Teaching Thirukkural through Carnatic music, humorous anecdotes

While teaching students Carnatic music through stories, vocalist Saketharaman found out that students can easily grasp the essence when they understand the story behind the song which brings out the best emotion in them. 

The singer has now come up with a new initiative to teach Thirukkural for students. He has collaborated with Tamil language expert Pattimandram Raja for this project. Saketh will be singing and Raja will explain the kural with humour so that it gets registered in children’s minds.

Talking about the genesis of the initiative, Saketh tells DT Next, “In the last two years, I had tried to learn more about tamizh isai. The more I learned, the more ideas about different projects came up — Divya Desam Sangeetha Yatrai, Tamizh Isai RTP, Pennum Pannum, etc, have taken shape. 

Being in Mylapore, often crossing the Thiruvalluvar statue here, Thirukkural was always intriguing. While brainstorming with my friend Tamil expert Sankarasivasubramaniam, a random idea of combining the kural with music and explanation came up — Iru Kuralil Thirrukural — the confluence of Iyal and Isai came up.”

Thiruvalluvar has given powerful social messages in just seven words each, and that’s perfectly suited for the Insta generation, he says. “Thirukkural had inspired many great men including Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and others. Learning Thirukkural in the musical form will help children appreciate the beauty of the Tamil language and understand it better. Students of my Kalashiksha schools are now taught Thirukkural in simple ragas. Through these web series, children can now understand the meaning of the various kurals from Raja sir itself.”

When asked the reason for bringing in an orator like Pattimandram Raja, the vocalist explains, “Various commentaries on kural are available from Kalaignar’s Kural Oviyam to Solomon Pappiah’s commentaries. I felt only a great orator and Tamil patriot like Pattimandram Raja sir can explain the kural filled with wit and wisdom which is more palatable for Millenials.”

Pattimandram Raja says that children should be taught the meaning of this extraordinary treatise.

“Sowing the seeds of wisdom in this age will help them mold into better beings. Humour is only a vehicle to take the message to the children. My explanation is day-to-day application-oriented mixed with humorous anecdotes, which I hope will inspire children to learn more about Thirukkural. Most children are taught kural in school. This web series will be a compact package for everyone to rewind, reminisce and understand the kural better,” Pattimandram Raja tells DT Next.