Speeches and
Interviews
CSTC on Air
Interviews
2 Aug 2025 – Oli 96.8 FM interview on the launch of Encyclopedia of Singapore Tamils
24th November 2019 – Oli 96.8 FM Live radio on Completion of the Digital Archives of Singapore Tamil Arts and release of Singapore Tamil Culture Portal.
On 20 March 2019, in an interview with Oli 96.8FM, CSTC Director Arun Mahizhnan spoke on the Centre’s objectives, its core groups and activities. On the same programme, Jayasutha Samuthiran, Head of Intercultural Programme, shared about the upcoming event “What’s In A New Year?” and appealed to the public to register and participate in the event.
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Speeches
eight directions
Speeches
CSTC Highlights
Speeches
What's In A New Year?
Singapore is blessed with many cultures and their respective festivals that we all collectively enjoy. Yet, many of us are not quite sure why a certain festival is celebrated, what are its philosophical underpinnings and the true significance of certain rituals.
The Tamils in Singapore observed their Tamil New Year on 14 April 2019. On 31 March 2019, the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture (CSTC) held a discussion programme titled: What’s In A New Year? In this programme, eminent scholars discussed not only the Tamil New Year but also several other New Years celebrated by different cultures in Singapore.
The event was attended by 150 people from different cultures, including the Chinese, Malays and Indians.
Western New Year - Dr Geoffrey Benjamin
“In all traditions that celebrate the new year, it marks the restarting of the calendar. However, traditional calendars vary: some follow the solar cycle; some follow a lunar cycle; others combine the two cycles together. The Christian calendar, for example, combines a lunar Easter with a solar Christmas.”
“There is an inherent lack of coordination between the solar and lunar cycles, because the solar year actually lasts for 365-and-a-quarter days and the lunar month lasts 29-and-a-half days. Each solar year therefore consists of 12.38 rather than 12 lunar months. Those extra days and fragments of a day mean that every few years the lunar and solar cycles get so far out of sync that an extra day or even an extra month has to be inserted to bring them back together again. For both farmers, administrators and modern city dwellers, it is essential that their working calendar should have a fixed character, as well as remaining linked to the passage of the seasons.”
“[T]he vast majority of earlier populations were able only to observe the moon’s phases, as they lacked accurate means to observe the sun’s orbital changes. It is not surprising then, that lunar-based celebrations are easier to organise than solar-based ones. Through cultural inertia, this attachment to the moon has continued to affect the calendrical calculations of most of the world’s big religions – which by their very character, emphasise tradition.”
“[W]hy should the New Year – lunar or solar – be celebrated? In practice, the moment at which the new year commences is not directly observable by ordinary people. It has to be marked by an appropriate ceremony or ritual that acts to separate the new year from the one that has just passed. Such acts of separation and re-commencement are very familiar to anthropologists, who call them ‘passage rites’.”
To view video recording of Dr Benjamin's speech, click here
The Muslim New Year in a Malay Context - Dr Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib
Muslims do not generally observe the new year in a huge way. Hence, new year celebration has never been a key feature of Muslim communal observances, including in the Malay world. In fact, there is a glaring absence of grand celebrations for the Muslim new year.
Muslim Hijri Calendar
The Muslim calendar is a lunar-based system that was instituted by Umar ibn al-Khattab (d. 644), the second caliph who reigned from 634-644 CE. In consultation with the other Companions of the Prophet, four events were deliberated as the starting point of the calendar: the birth of the Prophet, the occasion of the first Revelation to the Prophet, the Prophet’s hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Medina to avoid persecution, and the death of the Prophet. Umar eventually decided on the hijrah, but only because the Companions were not clear on the exact date of the birth and occasion of Revelation, while the Prophet’s death was a sad occasion to mark a new calendar. Hijrah, on the other hand, symbolised a new beginning for the Muslims and allowed the nascent Muslim community to rally together under a new polity. Hence, the Muslim calendar is known as the Hijri calendar.
The Qur’an –– which is the principle sacred text by which Muslims derive their religious views and formulate laws on Islamic matters –– contains references by which the Hijri calendar adheres to. Firstly, there must be twelve months in a lunar year: “The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) – so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth.” (Q. 9:36) Secondly, the Qur’an mentions that each month begins with the appearance of a new moon: “They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage.” (Q. 2:189) The Prophet had formally adopted the lunar system during his last pilgrimage (known as the Farewell Hajj) in 632 CE, which effectively led to the abandonment of the Arab’s lunisolar system of the pre-Islamic period.
Contested Month of Muharram
The first month of the Hijri calendar is called Muharram, which means “forbidden”. This is believed to be the second holiest month of the year, apart from the tenth month, Ramadan. In Muharram, it is forbidden to engage in warfare. It is unclear why the notion of truce came to be associated with the month of Muharram. Its root may be pre-Islamic and meant to protect trade within the sanctuary of Mecca. In the post-Islamic period, non-fighting in Muharram could be evoked by the painful memory of the Battle of Karbala that took place on the tenth day of Muharram. In fact, Muharram is often associated with this day, also known as ‘Ashura (literally ‘tenth day’).
The Malay Heritage of Muharram
In Malay society, ‘Ashura is often commemorated with a special delicacy known as bubur ‘Ashura. Bubur is Malay porridge and bubur ‘Ashura is usually prepared with slices of egg, fish and shrimp.
Conclusion
Although the Muslim calendar begins with the Prophet’s migration to Medina and escape from persecution in Mecca – hence, symbolising a new beginning –, the first month of Muharram is marked by contested meanings. This was due to the sectarian conflict that emerged a few decades after the death of the Prophet and culminated in the Battle of Karbala that saw the Prophet’s grandson and his supporters being massacred.
One aspect that all Muslims can agree on is the devotional element of the month in which piety is renewed and contemplation acted on to truly uphold the name ‘Muharram’ or ‘forbidden (to engage in warfare and fighting)’. It is a month of reconciliation, rather than division – if only we can draw lessons from history.
To read a complete version of Dr Imran's paper, click here.
To view video recording of Dr Imran's speech, click here.
Western New Year - Dr Geoffrey Benjamin
“In all traditions that celebrate the new year, it marks the restarting of the calendar. However, traditional calendars vary: some follow the solar cycle; some follow a lunar cycle; others combine the two cycles together. The Christian calendar, for example, combines a lunar Easter with a solar Christmas.”
“There is an inherent lack of coordination between the solar and lunar cycles, because the solar year actually lasts for 365-and-a-quarter days and the lunar month lasts 29-and-a-half days. Each solar year therefore consists of 12.38 rather than 12 lunar months. Those extra days and fragments of a day mean that every few years the lunar and solar cycles get so far out of sync that an extra day or even an extra month has to be inserted to bring them back together again. For both farmers, administrators and modern city dwellers, it is essential that their working calendar should have a fixed character, as well as remaining linked to the passage of the seasons.”
“[T]he vast majority of earlier populations were able only to observe the moon’s phases, as they lacked accurate means to observe the sun’s orbital changes. It is not surprising then, that lunar-based celebrations are easier to organise than solar-based ones. Through cultural inertia, this attachment to the moon has continued to affect the calendrical calculations of most of the world’s big religions – which by their very character, emphasise tradition.”
“[W]hy should the New Year – lunar or solar – be celebrated? In practice, the moment at which the new year commences is not directly observable by ordinary people. It has to be marked by an appropriate ceremony or ritual that acts to separate the new year from the one that has just passed. Such acts of separation and re-commencement are very familiar to anthropologists, who call them ‘passage rites’.”
To view video recording of Dr Benjamin's speech, click here
Western New Year - Dr Geoffrey Benjamin
“In all traditions that celebrate the new year, it marks the restarting of the calendar. However, traditional calendars vary: some follow the solar cycle; some follow a lunar cycle; others combine the two cycles together. The Christian calendar, for example, combines a lunar Easter with a solar Christmas.”
“There is an inherent lack of coordination between the solar and lunar cycles, because the solar year actually lasts for 365-and-a-quarter days and the lunar month lasts 29-and-a-half days. Each solar year therefore consists of 12.38 rather than 12 lunar months. Those extra days and fragments of a day mean that every few years the lunar and solar cycles get so far out of sync that an extra day or even an extra month has to be inserted to bring them back together again. For both farmers, administrators and modern city dwellers, it is essential that their working calendar should have a fixed character, as well as remaining linked to the passage of the seasons.”
“[T]he vast majority of earlier populations were able only to observe the moon’s phases, as they lacked accurate means to observe the sun’s orbital changes. It is not surprising then, that lunar-based celebrations are easier to organise than solar-based ones. Through cultural inertia, this attachment to the moon has continued to affect the calendrical calculations of most of the world’s big religions – which by their very character, emphasise tradition.”
“[W]hy should the New Year – lunar or solar – be celebrated? In practice, the moment at which the new year commences is not directly observable by ordinary people. It has to be marked by an appropriate ceremony or ritual that acts to separate the new year from the one that has just passed. Such acts of separation and re-commencement are very familiar to anthropologists, who call them ‘passage rites’.”
To view video recording of Dr Benjamin's speech, click here
The Muslim New Year in a Malay Context - Dr Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib
Muslims do not generally observe the new year in a huge way. Hence, new year celebration has never been a key feature of Muslim communal observances, including in the Malay world. In fact, there is a glaring absence of grand celebrations for the Muslim new year.
