Triumph to the sense of justice in Tamil culture

Although I have serious criticisms about current Tamil society, I have always had confidence in the common man's sense of justice in Tamil culture. As I watch the Tamil media and community at large ignore an abuser who won "Bigg Boss Tamil" due to politics and celebrate a fair player and social reformer who lost, my confidence is strengthened. Our sense of righteousness will remain intact as long as we keep in touch with our classical literature.

அறத்தான் வருவதே இன்பம் மற்றெல்லாம்
புறத்த புகழும் இல.

Translation
Only that happiness which flows from virtue is happiness; all else is not happiness, and it is not worthy of praise.

There Is No Simple Answer

Today morning a friend rang me up and asked me a question. I told him it is a very complex topic and I only have 10 minutes right now so I will call him later in the day to explain. He said, "Why are you unable to give a simple answer to any question? I've read your Instagram stories, which always have over 500 words". I smiled and asked him "Have you seen a group of ants carrying big food?" He said, "Yes! But how is that connected to what I said to you?" I said "When you watch those ants, it looks like they are dragging food in a specific direction. But if you take a blade and cut that food in half you will see that both pieces are moving in different directions now. The food is not being taken in a specific direction by the ants. Every ant drags food in different directions, but the food moves in a direction determined by the collective forces applied by the ants." 

"Similarly whatever happens in the world, whether it's personal or impersonal, is like ants dragging food. It looks like there is a straightforward cause-and-effect relationship. It is never the case. Everything requires multifaceted understanding. Constantly settling for less is a recipe for disaster. Sadly, the country I'm from is a prime example of how propagating simplistic understandings over complex truths can lead to disaster after disaster. I can't give you a simple answer because there usually isn't one in the material world." 🤗

அறம் வெல்லும் அஞ்சற்க!

 

I'm a huge fan of Bigg Boss Tamil. I always look at it as a massive social experiment. A platform that can be used to assess the mindset of Tamil society as a whole. One key positive takeaway from this season is that Shivin, a transwoman, became the second runner-up. This shows how the Tamil community has become very progressive in accepting the transgender community. Several of my friends were angry when Azeem won BB 6 Tamil. There was even an article today in "India Today" detailing how Azeem's victory on BB 6 set a terrible example for Tamil society. I have no doubt that Azeem is a toxic and misogynistic abuser both inside and outside the BB house. The fact that Tamil people voted him for the title of the most-watched reality TV show in Tamil is indeed shameful. But I don't see this as the collective downfall of Tamil values. Azeem's victory only shows the danger of a divided Tamil Nadu youth along religious, political, and caste lines.

The ideal candidate for winning this season, Vikraman, lost due to a variety of factors. Unlike previous seasons, this time voting is only available through the Hotstar app. Therefore, the voting audience is automatically limited to people who live in India with internet and smartphone access. So the older population of Tamil society and Tamils outside India didn't have a voice this time. Despite being a well-mannered, kind person, Vikraman mainly portrayed himself as a politically correct person. Throughout this season, he repeatedly pointed out the hypocrisies existing in Tamil society such as casteism. He is at heart a social reformer. But Tamils are always fiercely resistant to major changes. It is both a positive and a negative aspect of Tamil society. This attitude helped the Tamils to preserve their core culture intact for over 2500 years. This attitude made Tamil culture the only classical civilization to survive into modern times. Conversely, this attitude can also delay immediate and meaningful changes that are needed within society.

Vikraman's ideologies and political views antagonized different factions in Tamil society. Azeem easily won the votes of toxic retards, who make up a sizable minority in any society due to his destructive behaviour, and hard-line Muslim votes due to his religious identity. Factions of Tamil youth who are antagonised by Vikraman's ideology also supported Azeem just to defeat him. For instance, young people aligned with political parties like PMK, which talk about caste supremacy, actively urged their members to vote for Azeem. Youths supporting hardline Hindu ideologies were against him since they believed his ideology would destroy Hinduism. So they also voted for Azeem who they saw as the lesser of two evils. As a result of polarization along religious, political, and caste lines, such an undeserving candidate won. Azeem's victory is a stark warning to Tamils about what will happen if we continue to divide ourselves and put our differences ahead of our values. அறம் வெல்லும் அஞ்சற்க!

Let's Break the Cycle

 

Sinhala nationalist meddling has started 🤦‍♂️ Anyone who comprehends geopolitics can see that the peace in Sri Lanka gained through the war victory is merely a temporary bandage covering a bleeding wound. Civil wars cannot begin or end without external support. To keep the then Pro-USA Jeyawardana government in check, Indian PM Indira Gandhi armed and trained oppressed Tamil youths in Sri Lanka. The Indian government never had the idea of carving out a separate Tamil state from Sri Lanka. They feared this would result in a secessionist movement in Tamil Nadu. In fact, if India really wanted to divide the country it could have simply invaded it by saying that Tamils are being oppressed in Sri Lanka, and India is facing a refugee crisis due to Tamils seeking asylum in India. That was the exact narrative used by India to liberate Bangladesh (East Pakistan) in 1971.

