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 No
other language other than Tamil has the unique Porul Ilakkanam.
According to Maraimalai Adigal, the Sanskrit alphabets were derived
from olden Tamil alphabets. "Tamil is the only language having all
the qualities required for a classical language and it is older than
Latin and Arabic. So said Prof. K. Anbazhagan, Minister for Finance,
Government of Tamil Nadu, at the inauguration of the International
Seminar on Classical languages at Chennai.The seminar was conducted
by the International Institute of Tamil Studies.
Anbazhagan stated that Tamil gives importance to
belief in God and not to religion. However, it is the other way in
Sanskrit, he said. It is in recognition of this fact that Tamil is
considered a classical language, he added. He added that Tamil is
not only a classical language but it also excels in its choice usage
of words. “I don’t think that Sanskrit has rendered such
contribution”, Anbazhagan said.
Prof. Karthikesu Sivathambi, Srilanka, said,
“There are very few old languages still prevailing and Tamil is one
among them. A language is considered classical, based on its
antiquity”. Such literary works should depict human civilisation.
 He
also said that the concept of classical language was derived from
European civilisation, especially from Greek and Roman literature.
“Tamil is one among the few classical literatures in India”, he
added. He said that translation of Tamil works is not effective and
requested the Government to work towards it.
Aravanan, former vice-chancellor, Manonmaniyam
Sundaranar University, said that classical language is only a step
ahead for Tamil and that Tamilians should strive hard to equal its
status to that of Hindi at the National level.
U. Bakialakshmi |
