Lankan scholar to attend Tamil meets

After dilly-dallying for long, Jaffna University professor emeritus Karthikesu Sivathambi has confirmed at last that he will be taking part in the proposed World Classical Tamil conference being held in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu from June 24 to 27.

In an interview to a Madras University student D Devanand in Colombo and published in Dinamalar on Nov 7, Prof Sivathambi has said, " call it a somersault, if you like, but I have changed my mind and decided to take part in the conference, whatever be the political motive behind it, as I am a Tamil scholar and the Tamil Nadu Government is spending crores of rupees on it".

Doubts were expressed over Prof Sivathambi's participation after he said in an interview to a Tamil website as well as BBC that it would be inappropriate for him to take part in a conference organised by the DMK Government and that he had written to the conference organiser, Thanjavur University Vice-Chancellor M Rajendran, expressing dissatisfaction over the stand taken by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue.

Mr Karunanidhi, however, asserted as far back as on Oct 28 that the conference, originally scheduled for January 2010, was put off to June only to suit the convenience of Prof Sivathambi and that he had not only agreed to take part but had even suggested topics for discussion.

In his latest interview, Prof Sivathambi said that the International Association of Tamil Research, which conducts world Tamil conferences every four years, had expressed reservation about holding it this year in view of the distressful situation of the Sri Lankan Tamils. " Then, I wrote to Mr Karunanidhi that due attention should be paid to the problem of the Sri Lankan Tamils. When he decided to rename the meeting as World Classical Tamil Conference (after the IATR, the official host, refused to be hustled into a decision), he made an announcement in which he mentioned about the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils", Prof Sivathambi said.

He said there was no change in his opinion that Mr Karunanidhi had failed to take a firm stand on the Lankan Tamil issue and that he was conducting the present conference for political considerations. "But a conference on classical Tamil is needed and staying away from it is not going to help the Sri Lankan Tamil cause. We have to discuss what should be done to make Tamil retain the classical language status and I don't want the conference to be derailed because of political opposition to Mr Karunanidhi".

In the same breath, he also said that he initially expressed his inability to attend in view of his health conditions. Then he changed his mind.” Call it a somersault if you like, but that's my position", he said.

He explained away his dithering attitude to his approach of weighing the pros and cons and looking at all sides. "People may say that Sivathambi talks through both ends of his mouth. The reason for the confusion is the intellectual debate that goes on in my mind. That does not mean I don't have a firm view on anything".

- Asian Tribune -