Thanjavur Tamil Insciptions Photo Credits: Shivz Photography
Written by: Mathusan Mahalingam
International Mother Language Day, February 21, was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999. While we should always be celebrating our Tamil language, heritage and language, having days set aside to celebrate ensures that we spend some time to reflect on our heritage.
February 21 marks the day in 1952 when students demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka (now Bangladesh). Language, that especially Mother Language, is sacred and important. We must always be proud of our mother language, Thamizh.
Bharathiyar once reflected in poem, “Of all the languages I know, I have not heard a sweeter language than Thamizh.” Our language is the most beautiful of languages. Thamizh is graceful, elegant, fierce and strong.
Thamizh language has been in existence for many thousands of years, archeological evidence traces the language back to 1st century to 3rd century BC. (Parpola, 2010). It is one of the earliest classical languages. This language is still in existence, and strongly so today. Poets have sang “kal thondri man thondra kalathu mun thondriya mootha Thamizh,” meaning that the Thamizh language was in existence even before the period when the snow melted to reveal the rocks, then the sand (ice age).
Our language survived despite our land being subject to the most violent of natural disasters, the most dreadful colonializations and the fiercest battles. How? Because of the love and admiration of the Tamil language. When many other languages have folded over time, our language has flourished and is being practiced avidly. It’s an illusion that the Tamil language is fading away. The Tamil people love the language too much to let it fade away.
The responsibility to teach children our language, culture, and history falls on parents. Culture has survived through socialization, and our primary social institutions are our families, parents owe it to teach their children. Parents play a great role in ensuring that the importance of our values, morals, folklore, history, culture and history is understood by their children.
And when I think about it, how could I neglect giving my children the opportunity to immerse themselves in our rich beautiful language and culture? How can I deprive my children of the knowledge our history, and the valour of our heroes? The onus is on every one of us, to not only learn the language, and history, and practice the culture for ourselves, but to take pride in it, and pass it down to our children.
And you know, children want to know, we should not think that they don’t want to know. Look at what happened after the May Massacre of 2009, it served as a catalyst for many young Tamil children to seek out their roots. A desire to learn the Tamil language, culture and history was ignited, and many youth saw the importance of understanding their roots, and took steps towards doing so – on their own. Sometimes, in times of adversity, we learn the greatest of lessons. Once you’ve experienced the beauty in our language, the grace in our culture, and strength in our history, there’s no turning back.
Our language, our history, our identity, our culture – they define me, they define our community. My identity as a ‘Thamizhan’ is my pride. Thamizh is not going anywhere, it’s here to stay.
Learn more about International Mother Language Day
Tags: Speak Out
