In a recent cultural event held in Chennai, K Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party President spoke about the significance of the Tamil language as a spiritual and cultural force. He spoke about the various historical and cultural aspects of Tamil, its classical language status, and the need to foster linguistic diversity and understanding.
Annamalai also highlighted, “The Tamil language was created for God. It is a language that can coexist with spirituality, just as culture coexists with spirituality.” The spiritual roots of Tamil when traced back to its origins show its close association with bhakti literature, such as the renowned Divya Prabandham.
Annamalai also underscored the importance of Tamil’s classical language status, conferred in 2004, emphasizing the language’s rich heritage and timeless significance. He also mentioned the elevation of other South Indian languages, including Sanskrit, to classical language status in 2006.
However, Annamalai expressed disappointment with the treatment of languages other than Tamil in TN, stating, “The Tamil Nadu governments have seemingly shown stepmotherly treatment to another language, despite acknowledging the value of multiple languages. Our children must learn and appreciate all classical languages.”
He recollected a fact from a recent speech he gave at an event where he spoke about Veera Mangai Velu Nachiyar. She exhibited fluency in languages such as Urdu, French, and English during her reign. Annamalai encouraged the audience to embrace multilingualism and explore various languages to broaden their understanding and cultural horizons.
Ban On BharataNatyam
Annamalai later pointed out the cultural challenges faced by Tamil Nadu, including the assault on its traditional art forms.
Annamalai: "Christian missionaries started their assault on our culture in 1902 in TN. They wanted to erase all dance & music forms from our Temples. They made the British Govt ban Bharatanatyam in 1910, can you believe it? For 20 years it was banned in our own homeland. All our… pic.twitter.com/CRI0aq4ub9
— Cogito (@cogitoiam) June 19, 2023
Historical accounts highlighted the attempts by Christian missionaries in 1892 to ban dance and music in temples, and later the British ban on Bharatanatyam in 1910. However, Bharatanatyam regained its rightful place in 1930 and is now recognized globally as India’s prominent soft power.
Global Soft Power
Praising the cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu, Annamalai acknowledged, “Bharatanatyam, masala dosa, idli can achieve what 500 IFS officers put together can across the world. Our culture is visible in every corner, be it Birmingham, New York, or Canberra.” He also said, “Although the art form (Bharatanatyam) originated here in TN, this is one art form that has received/garnered global recognition. By training in these art forms, our children can learn to lead cultured lives”.
The importance of promoting unity among languages and fostering cultural exchange was emphasized by Annamalai. He suggested that while Tamil is a remarkable mother tongue, it is essential to appreciate and respect other languages. He also thanked and saluted the prominent figures from the art and cultural world for their contributions to putting Chennai on the global map and enhancing the city’s cultural identity.
Annamalai concluded his speech with the hope to bridge the gap between the thought process of Tamil society and the way it behaves when it comes to politics, and that he aimed for a political landscape that truly reflects the aspirations and values of the people. By achieving this alignment, he said he believed that many societal issues can be effectively addressed.
He also acknowledged the crowd for putting up full attendance at the event despite the availability of numerous entertainment options in the city on a weekend, symbolizing the deep-rooted cultural affinity and reverence towards Tamil traditions and that it affirmed the innate dharmic nature of Tamil culture.
Annamalai was speaking at a Bharatanatyam event, Agre Pasyami, organised by Vedic speaker Dushyant Sridhar, choreographed by eminent danseuse Anita Guha at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai on 18 June 2023.
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