Tamil Language

மன்பதை எல்லாம் தமிழால் வாழவேண்டும்;

மல்குபெயர் செந்தமிழாய் மலர வேண்டும்;

அன்பகமாய் தமிழரகம் தமிழ ணிந்து,

இன்ப நிழற் பூஞ்சோலை கல்விச் சாலை

இயலிசை நாடக மேடை கோயிலெல்லாம்

தென்றமிழே நடம் புரியத் தமிழ ராட்சி

செந்தமிழின் ஆட்சியெனத் திகழ்வ தென்றோ?"

Tamil is one of the two classical languages of India. It is the only language in that country which has continued to exist for over two thousand years. It is spoken today by approximately 65 million people living mainly in southern India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Africa, Fiji, the West Indies, Mauritius and Reunion Islands, United Kingdom, United States and Canada. Tamil is the pre-eminent member of the Dravidian Language family and has one of the longest unbroken literary traditions of any living language in the world

"To us all towns are one, all men our kin.
Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill
Man's pains and pains' relief are from within.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !."
- Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C