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Snapshots of Local Tamil Literary scene
• Literary circles organise competitions , events and support authors to publish their works .
• Until recently was dominated by senior writers who are naturalized citizens or by Permanent Residents . ( Maalan Narayanan , 2016 )
• Lack depth by just describing multi-racial society or places . Deeper understanding of social problems and inter-generational differences is needed .
• In the last three of four years Singapore writers are emerging and receiving recognition such as Golden Point , and finding places in anthologies . ( Maalan Narayanan 2016 )
• There have been young writers and directors in the theatre scene as youth join theatre groups such as Ravindran Drama Group and Avant . ( E . g . Murasu )
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Efforts done to promote cultural creators
• Grants and programs from government agencies such as the National Arts Council
• Golden Point Award ,
• Mentor Access Program for literary arts
• ‘ Arts Fund ’ for staging drama productions .
• Literary events organised by organisations such as the Association of Singapore Tamil Writers ( ASTW )
• review writing for books
• events featuring guest speakers and workshops .
• Cultural programmes by University students such as NTU ’ s Uthraa and NUS ’ s Sangae Muzhangu .
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Reasons for shortage of cultural creators
• Events are not effective in attracting Tamil youths . Hence , less opportunity for them to evolve and be groomed into cultural creators . ( Elakeyaa Selvaraji )
• Lack of awareness about these events amongst youths .
• Literary events need to be engineered to cater to specific audiences . ( E . g . Events for literary enthusiasts vs general public )
• Lack of trend setters embracing new forms of literature : Mr . Elangovan ’ s poetry collection Vizhijanalgalin Pinaalirinthu ( 1979 ) was the first book containing modern poetry . Between 1965-99 out of 71 poetry collections only 7 were of modern genre . ( Maalan Narayanan 2016 ).
• Very conservative approach and hesitancy amongst writers to experiment with new forms .
• Very few writers authentically project the voices of Singaporeans in their work as they feel there aren ’ t many social problems here .
• But Singaporean English writers have been more critical . E . g . Ms . Catherine Lim has criticised the ruling political party ’ s agenda on Straits Times ( Maalan Narayanan , 2016 ).
• One of the exceptions is Mr . Elangovan whose plays are highly controversial and his style of writing is raw and unapologetic about discussing social and political issues in Singapore . ( E . g . Talaq )
Encouraging Cultural Creators in the Singapore Tamil Literary Arts Scene
Author : Ms Harini V
Background :
• Poem , Short Story , Plays and Novels are considered Literary Arts .
Who are cultural creators ?
• Refer to artists that are in the arts scene . They actively exhibit a culture or represent the life of people in their works .
• Cultural creators are also innovators of trends and interests .
• Their visions are sometimes unconventional o Reflects new narratives that have not been represented before and create groundbreaking content . ( Cruz , 2010 ) o E . g . Tamil rappers creating a trend of infusing largely western hip hop music into Tamil mainstream music . o E . g . Literature that reflects political and social issues having a very original style or voice
The importance of the literary arts in promoting Tamil :
• Platform for Tamil speakers to be actively exposed and involved in Tamil after leaving school and joining the workforce .
• Constant exposure to Tamil local literature deepens our identity and understanding of being a Singaporean Tamil .
• Encourages readers to engage with Tamil intellectually .
• Improves general literacy and appreciation of Tamil amongst readers
• As such , the arts not only promote Tamil culture but by being engaged in the arts , one can understand his / her culture at a deeper level
How important is it for the society today to encourage cultural creators amongst youth ?
• We as members of a multi-cultural and multi-lingual society have a responsibility to contribute to the vibrancy of the nation . Many experts believe that there is a worrying trend of youth losing interest in the arts scene .
• In order to have a local Tamil arts scene that is vibrant and original it is extremely important to cultivate an environment that nurtures artistes that are authentic and innovative .
• Appreciation and involvements in the arts � deepens bond with the Tamil language
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Reasons for shortage of cultural creators
• We need to hone Singaporean writers who have a distinct style from the Tamil Nadu counterparts to address what it means to be a Singaporean Tamil and the complexities of that identity .
• Mentor programs should be of two kinds : 1 ) Beginners to improve their exposure writing skills 2 ) Advance writers to toy with different forms ( Maalan Narayanan , 2016 )
• People are taught to respect and elevate traditional Tamil art forms . They should also be told to enjoy and relate to it on a personal level .
• There must be initiatives that 1 ) engage critically with literary elites 2 ) engage with emerging literary enthusiasts and the masses by being relatable and enjoyable .
• E . g . More casual events like Spoken word poetry events and initiatives like SingPoWriMo are well received by the youth