Newsletter Issue 9 | Jan 2025 So apparently the Tamil art form, the Kolam (கோலம்) is just math? Kolams are beautiful patterns drawn on the ground in the morning using natural materials such as rice flour or rock salt. These designs are often found at the entrance of homes and events. The origins of Kolam are unclear, as most speculate that the oral tradition and teaching of this art form cannot be precisely dated. However, scholars agree that Kolams have evolved over at

What does Avvaiyar’s call to seek wealth reveal about ancient Tamil travellers? From poetry to Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in Egypt, explore movement, exchange, and meaning.

The task of translating Tamil works is not simple. Tamil literature is poetry. This is because much of Tamil history, knowledge, and lived experience was preserved through oral traditions — carried in song, memory, and verse long before it was written down. Our written works today honour the poets of those times and the traditions they sustained. For storytellers and translators, this creates a unique challenge: how does one not only decode centuries-old Tamil, but also carry

There is a growing interest within the Tamil community to learn more about, and reconnect with, Tamil history, language, and heritage. I often hear a sense of defeat or regret: not having learned from elders, not paying attention in school, or feeling as though the opportunity has passed. Yet, as the great Tamil poets Avvaiyar and Thiruvalluvar remind us, learning is the greatest form of wealth, and it is never too late to begin. Perhaps some of the insights found in the boo

Explore how Tamils went from indigenous dowry traditions to a socially exploitive system Weddings mark a transitional phase in one’s life, a new chapter in which one begins their own family. In ancient Tamil society, this transition was often supported through an inheritance dowry: a voluntary transfer of wealth from parents to daughters at the time of marriage. This could include furniture, gold, jewellery, land, or even a house, and its purpose was to provide financial sec

Explore ancient Tamil worldviews through daily expressions

Rice is widely consumed in Tamil cuisine today, but it was not always the staple grain. Millets were historically a major staple.

Tamil poetry is the guardian of Tamil history.

Long before modern science explored intuition or interoception, ancient Tamils wrote about a “sixth sense” in their grammar text—the Tholkappiyam.

Orissa Balu was a world renowned researcher, scientist and archaeologist, who paved the way for a deeper understanding of Tamil history.