Thirukkural (A Management Treasure)

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A classic is a piece of work that stands the test of time. A classic is for all ages: past, present, and future. Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural is a classic. It is a highly resourceful management literature. I have been profusely using Kurals in my teaching, training, coaching and talks to drive home some of the best management concepts and practices. This book traces the modern management practices to the wisdom in Thirukkural. Do you want appreciate Thirukkural’s contribution to management? Explore.

Dr.R. Krishnamurthi, as an inspiring trainer, has conducted 2400 Executive, Faculty and Personality Development Programs to 30 Companies and 28 Institutions in his twenty-five years experience into teaching and training. Thirukkural forms part of his teaching, training and coaching programs. He is a Visiting/Adjunct Faculty to many Business Schools. He, as a Professional Speaker, has delivered many speeches to organization and institution clients.

"Classic," according to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1996, p. 204), "is something deserving to be considered one of the best or more important of its type." A classic is for all ages: the past, the present, and the future. Thirukkural popularly known as Kural in Tamilnadu and respectfully referred to as kural in the following practices is a classic It is a highly resourceful management Treasure. A treasure contains invaluable resources that cannot be exhausted.

Valluvar, while referring to the process of learning, uses a simile. The process of learning is similar to the process of digging a spring in sandy soil, educates Kural 396. A spring in sandy soil keeps getting water to the surface. The more and deeper we dig in, the much water we get.

A well dug in sand yields water as dug

So learning wisdom.

Similarly, the more and the deeper we dig into Thirukkural, the better and wiser we will become. The more we know about Thirukkural, the more there is to know. Cardinal Newman said, "Every new reader finds a new meaning in a new reading." That concept is true with reference to Thirukkural. Every time we read, we become new readers and we find a new meaning in our reading. When we delve deep into Thirukkural, we will evolve as complete people.

I have been profusely relying on and using Kurals in my teaching, training programs, speeches, and performance counseling to drive home some of the management concepts and practices. The learning, because of the application of right Kurals at the right time, has been immense as shared by the participants of my programs. There has always been at ease in choosing the right Kural for the right occasion. Kurals provide very high Possibilities for learners to appreciate the process of learning. We need to use them in the right contexts, as timing is relevant for the effectiveness of Kurals.

The chapters are named as 'practices' because Valluvar emphasized the importance of constant practice to make one's learning permanent. However, most of us find the process of practicing what we have learnt difficult, as we can find umpteen excuses not to practice.

A few excuses that Kurals are complex to understand and practice are:

1) We learn Kurals by memorizing-rote memory,

2) We learn just to pass the exams — part of our education,

3) We cannot understand the form and meaning since they are too complicate and written in ancient Tamil,

4) We do not get opportunities to apply the learning and

5) A few more excuses of your own.

As an outcome of these excuses, the learning does not last longer. Valluvar would have anticipated our excuses. Hence, he highlighted the importance of practicing what we learn through Kural 637.

However well-versed in books, Be practical.

This Kural provides practical advice to us. Even if we read the best books and glean the best knowledge from those books, that knowledge may not be helpful when we do not apply the learning in real life situations. Knowledge plus application is achievement. Learning and experimenting develop expertise. Therefore, combining knowledge with practice makes one a professional.

Acceptance of the relevance of Kurals and application of them to personal and professional lives are very high among the participants of my training programs, especially by the participants from Tamilnadu. Many participants volunteer to share Kurals known to them. I conclude a program with a Kural relevant to that particular program. Most of the times I expect the participants to conclude the training program with a Kural. I give a few clues related to that particular Kural and tell them to connect a particular Kural to the topic of the program. Invariably someone identifies the relevant Kural and helps me conclude the program meaningfully. It is a great way to conclude as the Kural connects them with the thought and they carry the experience beyond the program.

Inspiringly, many of my client companies start the day by an employee reading a Kural during the assembly. They do that based on my suggestion to improve the culture of the organization. The results so far have been encouraging.

**Contents and Sample Pages**