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ILANKAI TAMIL SANGAM, U.S.A., INC. Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the U.S.A. President’s Message November 1, 2003 Celebrating our heritage is an ongoing process. When celebrating our heritage, we should remember that our youth are our heritage. The younger generation should feel proud of what they are. The Sangam is dedicating this event for our next generation of Tamil members. This event will provide an opportunity for them to meet their peers from various states and rediscover their heritage. Even though we are living miles away from our native land, our thoughts are always with our brothers and sisters who are living in our villages and towns undergoing hardships. We should work in whatever ways we can for them to make their lives better. The recent developments in Sri Lanka show some hope for peace and harmony in our homeland. Let us hope and pray there will be a permanent solution for all the problems soon so that our people can live with dignity.

P.Chandranathan President

www.sangam.org

Sangam I L A N K A I T A M I L S A N G A M , U S A , I N C . A S S O C I A T I O N O F T A M I L S O F S R I L A N K A I N T H E U S A

SECRETARY’S MESSAGE

November 1, 2003

Vannakam, In the past twenty-six years of our Sangam’s history, many exceptional Tamils have built up this wonderful organization. Not only does the Sangam work for the Tamil people in the northeast, it also lobbies the U.S. government about our situation in Sri Lanka. As a result of this lobbying, we now see peace in Tamil Eelam. Therefore, all of us should thank our past and present presidents, secretaries, treasurers, editors and committee members for their untiring efforts. Every generation should bring new thinking. Both last year and this year our committee has instituted some innovations. During last year’s Silver Jubilee, we were able to bring together a large number of Tamils expatriates from all over the U.S.A. They enjoyed themselves greatly and renewed many old friendships. It was also a special privilege to honor all our past presidents on stage. This recognition will inspire the next generation to take a more active role in the Sangam. This year we instituted discussions about Tamil-related issues at the AGM. Also, for the first time separate evening events have been dedicated to Tamil youths from all over America. In this way, our committee hopes to foster networking among the next generation of American Tamils. Finally, our message should be one of unity. It is precisely unity that ought to be our “Mantra” for the expansion and cultivation of our culture. If the unity among Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka can bring peace, then unity can do miraculous and marvelous things for the Sangam and American Tamils. “xd;W gl;lhy; cz;L tho;T” Sincerely,

T.Pathmakumar General Secretary

P O B O X 4 6 • M A R Y K N O L L , N Y • 1 0 5 4 5

Tamils Health Organization (THO - USA) Twenty years of war has taken its toll on the healthcare infrastructure of the North-East of Sri Lanka. One of the best indicators of a healthcare system in a country is the infant mortality rate of that nation. Sri Lanka used to boast one of the lowest infant mortality rates in South Asia. And within Sri Lanka, North-East had the lowest infant mortality rate before the war. Unfortunately, now North-East of Sri Lanka has one of the highest infant mortality rate in the South Asia. USA probably has one of the highest numbers of Tamil healthcare professionals outside Sri Lanka. We felt that it is time that we form a medical health organization in USA to help our brothers and sisters back home. Our mission is to:

• Support the development of healthcare infrastructure in the North-East of Sri Lanka by:

- assessing healthcare needs in North-East of Sri Lanka - highlighting the state of health in North-East of Sri Lanka - harness the expertise of the expatriate Tamil community - raise funds and channel resources to meet the identified needs - facilitate the education and training of healthcare professionals in North-East of

Sri Lanka • Form a network of healthcare professionals in USA and help the next generation of

Tamils living in USA to get better education, training and employment in the healthcare service in USA.

• And improve the health of Tamils living in USA. Ilankai Tamil Sangam has kindly provided us with an opportunity to launch THO- USA as part of this 26th AGM today. We are requesting all Tamils in healthcare fields to join us in this humble mission. We need dieticians, doctors, lab technicians, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, radiology technicians, respiratory technicians, individuals with IT experience in healthcare field, etc. Our goal is to reach out to every Tamil healthcare professional living in USA and eventually have representatives in all fifty states in USA. We hope that you can help us to help the next generation of Tamil nation. You may register at the THO-USA booth at the Ilankai Tamil Sangam AGM today or register on web at www.sangam.org or www.tamilshealth.com (and click on “THO-USA” link). For more information, please feel free to contact the following individuals: Sinnarajah Raguraj, MD Tel: 410-638 6729 Email: ragumd@hotmail.com

