Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	PUSAT DAGANGAN DUNIA PUTRA, 
			KUALA LUMPUR 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	15/11/87 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	PERASMIAN PERSIDANGAN - SEMINAR 
			ANTARABANGSA PENGAJIAN TAMIL 




 Yang Berhormat Datuk S. Samy Vellu,
     Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Penganjur;
Dif-Dif Kehormat;
Para Peserta dan para hadirin sekalian.
    Saya  mengucapkan  selamat  datang  kepada para peserta
sekalian  ke   Persidangan-Seminar   Antarabangsa   Mengenai
Pengajian  Tamil  ini.    Saya percaya berbagai perkara akan
dapat dibincangkan di  Persidangan  ini  dan  saya  berharap
Persidangan ini akan dapat menyumbangkan ke arah peningkatan
ilmiah  dan juga persefahaman.  Saya juga berharap tuan-tuan
dan puan-puan akan cuba melapangkan masa untuk melihat bukan
sahaja Kuala Lumpur, tetapi  jikalau  boleh  kawasan-kawasan
sekitarnya.    Dengan  berbuat demikian saudara-saudari akan
dapat  mengalami  dan  memahami  sedikit   mengenai   negara
Malaysia ini.
2.   Persidangan       pertama        mengenai    Pengajian
Tamil  ini  telah  diadakan di Kuala Lumpur pada tahun 1966,
iaitu 21 tahun yang lalu.  Sekarang sekali lagi Kuala Lumpur
telah dipilih menjadi tuan  rumah  kepada  Persidangan  ini.
Dengan  adanya  Persidangan  ini  di Kuala Lumpur, ini jelas
membuktikan bahawa Kerajaan Malaysia membenarkan  penggunaan
dan  pengajian  lain-lain  bahasa,  selain  daripada  Bahasa
Malaysia yang menjadi bahasa rasmi di negara ini.
Ladies and gentlemen,
3.   The Tamil language with its long history has been  also
acknowledged  by  scholars  as  one  of  the  most melodious
languages of the world.  There  can   be  no    doubt   that
such  a  quality has been  attained  by  the  Tamil language
through the long period of its development  and  cultivation
by many generations of scholars, poets,teachers and students
since  ancient  times.  Indeed,  the idea of holding regular
meetings  of  scholars for  the  purpose of attaining higher
standards in the use of language and in the building up of a
good literary heritage  is not  new  to the Tamil tradition,
for  such  an  idea  has  been the  basis  of  the  academic
activities of the Sangam,  or the Academy, of  learned Tamil
poets.
4.   At present the Tamil language is being used not only in
the  state  of  Tamil Nadu in India,  but    also  by  Tamil
minorities  in  several  other parts of  the  world  such as
East  and  South  Africa, Burma, Fiji, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
Trinidad and Malaysia.
5.   I understand that the oldest surviving  instruments  of
the  Tamil  language  belong  probably  to the third century
B.C., though such literary works were no doubt  preceded  by
several  centuries  of literary development.   Indeed, Tamil
literature  shares  antiquity  with  the  other  ancient and
classical  literatures  of the world and at the same time it
continues to flourish as  a  vigorous  medium  of speech and
writing in our own times.  This is something that cannot  be
said of some of the other ancient languages.
6.   The earliest known  evidence of the existence of Tamils
as a people   with a distinct culture comes from the remains
of the  pre-historic  sites  in  the Indian subcontinent.  A
significant   feature  of  Tamil culture  is that several of
these elements would seem  to have  attracted  the attention
of people in other parts of the world in the course of early
and regular maritime contacts which the Tamils have had with
them.  The  Tamils  as  merchants,  craftsmen,  priests  and
scholars have played an important role in the development of
great  civilizations in  India as well as in other parts  of
the world including Southeast Asia.
7.    The  field of  Tamil  studies  is  indeed a large  one
involving   various   disciplines   such   as   linguistics,
literature, history,  archaeology,  anthropology,  sociology
and science.   This Conference,  I am told, will present and
discuss a wide range of subjects and topics. This includes a
section on science and techology where several papers on the
use of Tamil  language in computers and word processors will
be discussed. This is clearly indicative of the expansion of
Tamilology   to  include new horizons in keeping with modern
needs.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
8.     Tamilologies  ought  not  to be merely satisfied with
pointing out the relics of the past.  There is no doubt that
the archaeologists or the historians of  society,  language,
literature,  religion,  and  arts  are  the  discoverers and
investigators  of  the  past.  But  they  need  not be  mere
recorders of the past; indeed  they  ought  also  to  be the
interpreters  of  its  relevance  to  the  present  and  the
assessors of the achievements through the ages.
9.   This  scholarly  interpretations  should  represent the
voices of human progress and human  vision,   which   afford
an important corrective to the superficial instant judgments
which is the fashion now.  Such interpretations of permanent
age-old values of human  mores, ethics and philosophy  would
serve  not  only  as a guide for  the future,  but also as a
bulwark   against   the   dangers  of  depersonalization  of
humanity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
10.  Finally,  I  would like to express my hope that all the
participants  and  guests  of  the  Conference  would have a
comfortable  and  enjoyable  stay  in  Malaysia and that the
participants would have a successful deliberation.
11.  I  now  have   much   pleasure  to  declare  the  Sixth
International Conference-Seminar of Tamil Studies officially
open.