HISTORICAL ATLAS OF SOUTH INDIA : NEW INDIAN EXPRESS ; 16.7.2005

HISTORICAL ATLAS OF SOUTH INDIA

 N.Nandhivarman

 A partnership in research yields good results. At present “ The Department of Epigraphy and Archaeology of the Tamil University Thanjavur and The Laboratory of Geomatics and Applied Informatics of the French Institute Pondicherry have joined together to develop and deploy a digital Atlas of South India on the internet accessible to everyone, presenting the political, social and cultural and all inclusive history of South India through a combination of maps, illustrations, texts and geographical information” said Dr.Y.Subburayalu, Coordinator of the unique project on South India.

  Tamil University Thanjavur for past decade had been collecting each and every bit of information, which forms the basic data. It joined hands with the Institut Franciase de Pondicherry under the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for incorporating all these data into the Atlas from 2000 and in four years covered lot of ground. In the meanwhile Mahatma Gandhi University of Kottayam, Mangalore University and Hyderabad University have joined as new partners. Because already for decades lot of basic data had been collected and readily available in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the first phase of the project covers the entire two states. But since Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka entered late into the fray they are currently working on two pilot projects only to gain momentum soon.

 Using the maps by Survey of India as base maps and improving upon them with maps provided by satellite pictures the Historical Atlas of South India is being prepared. The satellite imagery will be in the background and these maps will have 30 layers of information packed to suit the needs of every scholar’s choice.

  The Geomatics and Applied Informatics Laboratory of the French Institute Pondicherry that plays a pivotal role is a laboratory that specializes in the acquisition, management, modeling and analysis of spatial information on the Indian sub-continent with the aim to address scientific queries. “The contribution of the laboratory to the research projects is based on expertise in the development of Geographic Information Systems and analysis of satellite remote sensing data and favours a multi-disciplinary and integrative approach. Recently, the laboratory was responsible for launching a new area of activity pertaining to the development of web-browser based applications for the dissemination of scientific results through CD-ROMs and the web” according to informed sources.

 Looking at the other side of the world we find that United Nations realized the need for a marriage of technology and history when it accepted in 1974 a new map prepared for the world by Arno Peters, a German scholar. Peter’s map shows countries in their respective sizes and is based on Peter’s decimal grid, which divided the surface of the earth into hundred longitudinal fields of equal width and hundred latitudinal fields of equal height.

 Because much before this map was accepted the Atlases based on Mercator maps showed Greenland and Scandinavia to be bigger than India. Russia appeared bigger than entire continent of Africa. It seemed that Europe occupied more areas than South America. “These are not due to limitations of mathematics, but a deliberate attempt to show Colonial Europe as bigger than non-European world” opines Vishal Sharma. Hence to rectify this anomaly Peter’s projections came to be accepted by United Nations. The Historical Atlas of South India too is an attempt to update knowledge keeping room to add fresh every new information as and when found. Thus it is an attempt to keep perfection and precision.

 Dating back to 5 lakh years and covering the Stone Age up to 10,000 years ago the Atlas travels down and the New Stone Age between 3000 to 4000 years ago. It covers the metal age and pre-historical period of 1600 A.D and thus Atlas provides every information in a nutshell. Tamil University Thanjavur, which studied extensively, and intensively Pudukottai area have established the contributions of Jains to the iconography of Tamils. The well built tank irrigation system of Pudukottai region with inscriptions found in the sluices of the tanks yielded lot of information on irrigation and land administration. This information is fed into the Atlas.

The Atlas is arranged in a time line of eight broad periods. It covers four major themes such as Political, Social, Economical and Cultural. Textual information is provided in link files. One can access these at http://www.ifpindia.org

Apart from the Atlas prepared by one of its divisions, The French Institute [IFP} has an extremely rare collection of photographs dating back to 1956. This assorted collection consists of about 1,23,000 black and white photographs and 5500 color films and slides focusing on South Indian religious art and iconography including temple views, stone and bronze statues, paintings, architectural motifs, pre-historic cave rock paintings, palaces, jewelry etc.

 The Department of Indology at the IFP has the unique distinction of being a meeting place for the exchange of scientific thoughts and ideas between Western Indologists on the one hand and traditional Indian scholars on the other. 

The Department houses an impressive collection of 10000 bundles of manuscripts and photographs of manuscripts on Saivasiddhanta along with 1,30,000 photographs of temples and sculptures on religious art in South India “In its vast centralized air-conditioned library from where one can see the Bay of Bengal it is surprising that local Tamil magazines and English news papers etc are not be found” commented a social activist. Researching the past must reach the present society and today’s news is tomorrow’s history.

DIGITAL ATLAS OF TAMILNADU HISTORY : KUDOS TO FRENCH GOVERNMENT

Great litterateur Gnanou Diagou

 Great litterateur Gnanou Diagou

Great men and great deeds may get lost in the sands of history. But a grateful society leaves monuments for successive generations to remember  them with gratitude.