Rajam Thevanthiran, MD Tel: 718-987 2687 Email: theva406@aol.com

Sujanty Rajaram, MD Tel: 609-452 1344 Email: sujanty@yahoo.com

Thavam Thambipillai Tel: 215-483 8665 Email: thambit@aol.com

Thank you for your support. THO-USA Medical committee of Ilankai Tamil Sangam

Celebrating our heritage - nfhz;lhl;lk; Ilankai Tamil sangma is hosting a Youth Event as part of the Twenty sixth annual celebrations. All the Tamil youths are encouraged to participate, share their experiences, contribute their talents and lead the Sangam into a bright future. As we integrate into new societies around the globe with strength and dignity, and embrace new ideals & values, we can also learn to preserve and levergae the knowledge and wisdom carried over thousands of years through our heritage. As they get involved in the Kondattam (Celebrating our heritage), youths are likely to realize that they are not left alone to face the complexities of life by themself. Sangam invites the youths to come and join the celebration without hesitation.

AGM Agenda Saturday, November 1, 2003 9:00 AM Breakfast 9:30 AM Welcome 9:40 AM Old melodies new dashes 10:00 AM Speech 10:15 AM Muth-Thamil Eluchchi by NJ youths 11:00 AM Speech 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch 1:00 PM Medical Presentation 1:30 PM Kummi-Chempu Dance 2:00 PM Medical Presentation 2:30 PM Folk Dance 3:00 PM Medical Presentation 5:00-6:00 PM Business Meeting 6:00-7:00 PM Cocktail hour with Andean music 7:00-8:00 PM Sangam Programs 8:00-9:00 PM Diner 9:00-12:00 Tamil music By Shakthi Music Group

Kondattam – Youth events Friday, October 31, 2003 8:00 PM Meet for pizza 9:30 PM Convene @ bowling alley Saturday, November 1, 2003 9:30 AM 3:00 PM Participates in Sangam events 6:00 PM - Welcome. 6:05 PM - Ice-Breaker. 6:45 PM - West Coast Youth. 6:55 PM - East Coast Youth. 7:05 PM - National Tamil Youth Organization 7:15 PM - Poetry with D-Lo. 7:30 PM - Vithya Balasubramaniam. 7:40 PM - Murali/Rahul. 8:00 PM - Dinner 9:00 PM - Dance Sunday, November 2, 2003 11:00 AM - Brunch & Wrap-Up

The Sangam wishes to thank the following people who donated generously to support the AGM celebrations. Mr and Mrs. Kanesathasan A. Balasundaram MD A. Satchi MD

Jeevendra Martyn MD Sangar P. Selva MD V. A. Jesudasan

The Sangam also wishes to thank the following for their work in securing funds for Health Education Seminar at the AGM event. S. Raguraj MD S.N. Navabalachandran MD

N.Rajakumar MD S. Rajaram MD

Names of donors who contributed after the souvenir went to press are not included. The Sangam wishes to thank them and apologize for the inability to have included their names.

Sangam salutes We recognize three individuals from the Ilankai Tamil community for their outstanding contributions for the community and for the society by presenting them a Life Time Achievement Award. They are Dr. Rajan Sriskandarajah, Mr J.M. Rajaratnam and Dr. V. Arunasalam. It is an honor to recognize these individuals.

Dr. Rajan Sriskandarajah Dr. Rajan Sriskandarajah graduated from the University of Ceylon with a medical degree, and was ‘Board Certified’ by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, England in 1977. Dr. Rajan became a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1980 and was ‘Board Certified’ by the Maerican Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1981. In 1989, he was appointed Clinical Assistant Professor at the New York Medical College. He obtained a Masters degree in Public Health from the New York Medical College in 1993. Along with his busy medical practice he has been actively involved in Ilankai Tamil Sangam’s activities. He was the Founder as well as long time Editor of the Ilankai Tamil Sangam’s Tamil Voice publication and for the Sangam website. He has published numerous articles and essays and has given many speeches about Sri Lankan Tamil issues. Dr. Sriskandarajah has been actively involved in promoting peace and human rights in Sri Lanka.

