Music and Dance of Tamil Nadu

Tamilnadu is deeply rooted in a great tradition of folk arts and crafts, which display the traditions and skills that have come down from generations. The folk music and dances of Tamil Nadu represent the ethos, aesthetic values and melody of the region. Traditionally, folk dances and music are conducted during festivals and community functions. The following paragraphs dwell in length about music and dance of Tamil Nadu.

Karagaattam
Karagaattam is a popular folk dance of Tamil Nadu, which involves balancing a pot on the head with musical accompaniment. The pots are decorated with a cone of flower arrangements, topped by a paper parrot. The parrot swings as the dancer swings along. Villagers perform this dance in praise of the rain goddess Mari Amman and river goddess, Gangai Amman. Karagaattam has two divisions- Aatta Karagam and Sakthi Karagam. This form of dance is very popular all over Tamilnadu. Both male and female performers participate in this dance. Acrobatics such as dancing on a rolling block of wood, moving up and down a ladder, threading a needle while bending backwards form a part of this dance.

Kaavadi Aatam
When the ancient Tamils went on pilgrimage, they used to carry offerings to the gods tied on either end of a long stick, balanced on their shoulders. To lessen the boredom of the long travel they used to sing and dance in praise of the gods. Kavadi Aattam traces its origin to this practice. This led to composition of special songs for carrying the Kavadi. The Kavadi is made of bamboo strips and a light pole.

Poikkal Kudirai Aattam (Dummy Horse Dance)
Poikkal Kudirai Aattam is a Dummy Horse dance in which the dancer puts on the dummy figure of a horse on his/her hips. This folk dance needs a lot of training and skill. The dummy is made of lightweight materials and the cloth at the sides of the dummy swings to and fro covering the legs of the dancer. The dancer has to don wooden legs so that the legs look like the hooves of the horse. While performing the dance, the dancer brandishes either a sword or a whip.

Bommalaattam or Puppetry
Bommalaattam or Puppetry dance shows are held in rural areas of Tamil Nadu during festivals and fairs. Skilled puppeteers manipulate the puppets through strings or wires. They stand behind a screen and the puppets are held in front. The puppetry shows depict stories mainly from the puranas, epics and folklore.

Therukoothu
Therukoothu is usually conducted during village festivals in the months of Panguni and Aadi. Therukoothu is performed on the streets and in open air. In this dance form, make-up and costumes are considered vary important. It is an all male dance as the males play the female roles as well. The performance involves story telling, songs, dance and dialogue rendering. The performances are based on stories from Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and the local folklore.

Silambaattam
It is a martial art form, practiced from the days of the Tamil Kings. It has metamorphosed into a non-violent form of folk dance, adding stepping styles into the dance following the measure of time. This martial art form also teaches the performer the methods of self-defense in modern day world.

Villu Paattu
Villu Paattu is a popular folk art form, which appeals the rural and the urban communities alike. In this folk art a chorus, musical instrument and a main instrument (Villu or Bow, fixed with bells) accompany the main singer. The Villu is struck rhythmically when the bells jingle in tune. The main singer narrates a tale, accompanied by some lively songs.

Snake Dance
The snake dance is yet another popular dance of Tamil Nadu. It arises mainly from the popularity of the snake as a protecting divinity that safeguards the health and happiness of the rural folk. Young girls, dressed in a tight- fitting snakeskin like costume, usually perform the snake dance. Here, the dancer stimulates the movements of snake, writhing and creeping and making quick biting movements.

History of Tamilnadu

The history of Tamil Nadu is very old and goes back to thousands of years back. It is believed that the Dravidians of Tamil country were once a part of the early Indus Valley settlers and moved south after the advent of the Aryans around 1500 BC. However, the recorded history of human civilization in Tamil Nadu goes back only to the 4th century BC. The Sangam literature has several references to the social, economic and cultural life of people in this part. The close proximity to the Sea put the Tamil Country on the maritime map of the world even before the dawn of Christian era. Over a period of time, the Tamils developed trade links with ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Due to its geographical and strategic location, Tamilnadu remained a bone of contention for political supremacy among different empires. Prior to the Christian era, the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas ruled the Tamil Country. The domains of these three dynasties changed many times over the centuries. Later, other dynasties like the Pallavas and the Chalukyas came into power. All these dynasties remained engaged in political skirmishes to retain supremacy over the land. The most remarkable aspect of these rulers was their patronage to literature, architecture, art and crafts. Most of these rulers gave their steady patronage to various arts that expedited the expansion of the Dravidian culture. The rich tradition of literature, music and dance, which were so ably supported by the Tamil rulers, continue to flourish to this day.

