The ‘me’ you see right now, before you, is a clearly groomed ‘me’, and it is NOT the actual ‘me’...

Me – My Soil & My Stories | ELF Inaugural

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of the intelligent people and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty;

to find the beauty in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you lived here.

This is to have succeeded,

said the legendary Emerson, and this is exactly something that literature does to us, remarked Dr. Tamizhachi Thangapandian, Member of Parliament, South Chennai Constituency, at the Inaugural of the English Literary Forum, Research Department of English.

Excerpts from her igniting speech on the topic, ‘Me – My Soil & My Stories’ -

Dr. Tamizhachi noted that, she considered it a great privilege to be at this prestigious Institution to inaugurate the activities of the English Literary Forum of the Research Dept of English.

I wish to talk on why I am keen on tracing the roots of my writings, and why I’m keen on establishing my identity.

The ‘me’ you see right now, before you, is a clearly groomed ‘me’, and it is NOT the actual ‘me’.

Karisal Kaatu Village is my identity. It’s about half an hour’s drive from the Madurai Airport – A village called Mallankinaru.

I had double promotions from 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th standards – called onnaapu [Ist standard] in my dialect.

It’s from here that I derive the seeds of my writing.

Karisal region is an arid region, dry with black soil, and the climate of my region is – nine months of summer, and three months of rains. So we wait for the rains!

As is often said, The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, which means to say that, Britain’s stupendous victories on the military front, were solely based on the values and ethics imparted to the school boys in their public school. The Duke of Wellington, who was the commander in chief of the British and allied armies at Waterloo was a graduate of Eton College!

Similarly, I’m true to myself, to my roots, and stick to my roots!

Richard Mulcaster, liberal educational theorist and the poet Spenser's headmaster at the Merchant Taylors' School in London, once observed that, 

it is the learning in a language and not any inherent virtue that makes it esteemed, and English can be as learned and expressive as any: ‘I love Rome, but London better, I favour Italy, but England more, I honor Latin, but I worship English.

In like fashion, I love English, but I worship Tamil, she remarked.

Stating that, Translation is a negotiation between two cultures, continents, etc, she quoted Ngugi wa Thiongo who chose to abandon writing in English and opted for writing in his own mother tongue – Gikuyu instead.

My English is placed in juxtaposition to the coloniser’s English, she observed, and citing her professor who often used to tell her, ‘Stick to your roots!’, she said that, ‘It was indeed my Professor who opened my eyes to the concept of ‘sticking to one’s roots’.

J D Salinger once remarked that, ‘To be able to create a story, you got to know your characters in every way possible’.

‘Such characters I get them only in my soil’ observed Dr. Tamizhachi!

Note: For Past Inaugurals of ELF, & the Lectures given on the occasion by the respective Chief Guests, kindly click HERE

To be continued…