Tamil Literature Research Articles

Land, Town, Temple: the Aesthetics of the “Lyrical Preludes” in Tamil Talapurāṇams

Abstract Talapurāṇam is one of the most prolific genres of early modern Tamil literature. Unlike its Sanskrit counterpart (sthala\kṣetra-māhātmya) the works of this genre are composed in the form and style of high poetry. One distinctive feature of the genre is the inclusion of descriptive chapters that focus on the land and town eulogized in the texts. These chapters, which I term “lyrical preludes,” were never formalized by traditional poeticians. In this article, I present a preliminary analysis of Tamil talapurāṇams’ lyrical preludes: their sources of inspiration, structural patterns, recurrent themes, and aesthetic principles.

Rethinking the Legacy of a Medieval Hindu Commentator

Abstract Parimēlaḻakar was a commentator and scholar who lived around the late thirteenth century CE and wrote commentaries on two major works of Tamil literature: the Paripāṭal and Tirukkuṟaḷ. While Parimēlaḻakar has been regarded as both a hero and a villain in Tamil literary history, this article argues that he is neither hero nor villain, but a capacious thinker who sought to harmonise the Sanskrit and Tamil literary traditions. First, the article shows that Parimēlaḻakar’s Tirukkuṟaḷ commentary is a natural outgrowth of and response to the broad intellectual currents of his time, in which Tamil literary culture was deeply informed by Sanskrit. Second, the article examines Parimēlaḻakar alongside Paripperumāḷ, another Tirukkuṟaḷ commentator, to highlight the range of choices made by commentators in bridging the worlds of Sanskrit and Tamil during the first half of the second millennium. Ultimately, the article advocates on behalf of a more nuanced portrait of Parimēlaḻakar’s legacy.

An Insight into the Mental Affliction of a Woman from a Downtrodden Society with reference to Bama’s Karukku

Dalit Literature is one of the specific literatures where works are written to bring out the world of the downtrodden. It has become authentic when the writers belong to the same sector record the reality. Bama is one among the writer in Tamil Literature who has written her autobiographical novel Karruku meaning palmyra leaves with serrated edges. The title symbolically represents the condition of the people of her society. The wok is the indication of the injustice done to the many downtrodden communities of the south India. This work is a mirror of the society from Bama’s view and experience. She picturizes the inhuman treatment of the upper caste and dedicated her life to bring in justice to her community. This article highlights the mental affliction of Bama in Karrukku that discloses the state of the victimized people.

An Insight into the Eventful Journey of a Freedom Fighter, Writer and Social Reformer

Chinna Annamalai, a passionate freedom fighter, a remarkable Tamil enthusiast and a dedicated social reformer played a significant part in India’s freedom struggle in the southern part of Tamil Nadu and contributed to various social causes. He earned several nicknames like “Desiya Semmal,” “Thiyaga Semmal”. and ” Tamizh Thondar.” He had his early education in Karaikudi and pursued his higher secondary education at Nagarathar High School in Devakottai. Influenced greatly by his cousin Litterateur Kamban Adippodi Sa. Ganesan, he became involved in the Congress Movement and met Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to Karaikudi. Impacted at the very first sight by Gandhi’s charisma and simplicity and integrity, Chinna Annamalai became a staunch supporter of the Congress Movement and remained a staunch member of the party throughout his life. As an enthusiastic advocate of India’s liberation, he participated in numerous events and processions that resulted in temporary suspension of his education at Devakottai. He later studied in Vairavizha High School in Gopichettipalayam. Chinna Annamalai’s activism and oratory skills drew the attention of great leaders; and he had the opportunity to speak at the Congress Conference in Gobichettipalayam and his fiery speech elicited appreciation for its eloquence. From then on he started wearing Khadar and continued that habit till his death. He remained actively engaged in various movements of India’s independence struggle, including the Quit India Movement. To divert young Chinna Annamalai’s attention from the freedom struggle activities his father sent him to Malaysia and his participation in protests against alcohol in Malaysia led to his expulsion from that country. Again in India he participated in the freedom struggle with renewed vigour. His dedication to the cause of India’s freedom resulted in several arrests and imprisonments, with an instance of public support for his release from the jail. His exhortations to the Tamil community to participate in struggles for India’s freedom remains a significant part of his legacy. Chinna Annamalai also made contributions to Tamil literature and the film industry, writing scripts for successful movies with social messages and establishing a Fan Club for a star actor Shivaji Ganesan. By launching Tamil Pannai, a publishing concern, he inspired many to establish similar companies that richly contributed the growth of modern Tamil Literature. In short his life was one of endless pursuits and achievements contributing to the national and societal welfare.

