What The International Workshop On Tamil Manuscript In Chennai Was All About

A two-day international workshop was recently organised by the World Tamil Research Centre, Chennai at Excel College for Commerce and Science on November 2 and November 3, 2023. The two-day workshop was aimed at enlightening students on the reading and transcription of Tamil manuscripts. Today, let’s take a detailed look at what the workshop offered.

According to reports, this training workshop was organised under the total supervision of guests like Dr AK Natesan, Vice President of Excel College for Commerce and Science; Dr N Mathan Karthik, Vice Chairman at Excel group institutions; and Dr K Bommanna Raja, Executive Director of Excel Group of Institutions.

The event was started by a welcome speech by Tamil Department Head, Dr J Gopikrishna; followed by Assistant Professor, C Kavita, who introduced the special guests.

Reports suggest that four sessions were held on both days. In the first session on the morning of day one, epigraphical researcher Dr A Raja spoke on the subject of symbols and compound letters in Tamil characters, followed by lessons on footprints and symbols.

In the second session, Dr Kanimozhi Chelathurai, a trace researcher from Thanjavur, spoke on the subject of Story Song Trace Edition and Field Study. He gave training on the prevalence of story songs in Tamil Nadu, the basis on which story songs are formed, how story songs are recorded in Odalaihwadi, and how to interpret them through field research.

On the first day, three and four sessions were conducted by Thanjavur Saraswati Mahal Library Tamil Pandit, Dr Manimaran, on two topics: medical texts in Tamil and reading and copying medical texts.

On the second day, the first session was taken by Dr S Thamaraipandian, assistant professor of the World Tamil Research Institute, Chennai, who addressed the topics of the collection of Tamil prints, the need for preservation, and the ethics of reading and transcription of Tamil prints. In the second session, he also gave training on how to collect Tamil footprints, how to preserve them, and how to read and transcribe Tamil footprints.

The third and fourth sessions were taken by K Tamishchandiya, a Chennai-based trace researcher, on the topics of scroll prints and the need for preservation, reading, and copying of scroll prints.

The closing ceremony of the workshop was attended by various professors and students from various leading universities and colleges in Tamil Nadu, like SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College Madurai, Bishop Heber College, and Srinivasan College of Arts and Science in Perambalur.

Certificates were also awarded to the participants. At the end of the program, Assistant Professor of the Tamil Department, Mr P Parthasarathy, delivered the vote of thanks. Reports say more than 400 students participated in the event and benefited.