Tamilnation Website - Visitor Comments

About Us & Visitor Comments

Visitor Comments: 2000 to 2001

From Bala Balasingham, 11 July 2001

Vanakkam. I am extremely sorry to learn about the closure of your wonderful and very, very useful website. It is a great loss to the Eelam Tamils. I am not aware the reason for the closure and would like to know it if you are prepared to share it. Speaking about me, it is a great personal loss and therefore a matter of great pain to know about the closure. Is there any chance of revival? Please try. Thanks.

From Sinnathurai Srivas, UK 11 July 2001

I've also read about tamilnation.org being off line. I could not bear such a loss to Tamils and Humanity. I do not know what to do. Can I be of any help? You can trust me at least to discuss this matters.

From Mani M.Manivannan, USA 11 July 2001

I am very concerned about your recent decisions to close down the tamilnation.org site and withdraw from Tamil organizations. While I understand that your reasons are personal, you have been doing great service to the Tamils with your tamilnation.org site. It very disheartening to see that site come down. Do you plan to restore that site in the future. If not, have you at least archived it? When the history of Tamil computing is written, tamilnation.org will have a prominent place in it. If there is a way the contents of the tamilnation.org can be hosted in some other site, I would love to help. Please let me know.

From V.Thangavelu, Canada 9 July 2001

The closure of tamilnation.org, the rallying point of Tamil nationalists comes as a rude shock. I was away in USA for the FeTNA conference and learnt about the closure by reading my e-mails. What exactly the reason for the closure? Is it the new law (proscription of Terrorist Organizations) the reason. The site contained a wealth of information. If the law is the problem we can relocate the site to some other country like Canada or USA.

From Mathini Sreetharan, USA 7 July 2001

How could you decide to take tamilnation.org away from us without even a goodbye? You shared a portion of your vast knowledge with all the Tamil community for the past three years. We thank you for that. tamilnation.org was the pride of our community; it showed what caliber of people we have among us. Please let us know the circumstances that made it necessary for tamilnation.org to come to closure. Can we do anything to keep it accessible to us. Thank you

From Ilanko, New Zealand, 7 July 2001

I tried to access tamilnation.org and found it was indeed closed. I am deeply saddened by this closure, and hope that it is only a temporary one. This sadness comes through a sense of loss, that has been evoked in the minds of thousands of Tamils. At the moment, I cannot think of words to describe that you have provided to the Tamils and the Tamil culture through Tamilnation. tamilnation.org has given us not only education and information but feelings. It has given us a feeling of belonging to a greater nation that has not geographical boundaries. It reinforced the feeling in many of us that we are Tamils.

I don't think you would have taken the decision to close tamilnation.org without some serious reason(s). If there is anything that I can do to change/ease the situation that has caused the closure, either as an individual, or through the various societies in New Zealand as well as through Tamil circle friends, please do let me know. Thank you is a small phrase to say for what you have done to Tamils but that is the least we can do. Therefore, please accept my sincere thanks for all that you have done to the Tamils.

From: Nagalingam Ethirveerasingham, USA 7 July 2001

I am sure you have received many telephone calls from friends. I didn't want to add to it. Tamils have lost an interactive library and your guidance of its development. I miss the resources on all subjects related to Tamils. I keep wondering why the site was closed down - a virtual melt down! Will it rise again? For whatever reason you closed tamilnation.org site, I wish you peace and health. You have taught the Tamils one great lesson - "Tamils should build institutions that would not perish on the will of individuals and the wish of other communities."

From: Shanmugalingam, USA 7 July 2001

My PC Monitor stared back at me on July 6 as I clicked tamilnation.org from my FAVORITES with THIS SITE IS CLOSED. I did not think very much about it as it was Friday and assumed the site was closed for updating or upgrading. Sangam Editors reference to the Who moved the cheese story shook me to the reality. The Tamil Digital Library in the making I championed in the early days of tamilnation.org, is closed. I would very much like to know the reason for the closure and if there is any chance of reopening tamilnation.org. I am sure there are thousands who will put their shoulders to jack up the fallen tamilnation.org back in cyberspace. Nadesan Satyendra needs no coaxing to do his best to reopen the site if the closure was due to any reason other than personal.

From: Sreetharan, USA, 7 July 2001

When tamilnation.org first appeared I wrote to you saying that that was the happiest day in my life. The unexpected announcement posted in tamilnation.org that it is closing down gives me exactly the opposite feeling. Please let us know if the closure is permanent.

