Embrace culture, history that go with Tamil language

I agree with Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim that interest in the mother tongue must go beyond examinations and should also be in terms of understanding the culture and the history ("Yaacob: Reading books in mother tongue crucial"; April 17).

Singapore marked the 10th Tamil Language Festival in April, and I congratulate the Tamil Language Council for spearheading the push to celebrate the richness of the language.

This year, as part of the Living Language, Living Heritage series, a book which encapsulates the rich Tamil language, culture and heritage has been written.

It contains excellent sketches of items and products used in Tamil culture, as well as succinct explanations in both Tamil and English to allow Tamil and non-Tamil readers to understand the culture.

The book was to be given out to participants of the Tamil Language Festival and, I believe, to all Tamil students in schools.

I applaud the authors, Mr Anbarasu Rajendran and Ms Vijayabharathy Veeravarman, and am heartened that they took the time to create resources for the younger generation, to ensure that the Tamil language, culture and heritage will continue to thrive and serve as part of the community's identity.

Santhanam Ramkumar

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