Mr. J.M. Rajaratnam Mr. J.M. Rajaratnam, a graduate of University of Ceylon, was the winner of a five year open Government Scholarship for studies in Accounting in the UK. He was the CEO and Chairman Board of Directors of Singer Company’s operations in Ceylon, was transferred to the US head office and appointed Vice President of Finance and Accounting of the International Group of the Corporation. Mr J.M. Rajaratnam has been included in the Marquis Who’s Who in America. After his retirement, he works as a Consultant to the World Bank, Member of the Roster of Experts on matters related to transnational corporations of the United Nations and a Member of the US Executive Volunteer Service Corps. Mr. J.M. Rajaratnam who has been lobbying government and international bodies for the Eelam Tamil cause, has published “Tamils of Sri Lanka – The quest for human dignity” issued by the Tamil Information Center of UK. He has been a long time member of ITS, is a past President and has spoken at various conventions in the USA, Canada, the UK and India on the Tamil Eelam cause.

Professor Dr. V.Arunasalam Professor Dr. V.Arunasalam, a prominent Research Physicist at the Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, was a graduate of the University of Ceylon. He completed his Masters degree at the University of Massachusettes and his Ph.D. at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1964. He has taught at William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey and Ryder University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Dr. Arunasalam has been included in the Marquis Who’s Who in America. His achievements include research in Plasma Physics and controlled Thermonuclear Fusion, Quantum Theory, Quantum Electrodynamics, Cosmology, Foundations of Physics, Particle Physics, Condensed Matter, Theory and Quantum Statistical Mechanics. Dr. Arunasalam has been actively involved in promoting peace in Sri Lanka through the American government.

The Sri Lankan Peace Process

J.M.Rajaratnam The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was signed on the basis that both parties will have parity of status in discussing and resolving issues and will jointly approach the international community on aid needs. The major emphasis was on returning the lives of people of to normalcy. The process has been temporarily stalled due to the LTTE suspending peace talks. It refused to participate at the Donors Conference in Tokyo and the follow up conference in Colombo. The legitimate and justifiable reasons given by the LTTE are related to the GoSL’s failure to take meaningful steps to address the serious concerns the LTTE had repeatedly brought to the attention of GoSL. These are: 1) Non- compliance with several clauses of the MoU signed on February 24, 2002, following LTTE’s unilateral declaration of ceasefire. 2) Non- fulfillment of agreements reached and undertakings given by GoSL during the six rounds of peace talks held over more than12 months. 3) Continued harassment of Tamil civilians by Sri Lankan armed forces;imposition of new restrictions on the movement of civilians and their economic activities; construction of new army camps, naval bases and check points in heavily populated localities; establishment of new Sinhala villages and building of Buddhist temples in Tamil areas; aerial surveillance of Tamil areas deploying unmanned aircraft; introduction of special identification cards in some areas; intensified intelligence gathering; lack of co-operation in identifying mined areas; and refusal to move the army from so called “High Security Zones”.These have prevented the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of displaced families and refugees, and have created a sense of fear and frustration amongst the Tamil people on the futility of the peace process, and the impossibility of reaching normalcy in the Northeast. 4) Denying LTTE participation in the “Pre-Aid Conference” in Washington arranged by the US. 5)Seeking unilaterally the advice of top retired Indian army and navy persons on matters like the shifting of High Security Zones and passage in the northern seas, knowing fully well the anti- LTTE stance of the Indian Government which has proscribed the LTTE. 6) The main focus of the “ Regaining Sri Lanka” policy paper prepared by GoSL for submission at the Donors Conference in Tokyo was “Poverty Alleviation” in the South of Sri Lanka. No attention was paid in it to the dire situation in the war-torn areas of the Northeast which have been subjected to over two decades of destruction and devastation, and over five and a half decades of total neglect and non-development. The incidence of poverty in the South is the result of many years of bad governance and corruption of ministers, politicians and bureaucrats. The crying need for dealing with the desperate situation in the Norteast, to bring it at least to level with the South, has been totally ignored. An ‘Assessment of Needs” document was prepared by three independent multilateral financial institutions (Word Bank, Asian Development Bank and UNDP) at the request of the Sub-committee for Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN), a body specially set up jointly by GoSL and LTTE. The preparation team also obtained input from SIHRN as well as the GoSL before finalizing its findings and recommendations.However, this document does not fully deal with all the requirements of the Northeast, and a “Rising from the Ashes” document which deals with additional requirements of the Northeast has been prepared by Tamils and reviewed by the multilateral financial institutions.