India only wanted SL to share power with the Tamils in a way that was equal to or lower than that of India's states. The Indian government will never allow Sri Lankan Tamils to have more power than the State of Tamil Nadu. It was such an attempt by India that led to the Thirteenth Amendment to Sri Lanka's Constitution. While most Tamil militant groups laid down their weapons and agreed to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict, the Tigers refused to disarm their fighters. That escalated into war between India and the Tigers and resulted in the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. After the assassination India was plunged into political instability for the next 13 years, keeping it out of Sri Lankan affairs. The world was also distracted by several major wars during the 1990s like the Gulf War, Rwandan Civil War and etc.

Then September 11 happened. As a result of the September 11 attacks in 2001, the world's attitude toward armed groups changed. On 28 September 2001, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution obligating countries to increase international cooperation in the struggle against terrorism. After 9/11, the US and other western countries sought to destroy the Tigers' military capability. They wanted to turn them into a political force and accept a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka that is amicable to India. Because of this, they brokered a ceasefire and forced the Tigers to accept a federal solution. When the Tigers refused to cooperate, the United States supplied intelligence on Tiger ship movements to SL. This helped Sri Lanka choke off Tiger arms imports until the end of the war.

In India, the Congress party headed by Rajiv's widow won the Indian election and formed the government in 2004. Rajiv's family sought to avenge the LTTE for Rajiv's murder. So the Indian government assisted to end the LTTE completely. That is why Rajapaksa said he had fought India's war by militarily eliminating the tigers. Pakistan and China supplied arms and helped the Sri Lankan government to defeat the Tigers in order to establish a foothold in the SL. The SL is key to taking on their main rival India in a future war. So every major power wanted to end the civil war for different reasons.

Geopolitics and an unresolved ethnic problem sparked the civil war, after which the same geopolitics ended the war. But the ethnic conflict remains unsolved. We are gravely mistaken if we believe this war victory secures lasting peace once and for all. If we don't solve our ethnic issues and heal our scars, we will end up in this bloody cycle once more when geopolitics change. The clock is ticking but no one seems to care ... 🤷‍♂️

காலமெல்லாம் நாம் இருப்போம்

எனக்கு கண்ணீரை வரவழைத்த புத்தகம்😭 தமிழ் எனும் முதுபெருந் தாயின் எஞ்சி நிற்கும் பிள்ளைகளுக்கு உலகின் மனச்சாட்சி நோக்கி சொல்வதற்கு இனி ஒன்றுமில்லை, அவள் கரங்களை இன்னும் இறுகப் பற்றி கொள்வதை தவிர. ஆயிரமாயிரம் ஆண்டுகளாய் எத்தனை பேர் முயன்றும் வீழ்த்தமுடியா அன்னைப் பெருமரம் அவள்.  காலம் உள்ளவரை அவள் இருப்பாள். அவள் கை பிடித்திருக்கும் வரை நாம் இருப்போம். ஆம், அவ்வாறே ஆகுக!

பி.கு - நான் மேலே எழுதியதை இப்போது வாசிக்கும் போது எனக்கே வியப்பாக இருக்கிறது. நான் இவ்வளவு சொல் தேர்ந்து எழுதுபவன் இல்லை. சொல்லில் தெய்வம் எழும் கணம் என ஒன்றுண்டு.  அத்தெய்வம் எழுந்து சொன்ன சொல்லாகவே இதைக் கொள்கிறேன். எண்ணிச் சொல்லும் சொல் கொல்லும் என்று நம்பும் மரபு நம்முடையது. நந்திவர்ம பல்லவனை அவன் சகோதரன் அறம்பாடிக் கொன்றான் என்கிறது நம் தொல்வரலாறு. அறம் ஒவ்வொருவருக்கும் உரியது என எழும் அழியாச்சொல்! மீறமுடியாத அறுதியான நெறி அது. அறம் எழுக! ஆம், எழுக! எது அறமோ, அது திகழ்க!

பொருள்வயின் பிரிதல்

Despite its simplicity, this song evokes strong emotions about the Tamil way of life. Tamil men going away in search of wealth (பொருள்வயின் பிரிதல்) is a huge part of Tamil lives as far back as recorded history can tell. There are two reasons for this. As a result of their proximity to the Indian Ocean, the Tamils have a long seafaring history. Over 20 Tamil communities are said to have worked in sea trade because seafaring was such a thriving industry. The second reason is that most of the Tamil homeland is dry geographically. Due to this, many men left their hometowns to seek better opportunities elsewhere. Even today, it is said that at least half of the Tamil population is separated from their loved ones in search of wealth.

