Finding Home

In their own unique way, Tamil creatives are creating a dialogue between tradition and modernity.

- BARRY RODGERS

In its broadest sense, identity has become a powerful cultural marker, serving as an expression of heritage and a response to globalising forces. This dynamic is especially poignant for Tamils from India and Sri Lanka, who balance honouring ancestral customs and adapting to new cultural landscapes.

In the arts, Tamil identity is reflected through cinema, music, and visual storytelling, often grappling with themes of displacement, belonging, and nostalgia. Artists from this community often blend classical Tamil forms with contemporary techniques, creating a dialogue between tradition and modernity.

In her own kitschy, playful way, fashion designer Abarna Kugathasan holds on to her identity. Raised in Pforzheim, a small city in southwestern Germany, Kugathasan recalls growing up in a “very German flat but not so German household”. Tamil influences merged with German ones, whether in furniture, home decor, food, or clothing, and these contrasting cultures coexisted within her home. “From plastic banana trees and foamy artificial flowers in our living room to portraits of Hindu deities in picturesque landscapes hung up on our walls and sacred altars surrounded by the scent of incense,” she says. Kugathasan’s parents, who moved from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, in the 1990s, met in Germany.

The Tamils from Jaffna, located in the northern region of Sri Lanka, form a distinct cultural and ethnic group with deep historical roots. As the heartland of Sri Lankan Tamil culture, Jaffna has long been a centre for Tamil literature, Hindu religious practices, and classical arts like Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music. The region’s identity is heavily shaped by its colonial history and the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009), which left a profound impact on the Jaffna Tamil community in terms of both displacement and resilience.