Behind every monument there is a history. A statue at the Pondicherry Government Hospital reminds us of the donor who gifted the land for its construction. The  clock tower of grand Bazaar also rekindles memories of its donor, the grandfather of an illustrious, son of the soil, Le Bottennier Gnanou Diagou.

 The 127^th birth anniversary of Le Boutonnière Gnanou Diagou, a man of letters and philanthropist falls on August 15. Not just the monuments but Gnanou Diagou’s contribution to Tamil Literature has been forgotten by the literary world and local population. His French translations of Kamba Ramayanam, Araneri Saaram, Assara Kovai, Nanmani Kadigai, Naladiar and the Thirukural are everlasting contributions that must be lauded by a grateful society. Sir CP Ramaswamy Iyer, in the foreword written to the French Translation of the Thirukural lauds thus, ‘‘Mr Gnanou Diagou’s rendering of Thiruvalluvar’s Kural into French is important and significant to international cultural collaboration.’

Gnanou Diagou, born on August 15, 1877, was an eminent lawyer and served as the president of Bar association. For nearly three decades he taught students of the Ecole de Droit Pondicherry as Professor of Law and wrote several Books on Hindu and Mohammedan law. He was also a popular political leader of Pondicherry from 1908 to 1925. He founded The Historical Society and left his imprint as its Vice President from 1911 till his son Cojande Dairianathan succeeded him in 1948.

 The conferment of honours initiated by Napolean Bonaparte in 1802 has the following titles of honour similar to our padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Padmasri. Grand Officier da la Legion d’ honneur is the first in rank. The second one is Chevalier de la legion d’ honneur. This was conferred on meritorious people for social service and the French government in recognition of his services had honoured him by conferring the second medal of honour, The Legion of Honour, on January 15, 1920. He also won awards like Officier d’ Academie and Chevalier du merite agricole. A member of the Counseil General, the the French version of the Legislative assembly with limited powers, he served the public. 

Gnanou Diagou was the descendent of one of the oldest and distinguished ‘‘Dubash’’ families of Pondicherry. Lazario De Motha Tanappa Modeliar, the illustrious ancestor of Gnanou Diagou had collaborated with Francois Martin in 1673 in the very foundation of the French settlement in Pondicherry. His successors Moutiappa Modeliar and his son Pedro canagaraya Modeliar were no less distinguished. Pedro Canagaraya  Modeliar was the recipient of the gold medal from Louis XV, King of France, for his good offices in securing Karaikal from the Maharaja of Tanjore in 1739. There is a street named after him that in current days called Canteen Street, though in name it exists in street boards. His son Diagou Modeliar, the grandfather of Gnanou Diagou, erected the clock tower in the Grand Bazaar apart from many choultries to feed the poor. The Street parallel to Nehru Street is named after Diagou Modeliar.

 Hailing from such an illustrious family, Gnanou Diagou scaled greater heights in public esteem through his literary works . He wanted to preserve the history of Pondicherry and was instrumental in having the manuscript of Ananda Ranga Pillai’s diaries copied from the original for publication purposes. He analyzed the decisions of the Superior Council from 1735 to 1820, the work of almost a century, and published them in eight volumes. He has written an authoritative book on General de lally, the  unlucky successor of Dupleix in whose period the entire white town including the Palace of Dupleix was destroyed.

 History is not a mere record of the events of the past. It has a meaning to be learnt. The acts of philanthropy are lauded to inculcate in the present generation such noble qualities. The intercultural exchange by taking the essence of Tamil classical literature to French, as done by Gnanou Diagou, is an incomplete mission for every generation of writers.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express-week end-14.08.2004

DAY DREAM FOR TRANSLATIONS OF TAMIL SIDDHA SCIENCE TEXTS : MOOTED IN 2016 DID NOT GET SANCTION

TAMILS OF REUNION

THE TAMILS OF REUNION AND THEIR HYBRID CULTURE

 Colonialism cannot be condemned outright. This may sound outrageous. But colonialism in a way introduced the concept of outsourcing attempted in the bygone centuries and currently being debated in the free market era. In a world where free market dominates, the sweat and toils of the slave labourers may be forgotten, but we must realize that in their sufferings the foundations for global market economy is sown. ReUnion is a typical example of outsourcing by the French East India Company, and its history reveals how an hybrid culture emanated amidst Tamil settlers there, who are Tamils but could not speak Tamil, their mother tongue lost in the interregnum of 5 generations of separation from their homeland namely Pondicherry.

The archipelago, comprised of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion, was christened the Mascarenes by Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas, following its European discovery in 1512. In 1642 the French settled in the island when La Compagnie des Indes Orientales (the French East India Company) sent its ship, the St-Louis, and the King of France named it Île Bourbon. Much water had flown in the five rivers that irrigate this tiny island since then. Today a brief note about this island is given in a separate box.

