Chennai: It is said a picture speaks a thousand words. True to this saying, a college professor is planning to bring out a book on Thirukkural in pictorial and illustrative format.
The idea is to take Thirukkural to children, says Arasi Kannan, associate professor, English at Pachaiyappas College.
“I am doing the sketches myself for now. But if need be, I will take the assistance of a professional artist,” she says.
Arasi would be using the English version of G U Pope and C Rajagopalachari for her Thirukkural picture book.
“I will be selecting the Kurals that will go into the book. I would then give the meaning of the Kurals in English. Added to that would be my drawings that will further help a child understand the couplet,” she explains.
Asked about the kind of images that would go with the Kurals, Arasi says they would be modern sketches. But I will not forget Thiruvalluvar. He would also be there. I am trying a kind of fusion work, she adds.
A publisher approached me with the idea of an illustrated Thirukkural in English and I jumped at it, says the English professor.
Book writing is not a new experience for Arasi Kannan, as she has been a part of a team of six authors who brought out a book on teaching communicative English for class 11 and 12 students of Tamilnadu.
“The biggest challenge for all of us was to make the book simple, for it had students from the rural pockets of Tamilnadu. So, to achieve this, we had to put the content in figurative format, rather than just text. Topics like grammar were explained using the pictorial format so that students can easily understand it,” says Arasi.
Being an English professor, she accepts the change that has come in the way of teaching the subject.
Earlier, teaching was done mostly through books. Today, we have online mode where students can access study materials much before their classroom sessions commence. This has changed the role of teachers, too, she points out.
Arasi loves the works of William Wordsworth and Coleridge. While Coleridges writings are enigmatic and have their own charm, Wordsworth puts great philosophical theories in simple words, she says.
On the Indian side, works of Rabindranath Tagore and Sarojini Naidu are her favourite.
Arasi Kannan can be reached at 97109 39350.