Has Tamil public become disconnected with Tiruvalluvar?
Tamils back home appeared blissfully indifferent barring for a handful of high-profile politicians recording protest.
Chennai: While a huge storm erupted over the installation of the statue of the famous Tamil savant Tiruvalluvar at Haridwar, which has now fortunately quietened down a bit following the assurance from the Uttarkhand chief minister that the beared short sage-philosopher will indeed be settled by the Ganges, the Tamils back home appeared blissfully indifferent barring for a handful of high-profile politicians recording protest.
The deafening silence from the people, particularly the educated youth and the self-styled wise ones (arivu-jeevigal), to the plight of the granite statue lying on the mud uncared for, disturbed and annoyed. “Perhaps they preferred the lovely distraction of hunting for Kabali tickets and had no time for old man Tiruvalluvar”, says noted lawyer-activist Sudha Ramalingam.
Tiruvalluvar’s 133 couplets oozing wisdom were written over 2000 years ago and yet, this greatest of Sangam literature is most relevant even in this space age as a compendium of common man’s daily virtues. Besides, it has been one of the most secular works ever. Just like Gautama Buddha. Tiruvallur speaks of Kadavul vaazhthu (praise God) but does not say who is Kadavul. Yet, ask a young man or a woman on the Marina walk who that short bearded man standing tall in granite is, and the answer would be ‘perhaps a swami, a sage?’
“How many of our young people have read Tiruvalluvar? Some of them might have read a bit because Tirukkural is prescribed in the text books, and forgotten quickly. It’s sad that the reading habit itself is fast disappearing”, says Sudha Ramalingam, while recalling that during her last trip to London, she found young people queuing for the latest Harry Potter book while nothing of that kind of excitement for books is seen here these days. “The only queues we find now are for Kabali. I don’t object to people thronging the movie halls but we must not drown in just entertaining while losing core values, and reading ensures preserving those core values”, she says.