Data Testing in Digital Transmission: Tamil Literature

The developing area of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is digital handwriting recognition. Manual writing is replaced by a digital writing pad. The font and shape of the letters vary while writing digitally. The writer’s digital pen pressure and position on the digital pad cause covert text file problems during OCR recognition. When converting OCR to text, an error occurs because of the variations in letter shapes. In languages like Tamil, Chinese, Arabic, and Telugu, where the alphabet is made up of bends, curves, and rings, the aforementioned issue occurs. Tamil has more word mistakes in OCR-to-text conversion because the alphabet comprises curves and angles that must be correctly transcribed. The ResNet (Residual Neural Network) Two-Stage Bottleneck Architecture (RTSBA) is suggested in this paper. In order to recognize text written in Tamil on a digital writing pad, this article suggests using ResNet (Residual Neural Network) Two-Stage Bottleneck Architecture (RTSBA). The suggested RTSBA reduces the complexity of the Tamil alphabet recognition problem by using two distinct phases of neural networks. There are fewer inputs and variables in the early stages. Time and computational complexity are minimized in the last phase. A two-channel and two-stream transformer, long short-term memory, Inception-v3, recurrent neural networks, convolutional neural networks, and other conventional algorithms have been compared to the suggested algorithm. The digital writing pad-handwritten and HP lab datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed methods like RTSBA, which yield accuracy rates of 98.7% and 97.1%, respectively.

Sri Lankan Anglophone Literature as a Mode for Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Portrayal of War in Sri Lanka (1983-2009)

From ancient times, war has played a main role in the lives of people and has been a major theme for literature, history, and as well as for political discourses. The period between 1983-2009 marks the war that took place in Sri Lankan history, which impacted the country politically, culturally, and economically. The realms of Sri Lankan English, Sinhala, and Tamil literature also went through change during this period, and many fiction, poems, dramas, and films were composed in response to the war both during and in its aftermath. The Sri Lankan Anglophone writers: residential authors as well as authors of the diaspora portray the war through their literary compositions. This critical literature review examines the role Anglophone literature plays as a mode for dialogue and reconciliation in the portrayal of war. Above ten studies conducted on Sri Lankan Anglophone literature and its role in portraying war published between 1992 and 2020 were reviewed. The findings of the review indicate that many scholars consider Sri Lankan Anglophone literature as a platform that plays a significant role as a mode for dialogue and reconciliation while some consider it as literature composed by the English-speaking class for its own class. This review concludes that the Sri Lankan Anglophone literature plays a substantial role as a medium for dialogue and reconciliation in the portrayal of war in Sri Lanka (1989-2003).

The Country and the City in the Kāñcippurāṇam

Numerous pre-modern literary works in Tamil begin with a lengthy description of a country and a city. This convention is a stock element of texts belonging to the kāppiyam and purāṇam genres, which can be defined as long narrative poems and mythological narrations, respectively. Such descriptions are particularly numerous in talapurāṇams, i.e., texts dealing with the mythology of sacred sites. This article discusses the description of the country and the city in the Kāñcippurāṇam (KP), a talapurāṇam of the city of Kanchipuram composed in the late 18th century by the author Civañāṉa Muṉivar. It will be shown that the description of Kanchipuram and its surroundings in the introductory chapters of the KP, rather than aiming at a realistic portrayal, is strongly based on Tamil literary conventions that can be traced back to ancient Tamil literature, but also to influential texts of the medieval period, such as the Kamparāmāyaṇam or the Periyapurāṇam. Moreover, the article examines how Civañāṉa Muṉivar correlates the literary landscape that he describes with the real-world geography of the region around Kanchipuram and Śaiva devotional topography, thus creating a complex multi-layered landscape.

