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Tamil Population in Canada and growing

Most spoken language in Canada

Tamil Population in Toronto and flourishing

Most spoken language in Toronto

Most commonly-spoken language in the world (by nearly 80 million people)

Learn Tamil

All Mixed Up

Learning

Learning from the research and wisdom of experts in the field.

Connecting

Connecting to the work of Tamil scholars and scholarship globally.

Sharing

Sharing stories and experiences, cross-generationally.

Preserving

Preserving the ancient Tamil language and the cultural legacy from an academic perspective.

How can you be a part of the mission? + -

The Chair belongs to the global Tamils. This is a collective effort — we need your help to reach our goal of setting up a Tamil Chair at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.

Donate now. + -

Any contribution you make inches us closer to making our vision a reality. 100% of your donation goes directly to the University of Toronto, and is eligible for a tax deduction.

Donate Now

Share our page. + -

We need your help spreading the word. Share our page with your friends and family on social media, or with your affiliated networks and organizations. This is a mission that impacts the Tamil community broadly — something we can all relate to.

Contribute to our blog. + -

Know something about Tamil heritage or culture you want to share with the world? Perhaps a recipe you enjoy cooking? Or a personal story? Get in touch to contribute to our blog.

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The Process

Fundraising

The first step is to work together to fundraise a total of $3M (CAD) to support the creation of the endowed Tamil chair. The funds go directly to the University of Toronto.

Recruitment

Next, the University of Toronto will begin the recruitment process in accordance with University policies and procedures.

Establishment

Once recruited, the Tamil Chair will be based in the academic unit of a department at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.

FAQ

Still Curious?

Have more questions about the Tamil Chair initiative? You can learn more here, or contact us!

Learn More

Spoken by many

Tamil is spoken by more than 80 million people worldwide.

Major Classical Languages

Noted as one of the oldest written traditions in all of Asia.

Historical Languages

Tamil is the oldest living language in the world.

An endowed chair at UTSC, will have a significant impact on academic investigation in Tamil for generations to come.

The support of the international Tamil community will play a critical role in the success of making the Tamil Chair. This is an important project that we will see come to fruition that will help transform the study of Tamil.

This is the first time a community funded chair is being created in the University of Toronto. Tamils in Canada and across the world are proud of this initiative. The University is equally thrilled to work with the community to establish this chair.

The modern colloquial language differs considerably from classical forms and from formal written Tamil. Toronto is an important centre for Tamil emigrants, with a lively community of restaurants and businesses, art, community services and mass media hundreds of thousands of Tamils call Toronto home.

Tamil is a language of the Indian subcontinent spoken in Sri Lanka and parts of India. It is also an official language of Singapore. With a literature more than 2,000 years old, Tamil is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world.