Muslim Hijri Calendar
The Muslim calendar is a lunar-based system that was instituted by Umar ibn al-Khattab (d. 644), the second caliph who reigned from 634-644 CE. In consultation with the other Companions of the Prophet, four events were deliberated as the starting point of the calendar: the birth of the Prophet, the occasion of the first Revelation to the Prophet, the Prophet’s hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Medina to avoid persecution, and the death of the Prophet. Umar eventually decided on the hijrah, but only because the Companions were not clear on the exact date of the birth and occasion of Revelation, while the Prophet’s death was a sad occasion to mark a new calendar. Hijrah, on the other hand, symbolised a new beginning for the Muslims and allowed the nascent Muslim community to rally together under a new polity. Hence, the Muslim calendar is known as the Hijri calendar.
The Qur’an –– which is the principle sacred text by which Muslims derive their religious views and formulate laws on Islamic matters –– contains references by which the Hijri calendar adheres to. Firstly, there must be twelve months in a lunar year: “The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) – so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth.” (Q. 9:36) Secondly, the Qur’an mentions that each month begins with the appearance of a new moon: “They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage.” (Q. 2:189) The Prophet had formally adopted the lunar system during his last pilgrimage (known as the Farewell Hajj) in 632 CE, which effectively led to the abandonment of the Arab’s lunisolar system of the pre-Islamic period.
Contested Month of Muharram
The first month of the Hijri calendar is called Muharram, which means “forbidden”. This is believed to be the second holiest month of the year, apart from the tenth month, Ramadan. In Muharram, it is forbidden to engage in warfare. It is unclear why the notion of truce came to be associated with the month of Muharram. Its root may be pre-Islamic and meant to protect trade within the sanctuary of Mecca. In the post-Islamic period, non-fighting in Muharram could be evoked by the painful memory of the Battle of Karbala that took place on the tenth day of Muharram. In fact, Muharram is often associated with this day, also known as ‘Ashura (literally ‘tenth day’).
The Malay Heritage of Muharram
In Malay society, ‘Ashura is often commemorated with a special delicacy known as bubur ‘Ashura. Bubur is Malay porridge and bubur ‘Ashura is usually prepared with slices of egg, fish and shrimp.
Conclusion
Although the Muslim calendar begins with the Prophet’s migration to Medina and escape from persecution in Mecca – hence, symbolising a new beginning –, the first month of Muharram is marked by contested meanings. This was due to the sectarian conflict that emerged a few decades after the death of the Prophet and culminated in the Battle of Karbala that saw the Prophet’s grandson and his supporters being massacred.
One aspect that all Muslims can agree on is the devotional element of the month in which piety is renewed and contemplation acted on to truly uphold the name ‘Muharram’ or ‘forbidden (to engage in warfare and fighting)’. It is a month of reconciliation, rather than division – if only we can draw lessons from history.
To read a complete version of Dr Imran's paper, click here.
To view video recording of Dr Imran's speech, click here.
The Muslim New Year in a Malay Context - Dr Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib
Muslims do not generally observe the new year in a huge way. Hence, new year celebration has never been a key feature of Muslim communal observances, including in the Malay world. In fact, there is a glaring absence of grand celebrations for the Muslim new year.
Muslim Hijri Calendar
The Muslim calendar is a lunar-based system that was instituted by Umar ibn al-Khattab (d. 644), the second caliph who reigned from 634-644 CE. In consultation with the other Companions of the Prophet, four events were deliberated as the starting point of the calendar: the birth of the Prophet, the occasion of the first Revelation to the Prophet, the Prophet’s hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Medina to avoid persecution, and the death of the Prophet. Umar eventually decided on the hijrah, but only because the Companions were not clear on the exact date of the birth and occasion of Revelation, while the Prophet’s death was a sad occasion to mark a new calendar. Hijrah, on the other hand, symbolised a new beginning for the Muslims and allowed the nascent Muslim community to rally together under a new polity. Hence, the Muslim calendar is known as the Hijri calendar.
The Qur’an –– which is the principle sacred text by which Muslims derive their religious views and formulate laws on Islamic matters –– contains references by which the Hijri calendar adheres to. Firstly, there must be twelve months in a lunar year: “The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) – so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth.” (Q. 9:36) Secondly, the Qur’an mentions that each month begins with the appearance of a new moon: “They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage.” (Q. 2:189) The Prophet had formally adopted the lunar system during his last pilgrimage (known as the Farewell Hajj) in 632 CE, which effectively led to the abandonment of the Arab’s lunisolar system of the pre-Islamic period.
Contested Month of Muharram
The first month of the Hijri calendar is called Muharram, which means “forbidden”. This is believed to be the second holiest month of the year, apart from the tenth month, Ramadan. In Muharram, it is forbidden to engage in warfare. It is unclear why the notion of truce came to be associated with the month of Muharram. Its root may be pre-Islamic and meant to protect trade within the sanctuary of Mecca. In the post-Islamic period, non-fighting in Muharram could be evoked by the painful memory of the Battle of Karbala that took place on the tenth day of Muharram. In fact, Muharram is often associated with this day, also known as ‘Ashura (literally ‘tenth day’).
The Malay Heritage of Muharram
In Malay society, ‘Ashura is often commemorated with a special delicacy known as bubur ‘Ashura. Bubur is Malay porridge and bubur ‘Ashura is usually prepared with slices of egg, fish and shrimp.
Conclusion
Although the Muslim calendar begins with the Prophet’s migration to Medina and escape from persecution in Mecca – hence, symbolising a new beginning –, the first month of Muharram is marked by contested meanings. This was due to the sectarian conflict that emerged a few decades after the death of the Prophet and culminated in the Battle of Karbala that saw the Prophet’s grandson and his supporters being massacred.
One aspect that all Muslims can agree on is the devotional element of the month in which piety is renewed and contemplation acted on to truly uphold the name ‘Muharram’ or ‘forbidden (to engage in warfare and fighting)’. It is a month of reconciliation, rather than division – if only we can draw lessons from history.
To read a complete version of Dr Imran's paper, click here.
To view video recording of Dr Imran's speech, click here.
Chinese New Year - Dr Vivian Wee
“When Chinese New Year comes around, one topic of public discussion is about the animal year it will be. Counting time in numbers is cumulative: the numbers increase with the passage of time. But the reckoning of time in non-numbers – in this case, animals – is non-cumulative. Instead, time is conceived as cyclical, going around in cycles of 12 years.
So what if the Chinese reckoning of time is non-cumulative? The significance is this: if there is no beginning, there is no end. There is no Year 1 in the Chinese reckoning of time: there is no equivalent to the birth of Jesus or the Prophet Muhammad’s journey to Medina. A view of time as non-cumulative is also non-apocalyptic. In the Chinese world-view, the world will not come to an end because it never had a beginning. It just always was.”
“The idea of time as cyclical is elaborated by adding the five elements of the universe: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Each element prevails for 12 years. This year is the last of the 12 years of the earth element. Next year will be the beginning of the 12-year presence of the metal element.
When we combine the twelve animal years with the five elements, each lasting 12 years, what we get is the differentiation of the twelve animals in relation to the five elements. For example, this year is the year of the Earth Pig, because not only is it the year of the pig, it is also the last year of the 12-year presence of the earth element. The Earth Pig will next appear in 60 years’ time. Before that, we will first have the Metal Pig, Water Pig, Wood Pig and Fire Pig. A larger cycle of 60 years is thus produced by combining twelve animal years with the five elements.
In the past, when people had shorter life-spans than at present, a normal life-span was considered to be sixty years long. Fortune-telling was previously done only for sixty years of one’s life-span. Beyond sixty years, no fortune could be divined for the bonus years.”
“[T]here are very few collective rituals in Chinese religious life. The collective rituals that exist are centred on the family, the lineage or the clan as a worshipping unit.
What are the larger implications of this world-view in modern society? The sociologist Max Weber and others characterise modern society as structured in rational-legal terms, where legitimacy is derived from a logic of cause and effect.
In contrast, the traditional Chinese world-view is not based on rational-legal thinking. However, some aspects of the Chinese world-view are unintentionally compatible with modern society. First, the Chinese world-view is orientated towards this world, this life. People are not obsessed about the after-life. Indeed, the next world is just like this world: people get married, open shops and need money! Second, individuals can take individual actions without being imposed by others who claim religious authority. This also applies to the actions of individual families – for example, in the celebration of Chinese New Year. There is no one right way to conduct such celebrations and each family can celebrate it the way they want, including not celebrating it at all. This implies that the Chinese world-view contains the seed of democracy: no one is seen as messianic or having more religious authority than others.”
To view video recording of Dr Wee's speech, click here
The (Tamil) Solar New Year - Dr. Sureshkumar Muthukumaran (Yale-NUS)
Mathematical astronomy is the basis of calendar reckoning, astrology and divination in South Asia. The Indic calendar is, in practice, a complex conjunction of several systems of computing time. Most important among these are the solar, lunar. Jovian and nākṣatra methods of calendar computation. Briefly, the solar (saura) method is a geocentric reckoning based on the sun’s ingression into one of 12 zodiacal constellations. Each zodiac encompasses 30° of the ecliptic. Onesolar day is the time from one sunrise to the next. The lunar (cāndra) scheme is also a geocentric reckoning based on the difference of the longitudinal angle between the sun and the moon. One lunar day (tithi) is the time in which the angular distance of the moon from the sun increases by 12° (1/30 of 360°). The Jovian (bārhaspatya) method is interestingly aheliocentric reckoning used to calculate a cycle of sixty named years. As Jupiter takes 12 years to orbit the sun, 5 orbits constitute 60 years. Finally, the nākṣatra system, which may the oldest method of determining time in South Asia, isa geocentric reckoning based on the moon’s ingression into one of 27 or 28 lunar asterisms.
