European scholars of Tamil versus Sankritists

One cannot resist comparing what many European scholars and Christian missionaries (Note 1) have done for the Tamil language with the damage the home-based Sanskritists have inflicted upon the Tamil language over many centuries before the Europeans arrived, and even thereafter.

In order to salvage Tamil from its Sanskritic corruption (manipravaalam) (Note 2), Maraimalai Adigal launched the Thani Thamizh Iyakkam in the face of great opposition from the Sanskritists. The Tamil we have today and that has been recognized as a classical language (also click here) - with the distinction of being also a living language – indeed owes much to the collective effort of these European / Christian scholars and a series of indigenous Tamil scholars, including Maraimalai Adigal.

The European scholars who were also mostly Christian missionaries took the pain to learn Tamil and its literature so as to, first, understand the cultural makeup and impulses of the people, and then preach the Christian faith in the language of the people (or, what the colonialists referred to condescendingly as the ‘vernacular’). In the process, by sharing and contributing, they helped to re-vitalize the language of the people. Their works marked the beginning of what has come to be recognized as the era of Tamil Renaissance (Note 1).

The mentality of the Sanskritists had been the polar opposite. It was always about appropriation, marginalisation and obliteration. Sanskrit was itself artificially constructed to make it unintelligible to the ordinary people. Pre-existing knowledge / texts in the language(s) of the people were all imported / translated into Sanskrit. The ablest amongst the natives/indigenes were inducted into the folds of the caste system, specifically into its priesthood, as were the kings but who were subordinated to the priesthood as Rajanyas / Kshatriyas. Existing records of knowledge in the people’s language(s) were allowed to decay or disappear, through neglect or design. Education was increasingly de-emphasised for the ordinary people: to be codified as a prohibition under the karma-Dharma of Manusmrti. Wherever the priesthood intruded, the temple deities themselves were distanced from the language of the people.

By gradually establishing Sanskrit as the language for intellectual and religious discourse, Sanskrit became the link language of the educated or the elite / upper class – not unlike Latin in the past (in old Europe) and English today. This could only lead to the impoverishment of the language of the people.

A further detriment suffered by the language of the people was through excessive infusion of Sanskrit words. If it had been limited to the addition of essential new words or new roots, that would have been legitimate and enriching: all languages grow by selective borrowings, including Sanskrit (which has thousands of Tamil / Dravidian language roots). What actually happened was a massive onslaught that led to the unnecessary displacement of even existing and effective words in the Tamil language on a large scale. It is this Sanskritization of the Tamil language that led to its fragmentation into languages like Malayalam, etc. centuries ago. Of more recent times, as late as the early 20th century, we encounter an exceedingly corrupt form of Tamil called ‘manipravaalam’ (Note 2).

Thanks to Maramalai Adigal and the Thani Thamizh Iyakkam, we have a Tamil language today that would be unrecognizable to the manipravaalites. It is these exponents of Thani Thamizh that writer Jayakanthan had recently dared to deride, only to be met by swift and decisive condemnation. It is this Tamil language – salvaged through so much arduous and untiring effort - that has now gone on to earn formal recognition as a classical language. If Tamil had remained stuck in its past corrupt 'manipravaalam' form, this distinction would have eluded her forever. The Tamil world owes eternal gratitude to Maramalai Adigal and such others.

Having come this far, the Tamil language faces a new danger today through the mindless, indiscriminate and unnecessary importation of English words, AND the neglect she suffers in education and governance in the state of Tamil Nadu.

(adaptation & elaboration of my earlier two posts on GT@yahoogroups.com on 17 Sep 2005)

Note 1:

The Contribution of European Scholars to Tamil, by Dr K Meenakshisundram (International Institute of Tamil Studies), University of Madras (1974):


“In the history of Tamil literature the advent of European interest is indisputably a landmark. This era can be considered as the initial beginning for the Tamil Renaissance. It was a reawakening of flagging interest and drowsy talent to the inexhaustible mine of literature and literary capacities.

Before the advent of European scholars into the domain of Tamil literature, prose in the language had been a mere rivulet compared to the vast ocean of Tamil poetry……

Tamil was exposed to the all-permeating influence of Sanskrit. Almost all was either attributed to her or to her dominating influence. She (Tamil) was entangled with Sanskrit and it was left to European scholars to detach her from that gnawing hold when creative Tamil literary activity had nearly reached an impasse and channel her in her own individual courses.

The ways that were paved for subsequent native following, the torches they lit to enlighten those ways, the western methods they profitably introduced and the long vistas opened up for future speculation and research by European scholars form a golden chapter in the history of Tamil literature….. Any study of Tamil literature is irremovably entwined with the perpetual stamps they have left behind. No study of it can be complete, devoid of an honest and candid appreciation of them. They retrieved for us the glories of our past literature, they reawakened in us the sparks of lively interest and they introduced us to the great scientific strides of the west….. Some Catholic Missionaries on arriving in India adopted either Tamil or Indianised names and became known by them. Protestant Missionaries on the contrary gave foreign names to native converts……. These scholars came from many nations – Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Scotland etc., and the influence each different environment had on its respective scholar is interesting and important.

