CHENNAI: The Department of Tamil at the Chevalier T Thomas Elizabeth College for Women (CTTE), Perambur, in collaboration with the World Tamil Epic Research Institute, Malaysia, and Sudarmani Publications, Chennai, recently organised an international conference on the theme ‘Family Structures in Tamil Literature’.
The event brought together eminent scholars, researchers, and literary enthusiasts to engage in an exploration of how family structures have been represented, interpreted, and evolved across various genres and periods of Tamil literature.
The conference commenced with a welcome address by K Preetha, head, Department of Languages, who highlighted the socio-cultural fabric of Tamil society through literary expressions. She emphasised the role of such academic platforms in fostering critical thinking, scholarly exchange, and preservation of Tamil literary heritage.
The special guest, writer and former IAS officer, Sivakami, reflected on the deep interconnections between literature, societal norms, and familial relationships, illustrating how Tamil literary works have both shaped and mirrored the changing dynamics of family life.
Felicitations were offered by two prominent academics – assistant professor M Prakash, Department of Tamil, Vel’s Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies, and Founder of Sudarmani Publications, and assistant professor S Venugopal, Department of Tamil, RANM Arts and Science College, Erode.
Thanesh Balakrishnan, founder, World Tamil Epic Research Institute, Malaysia, and K Maha Veera Prasad, honorary secretary of the same institute, both of whom joined the proceedings virtually from Malaysia, offered a global perspective on the study of Tamil literature, emphasising the universality of familial themes and the need for continued research in documenting and interpreting these structures across time and geography.