Vannakam, Welcome... "...அரிய
சாதனைகள்
செய்யப்படுவது
வலிமையினால்
அல்ல
- விடா
முயற்சியினால்தான்..."
"Your true measure is how you treat someone
who can do absolutely nothing for you.."
Month EndingSeptember 2009
Tamil National
Forum
M. Thanapalasingham writes
from Australia -
பார்வையும்
பதிவுகளும்
- அரசியல்
அறிஞர்
மு.திருநாவுக்கரசின்
சமஷ்டியா
தனிநாடா
என்னும்
அரசியல்
வரலாற்று
நூல்
Reflection
"... my dear
comrade Thileepan's death... is something to be
pondered over.... My dear people, for whom did
Thileepan die? Why did he die? What is the
significance of his death? Thileepan died for the
Tamil people. He died for the rights of the Tamil
people. He died to safeguard our freedom and our
honour.... A life is very, very precious. I am quite
aware of that. But even more precious is our freedom,
our honour, our rights..."Velupillai
Pirabakaran on Thiyagi Thileepan, 28 September
1987
Maaveerar -
மாவீரர் -
அணையாத
தீபங்கள்
Lt. Col.
Thileepan - Rasaiah Parthipan died 22 years ago
on 26 September 1987 - Veera Vannakam Meeting in
Chennai organised by Nam Thamilzhar Movement - Main
Speaker: Director Seeman
மாவீரன்"
திலீபனுக்கு
வீரவணக்கம்
செலுத்திடுவோம்...!
இந்தியரசின்
துரோகத்தை
வேரறுத்திடுவோம்...!
இன்று
மாலை
"மாவீரன்"
திலீபன்
22 ஆம்
ஆண்டு
வீரவணக்கப்
பொதுக்கூட்டம்
உரைவீச்சு
: சீமான் -
இடம் :
பிரியா
திருமண
மண்டபமருகில்,
முகப்பேர்
ஏற்பாடு :
நாம்
தமிழர்
இயக்கம்,
தமிழ்
நாடு.
2. Anna's
Birth Centennial Anthology
Part 4:Anna at Rajya Sabhaon Dravidstan, Secession &
Sovereignty."...the
Defence of India Act is not and cannot be the
conscience-keeper of the nation. It can only be the
jail-keeper of the nation....We propose not
to go underground. But surely the sullen discontent
will go underground...andthat cannot be countenanced by
any measure. Political philosophy has not yet
formulated a measure to fight out hidden discontent
in the minds of millions. And, therefore, by this
measure you are driving discontent, sullen
discontent, sincere discontent, underground.There is
another point that I want to make. Why do you think
that our demand endangers sovereignty? Before
answering that we should be very clear about what we
mean by sovereignty. The preamble to the Constitution
says that the political sovereignty rests with the
people. Then legal sovereignty is divided between the
Federal Union and the constitutent units. Why don't
you take it that our scheme is to make the states
still more effective sovereign units? Why don't you
take it in that light? Why do you think that the
moment we demand Dravidastan, we are cutting at the
root of sovereignty? Sovereignty does not reside
entirely in one particular
place..." more
Thiruvalluvar Thamizh Valarchik
Kazhakam, Singapore launched its website http://www.tamilvalluvam.org
on Sunday, 20 September 2009. The objective of the
site is to promote Thirukkural and Tamil amongst the
Tamil Diaspora especially the younger generation - a
onestop centre for all information pertaining to
Tamil Literature, Thirukkural and Tamil related to
Singapore.
Nations &
Nationalism
National Identity in Old and New Europe:
Intellectuals, Culture and Popular
Mobilisation
Anthony D.Smith on `National identity' and Vernacular
Mobilisation "Ethnic and national identity
is.. an aspect or quality of community, expressed
through distinctive traditions and sentiments of
difference. To this, modern nationalism, the
ideology, adds a cult of authenticity which turns the
sense of distinctiveness into an ideal to be
realised, in which the individuality of the community
is `rediscovered' and nurtured. .. Even then,
`vernacular mobilisation' is likely to be successful
only insofar as it can be adapted to modern
conditions through both the reinterpretation of existing
heritages and their historical or legendary
recreation...the imaginative recreation of
Historical events and/or legends, whether in public
festivals, epic
poetry, music, dramas or history paintings, as a result
of their impact over many generations, have helped to
make the abstract national ideal palpable and
accessible. It has fallen to musicians, poets,
architects
and artists to
delineate the `contours' of the `national self' and
translate the ideals of national autonomy and unity
and the sense of national identity into history
paintings, epics, operas and symphonic poems, as well
as buildings..."
