7/28/2019 Owen Travel Language News

1/2

LateJanuary,2012;Madurai,TamilNadu

TamilLanguage,CasteandRace,andTheHindu

TheTamilpeoplearejustifiablyproudoftheirdistinctcultureandlanguage,oneoftheoldest,ifnotthe

oldestlivinglanguageintheworldtoday.OnarecentSundayafternoontheJ.X.MillerAuditoriumof

LDC(LadyDoakCollege)wasjam-packedwithmorethan400teachersofTamilandstudentsenrolledin

TamilLanguageandLiteraturecoursestohearaprolonged,passionate"sermon"fromMadurai's

'Collector'(paralleltoMayor).Hewasbemoaningthedeclineoftheirlanguage;and,Ithink,using

rhetoric,politicalandmoralsuasion(forthreehours),toinstilllinguisticandculturalprideandmotivate

studentsandfacultyaliketoactivelyuseTamilandkeepthelanguagerelevantforthe21stcentury.I

havenoideatowhatdegreehewassuccessful;and,honestly,Idon'tknowexactlywhattheCollector

said,butgiventheelectronicallyamplifiedshouting;hisPentecostal-preachercadenceandtonality;and

theregularcheers,applause,andlaughterfromtheaudience,theremusthavebeensomemeasureof

success.Frommy(Welsh)perspective,72millionspeakersisahugenumberinexcessofmosttribal

andindigenouslanguagesandfarmorethantheminoritylanguagesacrossEurope.Still,inanationof

morethanonebillionwithapopulationsettoexceedthatofChinabythemid-centurymarkwell,

70+milliondoesqualify,Isuppose,asaminority.

English,notHindi,isthesecondlanguageofthe70millionTamilswholiveinTamilNadu;andthereare

severalmillionsmorewholiveacrossIndia,SoutheastAsia,EuropeandNorthAmerica.(JustyesterdayI

metElbertJeyapaul,apersonableyoungguyfromMaduraiwhoisnowworkingasanaerospace

engineeratLangleyinHampton,Va.)MostoftenwhenIndiansvisitfromotherIndianstateson

business,astourists,oraspilgrimstoworshipattheSriMeenakshiTemple,theyspeakinEnglishto

eachotheroneofmanycoloniallegaciesoftheBritish.Thepoliticalandculturaldynamicsof

bilingualismandculturaldiversityinTamilNaduarefascinating.Ofcourse,myhostsarefullyconversant

inEnglishandTamilandmanyhavepersonalandprofessionalconnectionsintheUKorUSA.Ingeneral,

itappearsthattheTamileliteareatleastbilingualandmanyaremultilingual,alsospeakingHindiorone

oftheotherlanguagesofSouthIndia(includingMalayalam,Kannada,andTelugu).

Givenmyownexperienceknowingmanywell-educated,cosmopolitanTamilwomenandmenI've

beensurprisedtoreadinIndianliteratureaboutawidersetofIndianprejudicesinwhichtheTamil

peopleareregardedbysomeassecond-classcitizens;and,indeed,onefictionauthorexplicitlyrefersto

theTamilsasthe"African-AmericansofIndia."And,althoughitistruethattheTamilskinpigmentation

ismarkedlydarkerthanthoseinmid-to-NorthIndia,itseemstomethatracial/ethniccategorizationis

lessimportantthancasteandreligiousidentity.Justtheotherday,oneoftheEnglishfacultyatnearby

AmericanCollegeofMaduraitoldmethatwhenRev.MartinLutherKingvisitedtheGandhiMuseumof

Maduraiinthelate50's,thathewasintroducedastheleadingspokesmanfortheDalits(the

Untouchables)ofAmericansociety.Atfirst,Iwastold,Rev.Kingwasnotentirelycomfortablewiththis

dubioustitlebutlaterduringhisvisit,heembracedthisTamil-bestowedtitle.

OneofthemajordailyEnglishlanguagepapersacrossIndiaisTheHindu(withaMaduraiCityedition).

Frankly,itisbothfascinatingandhumblingtoreadanEnglish-languagepaperandstillnottruly

7/28/2019 Owen Travel Language News

2/2