தமிழகம் - Thamizh; Semmozhi

Thamizh (Tamil; தமிழ்). Thamizhakam, a virtual abode devoted to illustrating and exploring the depths, lustre and heart of the rich Thamizh culture. For the love of Thamizh mozhi (language), kalaachaaram (culture), vazhkai nadamurai (lifestyle), makkal (people) and sareethram (history); தமிழகம்.

[harkashark-blog]

கண்ணுடையர் என்பவர் கற்றோர் முகத்திரண்டு புண்ணுடையர் கல்லா தவர். (Only the learned have eyes; the unlearned have two sores on their face.)

திருக்குறள் (Thirukkural)

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Vilayunar S Ramachandran at the 2011 Time 100 gala, (particularly because he was cited in one of my social psychology class journal articles.) He hails from Tamil Nadu, India and is the  the Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition,[1][2][3] and is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychology[4] and the Neurosciences Graduate Program[5] at theUniversity of California, San Diego.

Vilayanur Subramanian "Rama" Ramachandran (born 1951) is a neuroscientist best known for his work in the fields of behavioral neurology and psychophysics. Ramachandran is best known for his experiments in behavioral neurology which, despite their apparent simplicity, have generated many new ideas about the workings of the brain. He has been called “The Marco Polo of neuroscience” by Richard Dawkins[6] and "the modern Paul Broca" by Eric Kandel.[6] In 1997 Newsweek magazine named him a member of "The Century Club", one of the "hundred most prominent people to watch" in the 21st century[7] and in 2011 Time listed him as one of "the most influential people in the world" on the "Time 100" list.[8][9] An interest in paleontology led him to purchase a fossil dinosaur skull from the Gobi desert, which was named after him as Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani in 2009. Ramachandran was elected to a visiting fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford (1998–1999). In addition he was a Hilgard visiting professor atStanford University in 2005. He has received honorary doctorates from Connecticut College (2001) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2004).[40] Ramachandran received the annual Ramon y Cajal award (2004) from the International Neuropsychiatry Society, and the Ariens-Kappers medal from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences for his contributions to Neuroscience (1999). He shared the 2005 Henry Dale Prize with Michael Brady of Oxford. In 2007, the President of India conferred on him the third highest civilian award and honorific title in India, the Padma Bhushan.[41] In 2008, he was listed as number 50 in the Top 100 Public Intellectuals Poll.[42]

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Shyam Selvadurai, Tamil/Sinhalese Canadian novelist

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Sonya Jeyaseelan, professional Canadian Tennis player

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Thamizh Grammar: Basic Sentence Order

In Thamizh, the basic sentence structure is as follows, Subject-object-verb, as opposed to what would be seen in English as subject-verb-object. Basically, the verb is generally the final portion of a Thamizh sentence. 

As per an example in Colloquial Tamil by R.E. Asher & E. Annamalai, "corresponding to English 'Tom saw her', (in) Tamil, one might say, 'Tom her saw'."

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Thamizh Religion: Hinduism: Saiva Siththaantham

Saiva Siddhanta (Saiva Siththaantham in Tamil) is the philosophy of Saiva religion which considers Lord Siva as its primary deity. Siddhanta means the final conclusion (reached after taking into consideration all other important views). It is the popular philosophical system of the Tamils of South India (and Sri Lanka), based on Saiva Agamas, Upanishds, ancient Tamil works, Thirumurais and Meykanda Sastraworks.

The word Hinduism is a common name which denotes many Indian religions, including Saivism. It is not a religion by itself. Saivism or Saiva religion is the dominant religion of the Hindu fold.

Who am I? Is there a God? What are the natures of God, Soul and the cosmos? What is my relationship with God and the worldly things? What is the reason for happenings in life over which one has no control? Such questions often arise in any philosophical system. Saiva Siddhanta gives plausible answers and explanations to them.

[jeevermadnessarchive]

[thamizhakam]

jeevermadness:

Poster of the goddess of the Tamil language, “Tamilttay,” C. 1941

Tamilttay was the recipient of intense devotion among Tamil nationalists in India who opposed the imposition of Hindi as a national language, a topic extensively explored by Sumathi Ramaswamy in Passions of the Tongue: Language Devotion in Tamil India, 1891-1970.

[colormeclementine-blog]

கற்றது கை மண் அளவு கல்லாதது உலகளவு - Pronunciation: Katrathu Kai Mann Alavu, Kallathathu Ulagalavu" Meaning: What one knows is only a handful, whereas the unknown is the size of the world.

- Auvayar (ஔவையார், ancient Tamil poetess)

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[adventuretravelindia]

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There are more than 50 temples and three palaces in Tamil Nadu with murals. The palaces are Ramalinga Vilasam in Ramanathapuram and those at Bodinayakanur near Madurai and Padmanabhapuram in Kanyakumar district.

Unfortunately, the murals, the inscriptions, the sculptures and carvings have become targets of destruction and vandalism. Sometimes, the authorities in charge of these monuments themselves are to blame. In the famous Meenakshi temple, Madurai, several historic mandapams have become shopping complexes.  Its 1,000-pillared mandapam, with superb sculptures, has become ‘a studio’ now, with an incongruously gleaming granite floor, skewed focus lights and a big sculpture of Nataraja painted in black! Several years ago, the earthen bed of the temple’s famous ‘Golden Lotus’ tank (Pottramarai Kulam) was cemented up, with the result that no water stays in the tank now and it looks barren now. Officials have fixed scores of metres of electric wires on the murals on the walls of the mandapams, installed switch boxes and tube lights on them, as it has happened in several places on the splendid murals in the Devaraja Swamy temple at Kanchipuram, portraying the 108 Divya Desam murals. (link)

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Sri Lanka, Lanka, Ilankai, Eelam or... To be politically correct, where are 'Sri Lankan Tamils' from?

“From very early times, the Sri Lanka of today was known to the Tamil people both here and in South India as Ilankai (இலங்கை) and/or Eelam (ஈழம்). Ilankai is the Tamil equivalent of Lanka; in fact Lanka is the Sanskrit form derived from the Tamil Illankai and bestowed upon the island by Indian tradition… …The name Illankai is yet used as the officially recognized Tamil equivalent for Sri Lanka. Eelam was the name given to the island by the Tamils of South India both in the spoken word as well as in ancient Tamil literature.”

N. Parameswaran,  Early Tamils of Lanka-Ilankai 

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There are two things born from mountains, shining so brilliantly that the great bow down, driving the darkness from the earth circled by roaring waters. One is the burning sun, a single wheel glowing like lightning, and the other is Tamil that has no like.

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A Video of “Great Thamizh” People - Source: Unknown

Music: A R Rahman’s Bombay Theme