Full country name: Department of Réunion governed by France Area:2,510sq.km Population:720,934 CapitalCity:St-Denis(population145,000) People:French,African,Malagasy,Chinese,Tamil Language:French, Religion:RomanCatholic,Hindu,Islam,Buddhist Government:OverseasdepartmentofFrance HeadofState:PresidentofFranceJacquesChirac Head of Government: Prime Minister of France Jean-Pierre Raffarin GDP:US$3.4billion GDPpercapita:US$4,800 AnnualGrowth:3.8% Major Industries: Sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil. Major Trading Partners: France, Japan, Comoros, Bahrain, and Italy.

The French Revolution is a turning point in its history. The greatest achievement of the 1848 revolution for the colonies was the abolition of slavery. Slavery, the foundation of economic life in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyana and Reunion, had been abolished by the Convention in 1794 but was re-instituted by Napoleon.  National Assembly by way of definitive decree on April 27, 1848 declared that `slavery is an attack on human dignity', it `destroys the principal of natural law and duty . . . it is a flagrant violation of republican dogma," and that great unrest could erupt in the colonies if slavery were not ended, the law abolished slavery in all French colonies and possessions.  Thus a total of 262,564 slaves were thereby freed, most of them in the plantation colonies of the West Indies and Réunion.

But with this abolition of slave labour the need to fill that vacuum arose and plantation owners looked for French India to compensate the loss of slave labour. Thus lot of Tamils found their way to the island of Reunion situated in the Indian Ocean closer to Madagascar. Lot of people from Pondicherry and its surrounds went to the coffee and other plantations in Reunion as labour.

The coffee plantations were destroyed often destroyed by cyclones and the Tamil labour had to struggle hard facing the fury of Nature. Napoleon Bonaparte lost the island to the British for a short break of five years.  Under British rule, sugar cane was introduced to Réunion and quickly supplanted food production as the primary crop. It resulted in the dispossession of many small farmers who were forced to sell out to those with capital to invest in the new monoculture. The supplanted farmers migrated to the interior to find land and carry on with their agricultural activities. During this period, the Desbassyns brothers rose to success as the island's foremost sugar barons. The vanilla industry, introduced in 1819, also grew rapidly. The golden age of trade and development in Réunion lasted until 1870, when competition from Cuba and the European sugar beet industry, combined with the opening of the Suez Canal, resulted in an economic slump. Shipping decreased, the sugar industry declined and land and capital were further concentrated in the hands of a small French elite. Close on the cessation of hostilities in First World War global demand for sugar increased. This helped Reunion's economy out of the doldrums. But during World War II, an economic blockade once again crippled the island's economy. A colony under French law must provide to the French mainland goods of greater value than the amount of money allocated to it. A colony had to be profitable. This obligation was lifted in 1946, when Réunion's status changed from colony to overseas department, a change in status intended to provide the island with the benefits of social and political equality with the mainland. The island still falls under the jurisdiction of the French government.

It cannot be said that Catholic faith dominates the island's religious character. It is visible in the shrines along every highway and byway, in caves, on cliff tops and in the many saint's days and holidays. St-Denis shuts down on Sunday, when half the city goes to the beach. Hindus and Muslims follow their respective religions freely and most large towns have both a mosque and a temple. Popular Hindu rites include teemeedee, which involves fire walking, and cavadee, involving piercing one's cheeks with silver needles, often take place. A great deal of syncretism with Catholicism has evolved over the years, and vice versa. Thus a hybrid religion had come into existence. People celebrating all festivals and worshipping all deities have produced a hybrid religion of tolerance. Lot of Hindu Temples is there for Lord Shiva, Lord Muruga and Godess Kaali.

French is the official language, but Créole is the most widely spoken. Few people speak English. Réunion Créole is even beyond most French people. A word, which means one thing in French, can mean something completely different in Créole. But the island which has around 4 lakh Tamils who own Tamil names and celebrate Hindu festivals, yet unable to speak Tamil. Then Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Navalar Nedunchezian participated in a world Tamil Cultural Movements conference in neighbouring Mauritius and visited Reunion too. During this visit the Reunion Tamil Kazhagam seeking the help of Tamil Nadu Government to teach Tamil to the people of Reunion and to promote cultural exchanges with mainland Tamils put up demands. It remains still and unfulfilled dream. People in a distant place do not haunt our memory as we have other chores to attend in everyday life. But the Government of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry must open Cultural Exchange Centres in all these isolate islands, and like the Alliance Francaise that keeps teaching French throughout world, institutionalized teaching of Tamil and spreading the tenets of Tamil Culture must be undertaken, all who visit islands like Reunion will have these thoughts linger in their minds.

Reunion Tamils must be reassured that in upholding Tamil customs, religious practices, arts, music and language, a day will come that Reunion cultural ambassadors arrive to Tamilnadu often and capture our attention and can win our admiration. Where there is a will, there will be a way, goes the saying. Reunion Tamils have the will. Let them cherish their hybrid culture with Tamil component, we all hope and wish so.

N.Nandhivarman

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