The early Cholas between 1st and 4th centuries ruled Tamil Nadu. The Cholas ruled the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli districts. At the peak of their glory, the Chola kings expanded their influence as far as Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the south and hundreds of kilometers across the northern region. Almost all the Chola Kings were magnificent temple builders. Brahadeswarer's Temple in Tanjore is a classical example of the magnificent architecture of the Chola kingdom. During the later half of 4th century, the Pallavas came into prominence and dominated the south for another 400 years. They ruled a large portion of Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. The Dravidian architecture reached its epitome during the Pallava rule.

The Cholas again rose as a notable power in 9th century under Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola. The Chola Empire extended to the central Indian states like Orissa and parts of West Bengal. Rajendra Chola went beyond, occupying the islands of Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Java, Sumatra, Malaya and the islands of Pegu with his fleet of ships. The Chola power declined in the last quarter of the thirteenth century and the Pandyas re emerged as a mighty power, in the early 14th century. But the emergence of Pallava was short lived as Alauddin Khilji subdued them in the beginning of the 14th century. The city of Madurai was plundered and completely destroyed. The invasion destroyed the Chola and Pandya dynasties and later led to the establishment of Bahmani Kingdom in the northern Deccan.

Tamil Nadu was also a witness to the struggle between the colonial powers in which the British came out victorious. The British fought with various European powers, driving the Dutch away and reducing the French dominions in India to Pondicherry. The British also fought four wars with Hyder Ali and later his son Tipu Sultan, which led to their eventual domination of India's south. The British consolidated south India into the Madras Presidency.

The Nationalist movement in Tamil Nadu started in the late eighteenth century. The anti-colonial feeling in Tamil Nadu started as early as 1806 at Vellore. After independence in 1947, the Madras Presidency became Madras State, comprising of present day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Northern Kerala, and the southwest coast of Karnataka. The state was later divided on linguistic lines. In 1968 the state of Madras was renamed Tamil Nadu.

