Tanittamil Iyakkam
Encyclopedia
The Thanittamil Iyakkam (Pure Tamil Movement, Independent Tamil Movement)
is a movement of linguistic purism
in Tamil literature
attempting to emulate the "unadulterated Tamil language
" of the Sangam period
, avoiding Sanskrit
, Persian
and English
loanword
s. It was notably initiated by the writings of Maraimalai Adigal
and Paventhar Bharathidasan, G. Devaneya Pavanar and Pavalareru Perunchitthiranaar. propagated by the Thenmozhi literary magazine, founded by Pavalareru Perunchithiranar. V. G. Suryanarayana Sastri
popularly known as "Parithimar Kalaignar", a Brahmin
was also a 20th century figure of the movement, who demanded, as early as 1902, classical language status for Tamil.
Tamil had been favoured by language policy
since Indian independence. It had been used in high schools since 1938, and in university education from 1960. In 1956, the Indian National Congress
party government passed a law instituting Tamil as the official language of the state, and in 1959 set up the Tamil Development and Research Council entrusted with producing Tamil school and college textbooks in the natural and human sciences, accounting, mathematics, etc. A series of children's encyclopedias in Tamil, "lucid commentaries" on Cankam poetry, and an "authentic history of the Tamil people" appeared in 1962-63. These measures, however, seemed insufficient to the proponents of "Pure Tamil", as expressed by Mohan Kumaramangalam
in 1965, at the peak of the Anti-Hindi agitations
,
Since the Congress government had also turned down a number of demands, such as the use of "Pure Tamil" rather than "Sanskritised
Tamil" in schoolbooks, and resisting the name change from Madras to Tamil Nadu
until 1969, concerned not to nurture separatist movements. This engendered resentment among the Tamil purists, expressed by Devaneya Pavanar
in 1967:
In the elections of the same year, Congress suffered a resounding defeat, and was replaced by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK) government under C. N. Annadurai
.
is a movement of linguistic purism
Linguistic purism
Linguistic purism or linguistic protectionism is the practice of defining one variety of a language as being purer than other varieties. The ideal of purity is often opposed in reference to a perceived decline from an "ideal past" or an unwanted similarity with other languages, but sometimes simply...
in Tamil literature
Tamil literature
Tamil literature refers to the literature in the Tamil language. Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution...
attempting to emulate the "unadulterated Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
" of the Sangam period
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
, avoiding Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s. It was notably initiated by the writings of Maraimalai Adigal
Maraimalai Adigal
Maraimalai Adigal was an eminent Tamil orator and writer. He was a devout Hindu as a staunch follower of Saivism. He has authored more than 100 books, including works on original poems and dramas, but most famous are his books on his research into Tamil literature. Most of his literary works were...
and Paventhar Bharathidasan, G. Devaneya Pavanar and Pavalareru Perunchitthiranaar. propagated by the Thenmozhi literary magazine, founded by Pavalareru Perunchithiranar. V. G. Suryanarayana Sastri
Parithimar Kalaignar
Parithimar Kalaignar , a Professor of Tamil at the Madras Christian College was the first person to campaign for the recognition of Tamil as a classical language.- Life :...
popularly known as "Parithimar Kalaignar", a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
was also a 20th century figure of the movement, who demanded, as early as 1902, classical language status for Tamil.
Tamil had been favoured by language policy
Language policy
Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to...
since Indian independence. It had been used in high schools since 1938, and in university education from 1960. In 1956, the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
party government passed a law instituting Tamil as the official language of the state, and in 1959 set up the Tamil Development and Research Council entrusted with producing Tamil school and college textbooks in the natural and human sciences, accounting, mathematics, etc. A series of children's encyclopedias in Tamil, "lucid commentaries" on Cankam poetry, and an "authentic history of the Tamil people" appeared in 1962-63. These measures, however, seemed insufficient to the proponents of "Pure Tamil", as expressed by Mohan Kumaramangalam
Mohan Kumaramangalam
Surendra Mohan Kumaramangalam was an Indian politician and communist theorist who was a member of the Indian National Congress, and later, the Communist Party of India. He served as a member of Lok Sabha for Pondicherry from 1971 to 1972.- Early life and education:Mohan Kumaramangalam was born in...
in 1965, at the peak of the Anti-Hindi agitations
Anti-Hindi agitations
The Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu are a series of agitations that happened in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu during both pre- and post-Independence periods...
,
- "In practice, the ordinary man finds that the Tamil language is nowhere in the picture. [...] In Madras city like any other metro, English dominates our life to an extraordinary extent.[...] I think it will be no exaggeration to say that a person who earns very high can live for years in Madras without learning a word of Tamil, except for some servant inconvenience!"
Since the Congress government had also turned down a number of demands, such as the use of "Pure Tamil" rather than "Sanskritised
Sanskritisation
Sanskritization or Sanskritisation is a particular form of social change found in India and Nepal. It denotes the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to...
Tamil" in schoolbooks, and resisting the name change from Madras to Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
until 1969, concerned not to nurture separatist movements. This engendered resentment among the Tamil purists, expressed by Devaneya Pavanar
Devaneya Pavanar
Devaneya Pavanar , was a prominent Indian Tamil author who wrote over 35 books. Additionally, he was a staunch proponent of the "Pure Tamil movement" and initiated the Etymological Dictionary Project primarily to bring out the roots of Tamil words and their connections and ramifications.In his 1966...
in 1967:
- "None of the Congress Ministers of Tamil Nadu was either a Tamil scholar or a Tamil lover. The Congress leaders of Tamil Nadu as betrayers of Tamil, cannot represent the State any more. Blind cannot lead the blind, much less the keen sighted. Moreover every political meeting, they will say "Jai Hind!". This Means, they are meant to rule only in broader(not specific) India."
In the elections of the same year, Congress suffered a resounding defeat, and was replaced by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar...
(DMK) government under C. N. Annadurai
C. N. Annadurai
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai , popularly called Anna , or Arignar Anna was a former Chief Minister of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu...
.
See also
- Anti-Hindi agitationsAnti-Hindi agitationsThe Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu are a series of agitations that happened in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu during both pre- and post-Independence periods...
- Language movementLanguage movementLanguage movement may imply any of the following:Language specific social/political movements:*The Bengali Language Movement, which is commemorated by the International Mother Language Day declared by UNESCO and Language Movement Day in Bangladesh...
- Tamil nationalismTamil nationalismTamil nationalism in India is an aspiration by some Tamils to establish, at minimum, self determination or at maximum secession from India to establish an Independent Tamil State of which would consist of today's Tamil nadu, Puducherry and Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka...
- Devaneya PavanarDevaneya PavanarDevaneya Pavanar , was a prominent Indian Tamil author who wrote over 35 books. Additionally, he was a staunch proponent of the "Pure Tamil movement" and initiated the Etymological Dictionary Project primarily to bring out the roots of Tamil words and their connections and ramifications.In his 1966...
- Tamil languageTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
- The Primary Classical Language of the World