Dear J
I was looking at the photos of Rajagopalan conducting a class on traditional Tamil literature in Malaysia. Can those classes be conducted in India?
Selvakumar
Dear Selvakumar,
In today’s context, I think the qualification for teaching grammar is primarily to be familiar with modern literature. It is through modern literature that one can move toward traditional literature.
Those who only know traditional literature usually try to explain the words and meaning of the poetry. They make literature a subject to study. They restrict the reader’s ability to engage with literature through their imagination. That’s why teaching old literature in schools can be tedious.
However, there is nothing wrong with this ‘commentary’ tradition of poetry. Schools should teach literature that way. We rediscovered our ancient literature in the nineteenth century. We understood them through the tradition of commentary and explanation. We integrated our old literature with our lives in that way. Thus we created our cultural continuity. Indeed, this represents a significant intellectual advancement.
However, doing so also goes against the principles of literary taste. A reader of poetry should use his imagination to fill the gaps in a literary work. Explaining literature can be an obstacle to creating one’s own version. That’s why modern reading is essential.
Today’s reading should connect poetry with contemporary life. The aesthetics of modern poetry is essential for today’s poetry reading. Only it can open up poetry for a modern man.
I selected individuals such as Marapin Mainthan Muthaiah and Rajagopalan, who possess the necessary skills for this task. Rajagopalan conducts an introductory class in Vaishnava literature. It is a class that approaches the world with an exciting, taste-based modern reading method. It has points where philosophy and aesthetics meet.
Jeyamohan.
