இரா கோ இராசாராம் ஐயா
முகநூல் பக்கத்திலிருந்து
இனிய நண்பர்களே
இந்த நூல் எதிர்வரும் ஜூன் 3ல் தென்காசி திருவள்ளுவர் கழகத்தில் மாண்பமை உச்சநீதிமன்ற நீதியரசர் திருமிகு இராமசுப்பிரமணியம் அவர்கள் மாலை 6 மணிக்கு வெளியிடுகிறார்கள்.
கழக அவைப்புலவர் திருமிகு.கா.ச.பழனியப்பன் அவர்கள் முதற்பிரதியைப் பெற்று உரைநிகழ்த்துவார்கள்.
அனைவரும் கலந்து கொண்டு சிறப்பிக்கவும்.நன்றி
My foreword to the book….
Unknown realm
Thirukkural, a 2000 year old secular masterpiece of literature, written by Thiruvalluvar is a comprehensive code for a fulfilling life and shows the ‘Way to live a Wholesome life’. In other words ,it is an operating manual for a meaningful (அறத்துப்பால்), effective ( பொருட்பால்)and joyful living( இன்பத்துப்பால்).
Thirukkural, over a period of time has attracted the attention of scholars, rulers, administrators, poets, thinkers, reformers etc., from all over the world.
Thiruvalluvar, as in the case of Lord Buddha, has not travelled outside India; But his ideas have travelled beyond the shores of India,though not to the extent of Bhuddhism travelled ,on account of various reasons. In a way, it can be said that the ideas contained in Kural moved to the Western world much more than that it has travelled beyond Vindhyas,in our own country.
Two well-known commentaries in the 18th and 19th century of Thirukkural are that of Veeramamunivar and GU Pope . The former translated the first 108 chapters of Thirukkural into Latin in 1730s and G U Pope translated the entire Thirukkural into English,in the later part of 19th century.
In between this period, there are lot of translation, though not the entire text, but many Kurals by the administrators and missionaries who came to India from various countries in Europe. This ,to a great extent ,has not received the attention of the Indian scholars and translators. Details of their work are also not easily available in the public domain.
In this context , Dr RG Rajaram is trying to capture the role played in spreading the message of Thirukkural by the missionaries, administrators, from Europe who came to India since 16th century.
In my view , perhaps it is for the first time, Dr RG Rajaram is trying to give the Kural enthusiasts a glimpse into this world; This world is waiting to be explored, by academicians and research scholars. Information is available in bits and pieces and the connected documents are lying in the shelves and archives of libraries in European countries.
I, therefore ,on behalf of everyone in Voice of Valluvar Family (VoV Family) commend Dr RG Rajaram for embarking upon the exploration of this hitherto less travelled area ,which may open up further serious research .
With Best wishes
C.Rajendiran IRS.,
Vice Chairman (Retd)
Founder & Coordinator
Voice of Valluvar Family
www.voiceofvalluvar.org