Development of Infrastructure

(i) Destination Development
Destination is a place of tourist
interest which is one of the most
visited sites in the State or a
recognized Heritage monument. A
group of tourist attractions located
in the same village, town or city
would also qualify to be a
destination.
About 25 destinations
including Mamallapuram (Third
phase), Elagiri, Vellore, Kolli Hills,
Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli,
Tourist destination - Mamallapuram
Kumbakonam, Kalrayan Hills,
Courtallam, Madurai, Thanjavur,
Chettinad, Kanniyakumari, Marina Beach & Pudukkottai would be taken up
for development during the Plan period.
(ii) Circuit Development
A tourist who enters at the entry point should get motivated to visit all
the places identified on the circuit. The objective of having a tourist circuit is
to increase the total number of visits to all the destinations on the circuit on
the one hand and to provide to the tourists the attractions of all the destinations
located on the circuit.
During the Eleventh Plan period, the following tourist circuits would be
taken up for development. a) Chennai - Kancheepuram - Mamallapuram
Tourist Circuit, b) Eco-Tourism Circuit (15 circuits) c) Heritage Tourist Circuit,
d) Madurai-Courtallam-Papanasam-Tirunelveli Circuit, e) Chennai Navagraha
Circuit, f) Navakailasam Circuit (Tirunelveli-Thoothukudi) and
g) Tiruchirappalli - Shitthanavasal - Thirumayam Circuit.
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(iii) District Excursion Centres
In order to encourage the tourists to visit the nearby places of tourist
interest, the Tourism Department in consultation with the District Collectors
proposes to develop the tourist places in that District with 50% of the total
cost met by the Tourism Department and the balance 50% by the District
Administration. Every year 20 such centers are proposed to be developed.
(iv) Development of minor Waterfalls
In order to attract the domestic tourists, the Tourism Department is taking
efforts to develop waterfalls. In addition to major waterfalls at Courtallam and
Hogenakkal, there are other minor waterfalls which need adequate
infrastructure facilities. It is therefore proposed to develop the Tirparappu
Waterfalls (Kanniyakumari District), Megham Waterfalls (Villupuram District),
Jalagamparai Waterfalls (Vellore District) Agasthiyar Waterfalls (Tiruneveli
District) by providing approach roads, lighting facilities, dress changing rooms
and toilets.
(v) Development of Dam Sites
It is proposed to develop important dam sites such as Grand Anaicut ,
Krishnagiri Dam, Kelavarapalli Dam, Gomuki Dam, Mettur Reservoir,
Bhavanisagar, Amaravathi Dam, Vaigai Dam, Pillavakkal Dam, Manimuthar
Dam, Pechiparai Dam, Aziyar Dam, Thirumurthy Dam etc., to attract the
domestic tourists during the Plan period.
(vi) Pilgrim Tourism
Tamil Nadu is famous for
Temples, where there is a place of
worship in almost every habitation.
The Hindu Religious Charitable &
Endowment (HR&CE) department
alone has over 15000 temples under
its control. Apart from this, there
are hundreds of mosques, churches
and places of worship of Jains,
Brahadeeswarar temple, Thanjavur
Buddhists etc. Some of the pilgrim
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centres are more than 1000 years old. The architectural splendour of the
structures are still intact after having faced the fury of Nature and test of time.
Some of the pilgrim centres are world renowned. Four of the UNESCO declared
heritage sites in Tamil Nadu (Mamallapuram, Big Temple Thanjavur,
Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram) are pilgrim centres. Infrastructure
facilities in and around places of worship have been provided in the Tenth
Plan and this exercise would be continued during the Eleventh Plan period
also.
(vii) Heritage Tourism
Tamil Nadu can boast of its immense heritage wealth. This is clearly
evident from the presence of five UNESCO declared world heritage centres in
the state. Apart from this, there are a large number of relatively less known
heritage sites in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Government had declared 47
towns in the State as heritage towns for conservation and preservation of the
priceless heritage value. One of the very common complaints received from
the tourists is regarding proper upkeep of heritage tourist destinations. It is
proposed to curb the menace of spoiling the beauty of the heritage centres by
identifying 15 such centres to undertake minor works, arrest leakages, colour
washing etc., without endangering the original architecture and design. In
addition, provision of dust bins, public conveniences and landscaped parks
will be taken up along with a publicity campaign for creating proper awareness
among the tourists to keep the monuments clean.
(viii) Rural Tourism
Rural tourism is essentially an
activity which takes place in the
country side. It is multi-faceted and
may entail farm/agricultural tourism,
cultural tourism, nature tourism,
adventure tourism, and eco-tourism. As
against conventional tourism, rural
tourism has certain typical
characteristics such as being
experience oriented, and normally
associated with sparsely populated
Thiruvalluvar Statue - Kanniyakumari
798
locations predominantly in the natural environment, meshing with seasonality
and local events accompanied by preservation of the local culture, heritage
and traditions.
During the Eleventh Plan period, 20 places would be identified and
developed for Rural Tourism by undertaking improvement works in the
surroundings of the village and roads within the Panchayat limits, including
improved solid waste and sewerage management.
(ix) Farm Tourism
The future of this segment is very bright. In rough estimate, 20% of all
foreign exchange earnings through tourism may be raised through Farm
Tourism. It could be an extension to medical tourism as rejuvenation packages
can be packaged as "Health Packages".
Farm holidays are not a very new concept in the global market. This
concept is very popular to tourists as it offers them an opportunity to live in
comfortable farmhouses in green environment and to enjoy the thrill of the
outdoors.
An advantage is that all these operations offer local job opportunities.
Farm tourism compliments the income for the farm owners whose income
from agriculture is dwindling and will be encouraged during the Plan period.
(x) Medical Tourism
India is today reinventing itself as medical tourist destination. The super
multi-speciality hospitals which offer quality services at an affordable cost in
India and especially in Tamil Nadu have given a new dimension to the concept
of medical tourism. One of the major reasons for choosing India for medical
treatment is the medical expertise available and the relatively low cost of medical
care. The visa procedures have been simplified for medical tourists and now
video conferencing facilities have been introduced. These measures are sure
to result in a big spurt in arrival of medical tourists to Tamil Nadu. The Tourism
Department is gearing itself to meet the steady inflow of medical tourists. To
monitor the arrival of medical tourists, effective liaison would be maintained
with leading hospitals. Tourism brochures will be specially designed in
consultation with the medical institutions for medical tourists with some useful
tips on health care. The Tourism Department / TTDC staff members would be
specially trained to attend to the specific needs of medical tourists. Medical
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tourists will be provided with tourist guidance right inside their room in the
hospital. The medical tourists can avail of the Tourism Department assistance
to Plan their itinerary absolutely free of cost.
(xi) Eco-Tourism
Tamil Nadu boasts of immense potential for eco-tourism viz. Hill stations,
Mangroves, 5 National parks, 8 Sanctuaries, 12 Bird sanctuaries and 2
Biosphere resources (The Nilgiris & Gulf of Mannar) .
The objectives for promotion of Eco-Tourism are to provide a rejuvenating
experience for the tourists, to achieve economic uplift of the people in and
around eco-tourist spots, to create proper awareness among the people to
protect the extremely fragile ecology and to educate the tourists about the
wild life, forests and biodiversity.
During the Eleventh Five Year Plan period, it is proposed to develop eco-
Tourism at the various National Parks, Sanctuaries and hill stations including
the Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary, Anamalai Wild Life sanctuary, Kalakad
Mundanthurai wild life sanctuary, Gulf of Mannar, Point Calimer, Kodaikanal,
Hogenakkal, Pichavaram etc. The works proposed to be taken up at the above
centres will be infrastructure development and provision of accommodation,
water supply, sanitation, rest shed, watch tower, parking lot, transportation,
communication network, trekking, landscaping etc.
(xii) Adventure Tourism
Eco-friendly Adventure tours are gaining momentum. Tamil Nadu boasts
of several ideal locations to attract the visitors by encouraging, Trekking, Aqua
Sports, Hang-Gliding and Angling.
(xiii) Urban Haat
The “Urban Haat” (Market) is being established along the lines of the
famed “Delhi Haat” in New Delhi and will come up in a four acre plot with
about 140 – 150 stalls. Mamallapuram will soon have a one stop outlet that
will accommodate the state’s artisans and their handicrafts. The Artisans can
sell wares directly to foreign and domestic tourists in a market that is so
designed to accommodate all the artisans. This will directly benefit nearly 6.5
lakh artisans in the State. The showroom will have space for shelf display,
800
dormitories for artisans, an exhibition hall, food courts and public convenience
facilities.
(xiv) Promotion of Museums
The Tourism Department on its part desires to improve the facilities
available for tourists at the museums. It is proposed to create / upgrade
facilities at museums such as public conveniences, drinking water, approach
roads, restaurants, parking lots, lighting facilities, cloak rooms, rest sheds,
signages and parks so as to attract more visitors to visit these culturally and
educationally significant institutions.
(xv) Guide Training
The training of guides is aimed at fulfilling two main objectives i.e., to
provide employment opportunities to educated youths and to drive out touts
from the tourist spots. It is proposed to impart guide training to about 3000
youths i.e., 100 youths from each of the 30 districts during the Plan period.
The training would be conducted at Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, Kanniyakumari,
Rameswaram, Coimbatore, Udhagamandalam etc., for duration of 4 – 6 days.
(xvi) Tourism Police
Keeping in view the security and safety of tourists coming to the state,
tourism police will be introduced at Mamallapuram, Udhagamandalam,
Kodaikanal, Madurai and Kanniyakumari and other places in a phased
manner.
(xvii) Opening of Tourism Call Centres
For the benefit of the tourists, it is proposed to establish a "Tourism Call
Centre". Under this scheme, tourists can obtain any information relating to
Tamil Nadu tourism round the clock all the 365 days in a year from anywhere
across the globe.
(xviii) Introduction of "Night Safari at Vandalur Zoo"
It is proposed to introduce a “Night Safari" as an added attraction in the
Arignar Anna Zoological Park. It is expected that this new feature will increase
the number of tourists, both foreign and domestic, visiting the Zoological
Park during the night.
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(xix) Introduction of " Hop on Hop off" Tours in Chennai
It is proposed to introduce "Hop on Hop off Tour" in Chennai in cooperation
with the State Transport Corporation to facilitate the tourists to visit tourist
centres in Chennai. Under this tour, the tourist can board the bus at any
location and get off the bus at any stop convenient for seeing tourist attractions
in the city in a comfortable and leisurely manner.
(xx) Heli – Tourism
Helicopters possess many advantages when compared to wide-bodied jets.
Helicopters are suitable for short haul destinations and to ferry small group of
tourists, who desire flexible air timings. They can operate from small air
strips. In view of the above, it is proposed to introduce helicopter services to
the Tourist destinations through the private players. Tourism Department on
its part would only prepare the groundwork in association with the Civil Aviation
Ministry and the District Collectors concerned for establishment of Helipad in
the important centres.
Sourcing of Funds
The outlay for State sector during the Eleventh Plan is Rs.174.95 crore
including schemes for provision of basic facilities, amenities and infrastructure
in tourist centres and to provide the matching grant for Centrally sponsored
schemes. The private sector outlay for this sector is Planned at Rs.4025 crore
during the Plan period.