Who Was ‘She’ in Ancient Tamil Literature?

The representations of women in ancient Tamil literature are multifarious, and the development of such perceptions is a non-linear process. While existing studies provide extensive analyses of ancient literary works, it is still unclear how the perceptions of women eventually shaped a specific rubric for modern Tamil women to follow. Ancient Tamil literature characterises the feminine identity as a constantly evolving entity, not restricted to or encapsulated by any particular archetype or trait. In order to truly understand the role of the different portrayals of women in literature in eventually forming a “Tamil” identity, it is vital to unearth the multi-faceted intentions and motivations of writers who authored esteemed literary works, such as the Tolkāppiyam. The “Tamil” identity (or the norms one accepts and adheres to in order to qualify or identify as “Tamil”) has deep roots in ancient Tamil literature. Tamil Literature was not only pregnant with meaning to Tamils back then but also now, with effects proliferating within modern Tamil society in ways more than one, especially in the social and psychological domains.

Unveiling phytoestrogenic potential of Neolamarkia kadamba: A comprehensive insilico study

Neolamarckia kadamba is a mythological tree that is deeply rooted in Hindu and Tamil literature. This study investigates the potential phytoestrogenic properties of Neolamarkia kadamba through Insilico approaches. The study was based on the structural analysis of the compounds present in the plant. Computational screening was done to assess the potential of the compounds to act as phytoestrogens. The study was based on the use of 3D structure molecules of the compounds and the docking through the use of the software packages AutoDock Vina tool. The molecular docking results of all the compounds with the Estrogen Receptor beta (ER B) indicate that some of the compound in kadamba tree were partial agonist of the receptor with docking scores more than −7. In this study, performed docking of almost all components of Neolamarckia kadamba with estrogen receptors, mainly from sapwood, leaf, stem, bark, root, etc. Based on the affinity and docking score, a few compounds were selected for further analysis due to their high affinity with the estrogen receptor. Docking scores for each compound were evaluated, compounds genistin, afzelin, prunetin, apigenin, naringenin, ursolic acid and kaempferol were found to have more than −7 docking scores, suggesting their potential to act as phytoestrogens. The results show that these compounds have a high binding affinity to the estrogen beta receptor, and are thus good candidates to explore further in terms of their possible use as phytoestrogens. Insilico studies has shown that afzelin has a docking score of −7.5 with the estrogen β receptor, which is only slightly lower than the docking score of genistein, which was previously considered to be the most potent phytoestrogen. Afzelin may have similar effects to genistein, potentially useful in estrogen replacement therapy, but further research is needed to assess its safety and efficacy.

KAṆIṈIYIL TAMIḺ MEṈPORUṬKAḶIṈ CEYALPĀṬUKAḶ [FUNCTIONS OF TAMIL SOFTWARE ON COMPUTERS]

Today, computers and mobile phones are integrated in the daily life of people. It is a matter of pride that Tamil, our mother tongue, is featured in the computer. Computers and software are combined with the Tamil language to make the saying ‘sweetness and wateriness are Tamil’ true. Being the language of use in many countries, Tamil has earned a special place for itself. Tamil Literature, Language, Linguistics History, Nature of Language, cultural Elements Today, ideas are uploaded on computers and internet at various levels. These are very useful for Tamil language development to solve the problems of uploading Tamil language news on computer and internet; various Tamil language software’s have emerged. This review aims to reveal the functions of Tamil software such as computers, machine translation, Tamil font converters, grammar, and punctuation corrector, spell corrector, etc.

