But who are the Tamils, really? How have they preserved a distinct cultural heritage while evolving across time and geographies? And what is the Tamil 'gunam' or identity? How has Tamil culture endured even as it has evolved and mutated over centuries? In The Tamils, author Nirmala Lakshman draws from a wealth of historical information, original research, and her own keen observations of the community that she is part of to craft a rich and expansive exploration of Tamil history, society, and culture.
Accessible and comprehensive, The Tamils is a compelling portrait of one of the world's oldest continuous cultures in an ever-globalizing world, it reflects on what it means to be Tamil today.
But who are the Tamils, really? How have they preserved a distinct cultural heritage while evolving across time and geographies? And what is the Tamil 'gunam' or identity? How has Tamil culture endured even as it has evolved and mutated over centuries? In The Tamils, author Nirmala Lakshman draws from a wealth of historical information, original research, and her own keen observations of the community that she is part of to craft a rich and expansive exploration of Tamil history. society, and culture.
Today's Tamil Nadu largely corresponds to ancient Tamilakam and is bound by the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, with tracts of dry red earth, green paddy fields, and pebbled riverbeds in between. This book traces the remarkable journey of the people of this land, starting from the Stone Age (1.7 million years ago) all the way up to the epic Sangam era (300 BCE to 300 CE), whose literature highlights the influential role of dynasties like the Pallavas, Pandyas, Cholas, and Cheras, and the thriving Jain community of that time; it then examines the evolution and spread of Tamil culture through the Bhakti movement, and the arrival of Christianity and Islam. In parallel to the cultural, philosophical, and religious influences that shaped Tamil society, the book examines the medieval and modern political history of the region, and describes the setting up of the sultanates of the south, the rule of the Nayaks, the Vijayanagar dynasty, the Marathas, and the coming of the British. Thereafter, it goes deep into the freedom struggle, and the Non-Brahmin movement before describing the distinctive attributes of the Tamils in the modern era, especially the changes that are taking place in the twenty-first century.
Through incontestable scholarship, and lucid analysis, the book delves into the complex intersections of politics, religion, caste, economics, and gender in Tamil society, while also capturing the spirit of Tamil creativity in art, architecture, handicrafts, dance, music, sports, mathematics, IT, and more. It studies the opposites that mark the community-the refinement and heights of Tamil culture, but also the violence stemming from centuries of prejudice. It explores the ways in which Tamil culture continues to evolve-through migration, debate, acculturation, and social upheavals. Accessible and comprehensive, The Tamils is a compelling portrait of one of the world's oldest continuous cultures-in an ever-globalizing world, it reflects on what it means to be Tamil today.
Nirmala has a PhD in postmodern fiction, and has written a book on Chennai, Degree Coffee by the Yard, and edited an anthology of contemporary Indian journalism, Writing a Nation.
The ancient Tamils classified the topography of Tamilakam, their land, into five distinct categories. Each category was symbolized by a flower indigenous to that region: the kurinchi, a rare mountain bloom; mullai, the fragrant jasmine flourishing in the forests; the blue water lily of neytal, representative of the seashore; the desert flower of palai, emblematic of the arid lands; and marudam, also known as the queen's flower, of the lowlands. Beyond representing physical attributes, these descriptions encapsulated themes of life and death, as well as the continual flow of generations. This landscape, etched into collective memory and interwoven with life, is luminously reflected in Sangam poetry compositions that are over 2,500 years old, yet hold relevance today.
Hindu (893)
Agriculture (93)
Ancient (1022)
Archaeology (614)
Architecture (534)
Art & Culture (859)
Biography (597)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (159)
Emperor & Queen (494)
Islam (235)
Jainism (275)
Literary (874)
Mahatma Gandhi (380)
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