There are numerous references to this livelihood in ancient Tamil literature.

அருளும் அன்பும் நீக்கி, துணை துறந்து,
பொருள்வயிற் பிரிவோர் உரவோர் ஆயின்,
உரவோர் உரவோர் ஆக!
மடவம் ஆக, மடந்தை, நாமே!

– குறுந்தொகை

Translation- 

If those who leave their loved ones,
forsaking love and affection
in search of wealth, are wise,
let them be wise!
We’ll be idiots, my friend!

–  Kuruntokai

நின்னே போலும் மஞ்ஞை ஆல, நின்
நல் நுதல் நாறும் முல்லை மலர,
நின்னே போல மா மருண்டு நோக்க,
நின்னே உள்ளி வந்தனென்
நல் நுதல் அரிவை! காரினும் விரைந்தே.

- ஐங்குறுநூறு

Translation -

As a peacock dances like you,
As jasmines bloom fragrant
like the scent of your forehead,
As a doe gazes timidly like you,
I rush home thinking of you,
My girl, swifter than a monsoon cloud.

- Ainkurunuru

Mahavamsa - A Curse or A Boon for Tamils ?

Mahavamsa has a very negative reputation among Tamils due to its apparent political bias.  For example, Mahavamsa describes the 44-year reign of Elara, a righteous Tamil king who patronized Buddhism despite being a non-Buddhist in 21 stanzas. However, Dutugemunu's 24-year rule is described in 843 stanzas (chapters 21-30). The Mahavamsa mindset also contributed to the rise of anti-Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka. A number of scholars, including some prominent Sinhala historians, have written extensively about the Mahavamsa mindset's role in racial tensions. 

But only a few Tamils know that Mahavamsa (5th century AD Pali text) once played a big role in dating ancient Tamil literature. In the past, Western scholars believed Tamil's oldest books were written around the 8th century. Due to the linguistic sophistication and maturity of early Tamil texts, they disagree with most Tamil scholars that early Tamil literature could date back before Christ. The locations or events described in old Tamil literature had no archaeological evidence (a lot has been discovered since 1960). They were about to change their minds in 1904.

A Sri Lankan Tamil scholar named Kanakasabhai noticed something significant in 1904 while reading the ancient Tamil epic "Silappatikaram" (5,730 line poem). Sri Lankan King Gajabahu was present at Chera king Senguttuvan's court when Senguttuvan consecrated a temple for Kannagi (Pattiṉi Deviyō in Sinhala). He immediately turned to the Mahavamsa's records. The Mahavamsa mentions two Gajabahus. Gajabahu I reigned between 113 and 134 CE, and Gajabahu II reigned in the 12th century. Since the Tamil country had been united under the Imperial Chola empire during Gajabahu II's time, the Chera dynasty was not in power. This led Kanakasabhai to conclude it was Gajabahu I.

Consequently, the author of "Silappatikaram", who was also the brother of Senguttuvan, belongs to the same period as Gajabahu I. Due to the fact that "Silappatikaram" was read out at Chera court, it can be assumed that it was written around 120 AD. This method is now known as "Gajabahu synchronism". Using this date as a reference, he dated the remaining Tamil texts that pre-date Silappatikaram. Based on various linguistic comparisons, he determined that "Tholkaappiyam", the oldest surviving Tamil book, was written around 300 BCE or earlier. During the late 20th century, archaeological discoveries proved his dates were correct. 

Kanakasabhai's discovery was instrumental in starting the debate which led to the world's recognition of Tamil as a classical language. A UNESCO report in 1984 noted, "Tamil culture is remarkable on many counts, not least because Tamil is the oldest of India's modern languages. Tamil is perhaps the only example of an ancient classical tongue that has survived for more than 2,500 years with its basic structure intact." If we had waited for archaeological discoveries to emerge in the 1960s, Tamil's place as a classical language would have remained under scrutiny today. 

Modern Tamil society was also profoundly impacted by Kanakasabhai's discovery. It was Kanakasabhai's discovery that provided the momentum for the Tamil linguistic purity movement. At that time, Sanskrit loan words heavily influenced Tamil. Tamils understood the need to protect Tamil in its purest form when definitive proof of Tamil's antiquity became evident. A direct result of the Tamil language purity movement is the Tamil we speak today, with few loan words from other languages. So there are both positive and negative influences on Tamil lives due to Mahavamsa.