Vanakkam. It will indeed be a privilege and a great honour for those Tamil living in Mauritius if the National Heritage Fund classifies the Kollatam (stick dance) during the next world heritage committee by the UNESCO, after the sega tambour de Rodrigues which has been listed in South Korea. The Kollatam, a mind blowing dance, will of course be a sense of satisfaction and pride for Mauritius.

The Kollatam derives from the tamil words Kol and Attam. Kol describes a small stick and Attam means play. Together, it is called stick dance which is performed only by a group of young girls with two sticks held in each hand beaten to make a rhythmic sound during tamil festivals.

Pinnal kollatam is another dance composed with different coloured ropes held in the hands of a group of women. The other end of the ropes is tied to a tall pole on which they created a lace colour pattern forms with planned steps.

The National Heritage Fund, with qualified artists from different cultural organisations, must consider the stick dance kollatam as one of the best tamil elements to be selected in the framework of the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO. So as to include the essential and decisive elementary for the development of the country.

Unfortunately, the National Heritage Fund, with the potential members of the committee, was too far to understand the tamil community and its culture. Obviously, the Fund must well inform the World Heritage Committee about the sharp mind of Tamils in Mauritius who were registered as tradesmen and have shaped up the development of Mauritius, while Tamil architects constructed many important buildings in the centre of Port-Louis.

The minister of Arts and Culture must take in consideration the fact that the tamil language is about more than 5,000 years old. The traditional tamil culture is very rich, while tamil characters are printed on all Mauritian bank notes.

The Tamils are very grateful to the government when Renganaden Seeneevassen’s picture, the parliamentarian who was born in the year 1910, was printed on the bank notes of 100 rupees. The World Heritage must also consider the first lady minister, Radha Poonoosamy, the first Lord Mayor Moorghen, the first President of the Republic, Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, Mrs Laure Pillay, first magistrate and so many others…

The Tamils, with their different types of music instruments, were highly regarded and are also included in many beautiful types of dances, like Bharatanatyam, Kummi, Kollatam. Without forgetting their typical meals, such as Saapadu and Ezou Karri served on a banana leaf with light desert payasum, the unforgettable kanchipuram saree (Pudavey) and the festival cavadee for our Lord Muruga.

For the pleasure of the dodo island, our beautiful kovils attract so many tourists every year. For not having mentioned the kollatam in the world national committee of UNESCO, the rainbow island seemed to have lost one of her colourful wave length in the spectrum.

Moreover, the Tamil community was riled up during the last committee organised by the National Heritage Fund at Idrice Goomany. It seemed that no one else in the committee understood the importance of Kollatam with its traditional culture to be proposed for the World Heritage in UNESCO.

Nevertheless, those with power and opportunities, when they mentioned some groups of musicians and instruments for the traditional Mauritian sega, the Bhojpuri songs and dance, the sega from Chagos and the sega tambour from Rodrigues, did not consider Kollatam important. After Aapravasi Ghat, National Park of the Gauges of Black River and the Morne Brabant and the immaterial culture sega tipik, geet gawai, we hope that next time the Kollatam will be listed by the world heritage committee of UNESCO.

The Tamil efforts should also be rewarded and must have their slice of the national cake. Every culture from The Star and the Key of the Indian Ocean reflects the image of the World Heritage garden with different colours of flowers.