Dear Jeyamohan,
The two videos on the Tamil Renaissance Moment are simply enlightening. Honestly, I don’t have any idea about this. I initially believed there was no intellectual movement in Tamil Nadu. The fault is not entirely mine, because the individuals put forth by the Dravidian movement are simple political propagandists. If we are broad-minded enough, we can add EVR as a social reformer. I am glad to know that there was a wonderful intellectual moment like ‘Tamil iyakkam’ in our land.
Raja Cheliyan
Dear Raja,
Generally, populist movements like the Dravidian movement absorb the essence of intellectual moments and achieve political power. They present their leaders as intellectuals. EVR, C.N. Annadurai, and M. Karunanidhi are political icons, not intellectuals.
Intellectual movement is a distinct concept. I would define it like this.
- There must be a continuous evolution of at least three generations in a specific field of knowledge; it must generate a diverse range of scholars.
- It must have some extraordinary intellectual achievements that have a timeless value.
- It must create the intellectual base for future cultural and sociological developments in that society.
- It usually creates many intellectual organizations to establish its goals.
The remarkable Tamil movement embodies all these characteristics and features. It has persisted for over a century. It created outstanding classics like Karnamirtha Sagaram and Yazh Nool. It created the base of today’s Tamil cultural life. It constituted great institutions like Madurai Tamil Sangam and Karanthai Tamil Sangam.
Jeyamohan
Jeyamohan
