Tamil, a South Indian language, is one of the most ancient languages of the world, with its literature dating back to 300 BC. While definitive archaeological evidence to date Tamil civilization further back than 2,600 years is limited, findings from sites like Adichanallur and Keezhadi, along with linguistic and genetic studies, strongly suggest that Tamil culture’s origins could extend to the Neolithic or earlier, possibly making it one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures.

Tamil is spoken in at least 18 countries, with official language status in 3 countries (India, Sri Lanka, Singapore). Its presence globally highlights its importance as one of the world’s oldest and widely spoken languages, sustained by both native populations and the diaspora.

Tamil language and literature has been taught at UC Berkeley for more than 40 years, and also has its own department at University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Texas – Austin. Recently, a new Tamil Chair has been established at the Harvard University after recognizing Tamil as the only classical language that lives in it’s full form, satisfying all the 11 requirements such as Antiquity, Individuality, Common Characters, Neutrality, Parental Kinship, Finding expressions in cultural art and life experiences of the civilized society, The ability to function independently without any impact or influence of any other language or literature, Literary prowess, Noble ideas and Ideals, Originality in artistic and literary expressions and Linguistic principles.

Viluthugal Tamil Palli is now offering four levels of Tamil courses for the High School students. These courses are approved as world language courses like French, Spanish, etc. by various school districts in the San Francisco Bay Area.