From: selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering)
Subject: Re: `aRivoLi' - a mass movement for literacy - Part II
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 19:36:08 GMT

In article <2A927C77.21514@orion.oac.uci.edu>, sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu (M. Sundaramoorthy) writes:
> In article <Bt8JyH.4Cp@ireq.hydro.qc.ca> srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca (Srinivasan
> K.) writes:
> >It looks like a great project. In fact, a similar project, to clean up,
> >Cities, would be wonderful too. In cities, there is not much illiteracy,
> >so the volunteers can do. But that apart, I have a question.
> >
> >How are they being more literate? Which language is taught?
> >Is it simply making them read Tamil alphabets. It should be pretty easy!
> >Is it to make them read and understand 'kumdam' level Tamil?
> >In short at what school grade level is considerred literate?
> >
> >
> >KS.
> 
>         May be easy to teach children, but it is not that is easy to attract
>         adults. That is why the all kinds of 'non-formal education', 'adult
>         education' programs etc failed eventhough government funneled lot of
>         money. The success of the aRivoLi movement is through the 'cultural
>         marches', which not only creates interest in learning, and rejunuvates
>         the almost extinct folk art forms, in an era dominated by the
>         demonic 'cinema'. This is not only just an attempt to teach to read
>         and write, but to bring culutrual rennaiasance.
> 
>         Tamil is taught in Tamil Nadu, so is Malayalam in Kerala. I don't think
>         think there is any examination conducted to decide their level.
> 
>         It is pathetic that the 'aRivoLi' article received only one response
>         from Dr. Srinivasan. If it is on any other topic like Periyaar,
>         S.Ve. Sekhar os Kannadasan, the net might have been flooding with
>         too many postings. Dr. Srinivasan, this is the kind of interest the
>         'highly educated Tamils (mostly from Urban background)' have. Do you
>         expect them to 'clean the cities'?.
> 
> M. Sundaramoorthy
> sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu 

        aRivoLi is indeed a most valuable article ! I think the day
        Tamil Naadu and the whole of India can emulate the most
        cherished Keralite example of 100% literacy will be a true
        beginning of some history. "pichchai pukkinum kaRkai nanRE"
        I am eagerly looking forward to hearing more about the 'cultural
        marches' and other techniques used by aRivoLi movement.
        Please post more info about the subamangaLa magazine and how
        we can subscribe to it.  


       The fact that there was only one response might not be a true
       indication of the valaiNYar interest. The number of articles
       posted on a given topic might reflect among other things 
       a level of controversy or the degree of animosity ..
       I think the article on aRivoLi was so good that almost every one
       might have been in agreement with the views and thus there is
       not much discussion on it and it might not be correct to assume
       a lack of interest. 

      anbudan

      Selva Selvakumar

      [ P.S. this is the first article I'm posting after my return from
       Ottawa... I only missed reading SCT for some 10 to 12 days and 
       it looks so different from the "days" of kalai chol bla bla !!
       Interesting ! Truly interesting ! ennaa min_kuththu, ennaa min_kuththu
       ..Mmmm ! ] { min_kuththu = electronic-fist-fighting }

Xref: sparky soc.culture.tamil:1392 soc.culture.indian:28970