World Tamil Conference

[nas_ng at lms420.jsc.nasa.gov]

          Eighth World Tamil Conference
   
              Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

                January 1-5, 1995

The Government of Tamil Nadu is hosting the 8th International
Conference of Tamil studies at Thanjavur, the ancient Chola capital.
Scholars as well as non-academic persons interested in Tamil culture
are invited to attend this major event.

While in Madras, the contact addresses are:

Thiru. S. D. Somasundaram
Minister for revenue
President, Souvneir committee
No. 120, Santhome High Road
Pattinappakkam,
Madras 600 028
Phone: 4940160             Fax: 566287
       4942932
or
Dr. R. Nagaswamy
Director of Archaeology (Retd.)
No. 22, 22nd Cross Street
Besant Nagar
Madras 600 090
Phone 4916005

Dr. Noboru Karashima is the Chairperson, academic committee.
Cetupati copper plate grants, 107 in number, are being edited
by Dept. of Epigraphy, Tamil University. Some old, never before
published prabandhams will be printed. A nice souvneir and
some volumes of proceedings will come out.

Several scholars from USA are attending the Tanjore conference
including Dr. Indira Peterson, Dr. Dennis Hudson, Dr. Paula
Richman, Dr. Robert Frykenberg, Dr. Eugene Irschik, Dr A. Velupillai 
(Jaffna, now at Sweden). Dr. Nagaswamy likes to know whether 
anybody else is coming. Please let me know and I will pass on 
the information to him.

N. Ganesan
nas_ng at lms461.jsc.nasa.gov

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At the cost of several crores of tax rupees, politicians are
trying to get the maximam out of this. They will bring in truck
loads of illiterate masses from villages to Tanjore and feed them,
show some cinemas, etc., Driving home the point that they are
the custodians and saviors of Tamil culture and heritage will be
the main thrust. The relatives and friends of the people in power 
will make money. In spite of all this, some good things  will
happen to tamil too. The conference gives a rare chance for scholars
to contact, meet and discuss things together. Some new books and projects
will be conceived or produced. On the Fifth World Tamil conference,
(Madurai, 1981) Norman Cutler (University of Chicago) wrote his
views in a nice article in Pacific Affairs as "The Fish-eyed Goddess
goes to the Movies". Fish-eyed Goddess is Minakshi, the patron-goddess
of Madurai and the word "Movies" hints at the powerful connection
between Tamil politics and cinema.

N. Ganesan