Silappathikaram - A musical and literary treasure

In Silappathikaram, Ilango Adigal provides invaluable insights into the anatomy, structure, notes, and scales of Tamil music during the Sangam era. This classical Tamil epic is a significant record of ancient Tamil Isai (music) and its theoretical foundation.

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1. Tamil Music System – Structure and Notes

The ancient Tamil music system, as reflected in Silappathikaram, shares similarities with modern-day Carnatic music but has its unique features. It was highly structured and built around:

Seven Notes (Ezhisai - எழிசை):

The Tamil music system used a seven-note scale, referred to as "Ezhisai":

• Kural (குரல்) - Sa (Shadjam)
• Thuttham (துத்தம்) - Ri (Rishabham)
• Kaikkilai (கைக்கிளை) - Ga (Gandharam)
• Uzhai (உழை) - Ma (Madhyamam)
• Ili (இலி) - Pa (Panchamam)
• Vilari (விலரி) - Dha (Dhaivatam)
• Tharam (தாரம்) - Ni (Nishadam)

This is equivalent to the Sapta Swaras (Do-Re-Mi scale) in later Carnatic music, showing that Tamil music already had a well-established structure.

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2. Scales (Pann - பண்): The Melodic Framework

In Silappathikaram, Pann refers to the Tamil equivalent of the Raga in Carnatic music. It serves as the melodic foundation of songs, dictating the arrangement of notes and the emotional mood of the music.

Types of Panns:

• Marudappann: Calm and meditative, associated with devotion.
• Sempalai: Expresses joy and celebration.
• Sadari: Reflects sorrow and pathos.
• Kausikam: Evokes love and romantic moods.

These Panns were carefully chosen for their ability to communicate specific emotions (Navarasas).

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3. Rhythm and Tala

Rhythm in Tamil music was as significant as melody. Silappathikaram emphasizes the use of Tala (rhythm cycles), which governed the tempo of the performance.

• Talam (தாளம்): Refers to rhythmic patterns created with percussion instruments like Parai and clapping.

Tempos varied to suit the mood:

• Vilambita Tala: Slow pace for devotional or sorrowful songs.
• Madhyama Tala: Medium tempo for general storytelling.
• Druta Tala: Fast pace for celebratory and festive music.

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4. Instruments and Musical Harmony

The epic highlights the harmony created by instruments that accompanied singers and dancers. Key instruments used include:

String Instruments:

• Yaazh (யாழ்): A harp-like instrument producing soft, melodic notes.

Variants like Sengottu Yaazh and Periya Yaazh were tuned to different scales.

Percussion Instruments:

• Murasu (முரசு): A large drum for festivals and war announcements.
• Parai (பறை): A rhythm instrument for dance and rituals.

Wind Instruments:

• Flute-like instruments producing long, soulful notes.

The combination of melody (Yaazh), rhythm (Parai), and voice created a balanced and rich musical experience.

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5. Musical Modes (Paadal - பாடல்)

Silappathikaram classifies music into distinct Paadal (songs), depending on their emotional tone and occasion:

• Aham Paadal (அகம் பாடல்): Songs of love, romance, and personal emotions.
• Puram Paadal (புறம் பாடல்): Songs of valor, praise, and external themes like war or heroism.
• Vediyal Paadal: Sacred songs in praise of gods, sung during rituals.

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6. Music as a Representation of Emotions

Ilango Adigal emphasizes how Tamil music could evoke and represent the Navarasas (nine emotions):

• Sringaram (Love)
• Karunam (Compassion/Sorrow)
• Veeram (Courage)
• Adbhutam (Wonder)
• Raudram (Anger)
• Bhayam (Fear)
• Bibhatsam (Disgust)
• Shantam (Peace)

The notes, scales, rhythms, and instruments worked together to reflect these emotions perfectly.

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Conclusion

Silappathikaram is a musical and literary treasure that documents the anatomy and structure of ancient Tamil music. With its well-defined notes (Ezhisai), melodic scales (Panns), rhythms (Talam), and instruments, it showcases a sophisticated and organized system of music. It demonstrates the Tamil people’s deep understanding of music as an emotional and artistic expression, solidifying Tamil music's place as an early and advanced classical tradition.

Tamizh's classical music

Only such book available now on ancient Tamil music is ‘Pancha Marabu' written by Serai Arivanar. As the name denotes, it has five chapters. Out of them, three are devoted to music and two to dance.