Tourism

Tourism is like a bridge. It connects our countries and it can connect people to each other. - Karen Chen

Tourism promotes national integration, tolerance and understanding of
different cultures. It encourages preservation of monuments, heritage
properties and eco-sanctuaries, helps survival of traditional art forms, crafts
and culture. It has achieved rapid strides due to its capacity to earn foreign
exchange, generate employment opportunities and inculcate a sense of
heritage and fraternity in the minds of people. Tourism is the third highest
foreign exchange earner for India.
Tamil Nadu is a unique state from the tourism point of view. The
immense tourist wealth of Tamil Nadu is one of the greatest assets of the
State. Nature has bestowed Tamil Nadu with countless number of tourist
spots such as hill stations, beaches, wild life sanctuaries, bird sanctuaries,
zoological parks etc. The long and rich history of the Tamil language and
society is marked by temples, pilgrim centres, historical and heritage
monuments etc. Tamil Nadu, the gateway of South India, has emerged as the
hub of tourism for West Asia and South East Asia. UNESCO has declared 788
places in the world as heritage sites, out of which, 26 are in India. Of these,
Tamil Nadu has been bestowed with 5 world heritage sites (i.e.) Rock cut
monuments at Mamallapuram, the Brahadeeshvara Temple at Thanjavur, the
Iravadisvara Temple at Darasuram, the Brahadeesvara Temple at
Gangaikondacholapuram and the Nilgiris Mountain Railway.
Tamil Nadu registered a 11.68% growth in terms of foreign tourist arrivals
in the year 2006 with the registered arrivals of 1.1 million tourists in the
State as against 4.43 million arrivals with a growth of 13% in India. Foreign
exchange earnings from tourism was Rs.3020 crore in Tamil Nadu achieving
an increase of 18.2% in 2006 as against Rs.29,604 crore with an increase of
17.6% for India.

