering of the whole town or
village?
Prominent people of various
communities instead of gaining influence by splitting
people should attempt to earn the praise of everyone by
doing something that will unite the society as a
whole.
5. Unity among
Tamilians
Bring about more unity among
the caste groups and religious groups and try to even
out the differences. It is my feeling that people do
certain things deliberately to perpetuate the casteism.
Example:
When everyone learns standard
Tamil, why perpetuate caste Tamil. It is like the black
English spoken in America?
Why wear clothes in a certain
way for no reason except to declare one's
caste?
Why do different caste groups
make a certain kind of food and avoid eating certain
kind of food (whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian) and
telling the kids that certain group has to eat certain
food and so forth?
6. Symbolic acts by the
people of influence
Why can't people of respect
and position do something about ending the caste
clashes?
I would like to recall the
days when there was an AIDs scare in the US. People
afflicted with that disease were treated worse than the
lepers.
This great lady Princess Di
picked up an AIDS afflicted girl and hugged the girl
(she was genuine) .That made all the
difference
The Bhavad Gita says that to a
self-realised man a Brahmin, an elephant rider, a dog,
and a dog eater all are the same - there is a part of
Brahman in all of them. Why not practice it. Just
imagine the impact if the Chief Minister or Shri
Shankaracharya, if Rajnikanth or Simran or the local
MLA would go to a place where there is a two glass
tea-shop and would take tea from the untouchable tea
glass (after all even THAT glass is sipped from just
like the OTHER glass too) a cup of tea and have it
video broadcasted. What an impact it would have, just
imagine! ..
7. Tamil Nadu a clean and
healthy and orderly place
Achievement in the area of
cleanliness, civility and hard work. Why do we need to
have procession or work stoppage just for every little
thing? Why take pride in making a hartal
successful?
8. Attack population
growth
Reduce the population growth
at least in relation to the rest of the states of
India.
9 .Wait your turn for the
people to judge you
Wait till the next election to
unseat the elected government rather than forcing the
current government to worry about the other party and
not worrying about doing something for the betterment
of people.
10. Institutional
pride
Let us compare our schools,
industries, universities and the way of running the
government (compare it with AP) with the ones that are
better than ours.
11. Stop dwelling on the
past, try to make a better future
Let us stop dwelling in the
past. Let Tamil language be separated from simply a
reliance on literature of the past. Let it be a
business language, let it be a language that you use to
write research paper. Let it be a language that is used
to discuss complex social issues than a house language
or a language to exchange pleasantries. Tamil should be
an all-purpose language
12 Unless Tamil Nadu becomes
prosperous, achieving, clean, orderly (like Singapore)
and act according to rules and regulations we will
continue to feel the same way we do. The only
consolation we now enjoy is that we are not as bad as
Bihar.
From
Barry Pittard, Australia, 19 November 1998
[email protected]
* Request for networking
on Naadis - Visitors to the Tamil National Forum
may, email their responses directly to Barry
Pittard
I am an Australian social worker, writer,
broadcaster, and researcher. Having spent a number of
years furthering my spiritual sadhana, I have a deep
love of the culture of BHARATH. When not engaged in
work among orphans in India, and my writing,
meditation, etc., I take an interest in the naadis of
various traditions - Agasthyar, Vashistha, Kousika,
Brighu, Shuka, and others. My most recent
investigations have been done at Vaithishwarankoil,
Thanjur and Chennai.
Finding your details in an extensive search of
the Internet, I wondered whether you would be a good
person to contact as I network in my researches on the
naadis. You may in turn know of persons of strictest
integrity who have a keen interest in, and experience
of, these remarkable documents. At this stage of my
interest in the Naadis, I have in mind:
1. Networking everywhere possible
- where possible by email - with those who have a
genuine interest in, and knowledge about, the
naadis.
2. Establishing a list of persons,
from both India and beyond, of great and undoubted
integrity, and distinction whatever be their profession
or trade, who are happy to answer my research questions
relating to their experiences of their Naadi
readings.
3. To gradually interest
open-minded scientists, scholars and other
intellectuals in these extraordinary
documents.
4. So as to safeguard the
integrity of these great documents, to spend ample,
reflection and consultation before publishing anything
substantial in book form, articles, the Web ....
Perhaps, I may initially write something and put it up
on the Web so as to generate some further interest and
dialogue about the subject...
5. Compile a list of the location
of all collections of naadis of various traditions -
e.g., Vashishta, Brighu, Suka, Agasthiaya, Kousika
.......
6. Your ideas and inspiration
...
From France: Charlotte
Boulanger
"... As you probably know, I am a strong supporter
of Tamil culture and I have always tried to
make it known in the West. I had never heard of a
specific Tamil culture until I went to India. I first
arrived in India at Rameshvaram (and had already seen
some Tamils in Sri Lanka), and fell in love with Tamil
Nadu at once!
