Tamil is Classical, Classic and Cool!

Tamil is Officially a Classical Language! Here’s how we lost it, then found it. Also, it sounds awesome!

Agastya, the sage who ‘discovered’ Tamil. Classical Tamil is lyrical and is capable of deep meaning AND brevity. (Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia)

The heart, knowing no fear,
has left me to go and hold my love
but my arms, left behind,
cannot take hold.

So what’s the use?

In the space between us,
Murderous tigers roar
like dark ocean waves,
circling in

O how many woods between us
and our arms’ embrace?

-Allur Nanmullai

The verses above beautifully illustrate the difference between ‘classical’ and ‘classic’.
On 6 June 2004, ‘Tamil’ was accorded the status of a ‘classical language’, in that it is ancient, has an independent tradition and a rich body of literature.

The poem above is a ‘classic’, in that it stands the test of time. It is the English translation of one of ‘Allur Nanmullai’s’ verses. She wrote this poem 2200 years ago. It is one of the many such works of beauty that is part of an anthology of 500 short poems called ‘Ainkurunuru’ (means 500 short poems. Hehehe).

The Sangam Era & Stereotypes

Often, stereotypes have their roots in factual history. (Photo: iStockphoto)

In other words, the era of Classical Tamil (300 BC - 300 AD).
Admit it. What comes first to your mind when you think ‘South Indian’?
Tamil speaking, idli eating sambar guzzling people, yes?
Actually, if you were in the Sangam era, you’d be right about at least one of the three things mentioned above.
‘Tamizhakam’ (the abode of Tamils) then included all of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra and Sri Lanka. Everyone spoke Tamil then.

Idlis came much later and from abroad, which was a depressing piece of information I chanced upon.

Read: Will No One Speak of the Idli? A Humble South Indian Laments

And Sambar came even later, when Sambhaji, a Maratha ruler in Thanjore chose to make his soupy gravy with tamarind, since ‘kokum’ wasn’t available. (read in later. I’m yet to write about it.)

Incidentally, the word Sangam is not a Tamil word. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Samgha, which means ‘community’. During this era, three separate Tamil Sangams, or ‘communities’ were formed, headed by a chief scholar, to develop the language, enhance the grammar and allow literary works to flourish. It was only in the 9th century AD, due to the influence of Buddhism on the language that these communities got termed Sangam.

The Subjective and the Material

Hundreds of classical poems were written by women. It is believed that most of the poems without a byline were by women poets. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Sangam era poetry can be thematically classified into two broad categories;
Agam (Subjective) and Puram (objective/material).
The former deals with emotions and their descriptive play. As a rule, the characters in the poem will be anonymous. It will typically begin with ‘She said’, or ‘the woman spake’, or ‘the king told his messenger’. The effect, personally for me, is that the verses tug at my heartstrings in ways unbridled by my sense of gender.

Poetry is layered. Tamil Classical Poetry, more so. There are some beautiful translations, especially the ones by AK Ramanujam. But here’s a small taste of classical spoken Tamil and Classic Tamil Poetry.

Notice the flow of verse at 1:52, followed by an explanation of the layers.

Lost and Found

UV Swaminatha Iyer was a scholar who spent most of his life sleuthing out ancient Tamil manuscripts. The world acknowledges Tamil’s hoary past thanks to him. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Yes, we managed to lose almost ALL of the thousands of poems written during the Sangam era. This slip-up of gargantuan proportions can be collectively attributed to the Tamil speaking diaspora.
But the credit for reviving Classical Tamil literature goes solely to UV Swaminatha Iyer (assisted by CW Thamotharampillai), affectionately called Tamil Thatha (grandfather Tamil). In a span of five decades, he published over a 100 books, sourced from paper and palm-leaf manuscripts that he personally discovered and collected from hundreds of tiny villages and godforsaken towns across the country. Final count, over 2300 poems.
It is through his efforts that the world acknowledges the existence of Classical Tamil.

Written Word Written Off?

In Tamil, the written word sounds completely different from the colloquial. This insulates the script and grammar from external influence.
BUT! one can make do without ever needing to properly learn the language. Here’s a rap song in Tamil that’s grammatically, phonetically and completely wrong. But is also contemporary, and cool.

Swansong to Sangam Tamil? Most Probably

No form of expression can survive without patronage. Classical Tamil literature is no exception. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Today’s written Tamil itself is in danger of ignominy. For Classical Tamil, it’s only a matter of time.
All of the Sangam works extant have been found, copied and digitised. Institutions have been established for research. The stage is set for this beautiful, ancient version of Tamil to be forgotten, yet again. I doubt if lyrical verses like these will ever again be savoured in their original inflections:

Where the white waters from the peak
crash through the mountain caves,
it flowers on the slopes; and there,
the little hill-town chieftain
has a younger daughter,
a girl with great arms,
and she is tender as water;
fancy her quelling my fire!
- Kapilar (2200 years ago)

(Vikram Venkateswaran is a freelance writer, TV producer and media consultant. Headings, titles and captions are his kryptonite. He just moved to Chennai and hopes the city likes him and is nice to him.)