While people know many languages nowadays, it is one’s mother tongue that resonates in one’s heart. It is extremely fulfilling to not only know your mother tongue but to read literature that has become an important part of the language, according to V. Irai Anbu, Principal Secretary of Economics and Statistics.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a 10-day training and sensitisation programme on ‘Tamil language for Tamil teachers from Singapore,’ organised jointly by The American College and Singapore Teachers Association along with the Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Mr.Irai Anbu said, “To know a language, one should understand the culture of the people speaking it. Language isn’t just based on letters, it is about the people and their emotions.”
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Encouraging the audience to look at the transformation of Tamil, Mr.Irai Anbu expressed the hope that though Tamil had been corrupted by indiscriminate addition of words, the use of pure Tamil in speech or writing would preserve the language and retain its glory.
A. Somasundaram, Head, Department of Tamil, offered an insight into Madurai’s association with the language by tracing the history of the city.
The programme will have a host of sessions by eminent Tamil writers, scholars and historians. The delegates will also visit schools in the city.
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N. Subramaniam, chief instructor for Tamil Learning from the Ministry of Education, Singapore, said, “Many students question the relevance of learning their mother tongue with respect to Tamil. We believe that it is important for their development and we tell language teachers to encourage them to master it. We hope to take back what we assimilate from the conference and share and implement new ideas and thoughts to promote Tamil,” he added.