LKG to Grade 5, with Grade 6 in production. Built on stroke-order research.
Computational thinking and AI for modern classrooms. Levels 1 to 9.
Available nowRecorded lectures, skill development courses and workshops.
Coming soonScan the QR on any lesson page and its digital content opens. Free with every book.
Level 0 to Level 13, six modules, 1.3 million activities.
Coding, computing activities and digital citizenship. Levels 1 to 9.
Coming soonOne year of unlimited Tamil for an individual learner, at their own pace.
The roll of honour: students, teachers and schools of the year.
Install Thambaa Tamil Labs on Windows or macOS.
Payil books and Thambaa Labs as one syllabus, for schools across India.
For Tamil Sangams, weekend schools and international schools abroad.
Level 13 in five streams, and a Centre of Excellence on your campus.
One year of Tamil for one learner, at their own pace, anywhere.
One partner per district in India, one per country internationally.
That Tamil should be something a child reaches for, not something they are made to sit through. Everything here follows from that.
How it started
I used to visit schools and interact with the students in Tamil. But they mostly responded in English. When I wondered why, the students told me they were allowed to speak only English on campus.
Dr. Madhan Karky
Karky Tamil Academy was founded by Dr. Madhan Karky and Nandini Karky to change what a Tamil period feels like. Not by asking children to try harder, but by rebuilding the material they were being handed.
Thirteen years of language research went in before the first book came out. Today Payil textbooks and Thambaa Tamil Labs run in 50+ partner schools, and everything in them, every book, song, game and question, was made by the people below.
Roots and wings, in that order.
Nurture the roots and the flying
takes care of itself.
Founder and Head of Research
A scholar-technologist who bridges ancient Tamil wisdom with modern innovation, he architects educational ecosystems where tradition meets tomorrow. His research transforms linguistic heritage into engaging digital experiences, making Tamil learning both contemporary and culturally rooted.
Language carries our heritage, shapes our thoughts, bridges generations.
Co-Founder and Head of Finance
With precision and foresight, she orchestrates the financial foundation that enables educational innovation to flourish. Her strategic acumen ensures sustainable growth while maintaining unwavering focus on the mission of accessible, quality Tamil education.
Nurturing their roots in Tamil, the young sprouts will sure soar to the skies.
Linguists, teachers, writers, illustrators, animators, programmers and editors. Filter by what they do, or search for someone by name. Tap a portrait to read more.
KaReFo is the scholarly engine behind the Academy. It develops Tamil NLP tools, digital learning systems and the Payil curriculum, drawing on more than thirteen years of language research.
It is the reason we can say a stroke order is better rather than simply preferred, and the reason a dictionary of 14.5 lakh words sits inside a children's lab.
Accredited by AIAASC and NCPSA
Three sister organisations sit alongside the Academy, and a research foundation underpins all of it.
The International Tamil Olympiad is run with Silverzone Foundation India.
Thambaa Computing Labs are built with Tarcin Robotics. Amvion Labs keeps the platform hosted and running.
Both conversations start the same way.