Unfortunately, as I am sure you are aware, Tamil
culture is not very well known abroad, or even in
North India! Once I gave a course to MA students of
Indian History at Columbia University (New York), about
Tamil History, and they had never heard of the Sangam texts! Even though the anthologies are the most ancient
political records of India ... they are totally ignored
by historians! I was so shocked by all this that I
tried, in my small way, to help awareness of Tamil
culture in the West. I am very happy to see that your
web site is doing so much for this. It is indeed an
invaluable reference."
From Malaysia:
"The burning
of the Jaffna Library was indeed the turning point
for many of the 'silent majority Tamils'.... It touched
me personally as a number of irreplaceable writings by
my grand uncle Father Gnanapragasar went up in flames
and my dear erstwhile teacher Rev.Fr. David (St.
Patrick's College) who was an avid Tamil researcher
died, as I believe, due to the shock of seeing such
revered writings and part of Tamil culture being denied
to future generations.
From
Melbourne, Australia:
I read with interest your article 'The charge is Genocide....the Struggle is
for Freedom' and your
response to one of the site visitors re LTTE
violence etc. It was excellent. It was clear,
motivating and provides a framework that stimulates
further thought... I may pick a quarrel with you on
some of your points on LTTE violence and violence in
general....but I will leave that to another
occasion.
Your passion for the end goal for the Tamils is very
evident in every page...I continue with my little
private study of Gandhi and it is absolutely
fascinating. I thought I might share some pieces of
information that struck a chord with me.
Gandhi used to spend a great deal of time with a
gentlemen by the name of Richard Casey, an Australian
who served as British Governor of Bengal.Summing up his
impressions of the Mahatma, Casey recorded:
" Mr Gandhi's greatest asset is his warm
humanity...He can make his point publicly with an
opponent and yet leave his opponent without any feeling
of bitterness....He seldom, if ever, speaks ill of any
man. I discussed with him several men who had been
harsh to him but he managed to find some good to say to
them and no ill....He trusts those who trust
him..."
A couple of quotes from Gandhi that also provoked my
thoughts:
" Ahimsa and Truth are so intertwined that it is
practically impossible to disentangle and separate
them. They are like the two sides of the coin, or
rather a smoothed unstamped metallic disc. Who can say
which is the obverse and which is the reverse?
Nevertheless ahimsa is the means; Truth is the
end."
" .... whoever would trust General Smuts? Someone
reminded me of the fiasco in 1908 and said 'General
Smuts once played us false, often charged you with
forcing fresh issues, and subjected the community to
fresh issues, and subjected the community to endless
suffering. And yet what a pity that you have not learnt
the necessary lesson of declining to trust him! This
man will betray you once again, and you will again
propose to revive satyagraha. But who will then listen
to you?'...
I knew that such arguments will be brought forward,
and was not surprised when they were. No matter how
often a satyagrahi is betrayed, he will repose his
trust in the adversary as long as there are not cogent
ground for distrust. Pain to the satyagrahi is the same
as pleasure. He will therefore not be misled by the
mere fear of suffering into groundless distrust. On the
other hand, relying as he does upon his own strength,
he will not mind being betrayed by the adversary, he
will continue to trust in spite of frequent betrayals,
and will believe that he thereby strengthens the forces
of truth and brings victory nearer....Distrust is a
sign of weakness and satyagraha implies the banishment
of all weakness and therefore of distrust, which is
clearly out of place when the adversory is not to be
destroyed but to be won over."
A book you may consider including in your Book List
is: Rediscovering Gandhi by Yogesh Chadha.(Published in
1997)
From Finland:
(Towards the United Nations - Peace
March)
ஈழத்தமிழர்
- விட்ட
பெருமுச்சுக்கள்
- பட்ட
துன்பங்கள்
- வடித்த
கண்ணீர்கள்
- சிந்திய
இரத்தங்கள்
- இழந்த
உயிர்கள்
- பிரிந்த
குடும்பங்கள்
அனைத்துக்கும்
விமோசனம்
கிடைக்க
இறைவனைப்
பிரார்த்திக்கிறேன்.
From Malaysia:
இந்தப்பேரணி
(Towards the United Nations - Peace
March)
வெற்றிபெற
அகிலலோகசக்தியினைப்
பிரார்த்திக்கிறேன்.என்
போன்றவர்களின்
தார்மீக
ஆதரவு
என்றும்
உண்டு.
வெல்க
தமிழீம் -
வாழ்க
தன்மானம்
From Chennai, Tamil
Nadu:
பேரணியின்
(Towards the United Nations - Peace
March)
இலட்சியம்
விரைவிலேயே
நிறைவேற
வாழ்த்துக்கள்.
... இந்த
பூமியில்
வேறு
எந்த
மொழியைக்
காட்டிலும்,
அதிக
நாட்கள்
ஒலித்துக்
கொண்டிருக்கும்
எம்
தமிழ்
மொழிக்கும்
அதன்
மக்களுக்கும்
வந்திருக்கின்ற
பிரச்னைகள்
தீர
பிரார்திக்கின்றேன்.f
From Dubai:
பேரணி(Towards the United Nations - Peace
March)
வெற்றி
பெற மன
மார்ந்த
வாழ்த்துக்கள்.