The state has been vigorously pursuing a three pronged strategy of
attracting more tourists to Tamil Nadu, making them stay for a longer period
in the State, and providing them with world class infrastructure facilities in
order to boost the tourism sector. There are three types of tourists visiting the
state and separate strategies have to be designed to attract and retain each
category. With Chennai becoming a global metropolis, and the growth of
various industries such as automobiles, software, telecom and banking, Tamil
Nadu is fast becoming a favoured destination for business travellers. National
tourists i.e., tourists from the rest of India spend time in exploring the state in
detail, especially the zoological parks, pilgrimage centers, amusement parks,
shopping malls etc. On the other hand, foreign tourists are more interested
in visiting historical monuments, heritage sites as well understanding our
ecological and cultural resources. There is still substantial scope to promote
Tamil Nadu as a destination for business travellers as well as national and
international tourists.
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC)
The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) was
incorporated in 1971 with the main object of promoting tourism in Tamil
Nadu by building up adequate tourism related infrastructure facilities on
commercial basis. Besides owning the largest chain of 55 hotels in South
India, the TTDC also provides facilities such as youth hostels, restaurants,
boat houses and other tourist attractions covering all the major tourist
destinations in the State. TTDC operates 37 types of package tours ranging
from half a day to 14 days. These tours cover tourist destinations in Tamil
Nadu as well as some of the other states and they are very popular with
tourists. TTDC also organizes the India Tourist and Industrial Fair every year
for a period of 90 days from January to March. The TTDC has been helping to
achieve the objective of boosting the tourism in the State by supporting the
activities of the Department of Tourism.

Directorate of Art and Culture

Construction of new buildings and creation of infrastructural facilities
Construction of additional building at Tamil Valarchi Valaagam for the
use of Directorate of Art and Culture and new buildings for the six Regional
Art and Cultural Centres will be taken up during the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
The Government College of Architecture and Sculpture, Mamallapuram will
be provided with an open air museum as well as basic amenities to students.
The Tagore auditorium in Tamil Nadu Music College, Chennai will be improved.
A sum of Rs.5.10 crore is proposed for the provision of above facilities during
the Eleventh Five Year Plan.