From: Kumara Bharathy, New Zealand, 7 July 2001

The message at the Site says, it is closed. I would say this site is the most important site for the Tamils, not only Eelam but across the world. It defined the state of Tamil Nation and continued to delineate it by example. I can understand the sweat behind it - both technical and content wise. More than that it had a vision which gave meaning to lot of things Tamil stands for. Having associated with it from almost its beginning, my writings too matured with it. From last year I had not contributed but had watched it grow. I can understand, there may be many reasons, but would appreciate to know why, if this is not intruding.

From: Editor, Sangam.org, USA, 7 July 2001

Who Moved My Cheese? - the Closure of tamilnation.org

The caption for this article is borrowed from the current bestseller with the same title authored by Spencer Johnson M.D.

For those who don’t know about this book, it is fable with four characters – two mice named “Sniff” and “Scurry” and two little people, the same size as the mice, named “Hem” and “Haw”. They lived in a maze, with the daily routine of looking for cheese for their sustenance. One day they found a bounty of cheese that would last a lifetime, at Cheese Station C. Now that they didn’t have to go looking for cheese every day they settled down into a comfortable routine.

One day when they arrived at Cheese Station C, they found all the cheese gone. The parable is about how the four characters dealt with the situation. Sniff and Scurry quickly moved on and succeeded, but Hem and Haw continued to hem and haw and failed.

We wish to report to our readers that tamilnation.org closed on 30 June 2001, after three spectacular years of presence in the worldwide web. With this closure our Cheese Station C too is gone.

For the seventy million Tamils scattered throughout the world, who found a growing togetherness in TamilNation.org, it was a sad day. The pleasure we derived from visiting this site is indescribable. The Ilankai Tamil Sangam, USA wishes to thank Mr. Nadesan Satyendra who single-handedly gave us this delightful, breathtaking, superb, spectacular, brilliant… experience.

The parable “Who Moved My Cheese” is about change. Change happens. The winners in the parable were the two mice who quickly moved with change, and moved on.

We may never find our Cheese Station C again but we must move on.

From: N. Kumaran, Directions, Canada 24 June 2001

I would like to convey my heart-felt appreciation to tamilnation.org for showcasing the paintings of Jayalakshmi Satyendra. Her paintings of village scenes is especially evocative and even for those who left Tamil Eelam very early in their lives, the paintings have captured the beauty of our native Jaffna which some of us are not so fortunate enough to vividly remember. I thank her for that.

From: Visu Varatheswaran, Canada 22 June 2001

Dear Tamil Nation, I have felt very knowledgeable as a result of the time spent on your web site, and I was really satisfied with the vast resources of information in it. This is victory of wisdom.

From: Ghalib Chohan, Zambia, 22 June 2001

Your mission statement is awe inspiring. In principal, these are wonderful objectives. However, they will not be easily achieved. Strive and aspire passionately towards your goal and you will with God's help reap the rewards. All the best.

From: Dr.S.Syed Mohideen, Tamil Nadu, 20 June 2001

Marvelous! Your endeavours are well taken. Keep on going the same path. Yours - A Tamilian

From: Thiru Nellinathan 26 May 2001

Dear Tamil Nation, I would like to thank you on your excellent website tamilnation.org. This is absolutely the Thamil Kalangchiyam of History, Culture, Literature ...and so on.

From: A Friend in Australia, 26 May 2001

Having surfed tamilnation.org for the nth time, I am astounded by the wealth of information, the richness of our culture and the resultant 'togetherness' . tamilnation.org surely serves to remind us that we are indeed a people scattered as we are in all parts of the globe . I thought I should let you know that your work is not only greatly appreciated but serves as an inspiration to many people in this part of the world.

From: Preman Rajadurai, Australia, 15 May 2001

Dear Tamil Nation, I happened to bump into the Tamil Nation website a few months ago, and I sincerely thank God for it. Ever since then, I have been enjoying reading the numerous articles in the site. Vazha Thamil Inam

From: Nagalingam Ethirveerasingham, USA 4 May 2001

I admire the paintings of Jayalakshmi Satyendra and others you present on the Sathyam Gallery each week. The current one, "Green Fields" reminded me of our family rice farm in Mankulam. The last time I saw it was in January 2000. In October 1996 when I lived with my older brother who was displaced from Jaffna, Palai and Kilinochchi in turn, the Kfir circled Mankulam and dropped bombs that killed a Ayurvedic physician in the area and destroyed his house. I remember the shopkeepers, and families running to the farms and staying in the open field. The women and children were crying. Some lay flat in the irrigation channels. It was a contrast to the idylic green fields that I have helped farm before the war. The poultry building and the house were flattened by bombs in May1997. A friend of my brother who was visiting the farm was killed by shrapnel from the bomb that fell on the road. The mines have not been cleared after the liberation of Mankulam in November 1999. I hope I will not be too old when it is safe to step in and resuscitate the farm.

