As we close the chapter on 2025, I find myself reflecting on a year that has been both deeply satisfying and full of promise for what lies ahead.
Murasu Anjal: 40 Years Reimagined
The centerpiece of this year was the launch of Murasu Anjal—not just an update, but a complete reimagining of software that has served the Tamil computing community for four decades. Forty years is a long time in technology, and rather than simply marking the anniversary, we chose to honour it by rebuilding Anjal from the ground up, rethinking every aspect of the Tamil text input experience for today’s desktop users.
What made this launch truly special was how we brought it to our community. We launched in three cities—Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Chennai—bringing Murasu Anjal directly to the people who have trusted us for decades and welcoming new users into the fold. I know of no other Tamil software that has been launched this way, with this kind of direct engagement across multiple cities. Each launch event reinforced what we’ve always believed: that software for Tamil is more than a technical product—it’s a bridge to language and culture.
Rewalking the Path: உரு
This year also brought an unexpected journey of reflection. Kokila Babu wrote a book titled உரு about my work in Tamil typography and computing. Being the subject of a book is a humbling experience—it’s one thing to live a journey, quite another to see it laid out in another person’s words. Working with Kokila meant rewalking a path I’ve traveled for over six decades, but this time seeing it through fresh eyes. It was a different experience altogether, one that made me pause and appreciate both the continuities and the changes in this long relationship with Tamil and technology.
Looking to 2026: The Year of Sellinam
As we turn to 2026, my focus shifts to Sellinam. The lessons learned from reimagining Murasu Anjal—the attention to detail, the commitment to user experience, the deep understanding of how people actually work with Tamil text—all of this will inform Sellinam’s evolution.
While Murasu Anjal serves the desktop, Sellinam lives on mobile platforms: smartphones and tablets where most of us now do the bulk of our writing. The contexts are different, the constraints are different, but the goal remains the same: to make Tamil text input a delightful experience.
What that means in practice, I’ll share as the year unfolds. But I can say this: 2026 will be about bringing the same spirit of innovation and care that defined the Murasu Anjal relaunch to the mobile space where Tamil is increasingly being written, shared, and celebrated.
To everyone who has been part of this journey—using our tools, sharing feedback, keeping Tamil alive in the digital space—thank you!
Here’s to a new year of making Tamil more accessible, more delightful, and more central to our digital lives!