December 22, 2016
Thanjavur: The ‘Thingal Thorum Thirukkural Vaguppu’ (the monthly Thirukkural class), jointly organised by Tamil University, Thanjavur and Ulagath Thirukkural Peravai on the first Monday of every month at Besant Lodge in Thanjavur, has evoked an overwhelming response and patronage from young and old.
The classes are conducted from 6 pm to 8 pm.
The Thingal Thorum Thirukkural classes were first started two decades back with the aim of taking the scholarly couplets to the public. The classes, which went on for three years before being discontinued, were arranged in the centre of the city as the university was located in the outskirts then.
“The classes started again in October 2015,” says P Maravarman, Secretary of Ulagath Thirukkural Peravai.
The audience, young and old, includes various professionals, including doctors, teachers and lawyers. Besides an one and half lecture session, there is also a half hour interactive session, says Maravarman.
S N Kandasamy, a retired professor, who handles the class, says the couplets (kural) are not taken chapter (adhikaram) wise. “Instead, we group them thematically like ‘ideal family’, ‘avoidance of frivolous speech’ and discuss them in detail. The 30-minute interactive session is not for clarifying doubts, but so that participants can give their own interpretations about the discussed chapter,” he said.
“No one can expound the nuances of Thirukkural like Professor Kandasamy who conducts the monthly class,” says T Mohanraj, a second year postgraduate Tamil Literature student, who never misses the sessions.
It might be noted the Ulagath Thirukkural Peravai has been conducting lecture series on “Tholkappiyam”, “Puranaanooru” and Tamil music scholars every Sunday evening, which also gets a good response from scholars and public alike.