"... Constitutional
questions are in the first instance not questions of right but questions of
might. The actual constitution of a country has
its existence only in the actual condition of
force which exists in the country; hence
political constitutions have value and permanence
only when they accurately express those
conditions of force which exist in practice
within a society..." Ferdinand
Lassalle, 1862 quoted in Old Habits Die
Very Hard: India's Ugly Underbelly - Badri
Raina
International
Relations: India - an Empire in Denialto include
India is 'losing Maoist battle' says Indian
Prime Minister"India's
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says his country is
losing the battle against Maoist rebels.Mr Singh told
a meeting of police chiefs from different states that
rebel violence was increasing and the Maoists' appeal
was growing... The rebels operate in 182 districts in
India, mainly in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar,
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and West Bengal. In some areas they have
virtually replaced the local government and are able
to mount spectacular attacks on government
installations. " more
Caste & the Tamil
Nationto include
1. Old Habits Die
Very Hard: India's Ugly Underbelly - Badri
Raina "India's
Tamilians have always considered themselves a
distinct race. Distinct from the Aryans who,
history tells us, displaced their Dravidian
ancestors after the conquest of the Indus-Valley
civilizations. The Tamil language and script are
perhaps of greater antiquity than Sanskrit and have
remained largely free of its influence. Not to
speak of Tamil literature which may be the richest
India has to offer, both in depth and scope.
Which is why Tamilians break
into passionate protest when any Tamilian anywhere
be perceived as being under siege. Sri Lanka
offering a prime example, as well as the situation
of Tamilians in Malysia. So, would it be right
to infer that Tamilian civilizational homogeneity
brooks no breach? Wrong.... Interestingly, Tamil
Nadu is governed by a largely (Other Backward
Classes) OBC-led formation-intermediate social
castes who vanquished the caste oppression of the
Tamil Brahmins during the social reform agitations
led by Periyar and Annadurai, mentors of the
current leadership.Yet, such is India's social
reality that those who fought and defeated
Brahminism seem at best lukewarm in defeating caste
oppression of the Pillai OBCs in Uthapuram against
fellow dalit Tamils... more
2.
So
called 'Other Backward Classes' (OBCs) - The Real
Perpetrators of Crime Against Dalits - Youth for
Equality"T.S.
Eliot observed 'Humankind cannot bear too much
reality'. Our political establishments along with
the elite intellectuals seem to be strong
believers of this statement. They have behaved as
if their constituents and audiences cannot bear
the reality of atrocities and perpetrators of
these atrocities on dalit. Many in the
political establishment and in mainstream
journalism actively twist the narrative so that
the identity of the aggressors remained in
obscurity. With the emergence of so called
other backward classes (OBCs), or backward
classes (BCs), or most backward classes (MBCs) as
the power institutions, the atrocities against
Dalits need reconsideration. The politicians and
intellectuals have described the perpetrators as
simply "Caste Hindu" or "upper caste", thus
mischievously, shielding the true identity of
aggressors. To everyone's surprise, if this
"Caste Hindu" aggressor is analyzed, it turns out
to be an OBC or BC or MBC, most often."
more
Tamils: a Nation
without a State - Tamil Nadu
The Changing Politics of Tamil Nadu in the 1990s -
John Harriss and Andrew Wyatt"..There is disagreement amongst
scholars about the implications of the shifting
ideologies of the Dravidian Movement, but
substantial agreement, on the other hand, about its
extraordinary success in terms of political
mobilisation. Though the ideology of Dravidianism
originally focused on ethnicity - the identity of
the 'Dravidian' Shudra against the 'Aryan', 'North
Indian' Brahmin - it rapidly became much more of a
populist discourse, of a plebeian stamp,
emphasising the notion of the common (Tamil) man .