The Tamil-speaking peoples of South India and Sri Lanka use the solar method to compute the New Year and the harvest festival of Poṅkal. Otherwise, most other festivals celebrated by Tamil speakers are determined by the lunar and nākṣatra systems. The “Tamil” New Year is a bit of a misnomer, and it has never been named as such in pre-modern sources, not least because this New Year based on the pan-Indic solar calendar is also observed in Kerala, Sri Lanka (among Sinhalese speakers), Punjab, Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nepal. Elsewhere in Asia, the Indic Solar New Year is celebrated in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and southern Yunnan.
As the zodiacal constellation Aries (mēṣam) is held to be the first sign of the Indian zodiac, the sun’s entry into this zodiacal house marks the New Year and the beginning of the month of Cittirai (April-May), hence the New Year is called the “the auspicious day of Cittirai” (Cittirai tirunāḷ) by Tamil speakers. The New Year period coincides with meteorological and astronomical phenomena which may have determined the placement of the New Year at this time of year. It is celebrated after the vernal equinox, when the earth’s tilt is perpendicular to the angle of sunlight, hence ensuring a roughly equal day and night in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The New Year also marks the end of the northeast monsoon season (November-March) which brings much rainfall to the southeastern coast of India. It also heralds the beginning of spring (iḷavēṉil). Of the countless plants in bloom over this season, the New Year is especially associated by Tamil speakers with the konrai or the golden rain tree (Cassia fistula), a native of India and mainland Southeast Asia, which, as it name suggests, produces lush pendent yellow flowers. The 9th century Tamil Vaishnavite poet-saint Nammālvār obliquely refers to the coming of the New Year and the attendant hope of love returned by invoking the blooms of the konrai:
They haven’t flowered yet,
The fat konrai trees,
Nor hung out their garlands
And golden circlets
In their sensual canopy of leaves
Along the branches
Dear girl,
Dear as the paradise of our lord
Who measured the earth
Girdled by the restless sea,
They are waiting
With buds
For the return of your lover
Once twined in your arm
- Nammāḻvār, Tiruviruttam 68 (trans. A.K. Ramanujan)
Medieval Tamil inscriptions indicate that the New Year was a large affair celebrated over a number of days. Sanskrit sources also suggest that drenching passersby with water and coloured powders was an integral part of the Indic Spring-New Year festivals, a feature which survives in the North Indian spring festival of Holi and the Solar New Year celebrations in mainland Southeast Asia. The New Year celebration among Tamil speakers is much less carnivalesque today, although this may have been a fairly recent development. J.T. Noyes, an American missionary in Jaffna describes the Tamil New Year he observed in 1851 as a “day of festivity and mirth with all classes … (who) may be seen engaged in various amusements and plays”. Surviving New Year customs among the Tamils include domestic rituals like an oil bath, wearing of new clothes, the sighting of auspicious objects in the morning and the ritual reading of the new calendar. Younger members of the family also receive gifts of money (kaivicēṭam/ kaimuḻuttam) on this day. The communal aspects of the festival include visits to the houses of friends and relatives as well as the temple where the moveable icons of the deities would be brought out in a festive procession. Kite-flying, sports activities, dance and theatrical performances rank among the public amusements held on this day. As with any festival, feasting is fundamental. Special foods for the New Year include sour and bitter dishes like pickles made out of unripe mango and neem flowers, perhaps to serve an apotropaic role or to foreground the nature of human existence which vacillates between the sweet and the pungent.
Traditionally numerous eras were used to record the specific year or dating was simply based on the regnal years of a reigning king or queen. Of the eras in regular use in South and Southeast Asia, the following are notable:
Kaliyuga Era - 3102 BCE
Vīra-saṃvat (Jain Era) – 527 BCE (Śvetāmbara); 668 BCE (Digambara)
Buddhist Era - 544 BCE
Vikrama Era - 58 BCE
Śaka Era - 78 CE
Gupta Era - 320 CE
Kollam Era of Malabar - 825 CE
The Śaka calendar beginning in 78 CE is the basis of the Indian National Calendar. Some of these calendar eras, like the Kaliyuga Era are clearly later-day developments and the starting point is entirely fictional. Each year also bears a specific name based on a 60-year cycle tabulated on the basis of Jupiter’s orbits around the sun. The 14th of April 2019 in the Gregorian calendar marks the beginning of the Indic year 5121 of the Kaliyuga Era, 2076 of the Vikrama Era and 1941 of the Saka Era. This Jovian year is dubbed Vikāri meaning the inconstant, abnormal or the changeable.
To view video recording of Dr Muthukumaran's speech, click here.
Chinese New Year - Dr Vivian Wee
“When Chinese New Year comes around, one topic of public discussion is about the animal year it will be. Counting time in numbers is cumulative: the numbers increase with the passage of time. But the reckoning of time in non-numbers – in this case, animals – is non-cumulative. Instead, time is conceived as cyclical, going around in cycles of 12 years.
So what if the Chinese reckoning of time is non-cumulative? The significance is this: if there is no beginning, there is no end. There is no Year 1 in the Chinese reckoning of time: there is no equivalent to the birth of Jesus or the Prophet Muhammad’s journey to Medina. A view of time as non-cumulative is also non-apocalyptic. In the Chinese world-view, the world will not come to an end because it never had a beginning. It just always was.”
“The idea of time as cyclical is elaborated by adding the five elements of the universe: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Each element prevails for 12 years. This year is the last of the 12 years of the earth element. Next year will be the beginning of the 12-year presence of the metal element.
When we combine the twelve animal years with the five elements, each lasting 12 years, what we get is the differentiation of the twelve animals in relation to the five elements. For example, this year is the year of the Earth Pig, because not only is it the year of the pig, it is also the last year of the 12-year presence of the earth element. The Earth Pig will next appear in 60 years’ time. Before that, we will first have the Metal Pig, Water Pig, Wood Pig and Fire Pig. A larger cycle of 60 years is thus produced by combining twelve animal years with the five elements.
In the past, when people had shorter life-spans than at present, a normal life-span was considered to be sixty years long. Fortune-telling was previously done only for sixty years of one’s life-span. Beyond sixty years, no fortune could be divined for the bonus years.”
“[T]here are very few collective rituals in Chinese religious life. The collective rituals that exist are centred on the family, the lineage or the clan as a worshipping unit.
What are the larger implications of this world-view in modern society? The sociologist Max Weber and others characterise modern society as structured in rational-legal terms, where legitimacy is derived from a logic of cause and effect.
In contrast, the traditional Chinese world-view is not based on rational-legal thinking. However, some aspects of the Chinese world-view are unintentionally compatible with modern society. First, the Chinese world-view is orientated towards this world, this life. People are not obsessed about the after-life. Indeed, the next world is just like this world: people get married, open shops and need money! Second, individuals can take individual actions without being imposed by others who claim religious authority. This also applies to the actions of individual families – for example, in the celebration of Chinese New Year. There is no one right way to conduct such celebrations and each family can celebrate it the way they want, including not celebrating it at all. This implies that the Chinese world-view contains the seed of democracy: no one is seen as messianic or having more religious authority than others.”
To view video recording of Dr Wee's speech, click here
The (Tamil) Solar New Year - Dr. Sureshkumar Muthukumaran (Yale-NUS)
Mathematical astronomy is the basis of calendar reckoning, astrology and divination in South Asia. The Indic calendar is, in practice, a complex conjunction of several systems of computing time. Most important among these are the solar, lunar. Jovian and nākṣatra methods of calendar computation. Briefly, the solar (saura) method is a geocentric reckoning based on the sun’s ingression into one of 12 zodiacal constellations. Each zodiac encompasses 30° of the ecliptic. Onesolar day is the time from one sunrise to the next. The lunar (cāndra) scheme is also a geocentric reckoning based on the difference of the longitudinal angle between the sun and the moon. One lunar day (tithi) is the time in which the angular distance of the moon from the sun increases by 12° (1/30 of 360°). The Jovian (bārhaspatya) method is interestingly aheliocentric reckoning used to calculate a cycle of sixty named years. As Jupiter takes 12 years to orbit the sun, 5 orbits constitute 60 years. Finally, the nākṣatra system, which may the oldest method of determining time in South Asia, isa geocentric reckoning based on the moon’s ingression into one of 27 or 28 lunar asterisms.
The Tamil-speaking peoples of South India and Sri Lanka use the solar method to compute the New Year and the harvest festival of Poṅkal. Otherwise, most other festivals celebrated by Tamil speakers are determined by the lunar and nākṣatra systems. The “Tamil” New Year is a bit of a misnomer, and it has never been named as such in pre-modern sources, not least because this New Year based on the pan-Indic solar calendar is also observed in Kerala, Sri Lanka (among Sinhalese speakers), Punjab, Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nepal. Elsewhere in Asia, the Indic Solar New Year is celebrated in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and southern Yunnan.
