‘Do not rename Sangam literature’

The Thamizh Desiya Periyakkam has resented the State government’s move to identify Tamil Sangam Literature as “Dravida Kalanjiyam.”In a press release issued here on Tuesday, its president P.Maniarasan

The Thamizh Desiya Periyakkam has resented the State government’s move to identify Tamil Sangam Literature as “Dravida Kalanjiyam.” In a press release issued here on Tuesday, its president P.Maniarasan opposed the proposed name for the compilation by saying that the word “Dravidam” has not been found in the Sangam Literature. He was referring to an announcement of the Minister for Tamil Official Language, Tamil Culture and Archaeology, Thangam Thennarasu, that it had been proposed to bring out a compilation of Tamil Sangam Literature under the name of “Dravida Kalanjiyam.” He deplored the change in the stand of Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, who had during the Assembly election campaign used the word “Thamizhar” more frequently, but after assuming the office he had started using “Dravidam” in his speeches and addresses more frequently and went on to declare himself as a Dravidian stock. Even Robert Caldwell, who had written a book on the grammar of Dravidian or South Indian family of languages, had mentioned that he had taken the word “Dravidam” from the “Manusmriti” and the literary work of Kumarila Bhattar “Thanthravarthika” in the Sanskrit language. If the State government was to keen on its stance, then they would not hesitate to take the issue to the people by organising demonstrations, he added.