The work defines Isai (music) and Pann, the equivalent of the present day raga. The book explains the varieties of yazh, the number of strings and the kind of wood that was used to make them. It also gives the materials that were used to make the vangiyam (flute) and percussion instruments. 

References to musical form and structure in Sangam literature

The Arangetrukaadai, a chapter of the Silappathikaram, mentioned earlier, also provides details the musical instruments of the day such as the yal (a kind of a 14-stringed lute or harp), kulal (flute) and percussion instruments as well as pann, the equivalent of musical scales in the Western music paradigm. The chapter describes in intricate detail how the use of different notes with the help of the yal resulted in different pann. It appears that the equivalent of the seven basic notes (SRGMPDN) that form the foundational construct upon which all South Indian Carnatic and Hindustani music is built today, were in existence during the Sangam period but known by their Tamil names of Kural, Tuttam, Kaikilai, Uzhai, Ili, Vilari, and Taram. Additionally, there were terms for the upper and lower octaves of each note for example Kurai Tuttam and Nirai Tuttam for the lower and upper octaves respectively. According to Venkatasubramaniam (2010), the Tiruvaduturai Mutt palm leaf manuscripts (AD1742) list the twenty-one common pann that were sung during the day and night and their contemporary approximations.

Name of the pan and their Equivalent present day raaga

Palaiyazh  - Harikambhoji

Velavali - Velavali

Siragam  - Sriragam

4Malakari - Malhari

Narayani - Narayani

Bhairavam - Bhairavam

Varati - Varali

Dhanasi - Dhanyasi

Ramakri - Ramakriya

Salarapani - Anandabhairavi

Padumalai - Natabhairavi

Mullaippani - Mohanam

Marudayazh - Kharaharapriya

Chevvazhiyazh - Todi

Gowdi - Gowri

Padai - Padi

Guchchari - Gurjari

Nagadhoni - Nagadhvani

Bowri - Bowli

Sayari - Saveri

Kedalikkurinji - Kedaram

Udaya giri - Revagupti

Nagaragam - Nagasvaravali

Surtungaragam - Suryakantam

Megaragam - Kokilapriya

Sigandi - Sigandi

Sayavelarkolli - Sarasangi

Mandral - Nattaikkurinji

Andi - Vasantha

Sandi - Purvikalyani

Viyandam - Vilasini

Saral - Ratnakanti

Pancha marabu jathi

Unique choreography

- Sri Mudhraalaya

- Lakshmi Ramaswamy

Works

Computer Recognition and Transliteration of Mridangam Mnemonics

An overview of Tamizh classical music

Music of the Narikorava people

Veena and Yazh

Harvard University Tamil Chair

பிறப்பொக்கும் எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் சிறப்பொவ்வா

செய்தொழில் வேற்றுமை யான்.

- திருக்குறள் (திருவள்ளுவர்)

Al l beings are born equal. Distinction

Comes with differences in profession/deeds.

- Thirukkural (Thiruvalluvar)



Jonathan Ripley, Tamil Chair, Harvard.

Tamil 101A. Elementary Tamil
Jonathan Ripley 
(fall term). M., W., F., 9-10:00am
An introduction to the oldest of the Dravidian languages of South India, Tamil holds official language status in Tamil Nadu, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Tamil has one of the oldest uninterrupted literary traditions in the world, ranging from classical love poetry, devotional compositions and epics to the modern novel and short story. Students will be introduced to the Tamil script and to reading, writing, and speaking. Materials from popular culture will supplement modern teaching materials.

More here ...

All beings are equal, said our ancestors. They lived and showed us a path that is love and love only. Visitors to a Tamil family are questioned first - 'Did you eat'? Offering food to the visitor, even if the entire family starve, is considered as the first and foremost responsibility of the family. Oh, did I forget to say that the visitors here are any being.

The language spoken by such a clan is the most ancient and classical. No wonder the language is spoken till today. Tamil is the mother of all languages proposed and agreed by many scholars worldwide.

Iravatham Mahadevan papers

Why Government of India deny excavations in Mahabalipuram,  Pumpuhar and Kanyakumari? What government of India denied is done by the cosmos. The Mahabalipuram ruins "reappeared" after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

CBS News - Tsunami Revealed Lost India City

Mangaladevi Kannagi Kottam, has remained a symbol of monumental neglect

We are neglected, denied, our history erased and not taught in our schools properly. 

