The state of Tamizh - தமிழின் நிலைமை!.அந்தோ பரிதாபம்!!

C: Aayudha (ஆயுத) ezhuthu evvalov?
P: 2
C: Uyir-mei ezhuthu evvalov anne? (உயிர்-மெய் எழுத்துக்கள் எவ்வளவு அண்ணே?) (How many letters in compound form ? - i.e. Vowels + consonants?)
P: 42
C: Tamizh thaai vaazhthu paaduvom la, theriyuma?adhai yaaru iyatrinaangannu theriyuma?
P: Tagore!
Surprised with the answers? Yes. For a minute, I was also a victim of this surprise!Yesterday, I watched a program called Konjam Arattai, Konjam settai in a regional channel.The program was totally in Tamizh and no English words are being used.A real good program to watch. It went on such that the comperer interviews few people and asks very very basic questions related to Tamizh. But what was so hilarious about the program was that the answers that came attached with the confidence level!!.. I had to roll on the floor laughing at the same time felt very very sad for Tamizh's present state!.The questions and answers go like this!! (People of age group 15 to 50, all tamizh speaking people)
C(omperer): Anne, tamizh la uyir ezhuthu evvalov theriyuma?
(English translated: Brother, do you know how many vowels are there in Tamizh?)
P: Yes.. 26 without any second thought
C: kandippa (Sure?)
P: Sorry, it is not 26, 20
C: Appo, mei ezhuthu evvalov? (அப்போ மெய் எழுத்து எவ்வளவு தெரியுமா?) (How many consonants?)
P: 36
C: Uyir-mei ezhuthu evvalov anne? (உயிர்-மெய் எழுத்துக்கள் எவ்வளவு அண்ணே?) (How many letters in compound form ? - i.e. Vowels + consonants?)
P: 42
C:??$^$%^
Likewise, he asks several people.. Guess, he might have asked around a dozen. Believe me, every one had the answers ranging from 12 to 200!The most hilarious answer for the last question was

P: ha ha...400 sorry 401 (Is this any 401k plan????) and he claims he is very very confident on the answer!!
(Other answers were hovering around 250 and some around 50, 60.. Pot luck kind a answers)

The toppest question is
C: Aayudha (ஆயுத) ezhuthu evvalov?
P: 2 (Around 3 people said two and 2 of them said they did not know! One person went up to explain 2 letters - one is akk (அக்), and another one is uk (உக்))
It is a real sad state that in spite of people learning the mother tongue, it has not been learnt properly(many of us are in this state!)! When you can remember consonants are 21 and 5 vowels in English, why can't you remember the count in Tamizh even if you can not remember all of them!Further more, the next question was

C: Tamizh thaai vaazhthu paaduvom la, theriyuma?adhai yaaru iyatrinaangannu theriyuma?
P: Tamizh thaai vaazhthu? adhu, vandhu thaayumaanavar!
C: Nalladhu.

Like wise, he asks the same question to many people. (Around 13 of them to what I could count of). The toppers (votes) for this answer are:
Thaayumaanavar - 1
Thiru.vi.ka - 1
Rabindranath Tagore - 8 (!!!!!!!!!!!)
Thiruvalluvar - 3

Some were asked to sing 2 lines from song... Guess what? They sang in their sweetest voice - Jana gana mana (ஜன கன மன)! But, interestingly many sang the 90 percent of first line correctly.

“இனி தமிழ் மெல்ல சாகும்” (Tamizh will die slowly) - Bhaarathi was a soothsayer!

Having said about Tamizh, I guess it is the same state whether you learn Sanskrit, Telugu or any other language per se as long as one studies language just as a subject out of compulsion and not out of love.

PS: The people interviewed were the ones who had studied Tamizh as a subject in their K12. The sad state DOES NOT APPLY TO THOSE WHO DID NOT HAVE TAMIZH AS A SUBJECT OR HAVE NOT READ TAMIZH IN THEIR SCHOOL EDUCATION!!!.