The genius of Annadurai and
of others was in their ability to create and to
communicate a mytho-history, celebrating
the great achievements of the Tamilians, that
had meaning for ordinary people in a way that the
'scientific', developmental project of the
Nehruvian state did not...
The cultural nationalist
agenda of the Dravidian parties, and its moral
claims for social justice for the common people (to
be achieved by modest redistribution, or 'sharing'
through welfare programmes rather than by changing
the distribution of assets), was immensely
successful... Culture
war, in other words, is class war by other means:
the one is a displacement of the other'.
..but the non-Brahmin category proved too
amorphous to become the basis of an enduring
cleavage... The dividing lines between
individual backward castes and between the
'backward' castes and the scheduled castes create
divisions that are salient in the everyday
experience of the majority of the population,
and this makes broader categories, such as that of
the backward castes, difficult to invoke as the
basis of political action..."
more
Tamil Language &
Literature
Tholthamizh -
மா.சோ.விக்டர் "...தமிழ்
மொழியை
ஆய்வு
செய்வோர்,
அதற்கான
தரவுகளை
பல்வேறு
தளங்களிலும்
தேடவேண்டியுள்ளது.
திராவிட
மொழிகளுக்குத்
தாயாகவும்,
ஆரியத்துக்கு
மூலமாகவும்
தமிழ்
விளங்குகின்றது
என்ற
கொள்கை
பலராலும்
ஏற்றுக்
கொள்ளப்பட்டுள்ளது.கி.பி
பதினைந்தாம்
நூற்றாண்டுக்குப்
பிறகு,
தமிழகம்
வந்த
ஐரோப்பியர்கள்தாம்,
தமிழைக்
கற்று
தமிழின்
சிறப்பைத்
தமிழருக்கே
உணர்த்தினர்.
தமிழர்கள்,
உலகின்
மேற்குத்
திசையை
நோக்க,
ஐரோப்பியர்களே,
அவ்வாயிலைத்
திறந்து
விட்டனர்.
அதுவரையில்
தமிழ்
மொழியை
மட்டுமே
அறிந்திருந்த
தமிழர்,
மேலை
மொழிகளையும்
கற்கத்
தொடங்கினர்."
more
Reflections - On
Language
1. " The speech
of a dying people may, perhaps, be allowed to die.
But this canot be said of the Tamil race. Heaven
forbid! ....Let the Tamilians cease to be ashamed
of their vernacular... To seek for and to find a
noble language and to dedicate one's life to the
study of it is the best life-work a man could wish
for... Whenever I die, 'A student of Tamil' will
be inscribed on my monument " -Dr. G.U
Pope
2. "...
தமிழ்
இன்று
அதன்
எல்லைகளைத்
தாண்டி
கண்டங்களையும்
கடல்களையும்
தாண்டி தேசங்களைக்
கடந்த
தேசியமாக
பர்ணமித்துள்ளது....
நாம்
எங்கும்
சிறகுடன்
பறந்தாலும்
தமிழுக்கென,
தமிழருக்கென
ஒரு நாடு
மலர்ந்திட
காலம்தோறும்,
தேசம்தோறும்
தமிழ்செய்வோம்.."
M.Thanapalasingham
3."Men are formed by language far more than
language is formed by men"
Johann Gottlieb Fichte
4. "..In India,
English is the language spoken by the ruling class.
It is spoken by the higher class of natives at the
seats of Government. It is likely to become the
language of commerce throughout the seas of the
East... We must at present do our best to form a
class who may be interpreters between us and the
millions whom we govern; a
class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but
English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in
intellect..."Lord Macaulay, Minute on Indian Education,
1835
One Hundred Tamils
of 20th Century - C.N.Annadurai - born on 15 September
1909..
Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan - Anna's
Birth Centennial Anthology:Anna in
the Dock"..For educational purposes andfor therecord,Iprovide below excerpts
from a book 'Verdict on Verdict' by A.S.Venu
that was published in 1953. This is the oldest
document on DMK in my possession, on the early days
of DMK. It tells the story of a July 1953 agitation
initiated by the DMK in the then Madras State, whose
then chief minister was C. Rajagopalachari,
representing the Indian National Congress. As a
result, Anna and his leading lieutenants were
arrested and placed on trial...The
main objective of DMK that got recorded in the
judgement of this trial of Anna and his companions
was "the creation of a sovereign democratic
Dravidastan". The name 'Dravidastan' was
formulated, imitating Pakistan that was formed from
India in 1947. At that time, DMK was only a social
welfare organization active in Tamil journalism,
Tamil stage and cinema, devoid of political
representation at the Madras state and the Indian
parliament. The judgement also records that DMK
came into existence on 17-9-1949, and in 1953 had
a membership of over 100,000 persons in Tamil
Nadu..." more
"...ம.தனபாலசிங்கம்,
ஆஸ்திரேலியா
சிட்னி
நகரில்
வாழ்ந்து
வரும்
ஈழத்தமிழர்.
ஓய்வு
பெற்ற
கணக்கர்,
ஆழமான
தமிழ்
அறிஞரும்கூட.
அவரது
இளைய
சகோதரர்
தமிழீழ
மண்
மீட்புக்காய்
தன்
இன்னுயிரை
ஈகம்
செய்த
மாவீரர்.
ராஜீவ்காந்தி
படுகொலை
தொடர்பாக
உலக
நாடுகள்
பலவற்றிலும்
பரந்து
வாழும்
ஈழத்தமிழர்கள்
சிலரை
இந்தி
யாவின்
வெளிநாடுகளுக்கான
உளவு
அமைப்பு
"ரா' (RAW)
கடந்த 17
ஆண்டுகளில்
விசாரித்துள்ளது.
அவ்வாறு
விசாரிக்கப்பட்டவர்களில்
தனபாலசிங்கமும்
ஒருவர்.
2001-ம்
ஆண்டு
சிட்னி
நகரில்
"ரா'
அமைப்பின்
இரு
அதிகாரிகள்
அவரை
நேர்
கண்டனர்..."
more
2. M. Thanapalasingham writes
from Australiaon Tamil
Language & the Tamil Nation -காலம்தோறும்
தமிழ்
...
"...இன்று,
தமிழன்
இல்லாத
நாடில்லை,
தமிழனுக்கு
என்று
ஒரு
நாடில்லை....
தமிழ்
இன்று
அதன்
எல்லைகளைத்
தாண்டி
கண்டங்களையும்
கடல்களையும்
தாண்டி
தேசங்களைக்
கடந்த
தேசியமாக
பர்ணமித்துள்ளது.
புலம்
பெயர்ந்த
தமிழ்
யுவதிகளும்
,வாலிபர்களும்
பிரான்ஸ்,
ஜேர்மன்,
ஆங்கிலம்,
ஒல்லாந்து
எனப் பல
மொழிகளில்
பல்கலைக்கழகம்வரை
பயில்கின்றனர்.
இவர்களில்
சிலராவது
இந்த
மொழிகழில்
பாண்டித்துவம்
பெறுவாராயின்
அதன்
மூலம்
தமிழ்
மொழியின்
வளர்ச்சிக்கு
பல
வகைகளில்
உரம்சேர்ப்பதோடு
(ஒப்பியல்
இலக்கிய
ஆய்வுகள்
உட்பட )
களத்திற்கும்
புலத்திற்கும்
பாலம்
அமைத்து
தமிழை
உலகச்
செம்மொழியாக்க
உழைத்திடலாம்...
தமிழீழத்தில்
புலிகள்
ஆட்சியில்
உருவான
கட்டுமானங்களில்
மொழிப்பல்கலைக்கழகமும்
ஒன்றாகும்.
வன்னியில்
அறிவுநகரத்தில்
இதற்காக
மலர்ந்த
கட்டிடம்
அழிக்கப்படலாம்.
ஆயின்
அதன்
பின்னால்
உள்ள
கனவுகள்,
தாயகக்
கனவைச்
சுமந்த
அந்தச்
சந்தனப்பேழைகளின்
கனவுகளோடு
வாழும்.