Let us wake-up and the world !

Please donate

 

Jallikattu: The seed of our country breeds

Jallikattu, a centuries-old tradition, is not just a sport or cultural event but a celebration of Tamil Nadu’s deep connection to its native bulls and agricultural heritage. Known as Eru Thazhuvuthal (embracing the bull), Jallikattu is an integral part of the Tamil festival of Pongal, symbolizing the bond between humans and animals. Beyond its cultural significance, Jallikattu serves a larger purpose – the preservation of indigenous cattle breeds, which are the backbone of sustainable agriculture in Tamil Nadu and across the country.

Indigenous Bulls: The Pride of Tamil Nadu

India is home to several native cattle breeds, each adapted to its specific region’s climate and soil conditions. Tamil Nadu’s majestic bulls such as the Kangayam, Pulikulam, Umbalachery, Bargur, and Alambadi are not just symbols of strength and beauty but play an active role in agriculture and rural livelihoods.

Unlike hybrid breeds that require extensive care and maintenance, native bulls are known for their resilience, heat tolerance, and ability to work in difficult terrains. These bulls are traditionally used for ploughing fields, pulling carts, and in breeding practices that ensure the strength and purity of indigenous cattle. However, with the modernization of agriculture and increasing mechanization, the role of bulls has declined, putting many native breeds at risk of extinction.

Jallikattu: A Platform for Preservation

Jallikattu acts as a vital platform for maintaining and showcasing the value of native breeds. During the event, bulls are not harmed but celebrated for their vigor and strength. Owners take immense pride in raising and training their bulls, treating them as members of the family. The sport ensures that healthy and strong bulls are nurtured, leading to selective breeding practices that protect and improve the genetic pool of indigenous cattle.

The bulls used in Jallikattu are not mere animals; they represent years of dedication, careful nurturing, and traditional knowledge passed through generations. Farmers and breeders invest significant time and resources to ensure these animals are well-fed, healthy, and ready to display their agility and strength during the event.

The Threat to Native Breeds

Over the years, factors like industrialization, mechanized farming, and the rise of commercial milk production using foreign breeds have overshadowed native bulls. With foreign cattle breeds being introduced for higher milk yield, native bulls are losing their place in agriculture and rural life. This shift has severely impacted the biodiversity of India’s cattle, and many native breeds face the risk of disappearing altogether.

The absence of native bulls also poses a long-term threat to sustainable agriculture. Indigenous breeds are better suited to local conditions and require less water, fodder, and veterinary care compared to exotic cattle. They play a crucial role in organic farming, as their dung is an excellent natural fertilizer that enriches soil health.

Jallikattu and Cultural Identity

Jallikattu is more than just a tradition; it is a statement of Tamil pride and identity. The event brings entire communities together to celebrate the hard work and dedication of farmers while recognizing the importance of native bulls in sustaining the agricultural ecosystem. By continuing this practice, Tamil Nadu ensures the survival of its cattle breeds, which form the “seed” of our country’s agricultural future.

In recent years, Jallikattu has faced opposition from those who misunderstand its purpose. However, for the people of Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu is not about harming animals but about honoring and safeguarding them. The bulls are revered, celebrated, and protected during and beyond the event.

A Call to Preserve Our Heritage

The need to preserve Jallikattu and the indigenous breeds used in the sport is more urgent than ever. Governments, policymakers, and environmentalists must come together to support farmers who breed native bulls and create awareness about their importance. Programs to promote sustainable cattle farming and incentives for farmers to continue traditional breeding practices can ensure that these bulls thrive for generations to come.

By preserving Jallikattu, we are not just protecting a tradition but securing the future of our agricultural heritage and biodiversity. The bulls of Tamil Nadu, the seeds of our country’s breeds, represent strength, resilience, and sustainability – values that are deeply rooted in our land and culture.

Conclusion

Jallikattu is a cultural celebration with profound environmental and agricultural significance. It is a movement to save our native bulls, which are crucial for maintaining the ecological balance and rural livelihoods. By understanding and supporting Jallikattu, we honor our roots, our traditions, and the precious breeds that sustain our land. Let us protect these symbols of Tamil pride and ensure that the seed of our country breeds continues to thrive for generations to come.

Is India’s another name BHARAT?

It is a continuous propaganda for several decades that India’s another name is Bharat. Please read the below article.