7) Entering into new treaties and arrangements with foreign governments involving joint exercises, training of armed forces; continued importation of modern weapons; purchasing aircraft and naval vessels, all of which run counter to maintaining status quo ante. USA was given overflying facilities in Sri Lankan air space and docking facilities for its ships. India was given the lease of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farms and distribution of gasoline through most of Sri Lankan petrol stations.China was given fishing rights in Northern waters.Having entered into these agreements, GoSL is now threatening LTTE saying they have an intenational safety net of three countries,two of which , India and USA have agreed to provide surveillance of the seas. Strengthened by this statement, India has said that the defense of Sri Lanka is important to the defense of India—beware of what happened to Bhutan and Sikkim.India is due to send 80 of its armed service personnel to study the defense situation in Sri Lanka. Not to be outdone, USA has decided to send 10 of its military personnel to also study the defense situation. This is in addition to several who had visited earlier. 8)Not yet agreeing to the establishment of a viable Interim Administration. The history of efforts in utilization of International aid by successive Sri Lankan governments has been under-utilization; surrendering of unspent international aid; undue delays in project implementation and completion; corruption and inefficiencies. SIHRN established some time back for taking action on immediate needs of the Northeast lacks autonomy, authority, funds, and specialized manpower resources. Even the small amount of money pledged at the Oslo Donors’ Conference has not yet reached SIRHN fully. The LTTE has therefore been driven to insist on the need to establish a financially and operationally autonomous legal body, which can operate under its own auspices, so that immediate rehabilitation, reconstruction and development needs in the Northeast could be carried out efficiently and expeditiously using monies released to it through the already established custodian of donor funds –Northeast Reconstruction Fund (NERF).Unless such arrangements are made immediately, no amount of coercion by countries, particularly those that have backed the Sri Lankan government openly, morally and materially, to the hilt in various ways, will persuade the LTTE to resume peace talks.Threats by Japan that unless LTTE returns to talks, the aid promised at the Tokyo Conference will not be forth- coming, nor by the US which has said that unless the LTTE goes for talks the US will hound them and see that funds would be cutoff, are meaningless. There is no point in just going to the table. There should be compromises and a fighting chance of success at the talks.Otherwise it is a waste of time for evreryone. The UNF, the party in power, commited to the creation of an Interim Administration in its election manifesto and discussed it during the earlier sessions of the peace talks. When the previous government was in power, the current President who is now the leader of the opposition political party had offered an Interim Administration for ten years to the LTTE. Prime Minister Wickramasinghe on taking office said, “this is the last chance for peace, and everything other than separation is on the table”. But having won a major concession from the LTTE, of giving up its demand for a separate state in exchange for federalism and internal self-determination, probably prematurely, seems disinclined to carry out the corresponding concession of meeting the aspirations of the Tamil-speaking People. These aspirations were clearly spelt out at the Thimpu talks of 1985 arranged by the Government of India and are widely known. They have not changed since, and remain the quid pro quo for giving up the demand for a separate state. Tamils represented by the LTTE are not prepared to be deceived one more time.

*

kd mOj;jj;jpd; tpisTfSk; gupfhuKk; The effects of stress on the Human Body and its Remedy Dr. Samuel N.Navabalachandran, M.D.

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United We Stand * N. Nagulendran As Americans we are accustomed to using this term to reflect our solidarity and allegiance to our nation. Likewise, we, as Tamils should exploit this term as a rallying point to unify our community, both in this country and abroad. The Tamil people are, after all, a diverse race; practicing numerous faiths, speaking different dialects, and presently adapting to various cultures. At times, it seems nearly impossible to bond the Tamils of the United States, much less of the world, together. However, we must recognize the importance of the Tamil unity and take immediate action to insure the preservation of Tamil culture and the accomplishment of Tamil goals. For starters, American Tamils must begin taking steps to transplant the positive aspects of their native culture in the modern consumer society in which they now live.