Similarities between South Korea and Tamil Nadu: The Unknown Link

Tamil is one of the ancient languages which has an oldest extant literature. It is one of the longest surviving Dravidian languages dated from 300 BC. Korean is the native language for about 80 million people all over the world. Modern Korean was developed by King Sejong the Great in the 15th century. While analyzing the Tamil and Korean scripts, there was a certain amount of similarity in both text and grammar of these two languages. Despite the geographical separation of these two peninsulas, they share a considerable extent of literature and cultural resemblance. Hence, this proposed work provides a proof for the similarity with the help of a theoretical research study. This work portrays a list of words taken from Korean and Tamil Literature as samples and classifies them as complete or partial based on their similarity. It also lists verbs which after conjugation have a lexical similarity.

Taninayagam Adigal: A Tamil Scholar Who Initiated Tamilolgy

Thaninayagam Adikalar expanded the study which was confined within the field of Tamil literature as literature and grammar into a new field called ‘Tamilology’. Adigalar’s work is unique in that he has connected the study of Tamil literature with various fields such as culture, comparative literature, linguistics, education, theology, geography, linguistics, philosophy, folklore, fine arts etc. He had the opportunity to read the works of world literature in the original languages and thus, he had the ability to compare and analyze the works of Tamil literature. His basic line of research is to delve deeper into the literary excellence of ancient Tamil and the historical significance of Tamil in a comparative context. He added new dimensions to Tamil studies with historical sources and facts. A historical perspective and a comparative approach form the foundation of Adigalar’s research.

Vazhga Vazhga – The Root of Caste and the Indigestible Change of Time

In his very first novel (Koveru Kazhuthaigal, 1994), he became an inescapable personality in modern Tamil literature. Within a year of the novel’s release, there was a lot of buzz. At a time when Dalit literature, Dalit culture and Dalit politics were the subject of debate, Kriya published the novel ‘ Koveru Kazhuthaigal ‘. Raj Gouthaman has made a scathing and critical comment on this novel in his book ‘Poi-Abhatham - Vunmai. However, it is worth noting that even today this novel is nearing a quarter of a century in publication. No matter what form we write in the form of a short story, a short novel, a novel, every one of his works contains a story about a life that we generally miss. He can continue to write at the centre where he works as a teacher. Koveru Kazhuthaigal (1994), Arumugam (1999), Sedal (2006), Engade (2015), Chellathapanam (2018), and Ippothu Uyirodu Irukiren (2022). In particular, it is more appropriate for him to refer to the characters themselves, not the characters in his writings. Each of the protagonists will emerge as the representative of the community. Therefore, this article is to examine the short novel ‘Long Live’ of the Centre, which has emerged as a political copy.

Moral Principles in Naladiyar or Vaelanvaetham

History says Tamil literature is very old and unique. There are many types of literature that have flourished in the Tamil language and among them Didactic literature have gained distinction. This Didactic literature guides people in a good way. After the Sangam period, the literature emphasized justice and morals in abundance. During the rule of Kalapirar who came from the north, both the internal and external literature of Sangam literature lost its values. The way of life of Tamil people changed. Justice and virtue were needed in that context. The collection of books that appeared then is Eighteen Anthologies. Naladiyar or Vaelanvaetham is one among those Eighteen Anthologies. This book is a collection of songs written by many Jain sages. Like Thirukkural, Naladiyar is divided into three major divisions. The purpose of this article is to analyse the ideas, thoughts and opinions described in Naladiyar to improve the human society.