The Myth of Bharat

by Subbiah Alagumalaiyan

In modern times, bigoted Brahmins have projected Bharatavarsha as the ancient Sanskrit name for the whole of India. This, however, has no historical foundation. Bharatavarsha did not include the whole of India and never did, but only denoted the kingdom of the Aryan invader Bharata, who was a chieftain of one of the Aryan tribes that invaded India. This small region comprised only a small part of the upper Ganges valley.

Epigraphic Evidence

The epigraphic evidence confirms that Bharata originally did not mean the whole of India. but only a small part of North India. Kharavela who lived c.63 BC - c.23 BC ( C.R.Mishra, p.114 ), was one of the most famous kings of the Kolarian-Dravidian kingdom of Kalinga. His conquests ranged far and wide. They are celebrated in the Hathigumpha inscription. The nineth and tenth lines of this inscription clearly mention that he invaded Bharata from Kalingam thereby implying that Bharata at that time did not include the whole of India - Line 9-10 : "And, in the nineth year, (His Majesty) [ Kharavela ] caused to be built the great victory place - royal residence at the cost of thirty eight hundred thousand (coins).
" Then, in the 10th year (His Majesty) who embodied the principles of politics, diplomacy and peace, caused (the army) to march towards Bharatavarsha for conquest ."
-- ( C.R.Mishra, p.128 )

Prof. C.R.Mishra notes that Bharata did not originally denote India : " Bharatavarsha, here is used in a general sense denoting the regions of northern India " (C.R.Mishra, p.121). Elaborating this, he states that Bharata is mentioned for the first time in the Hatigumpha inscription and that it denoted only a part of North India - " In the epigraphic records of ancient India, the name `Bharatavarsha' is mentioned for the first time in the Hatigumpha inscription. But the name denoted North India at that time."
-- ( C.R.Mishra, p.130, n.79 )

A.L. Basham states that Bharatas was one of the invading Aryan tribes which settled in the region between the Satlaj and Jamna, which later became known as Brahmavarta (Basham, The Wonder that was India, p.30).

Thus, the first time that we have undisputed usage of the word Bharatavarsha, it denoted only North India. There is no evidence of Bharata's kingdom extending beyond Northern India.

Historical Evidence

Historical evidence refutes the Brahmanist claim that Bharata conquered the whole of India. Bharata's ancestors lived in the region of the Caspian sea in Central Asia; they were nomadic tribesmen of Aryan stock. Bharata's legendary capital lay in the Kabul valley, ie. Yusufzai territory of modern Afghanistan:

" According to local tradition, the original seat of the empire of Bharata was much further to the morth-west, namely, at the site now occupied by the ruins of Takh-i-Bahi, in the country of the Yusufzais to the northward of Peshawur."
-- ( Wheeler, p.48n.2 )

From this base he descended with his hordes of Aryan horsemen onto the plains of India. There he defeated Indra ( Wheeler, p.45 ), a descendant of the first Aryan invader Indra, earning himself the title "most renowned of the Lunar race" ( Wheller, p.47 ). He then conquered the Upper Ganges valley, exceeding Indra's dominion.

After the wars of annexation, the Raj of Bharata extended over the enitre doab between the rivers Ganges and the Jumna right up to the junction of these 2 rivers ( Wheeler, p.44 ). It is thus obvious that Bharata's empire, Bharatavarsha, only included a few provinces in the Ganges Valley.

His son Hastin founded Hastinapur further down the Ganges valley, after this second wave of Aryans had pushed on from the neighbourhood of Peshawar up to the banks of the Ganges ( Wheeler, p.48.n2 ). It is thus evident that even the lower Ganges valley was beyond Bharata's control. In the words of Winston Churchill, `India is as much a nation as the equator' .

References

( C.R.Mishra ), `Kharavela and His Times' , in ` Comprehensive Hisotry and Culture of Orissa' , ed. P.K.Mishra, Kaveri Books, New Delhi 1997, Vol.I part I, p.108-131.

