DIGITIZING RARE DICTIONARIES : REPORT TO CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL TAMIL

These are days when digitalization is the goal of the day and every institution in world is racing ahead to accomplish this task. Central Institute of Classical Tamil had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tamil University Thanjavur on March 2, 2014

RESEARCH INITIATIVE:

Tamil University Vice-Chancellor M. Thirumalai and V.G. Bhooma, Director, Central Institute for Classical Tamil (CICT), exchanging copies of the MoU signed in Thanjavur. Tamil University here and the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Saturday for the creation of “Tholkappiar Chair” (Tholkappiam, is an ancient Tamil Grammar book written by Tholkappiar).  M. Thirumalai, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, and V.G. Bhooma, Director, CICT, signed the MoU at the university.

The Vice-Chancellor told presspersons that Rs. 1 crore had been deposited by the CICT for the creation of the Chair. “Interest amount coming from this will be used for taking up research in Tholkappiam.” “Seminars and workshops on Tholkappiam will be conducted. Experts selected for this chair will be the co-ordinators for the seminars and workshops. They will also be responsible for publishing books as an outcome of the research. Research taken up by the chair will be published as a book with at least 200 pages”, Prof. Thirumalai said.Ms. Bhooma said that CICT was happy to create the chair in Tamil University as the university was the apt place to conduct research in Tholkappiam.

The university had done excellent research work in classical Tamil. Similar chair would be created for Thiruvalluvar at Annamalai University. CICT had brought out index books for 20 Tamil literatures. It had brought out e-books. It had brought out authentic editions for various Tamil literatures. CICT had released a Manipuri translation of Thirukural at Imphal in Manipur recently,” Mr. Bhooma said.

Keeping in tune with these initiatives under the New Director in Charge of Central Institute of Classical Tamil it would be appropriate to bring out all of Devaneyap Paavaanar’s books into e-books. In this connection I have the following information.

Few years back In Singapore a website for Paavanar was launched and from www.devaneyam.net all books of Paavanar could be accessed. It was in 2008. But alas, after the chief promoter of that website Mr.Kovalangkannan the site went off.

.The follower of Paavanar, Kavi.Vinayagam who worked hard for creating this website is having all the backup files of that website. He is arriving from Malaysia in May of 2014. Central Institute of Classical Tamil can get the backup files from Kavi.Vinayagam, and I will arrange his meeting with CICT, to collect all back up files.

Ravi Varao, an etymologist who has mastered .the techniques needed for etymological studies and whose free e-books in net and blogs had drawn more than 5 lakh visitors so far, had sent me, the pdf format of Paavanar’s books by his followers, which is in the book itself. I have made a CD containing books collected so far. Central Institute of Classical Tamil can bring out e-book in CD format. Complete works of Devaneyap Paavanar had to be digitalized. I am engaged in that quest.

The utmost importance is Creation of Digital Library and Online Archives in Central Institute of Classical Tamil. The Etymological Dictionary Project of Government of Tamilnadu, which was supported by all Chief Minister’s who ruled and rule Tamilnadu had to be digitalized and put up in the proposed Digital Library of Central Institute of Classical Tamil.

Currently I am taking my personal initiative to digitalize these etymological dictionaries. I need the backing of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil to digitalize all the Volumes of the Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Tamil Language.

I will be handing over digitalized books of Paavanar compiled by various other scholars so far to Central Institute of Classical Tamil along with this report. I promise to provide further material before May end, so that CICT can plan e-books, or online open access archives of these books.

If one year short term project under Research Projects is given to me, I would digitalize this Tamil Etymological Dictionary.

AND

2. DICTIONARIUM TAMULICO-LATINUM by Beschi and Rottler 1852 edition

3. DICTIONNAIRE TAMOUL_FRANCAISE by MM.L.Mousset and L.Dupey 1895 edition.

4. DICTIONNAIRE FRANCAISE _TAMOUL by MM.MOusset and L.DUPIUS 2^nd edition of 1911.

And ALL DICTIONNARIES AND GRAMMARS which were first written before foreign missionaries attempted to translate Sangam Tamil Classics, whichever I could come across in my proposed visits to various archives in India along with a team of cameramen to digitalize at places wherever it is permitted.

Hence I pray a fresh one year project to undertake Digitalization of Tamil and other foreign language dictionaries and grammars with particular focus on French, German, Portuguese, Latin and English languages

APPEAL TO CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL TAMIL TO TIE UP WITH KB CHANDRASEKAR CENTER - ANNA UNIVERSITY to CREATE ONLINE OPEN ARCHIVES INITIATIVE.

These are days when Open Archives Initiatives are being pursued vigorously in various countries including our country. My article in Tamil daily Maalai Bhoomi is enclosed which a decade back had pleaded for Open access Online Archives in Tamil. Let me stress the need to compile all dictionaries, grammars in other languages and make it open access material