Sudath Gunasekara President Mahanuwara Senior Citizens Movement 19.1.2016
I want my readers first to have a look at the following news item immediately
The Hindu 17.1. 2016
Puducherry Tamilnadu
The theme of the international conference was on Challenges and Opportunities for Tamil living abroad. About 50 delegates from abroad and 150 delegates from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Puducherry are participating in the event. Delegates from Sri Lanka, Canada, US, Germany, France, Switzerland, South Africa and many countries participated.
Meet seeks to pass on Tamil’s heritage
Participants at the special conference of International Movement for Tamil Culture, in Puducherry on Saturday.— Photo: S.S. Kumar
Over 100 delegates from different countries take part in the international conference
Tamil-speaking families from across the world on Saturday joined common cause to discuss ways to pass on the legacy of the language and its literature to a generation of youth with little or no access to their mother tongue.
Over 100 delegates from different countries shared a platform under the aegis of International Movement for Tamil Culture on Saturday seeking to enrich and conserve the cultural heritage of Tamil language in countries where the Tamil-speaking population had moved as migrant plantation workers or in search of better prospects.
Though the Tamil-speaking people who were taken to Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa as plantation workers during the British rule they have retained the cultural practices to an extent, the opportunities to read and write Tamil language have dwindled.
Eminent scholars and writers present at the two-day international conference felt that with younger generation preferring English or any other language to Tamil language, there was a need to preserve the cultural heritage of Tamil language by making them understand the richness of the classical language.
In order to revive and address the current challenges, two-day International Conference was organised by the International Movement for Tamil Culture (IMTC), India in association with the Canada chapter on Saturday in Puducherry.
Nada R Rajkumar from Canada, a propagandist of the International Movement for Tamil Culture said: People are willing to learn the language in those countries but there are no good teachers. It is the case in South Africa where they have requested for teachers to teach them the language. We need to reach out to them.”
In this view, the movement is planning to frame a common syllabus to teach Tamil for the Diaspora Tamils living Australia, Switzerland, South Africa, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and many other countries across the world. To strengthen the Tamil culture and language, another initiative on the lines of United Nations Organisation is being planned.
Nada Rajkumar said that an International Tamil Culture Centre would be established in Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka in 2017. This will be built on the lines of United Nations Organisation. But, it will take decisions only on issues related to the culture and language. There will be no political discussions held in this centre.
This will have representatives from more than 160 countries where Tamil-speaking population lives,” he said.
He added that the cultural centre will be built at the cost of Rs 100 crore.
The theme of the international conference was on Challenges and Opportunities for Tamil living abroad. About 50 delegates from abroad and 150 delegates from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Puducherry are participating in the event. Delegates from Sri Lanka, Canada, US, Germany, France, Switzerland, South Africa and many countries participated.
International Tamil culture centre to be built in Kilinochchi at a cost of Rs. 100 crore”
I wonder whether these people have come to the conclusion that the EELAM is already established in Sri Lanka. Otherwise, why did they decided to establish this International Tamil culture centre in Kilinochchi at a cost of Rs. 100 crore without deciding it to be established in Tamilnadu –the Real Traditional Home land of Tami people the world over.
One need not be surprised even if one comes to this conclusion going by recent past incidents India such as intervention in 1987 Vadamarachchi Operation and the Rajive/JR Pact, IPK operations, the 13th Amendment forcing constitutional amendment of the country’s constitution to introduce the 13th amendment tying the north and east and claiming both to be historical habitats of the Tamils that had nothing to do with bringing peace to this country, Viceroy attitude of the then Indian Ambassador Dixith, frequent visits and undiplomatic utterances by many Indian Leaders, the latest being former Ambassador Ghandi’s comments on war crimes etc. Furthermore recent events like the Proposed Road and tunnel project across the Palk Straight, Ongoing direct Indian funded infra structure development in the North and East like railways and housing projects current political economic and cultural invasion, their role in the proposed Constitution making, Indian objections to the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Thunder Jet issue, poaching by Indian Fishermen in the Sri Lankan waters and persistent objection to Sri Lanka’s ties with china point directly to this conclusion
Therefore it is high time for all our politicians (Sinhala.Tamila nd Muslim) to give up domestic ploys and concentrate seriously on the safety and security of the motherland against this Indian invasion. Of course this applies only to those who consider this country as their Motherland. Though Tamils and even Muslims like Hakeem who have joined hands with Tamils as Tamil speaking people, to deprive the Sinhalese of their birth rights may not take it seriously, the Sinhalese, irrespective of their political alignments will have to seriously take up this issue with the Government in order to prevent this disaster before it is too late. I would rather appeal to them to give up all their party politics and join hands under one banner to fight this monster to save the Motherland.