Indian cultural center offers free Tamil language course
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Life Lines | Mon, April 23 2012, 9:06 AM
Free language classes: Indian Ambassador-designate Gurjit Singh (center) talks to children who want to learn Tamil language during the inauguration of free Tamil language classes and Tamil Library at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Culture Center (JNICC) in Jakarta on Saturday, while JNICC director Zahur H. Zaidi (second right, back row)and Indonesia Tamil Sangam president Visagan Mailachalam (right, back row) look on. (JP)Where can we learn Tamil — an official language of India, Sri Lanka and Singapore — for free in Indonesia? The answer is the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Center (JNICC) in Jakarta.
In cooperation with the Indonesia Tamil Sangam (ITS), the JNICC is offering free Tamil classes every Saturday at Jl. Pandeglang No. 44, Menteng, Central Jakarta. The JNICC also has a Tamil section in its library.
Both the Tamil language classes and Tamil library were inaugurated by Indian Ambassador-designate Gurjit Singh on Saturday at the JNICC.
“Tamil is one of the oldest living classical languages in the world,” Singh said while inaugurating the language classes at the JNICC.
The Tamil language course and library are the new attractions at the JNICC, which also offers classes in Hindi, yoga, dance and music.
“Tamil language classes are open to all Indonesians, Indians and other expatriates living in Indonesia,” JNICC director Zahur H. Zaidi said.
Tamil is widely spoken in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. More than half of the total 6 million Indians living in Southeast Asia are Tamil people, mainly in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
“Recently ITS also started a similar course in Sunter, [North] Jakarta. Tamil classes will be very beneficial especially for the children of Tamil migrant families who have lived in Indonesia for generations,” ITS president Visagan Mailachalam told The Jakarta Post.
Medan is home to thousands of ethnic Tamils and Jakarta also has a large number of Tamil families, mainly from India, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the US, Britain and other countries.
