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Originally posted by: VeeIyer
Outstanding SV...am reading tamizh after years and years...do you write stories too ?
Let me so some story telling.
A dashing Iyer Engineery went to an English company to work in the 50s...he went on to become its General Manager and served in its UK returned to India asked his younger brother to get married children came by and later spoke of his desire to marry a colleague. His widowed mom agree to his marrying the Anglo Indian colleague. This wedding changed the life of a certain Srividya who was a 3 year old. The dashing Iyer boy was my Periappa. This wedding paved way for my entry into a school for Anglo Indians run by European nuns. I still speak only in English to my Appa and Athais. I ended up speaking English with ease using a dictionary for reference at age 7 and reciting wordsworth singing in choirs watching Mary Poppins Chitty Chitty Bang Bang et al...When i started learning Tamizh it was taught in English...the Tam bram Tamizh at home didn't help either.
My younger brother(by 3 years) would coach me in Tamizh.
My friends in girl guides and guys i met on treks were from different parts of india . I remember becoming a laughing stock on a trek when as a 12 year old i walked up to a guy with a lantern and asked him ' Anaika theriyuma? i meant turn off the lantern...it took some explanation from some of the adults to help me understand that the word had another meaning. This experience got me determined to read tamizhbegan reading all tamizh mags...till date end up reading tamizh papers used to tie pottlamsand improve my reading and writing though i would;t dare to speak.
At college i went on to study literature when one of my Maharashtrian professors heard me speak Tamizh she called me aside and asked Onga Ammavum Anglo Indiana?
She said En Chattakari madri Tamizh pesara?
My brother is married to a Punjabi...hearing her speak my Mamiyar said Onnavida avale Namba Tamizh nanna pesara...
I joined this school i now head as an English teacher was involved in Creating the readers for English with my boss. Her Tamizh was on par with mine...We then set off to create Tamizh texts and when i was asked to be part of it my family and i thought it was a joke. I worked with a colleague who had sons my age and who was fluent in both Tamizh and English . She and her husband whom i call Appa got me to love tamil.
I went on to edit a course book in Organic Farming(in Tamizh) Whenever i conduct writing workshops for teachers or kids i choose to write in Tamizh to experience the same hardship...
Today i read, speak, write Tamizh with ease...though i use a transliteration software or when i write the script is English which my colleagues understand.
Like II i can talk non stop and my interests are varied so i see a lot of similarities...
See how a simple question set me off😊
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