Tamil existence is an open, collaborative platform dedicated to sharing Tamil identities, personal stories embedded with the great history of Tamil people. It also seeks to highlight the universalism and humanism embedded in ancient Tamil literature and philosophy.

The vision behind this project is to create a dynamic, collective library, where memories, stories and the time-spaces lived by our ancestors, grandparents, parents, intertwine with our present generation and the future to come.

As its core, this platform is about preserving Tamil existence - from its roots to its evolution, in the traditional homelands to diasporic communities worldwide.

Tamil identities

Some people will think that being Tamil goes through its blood or growing up in a Tamil family or by solely speaking the language, as it was viewed traditionally. However Tamil identity is way beyond criteria, it is much more about the connection and the meaning you cultivate within yourself, about the way it makes sense to you.

This platform encourages reflection on your own Tamil identity - how you live it, how you define it, and what it means to you, no matter who you are or where you are from. What does it mean to be Tamil ? Identity is a construction - as it is with all identities - then this question invites exploration rather than rigid definitions.

Tamil identity is inherently diverse. Tamils from India and Ceylon, shaped by different histories and journeys - have established themselves in various countries, navigating different languages and cultural realities. While our identities have naturally evolved in distinct ways, they remain branches of the same tree, each expression a creation of Tamilness.

Here, we offer a space we call “Illam” (இல்லம் which means home), where you can find echoes of some parts of yourself and where exploration, development and evolution is made possible. This is also a space for healing -where unspoken traumas can be acknowledged and where words create movement, opening new doors and possibilities. As beings carrying within ourselves the times and minds that have preceded us - through inherited stories, lived experiences, historical wounds and traumas - it is important to reflect. How did our ancestors live ? What has been transmitted to us ? How are we carrying it ? What are we doing with our identity? How do we make sense of it? 

This platform is designed to build a collective digital library, a shared archive of stories and memories accessible to all. You will find videos, articles, archives, and artistic expressions centered around Tamil identity, as well as updates on global Tamil communities.

Your role in preserving memory

One of the simplest ways to connect with our ancestors is by giving our elders - when possible - the space to share their stories, memories and the way they perceive their homeland.

A questionnaire has been designed to collect the memories of your grand-parents, parents, family members and yourself if you have experienced a time-space of your homeland. You will find it in different languages on our digital collective memory page.

Not everyone has living grandparents or even parents to pass down these narratives. Some may not have a direct Tamil family or might be unaware of their precise ancestral roots. Hence, by sharing stories of your loved ones, this platform will preserve the lived experiences of your parents, grandparents, and ancestors while offering others a way to connect with their own roots and strengthening our collective sense of identity. Through these narratives, your grandparents’ stories can resonate with the experiences of others who lived in the same places, allowing them, in a way, to become the grandparents of others as well. These shared stories allow us to travel through time, rediscovering the paths our ancestors once walked.

By contributing to this tapestry of ancestral narratives, their experiences help shape a collective identification, one that reflects the lives, struggles, and wisdom of all those who came before us.

But for this to become reality, your participation is important and play an essential role in this journey. By interviewing your family members and sharing their stories, you contribute to this ever-going repository of Tamil heritage. Together, let’s gather what we have, so that those who lack direct access to their roots can still listen, recognize, and reclaim the heritage they carry, silently, consciously or unconsciously.

By clicking the link, you can find out how to act in preserving the memories and stories of your loved ones, making them a vital part of our collective Tamil identity. Through this open collaboration, we can ensure that voices from the past continue to resonate in the future.

Who are we ?

We are a team of multi-disciplinary thinkers (psychologists, artists and history lovers) of Tamil origin and more, deeply invested in the exploration of identity and existence.