In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Karunanidhi said there were about two million Tamils in Malaysia, mostly of Indian descent having migrated during the British rule.
He said 50 to 60 percent of the school going Tamil Malaysian children were attending Malay medium schools and others the 500 or so Tamil medium schools.
Consequently, an appreciable number of Malaysian Tamils were growing in Tamil cultural background without the knowledge of their mother tongue. "They are eager to know their roots and are enthusiastically inquisitive about their tradition and culture," he said.
Providing reading materials in Malay language to this segment will facilitate in retaining their identity, maintaining their culture, in understanding their social practices, and in quenching their intellectual thirst, Karunanidhi said in his letter.
He said the Department of Indian studies at the University of Malaya was attempting to undertake a project to delve into the medieval Tamil literature towards rendering the appropriate portions in Malay language.
The research project fits in aptly into the larger project (Bahasa Iimu) of the Malaysia government for the creation of an information rich Malaysian society with a larger knowledge base, he said.
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"At an estimated cost of Malaysian Ringgit 800,000, the project will be spread over four years during which a team of five to six research assistants will work under the guidance of a scholarly academic to translate the relevant portions, supported by an editorial review panel," he said.
The Centre was duty bound to support the project financially, the DMK patriarch said, adding that funds can be transferred to the Department of Indian studies, University of Malaya after seeking their concurrence for the cooperative endeavour.