அதை வாழ
வைக்கவேண்டிய
கடமையும்,
உரிமையும்
புலம்
பெயர்ந்து
வாழும்
எம் இளம்
சமுதாயத்தினதாகும்...உலகமயமாக்கல்,
சுருங்கும்
உலகம்
என்பன பல
சவால்களையும்
அதே
சமயம் பல
வாய்ப்புக்களையும்
அளிக்கின்றது.
.. நாம்
எங்கும்
சிறகுடன்
பறந்தாலும்
தமிழுக்கென,
தமிழருக்கென
ஒரு நாடு
மலர்ந்திட
காலம்தோறும்,
தேசம்தோறும்
தமிழ்செய்வோம்..."
more
Indictment Against
Sri Lanka - The Charge is Ethnic Cleansing
2.
Global Tamil Forum
Tamils convene in Paris for Global mobilisation
"Tamil Diaspora
representatives from 5 continents assembled in Paris,
France between 29 and 31 August to hold the first
convention of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF). The dire
situation faced by the Tamil people in Sri Lanka was
discussed and action programs were deliberated to
address their immediate needs. Over the 3 days of the
conference GTF constitution was also adopted
unanimously by the country representatives. Dr.
Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam (PhD Cornell University)
was elected as the President of GTF."
more
Nations &
Nationalismto
include
Italian
American Identity: To Be or Not To Be - Michael
ParentiOn
Acculturation and Assimilation"...As a child in a classroom full
of Italian-American grade-schoolers in New York City,
I was treated to patriotic tales about George
Washington, Nathan Hale, Paul Revere, and other of
our "heroic founders." We recited the Pledge of
Allegiance and sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" and
"America the Beautiful." And I recall at least one
of my teachers telling us in an annoyed tone: "Tell
your parents to speak English at home... Italian
Americans need to bring substance to the symbolic
politics that have been fed to us. We do not need
another statue to Columbus. Some such as Diane Di
Prima, Tommi Avicolli-Mecca, and Juliet Ucelli have
organized "Dumping Columbus" readings and other
events that challenge the iconic image of the Great
Navigator and instead commemorate the Native
Americans he enslaved and murdered...ethnic
identity is not only reactive but proactive, not only
a defense against derogatory stereotypes, not only a
compensatory assurance of group worth, but a positive
enjoyment, a celebration of our history and culture
in this country and in
Italy. It is a way of connecting with others in
what too often is a friendless and ruthless market
society, a nurturing identity that is larger than the
self yet smaller than the nation. To frame the
Italian-American experience within a context of
struggle for social justice and economic survival is
to give it a dimension that goes beyond nostalgia and
sentimentality, and flies in the face of the
stereotypes that weigh down upon us Italians. Thus
do we not only realize more of ourselves but we
connect to more of the world..." more
" Sri Aurobindo's stay in prison
in 1908 marked a turning point in his personal
evolution. It also represented a turning point in
the development of the Indian freedom struggle.
After his acquittal he found that the British had
successfully broken the back of the resistance
movement... The ink of the journalist had not
proved to be much more effective than the pen of
the petition drawer. The bomb in the hand of the
militant had not proved much more effective than
the breath of the orator. The repressive power
of the state prevailed over both. Almost all the
leaders of the freedom movement were either in jail
or in self imposed exile. Sri Aurobindo's
relatively short political life and his brilliant
political writings exemplify a stage in the Indian
freedom struggle - a stage that is common to many
struggles of an oppressed people who seek to break
the oppressive structures of their society. It
is a stage which reflects the reaction of a people
who see the failure of the path of petitioning and
pleading to achieve anything at all except a
perpetuation of the rule by the established
ruler... The failure of pleading and petitioning
leads a people to respond by embracing the path of
violence. "There is no purpose in talking to our
oppressors, we do not trust them - the only
language that they will understand is the language
of the gun." Initially the violence is sporadic and
occurs where the oppression is felt most. The
subsequent course of the struggle depends as much
on the response of the ruler as on the efforts of
the leaders of the struggle. If the ruler seeks to
crush the violence with even greater repression, he
will find that violence begets further violence and
that he is on a steep and slippery slope, without
knowing when or how to stop. The sporadic violence
leads to organised resistance and may lead to a
full fledged national liberation struggle. On
the other hand if the leaders of the struggle fail
to mobilise the broad support of the people who
seek change, then such leaders will lack the
strength to take the struggle forward - and the
armed resistance may collapse. Often, the
ruler, seeks to temper the stick with the carrot.