As the zodiacal constellation Aries (mēṣam) is held to be the first sign of the Indian zodiac, the sun’s entry into this zodiacal house marks the New Year and the beginning of the month of Cittirai (April-May), hence the New Year is called the “the auspicious day of Cittirai” (Cittirai tirunāḷ) by Tamil speakers. The New Year period coincides with meteorological and astronomical phenomena which may have determined the placement of the New Year at this time of year. It is celebrated after the vernal equinox, when the earth’s tilt is perpendicular to the angle of sunlight, hence ensuring a roughly equal day and night in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The New Year also marks the end of the northeast monsoon season (November-March) which brings much rainfall to the southeastern coast of India. It also heralds the beginning of spring (iḷavēṉil). Of the countless plants in bloom over this season, the New Year is especially associated by Tamil speakers with the konrai or the golden rain tree (Cassia fistula), a native of India and mainland Southeast Asia, which, as it name suggests, produces lush pendent yellow flowers. The 9th century Tamil Vaishnavite poet-saint Nammālvār obliquely refers to the coming of the New Year and the attendant hope of love returned by invoking the blooms of the konrai:
They haven’t flowered yet,
The fat konrai trees,
Nor hung out their garlands
And golden circlets
In their sensual canopy of leaves
Along the branches
Dear girl,
Dear as the paradise of our lord
Who measured the earth
Girdled by the restless sea,
They are waiting
With buds
For the return of your lover
Once twined in your arm
- Nammāḻvār, Tiruviruttam 68 (trans. A.K. Ramanujan)
Medieval Tamil inscriptions indicate that the New Year was a large affair celebrated over a number of days. Sanskrit sources also suggest that drenching passersby with water and coloured powders was an integral part of the Indic Spring-New Year festivals, a feature which survives in the North Indian spring festival of Holi and the Solar New Year celebrations in mainland Southeast Asia. The New Year celebration among Tamil speakers is much less carnivalesque today, although this may have been a fairly recent development. J.T. Noyes, an American missionary in Jaffna describes the Tamil New Year he observed in 1851 as a “day of festivity and mirth with all classes … (who) may be seen engaged in various amusements and plays”. Surviving New Year customs among the Tamils include domestic rituals like an oil bath, wearing of new clothes, the sighting of auspicious objects in the morning and the ritual reading of the new calendar. Younger members of the family also receive gifts of money (kaivicēṭam/ kaimuḻuttam) on this day. The communal aspects of the festival include visits to the houses of friends and relatives as well as the temple where the moveable icons of the deities would be brought out in a festive procession. Kite-flying, sports activities, dance and theatrical performances rank among the public amusements held on this day. As with any festival, feasting is fundamental. Special foods for the New Year include sour and bitter dishes like pickles made out of unripe mango and neem flowers, perhaps to serve an apotropaic role or to foreground the nature of human existence which vacillates between the sweet and the pungent.
Traditionally numerous eras were used to record the specific year or dating was simply based on the regnal years of a reigning king or queen. Of the eras in regular use in South and Southeast Asia, the following are notable:
Kaliyuga Era - 3102 BCE
Vīra-saṃvat (Jain Era) – 527 BCE (Śvetāmbara); 668 BCE (Digambara)
Buddhist Era - 544 BCE
Vikrama Era - 58 BCE
Śaka Era - 78 CE
Gupta Era - 320 CE
Kollam Era of Malabar - 825 CE
The Śaka calendar beginning in 78 CE is the basis of the Indian National Calendar. Some of these calendar eras, like the Kaliyuga Era are clearly later-day developments and the starting point is entirely fictional. Each year also bears a specific name based on a 60-year cycle tabulated on the basis of Jupiter’s orbits around the sun. The 14th of April 2019 in the Gregorian calendar marks the beginning of the Indic year 5121 of the Kaliyuga Era, 2076 of the Vikrama Era and 1941 of the Saka Era. This Jovian year is dubbed Vikāri meaning the inconstant, abnormal or the changeable.
To view video recording of Dr Muthukumaran's speech, click here.
Chinese New Year - Dr Vivian Wee
“When Chinese New Year comes around, one topic of public discussion is about the animal year it will be. Counting time in numbers is cumulative: the numbers increase with the passage of time. But the reckoning of time in non-numbers – in this case, animals – is non-cumulative. Instead, time is conceived as cyclical, going around in cycles of 12 years.
So what if the Chinese reckoning of time is non-cumulative? The significance is this: if there is no beginning, there is no end. There is no Year 1 in the Chinese reckoning of time: there is no equivalent to the birth of Jesus or the Prophet Muhammad’s journey to Medina. A view of time as non-cumulative is also non-apocalyptic. In the Chinese world-view, the world will not come to an end because it never had a beginning. It just always was.”
“The idea of time as cyclical is elaborated by adding the five elements of the universe: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Each element prevails for 12 years. This year is the last of the 12 years of the earth element. Next year will be the beginning of the 12-year presence of the metal element.
When we combine the twelve animal years with the five elements, each lasting 12 years, what we get is the differentiation of the twelve animals in relation to the five elements. For example, this year is the year of the Earth Pig, because not only is it the year of the pig, it is also the last year of the 12-year presence of the earth element. The Earth Pig will next appear in 60 years’ time. Before that, we will first have the Metal Pig, Water Pig, Wood Pig and Fire Pig. A larger cycle of 60 years is thus produced by combining twelve animal years with the five elements.
In the past, when people had shorter life-spans than at present, a normal life-span was considered to be sixty years long. Fortune-telling was previously done only for sixty years of one’s life-span. Beyond sixty years, no fortune could be divined for the bonus years.”
“[T]here are very few collective rituals in Chinese religious life. The collective rituals that exist are centred on the family, the lineage or the clan as a worshipping unit.
What are the larger implications of this world-view in modern society? The sociologist Max Weber and others characterise modern society as structured in rational-legal terms, where legitimacy is derived from a logic of cause and effect.
In contrast, the traditional Chinese world-view is not based on rational-legal thinking. However, some aspects of the Chinese world-view are unintentionally compatible with modern society. First, the Chinese world-view is orientated towards this world, this life. People are not obsessed about the after-life. Indeed, the next world is just like this world: people get married, open shops and need money! Second, individuals can take individual actions without being imposed by others who claim religious authority. This also applies to the actions of individual families – for example, in the celebration of Chinese New Year. There is no one right way to conduct such celebrations and each family can celebrate it the way they want, including not celebrating it at all. This implies that the Chinese world-view contains the seed of democracy: no one is seen as messianic or having more religious authority than others.”
To view video recording of Dr Wee's speech, click here
Center for Singapore Tamil Culture Launch
Mr Arun Mahizhnan, Director, Center for Singapore Tamil Culture
AT THE LAUNCH OF CENTRE FOR SINGAPORE TAMIL CULTURE ON 06 FEBRUARY 2018
Today is a historical day for all of Singapore, especially for Tamils. Though Tamils are known to have arrived, occupied and even settled in this region centuries ago, there have been discontinuities in their history. However, since 6 February 1819, exactly 200 years ago to this day, when Stamford Raffles signed the Treaty of Singapore and established a trading post for the East India Company, there has been an unbroken history of Tamil community in this land, as he had brought Tamils along with him. The Tamil community, along with many other ethnic and linguistic communities, arrived, settled and made Singapore its home. Along the way, we have transformed ourselves from Tamils from Malaya, Tamils from India, and Tamils from Sri Lanka to Tamils of Singapore. Better still, Tamil-Singaporeans.
Yet, as a community with a distinct identity in name, we have not evolved into a community with a distinct identity in practice. Many of us have become distant, if not deracinated, from our own culture. Worse still, we are unable to tell others who we are because we do not ourselves know who we are. And when we do not know ourselves, it becomes even more difficult to know who others are. There are no reference points. It is for these reasons that we have decided to inaugurate a new collective called the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture (CSTC). The CSTC will help us to know ourselves and to share with others who we are and to learn from others who they are. At the basic level, that is what CSTC is really about.
As you all know, this is a ground-up initiative, conceived and composed by concerned citizens. We are here to fill the knowledge gaps amongst us, to do what needs to be done and to share what we find.
Even as we seek, cultivate and celebrate our Tamil identity, we will never for a moment forget that we are Singaporeans first. That is why we began this new journey today with our traditional invocation to Mother Tamil by Bharathi, followed immediately by our national anthem by Zubir Said.
200 years ago a journey began and, thanks to foresight, hard labour and good fortune, the journey still continues. 200 years later, today, we are beginning another journey with the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture. Each of us have lit a lamp to show us the way. May this be an endless journey!
Thank you.
Mr Arun Mahizhnan, Director, Center for Singapore Tamil Culture
AT THE LAUNCH OF CENTRE FOR SINGAPORE TAMIL CULTURE ON 06 FEBRUARY 2018
Today is a historical day for all of Singapore, especially for Tamils. Though Tamils are known to have arrived, occupied and even settled in this region centuries ago, there have been discontinuities in their history. However, since 6 February 1819, exactly 200 years ago to this day, when Stamford Raffles signed the Treaty of Singapore and established a trading post for the East India Company, there has been an unbroken history of Tamil community in this land, as he had brought Tamils along with him. The Tamil community, along with many other ethnic and linguistic communities, arrived, settled and made Singapore its home. Along the way, we have transformed ourselves from Tamils from Malaya, Tamils from India, and Tamils from Sri Lanka to Tamils of Singapore. Better still, Tamil-Singaporeans.
Yet, as a community with a distinct identity in name, we have not evolved into a community with a distinct identity in practice. Many of us have become distant, if not deracinated, from our own culture. Worse still, we are unable to tell others who we are because we do not ourselves know who we are. And when we do not know ourselves, it becomes even more difficult to know who others are. There are no reference points. It is for these reasons that we have decided to inaugurate a new collective called the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture (CSTC). The CSTC will help us to know ourselves and to share with others who we are and to learn from others who they are. At the basic level, that is what CSTC is really about.
As you all know, this is a ground-up initiative, conceived and composed by concerned citizens. We are here to fill the knowledge gaps amongst us, to do what needs to be done and to share what we find.
Even as we seek, cultivate and celebrate our Tamil identity, we will never for a moment forget that we are Singaporeans first. That is why we began this new journey today with our traditional invocation to Mother Tamil by Bharathi, followed immediately by our national anthem by Zubir Said.
200 years ago a journey began and, thanks to foresight, hard labour and good fortune, the journey still continues. 200 years later, today, we are beginning another journey with the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture. Each of us have lit a lamp to show us the way. May this be an endless journey!
Thank you.
