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Gleanings
Thamil Consciousness
K. S. SIVAKUMARAN
The late K.Kailasapathy (1933-1982) wrote several essays in English
as well. He was a Lankan intellectual and a scholar in Thamil. His book
in English was ‘Thamil’ ‘Heroic Poetry’.
His books in Thamil near a dozen. He was Professor in Thamil at the
University of Peradeniya and later the President of the Campus in
Thinnaively in Yaalpaanam before it became the University of Yaalpaanam.
He consciously promoted a Lankan consciousness among Thamil and
Islamic writers in this country while he encouraged and promoted Lankan
Thamil Writing when he held the position of Editor of the ‘Thinakaran’.
Posthumously a collection of his essays in English titled ‘On Art and
Literature’ was published in 1986 by the New Century Book House in
Chennai.
The publisher has this to say:
“The significant achievement of his (K.K.) has been his capacity to
employ Historical Materialist Method in research, and uphold throughout
the genuiness of Marxism-Leninism in the study of various aspects of the
social life of Thamilians from Sangam Age to the present day”
The book has the following subjects:
01. The Thamil purist Movement; A Re-Evaluation
02. Tradition and Change: A Glimpse of modern in Thamil Literature
03. Contemporary Thamil Literature “ A Critique
04. Thamil Heroic Poetry: a Comparative Study
05. A Note on Modern Thamil Poetry
06. The Relation of Thamil and Western Literatures - 1 & 2
07. The Concept of Destiny in Early Thamil Literature
 I would like to quote a passage from one of Kailasapathy’s essays in
this book which appear under the sub-head: The Influence of Caldwell’s
Writings.
The purpose is to let know how the concept of Thamil Consciousness
evolved among the Thamilians during the past few centuries.
Under the heading ‘the Influence of Caldwell’s Writings’,
Kanagasabapathy Kailasapathy writes:
“The intellectual background to Thamil nationalism has already been
dealt with in recent studies making it unnecessary to elaborate on it
here. Suffice it to say that certain statements by European missionary
scholar like Percival Winslow, Caldwell, Pope and others kindled a sense
of pride among Thamilians about their heritage.
The writings of these early Indologists contributed in no small
measure to the discovery and interpretation of their past by Thamil
scholars and writers. The enthusiasm and thrill with which the European
savants presented the salient features of Thamil language and
literature, antiquities and religion also instilled.
In these Thamil scholars a notion of uniqueness about their past
glory that set them apart from other races and peoples of India,
especially the Brahmin community. (broadly identified as Aryans) who
were portrayed as traditionally hostile to Thamil and constantly
conspiring to elevate Sanskrit at the expense of Thamil - through a
process of ‘Ariyanisation’ or ‘Sanskritisation’. Robert Caldwell
(1814-1891) was probably the first to adumbrate the idea.”
In our country it is high time that the different communities in this
country try to understand each other better at least through the arts
and literature instead of continuing to remain in splendid isolation.
Such books by Lankan scholars like K. Kailasapathy, K. Sivathamby and
others should be read.
Unfortunately the majority of the majority does not understand Thamil
at all and similarly the majority of the Thamilians do not read Sinhala,
leave alone speak. And majority of all races do not know English to read
and understand. Communication barrier is the cause and not any hostility
between the communities.
Instead of adopting a formal way of teaching Thamil to the Sinhalese
and Sinhala to Thamilians, the first step is to teach all of them the
spoken language in a systematic manner all over the island in small
groups. The Government should take the initiative to streamline a
progressive programme.
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