CHENNAI: The state government is preparing to host a multi-phase World Tamil Conference across international locations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, marking the state’s return to holding a global Tamil event after more than 15 years.
Sources told the TNIE that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has already given the green signal to begin preparatory works. Instead of limiting the event to a single venue, the government plans to hold sessions across countries to bring together Tamil scholars, researchers, and academicians from across the world, sources said.
As part of the preparations, Minister for Tamil Development A Rajmohan is visiting the US from July 1 to 7 to meet Tamil scholars and diaspora and seek their views on the proposed conference. Officials said the consultations are aimed at ensuring wider participation from the global Tamil community.
“Apart from academic discussions, the conference will also feature parallel seminars on classical Tamil and sessions on cultural exchange and knowledge-sharing among the Tamil diaspora,” sources said.
CM may participate in every global event
In 2010, the then DMK government led by former chief minister M Karunanidhi organised the World Classical Tamil Conference in Coimbatore after Tamil was recognised as a classical language by the union government. The five-day conference brought together scholars, researchers and Tamil experts from several countries and featured academic sessions, cultural programmes, and exhibitions showcasing Tamil language, literature and heritage.
“We cannot conduct something bigger than the World Classical Tamil Conference organised by Kalaignar. However, this is an attempt to take Tamil to the global stage in grandeur. If CM Vijay participates in every event that is happening across different countries, it will give a fillip to Tamils and the Tamil language on the global stage,” a minister who was part of the discussion told the TNIE.
Officials privy to the developments said the proposed Tamil conference is expected to build on the legacy of the earlier meets by bringing together Tamil scholars and members of the global Tamil diaspora on a common platform while strengthening academic collaboration and promoting Tamil language and culture internationally.
It may be noted that the first World Tamil Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur in 1966. Tamil Nadu government hosted the event for the first time in 1968 in Chennai under the leadership of then chief minister and DMK founder CN Annadurai. The state has hosted the conference thrice so far — Chennai (1968), Madurai (1981) and Thanjavur (1995).