Mr Arun Mahizhnan, Director, Center for Singapore Tamil Culture
AT THE LAUNCH OF CENTRE FOR SINGAPORE TAMIL CULTURE ON 06 FEBRUARY 2018
Today is a historical day for all of Singapore, especially for Tamils. Though Tamils are known to have arrived, occupied and even settled in this region centuries ago, there have been discontinuities in their history. However, since 6 February 1819, exactly 200 years ago to this day, when Stamford Raffles signed the Treaty of Singapore and established a trading post for the East India Company, there has been an unbroken history of Tamil community in this land, as he had brought Tamils along with him. The Tamil community, along with many other ethnic and linguistic communities, arrived, settled and made Singapore its home. Along the way, we have transformed ourselves from Tamils from Malaya, Tamils from India, and Tamils from Sri Lanka to Tamils of Singapore. Better still, Tamil-Singaporeans.
Yet, as a community with a distinct identity in name, we have not evolved into a community with a distinct identity in practice. Many of us have become distant, if not deracinated, from our own culture. Worse still, we are unable to tell others who we are because we do not ourselves know who we are. And when we do not know ourselves, it becomes even more difficult to know who others are. There are no reference points. It is for these reasons that we have decided to inaugurate a new collective called the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture (CSTC). The CSTC will help us to know ourselves and to share with others who we are and to learn from others who they are. At the basic level, that is what CSTC is really about.
As you all know, this is a ground-up initiative, conceived and composed by concerned citizens. We are here to fill the knowledge gaps amongst us, to do what needs to be done and to share what we find.
Even as we seek, cultivate and celebrate our Tamil identity, we will never for a moment forget that we are Singaporeans first. That is why we began this new journey today with our traditional invocation to Mother Tamil by Bharathi, followed immediately by our national anthem by Zubir Said.
200 years ago a journey began and, thanks to foresight, hard labour and good fortune, the journey still continues. 200 years later, today, we are beginning another journey with the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture. Each of us have lit a lamp to show us the way. May this be an endless journey!
Thank you.
Tamil Digital Heritage Launch
Mr S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office
SECOND MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND SECOND MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Introduction
I am very pleased to join all of you this morning for the launch of the Tamil Digital Heritage Project.Digitisation of 50 years of Tamil Literature
Singapore is the only country in the world outside of Tamil Nadu where Tamil has been accorded the status of an Official Language. This status and the consequent government support have generated an extraordinary amount of Tamil creative writing from a small minority community, which accounts for less than five percent of the population.
In August 2015, Singapore will celebrate its 50th Anniversary of Independence. To commemorate that momentous occasion, a citizens group, led by Mr Arun Mahizhnan, has proposed to create a digital collection of 50 years of Tamil writing in Singapore since 1965. It is a fitting gift to the nation from the community, and a ground-up initiative which the government is keen to encourage. I am very happy to welcome and support this project.
Importance of Tamil Digital Heritage Project
This Project is important for several reasons. First, it will digitally preserve Singapore’s rich Tamil heritage for posterity. These creative Tamil writings reflect our nation’s hopes, dreams, fears, anxieties, challenges and achievements, at different times, under different circumstances, as seen through the eyes of the authors. It is an invaluable cultural legacy from our forefathers to future generations of Singaporeans, as well as the larger Tamil Diaspora.
Second, it will be a comprehensive literary resource of Singapore Tamil writing for the use of Tamil teachers and students in schools, as well as Tamil scholars and researchers in tertiary institutions in Singapore and around the world. It will also be a source of inspiration for the Tamil artistic community comprising poets, novelists, playwrights, directors, actors, musicians and dancers.
Third, it will underscore yet again the unique role that Singapore has played at the confluence of technological evolution and Tamil education. Singapore’s Tamil text books are used around the world. Singapore Tamil teachers initiated the first World Tamil Teachers Conference, with the support of the Ministry of Education. Singapore was made the first headquarters of the global Tamil internet organisation called International Forum for Information Technology in Tamil, with the support of the Infocomm Development Authority.
Singapore also held the first ever Tamil Diaspora Writers Conference, with the support of National Arts Council. These initiatives have made Singapore a special home for an ancient and living language. This unprecedented Tamil Digital Heritage Project will, once again, gain special regard for Singapore within the global Tamil diaspora.
Support for Project
The Tamil Digital Heritage collection is scheduled to be completed in two years from now. It will collect and collate as much as possible of Tamil creative writings since 1965 into a publicly available digital archive.It is a major undertaking. I therefore want to thank the various government agencies for their encouragement and support of this initiative.
The National Library Board (NLB) is a key partner which will host the Tamil digital collection. This will ensure that the collection meets the high standards of NLB. It will also assure all stakeholders that the collection is in good hands and safeguarded for posterity. I thank the NLB for taking a lead role among government agencies to support this project.
Recognising the importance and value of this collection, three other agencies – the National Heritage Board, the National Arts Council and the Book Development Council of Singapore – have also come forward to support this project. I thank them all for their spontaneous support of this community initiative.
The community must do its part to deliver the promise of this project. All individuals and community organisations are welcome to join this collective community effort. In particular, there are some specific requests I wish to make.
First, I urge all Tamil authors, whose books are going to be digitised, to readily give their consent for digitisation and free access. It is a gift to the nation that will enable your works to be read by a much wider public in Singapore and beyond. I thank the more than 50 Tamil authors who have already pledged their support for this effort, and hope that every other author will join them soon.
Second, one of the biggest challenges is to make sure that the collection is as error free as possible. That requires meticulous proof reading of the thousands of digitised pages. The Tamil Digital Heritage Group has also undertaken to annotate the works that are going to be digitised. These two difficult tasks need a very large number of volunteers. I urge all those who are highly competent in Tamil language, especially the authors themselves, the Tamil teachers and the Tamil scholars, to come forward to help the project group.
Third, I request the Indian community organisations and leaders to help raise some funds to support this project. Government agencies such as NHB and NLB are already supporting the project to some extent. However, I hope the community will also give its unstinting support to this pioneering project.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to thank the Tamil Digital Heritage Group, led by Mr Arun Mahizhnan, who came up with this wonderful idea, and members of the Technical Resource Panel and the Community Resource Panel for their help.
I wish this project every success and look forward to August 2015 when we can collectively present the Tamil Digital Heritage collection as a gift from the community to Singapore on its 50th birthday.
I would now like to invite the heads of the four agencies and representatives of the authors, students and the Tamil Digital Heritage Group on stage to jointly launch the project.
It is our pleasure and privilege to jointly launch the Tamil Digital Heritage Project today.
Mr Arun Mahizhnan, Chief Co-ordinator, Tamil Digital Heritage Project
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Mr S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Trade and Industry,
Tamil Writers of Singapore,
Community leaders,
Mrs Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary (Culture), Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth, and Chief Executive Officer of National Heritage Board,
Mrs Elaine Ng, Chief Executive Officer of National Library Board,
Ms Yvonne Tham, Covering Chief Executive Officer of National Arts Council,
Mr R Ramachandran, Executive Director of National Book Development Council of Singapore,
And friends,
This is a very happy day for all of us. Today we are embarking on an unprecedented and, to some extent, uncharted journey. This is the first time anyone has attempted to digitise a 50-year long collection of literary works in Singapore. When we reach our destination in about two years, in August 2015, it would mark a remarkable and joyful accomplishment. However, it would only be a milestone, not the end point. For, if our plans are well laid, this journey will continue – as long as Tamil lives in this nation of ours.
The Tamil Digital Heritage Project, which we are all gathered to launch today, is, if I may borrow Victor Hugo’s words, an idea whose time has come.
We are going to digitise, — i.e. to convert the hard copy book into electronic text that is searchable and editable — a very large collection of Tamil literary works. We could not have done it in an earlier time partly because the requisite technology was not available. We now have reached a stage in the development of Tamil Information Technology that enables us to make such inroads into the digital domain.
Besides the technology, there is another factor that makes this an idea whose time has come none too soon. As those of us in the Tamil world know, Tamil books have been published in this country since the late 1800s and yet the availability and circulation of Tamil literary books in Singapore are woefully limited. With the single exception of the National Library Board, there is no place in Singapore where the public could have easy and full access to the Tamil literary heritage of more than a century. There is not a single Tamil publisher or even a bookshop which could acquaint us with a modest selection of Singapore Tamil literary works. If we do not do something – and something radical – to preserve and promote Tamil literary works, our past heritage will remain obscure and unread. After all, literature lives not merely by the creation of the writers but, equally, by the communion with the readers. It is to nurture that communion that this path-breaking idea of digitisation of Tamil literature has been conceived. That communion should be far reaching and long lasting. The Tamil Digital Heritage project is intended as a bridge to connect the past, present and future.
The books earmarked for digitisation are those published between 1965 and 2015. The two bracketing years denote, respectively, the year we attained Independence and the year we celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The Tamil Digital Heritage project is a ground-up community project, initiated by a group of individuals and supported by many Tamil authors and community organisations. Yet, this project would not have gotten off the ground nor would it be completed without government support. And that government support for this minority language project has come readily and willingly. I want to pay a special tribute to four agencies – the National Library Board, the lead agency on this project, the National Heritage Board, the National Arts Council and the National Book Development Council of Singapore – who have come on board as partners and supporters of this project and their respective heads all of whom are here today.
The Tamil Digital Heritage Group is deeply grateful to Minister Iswaran for his support and guidance from the very beginning of this project. We look forward to his leadership till we reach our destination in 2015. Now it is my privilege and pleasure to invite Minister Iswaran to inaugurate the Tamil Digital Heritage Project.
Mr S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office
SECOND MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND SECOND MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Introduction
I am very pleased to join all of you this morning for the launch of the Tamil Digital Heritage Project.Digitisation of 50 years of Tamil Literature
Singapore is the only country in the world outside of Tamil Nadu where Tamil has been accorded the status of an Official Language. This status and the consequent government support have generated an extraordinary amount of Tamil creative writing from a small minority community, which accounts for less than five percent of the population.