From: Steve Scherer,19 April 2001

I would just like to thank the people who made this site. I am a freshman in high school, and I am doing my final report on the Dravidian civilization for my world History class. I have found more than half of the information that I needed on your website. It has made my report much easier. Thanks again.

From: Kartik Ramachandran, India 9 April 2001

I was just going through your Thirukural Page - found it very fantastic. I just wish for some modifications which I feel would enhance it further more. I would very much appreciate if you incorporate the actual verse in Tamil along with the translated verses. You can also provide downloadable books after incorporating the above change. If you feel my suggestion is worth, please give it a thought. And if you are going to implement the second part, please include the Tamil font also, which I find many websites fail to do.

Response by tamilnation.org: Many thanks for your comments. You are right to point out that the English translation of the Thirukural by Subramuniyaswamy does not contain the original Tamil. The Project Madurai release of Suddhananda Bharathiar's Commentary on the Thirukural does contain the couplets in Tamil and a direct link has now been included in the Thirukural page.

From: Theyvendra S Thuraisingham, USA. 14 March 2001

It is good to see that there is a worldwide forum for Tamils which is an excellent way for us to find out about our culture, people and history. The "Hundred Tamils of the 20th Century" is a very good source of information for the many achievements of the people of our Nation and an inspiration to our youth of today.

From: Toby Rasiah Malaysia, 12 March 2001

Good work! Thank you for putting up such a wonderful site about Tamils on the world wide web. It is a goldmine of information on so many different topics. What is most interesting is that it does not try to hide the community's negative side for e.g. the caste discrimination among Sri Lanka Tamils in the past - "Vellalars kept Pallar slaves during the Dutch rule", and "the so called untouchables were punished for having umbrellas by the so called upper castes". Keep up the good work of informing our community about us.

From: Dev Mahadevan, USA 12 March 2001

Vanakkam, I am overwhelmed by the good work that is done by tamilnation.org . Being away from Tamil Nadu for eighteen years (in USA), such forums bring me closer to my language and my culture. I also appreciate that I can see at first hand what great minds think and convey. Many Tamil brothers, whatever may be their religion, caste, nationality, unite to come together as a Tamil family. This is very good site to visit again and again.

From: Raj D Malaysia 11 Mar 2001

Through life's daily trials and tribulations and all the suffering I see, it gives me great pleasure to visit your site and feel a sense of belonging to a community with such history. My forefathers came to Malaysia a long long time ago. We have lost touch with our homeland. If only I could turn back time and view the journey of our Tamil brethren who risked the seas to seek their future in a foreign land. Having lived in the States for almost 11 years, I could imagine the risks taken to settle down. No need to mention all the feelings and experiences. I hope someone out there can relate to my emotions!

Response by tamilnation.org Yes, we need both heart and mind and yes, we can (and do) relate to your sense of belonging, a sense of sharing, a feeling of togetherness, rooted in our past, moulded by the present and given direction by our aspirations for the future, a togetherness which cries out, sometimes in pain and sometimes in joy - and, yes, we may live in different lands and across distant seas, but we, too, are a people. Mikka Nanri

From: MS Param, Malaysia, 6 March 2001

Hi there. Great contribution for Tamil! I'm visiting this corner for the first time. It's really commendable and I would like to congratulate the person in charge of this corner for his effort and contribution to the Tamil world - an effort and contribution which helps to highlight and recognise the Tamil genius in various sectors. Keep up the good job! You too will be in the list soon.

From: Your Brotherly Bhaig, USA 26 February 2001

Namaste. It is late night 25th February 2001. I read your webpage 'Reflections' I cannot believe that this is a site linked to Hinduism or India. Hundreds of webpages, including Government of India, Ghen, Mandirs or even neo Hindu/Westerner's websites are not updated for years. One could see pages updated in 2000... 1998 or 1997. In this age of the information superhighway, where Indians worldwide claim to be leading computer minds it is not quantity that matters but content.

Congratulations, greetings and best wishes for the best web portal. Churches worldwide are supporting struggles on humanitarian basis for people in Iraq, Afganistan, Kosovo, Ruwanda and Zimbabwe. I support your support for the suffering Tamils. Guyana, Uganda, Fiji, Afghanistan, Bangaladesh, Pakistan Indians, when discriminated, never opposed but suffered like the dead in the name of ahimsa. We forgot that we all (whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian) of Indian origin come from the country of Shakti, Siva, Kali, Sudershanchakra, Maharana Partap, Shivaji and Sikh Gurus. I do not want continued fighting in Sri Lanka but still I support you people who are concerned about your community. Wish you all the best, great sons of Indian origin. May God bless you and give you strength for your faith/struggle in dharma.

