ABSTRACT
These are the opening lines from the movie Parasakthi (1952) scripted by
M. Karunanidhi, the veteran politician and leader of the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam (DMK). It is to my knowledge the earliest reference to the Tamil
diaspora found in Tamil cinema. The movie opens with a Bharatanatyam
dance recital accompanied by a song that celebrates the beauty, wealth and
glory of the Dravida Nadu (the land of the Dravidians) and, in particular,
the Tamil country, its people, culture and language. As the performance ends, a member of the audience comes to the stage to congratulate the
dancers and delivers this speech. The speaker describes the woeful existences
of Tamils overseas toiling as plantation workers and coolies in Malaya,
South Africa and Sri Lanka. And emphatically calls for their return back to
the motherland.
