GCSE Speech

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

London prides itself on being such a culturally vibrant city. Today I’m going to be speaking about my culture which I’m extremely passionate and proud of. Being born in London I have always been curious about my own culture, Tamil Culture. Whether it’s about different festivals, the varieties of food or the ancient martial arts.

Question 2

Martial Arts

Answer 2

Some of the most popular martial arts you see today are thought to have originated from Tamil descent. For example, it’s a common belief that Bodhidharma, the son of a great Indian king, went to China to spread Buddhist teaching and taught a martial art to people which we now refer to as Kung-fu. Adi Murai is the main form of martial art for Tamil people. There are several divisions of this such as Silambam ,which is a semi-contact form of combat primarily using a bamboo staff, or Varma Kalai which is the traditional tamil art of manipulating the body’s 108 pressure points to cause harm. Despite varma kalai being used in combat it can also be used to massage and heal certain parts of the body. This healing aspect of Varma Kalai falls under Siddha Vaithyam.

Question 3

Medicine

Answer 3

Siddha Vaithyam is a traditional form of medicine discovered more than 5,000 years ago and is still in practice today. It involves several herbal and physical remedies to try and improve a patient’s conditions and heal the body. Although modern day technology wasn’t available, there is evidence to suggest that the ancient tamil civilization was more advanced for its time. For instance, it is considered that they had held the knowledge of stem cells. This is proven by the common practice of storing the powdered version of a baby’s umbilical cord in a capsule. In the event of this child contracting an illness, a small amount of this powder can be dissolved in water to form a medicinal solution. Another drink with remedial properties is turmeric milk which is also known as golden milk. Not only does it provide immunity against bacteria, viruses and fungi, it also reduces inflammation and attributes to anti-cancer properties.

Question 4

Food

Answer 4

Whilst on the topic of health, what would you consider a healthy breakfast? Idli is known as one of the healthiest breakfast foods in the world. It is a steamed rice cake made of fermented black lentils. Idli is considered to be extremely nutritious as it’s low in calories, contains zero fat & cholesterol and helps boost metabolism strongly. Pongal is a sweet rice pudding traditionally made during the festival of Thai Pongal.

Question 5

Fesitvals

Answer 5

Thai Pongal is a four day harvest festival consisting of: Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. Additionally, we also celebrate Puthandu which is the celebration of the New Year in the Tamil calendar. Across the year of the Tamil calendar we also celebrate Thaipusam which falls on the full moon day of the Tamil month ‘Thai’ as well as Deepavali, a unique festival of lights. On Deepavali, we celebrate the defeat over evil in the infamous story of Ramayana.

Question 6

Conclusion

Answer 6

Overall I’m delighted to be able to share the stories, festivals and food of Tamil Culture. I hope I was able to share some of my culture with you. I would like to end by asking “How curious are you about your own culture and how much do you know about it?”