This comes in the form of so called "constitutional
reforms" or greater popular participation in
government. Again, the ruler may provide bread and
rice in the belief that if the economic problems
are addressed, discontent can be stifled.... (But)
The ruler cannot change structures in such a way as
to threaten the well being of his political
supporters and erode his own power base. He cannot
kick the ladder on which he climbed to power and
this serves as a constraint on the carrots he can
offer. His past moulds his present and influences
his future..." more
Tamil National
Forum
Sachi Sri Kantha writes
from Japan The
UN Unmasked; Humorist Dave Barry's Revisionist
History" While the
United States was struggling to get out of the
Depression, the nations of Europe were struggling to
overcome the horror and devastation and death of
World War I so they could go ahead and have World War
II. By the 1930s, everybody was just about ready, so
Germany, showing the kind of spunky 'can-do' spirit
that has made it so popular over the years, started
invading various surrounding nations. This alarmed
Britain and France, which decided to strike back via
the bold and clever strategy of signing agreements
with Adolf Hitler. Their thinking was: If you can't
trust an insane racist paranoid spittle-emitting
dictator, whom can you trust? " more
Tamil National
Forum
M.Thanapalasingham writes from
Australia on Language and
Nation
மொழியும்
தேசியமும்
"தமிழ்
எங்கள்
உரிமைச்
செம்பயிருக்கு
வேர்"GTV
தொலைக்காட்சியின்
ஆய்வகத்தில்
யூலைமாதம்
ஒலிபரப்பான
நிகழச்சியின்
சாரம்."ஒரு
மொழி
இன்றி
ஒரு
தேசம்
இருக்கமுடியாது...
இரண்டாயிரம்
ஆண்டுகாலமாகத்
தொடர்ச்சியாக
மொழிக்கு
விழா
எடுக்கும்,
மொழிக்கு
சங்கம்
அமைக்கும்,
மொழிக்காகத்
தீக்குளிக்கும்
தமிழ்
மக்களின்
தேசியத்தில்
மொழியே
அதன் உள்
மூச்சாகவும்
வெளிமூச்சாகவும்
இருப்பதில்
வியப்பில்லை...
தமிழ்
அயலிலே
வளருகின்றாள்
என
முடிக்கின்றார்
கவிஞர்...
இந்தத்
தமிழ்
அயலை "தமிழ்கூறும்
நல்லுலகம்
" எனக்
கூறுகின்றார்
தொல்காப்பியனார்...
... எமக்கு
எம்
மொழியைப்போல்
வேறொன்றும்
இல்லை.
எம்மை
நாம்
அறிவதற்கான
மார்க்கமே
எமது
மொழி.
அதுவே
யாதும்
ஊரே
யாவரும்
கேளிர்
என்ற
தமிழ்
செய்யும்
வாழ்விற்கு
ஆதாரம்.
அதுவே
எம்
உரிமைச்
செம்
பயிருக்கு
வேர். " " more
"இமயமலைக்குப்
பொன்னாடை
போர்த்துகிற
முயற்சியில்
ஈ.டுபடுவதும்,
திருக்குறளுக்கு
உரை
எழுதுவதும்
ஒன்றுதான்
என்பதை
நானறியாதவனல்லன்
முன்னூற்று
ஐம்பத்து
நான்கு
குறட்பாக்களைக்
கொண்டு
குறளோவியம்
எழுதி
முடித்தபிறகு
ஆயிரத்து
முன்னூற்று
முப்பது
குறட்பாக்களுக்கும்
உரை எழுத
வேண்டும்
என்ற
ஆர்வத்துடிப்பு
என்னை
ஆட்கொண்டது.
அதனை
நிறைவேற்றி
மகிழ,
`முரசொலி'
நாளேட்டில்
ஒவ்வொரு
நாளும்
நான்
எழுதிய
திருக்குறள்
உரைகளின்
தொகுப்பே
இந்தநூல்."