From: Baktha, India, 7 February 2001

Hello! I cannot just go out of this site without leaving a message because of its contents.. And I don't want to go out by just saying 'congrats' or 'praisings'... I would like to be a part of your mission.. I mean, I can do any help to improve this site. ** Hearty wishes to the website developers. Keep it up **

From: Puvana Chandra, UK, 4 February 2001

Vannakam, This web site makes us feel proud to be Tamils. The quantity and quality of the material made available is excellent and the links created make it so helpful for us to know and learn about our selves and our nation. Thank you very much.

From: Vijayaratnarasa, USA, 29 January 2001

One of the best Tamil websites. Nice work. Long live tamilnation.org

From: Charles Bryce, Australia, 24 January 2001

You have an intriguing site and it's easy to navigate. Congratulations.

From: Girija, India, 18 January 2001

I love the website http://www.tamilnation.org/ with so much information. Thanks again.

From: Raja Gopal, Malaysia, 8 January 2001

Just to say hello to all the Tamils in the world. Vannakam. Nalam. Tamilar otrumai uyaratum. Tamilanin taram valaratum. valga. Nandri. Valthukal. Paaratukal. Anbudan

From: Palani Kumar, Madurai People Network, Tamil Nadu, 2 January 2001

Vanakkam. Nice to see your site with useful links to Tamil related websites. Nice effort - and Good Luck for your work.

From: B. Ramcharand, Canada, 31 December 2000

Hi there, I have been away from Mauritius for the past 25 years. Thanks for this very interesting piece of MY history. It's a shame that I had to learn British History in my college days. Why?... I sincerely hope that one day we do introduce History of Mauritius at the secondary level. Thanks again.

From: Ravishankar Dixit, 25 December 2000

Hello, The site has very good subject matter which reflects the superior quality of the intellectuals in Tamil society. But alas, I am an Indian and I cannot see a part of India going off. I cannot see why Tamilians need a separate Tamil Land.... Every language has its own self-respect, its own greatness. I don't know why Tamilians are so touchy when it comes to their language. Look at Kannada for example (it is my mother tongue) or Marathi. Kannadigas number some 50 million and Marathis a little over 90 million. Do you think we do not have enough number of people to ask for our own Kannadanadu or Marathisthan? Or do you think we do not have that right because our cultures and languages are less supreme than Tamil, for which reason we have to be a part of India?... So, just learn how to live together and respect other languages and cultures. Just learn to mingle peacefully with other people. Uphold the dignity of India. Without the name of India, Tamilians will be dirt cheap. It is because of the greatness that is India, Tamilians also are having a piece of the cake. If they want to opt out, they will be eating pieces of shit..."

Response by tamilnation.org: please see Sathyam Commentary on Tamil Nation & the Unity of India

From: Kumaran Moodley, South Africa, 23 December 2000

I wish to thank you for a wonderful and exciting website. I will definitely encourage my other friends to visit this website. This site will help to promote the culture and the language of (our people). May Lord Muruga bless you all .

From: R.Shanmuganathan, Australia, 15 December 2000

My heartiest congratulations to you for developing this quality web site. Its unique function as a reliable resource centre of matters relating to the Tamil people was an important development in the modern history of the Tamil people. I wish further success and growth of this centre.

Response by tamilnation.org: Mikka Nanri. Many thanks for your encouragement and support. It is not that from time to time we do not search within ourselves as to whether our work is useful or necessary. Why do we do what we do? If it is a case of simply identifying oneself with the collective ego of a people, and giving expression to it, we may not be able to sustain ourselves in our work for long. As Arthur Deikman put it: "Even altruistic goals can wear thin without a larger picture of the human race." The words of Victor E. Frankl in 'Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning' had something to do with the lunching of this website, more than two years ago, and it continues to have something to do with our work today -

"Don't aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long run - in the long run, I say! - success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it."

From: Varatharajah Ramanan, 15 December 2000

I am really moved by the contents of your website. Keep up the good work. God bless you all. God bless my beloved Thamizh Thai.

From: S. Mahalingam, Canada, 11 December 2000

I wish to express my hearty congratulations for your wonderful website. Really, you and your associates have done a wonderful work. As a Tamil I feel proud of you all. The highly commendable aspect of your website is the comprehensive and balanced coverage of the matters that affect the outer and inner life of the Tamils - Tamil Nationalism and Spirituality at the same time.
I want to make a special mention of Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi. He gave most of his talks and explanations in Tamil but unfortunately they were not recorded in Tamil. Thus we Tamils have not made the proper and full use of his message. People who condemn Brahmanism and its rituals and ceremonies must follow Sri Ramana Maharshi and his path of self-knowledge. The real revolt against Brahmanism and its Varnashramam was started in Tamil by Saint Thirumoolar in his Thirumanthiram and later by other Siddhars and followed in our times by Saint Thayumanavar and Sri Ramana Maharshi. So, the Message was given to us but we have not listened to it. Again, my best wishes and sincere thanks to you all for the noble service and dedication. Please keep it up.

