Extracted from ‘An Anthology of Poems from classical Tamil: The Purananuru’ translated and edited by George L Hart and Hank Heifetz.

This is part of our selection from the Purananuru, chosen to represent some of the feelings of the Tamil people as, two years on, they remember the events of 2009.

Tinai: patantinai (praise or elegy as well as asking for gifts)
Thurai: iyanmoli

This is part of our selection from the Purananuru, chosen to represent some of the feelings of the Tamil people as, two years on, they remember the events of 2009.

Thurai: mutumolikkanci

Tamil activists in Toronto marked the second anniversary of Sri Lanka’s mass killings of Tamil civilians by launching an awareness raising street campaign titled ‘G for Genocide’.

Sri Lanka’s cricket team began their tour of England Saturday with a match against Middlesex that was accompanied by the din of a lively protest at the Uxbridge ground by Tamil expatriates and others.

Lyrics: Aabavaanam
Composer: Manoj-Kiyan
Singer: P.B. Srinivas

Released in August 1986, 'Tholvi Nilayena', famously sung by P.B. Srinivas after a long gap in his career, is known as an inspirational and motivational song for  those on the brink of defeat.

The song came at a very crucial point in the history of Eelam; India had started to get involved after the Thimpu talks. 

It is a distinctive of India with its many languages that talented entertainers here can easily captivate an audience which does not always speak their language.