'Vanakkam' is the word that Tamilians use to greet people

SEVAI Professional trainees say Vanakkam

'Vanakkam' is the word that Tamilians use to greet people. Saying "Vanakkam" has a deeper spiritual significance than simply saying "Hello". Vanakkam recognizes the belief that the life force, divinity, or Godhood within all. Acknowledging this oneness by joining the palms together in a union that shows we honor the divine nature within each person we meet. This is an aspect quite unique to Tamil. 'Vanakkam is a greeting that has many contextual meanings. The common usage is to recognize and respect the presence of another person. Tamil itself is an ancient language that originated in south India - the grammar rules book dates back to 3000 BC (some say 5000 BC). The kings of the land were great sea-farers and reached into far off lands.  One can only hope they were kind to the subjects of these distant. Till date, Tamil continues to be the national language in SriLanka, Malaysia and Singapore. So it is not surprising that the Tamil people are quite passionate about their language. Many many poems have been written singing the praise of the language itself.  .Modern day Indian culture has been influenced by foreign invaders, settlers and colonizers. This has often left people wondering as to the origins of Indian culture. Tamilnadu in India is rich in its ceremonial greetings. The gesture is meaningful and bears its own name: Vanakkam signifying respect and welcome and greetings. -Govin