Although Tamils have fared quite well economically in the United States, Tamil unity and Tamil culture is suffering widespread neglect and indifference as the already minute Tamil community is spreading over the continent, often leaving only a few families in each town. Thus many Tamil children are presently growing up with little more than an elementary knowledge of the Tamil Language and virtually no perception of their ancient culture or their rich heritage. This situation is certainly easy enough to analyze; the challenge is in finding a solution. Many, including myself, believe the answer lies in organizations such as the Tamil Sangam. An organization which glorifies and stresses the importance of Tamil culture can benefit the community in several ways. First of all, by presentating the virtues of our literature, dance and drama, minor differences may be overlooked, and therefore the first step towards racial unity will have already been taken. Furthermore, the very culture that older Tamils often took for granted when growing up may very well be the tool by which their children will identify themselves. In other words, by being placed thousands of miles away from the obsolete system of caste, from widespread poverty and inter-racial feuding, we have the opportunity to expose American Tamil children to the positive nature of our culture, while overlooking the negative aspects. Lastly, by proudly and openly exhibiting the virtues of our culture, we will succeed in increasing western knowledge of our culture and, thus, work with Americans and other westerners to achieve Tamil economic and political goals. However, as we all know, the bulk of economic and social problems affecting the Tamil people, are present in the communities of South India and Sri Lanka. Many of the shortcomings of the Third World; poverty, overcrowding and war, have not spared our Tamil brothers and sisters across the seas. For even today there are children dying of malnutrition, war and diseases. If the highly educated and largely influential Tamils of the United States do not unite soon to help alleviate these problems, it will surely be a disgraceful and disgusting situation.

* Prize winning article in the FeTNA Essay Competition

Our Heritage

Saranya Thana ( Age 14)

The ancient Academy of Tamil literature was known by the name of Sangam. The Sangam existed for a fair amount of time during the pre - Christian period. The Pandiyan kings underwrote the three Sangams. The first Sangam lasted for 4, 400 years. For the first Sangam the headquarters was in Daksina Madurai. The second Sangam lasted for 3,700 years with headquarter in Kavatapuram. Both of them submerged in the Great Flood at different stages. The third Sangam lasted for 1,850 years, which was in the modern city of Madurai until 300 AD succumbing to the Aryan influx. It appeared to them to be a place of worship. This shows clearly that Tamil has the most illustrious history of all.

The Tamils ruled a vast part of the world. Tamils have two thousand year old books. Tamils are closely associated with spirituality or divinity. What made an overwhelming impression on me is the ancientness of my language. It is not merely an old language, but it is the oldest recorded language, our grammar book itself is two thousand five hundred years old, which automatically means that my language was perfectly developed by them. Further the Tamil homeland, South India and Sri Lanka make up as the oldest habitable land formation existing over 400 million years.

I take great pride in being a part of this civilization. Knowing that the Tamil homeland was the only portion of the world that never shifted and also that it has kept its culture and customs intact. Also that a vast majority of the languages in the world today has link to Tamil, either in word pronunciations or the word’s meaning. We are the highest literate community in the world and that's something to be proud about. I am proud to be a Tamil, but further proud to be from Eelam.

* "I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." - William Penn

g{x äÉ|vxá Éy t Çxã zxÇxÜtà|ÉÇ Talent Needs Encouragement

The success of our efforts lies in the support and cooperation we provide one another as we take on endeavors such as the Ilankai Tamil Sangam. It is through these events that we grow beyond our local regions and form relationships with Sri Lankans from other areas in hopes of creating stronger bonds within our community. As we grow as a community, we should readily recognize the talented individuals and groups that forge a positive identity for Sri Lankans both in the United States and abroad. This open encouragement is a necessary element to foster an environment where our younger generation can pursue their talents to the fullest. Ultimately allowing our community more opportunities to come together in a celebration of our achievements.

- Muhunthan Chanmugham Massachusetts Ad Astra Per Aspera Being a second generation Tamil who has grown up in the United States, it really warms my heart to see cultural organizations such as the Ilankai Tamil Sangam not only existing, but thriving and flourishing as we move into the 21st century. The service that Ilankai Tamil Sangam performs for the community is quite immense and we, as Tamils, especially as young Tamils, are forever indebted to you for the tremendous work you do in propagating our Tamil culture. As the Sangam celebrate the 26th year working in this venerable mission, I personally wish you the very best. The future is yours to grasp and the youth yours to teach, one thing is certain as you go forward in all your endeavors; you will surely witness the greater and grander frontiers of possibility in your own future horizons. Congratulations and may God bless you and the Ilankai Tamil Sangam! - E. Ruckshan Rajadurai New Jersey Proud To Be A Tamil As new generations of Tamils take center stage, many wonder if the Tamil community will survive. Tamils living abroad have endured an erosion of their culture. So what will the next generation be like? Well that is simply up to us, the next generation. We Tamils have a long and rich heritage that we should be proud of, however living in foreign countries has caused our culture to change. I would like to think the change was for the better, yet seeing my fellow Tamils not be able to speak their mother-tongue irritates me. The Tamil language is essential to the culture because it unites us and is a key element of being Tamil. Adapting to new environments is acceptable, but becoming fully assimilated into a different culture and abandoning your culture is immoral. “You do not know where you are going, until you realize where you have been.” To save our culture, we need young Tamils to get involved with cultural events, we need to bring unity to a nation of Tamils living divided in foreign countries, and we need the next generation to remember, practice, and promote the Tamil culture that has lasted so long. We need to change with time, yet maintain our culture. We need, no we must keep our great Tamil culture alive. - Prasath Subramaniam Florida

