AM Jain College Hosts Global Conference on Tamil and Scientific Integration
Chennai: Agurchand Manmull Jain College, a leading institution in Chennai, inaugurated a two-day international conference titled “Multidisciplinary Tamil Education and Scientific Development” on October 24. Organised in collaboration with the Tamil Development Board, University of Madras, and Sandhya Publications, the event aims to explore the integration of Tamil language studies with cutting-edge scientific and technological fields, including Artificial Intelligence.
The conference brings together over 25 distinguished Tamil scholars from across the globe to discuss how Tamil has been incorporated into diverse academic and professional domains. The initiative seeks to lay a strong foundation for the future growth of Tamil and its relevance in modern disciplines.
The inaugural session was graced by lyricist Vairamuthu, Kovi. Chelian, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Tamil Nadu, is slated to be the Chief Guest at the Valedictory Session on October 25.
Prominent attendees at the opening ceremony included Rajendran, Former Vice-Chancellor of Thanjavur Tamil University; Murugesu Dayanithi, Director and Head of the Department of Tamil Language, National Institute of Education, Sri Lanka; Sandhya Natarajan, Proprietor of Sandhya Publications; Udan Kumar Chordia, Secretary, and Hemant P. Chordia, Associate Secretary of AM Jain College; M. M. Ramya, Dean; R. Surekha, Deputy Dean; and N. Venkataramanan, Director of the college.
Speaking on the significance of the event, Udan Kumar Chordia remarked, “We are delighted to organise this conference, which envisions integrating multidisciplinary perspectives for Tamil students. The world’s leading nations have achieved distinction through the intellectual strength of their mother tongue. There is a clear need for multidisciplinary Tamil knowledge to flourish in Tamil Nadu. Our Department of Tamil not only teaches traditional subjects such as grammar and Sangam literature but also offers modern Tamil literary education. This conference will serve as a bridge between tradition and modernity.”
E. Kothandaraman, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Department of Tamil, emphasised the importance of evolving language education. “A language must evolve alongside the scientific and technological advancements of society. Tamil is a vast and rich language encompassing fields such as grammar, literature, history, linguistics, sociology, philosophy, music, medicine, and translation. It must also engage with contemporary scientific developments like IT, AI, biology, and environmental studies. This conference aims to foster such integration and encourage students to think independently and address social issues through the lens of language and science.”
Academic sessions will feature speakers such as T. Umadevi from the University of Delhi; K. Sankara Narayanan from the Tamil Development Board, University of Madras; Murugesu Dayanithi from Sri Lanka; and S. Sadasivam from Madras Christian College.
The Valedictory Session will include addresses by R. Kurinji Venthan of Tamil University, Thanjavur; S. Thirunavukkarasu of Sri Sivagnana Balaya Swamigal Tamil Arts and Science College, Mayilam; Ilakkuvan Sokkalingam from New Zealand; P. Thamaraikannan of M.G.R. Government Women’s College, Villupuram; Chandrika Subramanian, Founder of the Australia Tamil Development Forum (joining online); and P. Kumar from the Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur.
The Department of Tamil at AM Jain College has been active since 1972 and currently comprises 28 professors. It began offering a Bachelor of Arts in Tamil (B.A. Tamil) program in 2019, continuing its commitment to advancing Tamil education and research.
