CHENNAI: The illustrated silhouette of the Jaffna Public Library — a melting pot of Tamizh literature and heritage, and the words from Thirukkural — Karkka Kasadara (an expression of authentic learning), greet us as we tap on Oxford Tamil Society’s social media page. This subtle yet riveting imagery, embodying the messages of solidarity, resilience, resistance, and the intersectionality of different struggles of the Tamil diaspora, sets the tone for our conversation with Archuna, founder and organiser of the newly formed organisation.
A new meaning
Archuna’s quest to understand his own Ilankai (Tamil) heritage coincided with the student body’s collective need for interconnectedness among the Tamil diaspora. The desire for such a community sparked the group’s birth at the oldest University in the English-speaking world. Today, the Society has been respiring a new meaning into what Tamil identity is and can be for posterity.
“Oxford may be known for its University and the institution’s colonial aspirations. However, Oxford has also been home to many Tamil people over the years. The Society hopes to continue the legacy of those who came before us, who helped create a sense of pan-Tamil identity here,” says Archuna over a video call, suggesting how the University’s libraries and stimulating academic environment helped him interrogate assumed notions of identity and community. “It enabled me to apply these political and anthropological discourses in continuing a sense of inclusive community — one that celebrates and expands what we mean by ‘community’,” shares the medical student.
Bearing the role of, perhaps, the first student-led Tamil Society in the University, the organisation has been riding a wave of excitement with all its concomitant responsibilities. “The best thing about that is we have a clean slate to imagine what a Tamil society can be. We don’t need to conform to what other models have been. So, it’s easier for us to be inclusive and resist any patriarchal elements from seeping in,” he explains.
Inclusive language
In line with their intent to be inclusive, the Society hopes to create a handbook, in collaboration with academic panels and Tamil voices on social media, on how one can have respectful conversations with Tamils from varied backgrounds. “Sometimes, people don’t realise that they say inappropriate things. For instance, if someone casually says, ‘Oh, but this person is not Tamil’ — from the standpoint of Tamil being a certain way of speaking or lingo — it becomes problematic. They don’t realise how that could affect Tamils who are not simply bound by a region or language and push them further away,” he shares, pointing to exclusions often faced by Tamils who are mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity.
The nature of the language used by those in the Society and comprehensive mindfulness have become essential aspects. “While we take pride in being Tamil, many are wary of exclusionary nationalism. We evaluate the language, make it principled and have fun while doing it! So many Gen Z Tamils love the modern references from The Grey Man and Never Have I Ever... It’s not exclusively about where they politically stand; it’s also about simply identifying as Tamil in movies, literature and everything in between. So we’ve created a handbook where we have these discussions so that people are mindful. Hopefully, this can also be a reference for other societies,” he elaborates.
Challenging discourses
Over the years, in a globalised world, the idea of being Tamil has unfailingly had a more profound political impetus — stemming from instances of its identity facing systemic subjugation. “In a sense, as a Society, it has become necessary for us not just to understand the culture and celebrate it but also to imagine a Tamil identity that could challenge certain dominant discourses. However, while we remain political, we have avoided falling towards partisan endorsements or organisations. This way, we can ensure that all minorities are included. Otherwise, there’s the politics of people being excluded,” he says.
Similarly, even while celebrating culture, the Society’s constitution remains well-defined in what they view as a culture to avoid intergroup exclusion. “For instance, if we say that say we’re celebrating Bharathanatyam, that in itself has layers of casteism and a history of appropriation. So, that could exclude or hurt the sentiments of certain groups. Sometimes, conversations on Tamil identity have ignored intersectional issues such as caste and gender. So, while celebrating culture, we also try to be mindful of how groups might feel excluded. In our Society, politics is more about embodying a sense of inclusion rather than a party political statement itself,” he asserts.
An engaging space
The Society currently has 30 student members from Oxford University and several others from the wider Oxford Tamil community. The primary goals of the community are to bring together students at Oxford University, engage with students at Oxford Brookes University; participate in the wider Oxford community and engage with the Tamil community that exists in Oxford; use digital media presence and existence in Oxford to further the cause of pan-Tamil solidarity across the world, and encourage participation from Tamils all over the world.
The group conducts small informal meetings, works with other societies, and forms structures and ideas of how different individuals might achieve a pan-Tamil identity and solidarity. “A lot of it has come through collaboration as well. It’s not just people who only identify as Tamil but also those who are non-Tamil and yet feel proximity to the Tamil culture — South Indians, for instance, or people from a different race/ethnicity who love learning the language, who have come forward,” he says. They hope to be a critical space that includes the most marginalised groups within the Tamil society and expand the idea of what it means to be Tamil.
“We want to make a tangible impact on the local community life, achieve a global vision by using the privileges that come with Oxford University to champion many Tamil voices that exist/existed here, and talk about wider issues affecting Tamil people — Singapore’s death penalty, for instance. Also, here, there have been many movements of Indian Dalit voices and activists. The Society aspires to platform these critical voices,” he shares.
Mind and Matter
War, generational trauma, and the stress of integrating into a new country and other psychological distress have often profoundly impacted the mental health of Tamil immigrants and their children. We ask if there’s a plan to address matters of the mind. Archuna nods. “We want to promote welfare support that can engage with mental health issues faced by the Tamil diaspora. We want a welfare representative to address and engage with these issues. The challenge when it comes to counselling in the UK is that it isn’t diverse and not tailored towards the needs of Tamil people. But there are communities in the UK, like ANBU (Abuse Never Becomes Us), supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the Tamil community. We are trying to find organisations like that, that we can join hands with,” he says.
A balancing act
With Pongal around the corner, The Society hosted Oxford’s Tamil community for a day of music, dance and speeches to celebrate the harvest festival. Pongal meet-ups will also be conducted this weekend at the campus. “Among the Indian Tamils and Lankan Tamils, this is a big event. It’s a way of connecting with our heritage, which isn’t necessarily westernised, and our families. The celebrations may not be obvious here, but they are part of our identity. While celebrating this event, as a Society, we are also mindful of those who might not identify with the festival and ensure there is no exclusion. We want to be true to the variety of Tamil identities in the community who may or may not identify with certain things,” he says.
Tamil cinema nights; conversations on arranged marriages, the rise of K-pop in Tamil Nadu, and ‘Indian Matchmaking’ over waffles; discussions on families and generational divide over dosas — Archuna tells us that they are a relaxed Society who want to make a difference. “We bond over light-hearted conversations and are not just a political group. We’re simply a community with values that align with the politics of inclusion and celebrating culture. The trick is to find the right balance while realising our dreams -- for a pan-Tamil society that lives in solidarity with each other,” he concludes.