Tirukkural Verses, Interviews, and Reviews

From and about The Kural: Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural.

Rage, Wonder & the Poetry of Paint: A Kural Conversation with Pam Ingalls

March 6, 2022

Painting, Seeing, and Being Seen

With my friend Pam Ingalls I was delighted to explore poetry, painting, and what faces reveal and conceal in the light of chapter 71, “Reading Faces,” from THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

Seeing faces and seeing depths. 6:51
The moment when people pass away. 12:33
Rage and wonder together. 16:25
The process of painting and the best of one’s paintings. 21:58
Painting and the experience of being seen. 25:37
How a good poem changes you. 33:30

Pam Ingalls loves to paint light falling on ordinary people, objects and scenes. Raised in Spokane, Washington, she was first inspired by her parents, artists Richard and Marjorie Ingalls. She studied art at the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy and earned an art degree from the art department that her father began at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

After exploring a few side paths—among them, pursuing social justice aims and building a house—Pam returned to her true passion under the mentorship of Russian Impressionist, Ron Lukas – a protoge of Sergei Bongart. She also has studied with Frederick Frank, Richard Schmid and Burt Silverman.

“I paint simple things – the things I see, am attached to and love. Every subject contains an essence that belongs to just that moment. I get to be with that feeling while I translate it into the poetry of paint. As I become more aware, I keep learning that truth is everywhere. Painting is my way to see and tell the truth. I hope that I’ll inspire others to look twice at the beauty of their everyday lives…and to find their own way of expressing that.”

https://www.pamingalls.com/

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

706
A crystal reflects its neighbor—as a face
The fullness of one’s heart

அடுத்தது காட்டும் பளிங்குபோல் நெஞ்சம்
கடுத்தது காட்டும் முகம்

707
What is more wise than a face—it puts forth
Rage and wonder

முகத்தின் முதுக்குறைந்த துண்டோ உவப்பினும்
காயினும் தான்முந் துறும்

701
A jewel on the earth of undying seas—he
Who sees and notes the unsaid

கூறாமை நோக்கக் குறிப்பறிவான் எஞ்ஞான்றும்
மாறாநீர் வையக் கணி

From chapter 71, “Reading Faces.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

Kural 71: The Tirukkural on Love

March 1, 2022

A verse on the gift of tears.

From chapter 8, “Having Love.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

New Books Network Interview with Shruti Dixit

February 23, 2022

I was delighted to speak with Shruti Dixit on her podcast for the New Books Network about my new translation of THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

You can listen to the podcast by way of this link:

https://newbooksnetwork.com/thomas-hitoshi-pruiksma-the-kural-tiruvalluvars-tirukkural-beacon-press-2022

Shruti Dixit is a PhD Divinity Candidate at CSRP, University of St Andrews, researching the Hindu-Christian Dialogue in Apocalyptic Prophecies.

Kural 991: Ideas and Ideals of Kindness

February 22, 2022

A verse on openness to strangers and the practice of kindness.

From chapter 100, “Having Kindness.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

By One’s Own Hand: A Kural Conversation with C.F. John

February 18, 2022

Farming and the Interconnectedness of Life

With my friend C.F. John I was delighted to explore abundance, interconnectedness, and the ways we look at farming and farming communities in the light of THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

On the different meanings of the word “farmer.” 3:36
How farmers stand between the wilderness, on the one side, and urban civilization, on the other. 9:25
Farming and interconnectedness: 28:31
Who is subsidizing whom? 35:32
Generosity and healthy restraint: 48:09
A question from John: What kind of rewiring had to happen in your head to be able to translate this work? 61:28

C.F. John is an established senior artist and social activist based in Bangalore. After completing his studies in Philosophy, he had his initiation in art under Jyothi Sahi in Silvepura, Karnataka. Through his art, C.F. John attempts to negotiate with the tensions of modern-day living. Finding peace amidst nature, he is inspired by people who are close to it. C.F. John’s works are sombre and reflective, emanating a thought-provoking yet soothing presence. His individualistic approach to art gives it a certain freshness. John uses muted colour palettes, gentle textures, elegant compositions and occasional bursts of colour to portray subjects in a meditative state, while celebrating the uniqueness of the materials he uses to paint. As a social activist, C.F. John has lived with indigenous tribes, and his socio-cultural experiences have shaped his artistic process.

https://cfjohn.com/

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

1035
He that eats by his own hand does not beg
And gives freely to beggars

இரவார் இரப்பார்க்கொன் றீவர் கரவாது
கைசெய்தூண் மாலை யவர்

1032
Farmers sustain everyone not farming—they
Are the pin holding the world together

உழுவார் உலகத்தார்க் காணிஅஃ தாற்றா
தெழுவாரை எல்லாம் பொறுத்து

1039
If its husbandman stays away the land pulls back
And sulks like a wife

செல்லான் கிழவன் இருப்பின் நிலம்புலந்த
தில்லாளின் ஊடி விடும்

From chapter 104, “Farming.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston