In the past few decades, as a growing presence worldwide, Tamil has become an important component of the South Asian diaspora. As one of the few classical languages of the world that is still a living one, it continues to remain a vehicle of secularism while celebrating diverse religious and political traditions. It has served Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, and Christianity, while articulating politics from the time of the ancient kings, through colonialism, to modern times. The essays in this volume offer a nuanced view of "Being Human; Being Tamil" in the context of South Asia and the diaspora. They explore the multiple ways of being Tamil, and the cultural, religious, and poetic linkages that have contributed to the emergence and articulation of Tamilness in  a global context.