WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 OPINION A23

Tamil can hold its own against English

neighbourhood school, Teck
Whye Secondary.
The school appears to have
found a ruse to reverse the decline
by using Tamil and English.
These students will lead their
own learning process in a project
By M. NIRMALA with the National Heritage Board
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT and the Tamil Language Council.
They will first study the Eng-

T
WO YouTube videos, lish material on Singapores Civic
lasting some five min- District heritage trail and then
utes each, depict vivid- translate it into Tamil. Then they
ly the challenges facing will don the hat of heritage
the future of Tamil. guides, showing young primary
In one video, a young boy from school pupils these trails in Tamil.
Tamil Nadu, India, delivers a pow- There are plans to use the stu-
erful and witty speech in eloquent dents work to create an Android
Tamil on how Tamils have al- phone app for the trail in Tamil.
lowed English to erode the purity That the use of English need
of his mother tongue. not be feared as a threat to Tamil
At the doorway of Tamil homes emerged in a recent study by the
is a mat with the English word National Institute of Educations
welcome and the rooms of the Associate Professor Seetha Laksh-
house have English names living mi. She did her research at Tamil
room, bedroom and bathroom, he classes in eight primary schools
points out. and found that when Tamil teach-
He powers on to ask why the ers allowed their pupils to use Eng-
Tamil words for father and moth- lish during the lessons, more chil-
er have lost out to the English dren began speaking Tamil with-
terms daddy and mummy. out inhibition.
You have crushed the Tamil Some of the English words
words for your parents on the am- used were birthday cake and
mikallu, he cries in an angry re- red wolf. By allowing the chil-
buke to his Tamil fellow country- dren to use English, the teacher
men. Ammikallu is a grinding kept their interest in the discus-
stone used to grind spices and sion. She also did not immediately
chutneys. correct Tamil mistakes made by
In another video, Tamil Nadu her pupils.
movie superstar Dhanush sings Did Tamil lose to English? No.
the monster hit, Why This Kolav- One Tamil teacher used 2,490
eri Di? The reed-thin star only us- Tamil words, 64 English words
es five Tamil words in his song on and one Malay word. Out of the
boys who have lost in love. 958 words used by the pupils, 883
The first video had just over were Tamil words and only 75
Seven-year-old Soorya Anand from Admiralty Primary School performing during the finals of a recent Tamil language competition for primary schools. A new study has
90,000 hits. Dhanushs music vid- words were English words.
found that allowing children to use English words in Tamil classes helps to build confidence in young learners. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
eo crossed the 30-million mark Prof Seetha, who will be pre-
and even gained global fame when senting the results of the study at
the international news network worshippers, largely people be- will mangle and eclipse the use of 30. Now into its seventh year, the More engaging ways of teach- a conference later this year, con-
CNN selected it as the top song of longing to the dalit or untoucha- Tamil here, the reality is that the annual month-long event makes a ing the language have been pro- cluded that the use of English
2011. ble caste, sing a hymn dedicated use of Tamil here in recent years bold attempt to get the young to moted and teachers have used words built the self-confidence of
Dhanushs song is in Tanglish, to her: Oh Devi Ma, please let us has not waned despite the inroads speak Tamil frequently and cooking lessons, games and even the young learners.
a mix of Tamil and English. learn English! Even the dogs un- English is making into Indian Sin- spontaneously. Through debates, Tamil movie songs for Tamil stu- Findings such as this one can
And in North India, the blend- derstand English. gaporean homes. and literary and cultural events, dents, many of whom come from rattle Tamil language purists.
ing of English with Hindi is If English has made such in- In fact, English could well be the festival encourages Tamils to English-speaking homes. But the young bilingual brain is
known as Hinglish. roads into India and Tamil Nadu, the saviour of the Tamil language, embrace their mother tongue and If one purpose of the festival is capable of managing the language
The demand for English, associ- the birthplace of Tamil language especially for the young. use it. targeted at the young, more could revitalisation process in Singa-
ated with economic success, is so and literature, is there a future for The challenge of cultivating a This event and the earlier lan- have been done to include them at pore if young people are given the
strong in India that there is even a Tamil, spoken by a minority com- love for Tamil here was given a guage reviews done by the Govern- the launch. space to learn and use Tamil their
deity, Goddess of English. English munity in Singapore? While lan- boost when the Tamil Language ment aim to encourage more In the audience was a small way.
Day is observed on Oct 25 and the guage purists argue that English Festival was launched on March Tamil youths to use Tamil. group of Indian students from a [email protected]

