To mark the 89th birth anniversary of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday, a 32-year-old man in Tiruppur wrote the couplets of the Thirukkural on 1,330 postcards.
S. Vijayakumar, a resident of Nallur, said on Wednesday that he finished writing the couplets with their explanations on 1,330 postcards in just over 22 hours from Sunday afternoon to Monday evening. A private company recognised this record attempt and felicitated him on Monday. “Whatever kurals and their explanations I could remember, I wrote them from memory. For the rest, I used a book,” he said.
An admirer of Thiruvalluvar and Kalam, Mr. Vijayakumar said he wanted to pay tribute for the birth anniversary in a unique manner this year. “Through Kalam ayya , my interest in Thirukkural increased further,” he said, referring to Kalam quoting the couplets often in his speeches and writings.
To mark Kalam’s birth anniversary on Thursday, a portion of these 1,330 postcards will be sent to authorities including President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and District Collector K. Vijayakarthikeyan, he said. The remaining postcards with the kurals will be distributed among school students to create awareness on the importance of Thirukkural among them, according to Mr. Vijayakumar.
