[WMASTERS] Re: Something I wrote in that context too

["Ram S. Ravindran" <rravindr@INDYVAX.IUPUI.EDU>]

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Two years ago I wrote an article on why the present day Tamil kids need to
study Tami (with equal enthusiasm and vigor) along with English . Attached
is a portion of that article


Tamil Nadu is perhaps the only place in the 
world where the educated parents send their 
kids to English medium schools and not
to local language (Tamil) schools. Only the 
children from poor families attend Tamil medium 
schools. Even the ones who go to Tamil medium
schools have to learn college level courses only 
in English. Most of the educated Tamilians don't 
converse or write in Tamil. It is unfortunate, 
that most of the college educated Tamilians resort 
to speaking in English. As a result, newer words are 
not coined to express modern thoughts, social issues, 
and technological ideas.

If you don't think, read, or write in Tamil how can you contribute to the
development of it. If the educated are uncomfortable with their command of
Tamil language, how can higher and complex thoughts can ever get expressed
in Tamil?

Something for all of us to think about!

Indy Ram





At 11:03 AM 9/29/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
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>
>George Hart wrote:
>> Mani, I really hope this is true.  All I know is that the Tamil classics
>> are not generally available in Tamilnad (unlike the English and American
>> classics in most English-speaking areas, including Tamilnadu).  Tamilians
>> as a whole are more likely to know about Shakespeare than Kampan.  I would
>> like to believe that a true Tamil renaissance is under way -- but isn't a
>> requirement for a renaissance a genuine interest in and exploration of the
>> classics?
>
>This is an effect of the education system TN had under the DMK/AIDMK
>regimes until 1997.
>
>Until this year, Tamil Nadu was the only state
>in India (probably in the world), where one could complete the full
>education without formally reading a word of Tamil in school,
>or even knowing about the Tamil language. I mentioned this in a
>AIR radio interview in 1994. The interviewer was not aware of that.
>
>The requirement was
>English + Tamil/Sanskrit/Hindi/French/Telugu/Malayalam/Kannada
>
>In neighbouring Karnataka for example it was
>English + Kannada + Hindi/Tamil/Telugu/Malayalam/Marathi/Sanskrit
>
>About 3 months ago, CM Karunanidhi has announced that steps are
>being taken to make Tamil compulsary for all, just like in all
>other states. Hopefully the situation will improve. Still they
>have to live with the large minority of Tamil ignorant Tamils
>they have created during the last 25 years.
>
>Incidentally, in 1956, our school in Delhi made Tamil compulsary
>for all who did not have it already as an option.
>However, they exempted those, whose parents, requested that
>their children should not learn Tamil. In our class of 50, there
>were 2 exemptions.
>
>In this province, the law is much more severe. The children of
>all, except those who themselves went to English medium schools
>should by law, send their children to French medium schools only.
>French as a language, is compulsary in English medium schools also.
>
>K. Srinivasan of Quebec.
>
>
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