POETS PROTEST TO AWAKEN OUR TAMIL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT :2002

POETS MEET TO AWAKEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FROM SLUMBER

A novel kind of protest by the Poets and Tamil scholars of Pondicherry disturbed the lethargy of our political class and it left an imprint on Tami lhistory pointing an accusing finger at the Parliament Members of Tamil Nadu, with an exception of a few, for their utter failure to stand united on the issues pertaining to Tamil Nadu in the floor of the Parliament. This protest also charged the political parties for not giving a free hand to the members of parliament to raise issues of concern to Tamil Nadu and also had a dig at the parties for not choosing competent persons to represent their constituencies.

The poets of Pondicherry were brought under an umbrella to air their poems in a THERU MUNAITHIRUPALLI EZHUCCHI organized jointly by a political party Dravida Peravai and a Tamil association namely Senthamizhar Iyakkam.

Thirupalli Ezhucchi , in Tamil is a poetic form which was used by devout followers to awaken their favorite god or goddess from slumber. Saint Andal's Thiruppavai falls under this category. Today poet after poet used this form to awaken the parliamentarians and political parties and urged them to stand united on issues like Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. Poets in their poems condemned the saffronization of the education and the deletion of the word "Dravida" from the text books published by NCERT and also the suppression of the history of Chera, Chola, Pandian and Sathavahana rule. The poets also condemned the attempt in these text books to describe the Bolshevik revolution as a "Coup led by Lenin". The poets also condemned the downsizing of the Sethu Canal project, which according to the Union Minister for Shipping Ved Prakash Goel is going to be a mini-canal at a cost of 200 croes and completable in a years time.

The uncertainty of the lives of plantation labour in Srilanka, whose fate remains still unsettled decades after Srimavo-Sastri pact was signed also found mention in these poems.

 

Dravida Peravai General Secretary N.Nandhivarman, Tamil Valarchi Nadavadikkai Kuzhu President Dr.Era.Tirumurugan,Bi- Lingual Poet Professor M.Lenin Tangappa, Senthamizhar Iyakkam President N.M.Tamizhmani, Poets Pugazenthi, Ramakrishna Bharathi, Poongunran, Janakiraman, PattaringnarIlakkiyan, Thamiziyakkan, Veera.Madurakavi, Professor Sambandam, Reader of the International School of Economics Pondicherry University etc were the notable poets who participated in this STREET CORNER POETS MEET (Therumunai Pattarangu) which is for 

TAMIZHAR KATCHIGALUKKU TIRUPALLI EZHUCCHI.

Speaking at the meet N.Nandhivarman said that Pondicherry assembly in order to fulfill the legal requirements had met for two days and had deliberated for 3 hours and 6 minutes in these two days. It is high time that hourly pay is fixed for our legislators, and compulsory attendance insisted for our parliamentarians to get their salary. Otherwise they have no right to claim salary while they commit dereliction of duty by not attending sessions and not

airing peoples concerns. In a joking manner he said that if he is made ORU NAAL MUDALVAR AS IN CINEMA MUDALVAN, his first order will be cancellation of the order that waived 60 crores to two distilleries. His next order will be to arrest the 26 absconders who had taken 487 crores from various financial institutions in Pondicherry and had vanished. By this two orders all monetary demands of various people agitating for various reasons could be met.

This novel protest is a warning to all Parliamentarians in this country. People may demand right to recall as the last option, if such protests fail to awaken the political class.

THE TAMIL FRENCH LITERARY CONNECTIONS

THE TAMIL FRENCH LITERARY CONNECTIONS

 N.Nandhivarman

Thiruvalluvar's Thirukural is Tamils pride and everybody's guide in life. Secularism, essence of our constitutional principles springs from each and every couplet of this great treatise of wisdom written 2000 years ago. And Sir C.P.Ramasamy Iyer places a befitting tribute to its grandeur on record. In his preface to the French Translation of Thirukural Sir C.P.Ramasamy Iyer says " It has been rightly remarked that the Kural addresses itself to all classes and communities, and indeed to the whole human race and charges itself with the promulgation of virtue and of right conduct in the guise of familiar and friendly advice. In a series of pithy maxims, it lays down rules of universal acceptability dealing with most of our domestic and social problems and situations. In the well known words of the philosopher, Spinoza, it is written sub specie eternitate though characterized by tenderness and comprehensive human sympathy, human life and love in all their forms as well as the regular of existence in the social and economic fields are alike dealt with on the basis of practical spirituality".

