International Thirukkural Conference 2005

 

“There hardly exists in the literature of the world a collection of maxims in which we find  such lofty wisdom as in Thirukkural”

- Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Laureate

   “ I wanted to learn Tamil, only to enable me to study Valluvar’s Thirukkural through his mother tongue itself…. There is no one who has given such treasure of wisdom like him.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

“Thirukkural is a contribution of the Tamil creative genius to the world cultural treasure and should be familiar to the whole world and admired and beloved by allin the same way as the poems of Homer, the dramas of Shakespeare, the pictures of Rembrandt, the cathedrals of France and the sculptures of Greece”

- Prof. Kamil Zevelebil, Tamil scholar

“The Kural is an integral painting of a civilization which is harmonious in itself and which possesses a clearly recognizable unity."

- Dr. G. U. Pope, Christian Missionary and Translator of Thirukkural in English

“Humility, charity and forgiveness of injuries are not described by Aristotle. Now these three are everywhere forcibly inculcated by this Tamil Moralist – Thiruvalluvar.”

- Sir A. Grant, British Scholar and Politician

 “Thiruvalluvar’s Kural is one of the gems of the world literature.  He stands above all races, castes, and sects, and what he teaches is a general human morality and wisdom.  No wonder, that the Kural has been read, studied and highly praised in the land of its origin for centuries, but also found many admirers in the west, ever since it has become known.”

- Professor M. Winternitz, Germany