Thiruvalluvar- The Tamil Life Coach

Thiruvalluvar | The Tamil life coach

Thiruvalluvar is the honorific name bestowed upon Valluvar, the celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher. He is best known as the poet who wrote one of the most creative and impactful pieces of literature in the world- The Thirukural.

Very little facts are actually known about Thiruvalluvar the person. The timeline of his birth and life vary between 400 BC to 500 AD. Multiple historical references place his birth in Mylapore, modern day Chennai. There is much debate even today regarding Valluvar’s identity linked to caste and religion. Scholars and historians continue to try and decipher clues to this man’s real identity from his Magnum Opus, the Thirukural. What is largely accepted though is that even if may have been born elsewhere, it seems like Thiruvalluvar spent a lot of his time in Mylapore. Very little else is known about Thiruvalluvar except for his wife Vasuki and a few interesting stories linked to her loyalty and devotion towards her husband.

Why is Thiruvalluvar so Important for Tamil people?

Thiruvalluvar has traditionally played the role of a life mentor for Tamil’s worldwide. His work, the Thirukural has 1330 classical Tamil couplets that extols lessons on virtue, politics, love and economics. Tamil’s swear by the fact that almost every life lesson required by a human being is to be found within the few words stitched together by Valluvar to form his high density couplets. His work continues to be the moral compass for Tamils and serves as an inspiration today for people worldwide thanks to translated versions of the Thirukural now available.

What is so special about Thiruvalluvar?

A creative mind:

To deliver life changing messages every time in only 7 words takes a lot of discipline and creativity.

A forward Thinker:

To deliver private and public life lessons 2000 years back for humans that is still relevant in today’s modern world calls for an amazing thought process and hyper forward thinking.

A complete philosopher with a global view:

His strong convictions about ethics, human values, politics, economics and love are relevant for the whole world and not just Tamils.

A reformer:

Valuvars views on various topics like blind faith, prostitution and alcoholism makes him a social reformer.

How do Tamils celebrate Thiruvalluvar?

Tamil Nadu officially honors Thiruvalluvar on the Thiruvalluvar day, usually on the 15th or 16th of January every year. Almost every child who learns Tamil in school in Tamil Nadu and a few other countries around the world are introduced to the beautiful and impactful couplets that he created. The passionate kids go on to participate in Thirukural reciting competitions held across the world through school, state associations or Tamil Sangams. It’s hard to miss the verses of Thirukural on the state run Public buses in Tamil Nadu aimed at inspiring the common man to learn life lessons while scholars and literary Tamil orators never miss a chance to seek inspiration from Thiruvalluvar even today during debates and conferences. A temple dedicated to Thiruvallur in Mylapore stands testament to how much the man is venerated by Tamil’s for his contribution to the culture of Tamil and more importantly, humanity in general.

Why should the world celebrate Thiruvalluvar?

In today’s chaotic world that is largely threatened by war, global warming, intolerance and disparity of wealth. Thiruvalluvar’s ideologies have gained even more significance. The future generation all over the world needs to read his work and be inspired by its views. It will help them build a world with equality, peace and prosperity.

Did you know?

There was no image to represent Thiruvalluvar until 1957. That’s right! No one knew how the great poet looked until a renowned artist called K.R. Venugopal Sarma completed drawing the image of Thiruvalluvar that we all know of today. The image was recognized by the state and central governments thereafter and has been used to represent the poet ever since.

On a lighter note, Thiruvalluvar is also called the world’s first tweeter, thanks to the magic he created with only 7 words.