'We are more accepting of people from outside'

On her book that demolishes stereotypes and celebrates the secular culture of Tamil Nadu

- Aparna Karthikeyan

Can we start with a bit on Tamil identity and its links with the language? During the Sangam era, language was not an emotional thing. It was a practical tool of communication, to speak about love, heroism, war, nature. I think the emotional attachment to Tamil grew with time, particularly after the Jains and Buddhists arrived. Their communication was through the local language. The Bhakti saints — Alwars and Nayanmars — also realised that Sanskrit was alienating a lot of people. They went from temple to temple singing in Tamil and the local people were drawn to it.

The Dravidian movement was a pivotal point. It turned people's attention towards the need to preserve Tamil.