Relationship Between Tamil and Sanskrit

Objectives

From left to right : François Gros ; Jean-Pierre Muller ; Jennifer Clare ; Kannan.M

The Aim of this Conference is to explore the historical relationship between two classical languages of India and also to initiate a new dialogue between these two cultures from a multidisciplinary perspective in the present socio cultural context.

Tamil culture quaffs through the centuries from two sources, one being pan-Indian Sanskrit and the other regional but no less ancient, its brilliant debut the Sangam Corpus : two “classical” languages for a single culture, alternately following the song which has been taken up progressively in the second millennium by other regional, and especially Dravidian, literatures.

Echoes from Kashmir sound in the Tevaram and, if Vaisnavas are divided over the two languages, the songs of the Alvars are accepted unanimously as a Tamil Veda.

The medieval commentators formulated the poetic rules of Tamil literature, sometimes integrating it into the Sanskrit tradition the better to affirm its status. The exploits of the Chola kings are celebrated in inscriptions by both Sanskrit prasasti and Tamil meykkirtti.

A little later, Arunakiri Natar played with equally virtuosity on the verbal register of the two languages, though this game is a tradition practised mainly by a bi-lingual elite. The Buddhists and Jains have their Sanskrit derived source texts in Pali and Ardhamagadhi but it was Tamil they chose for epic masterworks.

Both linguistic registers make their contribution to all technical literature to the extent that it would be possible, seemingly, to attain mastery of the sastra by intensive practice of either one of them.

Two deep currents then have coexisted down the centuries, conscious to be sure of their differences, but never in major conflict. This happy equilibrium was broken, however, in the middle of the 19th c. due mostly to political factors ; the confrontation culminated in the resistance of Tamil in the face of Hindi, perceived as being imposed by the North on a South driven onto the defensive.

How may the harmony history suggests to us be retrieved, if not through the systematic development in all domains of the knowledge and perception of the common sources of our culture ?

The method used will be to provide a neutral, common platform for discussion and brainstorming amongst scholars specialized in various fields of Tamil and Sanskrit such as Grammar, Linguistics, Lexicography, Philosophy, Literature and History.

Programme

DAY 1 (Wednesday 12rd September , 2007)

Each paper 20 to 30 minutes, followed by discussion

DAY 2 (Thursday 13th September , 2007)

DAY 3 (Friday 14th September, 2007)

Funding

• IFP
• Tamil Chair, SSEAS, University of California, Berkeley.

Organizers

• Department of Indology, IFP
• Tamil Chair, SSEAS, University of California, Berkeley.

Coordinators

• Kannan. M, IFP
• Carlos Mena, University of California in Berkeley, USA
• Jennifer Clare, University of California in Berkeley, USA

Participants

• Prof. Arasu (University of Madras, Chennai)
• Mr. Senthil Babu (IFP, Pondicherry)
• Dr. Bhagatavacala Bharathi(Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Culture, Pondicherry)
• Prof. Isabelle Clark- Deces (Princeton University, USA)
• Ms. Jennifer Clare (SSEAS, University of California. Berkeley)
• Prof. Elaine Craddock (University of Texas, USA)
• Ms. Iran Farkhondeh (University of Paris 3, Paris)
• Dr. Ganesan (IFP, Pondicherry)
• V.Geetha (Tara Publishing, Chennai)
• Prof. Francois Grimal (EFEO, Pondicherry)
• Prof. Francois Gros (EPHE, Paris)
• Mr. Kannan.M (IFP, Pondicherry)
• Poet . Gnana Koothan (Chennai)
• Prof. Kothandaraman (Pondicherry)
• Prof. Prema Nanda Kumar (Srirangam)
• Dr. Karine Ladrech (University of Paris 4, Paris, France)
• Prof. Vijaya Lakshmy (Chennai)
• Prof. Iravatham Mahadevan (Indus Research Centre, Roja Muthiah Research Library, Chennai)
• Prof. Manavalan (Chennai)
• Ms. Preetha Mani (SSEAS, University of California . Berkeley)
• Prof. Anne Monius (University of Harvard, USA)
• Prof. K.Murugaiyan (Annamalai University, Chidambaram)
• Prof. Nachimuthu (JNU, New Delhi
• Prof. R.Nagaswamy (Tamil Arts Academy, Chennai)
• Dr. Lakshmi Narasimham (IFP, Pondicherry)
• Prof. Ulrike Niklas (University of Cologne, Germany)
• Prof . MU.Ku.Jagannatha Raja (Raja palayam)
• Mr. Rajesh (IIT, Chennai)
• Prof Srilatha Raman (University of Michigan, USA)
• Prof. J. Thirmal Rao (Director, APOML, Hyderabad)
• Prof. Ravindran (University of Delhi, New Delhi)
• Prof . Subbarayalu (IFP, Pondicherry)
• Prof. P.R. Subramanian (Mozhi Trust. Chennai)
• Prof. Tattacharya (IFP, Pondicherry)
• Dr. Herman Tieken (Kern Institute, University of Leiden, Holland)
• Prof. Raghava Varier (University of Calicut, Calicut)

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605 001