The Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka origin who have settled in many parts of the rest of India or in other regions, particularly Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana, Burma, Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Europe, Australia, United States and Canada.
 |
| Tamilians in World Map |
Early migrations
Many are descendants of emigrants who left thousands of years ago and mixed with countless other ethnicities, while others are recently moved from Tamil Nadu. The diaspora's identity is rooted in an ancient heritage, a rich language and literature and a vibrant culture that many still retain. Many groups claim descent from medieval-era Tamil emigrants such as the Chittys of Malaysia and the Colombo Chetty of Ceylon.
An early emigrant group that is not well documented is the Tamil Muslims who emigrated in considerable numbers to the Sultanates of Malacca (in present day Malaysia) and were instrumental in spreading Islam amongst the indigenous Malays.
Main articles: Tamil Malaysians and Tamil South Africans
Another stream of Tamils left during the British colonial period as indentured workers to the far flung corners of the British Empire. Their descendants are found in Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana and Trinidad in large numbers.
Many also left to work in the possessions of the French Empire via its holdings in Pondicherry in Réunion and the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. (See Malabars)
A small group was hired by the Dutch colonial government in Batavia or Indonesia to work in Sumatra (namely in Medan). Roughly about 40,000 (est.) descendants of these immigrants are still found in Medan.
Many independent Tamil merchant guilds such as the Nagarathar also left for these areas in an age old tradition of their ancestors who had traded in these areas for the last 2,000 years.
Britain also hired many Sri Lankan Tamils as clerical and other white collar workers, especially in Malaysia and Singapore. All these different streams have combined to create vibrant Tamil communities in these countries.
In the 19th century, Tamils from India and Sri Lanka migrated to Singapore and Malaysia as army clerks and merchants.
During and after the devastating WW2 a large number of Tamils and Indians from Burma fled to India- to Manipur,[5] and Tamil Nadu. They established Burmese refugee colonies that still exist today and maintain an identity as Burmese returnees. In Sri Lanka the Sinhalese nationalist SLFP party disfranchised all Indian origin Hill Country Tamils and returned 600,000 back to India under the Srimavo-Shastri Pact signed between India and Sri Lanka. Many were repatriated to the Nilgiris region's tea estates. They too maintain a distinct identity as Ceylon returnees in Tamil Nadu. Black July and other pogroms has created another stream of Sri Lankan and Hill country Tamil refugees in India who have languished for the last 20 years in refugee camps throughout Tamil Nadu while many others have integrated with the mainstream community or left India for other countries in the west.
There is also a movement of Native Eelam Tamils to India,some migrated to do white collared jobs during the British days,but there has been a much bigger diaspora today.
As noted there are two distinct groups. The Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora is less than 100 years old and was well established in Malaysia, Singapore and England prior to the post 1983 Black July induced dispersal of refugees and asylum claimants in India, Europe and Canada. Although relatively recent in origin, this subgroup had well established communities in these host countries prior to the 1983 pogroms.
In the second half of the 20th century, Tamils from India migrated as skilled professionals to the United States, Canada (in Canada are concentrated in the cities of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver), Europe, and South East Asia. Toronto, Ontario has the highest concentration of Tamils outside Asia.
Central New Jersey contains the largest population concentration of Indian Americans of Tamil descent. New Jersey houses Tamil associations including its own Tamil Sangam.[6] A sizeable Tamil population and various Tamil organizations have also developed in New York City, as well as on the West Coast in the Silicon Valley, where there are Tamil associations such as the Bay Area Tamil Manram.[7] On the other hand, the New York City and Los Angeles metropolitan areas are home to the largest concentrations of Tamil-speaking Sri Lankan Americans.
Tamil Language is one of the four official languages in Singapore.[8] An estimation of about 3.2% percent of the total population in Singapore speaks Tamil.[9]]
This amounts to about 200 000 people. Almost all official documents printed in Singapore are translated and distributed in Tamil as well as the other 3 national languages. In 1956, the Singapore government decided to adopt what was then a trilingual policy. Students were taught English, a second language as well as Malay as a third language.[10] Today the emphasis has shifted to bilingualism. Tamil is taught as a second language in all government schools from the primary level all the way till Junior College levels. Tamil is an examinable subject at all major nationwide examinations.There is a daily Tamil newspaper printed in Singapore, called the Tamil Murasu. There is a full time radio station, OLI 96.8 and also a TV Channel Vasantham central.The Tamil language spoken in Singapore is different from both the varieties of Tamil spoken in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, India.
| Regions with significant populations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 India 72,138,958 (2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tamil language spread all over the world. Its one of the official language for indian territory countries. When you learn tamil it will help you how to interact with the rural people also. Tamil alphabets are simple for learning.
ReplyDelete