In a concerted effort to preserve the Tamil language, arts, and culture for the next generation, the Tamils Festival 2026 Global Tamils Awards Ceremony took place at the Old Parliament on Feb 17.
The festival, originally established in 1952 by the late Tamil Murasu founder Thamizhavel G. Sarangapany to foster community bonding, has been revived by the Tamils Arts and Culture Society (TACS) in collaboration with local and international Tamil organisations.
The event was presided over by TACS Chairman Mr M. Govindaraju, with Mr P. Thiagarajan, President of the Thamizhavel Narpani Mandram, attending as the special guest.
Mr Govindaraju highlighted that the primary objective of the festival is to rekindle the spirit of unity and togetherness championed by Mr Sarangapany in the 1950s, which transcended caste and religious lines.
“Just as other communities come together during their festivals by setting aside differences, Tamils should unite under the ‘Tamils Festival’ celebration,” Mr Govindaraju said. He emphasised the need to understand the deeper significance of cultural practices – from drawing kolams to respecting elders – and passing these traditions on to the youth.
The ceremony recognised individuals who have made significant contributions to Tamil in various fields, including literature, arts, and technology.
A key recipient was Professor Thamizhpparithi Maari from Tamil Nadu, who received the ‘Sorkalanjiya Semmal’ (Lexicon Expert) award. He has been credited with helping elevate the Tamil language from the 24th to the 7th position among 174 languages in global online dictionary structures, and hopes to take it to the number one spot, surpassing English, within the next three years.
“My goal is to adapt Tamil for the artificial intelligence era. This will help not just humans, but machines to understand Tamil,” Prof Thamizhpparithi said.
Serving the Diaspora
Chairman of the Indonesia Tamil Sangam, Dr Visagan Mailachalam, received the ‘Lifetime Tamil Literary’ award. He noted that Tamil education efforts in Indonesia have expanded from four to 10 schools, with the help of teachers appointed by the Indian government.
“Our target is to take Tamil to 2,000 children by 2026,” Dr Visagan said, stressing the importance of such initiatives to ensure the language survives in the region.
Switzerland-based Tamil poet and writer Dr Gangaimagan was also honoured in this category for his efforts to further Tamil education overseas. He received the ‘Lifetime Tamil Literary’ award and released his ninth book at the event titled ‘Gangaimagan Kavithaigal’, which interprets ancient Tamil poetry for the modern generation.
Dedication to Arts
Born into an artistic family, Singaporean multidisciplinary media artist Mrs Vicknesvari Vadivalagan was honoured with the ‘Isai Tamil Semmal’ (Music Expert) award for her 48-year contribution to the field as a student, artist, and teacher.
Reflecting on the state of traditional arts today, Mrs Vicknesvari was optimistic. Rejecting the notion that culture is declining, she noted that her focus is on “staying relevant with the youth.”
“It is heartening to see modern youth showing interest in our traditional music. My contribution to Tamil and music will continue,” she said.
The festival honoured numerous achievers across various sectors and categories.
For contributions to language and literature, the festival honoured Mr P. Thiagarajan, community leader Dr N.R. Govindan (whose posthumous award was received by the current Mathavi Literacy Society president Mrs Chitra Meiyappan), veteran Singaporean Tamil broadcaster Mr S.P. Panneerselvam, ‘Semmozhi’ magazine editor Mr Mohamed Elias, and former radio/TV presenter and Tamil teacher Dr Meenatchi Shanmugam.
Writers Mr Pon. Sundararasu, Mrs Thavamani Velayutham, Mr Rajarajan Mahendiran, Mrs Swarnalakshmi Jayaraman, Tamil educator Ms Kalaivani Ilango, Malaysian author Dr K.S. Shenbagavalli, alongside poet Brahmakumar Balakrishnan and Malaysian Science teacher Pannirselvam Arasu were also recognised.
For contributions to the arts and culture sector, awards were presented to flautist Dr Ghanavenothan Retnam, Bharatanatyam artist Nalliyappan Perumal Raja, kindergarten Tamil teacher Mrs Louis Jeya Rubi Caroline, traditional dancer Mrs Backthi Devi Sundaram and veteran theatre artist Mrs Nargis Banu.
Malaysian technical expert Mr T. Vimalanathan and Singaporean AI practitioner Mr Gunasegaran were honoured with the Science Tamil Award for their contributions to the science and technology sector.
Youths who received awards include traditional martial arts practitioner Rakshith Nevin Manivannan, writer Boopalan Subal and orator Boopalan Swathi.