Response by tamilnation.org: Mikka Nanri. As you rightly point out, much of Ramana Maharshi's reflections were in Tamil and hopefully, more of that will appear on the web in the months ahead. His caution " what is the use of knowing about everything else, when you do not yet know who you are?" helps each one of us to further our understanding of our own inner core. We cannot understand our neighbour if we do not understand ourselves. The outer and the inner go together - and in the interplay, lies the elusive reality. We are thankful for your comments and your good wishes.

From: Sheba, Malaysia, 6 December 2000

Excellent website. Having moved to Malaysia very recently, I was looking for a site that would give me everything I need to know about Tamils here. Your site is the ultimate in presentation and it made me feel like I visited home away from home! Kudos to the team!

Response by tamilnation.org: Many thanks for having taken the trouble to write to us. We have said it before - and we say it again - comments, such as yours, encourage and sustain us in our mission to nurture the growing togetherness of more than 70 million Tamil people, living today in many lands and across distant seas. Mikka Nanri.

From: Rajah, USA 28 November 2000

For the first time I visited your Web site and I am glad that we have a 'scholarly style' web site. I was a successful farmer in the Visvamadhukulam Educated Youth Scheme in Jaffna in the 1970s. I was very frustrated because the Government treated us like step children... In the Educated Youth Schemes in the Sinhala areas - Rajankanai and Makiyakanai - the Sri Lanka government gave free water pumps, tractors and even free food. On the other hand, we, Tamils, had to work for everything. In1974, I left Sri Lanka and came to USA and completed my undergraduate studies and later graduate studies, because I knew that we, as a people, had no nation and we had no rights. The only way to beat the system was to find an alternate way to prove that Tamils are not second class citizen... tamilnation.org is a great consolation for me and millions of Tamils like me. Our souls journey to Tamilnation.

From: V. Gouthaman, Bangalore, India, 27 November 2000

...Today only I got a chance to browse through your site. It is very informative and exhaustive. Kudos to all of you behind this mission...

From: T.Wignesan, 26 November 2000

..Keep up the good work! I'm sure Tamils all over the world who have a chance to go through your pages, must be feeling an enormous sense of debt to you and your colleagues. The least one can say - and might I say it for all those unable to do so - is a big thank you!...

From: M.P.Prakash R.Lewis, Australia, 23 November 2000

I am the webmaster for Pentalearn.com which seeks to bring a rich multimedia content to elearning. I am impressed by your site and its contents. It is amazing to see the range of content devoted to Tamil. I am proud to be a Tamilian and consider your site as the ultimate in spreading our culture - barring a few minor things. I wanted to add to the forum, but I could find no means to do that...

Response by tamilnation.org: Many thanks for your comments. At the present time, to contribute to the Tamil National Forum, it will be necessary to use the email feature.

From: Edhelper Lesson Plans - Worksheets - Teacher's Lesson Plans, USA, 15 November 2000

I am the webmaster at edhelper.com. I wanted to let you know that I have chosen your site, as an edHelper Honor Roll Site. You really have an excellent resource, and I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to list your site.

From: Ramanathan Lambotharan, New Zealand, 14 November 2000

Excellent work and dedication. Really delighted to see such a wonderful site for Thamil. I could see it is growing nicely. I am looking for Navaly Somasuntharapulavar's work especially children poems. Valarka Thamil.

From: Sara Ananthan Australia, 12 November 2000

My sincere thanks for your invaluable service to the Tamil community. tamilnation.org is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Tamil related information. We, the Tamil community are indebted to all the wonderful people who maintain this web site.

From: C.Vijendran, 5 November 2000

Well, what can one say about your wonderful site. There are so many sites of interest to the worldwide Tamil community, but none as comprehensive as tamilnation.org. Who are these wonderful people who maintain this site? It must take enormous dedication. In years to come this website will be the prime resource for any Tamil living anywhere in the world. Thank you, and God bless you.

Response by tamilnation.org: We are truly humbled by expressions of support such as yours - and they sustain us in our commitment to furthering the mission of the site.

