Chennai, October 2025: Agurchand Manmull Jain College, a premier higher education institution in the city, in collaboration with the Tamil Development Board, University of Madras, and Sandhya Publications, is organising an international conference on “Multidisciplinary Tamil Education and Scientific Development” on October 24–25, 2025. The conference aims to promote the integration of insights from advanced science and technology fields, including Artificial Intelligence, into Tamil education.
The event will feature addresses by over 25 eminent Tamil scholars from around the world. It seeks to highlight how multidisciplinary scholars passionate about Tamil have incorporated the language into diverse fields, with the ultimate goal of laying a foundation for the future growth of Tamil and its people.
The conference was inaugurated today by Kalaimamani Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu, renowned lyricist and poet. Hon’ble Dr. Kovi. Chelian, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Tamil Nadu, is scheduled to be the Chief Guest at the Valedictory Session.
The inaugural session saw the participation of distinguished guests, including Dr. M. Rajendran, Former Vice-Chancellor, Thanjavur Tamil University; Dr. Murugesu Dayanithi, Director and Head, Department of Tamil Language, National Institute of Education, Sri Lanka; Mr. Sandhya Natarajan, Proprietor, Sandhya Publications; Mr. Udan Kumar Chordia, Secretary, and Mr. Hemant P. Chordia, Associate Secretary; Dr. M. M. Ramya, Dean; Dr. R. Surekha, Deputy Dean; Dr. N. Venkataramanan, Director of the college.
Speaking on the significance of the conference, Mr. Udan Kumar Chordia said, “We are delighted to organise this conference, which envisions integrating multidisciplinary perspectives for Tamil students. We must recognise that the world’s leading nations have achieved distinction through the intellectual strength of their mother tongue. There is a clear need for multidisciplinary Tamil knowledge to flourish in Tamil Nadu. At our college, the Department of Tamil not only teaches traditional subjects such as grammar and Sangam literature but also offers modern Tamil literary education. This conference will serve as a bridge between tradition and modernity. Our college is committed to continuously hosting such international conferences, recognising that advancing Tamil research is the need of the hour.”
On the objectives of the conference, Dr. E. Kothandaraman, Associate Professor, and Coordinator, Department of Tamil, AM Jain College, said, “A language must evolve alongside the scientific and technological advancements of society. Although Tamil is a vast and rich language encompassing multidisciplinary fields such as grammar, literature, history, linguistics, comparative literature, criticism, sociology, philosophy, music, medicine, and translation, it must also engage with contemporary scientific developments. Today, the world is rapidly advancing in areas like information technology, artificial intelligence, biology, and environmental studies. This conference aims to promote the integration of Tamil studies with these multidisciplinary perspectives, and help students gain a broader outlook and deeper understanding, encouraging independent thought and enabling them to address social issues through the lens of language and science.”
The speakers participating in various academic sessions of the two-day conference include Dr. T. Umadevi, Professor, Department of Indian Languages and Literature, University of Delhi; Dr. K. Sankara Narayanan, Head, Tamil Development Board, University of Madras; Dr. Murugesu Dayanithi, Director, National Institute of Education, Sri Lanka; and Dr. S. Sadasivam, Assistant Professor, Department of Tamil, Madras Christian College.
The Valedictory Session will feature addresses by Dr. R. Kurinji Venthan, Head, Department of Foreign Tamil Studies and Dean, School of Developing Tamil, Tamil University, Thanjavur; Dr. S. Thirunavukkarasu, Principal, Sri Sivagnana Balaya Swamigal Tamil Arts and Science College, Mayilam; Dr. Ilakkuvan Sokkalingam, Professor and Trainer, New Zealand; Dr. P. Thamaraikannan, Principal, M.G.R. Government Women’s College, Villupuram; Dr. Chandrika Subramanian, Founder, Australia Tamil Development Forum (via online); and Dr. P. Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Tamil, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur.
The Department of Tamil at AM Jain College has been active since 1972, with several eminent professors from Tamil Nadu contributing to its growth. The department currently has 28 professors and has been offering the Bachelor of Arts in Tamil (B.A. Tamil) program since 2019.
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