ABSTRACT
The introductory chapter foregrounds the development of complex facets of modernity of Tamil culture by embedding them in relevant historical and literary contexts. Institutionalization of Tamil as a medium of instruction even in the colonial period, governmental initiatives after Independence to encourage literacy and education among the weaker sections through welfare measures, Little Magazines ushering in Modernism and cosmopolitanism in the literary sphere, the impact of Anti-Hindi Agitation of 1965 on Tamil-English axis and Translation as an offspring of it, capsule of various government and private organizations/institutions set up since the1970s to offer patronage to and promotion of Tamil Studies, giving Tamil an agential role, emergence of newer agencies in the form of English language publishing houses, Indian but with international profile and their agenda of identifying newer areas of writings, opening the windows for western readers on an altered Tamil society, the pivotal role of women editors of such publishing houses in showcasing alternative Tamil canon, significant shift in the academia, especially English departments, towards native culture and its literary productions, the metamorphosis of the category of ‘Literature’ into a site of engagement with pressing social issues, patronage to translation through substantial awards, are the features of the Introduction.