INDIA-ISRAEL COOPERATION
What the Iron Lady forged
Elusive strategic partnership By JONATHAN EYAL
EUROPE CORRESPONDENT
IN LONDON
should have its own
empire in Eastern
Europe, and spoke

despite growing military ties openly about East-

ern Europes even-

M
OST of Britains tual liberation and
prime ministers the USSRs demise.
fall into two broad But it was also Mrs
By RICHARD A. BITZINGER critical market for an Israeli arms igate the NAMs anti-Israeli poli- categories: those Thatcher who first
FOR THE STRAITS TIMES industry that desperately needs cies. Israel could also be having an who shape events, identified Mr Mik-
arms exports in order to survive. important partner in the struggle and those who are shaped by hail Gorbachev as a

D
EFENCE cooperation A full 75 per cent of Israels de- against Islamist terrorism, given them. future Soviet leader
has always been a fence sales are to overseas buyers. their common challenges. Lady Margaret Thatcher em- with whom we
low-key but essential The revenue provides necessary in- Above all, perhaps, Israel phatically belonged to the Mrs Thatcher on a visit to British forces in Germany can do business,
element in relations be- come to underwrite military re- would probably like to see India former. And yet, that was not in 1986. She showed how a visionary leader can and it was she who
tween Israel and India. search and development pro- demarcate or lessen its relation- what she set out to do. transform a nation. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS urged the US to
While most of this cooperation grammes that aid Israels own de- ship with Iran seen by Tel Aviv Although she possessed a for- start managing the
has taken place below the radar of fence, like the Iron Dome short- as a major threat to the Jewish midable brain, she never aspired sumption that private enterprise peaceful end of the Cold War. As
international affairs, it has none- range missile defence system. state. In this regard, warming to be an intellectual. What she is inherently selfish and only gov- a result, she is now revered in
theless been critical to the expan- While arms sales constitute the United States-India ties (particu- believed strongly, however, is ernments can regulate economic Eastern Europe.
sion of ties between these two largest chunk of India-Israel de- larly in the nuclear area) could that ideas she found objectiona- activity on a fair basis. Most poli- Is her legacy of any relevance
countries since they established fence cooperation, other forms of help Israel by creating another ble had to be combated, and vig- ticians also believed printing today? The current global finan-
diplomatic ties in 1992. collaboration have emerged. In pressure point by which to entice orously. She was therefore more money and borrowing were the cial crisis appears to disprove her
At issue, particularly for Israel, particular, Tel Aviv and New Del- New Delhi to reverse its often of an intellectual smasher than a way jobs were created, usually claim that unfettered economies
is whether growing military ties hi recognise terrorism as a com- pro-Teheran stance. For example, builder, which is why through- with little reference to demand can police themselves. Central
can cement a broader strategic mon threat (particularly after the India has several times voted to out her life, she remained a con- or supply. banks are back to pumping cash
partnership between Tel Aviv 2008 Mumbai attack). Israel has censure Iran in the International troversial figure. Mrs Thatcher tore this consen- to kick-start economies. And her
and New Delhi. offered to cooperate with India in Atomic Energy Agency over Irans Yet she not only reshaped Brit- sus to shreds. She pointed out combative style of government
Most of this cooperation has fighting terrorism, including intel- nuclear programme. ain, but also remodelled political that individuals not the state does not sit well with voters who
been in the Israeli sale of arms to ligence-sharing, counter-terrorist Nevertheless, beyond arms debate worldwide. Many of the know best what is good for them. have no experience of the old ide-
India. Israel has become Indias training and joint exercises. sales and a few other areas of battles she fought and won now She refused to accept that, left to ological battles.
second-largest arms supplier af- Both countries have exchanged defence cooperation, it is unlikely sound dated, if not irrelevant. their own devices, market forces Still, some of her ideas have
ter Russia and, in particular military visits in an effort to ex- Israel will soon, if ever, realise a But some of the assumptions still will create an economic jungle. proven resilient. Nobody now
niches, it is perhaps the leading pand military-to-military ties. strategic partnership with India. underpinning government activi- She also refuted the claims of claims the state is by definition
provider to the Indian military of Finally, Israel and India have While India may be very impor- ties today started with her; the trade unions to be the exclusive an impartial or efficient eco-
advanced armaments and military expanded cooperation in outer tant to Israels foreign and securi- fact that we take these for grant- representatives of workers. And nomic actor. Few want to nation-
technology. space, with India launching two Is- ty policies, New Delhi sees the re- ed is the ultimate tribute to this she pointed out that printing alise companies. And most politi-
During the first decade of the raeli surveillance satellites. Co-de- lationship in a much more limited extraordinary woman. money and borrowing are immor- cians accept that reducing the