…….. History has never been a fertile soil for Indian minds. History was shrouded by legends and myths, and facts were distorted beyond recognition. It was only after European scholars commenced their labours that a taste for history developed. Their innumerable but regular letters have become the skeletons around which the history of Tamilnad was constructed. These letters depicted conditions prevailing in Tamilnad during those days. It was around these letters that many history books of Tamilnad were written like “The Nayaks of Madura”……” (p.1 -3)


“….. Torn by domestic quarrels and internal strife, perpetually threatened by the Moghuls and other northern forces, frequently ravaged by famine and diseases and devastated by daring robbers, the history of South India was one of turmoil and chaos from the 16th century onwards. In that era of vicissitudes and oscillating alliances, the foreign missionaries had to toil amidst great obstacles (to) advance their cause and to spread the Gospel……. Each force vying with the other to rule supreme and respectively trying to force their culture and language on the conquered was the order of the day. Tamil was over-ridden in turn by Telugu, Urudu, Marathi and last but not least by Sanskrit. There was a day when the bards of Tamilnad shied to write in their mother tongue. One is almost reminded of Bacon who preferred to write his books in Latin so as to preserve them for all posterity. Most of the earlier workds were in Olai (Palm leaves) and were inaccessible. The learned few, jealously guarded what they had. During this dark era, the work of several missions and the missionaries is the redeeming feature and their work ushered in a period of reawakening and enlightenment. Their work is epoch-making history…….

Though through Missionary efforts the printing press had been imported as early as 1577, printing presses were installed both in Bombay and Madras to publish newspapers towards the close of the 18th century (1785-94). “In the 18th century the attitude of Englishmen towards Indians changed from indifference in the beginning to close contact. The days of corrupt Company officials, of ill-gotten fortunes, of oppression of ryots, of Zenanas and of illicit sexual connections, were also the days when Englishmen were interested in Indian culture.”……” (p.22-24)


“A dark cloud descended on the Tamil country and shrouded Tamil. During this age Tamil literature was veritably stagnant. Tamilnad stopped growing politically, economically and socially. With the arrival of European scholars, a new awakening was heralded. Their interest began slowly to seep through the thick cloud of apathy and a revival of literary interest commenced.

The reigning notion prevalent in the south at that time was to trace the origin of Tamil to Sanskrit. It was steadfastly believed that apart from Sanskrit, she could never have an independent existence. Europeans, however, got acquainted with Tamil sooner than with Sanskrit and the reason is obvious, since Tamil was a living language unlike Sanskrit. Their early studies based on Latin and Greek models revealed the baseless assumptions of the origin of Tamil. Many South Indian languages were taken up for individual study and research. Later, a comparison of such studies followed which culminated in the stupendous but admirable work by Dr Caldwell. It was Caldwell who diligently proved beyond doubt, the independent origin and existence of Tamil. She was declared to possess a vast and rich ancient literature. A Dravidian family of languages was asserted by these studies which consisted of cultivated and uncultivated languages of which Tamil was the eldest sister. A comparative and historical study of the affiliated languages also commenced. Dr. Caldwell’s works inspired many successive studies and to this day, they are venerated……

The unique ideas embedded in Tamil were for the first time startlingly released to the western world by translations. The various translations of the great Tamil works into the different tongues of the occident exhibited the peerlessness of the Kural, the exquisitiveness of the Tiruvacakam and other major works which had hitherto remained occult. Natives recognized the value of such translations and began to emulate their methods.

The elusive nature of “floating literature” refused to baffle them. Proverbs and folksongs were collected, edited and translated, saving them for subsequent research and posterity.

A catalogue of the printed Tamil books showed the development and retardation of the language in each branch of literature. It was an eye-opener to the natives.

Manuscripts which would have perished but for the ceaseless efforts of European scholars like Tavarnier, Mackenzie and Brown were unearthed and edited adopting western methods of punctuation. They were later printed and many a work emerged into the limelight.

Inscriptions were read by the scholars like Keilhorn, Fleet and Burnell with a historical sense for the first time. Then the scholars began to decipher and detect from them many an obscure historical facts.

Prose literature was given a new impetus. Geography, science, history and short stories found expression in Tamil. The mighty engine of literature, the press hastened the spread of literature and brought works until then inaccessible within easy reach. Newspapers, dailies, magazines, periodicals etc., began to exert a remarkable influence. Methods of education changed and modern but advantageous changes followed…….

Religious ideas belonging to their own Christian faith were remarkably introduced, garbed in Tamil. Here again, Beschi’s Tempavani has and will stand the test of time.

The non-chalant native attitude towards Tamil and their indiscriminate attraction towards English was mercilessly denounced by these foreign scholars. They decisively showed that for cultural survival, native literature cannot be abandoned. Translating from English to Tamil and vice versa was profitably encouraged…….

To sum up, we have to emphasize the facts that European scholars declared to the world the great culture inherent in Tamil and introduced a new scientific way of studying her. Through Tamil, the great scientific discoveries were introduced to her people and they were awakened from a long slumber to an era of activity and advancement. கன்னித் தமிழ் பாடி காலமெல்லாம் தமிழ் வளர்ப்போம் !” (p.336-338)


Note 2:

Jayankanthan and Tamil language sentiments (9 June 2005), Note 1

Malayalam: Motivated genesis of a language (12 Nov 2005)


Related blogs:

Macaulay continues to rankle the Sanskritists (3 March 2006)

'Sanskritisation': Definition or Deflection? (28 Feb 2006)

Dumbing down of Hindu society (1): 'Mother of All (Open) Secrets' (14 Aug 2005)

Hinduism: its caste system & priesthood (18 June 2005)

Jayankanthan and Tamil language sentiments (09 June 2005)


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