We are not a lost generation We have a very aged culture with time-tested values and traditions. The values, morals, and certain ethical standards. We practice respect for elders where we hold in almost divine regard to our parents. Our culture hasn't yet fully assimilated into the dominant American culture in terms of transitioning into American values. We still trust in our ideals and we slowly make them a part of the overarching "American Dream" everyday. The bondage between each one of us, whether blood relatives, family or not, is very strong. Whichever land we traverse, we always will help our fellow man and we bring that same dedication and love to the United States. I believe that the second generation doesn't really have a choice in terms of being exposed to Tamil culture and practices. Because of the immediate connection with the Tamil culture through the first generation set of parents, it is inevitable that the second generation will be influenced by Tamil ideals and principles. It's the third generation that we should really be concerned about, as it is proven in history that the third generation of a newly arrived ethnic group is usually the one with a drastic amount of detachment and isolation from the culture and traditions of the original first generational ethnic group. The second generations will without question experience some withdrawal from certain traits and practices of the original group that came here. So I believe it is pivotal that they are exposed to other Tamils around them, most especially around the same age group, so they can interact with each other and learn more about themselves as a people, as Tamils. That is a reason why I really admire organizations that promote the Tamil culture amongst the youth through various programs and initiatives. – R.R. Language is not that important, but our heritage is ! As far as the second generation is concerned, I think it's important to some extent that they have a grasp of what Tamil culture is, but from a more realistic perspective it just doesn't matter that much since they really can't make any more formal use of the language. They should, however, know what it means to be a Tamil and what the language is about. As time goes on, however, there's nothing any parent can do to prevent English from eroding how much we use our mother tongue. We can, however, forever preserve Tamil morals, ideals, values and culture. Those are things that English can never take from us. So what I'm saying is that the Tamil Language is not that important but the Tamil culture and heritage is. - C.C. Celebrating Our roots I am damn proud to say that I am a Thamilan. The Tamils had a civilized society when the Westerners were still running around in the jungles. We are the decendants of the Great Kings like Sankili Mannan and Pandara Vanniyan. The Chola kingdom, the grandest of all threee Tamil kingdoms namely Chera, Chola and Pandya dynasties, reached their zenith in the 10th Century, with perhaps the first Naval fleet of any Indian king. Tamil is the oldest living language in India. The five great epics of Tamil, Silapathikaram, Seevaka Chintamani, Valayapati, Kundalakesi and Manimekalai are a treasure to the world and the crown jewel of Tamil Literature is Thirukural. It is important to pass down this ancient and rich heritage to our second generation because we don't want them to loose their identity. It also important to keep them in touch with their homeland. If you loose your roots you will fall like a dead tree. Tamil speaking people are living all around the world in countries like Canada, Germany, France and Norway. If the Tamils in these countries speak only the language of their country where they live, we cannot communicate with each other. I suggest strongly that any second generation Tamil should be able to speak Tamil, so that we can communicate well with our relatives and grand parents. - Roshan

The Tamil roots of Bharathanatyam (Sathir)

Renuka Kumarasamy An art of any form must have roots in a language, a culture and a people. From those roots it must carry their thoughts, their joys and sorrows and tell the story of their civilization. The soul and roots of Bharatha Natyam can be found in the Tamil people, their culture and language. But in recent years, in countless articles and Arangetrams, the origin of bharatha Natyam has been attributed to Bharatha Muni and his work in Sanskrit called the ‘Natya Sastra’. Is this assertion based on factual evidence or is it a myth perpetuated with no historical backing ? When one traces the historical roots of modern Bharatha Natyam, it becomes clear that this assertion is more a myth than a historical fact. Bharatha Natyam is a new name given to this ancient art form. Until, sixty years back, this dance form went by the name Sathir. The late Dr.V.P.K.Sundaram has done a remarkable job tracing the roots of Bharatha Natyam across Tamil Literature and History and categorically disproving the myth that Bharatha Natyam originated with Bharatha Muni. If one looks at the historical time line of Bharatha Natyam, starting from the present, the last couple of centuries could be considered to be the period of the reformists. It is during this period that Bharatha