( J. T. Wheeler ), `India of the Vedic Age with Reference to the Mahabharata', J. Talboys Wheeler, Vol. I of `The History of India', 1973 reprint Cosmo Publns. Delhi 1973

Tamil in Australian Aboriginal Languages

Lingustic Evidence for Tamil in Australian Aboriginal Languages

AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES: CONSONANT-SALIENT PHONOLOGIES AND

THE ‘PLACE-OF-ARTICULATION IMPERATIVE’

Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology, School of Medicine

Flinders University, Adelaide

and

Research Centre for Linguistic Typology

La Trobe University, Melbourne

Ref Page 18 & 19

A hypothesis that the phonetics and phonology of a language have been shaped by the hearing status of the speakers is not easily falsifiable, but we can at least identify two major types of prima facie counter-evidence that would be a problem for such a hypothesis: firstly, evidence that the cause of the hearing impairment had not existed in the population for long enough for it to have had the postulated effect and secondly, evidence that there are other languages with ‘long flat’ phonologies whose speakers do not show a high prevalence of COM and/or populations with a high prevalence of COM whose languages do not have ‘long flat phonologies. As to the first point, it is probably a reasonable assumption that the kinds of atypical phonological characteristics we are dealing with here would take longer than 200 years

18

. As to the second point, there are very few languages elsewhere in the world with a system of contrasts anything like those found in Australia. Whilst the consonant systems of New Guinea and Polynesian languages typically lack a voicing distinction (and in some cases a fricative series), the number of places of articulation is invariably restricted to /p t k/(with the occasional /?/) and almost all of these languages have at least five vowels. Eskimo-Aleut languages, such as Inuktitut, typically have four places of articulation, no voicing contrast and only three vowels (although they do have fricatives). On the other side of the Arctic, Chukokto-Kamchatkan languages, such as Chukchee, arguably have five or six places of articulation, no voicing distinction and a minimal fricative contrast (but six or seven vowels). Perhaps most similar to Australian languages are the Dravidian languages of southern India. Tamil, for example, has five places of articulation in a single series of stops, paralleled by a series of nasals, and no fricatives (thus approaching the Australian proportion of sonorants to obstruents of 70% to 30%). Approaching the question from the opposite direction: according to the latest WHO data on the prevalence of chronic otitis media (Acuin 2004:14ff), Aboriginal Australians have the highest prevalence in the world – 10-54%, according to Coates & al (2002), up to 36% with perforations of the eardrum. They are followed – at some distance – by the Tamil of southern India (7.8%, down from previous estimates of 16-34%) to develop.

- Andrew Butcher

Genetic Evidence for Australian Aboriginals were Dravidians

The experiments were regarding the early coastal migration of human beings to Australia . Because, according to our theory, the first time man migrated from Africa was to Australia . India proved a critical turning point for us as genetic testing of isolated Indian populations produces a key genetic marker [one of the genetic changes] linking India as a crossroad for the journey of man to both Australia and Central Asia. So we were looking in the south of India because most Indian scientists said that the oldest population in India stayed in south India . And we found out in our experiments that these people were Dravidians.

Spencer Wells, Phd

National Geographic Science

Video Link for Australian Aboriginals

Telugu - A Central Dravidian Language

98 % of the Telugu speaking people believe that Telugu came from Sanskrit. But prominent linguistics tell that none of the Dravidian languages came from Sanskrit. But Telugu is heavily influenced by Sanskrit. Sanskrit words found in Telugu is due to influence. If a language influence the another language, It doesn't effect the verbs of another language. Still Telugu verbs are Dravidian verbs.

Tamil is the oldest of all Dravidian languages. There are almost 20 dravidianian language including South, Central, North and Brahui language in Pakistan & Afghanistan

Old Tamil - Almost 3000 BC - 5000 Yrs
Kanada - 1 st Century AD - 2000 Yrs
Telugu - 6th Century AD - 1400 Yrs
Malayalam - 12th Century AD - 800 Yrs


Please read the article below by Dr V. Rao Vemuri Phd. He is a Professor in University of California, Davis (UC Davis)

Thanks,
Elango

An Introduction to Telugu 

(Reproduced from a forthcoming book by Prof. Vemuri)

Telugu is the language of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Well over 75 million people, the world over, speak Telugu, and it stands second only to Hindi in India as to the number of native speakers. According to linguists, Telugu is a Dravidian language. That is to say, it does not belong to the Indo-Aryan family to which Hindi, Sanskrit, Latin and Greek belong. Linguists also determined that the four major southern Indian languages, namely Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam belong to the Dravidian family of languages. If someone is counting, there are some twenty one Dravidian languages in the Indian subcontinent. Some of these are still being spoken in remote parts of Pakistan and Afganistan.