From: Murugaiyan Subramanian, 30 October 2000

Vannakam. Viva tamilnation.org En Uyir Thamizh Makkale. Nice to see a website which is concentrating on Thamizh. I wonder why people living in Thamizhar Nadu (India) are not giving priority for Thamizh. Even though I came from the same place, I always had a feeling that we require a separate place where I should see Thamizh. I hope our dreams will come true very soon... A suggestion, you can add our oldest books like Agananooru, Purananooru, and also add books of those who lived only for Thamizh like Thamizh Thiru Perunchitranar. Vazhga Thamizh, Valarga Thamizh

Response by tamilnation.org: Mikka Nanri. You will find the links to Agananooru, Purananooru here. Yes, there is a need to add books of Thamizh Thiru Perunchitranar - and hopefully, this will be done in the months to come.

From: Priya Sowrirajan 9 October 2000

Hi all, I got a chance to browse your site this afternoon.. It's really loaded with "Tamil".. I'm impressed... Congratulations... Good job, keep it up...

From: Jawan Sita, 5 October 2000

Vannakkam! I am really happy to see your site, tamilnation.org. I am a North Indian girl, but I have a great respect for the Thamizh people and I have even learnt to read and write Thamizh. I can say from experience, that the Thamizh writing system seems a lot more natural to the hand than Devangari...

From: Premalatha Krishnakumar, USA, 3 October 2000

Vanakkam, I am Prema from USA. I like your site and I have sent the site URL to almost all of my friends. Vazhga Thamizh

From: Hely Chavan, 27 September 2000

I am an Indian (Bombayite) studying in the US. I am so, so pleased to look at an accurate chronology of our Hindu people. tamilnation.org is a very educational site that offers the truth to counter hundreds of years of false propaganda history. Bravo!

From: Saritha T, 23 September 2000

I am a great fan of Ramana Maharishi. I am trying my best to walk in his foot steps. I am very glad that there is a site for this great person who is always with us. Thank you.

From: Kalyan Kidambi, 19 September 2000

Accept my kudos on a nice web site and great content. Being a Tamilian myself and having lived in the West for a long time, it was a pleasure to re-acquaint myself with such valuable facts and information.

From: Nasir, Washington DC, USA 10 September 2000

ASALAAM - As an American with a love of history and religion, it was refreshing to have the myth of the "Aryan" sorted out so clearly. It is said that the entire world has been named and misled as to who and what they are due to the colonial desire to justify the subversion of people of darker hues. My group is currently investigating the Mayan and Olmec civilizations of Central America, and their relationship to outside influence, and in each case we find European injections of a speculative nature as to their fostering a civilization in America. Thank you, sincerely.

From: Shrikanth Reddy 1 September 2000

...I am not a Tamilian but I was extremely happy to see your site. It is a wonderful site and others would do well to emulate you. The portion on Sri Aurobindo is a magnificent collection of his articles with excellent commentaries from you. As a South Indian, I am proud of your site and everything on it. Best wishes.

Response by tamilnation: Many thanks for your support and your kind words of encouragement - they help to sustain us in our efforts - and the life of Aurobindo continues to inspire.

From: Madhav Sreedharan, 26 July 2000

Simply superb.. Kudos to you for maintaining the site tamilnation.org. It is such a big repository of all the great Tamil works of literature...

From: Vijay Pillai UK 23 July 2000

May I congratulate tamilnation.org for creating and keeping active this unique website. Who are the people behind it ? One person or many ? I am curious. These people deserve credit and continued support for this website of immense importance to promote the just cause of one of the ancient languages of the world - Tamil - and also of Tamils around the world and the realization of Tamil Eelam in the immediate future in particular.

Response by tamilnation: Mikka Nanri. The togetherness of more than 70 million Tamil people will continue to grow, month by month and year by year. It is a river that is not about to flow backwards. The work at tamilnation.org is but a small contribution towards nurturing the growing togetherness of the Tamil people living in many lands and across distant seas.

From: Bhuvana Nandakumar, New Delhi, 15 July 2000

I would like to applaud you on your website tamilnation.org. As a Tamil currently living away from Tamil Nadu, I find in this site a treasure trove of resources for people interested in art, language and literature. I found your section on Sri Aurobindo unique. There are several sites devoted to Integral Yoga but this is one of the few that deals with his political activism and his writings from that era... A special note of appreciation to the artist Jayalakshmi Satyendra who did the different paintings of Sri Aurobindo, Subramania Bharathi etc.

