Classical Tamil Summer Seminar in 2009
Organised by the centre of the École Française d’Extrême-Orient
in Pondicherry, 3rd to 14st of August 2009
Eva Wilden and Thomas Lehmann
Agastya, temple de Puñcai, XIe siècle.
Next year the Winter Seminar will once again be a Summer Seminar, for the simple reason that we are planning a double event, that is, a seminar followed by a workshop. The whole month thus will be devoted to Tamil bhakti, devotional literature. Out of two weeks seminar, one will be occupied by Shaiva texts, and here we have chosen Kaaraikkaalammaiyaar, probably the earliest part of the TirumuRai, and certainly not the easiest. Depending on speed we might be able to cover TiruviraTTai MaNimaalai and quite a bit of TiruvaalaGkaaTTu Muuttatiruppatikam. The second week will focus on Vaishnava literature. Out of the oeuvre of AaNTaaL we might want to look into the Naacciyaartirumozi, less well-known than the Tiruppaavai. For the final two weeks, then, scholars will read and discuss particular texts chosen by them in order to elucidate different aspects of internal and external chronology of Tamil bhakti texts. On the one hand we are faced with the issues of linguistic development (morphology plus syntax) and of intertextual relationship and literary affiliation, on the other hand bhakti texts are reflected in inscriptions and they did have an impact on iconographical representation. (The announcement of the workshop with the rudiments of a programme will shortly be found on a separate web site).
The study of Classical Tamil is not widespread or prominent in the West. The EFEO Centre can offer the opportunity of approaching the difficult material by reading and discussing texts and commentaries both with Indian and Western scholars. For the time being the EFEO employs four Indian scholars of Tamil: one specialist of epic, didactic and grammatical literature, one of Vaishnava literature, one epigraphist and one manuscriptologist. Western Tamil scholars have few opportunities to meet – for them the CTSS provides an occasion of intensive exchange and collaboration. The CTSS is intended to ensure, along with some basic philological training, the transmission of some of the ancient knowledge and literary vision of the pandits. Even though several institutions have manuscripts, collected with the intention of preserving Tamil cultural patrimony, this is not to say that these manuscripts have been studied or published. There is a need for researchers to do this work. This course is thus in a position to make an important contribution to the training of future generations of scholars, being centrally placed at the meeting point between continuity and renewal in Tamil studies.
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Programme
The main morning classes will be split into two sessions, from 9 to 11 and from 11 to 1 (with a coffee break in between). In the first week, devoted to Shaiva bhakti, T.S. Gangadharan will teach Kaaraikkaalammaiyaar, followed by a grammar class of revising and analysing the morning’s verses. The second and third week will be Vaishnava. R. Varadadesikan will expound selected hymns by AaNTaaL, again followed by revision. The afternoons will partly be devoted to personal preparations, partly to further reading groups with G. Vijayavenugopal (inscriptions) and Jean-Luc Chevillard (Tamil grammatical literature). As already mentioned, the 3rd and 4th week this time will be occupied by an international workshop on bhakti literature. Twice a week in the early evenings then there will again be a joint programme in the customary evening lectures. We hope also be able to maintain our concert tradition on Friday evenings.. |
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Who can participate?
As usual, we look forward to welcoming back former participants. Anybody with at least a basic knowledge of the Classical language will be most welcome. We would also like strongly to encourage Indian students to participate in our classes (and for them there will be specially reduced fees). |
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Organisation
Practical organisation rests, as ever, in the hands of the secretary of the EFEO centre in Pondicherry, Mrs Prerana Patel (preranapatel@efeo-pondicherry.org). Please contact her for any practical question. Our fees have been constant for the last 6 years and are still 150 Euros (the reduced price for Indian students being 1000 rs.). Participation in the two following weeks of bkati workshop will be included in this. As the EFEO is currently having to adjust to a tight budget, we would appreciate being able to calculate more precisely the number of people likely to be expected. We have therefore drawn up an application form which has to be filled up and sent to the address above as soon as possible, at the latest, however, by the end of June 2009. Application form to download (file Word .doc) |
Many thanks to Benedikt Perak who built this website.
We hope that the CTWS has an interest for you. In which case, we welcome
some feedback on our e-mail: efeopdy@vsnl.com
(please mention CTWS in the subject area).