Two projects to help translation of 224 Tamil literary works

CHENNAI: The State government is set to execute two mega translation projects ‘Muthamizh Arignar Mozhipeyarpu Thittam’ and ‘Thisaidhorum Dravidam’ as an example of showcasing literary works in the Tamil language.

The Tamil Nadu Text Book Educational Services Corporation (TNTBESC) has been entrusted with successfully completing this project in a given time frame. A senior official from the School Education Department told DT Next that under ‘Muthamizh Arignar Mozhipeyarpu Thittam’, 204 titles have been identified and under ‘Thisaidhorum Dravidam’, 20 Tamil literary works will be translated. Of the total 204 titles under ‘Muthamizh Arignar Mozhipeyarpu Thittam’, 50 were ready and another 50 would be out in June 2023.

The official said the textbook Corporation had signed an agreement with reputed national and international publishers. “The first book released in this category is the Tamil translation of Robert Caldwell’s ‘The Comparative Grammar of Dravidian or South Indian Family of Languages’, translated by PR Subramanian as “Dravida Allathu Thenninthiya Kudumba Mozhigalin Oppilakkanam”. The book has been released and is a joint publication with the International Institute of Tamil Studies (IITS).

On ‘Thisaidhorum Dravidam’, six titles - ‘Cilappatikaram’, ‘Putham Veedu’, ‘Meeran Stories’, ‘Essays of U VeSaminatha Iyer and ‘Katha Vilasam’ were already translated. The translations of the rest of the titles is expected to be completed this year.

Stating that Tamil literature will be translated into other languages, the official said ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ and ‘Dravida Iyakkam’ will be translated by Kerala-based publishers DC books and Malayala Manorama. The Tamil commentary on Tirukkural, penned by former CM M Karunanidhi has been translated by Hyderabad Book Trust.