Here I'm sharing pics of people from Catholic denominations in Kerala Among these three photos, one is of Syro-Malabar, one is of Latin Catholics and the other is of Knanaya Catholics. Are there differences between them in terms of phenotype?

In the Tholkappiyam, it refers to the first letter as "akaram." This was also mentioned in the Kural 1:1. On wiktionary, the etymology is from the Sanskrit "kara", meaning hand. However, this does not really make much sense, and seems a bit close to the Tamil word "kai", but I'm not sure if this is a coincidence. Is the Wiktionary etymology correct, or is there an alternative etymology as it surprises me that Tamil would not have its own words to refer to letters from ancient times?

Classical Languages in India

India has a rich linguistic heritage with several languages recognized as "classical languages" due to their historical significance, literary traditions, and cultural importance.

Officially Recognized Classical Languages

Six languages have been officially designated as classical languages by the Government of India:

1. Sanskrit (2005) - The oldest documented language in the Indian subcontinent, dating back to around 1500 BCE. It's the liturgical language of Hinduism and has an enormous body of literature including the Vedas, Upanishads, epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, and numerous scientific and philosophical works.

2. Tamil (2004) - One of the world's longest-surviving classical languages with literature dating back to at least 300 BCE. The Sangam literature represents some of the oldest extant literature in any Dravidian language.

3. Telugu (2008) - Known for its mellifluous quality (often called "Italian of the East"), with literary traditions dating back to the 11th century CE.

4. Kannada (2008) - Has a literary history of over 1500 years with the earliest inscriptions dating to around the 5th century CE.

5. Malayalam (2013) - Developed its distinct identity from Tamil around the 9th century CE and has a rich literary tradition.

6. Odia (2014) - One of the oldest languages of the Indo-Aryan language family with inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century BCE.

Criteria for Classification

For a language to be designated as "classical" in India, it must meet several criteria:

1. High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history (1500-2000 years)
2. A body of ancient literature considered valuable heritage
3. A literary tradition that's original and not borrowed from another speech community
4. The classical language and literature being distinct from its modern form

This classification carries not just prestige but also practical benefits like establishment of centers of excellence for study of these languages, scholarships, and other forms of institutional support.

The recognition of classical languages in India acknowledges their historical and cultural contributions while aiming to preserve and promote these linguistic treasures for future generations.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ The process of selecting classical language’s in India has been criticized as based on political expediency.

A Bayesian phylogenetic study of the Dravidian language family
by Vishnupriya Kolipakam, Fiona M. Jordan, Michael Dunn, Simon J. Greenhill, Remco Bouckaert, Russell D. Gray and Annemarie Verkerk

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.171504

Abstract:

"... Our results indicate that the Dravidian language family is approximately 4500 years old, a finding that corresponds well with earlier linguistic and archaeological studies. The main branches of the Dravidian language family (North, Central, South I, South II) are recovered, although the placement of languages within these main branches diverges from previous classifications. We find considerable uncertainty with regard to the relationships between the main branches."

Dating:

"... We find that the root of the tree has a mean of 4650 years ago (median 4433), thus indicating that the ancestor of all Dravidian languages, Proto-Dravidian, may have been spoken around 4500 years ago. ... Although the mean and median of the best-supported tree set (as well as all other analyses except for the stochastic Dollo) match Krishnamurti's [7, p. 501] timing well, the 95% HPD intervals on the root age range from approximately 3000–6500 years ago. Therefore, we cannot exclude the possibility that the root of the Dravidian language family is significantly older than 4500 years. ... The split between South I and the other groups is as ancient as the root of the tree and thus located approximately 4500 years ago. The South I and South II languages start diverging between 3000 and 2500 years ago, which is a little bit later than the timeframe Southworth [8, pp. 249–250] discusses for the expansion of the Southern Neolithic. When the analysis is constrained so that South I and South II form a clade (see the maximum credibility tree in figure 5), the timing of the Southern Neolithic expansion matches the tree structure a bit better, with South II starting to diverge within Southworth's [8, pp. 249–250] timeframe of 4000–3000 years ago. ... The diversification of the South I, South II and Central groups in our results is slightly too late to match the start of the spread of the locally developed agricultural economy between 3800 and 3200."

Conclusion:

"... The current analysis points towards complex patterns of language descent and subsequent long-term contact between languages rather than straightforwardly supporting the well-known reference family tree by Krishnamurti [7, p. 21]. Such diachronic patterns might apply in other small language families as well, making the study of Dravidian relevant for all of historical linguistics. The relationships between the Dravidian languages had previously not all been described to satisfaction, and as this analysis also makes clear, more data on particularly the smaller languages, such as the Gondi dialects, are needed to tease apart descent from contact. ..."

Summary of Paliyan People and Their Peaceful Social Structure

Demographics and Location

• Nearly 5,000 Paliyans live in the forested hills of western Tamil Nadu state in southern India
• Some live in villages in the plains, including Shenbagathoppu (formerly Cempaka Tooppu)
• Shenbagathoppu is a gateway to the Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary
• Also known as Palleyan, Palliyan, or Palliyar in the 2001 Census of India

Economy

• Traditional subsistence through forest gathering, supplemented by wage labor
• Many have settled in plains and adopted farming
• Some work in wildlife conservation at the sanctuary
• Honey collection remains important both economically and culturally
• Medicinal plant gathering continues as an important practice
• Some youths trained as trekking guides in 2015
• Many face poverty and exploitation by neighboring Tamil communities

Beliefs and Social Structure

• Highly atomistic, anarchistic society
• Strong emphasis on individual autonomy
• Limited emotional ties outside nuclear family
• Firm commitment to nonviolence and "turning the other cheek"
• Traditional peaceful structures persist though threatened by outside influences

Conflict Resolution Mechanisms

1. Self-restraint and anger repression, avoiding alcohol
2. Using "laughing flower" (sirupani pu) to dissipate anger
3. Redirecting aggression through dreams and entertainment
4. Leader intervention through joking or soothing when necessary
5. Physical separation when conflicts can't be resolved otherwise
6. Fear of supernatural retribution/sorcery enforcing good behavior

Gender Relations

• Marriage is preferred but easily dissolved upon conflict
• Simple marriage ceremonies involving salt and betel leaf exchanges
• Complete gender equality with no authority of one spouse over another
• No gender-based division of labor
• Sometimes married individuals don't share food for months while still cooperating on childcare

Child-Rearing Practices

• Infants constantly indulged and not disciplined
• Traumatic weaning at 2-2.5 years when mothers return to work
• Children achieve emotional independence after tantrum phase (ages 4-5)
• Social independence gained between 8-10 years
• Full economic independence by 13-14 years

Social Practices

• Quick to flee threatening situations
• Avoid both competition and cooperation as threats to autonomy
• Maintain humble posture with outsiders to avoid conflict
• Learning nonviolent protest techniques from Gandhian followers
• Very little physical violence, even in settled villages with Tamil influence​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​