The famous Tamil couplet Thirukkural would be translated into 28 different Asian, African and European languages in the next three years by International publishers, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced on Friday.Presenting the 2025-26 budget in the State Assembly, he said the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation, in collaboration with other educational institutions, will complete this translation project within the next three years and a sum of Rs.133 lakh
has been allocated for this purpose.
“It is our bounden duty to propagate across the world the profound principles of life in Thirukkural, which is acclaimed as a universal scripture”, he said.
Thirukkural has been translated into 28 Indian languages and 35 world languages so far through the persistent efforts of scholars and the initiatives of numerous educational institutions.
At the recently concluded Chennai International Book Fair, international publishers have come forward to translate the Thirukkural into 28 different Asian, African and European languages.
Subsequently, when Thirukkural is translated into 45 additional world languages, it will achieve the distinction of being translated into all official languages of 193 member nations recognized by the United Nations, the Minister said.
To fulfill this noble objective of spreading Vanpughazh Valluvam’s fame across the globe, the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation, in collaboration with other educational institutions, will complete this translation project within the next three years and a sum of Rs.133 lakh has been allocated for this purpose, he said.
Buoyed by the success of the Chennai International Book Fair over the last three years, Tamil book fairs will be conducted in all Indian metros and foreign countries from this year,
Thangam Thennarasu said.
As part of the efforts to disseminate and democratize knowledge, the Chennai International Book Fair conducted for the past three years, and similar book festivals held in all district headquarters, are being widely appreciated across the country.
In the next phase, Tamil book fairs will be conducted from this year onwards, not only in other major Indian metropolitan cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai,
Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram, where Tamils reside in significant numbers, but also in foreign countries, particularly in cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai.
An amount of Rs.2 crore has been allocated for this purpose, he said.
The Minister announced that To systematically introduce Tamil heritage to the younger Tamil generations living abroad, a sum of Rs.10 crore has been
allocated for conducting in-person classes through Non-Resident Tamils’ Welfare Board, engaging 100 Tamil teachers and artists to teach Tamil language and folk arts.