Vairamuthu Hails Modi's Russian Thirukkural Gift as a Work for All Humanity

Poet and lyricist Vairamuthu has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to present a Russian-translated edition of the Thirukkural to Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the classical Tamil text as a work that belongs to all of humanity.

He was speaking in Chennai at the Maha Thirukkural Vizha 2026, organised by Sri Chaitanya Techno School, where he said he felt immense pride at 50,000 students reciting the Thirukkural together in an attempt at a world record. Addressing a packed auditorium of students, educators and literature enthusiasts, he urged young people to absorb the ethical, social and moral teachings of the text and make them part of their daily lives.

"What I have dreamed of is happening today. Students are born to learn and speak Thirukkural. I feel immensely proud today that 50,000 students are coming together to create a world record by reciting the Thirukkural," he said.

The event celebrated the literary brilliance and enduring teachings of the Thirukkural, one of the most revered classical Tamil works, authored by the philosopher and weaver-saint Thiruvalluvar.

A major focus of Vairamuthu's address was the recent presentation of the Russian translation by Modi to Putin during their bilateral talks in New Delhi. He noted that the Prime Minister had not chosen Kolar Gold, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, pearls, Kashmir wool or Kanchipuram silk, but instead a Russian-translated edition of the Tamil Thirukkural.

He described the gesture as a reflection of the text's importance beyond linguistic, religious and caste boundaries. "Our Prime Minister had the vision to present the Thirukkural to the Russian President. You, the students, now have the responsibility to carry this legacy forward and understand and spread its importance," he said.

Highlighting what he called the universal character of the work, Vairamuthu said that while the Bible is primarily associated with Christians, the Quran with Muslims and the Bhagavad Gita with Hindus, the Thirukkural was given because it belongs to all of humanity. "Why the Thirukkural? Because it rises above language, religion, and caste. It is a work for the whole world and for all of humanity," he said.

He called upon students to treat the Thirukkural not merely as a literary work but as a guide for everyday life, and urged them to keep learning other languages while treating their mother tongue as the foundation of their identity. "Do not think that English is the greatest language. English is also just one of the many languages in the world. Your mother tongue is your greatest language because it is the language of your roots and your identity," he said.

Drawing a comparison with the oral preservation of the Vedas, he said students should become ambassadors of the Thirukkural and carry its message to future generations.

His comments came as the Thirukkural received a prominent place in the India-Russia engagement surrounding Putin's visit to New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, hosted by India on September 12 and 13. While gifting the Russian-language edition to Putin on September 11, Modi said the text encompasses the full spectrum of human life and expressed confidence that the translation would contribute to stronger people-to-people ties between India and Russia.

"Two thousand years ago, Thiruvalluvar wrote the Thirukkural. It includes the entire gamut of human life. It has been translated into the Russian language. I am confident that the people-to-people contact will increase with the translation of the Thirukkural into Russian, which will play a big role in strengthening our relations," Modi told Putin.

In a subsequent post on X, Modi wrote, "Presented President Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural, which carries the eternal wisdom of the great Thiruvalluvar across languages and borders."

The Thirukkural is a classical Tamil text of 1,330 couplets, or kurals, each of two lines. It is regarded as a manual for righteous living that does not appeal to a particular god, caste or creed, resting instead on universal values across three broad areas: aram, or virtue; porul, covering wealth and statecraft; and inbam, concerning love. Revered by Tamils as a sacred scripture and often called "the Tamil Veda", it is also widely regarded by scholars as a masterpiece of aphoristic literature.