In August 2015, Singapore will celebrate its 50th Anniversary of Independence. To commemorate that momentous occasion, a citizens group, led by Mr Arun Mahizhnan, has proposed to create a digital collection of 50 years of Tamil writing in Singapore since 1965. It is a fitting gift to the nation from the community, and a ground-up initiative which the government is keen to encourage. I am very happy to welcome and support this project.
Importance of Tamil Digital Heritage Project
This Project is important for several reasons. First, it will digitally preserve Singapore’s rich Tamil heritage for posterity. These creative Tamil writings reflect our nation’s hopes, dreams, fears, anxieties, challenges and achievements, at different times, under different circumstances, as seen through the eyes of the authors. It is an invaluable cultural legacy from our forefathers to future generations of Singaporeans, as well as the larger Tamil Diaspora.
Second, it will be a comprehensive literary resource of Singapore Tamil writing for the use of Tamil teachers and students in schools, as well as Tamil scholars and researchers in tertiary institutions in Singapore and around the world. It will also be a source of inspiration for the Tamil artistic community comprising poets, novelists, playwrights, directors, actors, musicians and dancers.
Third, it will underscore yet again the unique role that Singapore has played at the confluence of technological evolution and Tamil education. Singapore’s Tamil text books are used around the world. Singapore Tamil teachers initiated the first World Tamil Teachers Conference, with the support of the Ministry of Education. Singapore was made the first headquarters of the global Tamil internet organisation called International Forum for Information Technology in Tamil, with the support of the Infocomm Development Authority.
Singapore also held the first ever Tamil Diaspora Writers Conference, with the support of National Arts Council. These initiatives have made Singapore a special home for an ancient and living language. This unprecedented Tamil Digital Heritage Project will, once again, gain special regard for Singapore within the global Tamil diaspora.
Support for Project
The Tamil Digital Heritage collection is scheduled to be completed in two years from now. It will collect and collate as much as possible of Tamil creative writings since 1965 into a publicly available digital archive.It is a major undertaking. I therefore want to thank the various government agencies for their encouragement and support of this initiative.
The National Library Board (NLB) is a key partner which will host the Tamil digital collection. This will ensure that the collection meets the high standards of NLB. It will also assure all stakeholders that the collection is in good hands and safeguarded for posterity. I thank the NLB for taking a lead role among government agencies to support this project.
Recognising the importance and value of this collection, three other agencies – the National Heritage Board, the National Arts Council and the Book Development Council of Singapore – have also come forward to support this project. I thank them all for their spontaneous support of this community initiative.
The community must do its part to deliver the promise of this project. All individuals and community organisations are welcome to join this collective community effort. In particular, there are some specific requests I wish to make.
First, I urge all Tamil authors, whose books are going to be digitised, to readily give their consent for digitisation and free access. It is a gift to the nation that will enable your works to be read by a much wider public in Singapore and beyond. I thank the more than 50 Tamil authors who have already pledged their support for this effort, and hope that every other author will join them soon.
Second, one of the biggest challenges is to make sure that the collection is as error free as possible. That requires meticulous proof reading of the thousands of digitised pages. The Tamil Digital Heritage Group has also undertaken to annotate the works that are going to be digitised. These two difficult tasks need a very large number of volunteers. I urge all those who are highly competent in Tamil language, especially the authors themselves, the Tamil teachers and the Tamil scholars, to come forward to help the project group.
Third, I request the Indian community organisations and leaders to help raise some funds to support this project. Government agencies such as NHB and NLB are already supporting the project to some extent. However, I hope the community will also give its unstinting support to this pioneering project.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to thank the Tamil Digital Heritage Group, led by Mr Arun Mahizhnan, who came up with this wonderful idea, and members of the Technical Resource Panel and the Community Resource Panel for their help.
I wish this project every success and look forward to August 2015 when we can collectively present the Tamil Digital Heritage collection as a gift from the community to Singapore on its 50th birthday.
I would now like to invite the heads of the four agencies and representatives of the authors, students and the Tamil Digital Heritage Group on stage to jointly launch the project.
It is our pleasure and privilege to jointly launch the Tamil Digital Heritage Project today.
Mr Arun Mahizhnan, Chief Co-ordinator, Tamil Digital Heritage Project
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Mr S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Trade and Industry,
Tamil Writers of Singapore,
Community leaders,
Mrs Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary (Culture), Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth, and Chief Executive Officer of National Heritage Board,
Mrs Elaine Ng, Chief Executive Officer of National Library Board,
Ms Yvonne Tham, Covering Chief Executive Officer of National Arts Council,
Mr R Ramachandran, Executive Director of National Book Development Council of Singapore,
And friends,
This is a very happy day for all of us. Today we are embarking on an unprecedented and, to some extent, uncharted journey. This is the first time anyone has attempted to digitise a 50-year long collection of literary works in Singapore. When we reach our destination in about two years, in August 2015, it would mark a remarkable and joyful accomplishment. However, it would only be a milestone, not the end point. For, if our plans are well laid, this journey will continue – as long as Tamil lives in this nation of ours.
The Tamil Digital Heritage Project, which we are all gathered to launch today, is, if I may borrow Victor Hugo’s words, an idea whose time has come.
We are going to digitise, — i.e. to convert the hard copy book into electronic text that is searchable and editable — a very large collection of Tamil literary works. We could not have done it in an earlier time partly because the requisite technology was not available. We now have reached a stage in the development of Tamil Information Technology that enables us to make such inroads into the digital domain.
Besides the technology, there is another factor that makes this an idea whose time has come none too soon. As those of us in the Tamil world know, Tamil books have been published in this country since the late 1800s and yet the availability and circulation of Tamil literary books in Singapore are woefully limited. With the single exception of the National Library Board, there is no place in Singapore where the public could have easy and full access to the Tamil literary heritage of more than a century. There is not a single Tamil publisher or even a bookshop which could acquaint us with a modest selection of Singapore Tamil literary works. If we do not do something – and something radical – to preserve and promote Tamil literary works, our past heritage will remain obscure and unread. After all, literature lives not merely by the creation of the writers but, equally, by the communion with the readers. It is to nurture that communion that this path-breaking idea of digitisation of Tamil literature has been conceived. That communion should be far reaching and long lasting. The Tamil Digital Heritage project is intended as a bridge to connect the past, present and future.
The books earmarked for digitisation are those published between 1965 and 2015. The two bracketing years denote, respectively, the year we attained Independence and the year we celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The Tamil Digital Heritage project is a ground-up community project, initiated by a group of individuals and supported by many Tamil authors and community organisations. Yet, this project would not have gotten off the ground nor would it be completed without government support. And that government support for this minority language project has come readily and willingly. I want to pay a special tribute to four agencies – the National Library Board, the lead agency on this project, the National Heritage Board, the National Arts Council and the National Book Development Council of Singapore – who have come on board as partners and supporters of this project and their respective heads all of whom are here today.
The Tamil Digital Heritage Group is deeply grateful to Minister Iswaran for his support and guidance from the very beginning of this project. We look forward to his leadership till we reach our destination in 2015. Now it is my privilege and pleasure to invite Minister Iswaran to inaugurate the Tamil Digital Heritage Project.
Mr S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office
SECOND MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND SECOND MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Introduction
I am very pleased to join all of you this morning for the launch of the Tamil Digital Heritage Project.Digitisation of 50 years of Tamil Literature
Singapore is the only country in the world outside of Tamil Nadu where Tamil has been accorded the status of an Official Language. This status and the consequent government support have generated an extraordinary amount of Tamil creative writing from a small minority community, which accounts for less than five percent of the population.
In August 2015, Singapore will celebrate its 50th Anniversary of Independence. To commemorate that momentous occasion, a citizens group, led by Mr Arun Mahizhnan, has proposed to create a digital collection of 50 years of Tamil writing in Singapore since 1965. It is a fitting gift to the nation from the community, and a ground-up initiative which the government is keen to encourage. I am very happy to welcome and support this project.
Importance of Tamil Digital Heritage Project
This Project is important for several reasons. First, it will digitally preserve Singapore’s rich Tamil heritage for posterity. These creative Tamil writings reflect our nation’s hopes, dreams, fears, anxieties, challenges and achievements, at different times, under different circumstances, as seen through the eyes of the authors. It is an invaluable cultural legacy from our forefathers to future generations of Singaporeans, as well as the larger Tamil Diaspora.
Second, it will be a comprehensive literary resource of Singapore Tamil writing for the use of Tamil teachers and students in schools, as well as Tamil scholars and researchers in tertiary institutions in Singapore and around the world. It will also be a source of inspiration for the Tamil artistic community comprising poets, novelists, playwrights, directors, actors, musicians and dancers.
Third, it will underscore yet again the unique role that Singapore has played at the confluence of technological evolution and Tamil education. Singapore’s Tamil text books are used around the world. Singapore Tamil teachers initiated the first World Tamil Teachers Conference, with the support of the Ministry of Education. Singapore was made the first headquarters of the global Tamil internet organisation called International Forum for Information Technology in Tamil, with the support of the Infocomm Development Authority.
Singapore also held the first ever Tamil Diaspora Writers Conference, with the support of National Arts Council. These initiatives have made Singapore a special home for an ancient and living language. This unprecedented Tamil Digital Heritage Project will, once again, gain special regard for Singapore within the global Tamil diaspora.
Support for Project
The Tamil Digital Heritage collection is scheduled to be completed in two years from now. It will collect and collate as much as possible of Tamil creative writings since 1965 into a publicly available digital archive.It is a major undertaking. I therefore want to thank the various government agencies for their encouragement and support of this initiative.