One Sided Love in Tamil Literature

Kaikilai is the lust that appears only in one of the two, male and female. In short, a kaikilai is a one-sided love affair. Kai means smallness. kilai means relationship. A petty relationship or a prideless relationship means a branch. The content explains that the branch is monogamous. During Tolkappiyar period, it was called kaikilai to make love to a woman who had not reached sexual maturity. A branch was also said to be masculine. A woman is not told to fall in love with a man who has not reached puberty. However, the unilateral preference of the male and female who has reached puberty is ignored. This is evidenced by the fact that the Kaikilai song sung by Nakkannaiyar about Amurmallan is compiled in Purananooru (83, 84, and 85). Masculine hymns kalithogai in the hymns (56, 57, 58, and 109). It is worth noting that all the songs in the muthollayiram are kaikilai songs about one-sided love. A branch is also a member of the Kalambaka. Reliability takes branches both internally and externally. It calls the initial stage of love the inner branch. Showing love to an immature woman is called introversion. The puraporul Venba Malai depicts the one-sided love between a pubescent man and woman. Often talking about veils, the Puraporul venpamalai also excludes one-sided love as subliminal.

Rice landraces of Tamil Nadu –a review

India being a floristically diverse and genetically rich nation is endowed with huge rice germplasm collections. As per the vedic evidences, in olden days about 400 landraces of paddy had been in cultivation in Tamil Nadu which is an agrarian state of India. But due to the introduction of high yielding cultivars these landraces went out of cultivation leading to genetic erosion. However, a few hundreds of landraces are in cultivation in small pockets in Tamil Nadu. So it is our bound duty to conserve the available landraces, sort out the duplications and maintain the identity of the cultivars by the way of precise morphological, biochemical and molecular characterization for the valuable traits possessed by these landraces. According to ancient Tamil literature, some of these landraces are resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses while some others are known for their nutritional and therapeutic values in rice. Landraces of Tamil Nadu origin were extensively studied for their tolerance against abiotic stresses whereas the clinical validation of several of the landraces with nutritional and medicinal value is gaining importance in view of the growing interest of the consumers for a health conscious diet. In this context, traditional knowledge about the indigenous cultivars will help to explore the scientific basis of the nutraceutical values of the traditional cultivars by the plant breeders for sustaining food as well as the nutritional security and for overcoming the future challenges

Transgenders Portraying in Tamil Epics

Ever since the beginning of mankind, there has been a race of transgenders like male and female. Even today, they are still struggling to establish themselves in human society, which is regarded as inferior in the eyes of mankind. In Tamil literature, there are many records of transsexuals. In particular, this review examines how records register transgender people.

Literariness in Saiva Anthaathi

Religious based work in Tamil literature has a long tradition. Anthaathi was in use among the people as oral literature. Despite the similarities and stylistic elements of Anthaathi in other literatures, Anthaathi did not emerge as a distinct literary form. At the end of the 5th century A.D Anthathi began to emerge as a distinct literary form under the name of Anthaathi literature. They grouped these types of literature into 96 types of minor literary works. It is this book that has come out in large numbers and has established itself in the line of minor literary works. This article examines the literary motifs that emerge in the Saiva Anthaathi.

Water Bodies and Water Management in Ancient Tamil Literature

Water Bodies and Water Management in Ancient Tamil Literature

Thirukkural Alagiduthal and Kural Venba Validation using Python

Thirukkural, one of the prominent Tamil Literatures, written 2000 years ago, has great importance till date as it emphasizes everyday virtues of the individuals. As per Tamil Literature, it belongs to the class of ‘Kural Venba’ which is a subdivision of ‘Venba’ and is regarded as one of the poetic styles of Tamil Language. This research primarily aims on the validation of entered Thirukkural by checking the syntactical correctness of ‘Kural Venba’. It uses ‘Transliteration’ methodology to convert the user given thirukkural into an intermediate form. Then, it processes the intermediate form to segregate the words (seer and thalai) into different asai as per the Yaapilakkanam known as Alagiduthal, compares it with the pre-defined norms of ‘Kural venba’ and produces the result. At any point of time, if the user input doesn’t qualify a criterion, the program outputs a warning accordingly and gets terminated.