Thirukural, the secular book on morals had been translated in many languages and is next to that of Bible in the number of such translations. The French version of Thirukural rendered by a great littérateur Mr.Gnanou Diagou had fascinated many scholars. It is a matter of pride to all Pondicherrians that Mr.Gnanou Diagou is one of the illustrious sons of this soil having earnt a name and fame in the 19th century.Thirukural had been translated into the following languages. 1) Burmese Mr. Myo Thant, Thirukkural 2) Chinese Mr.Chi Eng Hsi, Thirukkural (1967) 3). Czech Mr. Kamil V Zvelebil, Thirukural (1952-1954 4) Dutch Mr. D.Kat, Thirukural (Netherlands, 1964) 5) Fiji, Mr.S.L Berwick, Na. Thirukkurala, 1964) 6) Finnish Mr. Aalto, Pentit, Kural - The Ancient Tamil Classic (1972) 7) German Albrecht, Fenz and K. Lalithambal: Thirukural von Thiruvalluvar aus dem Tamil, Madurai (1977), Mr.A.F Cammera, Thirukural Leipzig (1803) Mr Karl. Graul, Der Kural des Thiruvalluvar, (London 1854), Mr. Karl Graul, Der Tamu lische gnomes dichtar Thiruvalluvar, (Leipzig, 1865) Mr.Frederick Rickert Thirukural, selections, (Berlin, 1847) Mr. William and Norgate, Der Kural des Thiruvalluvar, (2nd ed, London, 1866) 8) French Ariel, M, Kural de Thiruvalluvar (traduits du tamoul), Paris, 1848, Barrigue de, Fontaineu, G, Le livre de l'amour de Thiruvalluva, Paris, 1889, Danielou, Alain, Thiruvallouvar Kural, Pondicherry, 1942, Jacolliot, Louis, Kural de Thiruvalluvar, (selections) Paris, 1767 Lamairesse, M, thirukural in French, Pondicherry, 1867) 9) Latin Graul, Charles, Kural of Thiruvalluvar, Tranquebar, 1866 Veeramamunivar, Thirukural (Books I and II), London, 1930 10) Malay Ismail, Hussein: Thirukural sastera kalasik Tamil yang, Kuala Lumpur, 1967,Ramily Bin Thakir Thirukural (in verses), Kuala Lumpur, 1964 11) Polish Umadevi, Wandy Dynowskiev, Thiruvalluvar Kural, Madras, 1958 12) Russian J.J Glazov and Krishnamurthi, A, Thirukural, a book on virtue, politics and love, Moscow, 1963 Glazov, Thirukural in couplets with illustrations, Moscow, 1974 13)Swedish Frykholm Ingya, Thirukural, Uddavalla, 1971. The list is incomplete. The complete list of languages in which Thirukural got translated is yet to be compiled.

The irony is we live in an age of information technology where at our fingertips we should keep these facts. Many authors will boast that next to Bible the only other book that was translated in many languages is Thirukural. Yet none bothers to compile the data of all such translations undertaken and books published in various languages. Let scholars and institutions start compiling such lists, uploading in the Net to enable all Tamil lovers easy access.

Particularly Pondicherry with all its connections with France and with prestigious institutes like French Institute functioning here it will be appropriate that better coordination exists between Pondicherry University, Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Culture which hopes to become a deemed University soon and other Tamil scholars well versed in both the languages. A great bilingual scholar Desigam Pillai in his book Tamizhagamum Frenchukararum dutifully records the services of scholars who promoted cultural exchanges with zeal. The Jesuits priests who came here to propagate their religion learnt Tamil and for the purpose of their kinsmen to understand the nuances of Tamil they wrote many books in French. The services of Mr.Boucher (1655-1732), Mr.De la Lane (1669-1746), Mr.Bouze (1673-1735), Mr.Gargam (1690-1742), Mr.Calmette (1693-1740), Mr.Coeurdoux (1699-1774) in writing books to help French acquire proficiency in Tamil, is thus listed by Desigam Pillai. Mr.Desigam Pillai, a lawyer and Tamil scholar also mentions the names of those who learnt Tamil. Mr.Perrin (1754-1820), Mr.Maguy (1758-1822), Mr.Dubois (1770-1848), Mr.Dupuis (1806-1874), Mr.Mousset (1808-1888), Mr.Legouste (1880-1863), Mr.Lap (1834-1893). These lists may be tiring to normal readers. But it is a list to be remembered to understand the cultural fraternity that developed between the French and Tamil-speaking peoples.

Many scholars who collected the Tamil manuscripts and palm leaf texts during their stay in Pondicherry had given them to the Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris. Even now in many homes including this writer there remains palm leaf texts ravaged by time. It is high time that academic institutions in the soil of Pondicherry and the Governments here that speak of heritage engage in a quest to collect all such texts, digitalize them and microfilm such rare collections hidden in Museums of both countries and private homes. Messrs.Mousset and Dupuis wrote the Dictionnaire Français Tamoul (French Tamil Dictionary) running into 1270 pages and a Dictionnaire Tamoul Français-2 Vols. (Tamil French Dictionary) running into 1660 pages. Mr.Jules Gordin who came from France to contest an election here for the house of elders and who became a French Senator took steps to start Tamil section in the Paris University. The dream came true in 1879. From 1890 in the Ecole des Langues Orientales Tamil classes became a reality. Mr. Vinson Julien wrote a grammar called Manuel De La Language Tamoule Grammaire, Texts, Vocabulaire ,and Mr.P.Lap, A Brege De La Grammaire Française Tomoule.Mr.M.J.Baulez wrote on colloquial Tamil Méthode De Tamoul Vulgaire

These are the pioneers and many authors who succeeded them had laid down firmly the path of inter cultural exchange and language fraternity. To a layman it appears that in the post independence era, these exchanges have mellowed down, and an impetus is needed to reactivate the vigour with which Tamil was welcomed with open arms by French. The entire French literature must be translated into Tamil and vice versa. The unfinished agenda must be undertaken with renewed interest. Before the old generation that had mastery over both languages bids adieu to earthly existence, these unfinished tasks must be taken up with urgency, while for younger generations the need to nourish this cultural legacy left between the most lovable languages on earth, becomes a quest with thirst for knowledge.

FORE-WARNINGS ON SKY SCRAPPERS IN GEO-FRACTUREZONES

இந்தியாவில் முதல் செவாலியே ஞானுதியாகு :தினமணி எம்.ராமச்சந்திரன்