New undergraduate courses are proposed to be started at Music College,
Chennai and Government College of Fine Arts, Kumbakonam. Additional
post graduate courses will be started in Government College of Architecture
and Sculpture, Mamallapuram and in Government College of Fine Arts,
Chennai. Improvement works are to be carried out in dye and printing,
textile and ceramic and kiln labs. A designing lab will be created. Special
emphasis will be given for training programmes such as language training to
teachers and students of music institutions, sculpture assistant training and
special training for disabled children which will help to upgrade the skills of
the students and increase their proficiency in fine arts.
It is also proposed to print and publish textbooks for Bachelor of Fine
Arts in Tamil by translating the existing books from English to enrich the
knowledge of students on latest developments in Art.
Conducting training programme for school / College students and arranging Arts competition at district level is proposed. To encourage the upliftment of the social status of SC/STs, training in the varioustraditional art forms such as Karagam,Kavadi,Thappatam,Nayyandi Melam, etc. will be given. Special coaching in dance, painting, arts and Art and Culture, Karagattam crafts will be provided for the benefit of disabled children and physically handicapped. A sum of Rs.1.50
crore is proposed for implementing these schemes.
Documentation and organising camps
It is proposed to document the art forms and interviews of the popular
and senior most emeritus artistes of all art disciplines using audio and video
media. The photographs of drama artistes and their voices are to be collected
and preserved as documents for future generation. It is also proposed to
organize camps for Iyal, Isai and Natakam separately by inviting artistes who
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have done yeomen services in the disciplines of Tamil literature, music and
drama. A sum of Rs.0.45 crore is proposed for the documentation and
organising these camps during the EIeventh Five Year Plan.
Incentive schemes
It is proposed to institute the awards in order to honour the popular
artistes in the field of performing arts, by conferring the awards in the name
of Tamil savants. A sum of Rs.0.20 crore is proposed for this scheme. To
popularize the study of music, the students of Music Colleges will be given
stipends at the rate of Rs.250 per month with a total outlay of Rs.0.75 crore.
Department of Archaeology
Excavation of historical sites and improvement of site museums
The excavations at historically important places are being conducted every
year by the Directorate of Archaeology. The antiquities unearthed from
excavation reveals the cultural past of Tamil Nadu, as well as the maritime
trade contact of Tamils with Western, especially the Romans. So far 29
historical sites have been unearthed and valuable antiquities preserved in 14
archaeological site museums, which are going to be modernised at a cost of
Rs.0.10 crore. It is proposed to conduct excavations at the important
archaeological sites, with a sum of Rs.0.15 crore in the Eleventh Five Year
Plan.
Conservation of Monuments
The Conservation division in the Directorate of Archaeology will be
strengthened with power tools, computers etc. During the Plan period, 2
religious monuments and 6 secular monuments will be taken up for restoration
and conservation. The safety of these monuments will also be taken up.
Infrastructure for the epigraphy students will be improved. An outlay of Rs.0.91
crore is proposed for these schemes in the Plan.
Publication of books
There are about 12,400 inscriptions copied in paper with ink impressions.
About 2,000 inscriptions are in the process of publication. During the Eleventh
Five Year Plan period, the remaining 10,000 inscriptions will be taken up for
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publication. Similarly, books on archaeological museums, monuments and
guide books and monographs will be published. A sum of Rs.0.20 crore is
proposed for the purpose.
Tamil Nadu Archives
Administrative Infrastructure
In order to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the Tamil Nadu
Archives in 2009, it is proposed to construct a Centenary building with
infrastructure facilities and furniture at a cost of Rs.3.00 crore. The District
Record Centre buildings at Tanjore and Madurai which are now functioning
in rented buildings will be constructed with an outlay of Rs.1.20 crore.
The Research hall and administrative block in Tamil Nadu Archives will
be modernised and renovated with an outlay of Rs.0.25 crore. A sum of
Rs.0.50 crore is proposed for technology upgradation and modernization of
Tamil Nadu Archives. Digitisation and network enabling of the Tamil Nadu
Archives will also be taken up at a cost of Rs.0.25 crore during the Eleventh
Plan.

Art and Culture

The life of Tamils is very much inter-twined with art, be it their success or failure; The Tamils have a natural inclination towards exhibiting the culture through excellent forms of art. - Perarignar Anna

Tamil Nadu is a land of ancient temples. The architecture and sculptural
features of these temples are examples of the artistic abilities and advanced
civilisation of the ancient Tamils. The fine arts such as paintings, dance and
music play a significant role in the day-to-day life of people by providing
them with happiness and mental peace. We are able to appreciate our ancient
cultural roots through the Tamil musical traditions left behind by the great
musicians of yester years. The fine arts were patronized by many Tamil
emperors, chieftains, intellectuals and landlords. This is very well proved
through the sources of edicts and excavations in several parts of the State.
The State has been taking various steps to protect and propagate our
ancient traditional art forms among the people. The State also plays a role in
encouraging through conduct of art festivals and award functions and also
protect their livelihood through distribution of old age pensions. The native
art forms of Tamil Nadu are also disseminated through various institutions
including the colleges of music, fine arts and sculpture, the Tamil Nadu Iyal
Isai Nadaka Mandram, Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai kuzhu and Tamil Nadu
Jawahar Bala Bhavan.
For imparting Fine Arts Education, there are 4 music colleges, 17 music
schools, besides two Government colleges of Fine Arts in Chennai and
Kumbakonam and one Government College of Architecture and Sculpture at
Mamallapuram. The student intake of the Music College is 855 annually,
while that of the College of Fine Arts and the College of Architecture &
Sculpture are 834 and 140 respectively.
The excavations at the historically important places have been carried
out and valuable antiquities have been unearthed and preserved in
archaeological site museums situated in various districts of the State. The

government and other records are preserved on scientific lines in the State
Archives.
The museums, being a treasure house of our national heritage, are
dedicated to help the public to understand and appreciate the natural world,
the history of the State. The museums also collect and exhibit articles that
reflect the artistic, scientific and technological achievements of the people of
the State. The Chennai museum is famous for its rich and rare collection. It
preserves a unique collection of artifacts in various fields like art, archaeology,
anthropology, natural science and geology. Apart from the Chennai museum,
there are 20 District museums in the State.

