CHENNAI, INDIA, January 11, 2008: A four-day international symposium on “Tamil as a Classical Language” will be held in Chennai from January 17, which will deliberate on topics like translation of Tamil classics into Dravidian, Asian and European languages. Jointly organized by the Mysore-based Center for Excellence of Classical Tamil (CECT) and the Institute of Asian Studies (IAS), the symposium will also assess modern education standards in Tamil studies, among other topics.
“Tamil is the only Asian language enjoying the status of an official language in two neighboring countries — Sri Lanka and Singapore,” said the founder-director of Institute of Asian Studies. Eminent Tamil scholars from foreign countries like Scotland, Russia, the US, South Korea and Sri Lanka will participate, plus about 50 scholars from India.