Although the roots of proto-Dravidian languages can be traced back to several millennia before Christ, Telugu itself has a recorded history from the 6th century A. D. and a fine literary record dating back to the 11th century A. D. Much of the Telugu written literature, up to the end of the nineteenth century was in highly formal “literary style.” It is only in the twentieth century that colloquial spoken language began to earn the literary mantle. Nowadays almost all the language used in the media (print, radio, television, movies) is the colloquial style. This book attempted only to capture this colloquial style.

Telugu accepts foreign words with comfort and ease. Sanskrit and its vocabulary heavily influenced Telugu literature; no other language has as much of an influence on Telugu as Sanskrit has. Indeed a large fraction of the characters of the Telugu alphabet – such as many of the aspirated consonants - were created especially to facilitate the writing and pronunciation of Sanskrit words. It is, therefore no exaggeration to boast that some of the best Sanskrit pronunciation can be heard from scholars residing in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Just as Sanskrit found a permanent niche for itself in Telugu literary circles, Arabic, Persian and Urdu words also found their way into the administrative jargon of Telugu. With the advent of British rule and the technology revolution sweeping the globe, it is no surprise to see, nowadays, that a Telugu person cannot conduct a conversation with another Telugu person for no more than a minute before switching to English or sprinkling the conversation with English words. No wonder J. B. S. Haldane, the well-known British geneticist, once remarked that Telugu fills the bill as the most suitable one to serve as India 's national language.

In spite of this love affair between the Telugu-speaking people and the English language, linguistically, culturally and grammatically, Telugu and English are as far apart as two languages can be. In a Telugu sentence the subject, object and verb come in that order, whereas in English the normal order is subject-verb-object. For an English speaking person the word order in Telugu appears inverted. There are other subtle differences – especially when it comes to past perfect tense.

In spite of these differences, Telugu is a very expressive and one of the most regular languages of the world. Its grammar is simple and structurally neat. Because of its vowel ending sounds, it has been the language of choice for lyrical compositions in Karnatic music – one of the two musical schools of India . Due to this reason, nineteenth century Europeans dubbed this language, “the Italian of the East.”

In Telugu pronouns and verbs play a key role. The more you learn about verbs and the declensions of pronouns, the better your command will be. If you cannot recall the correct verb form for a thought you have in mind, do not hesitate to use the English verb and the chances are the other person will understand. In fact, Telugu is so forgiving and accommodating that you can insert entire English phrases in the middle of a Telugu sentence and it will pass as Telugu. Many Telugu people you interact with use more English than Telugu when they talk to their grand mother!

Another special feature of Telugu, as well as other Indian languages, is the grammatical operation of sandhi, which literally means “junction” or “union.” When two words are pronounced in rapid succession, under some special circumstances, these words are fused together into a new word with the resulting morphing of the words at the point of fusion. In some circumstances, this fusing operation is mandatory and in other circumstances it is optional. A rare example from English is the morphing of “no one” into “none.” (Can you think of any other examples?) Until the student understands the process of analyzing this operation, it is best to avoid this operation, if at all possible. As understanding of this is important for the mastery of the language, it is treated extensively in one of the later chapters of this book.

Like many things Indian, there has never been a serious effort to standardize the language. Indians are truly the world’s freedom-loving people; they like to do the things their own way. Variations in the language from region to region often lead to slight variations in spelling. Unless you are reading a highly standardized book, there is no guarantee that the spelling you see is standard spelling. Added to these variations, proofreading, it appears, is a job toward which no one seems to pay any attention. This makes it difficult to assess whether an apparent spelling error is real or merely a variation in dialect. So is the situation with pronunciation. Variations in pronunciation from region to region and from the educated urbanite to the un-educated villager are so much that people are used to listening and understanding non-standard Telugu. For the beginner, this fluidity indeed is a blessing. Any errors you make are likely to be accepted as a variation from the standard. So do not be afraid to speak. And speaking is the best way to learn a new language. This book is only a prop, treat it as such.

You made a wise decision to buy this book in order to learn Telugu. Modern brain research points toward the possibility that people with bi-lingual or multi-lingual talents are less likely to fall victim to debilitating brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. There is also anecdotal evidence that people who learn a second language are less likely to be dyslexic – a learning disorder. Just like we keep our physical body fit by exercising, so can we keep our mental faculties fit by constantly challenging them. Learning to speak another language is being touted as one such exercise.