1.1A Senate resolution
1.2designating the month of January as Tamil Language and Heritage Month.
1.3WHEREAS, Tamil is the longest-surviving classical language in the world, with a traceable
1.4history exceeding 3,200 years. Tamil is an official language in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore and
1.5is a minority language in Malaysia, South Africa, Mauritius, and Canada. There are an estimated
1.690 million native Tamil speakers across the globe; and
1.7WHEREAS, the Tamil community in Minnesota has made immense contributions to the
1.8social, economic, and cultural fabric of Minnesota, including promoting Tamil language, arts,
1.9culture, and heritage; and
1.10WHEREAS, the Tamil community has also contributed significantly to bilingual literacy in
1.11the state, with Minnesota students being the first to achieve the Seal of Biliteracy for the Tamil
1.12language. Minnesota Tamils have established a self-sustaining literacy model for the Tamil language
1.13through scholarship endowments and national level standards for Tamil education; and
1.14WHEREAS, the Tamil community across the globe celebrates a four-day Pongal Festival
1.15each year that starts on the first day of the first Thiruvalluvar year calendar month, which falls in
1.16mid-January. The Pongal Festival celebrates the harvest, gives thanks to nature and cattle stock,
1.17and celebrates Tamil arts. The fourth day of the festival honors Thiruvalluvar, the great poet, whom
1.18the Thiruvalluvar year is named after. The Thiruvalluvar year is a continuous Tamil calendar starting
1.19from 31 BCE; and
1.20WHEREAS, the Minnesota Tamil community is committed to sharing their vibrant culture,
1.21traditions, and history with the people of Minnesota and encourages all Minnesotans to participate
1.22in celebrating January as Tamil Language and Heritage Month.
1.23BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it hereby proclaims that the
1.24month of January be designated as Tamil Language and Heritage Month in the State of Minnesota.