Natyam attained it’s modern form and stature through the work of ‘The Thanjavoor brothers’(Ponniah, Chinniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu), E.Krishna Iyer,Rukumani Devi Arundale, Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, BalaSaraswathy and many others. Of these reformers, the Tanjavoor brothers who in the first half of the 19th century revitalized the dance form that, at that time, went by the name Sathir are considered by many to be the founding fathers of modern Bharatha Natyam. Around the 1930s, it was E.Krishna Iyer who first coined the term ‘Bharatha Natyam’, for the then Sathir dance. He probably renamed this dance, in an effort to dispel the social taboo that was associated with this dance during this period. The period prior to the work of these reformers, was probably one of the darkest periods in the history of sathir. (Bharatha Natyam). During this time frame, which corresponds to the British rule in India, both the art ( Sathir ) and the artists who practiced this art ( Deva Dasi dancers ) were looked down, both by Society and the ruling British bureaucracy. It was the tireless work of Rukumani Devi Arundale, the founder of Kalakshetra, that played a major role in pulling Sathir ( Bharatha Natyam ) out of it’s darkness of social taboo, into it’s current status of respectability.

Modern Bharatha Natyam owes a depth of gratitude to these reformers of the last two hundred years, for reinstating it back to its original status of divinity and respectability. But any change introduced by them in the technique of the dance has more to do with the style and presentation of the dance and not the basic structure. Dr.V.P.K.Sundaram, not only methodically traces the Tamil root words of the modern components of Bharatha Natyam such as puspanjali, Alaripu, Jatiswaram, Varnam, Padam and Thillana, but also establishes that the core structure of these components have remained the same over several centuries. He also asserts that the recent idea that the word Bharatha is derived from Bhava ( expression), Raga ( Melody) and Thala ( rhythm), is an explanation superimposed on the new name (Bharatha Natyam), with no factual basis. The term ‘Sathir Attam’ and ‘Thevar Attam’ ( divine dance) was used for this dance form as early as the 6th century. During the 6th century and also during the Thevaram period following it, Sathir dance was an integral part of the Tamil saivite Temples. Unmarried women called ‘Theva Adiyarkal’ or ‘Theva Dasikal’ , who dedicated their life to the service of God performed the Sathir dance. These women were highly spiritual, received ‘Siva Thikshai’, and were well respected. When we travel further down the historical time line of Sathir (Bharatha Natyam), we would arrive at the period of Sillapthikaram, ( the 2nd century). Dr.V.P.K.Sundaram and many other scholars consider Sillapthikaram, composed by Ilango Adikal,the Chera prince turned Monk, to be the treasure house of information on both Tamil classical dance and music. Sillapthikaram gives in-depth details on the style and structure of the various categories of the Tamil Dances. The Arangetram of Mathavi, so elaborately described by Illango Adikal, is probably one of the earliest documented Arangetrams. Ilango Atikal not only details the style and structure of Mathavi’s dance, and the type and musical notes of the accompanying musicians, but even gives meticulous details of the Arangetram Stage, down to its required dimensions. It is through Sillapthikaram that we know that an artist was required to complete at least Seven years of rigorous training, before she could perform the Arangetram. It is through Sillapathikaram, that we know that the style of Mathavi’s dance was based on the rules of dance spelled out in ‘Natya Nannool’, a Tamil treatise on dance that seems to have existed around that period. Many of the Sangam Literature and Tholkappiam also have details on the various dance forms of the Tamils. These Sangam dance forms were precursors to Sathir and other later dance forms. When the roots of Sathir, runs strong and deep in the Tamil culture, how did it’s Tamil origin get overshadowed? First, a new name ( Bharatha Natyam ) is given to this ancient dance form, followed by an elegant explanation for this new name ( Bhava, Raga, Thala). Eventually, even the origin is attributed to someone ( Bharatha Muni ), who happens to have a name very similar to this new name. Combining all these elements, a beautiful and elegant mythology is fabricated, which when repeated enough number of times, is accepted as fact, by the majority. Before mindlessly repeating this myth, the Tamils need to pause and ponder on the effect of this myth. For, the net effect of this myth, whether perpetuated intentionally or unintentionally, is to distort and deny the Tamil roots of Bharatha Natyam ( Sathir).