First the song:
The song I was listening to was from the Tamil movie Nanda and starts off 'Kalliyadi kalli...'
A rough translation of a section of it is as follows:
"Consider that there is no sea in between us....
the nations are the same...
Tamils are Tamils everywhere..."
Was kind of surprised that such a bold avowal was let off easily by the authorities though it was a movie on Sri Lankan refugees. It sounded like a cheap shot using identity politics rather than a mature artistic approach to the issue. Also, it is one of the modern day ambiguities in geopolitics but its strangely disturbing when popular art pushes such issues into public conscience. Have got used to issues like these handled by sensational newspapers and relegated to Page 5 International sections rather than listening to it as music.
Came across this word while going through some websites on Bahrain...
Irredentism : an international relations term that involves advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity and/or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural and political geography.
... and that completed my circle of vapid thoughts.
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6 years ago
5 comments:
When placed in context, the words don't appear as an avowal or anything. The song comes after Surya formally seeks Laila's hand in marriage. Surya is from Tamil Nadu, while Laila is a Sri Lankan refugee.
The song extols the virtues of a Tamil, and this particular line only serves express the sense of Tamil nationalism which is still harboured by a few. It seemed to me as being quite natural.
If people come together in the name of language, so be it. If people fight (or demand a separate country) in the name of a language, I would rather have the language dead.
Having said that, i found those lines under consideration not lacking in artistic sensibilities.
@VK: yeah, it was not an avowal per se... but Tamil nationalism is a terrain treaded very carefully by even politicians. If there are irredentist tinges to it, then one could be in trouble as Mr. Vaiko would attest.
@anto:agree that in fighting would be foolish. But Tamil is not only a lingual identity, but a cultural identity. Separatism on basis of such cultural identities is what is happening in Chechnya, Palestine. I think that is justified in case ppl do not feel safe.
Interesting. I found the exact some word in June 3rd issue of The Economist, an article on Iran (Uppity Minorities), that goes
"...it was plain that Iran's mainstream opposition groups are as hostile to minority irrendism as the Islamic Republic is..."
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