Response by tamilnation: Many thanks for your comments. - and encouragement. They help to sustain us in our work to further the mission of the site. Mikka Nanri

From: Sayone Arasaratnam, Canada, 11 July 2000

I was fascinated by your site.... I am glad you finally got round to adding some info on the Chola Empire. Hopefully with time you could add more information on Tamil martial arts and martial history (Madurai cillambam fighting, ancient martial arts of Jaffna, Kalaripayat, Adi Varmam, pictures/photos of Tamil military armour/weapons, information on force structures and numbers of soldiers for the Cholas, Pandyans, etc.). Unfortunately for many Tamil youths like myself in the West, we have a strong bond and love of our history/culture but cannot read the Tamil language history books (can't seem to find any Tamil history volumes on the Cholas or Pandyans in English!).. .tamilnation.org website is a wonderful service to Tamil kind...

From: Sydney, Australia, 8 July 2000

...The content of the tamilnation.org website is very rich with a lot of thoughtful articles. My daughter (15 years) used the site extensively to write a paper on the conflict in Sri Lanka and got 100%. Please keep up the good work for the benefit of Tamils living all over the world...

From: Ramalingam Shanmugalingam US, 2 June 2000

From the several accolades it is clear that many have benefited from the several pages in tamilnation.org. It is extremely difficult to give references to many of what I remember from my school days. I have found tamilnation.org to be the library that has almost replaced the then famous Jaffna College Library for me.

I needed information on the 5 Ishwarams and I got it from "The Pancha (five) Ishwarams of Eelam" by Shri S. Arumugam. ...(Today)... There is little time devoted to discussion on matters for parents on child care. Long before high sounding (psychology) terms were known, Tamil literature had matters relating to child care and I know Avvai has sung about how we should treat children at ages from 0 -5, 5 -2X5, 10 - 3X5 and so on and from 4X5 or thereabouts the youth must be treated like friends. I wonder if anybody remembers or direct me to a source I can get the exact words. Thank you.

Response by tamilnation: Many thanks for your comments. Mikka nanri. You may find Mu.Varadarajan's remarks in the Auvayyar's Writings page of some interest: "...She (Auvayyar) found great happiness in the life of small children. Her works, the Athisoodi and Konraiventhan written for children (of primary classes), are even now generally read and enjoyed by them. There is none among the Tamils who does not know these two works, or at least a few lines in them. Her two other works, the Mooturai and the Nalvazhi were written for (secondary) school children..."

From: Sachi Sri Kantha, Japan 17 May 2000

Vanakkam. Kindly accept my congratulations for establishing and maintaining a very informative web site for the past two years which serves a vital need for the Tamils who are living in different states of the world.

From: N.Nandhivarman Tamil Nadu, 17 May 2000

Our Party (the Dravida Peravai) applauds the efforts you have taken to highlight to the world the just cause of Tamil Eelam. In fact when in Pondicherry State, we held an all party meet on May 14th titled An Open Discussion on 'What India should do to resolve the ethnic conflict' we brought out a white paper of 32 pages which was sent to the Prime Minister and other Ministers. We are deeply indebted to your site as we were able to draw a lot of information to highlight in our white paper. Our party is an associate party of Samata Party and a special invitee to its National Executive.

From: ozbun@usa.net 15 May 2000

... I would like to thank you for building such a wonderful web site with heaps of documents. What I find most special about this web site is that it provides relevant authority to support its claim. Not many Tamil writers do that, except, perhaps D. Sivaram (Taraki)...

Also I feel very thankful to you, because many incidents happened in my life which I never had first-hand knowledge about them before. Particularly the '83 riots where it personally affected me in the sense my father refused to buy me a new dress for that Christmas saying it was a 'Black Christmas' and one of my uncles was shot and killed by the Sri Lanka Army. And in the future if my children ask what happened, then I don't need to answer them, but simply ask them to visit http://www.tamilnation.org. Many thanks for the tamilnation.

From::V. Thangavelu, Canada, 30 April 2000

The presentation of additional features like the Armed Struggle for Tamil Eelam makes tamilnation web site a valuable source of reference. I enjoyed reading the piece on Ettuththokai and Paththupppaddu. Every Tamil should strive to acquire at least a working knowledge Cankam literature to know our history and the rich heritage we inherited from the Tamil people and poets of that period...

From:: Kumaran Nadesalingam 5 March 2000

It is unfortunate that I did not know that tamilnation.org existed for such a long time. I have been visiting this site for about two months now and I firmly believe your website is the last word on anything even remotely Tamil. Keep up the brilliant work! .... An impossible task, but...one suggestion though: Why don't you redesign the website so that there is some order? With so much information, it is confusing for a new reader and it might discourage him/her from exploring the website further.

Response by tamilnation: Firstly, many thanks for your comments and support. The website has been designed around the mission statement and this is amplified in the contents in the homepage. However, as more and more information is added and cross links inserted, there may arise some confusion in the mind of a new reader, particularly, if he has accessed the site from a page other than the homepage. We will try to address this question so that useful cross links are retained whilst at the same time the coherence of the site is not lost - some steps in this regard have been taken at this update. We found your feedback helpful.

