A Poetic Encounter with Identity  (English, Paperback, Sridevi Selvaraj)

The kings sponsored culture a few centuries back, and still, the poets transcended the framework and have produced immortal verses. Now the consumer sponsors culture, and still, the artist transcends the rigid framework of market conditions. A Poetic Encounter with Identity speaks about Tamil consciousness as exemplified by popular culture. It is an attempt to re-understand these areas of thought from the perspective of popular culture. Viewers and readers decide the sale of movies and books; the creative genius of the artist decides art’s longevity. Even under rigid circumstances, art survives. States use popular culture as a tool for communicating their ideologies in a democratic government, as scholars argue. Tamil Nadu’s intellectual legacy stays behind the popular electorate, and its embedded ideologies and thought processes are the continuations of the great Tamil classical tradition – it can be assumed. It directs the philosophical writings too. Its desire for urbanisation and industrialisation reflects the people’s policies. Tamil Nadu accommodated a variety of aggressive approaches to its language, culture and social structure from various quarters. The multiple nuances in its expressions show us how the state has dealt with colonialism, nationalism and globalisation.