The National Library Board (NLB) is a key partner which will host the Tamil digital collection. This will ensure that the collection meets the high standards of NLB. It will also assure all stakeholders that the collection is in good hands and safeguarded for posterity. I thank the NLB for taking a lead role among government agencies to support this project.
Recognising the importance and value of this collection, three other agencies – the National Heritage Board, the National Arts Council and the Book Development Council of Singapore – have also come forward to support this project. I thank them all for their spontaneous support of this community initiative.
The community must do its part to deliver the promise of this project. All individuals and community organisations are welcome to join this collective community effort. In particular, there are some specific requests I wish to make.
First, I urge all Tamil authors, whose books are going to be digitised, to readily give their consent for digitisation and free access. It is a gift to the nation that will enable your works to be read by a much wider public in Singapore and beyond. I thank the more than 50 Tamil authors who have already pledged their support for this effort, and hope that every other author will join them soon.
Second, one of the biggest challenges is to make sure that the collection is as error free as possible. That requires meticulous proof reading of the thousands of digitised pages. The Tamil Digital Heritage Group has also undertaken to annotate the works that are going to be digitised. These two difficult tasks need a very large number of volunteers. I urge all those who are highly competent in Tamil language, especially the authors themselves, the Tamil teachers and the Tamil scholars, to come forward to help the project group.
Third, I request the Indian community organisations and leaders to help raise some funds to support this project. Government agencies such as NHB and NLB are already supporting the project to some extent. However, I hope the community will also give its unstinting support to this pioneering project.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to thank the Tamil Digital Heritage Group, led by Mr Arun Mahizhnan, who came up with this wonderful idea, and members of the Technical Resource Panel and the Community Resource Panel for their help.
I wish this project every success and look forward to August 2015 when we can collectively present the Tamil Digital Heritage collection as a gift from the community to Singapore on its 50th birthday.
I would now like to invite the heads of the four agencies and representatives of the authors, students and the Tamil Digital Heritage Group on stage to jointly launch the project.
It is our pleasure and privilege to jointly launch the Tamil Digital Heritage Project today.
Mr Arun Mahizhnan, Chief Co-ordinator, Tamil Digital Heritage Project
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Mr S Iswaran, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Trade and Industry,
Tamil Writers of Singapore,
Community leaders,
Mrs Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary (Culture), Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth, and Chief Executive Officer of National Heritage Board,
Mrs Elaine Ng, Chief Executive Officer of National Library Board,
Ms Yvonne Tham, Covering Chief Executive Officer of National Arts Council,
Mr R Ramachandran, Executive Director of National Book Development Council of Singapore,
And friends,
This is a very happy day for all of us. Today we are embarking on an unprecedented and, to some extent, uncharted journey. This is the first time anyone has attempted to digitise a 50-year long collection of literary works in Singapore. When we reach our destination in about two years, in August 2015, it would mark a remarkable and joyful accomplishment. However, it would only be a milestone, not the end point. For, if our plans are well laid, this journey will continue – as long as Tamil lives in this nation of ours.
The Tamil Digital Heritage Project, which we are all gathered to launch today, is, if I may borrow Victor Hugo’s words, an idea whose time has come.
We are going to digitise, — i.e. to convert the hard copy book into electronic text that is searchable and editable — a very large collection of Tamil literary works. We could not have done it in an earlier time partly because the requisite technology was not available. We now have reached a stage in the development of Tamil Information Technology that enables us to make such inroads into the digital domain.
Besides the technology, there is another factor that makes this an idea whose time has come none too soon. As those of us in the Tamil world know, Tamil books have been published in this country since the late 1800s and yet the availability and circulation of Tamil literary books in Singapore are woefully limited. With the single exception of the National Library Board, there is no place in Singapore where the public could have easy and full access to the Tamil literary heritage of more than a century. There is not a single Tamil publisher or even a bookshop which could acquaint us with a modest selection of Singapore Tamil literary works. If we do not do something – and something radical – to preserve and promote Tamil literary works, our past heritage will remain obscure and unread. After all, literature lives not merely by the creation of the writers but, equally, by the communion with the readers. It is to nurture that communion that this path-breaking idea of digitisation of Tamil literature has been conceived. That communion should be far reaching and long lasting. The Tamil Digital Heritage project is intended as a bridge to connect the past, present and future.
The books earmarked for digitisation are those published between 1965 and 2015. The two bracketing years denote, respectively, the year we attained Independence and the year we celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The Tamil Digital Heritage project is a ground-up community project, initiated by a group of individuals and supported by many Tamil authors and community organisations. Yet, this project would not have gotten off the ground nor would it be completed without government support. And that government support for this minority language project has come readily and willingly. I want to pay a special tribute to four agencies – the National Library Board, the lead agency on this project, the National Heritage Board, the National Arts Council and the National Book Development Council of Singapore – who have come on board as partners and supporters of this project and their respective heads all of whom are here today.
The Tamil Digital Heritage Group is deeply grateful to Minister Iswaran for his support and guidance from the very beginning of this project. We look forward to his leadership till we reach our destination in 2015. Now it is my privilege and pleasure to invite Minister Iswaran to inaugurate the Tamil Digital Heritage Project.
Mr K T M Iqbal, Author
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Honourable Minister Iswaran, Friends:
We all wish that our writings are read by many. And we wish it will spread across the world. This Digital Heritage Project makes it possible.
I’m one of those who did not keep even a single copy of some of the books I published. I had to borrow copies of my own books from friends.
Not all of our books are available in the library either. Even if they are, not all neighbourhood libraries have them most of the time. But this project makes it possible for us to access all our books from wherever we are and with ease.
Many authors had to disappoint researchers when they sought their published works. I was in that situation. This project will put an end to that.
When I spoke about this project to my friends, many of them welcomed it. Many among the senior writers no longer look for a paper and pen to write their poems or stories. They have taken to computers. They now know what a boon the computer is to write, edit, save, and to circulate to publishers and friends.
Many of our writers collect their works featured in the local Tamil newspaper and publish them as books. To my knowledge, none of them seem to worry that the book sales may be affected as the works had already been published in the newspaper.
Even if all our books have been sold and even if you don’t have a single copy in your hands, this project will be a savior. The Tamil Digital Heritage Project will build new bases, introduce new readers, and bring great recognition to Singapore Tamil literature.
They say “the pen is mightier than sword”. This project preserves for eternity the works of writers. It is my hope that all of us will give it our fullest support.
Thank You.
Mr Naa Aandeappan, Chairman, Association of Singapore Tamil Writers
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Tamil Poet Bharathy dreamt of ‘honey-like’ Tamil Language to spread all over the world. Now his dream has come true as Tamils are living in almost every country.
But could we say that of Singapore Tamil Literature? We could say that the three-day First World Tamil Writers Conference organised by our Association of Singapore Tamil Writers with the strong support of National Arts Council and our community merchants has created an awareness among foreign Tamil writers and readers about Singapore Tamil Literature.
Some of our writers are writing for E-zines. But its readership is very small. Moreover there is no guarantee that the works will always be there in the E-Zines. But by this TDH project our writings will always be found on the internet so that whoever wants to read them can do so whenever they wish; discuss and debate about them.
We cannot say that the TDH project will affect sales. As of now Tamil writers are publishing their own works and they get back part of their investment through book-launches. Sales through book-shops is very minimal. So this project will not affect sales but at the same time more people will get a chance to read them.
Today the younger generation do not buy books to read, Instead they are sitting in front of their computers and browsing the internet. So there is a chance that Singapore Tamil Literature might reach them through this project.
Therefore all writers should support this project. And I for my part pledge to give my three books to be uploaded on TDH project. My Association will also readily make available all its publications for this project. By that note I would like to end my speech. Thank You.
Mr K T M Iqbal, Author
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Honourable Minister Iswaran, Friends:
We all wish that our writings are read by many. And we wish it will spread across the world. This Digital Heritage Project makes it possible.
I’m one of those who did not keep even a single copy of some of the books I published. I had to borrow copies of my own books from friends.
Not all of our books are available in the library either. Even if they are, not all neighbourhood libraries have them most of the time. But this project makes it possible for us to access all our books from wherever we are and with ease.
Many authors had to disappoint researchers when they sought their published works. I was in that situation. This project will put an end to that.
When I spoke about this project to my friends, many of them welcomed it. Many among the senior writers no longer look for a paper and pen to write their poems or stories. They have taken to computers. They now know what a boon the computer is to write, edit, save, and to circulate to publishers and friends.
Many of our writers collect their works featured in the local Tamil newspaper and publish them as books. To my knowledge, none of them seem to worry that the book sales may be affected as the works had already been published in the newspaper.
Even if all our books have been sold and even if you don’t have a single copy in your hands, this project will be a savior. The Tamil Digital Heritage Project will build new bases, introduce new readers, and bring great recognition to Singapore Tamil literature.
They say “the pen is mightier than sword”. This project preserves for eternity the works of writers. It is my hope that all of us will give it our fullest support.
Thank You.
Mr Naa Aandeappan, Chairman, Association of Singapore Tamil Writers
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Tamil Poet Bharathy dreamt of ‘honey-like’ Tamil Language to spread all over the world. Now his dream has come true as Tamils are living in almost every country.
But could we say that of Singapore Tamil Literature? We could say that the three-day First World Tamil Writers Conference organised by our Association of Singapore Tamil Writers with the strong support of National Arts Council and our community merchants has created an awareness among foreign Tamil writers and readers about Singapore Tamil Literature.
Some of our writers are writing for E-zines. But its readership is very small. Moreover there is no guarantee that the works will always be there in the E-Zines. But by this TDH project our writings will always be found on the internet so that whoever wants to read them can do so whenever they wish; discuss and debate about them.