From: Kannan 3 March 2000

I saw MGR's homepage at tamilnation.org. It is nice. I am happy to see it. I'm expecting you to launch such homepages of our other Tamil leaders. Moreover, I am very interested in a homepage for Dravidians which will start from Harappa.

Response by tamilnation: Many thanks for your comments. You will find some information re Dravidians at The Tamil Heritage - History & Geographyand also at The Demand for Dravida Nadu. Admittedly, the information provided is sketchy and there is a need to put together the history of the Dravidian people in a more comprehensive manner.

From: Anton Sinnarasa, Norway 25 February 2000

Appreciate your wonderful and excellent contribution.

From: Maria Jim, New Delhi, 23 February 2000

First of all I would like to congratulate you for your effort in creating this wonderful website which gives lots of information about Tamil Nadu, its people and culture. I was surfing the net to get some information about Dr.Abdul Kalam. I happened to reach your website. But unfortunately I could find only his name. No other detailed information is given. For a few people like M.S.Swaminathan lots of information is given. Please try to give a short biography of each personality mentioned in the list which will be very enlightening. Once again congratulations!!!!!

Response by tamilnation: Vannakam. Many thanks for your comments and support. Yes, there is a need to give a short biography of each person listed in the Hundred Tamils page - and hopefully, this will be progressed in the months ahead. Meanwhile, a page on Abdul Kalam has now been added.

From Jason Devadason, Malaysia 21 February 2000

Nice site. My name is Jason and I am 16 years old. I from Malaysia. I am a Indian Malaysian. It's a cool site. Lots of information. I knew there were Tamil cultural influences in South East Asia. Your site lacks information about the histories of the kings who ruled South India such as Chola, Pallavi and others. Keep up the good work.

Response by tamilnation: Many thanks for your comments. Yes, the site does lack detailed information re the Chola and Pallavi periods - and it is necessary to revise the Tamil History section to this end. The sections on Dravidian Temple Architecture and the Chola Bronzes may give some useful insights - but, admittedly, they are not sufficient.

From: Nagaiah Kandavel Canada 6 February 2000

Vannakam: Congratulations on a wonderful website. This is a great service you are doing for the Tamil people. I have only a small, but perhaps practical solution. I find that it may be a nice idea or at least it would be convenient for surfers who are Tamil and especially non-Tamil, if your website were to network with other Tamil sites (e.g. http://www.intamm.com , http://www.tamilcanadian.com , http://www.eelam.com , http://www.tamilsongs.net , etc.) Not only will it bring about a sense of unity amongst Tamils world-wide, but it will showcase the immense work down by Eelam Tamil expatriates to show the world the plight of our brethren back home.

From: Sydney, Australia 3 February 2000

Excellent site. Keep up the good work. I read with much interest the "Pancha (Five) Ishwarams of Eelam" by Shri S.Arumugam.

From: Kathir from Inayam, US 21 January 2000

I am a regular visitor of tamilnation.org. It is really a commendable service you are doing. Best wishes for all your efforts and wish you good luck.

From: Professor P. Ramasamy, Dept of Political Science, National University of Malaysia, 15 January 2000

Congratulations, tamilnation.org. ... I do visit your site very often. It is packed with information. I have recommended my graduate students to use it for their research on Tamils and their culture.

From: Phillipa Carter, Canada

Greetings from the Departments of Religion & Culture and Distance Education at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

During the Winter term (January-April 2000) Wilfrid Laurier University is offering a Distance Education course on-line entitled "World Religions in Cultural Perspective".

The students enrolled in this course are being encouraged to explore several religious traditions from a variety of perspectives. They will use a number of resources including the World Wide Web.

We plan to suggest tamilnation.org as one of these resources and give students a direct link to it on-line.

From: Kalyanasubbu Sundaravelu Cincinnati,US 3 January 2000

Thank you very much for building e-nation for Tamilians. I visited two times in last two days. Excellent and highly informative. Enjoyed your Thirukural, Cilapathikaram and article about MaVeeran Pirabaharan. What all the old Tamil literature teaches the world is to live a humble and satisfying life and to learn and enjoy life while living. Get more articles from people of other faiths Tamil culture is truly secular it even accommodates non believers] and life philosophy. I will check at least once a day from now onwards. Thanks. And GOOD LUCK.

From: R.Bala , Editor Thirumaraitheebam - Bible Lamp - a Tamil Christian Quarterly, New Zealand, 31 December 1999

I enjoy visiting your site which is a great site. I do commend you for your excellent service.

[see also earlier Visitor Comments: 1998 to 1999]