Eleventh Five Year Plan Objectives

The objectives of the Eleventh Five Year Plan are 1) to take special efforts
to use Tamil as administrative language in Government offices in a full-fledged
manner for the implementation of official language and to make Tamil the
medium of transaction in day to day activities in temples, educational
institutions, business establishments and courts including High Court 2) to

preserve the ancient greatness and literary richness of the Tamil language, 3)
to enlighten the people regarding the glory of the Tamil language and literature
4) to pay special attention for the enrichment of the Tamil language to cope
with the changes in the era of Science and Technology development, particularly
Information Technology, and 5) to make available a comprehensive
contemporary Tamil dictionary and etymological dictionary, for the use of
researchers in linguistics.
Plan Proposals
Schemes to be implemented during Eleventh Five Year Plan are given
below:
Ongoing Schemes
Grants, prizes etc. for Tamil Development
Ongoing schemes such as preparation of ‘verbose’ on Tamil literature,
publication of encyclopedia on technical terms and Tirukkural will be continued
during the Eleventh Plan. In addition, schemes such as nationalization of
books written by Tamil Scholars, and awards and prizes for implementation of
official language scheme will be implemented. A sum of Rs.1.90 crore is
proposed for these schemes during the Eleventh Plan period.
Endowment for chair for Tamil studies in Foreign Universities
Tamil studies in foreign countries will be given special focus by instituting
Tamil chairs in foreign universities. A sum of Rs.0.10 crore is proposed during
the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
New Schemes
Implementation of official language
In order to strengthen the use of Tamil as the official language in
Government offices, an intensive inspection drive will be launched at the district
and sub-district level. Further, to enable Government officers to adopt a uniform
set of official forms only in Tamil, an e-book will be published. This book,
which will contain the standardized Tamil forms will be made available on the
computer for easy downloading. An amount of Rs.0.52 crore is proposed for
these schemes during the plan period.

Preserving the glory of Tamil language
The ancient richness and heritage of Tamil language and literature has
to be preserved for posterity. To achieve this objective, the schemes that will
be taken up, include publication of ‘ideal treasure’ of Tamil literature and
completion of Tamil vocabulary from multiple sources such as literature,
inscriptions and palm leaves.
It is estimated that there are 2 lakh palm leaves, which are rare treasures
with useful information. Hence it is also proposed to bring out the bibliography
of these leaves to ensure that this ancient heritage is preserved.
The writings of the best Tamil scholars which are nationalised will be
published and disseminated, both in book form and on the website. Special
training classes and workshop on translation will be conducted. Financial
assistance will be given to the Madras University for the publishing of the
Tamil lexicon.
These schemes will be implemented at a total cost of Rs.3.28 crore.
Promotion of Tamil Literature among non-Tamils
In order to enlighten the people of other languages to know the ancient
richness and literature of the Tamil language, schemes such as supply of
pamphlets about Thiruvalluvar and translated copy of Thirukkural to the
tourists visiting the Thiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari, financial assistance
to the Dravidian University at Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh and translation of
Tamil literature into English will be implemented, with an outlay of Rs.0.50
crore.
Enlightenment of Tamil languages in consonance with the development of
Science and Technology
The Tamil language has to be constantly enriched to keep up with the
development of Science and Technology. Importance will be given to inputs
like preparation of translation software and creation of fonts converter.
Digitalisation of Tamil literature will also be taken up. The total allocation for
these schemes is Rs.0.70 crore.

Schemes for Tamil Etymological Dictionary Project
A special thrust will be given to bring out the remaining parts of the
comprehensive etymological dictionary. Similarly compilation and printing of
comprehensive contemporary Tamil Dictionary is also planned based on the
objectives highlighted in the Plan. A sum of Rs.0.26 crore is proposed for the
above schemes.
Eleventh Five Year Plan Outlay
The total outlay for the Tamil Development sector for the Eleventh Plan is
Rs. 7.26 crore.

Review of Tenth Five Year Plan

The objectives of the State in the Tenth Five Year Plan were to promote
Tamil language, literature, grammar, art and culture, especially promotion of
Tamil writers, translation of Tamil writing into other languages, preparation of
encyclopedia on Tamil art, literature, grammar, special and technical terms,
translation of Tamil literature, as well as effective implementation of official
language scheme and encouraging of computer literacy in Tamil through
preparation of Tamil software.

