Handheld devices to have intelligent info retrieval of Thirukkural

CHENNAI: For the first time, handheld devices will have intelligent information retrieval of Thirukkural where the users would get detailed analysis and representation of Tamil literary texts of the couplets.

The state-owned Tamil Nadu Virtual Academy under Information Technology Department and Anna University have been entrusted to develop the system and the experts of both institutions are working on it.

A senior official from the Information Technology Department told DT Next that the proposed information from Thirukkural could be accessed on handheld devices, including computers and laptop systems, tablets, and Android mobile phones.

Stating that the intelligent info retrieval of the couplets will be both online and offline, he said in the proposed system, the discourse module couplets is developed using the rhetorical structure theory -- a module of text organisation that describes relations that hold between parts of text --.

Claiming that the users will have several search options that would be better than "Google" and other search engines in connection with Thirukkural, the official said the intelligent information retrieval of Thirukkural would come in both Tamil and English.

Explaining the working of the system, the official said intelligent information retrieval of the Thirukkural system should be downloaded and the users should register themselves to use it.

"Even when the user type Tamil words or sentence in English, the related Thirukkural will appear with meaning and explanation in both the languages,” he said adding "if the user type -- "how education is important to a person, immediately the system will give the appropriate chapter and two line couplet of Thirukkural with meaning in both English and Tamil".

Pointing out that though there are several search engines for Thirukkural available on the internet, most of them provide irrelevant information since their interpretations are not precise, he said: “However, this new system would provide only the required information to the users since unique indexing technique was used".

The official said the user would also get day-related Thirukkural with meaning. "In case, it is a 'Friendship Day', couplets with regard to friendship will be displayed in the user device,” he said adding "other options, including sharing the Thirukkural information to others will also be available in the system".

On the current work status of intelligent information retrieval of the Thirukkural system, the official said the work is in progress, soon it would be officially launched.