Simplifying Thirukkural via images, soundtracks

To make the verses more understandable for the current generation, city-based consultant Dhanasekarapandian M has started a series on Instagram called Anthology of Rhetorics. He interweaves Sage’s verses with screenshots and soundtracks. “This is my techno tribute to Thirukkural. Many in today’s generation are unable to understand or decode the kurals. I thought of making it easier for them to understand. It is a collaborative work — I collect screenshots of works done by various artists and try and find out a suitable verse from Thirukkural that will better describe the screenshot. Instead of giving too many colours, I decided to go with a two-colour palette for the series,” says Dhanasekarapandian.

Considered one of the greatest works on ethics and morality, Thirukkural is known for its universality and secular nature. “Once we understand what exactly the text is trying to convey, then it is easier for people to read. I was introduced to Tamil literature and Thirukkural by my grandfather. I keep reading the kurals and now I have a better understanding of the book. Whenever I read it, I try to get visual imagery about the couplet. Later, when I see any interesting artworks that can be matched to a kural, I get permission from the artist and share that particular image with the apt kural,” he explains.

Dhanasekarapandian agrees that there are many talented artists and social media has helped him bring out their talent to the spotlight. “Sometimes, it will be just visuals along with the kurals. There are a few artists who also share soundtracks,” he says.