We cannot say that the TDH project will affect sales. As of now Tamil writers are publishing their own works and they get back part of their investment through book-launches. Sales through book-shops is very minimal. So this project will not affect sales but at the same time more people will get a chance to read them.
Today the younger generation do not buy books to read, Instead they are sitting in front of their computers and browsing the internet. So there is a chance that Singapore Tamil Literature might reach them through this project.
Therefore all writers should support this project. And I for my part pledge to give my three books to be uploaded on TDH project. My Association will also readily make available all its publications for this project. By that note I would like to end my speech. Thank You.
Mr K T M Iqbal, Author
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Honourable Minister Iswaran, Friends:
We all wish that our writings are read by many. And we wish it will spread across the world. This Digital Heritage Project makes it possible.
I’m one of those who did not keep even a single copy of some of the books I published. I had to borrow copies of my own books from friends.
Not all of our books are available in the library either. Even if they are, not all neighbourhood libraries have them most of the time. But this project makes it possible for us to access all our books from wherever we are and with ease.
Many authors had to disappoint researchers when they sought their published works. I was in that situation. This project will put an end to that.
When I spoke about this project to my friends, many of them welcomed it. Many among the senior writers no longer look for a paper and pen to write their poems or stories. They have taken to computers. They now know what a boon the computer is to write, edit, save, and to circulate to publishers and friends.
Many of our writers collect their works featured in the local Tamil newspaper and publish them as books. To my knowledge, none of them seem to worry that the book sales may be affected as the works had already been published in the newspaper.
Even if all our books have been sold and even if you don’t have a single copy in your hands, this project will be a savior. The Tamil Digital Heritage Project will build new bases, introduce new readers, and bring great recognition to Singapore Tamil literature.
They say “the pen is mightier than sword”. This project preserves for eternity the works of writers. It is my hope that all of us will give it our fullest support.
Thank You.
Mr Naa Aandeappan, Chairman, Association of Singapore Tamil Writers
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
Tamil Poet Bharathy dreamt of ‘honey-like’ Tamil Language to spread all over the world. Now his dream has come true as Tamils are living in almost every country.
But could we say that of Singapore Tamil Literature? We could say that the three-day First World Tamil Writers Conference organised by our Association of Singapore Tamil Writers with the strong support of National Arts Council and our community merchants has created an awareness among foreign Tamil writers and readers about Singapore Tamil Literature.
Some of our writers are writing for E-zines. But its readership is very small. Moreover there is no guarantee that the works will always be there in the E-Zines. But by this TDH project our writings will always be found on the internet so that whoever wants to read them can do so whenever they wish; discuss and debate about them.
We cannot say that the TDH project will affect sales. As of now Tamil writers are publishing their own works and they get back part of their investment through book-launches. Sales through book-shops is very minimal. So this project will not affect sales but at the same time more people will get a chance to read them.
Today the younger generation do not buy books to read, Instead they are sitting in front of their computers and browsing the internet. So there is a chance that Singapore Tamil Literature might reach them through this project.
Therefore all writers should support this project. And I for my part pledge to give my three books to be uploaded on TDH project. My Association will also readily make available all its publications for this project. By that note I would like to end my speech. Thank You.
Ms Jayanthi Sankar, Author
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
I am going to share the beliefs I derived from my own experiences. We all know that gadgets like ‘kindle’, used to read e-books, are becoming more popular these days. I feel that the future generations, irrespective of the language are going to prefer reading e-books only. Therefore, this project will be a pioneer in helping Tamil e-books gain popularity. The best part of this project is that there are no selection procedures. Everyone is welcome to contribute and this will help in the individual’s level too.
It is natural that there are hesitations in accepting something totally new. However, the fruits of it would be reaped only after some time. Then it will become natural.
When we embrace the technological changes, not only we but our language will benefit. I have been getting many readers from all around the world since I first started writing in the web media around 2002. I continue to get friends in those readers, co-writers, writer-readers, reader-writers. Back then, I could not comprehend the expected wide usage of the web media like many others could. But, I accepted it without any inhibitions.
Writing comes under art. And art cannot be valued monetarily. That is why, I feel writing is totally different from marketing the writing. Many a times, we fail to understand this and confuse ourselves mixing them both. Not only in Singapore, in Tamil Literary world as a whole, only a small percentage of writers have earned through their writings. Therefore, notions that because of digital version the printed books might not sell, monetary benefits might be reduced are baseless. I say this from my own experience because people like me who do not know how to market their books will naturally have hesitations. However, projects like this are not going worsen the existing situation. This comes from a person who has authored 24 books so far. When my writing reaches many readers, I feel the very purpose of my writing has been achieved.
If one can manage to get the library book order, he or she is fortunate. I haven’t had that fortune for most of my books. And yet, I continue to write because I derive immense self satisfaction. Many might argue saying – it is impossible to continue writing just for self satisfaction or can we buy a loaf of bread with self satisfaction etc but those are meaningless and endless. If my writings can reach a wider readership through such projects, I will be very happy because only through a wider readership my writings and views will reach further with due recognition. And through our creative writings, we can keep the language alive and flourishing to be passed on to generations to come. This digitization project is certainly going to help us in achieving that.
And I think as a gift to our Nation, this project might open many interesting doors. Most importantly, our writings will get a permanence which the print book sometimes fails to. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Ms Jayanthi Sankar, Author
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
I am going to share the beliefs I derived from my own experiences. We all know that gadgets like ‘kindle’, used to read e-books, are becoming more popular these days. I feel that the future generations, irrespective of the language are going to prefer reading e-books only. Therefore, this project will be a pioneer in helping Tamil e-books gain popularity. The best part of this project is that there are no selection procedures. Everyone is welcome to contribute and this will help in the individual’s level too.
It is natural that there are hesitations in accepting something totally new. However, the fruits of it would be reaped only after some time. Then it will become natural.
When we embrace the technological changes, not only we but our language will benefit. I have been getting many readers from all around the world since I first started writing in the web media around 2002. I continue to get friends in those readers, co-writers, writer-readers, reader-writers. Back then, I could not comprehend the expected wide usage of the web media like many others could. But, I accepted it without any inhibitions.
Writing comes under art. And art cannot be valued monetarily. That is why, I feel writing is totally different from marketing the writing. Many a times, we fail to understand this and confuse ourselves mixing them both. Not only in Singapore, in Tamil Literary world as a whole, only a small percentage of writers have earned through their writings. Therefore, notions that because of digital version the printed books might not sell, monetary benefits might be reduced are baseless. I say this from my own experience because people like me who do not know how to market their books will naturally have hesitations. However, projects like this are not going worsen the existing situation. This comes from a person who has authored 24 books so far. When my writing reaches many readers, I feel the very purpose of my writing has been achieved.
If one can manage to get the library book order, he or she is fortunate. I haven’t had that fortune for most of my books. And yet, I continue to write because I derive immense self satisfaction. Many might argue saying – it is impossible to continue writing just for self satisfaction or can we buy a loaf of bread with self satisfaction etc but those are meaningless and endless. If my writings can reach a wider readership through such projects, I will be very happy because only through a wider readership my writings and views will reach further with due recognition. And through our creative writings, we can keep the language alive and flourishing to be passed on to generations to come. This digitization project is certainly going to help us in achieving that.
And I think as a gift to our Nation, this project might open many interesting doors. Most importantly, our writings will get a permanence which the print book sometimes fails to. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Ms Jayanthi Sankar, Author
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE TAMIL DIGITAL HERITAGE PROJECT, ON SATURDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2013, 1030HRS AT THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
I am going to share the beliefs I derived from my own experiences. We all know that gadgets like ‘kindle’, used to read e-books, are becoming more popular these days. I feel that the future generations, irrespective of the language are going to prefer reading e-books only. Therefore, this project will be a pioneer in helping Tamil e-books gain popularity. The best part of this project is that there are no selection procedures. Everyone is welcome to contribute and this will help in the individual’s level too.
It is natural that there are hesitations in accepting something totally new. However, the fruits of it would be reaped only after some time. Then it will become natural.
When we embrace the technological changes, not only we but our language will benefit. I have been getting many readers from all around the world since I first started writing in the web media around 2002. I continue to get friends in those readers, co-writers, writer-readers, reader-writers. Back then, I could not comprehend the expected wide usage of the web media like many others could. But, I accepted it without any inhibitions.
Writing comes under art. And art cannot be valued monetarily. That is why, I feel writing is totally different from marketing the writing. Many a times, we fail to understand this and confuse ourselves mixing them both. Not only in Singapore, in Tamil Literary world as a whole, only a small percentage of writers have earned through their writings. Therefore, notions that because of digital version the printed books might not sell, monetary benefits might be reduced are baseless. I say this from my own experience because people like me who do not know how to market their books will naturally have hesitations. However, projects like this are not going worsen the existing situation. This comes from a person who has authored 24 books so far. When my writing reaches many readers, I feel the very purpose of my writing has been achieved.
If one can manage to get the library book order, he or she is fortunate. I haven’t had that fortune for most of my books. And yet, I continue to write because I derive immense self satisfaction. Many might argue saying – it is impossible to continue writing just for self satisfaction or can we buy a loaf of bread with self satisfaction etc but those are meaningless and endless. If my writings can reach a wider readership through such projects, I will be very happy because only through a wider readership my writings and views will reach further with due recognition. And through our creative writings, we can keep the language alive and flourishing to be passed on to generations to come. This digitization project is certainly going to help us in achieving that.
And I think as a gift to our Nation, this project might open many interesting doors. Most importantly, our writings will get a permanence which the print book sometimes fails to. Thank you very much for the opportunity.