Tamil Nadu CM Sanctions ₹2.15 Crore to Ensure Uninterrupted Work of Tamil Development Academy

Tamil Lexicon Project and Language Modernisation Efforts Continue under Tamil Nadu Government’s Support

Chennai : Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru M.K. Stalin today handed over a sanction order for ₹2.15 crore to Thiru M. Raghunathan, President of the Tamil Development Academy, at the Secretariat to support the academy’s ongoing initiatives and uninterrupted functioning.

The Tamil Development Academy was originally founded in 1946 by Thiru T.S. Avinashilingam Chettiar, then Education Minister of the Madras Presidency, with a vision of advancing Tamil across disciplines, including academics. On August 15, 1947, coinciding with India’s Independence Day, Avinashilingam Chettiar announced the creation of the Tamil Lexicon Project, aimed at producing a comprehensive Tamil encyclopaedia.

Work on the Lexicon began on October 20, 1947, at the University of Madras. A scholarly committee was formed under the chairmanship of Dr. A. Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar, with distinguished members such as Prof. M. Varadarajan, Prof. R.P. Sethupillai, Prof. M.S. Meenakshisundaram, and writer D.G. Sitaraman. Editors included Kalki R. Krishnamurthy and Prof. K. Saminathan, while M.P. Periaswamy Thooran served as chief editor.

The project envisioned the Tamil encyclopaedia as a 10-volume set, each approximately 750 pages, written in accessible Tamil, covering all academic disciplines, with content organized in dictionary format. The first volume was published in 1954 after six years of work, involving 207 scholars. By 1968, all ten volumes—including the final Index Volume—had been published. Notably, the fifth volume was released by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

This encyclopaedia became the first complete lexicon published in an Indian language, ahead of similar projects in other languages, marking a significant milestone in Indian language scholarship. Over 2,240 scholars have contributed to this effort, and the academy has since produced 60 related publications, including a digital version on CD-ROM.

In today’s digital era, the academy continues to focus on modernising Tamil, adapting it to fields such as artificial intelligence, digital technology, and electronic media. The vision includes developing tools that make Tamil usable across all emerging technologies.

In accordance with the Tamil Nadu Assembly budget announcement made on April 15, 2025, by Hon’ble Minister for Tamil Development and Information, Thiru M.P. Saminathan, it was declared that ₹2 crore would be allocated to the Tamil Development Academy for its smooth functioning. Based on this, Chief Minister Stalin has now formally disbursed ₹2.15 crore, including an additional ₹15 lakh, to enable the institution to meet its administrative and developmental obligations.

The event was also attended by Hon’ble Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, Hon’ble Minister for Tamil Development and Information Thiru M.P. Saminathan, Secretary to Government Thiru N. Muruganandam, IAS, Thiru K. Rajaraman, IAS, Secretary, Tamil Development and Information Department, Thiru R. Bhagirathan, IAS (Retd), President, International Institute of Tamil Studies, and Mr. N. Arul, Director of Tamil Development Department.

Issued by:
Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai – 9