21st century, Israel transferred an velopment of earth-observation respect. India has too many inter- In May 1979, when she be- al activities, because they un- government deficit is as impor-
estimated US$10 billion in mili- satellites an area where Israel nal constraints a Muslim popula- came Europes first female PM, leash inflation which destroys tant as tackling unemployment.
tary equipment to India. These has considerable expertise is tion of 160 million and an ardent- her country was a sad joke: its in- peoples savings, and pass on the On all these points, she won.
deals included unmanned aerial ve- also a possibility. ly anti-Israeli left to ever get flation in double digits, its econo- bill to the next generation. And, ironically, she may be
hicles and armed drones, missiles One can perceive the India-Is- too cozy with Israel. my sustained by emergency Predictably, she was greeted vindicated on the one issue that
and targeting pods. Of particular rael defence relationship in two India can always find other loans from the International with howls of protests: A group ultimately brought about her
note, Israel has supplied India ways. First, it is at present mainly arms suppliers to keep the Israelis Monetary Fund and its politics of 364 distinguished economists downfall: her visceral refusal to
with radar systems for airborne a buyer-supplier relationship a continuing to offer weapons sys- decided by trade union bosses. from throughout the Eng- get Britain into Europes single
early warning and missile de- simple case of a motivated custom- tems, absent any broader political She led a party which calls it- lish-speaking world published an currency. She warned that the in-
fence. er (the Indian military) and an deals. Above all, New Delhi is un- self Conservative, but Mrs open letter in 1981, predicting troduction of the euro would gen-
In many ways, Israeli arms equally motivated seller (the Israe- likely to abandon its longstanding Thatcher was not interested in ei- that she will drive Britain to ruin. erate massive economic and polit-
transfers to India have been a li defence industry) securing a mu- and multifaceted relationship ther conserving or restoring. Al- But Mrs Thatcher had one ical crises and, as current events
mutually beneficial, almost symbi- tually beneficial but limited rela- with Iran in exchange for closer though a fervent patriot she al- great asset: At every stage of her indicate, she was right.
otic relationship. tionship. In other words, Israel ties with Israel, which may or ways had historic knick-knacks life, she proved more courageous Certainly, she remained polar-
Israeli technology fills critical sells weapons to India, India buys may not pay larger dividends. on her desk and delighted in than her opponents. By the late ising. The right-wing Daily Tele-
gaps in Indias woefully deficient them, and thats that. Israeli arms sales to India may pointing these out to visitors 1980s, she had taken on and de- graph praised her as a champion
defence industrial base. After On the other hand, there may be mutually beneficial but they she was no imperial sentimental- feated the union bosses, a quar- of freedom for workers, nations
more than 50 years of effort, be some particularly in Israel are largely confined to what they ist: She fought to retain posses- ter of the population owned and the world. But the left-lean-
Indias defence industry has been who would like to build on this are: a limited economic, military- sion of the Falkland Islands be- shares in newly privatised compa- ing Guardian noted that she pro-
unable to deliver the vast bulk of supply-and-demand relationship technical connection. So long as cause of the legal principles in- nies and even the poorest Britons moted a cult of greed.
advanced military equipment its and turn it into something bigger. New Delhi sees India-Israel volved, but readily accepted the climbed up the property ladder But probably her most signifi-
military demands, leaving it de- A true strategic partnership be- defence cooperation as a tactical return of Hong Kong to China, when she allowed residents of cant legacy is her conviction that
pendent on foreign suppliers. tween the two would particularly relationship, that is probably which praised her yesterday as government social housing to no matter how complex or de-
Israel is often a ready, no bring benefits to Israel. what it will remain. an outstanding statesman. purchase their units at pepper- manding the task, a single vision-
strings attached arms supplier. Such a strategic tie-up would [email protected] Nor was she an establishment corn prices. Her measures were ary leader can still cut through
Moreover, it has been willing to help Israel in a number of ways The writer is a Senior Fellow with the figure; her revolution was about subsequently copied throughout all obstacles and transform a na-
transfer technology and manufac- for example, in inducing New Del- Military Transformations Programme at dismantling the entire frame- the world. tion. And that is a message worth
turing know-how to help improve hi to use its position as a leading the S. Rajaratnam School of work of post-World War II gov- Mrs Thatcher also rejected the repeating, particularly in this age
Indias defence industry. player within the Non-Aligned International Studies, Nanyang ernance. The intellectual climate Cold War consensus which as- of cynicism.
At the same time, India is a Movement (NAM) to soften or mit- Technological University. of the 1970s rested on the as- sumed that the Soviet Union [email protected]