My father being in the bank, we were constantly moving states within India. I studied Tamil for a short while and had to quickly grasp other languages like Hindi, Marathi and French because of our moves! Tamizh was always spoken at home and I knew how to read it and write it well. But I did not have the opportunity to learn more about the Tamil epics or its intricate grammar.
I had to learn the nuances of all other languages and have now picked up a bit of Kannada too! 🙂
Having always lived like this, I have never thought too much about my mother tongue till I came back home after a long time. Once I entered my home state, it was a delight to see my own mother tongue on all the boards and walls. I could really see and feel what was written in Tamizh. Even though, I could read and write the other languages decently well, this one felt special.
Maybe one appreciates their mother tongue more if they don’t hear or see it for a long time. The moment we stay outside our home state for a prolonged period of time, we slowly adapt to that new way of life. We might have picked new languages, new customs and new traditions. Our mother tongue might stay in our heart and we might converse in it wherever possible, but there are new things to adapt to.
But when we return to our home state and listen to the familiar sound of our mother tongue, it feels warm and happy. I look at the fleeting changes in my home state each time I visit it and I am always happy to be home and see the most comfortable language for me (all talking in Tamizh around me:))
It is a great feeling to notice a visible sign board and the happiness I get in reading something known again!
On this Tamizh New Year day, ‘இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்’ and here is a quiz if you know Tamizh! 🙂
Do drop your answers in the comments below and have a wonderful day!
This post is for alphabet ‘L’ for BlogchatterA2Z by @blogchatter
Absolute love reading about Tamizh. And quizzes just add to the joy! Here are the answers:
1. c
2. b
3. c
4. c
5. b
Perfect!
What a heartfelt piece… it flows like a quiet homecoming. That feeling of returning to something deeply your own—your language, your roots—there’s a warmth in it that anyone can recognise. Wishing you a joyful and meaningful Tamil New Year—may your words always find their way back home.
Thank you!
Belated Tamil New Year Wishes. Tamil New Year usually dawned with an inevitable scene of my mother washing all our beddings and shouting at me for not drying them in motta-maadi. Then washing the whole house with water and remove the water with coconut-stick-broom. (I made her happy by buying a wiper after I moved to Chennai). But the feast mesmerize all of us later!! Its been years after I celebrated with the real vibes. But no harm, we celebrated early in the morning and rush to catch train and go to work as usual.
Nice…