Financial Review
As against the outlay of Rs.10.00 crore for Tamil language development,
an expenditure of Rs.1.53 crore was incurred during the plan period.
Physical Performance
During the Tenth Plan period, the activities such as special inspection
in all departments of Tamil Nadu Government and conduct of training classes
on official language scheme for the Government servants were carried out as
part of the implementation of the Official Language Scheme. Competitions in
poetry, essay and eloquence among the college and school students to
encourage their efficiency in language and creativity, preparation of verbose,
encyclopedia on technical terms, digital dictionary, spell check and grammar
check software in Tamil, as well as CDs on the specialities of places mentioned
in Tamil literature and translation of Tamil literature into Hindi were carried
out as part of the efforts for the development of the Tamil language.
The works of following Tamil scholars, were nationalized during the plan
period: 1) Thiru Puthumaipithan, 2) Tmt. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal , 3) Navalar
Pandithar Na. Mu. Venkatasamy Nattar., 4) Thiru Ka. Na. Subramanian, 5)
Thiru Na. Pichamurthi, 6) Thiru Mayuram Vedanayakam Pillai, 7) Thiru Sakthi.
Vai . Govindan, 8) Thiru T.P. Meenatchi Sundaranar, 9) Thiru Tha. Na.
Kumarasami, 10) Thiru Pulavar Kulandai, 11) Silambuchelvar Ma.Po.Si and
12) Parithimar Kalaignar (Thiru .Vi.Ko Suriyanarayana Sastriar).

Tamil Culture

Let us translate all great literature of the world
into Tamil;
And bring forth new books of immortal fame
in Tamil itself.
- People’s Poet Bharathi

Introduction
Tamil Language with its antiquity and glory is now recognized as one of
the classical languages like Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Chinese and Arabian, even
after many thousands of years, Tamil is a young and living language, being
spoken language of Tamils living in many countries all over the world. Many
classical languages have become obsolete but Tamil is distinct as one of the
few living languages.
The Tamil scholar, Pavalareu Perunchithiranar has commented upon
the universal glory of the Tamil language and said, "Foreign linguists, while
appreciating specific characteristics of other languages like tradition in the
Japanese language, prose in French, versatility in German, beauty of words
in Italian, vocabulary in Greek, brevity and clarity in Latin, celebrate Tamil as
a language that has all these characteristics". Heeding the long term demand
of the Tamils to declare Tamil as a classical language, based on its ancient
richness and glory, the Government of India has notified Tamil as a classical
language in 2004.
People are capable of thinking rationally and expressing their emotions
and thoughts only in their own language. The administration, run for the
welfare of the common people, should be in their language. With this view,
the Tamil Official Language Act was enacted on 27.12.1956 in the Tamil Nadu
Legislative Assembly declaring Tamil as the Official language of Tamil Nadu.
The Official Language Implementation Committee was constituted by the
Government in the year 1957 to give suggestions regarding the implementation
of the Act. Since then the focus has been on the implementation of official
language scheme promoting the use of Tamil in Government administration.
A Special Officer was appointed to inspect and guide the implementation of
the Tamil official language scheme in government departments to enrich the
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glossary of administrative terms and to supervise the translation works of
codes and rules.
After the Official Language Committee was re-constituted as the Tamil
Development Department, steps have been taken by the State to improve the
usage of Tamil as Official Language in Government administration along with
the implementation of various schemes relating to the development of Tamil.
Action is also being taken to persuade the Central Government to declare
Tamil as one of its official languages, to promote the usage of Tamil in the day-
to-day functioning of the High court and to announce the Thirukkural as
national literature.
The department has been performing two major tasks, namely, Official
Language Implementation and the Development of Tamil. The following
activities have been carried out by the State regarding the implementation of
Official Language Scheme.
To conduct special inspection regarding the implementation of official
language scheme in all government offices
To conduct seminars in districts to create awareness regarding the
official language scheme.
Awarding prizes to the Government servants who write best drafts
and notes in Tamil.
Awarding shields and certificates to encourage those offices which
carryout all activities in Tamil.
To impart training to the Government staff in the official language
scheme.
To provide necessary translations for the implementation of the
official language scheme.
To publish books helpful for the implementation of official language.
The activities relating to Tamil development have been carried out as
follows:
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Financial assistance for the publication of Tamil Books.
Awarding Prizes for best Tamil books.
Financial Assistance for aged Tamil Scholars.
Financial Assistance for Tamil Stalwarts.
Awards to Tamil Scholars in the name of Thiruvalluvar, Thiru Vi.Ka,
Paventhar Bharathidasan, Bharathiyar, Ki.Aa.Pe. Viswanatham.
Celebration of birthdays and centenaries of Tamil Scholars
Establishing Tamil Chair in Universities in other states and financial
assistance to Universities and other organizations for development of
Tamil.
Nationalisation of books by famous Tamil scholars and sanctioning
the compensation amount to their families.
Preparing Digital Dictionary, Spell-Check and Grammar Check
Software in Tamil.
Translation of the best literary works of India and other countries
into Tamil.
Translation of Tamil literary works into Hindi.
Preparation of CDs on the specialities of the places mentioned in
Tamil Literature.
Preparation of ‘verbose’ on Tamil Literature.
Preparation of Encyclopedia on technical terms in Tamil
Publication of Encyclopedia on Thirukkural.
Production of documentary film on Tamil writers and scholars.