The Aana Aavanna of a community
CHENNAI: Years ago, when the country was in the grip of colonial rule, Subramania Bharathi penned down this famous line that has since been recalled too many times to count — mella Tamizh ini saagum, antha merkku mozhigal puvimisai yongum. While Bharathi was lamenting about the devastating effects of English imperialism on the fabric of the local language and culture, it was somewhat similar sentiments — but on a much more personal level — that fuelled 22-year-old Pirathajini Chandrakumar and led to the birth of Aana Aavanna, a delightful Tamil-learning initiative on Instagram.
Like Bharathi, Pirathajini too found herself engulfed in the world of a western language, having moved to Canada at a very young age to escape the wrath of the genocide and civil war in Sri Lanka. Despite being continents away from the homeland, she found a slice of home in the Eelam community around her. As much as there was a constant Tamil influence in this form, it wasn’t long before she noticed that the language was fast disappearing from the people of her generation. “That impacted me. We also had Indigenous Studies here (in her undergrad course on Justice Studies); seeing how they were trying to preserve their language, I didn’t want to be in a position where we are ‘saving’ mine,” she recounts.
This idea hit home all the more when she realised she was losing her way of Tamil too, once she got to university. “The way I speak Tamil got very bad. I wanted to have a place to learn it. I could see that there were so many resources for other languages but not for Tamil. So, I decided to teach what I know and go from there,” she narrates. While she had been nursing this plan since 2018, the pandemic forcing her to be indoors kind of helped bring it out to the real world, virtually. Instagram, then, became the out to the obvious platform for action, given that’s where young people are at, she says.
Thus began Aana Aavanna, with baby steps and the basics. The page’s first post is simple Vanakkam, cast along with a familiar illustration of the folded hands and a short declaration of intentions that was more of a rallying call to come together for the language. Pirathajini, then, launched into the alphabet system — presenting each letter with phonetics, a working example and a delightful illustration that’s authentically representational. You have two people greeting each other for the letters ‘A’ and ‘Aa”; a pregnant woman tenderly clutching her belly for ‘Ow’; a mask-clad woman grinning for the letter ‘Ee’. The words of choice too are true to the experiences of the Tamil community, what with picking sevvanthi for ‘Iv’ and purakkanippu for ‘Ip’. “I’m just teaching the way dad has taught me with aana, aavanna. But, I’m a visual person and I see others teaching with pictures and presentation. So, in a way, that’s how I see my words. So, I tried to put it out like that,” she explains.
Interspersed between the basics are personal assertions on politics and people’s struggles from around the world. There is a tamizhakkam of George Floyd’s dying words “I can’t breath” in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter campaign. You find lessons on the words aiyoo and resist (ethir) for May 18 — Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. Come election season in India last month, the teachings included the words makkal aatchi (democracy), therthal thoguthi (electoral district) and urimai (right).
And the response, unsurprisingly, has been overwhelming. “People are liking the illustrations I put out too; that’s a feedback I’ve been getting a lot. That it’s not just about the letters but the colours and pictures too. It’s a huge responsibility but it’s been positive,” shares Pirathajini. People have been sending in testimonies too, and success stories of their Tamil learning curve. It’s also helped the young members of the Diaspora find the way back to their roots and seek solidarity within the community, a sense of belonging. Pirathajini hopes that this project would help serve any Tamil person to pass on the lessons to the next generation. Here’s wishing her the best!