Many of the school students of present generation will be happy to see the last of Tirukkural books after they complete their schooling as they would have spent innumerable hours trying to memorise some of its 1,330 couplets for the examinations.
Not many of these students would have taken the trouble to understand, in-depth, what these timeless verses try to convey.
To make sure, the next generation does not altogether forget one of the greatest pieces of Tamil literature, a city-based lawyer has undertaken a novel effort. He has come with a book in which the Tirukkural verses are written in reverse, so that it can be read only using a mirror.
Many students and even elders, says M. Rajasherieff, will be curious with this different approach. They will surely preserve the book and try to read their favourite verses time and again rather than consign it to the shelves of forgotten books. Terming it as one of the greatest secular work whose appeal transcends all castes and religion, he says a person can achieve great success in life by solely following the principals elucidated by Tirukkural . Being pretty good with writing skills, he says he completed it in a week’s time, working around two hours every day. The book, which is going to be launched in the city on Friday, comes with a mirror.
“I am not looking at its commercial success. My aim is to make students and the next generation treasure Tirukkural .”
Mr. Rajasherieff says he is also going to release a ‘snake-and-ladder’ game with a difference. The board is laden with good habits, which are the ladders, and bad habits that are the snakes. Good habits would lead to destinations that are filled with pictures of leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, K. Kamaraj, B.R. Ambedkar, Indira Gandhi, and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. And, bad habits pull you down.
He plans to distribute the game free of cost to students of city schools.
