PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT FROM ‘THIRUKKURAL” (1)

Thirukkural is one of the most celebrated literature in Tamil. It is considered more as a scripture that prescribes and guides people for living a worthy life. Authored by Tiruvalluvar, the book is a collection of poems in the format of “Kural” – a style that conveys its essence in two lines as a couplet. The entire book comprises of 1330 kurals captured in 133 titles and each title encompassing various dimensions of the theme in ten couplets. Broadly the entire work is articulated in three major Heads – Araththuppaal, portutpaal, and kaamaththuppaal – the first dealing with a spectrum of issues relating to dharma and righteousness for a value based life, the second dealing with an array of issues dealing with material domains of life that help to understand the fine line of difference between materialism and spirituality including their co-habitation, and the third dealing with personal emotional rainbow that glitters in human hearts as a part of a glorious family life.

Easy to understand, captured in a simple language that reveals itself, the poems impact every reader and acts as a radar for operating one’s life both successfully and righteously in the theatre of life. The entire book is a repository of wisdom and practical guidelines capsuled into simple lines of effective communication. Examined and understood closely, they are intensive suggestions that facilitate leadership through meaningful and purposeful social activism. A large number of suggestions and insights that would help students of leadership and management are effectively interwoven in structured thoughts. It is interesting to note that many of these thoughts are totally and extensively relevant to modern social structures and organizational operatives.

Students of Management and leadership who search for global views on such matters would find that these principles, thoughts and ideas have already been spelt out both directly and indirectly by Tiruvalluvar. One really wonders how this great saint could comprehend many of these difficult issues in those early days and suggest guidelines that are eternal and span over the space and time. Interestingly, all these inputs that blossom from the deep and intense understanding of Tamil culture and social environment, transgresses language and communities, and of course crosses the barriers of oceans into continents across the globe.

No wonder, the book is called “ulaga marai” (global scripture ) and hence has been translated into almost all known languages in several countries.

It has been my long desire to give a meaning and shape to these insights in the context of the concepts that influence the modern schools of leadership and management so that the global community can receive and absorb the light and positivity of this wisdom that radiates from Tamil literature and culture.

While I am not sure, how successful I would be in shaping this dream, I am again by the famous kural which advises how we should approach in evaluating a subject

குணம் நாடிக் குற்றமும் நாடி அவற்றுள்

மிகைநாடி மிக்க கொளல்.

(Gunam naadik kutramum naadi avatrul

Migainaadi mikka kolal )

Meaning – Seek the values in everything and find its defects; evaluate them objectively and take the maximum out of the best in them.

Enjoy Reading!