Humanism and Thiruvalluvar

Humanism is a system of thought attaching prime importance to humans rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress human beings' potential value and goodness, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems. The Buddha was perhaps the first humanist in the world. After the Buddha, Thiruvalluvar was the most outstanding humanist in the Indian philosophical scene.

Thiruvalluvar categorically declares that all human beings are equal by birth. He believes in rational inquiry and condemns all superstitious beliefs. He asserts that all problems encountered by individuals and a society can only be solved by human beings and not by divine interventions. He mentions that everyone should realize that others are also like them, show love and compassion toward them, and help them in every way possible. Thiruvalluvar strongly believes that moral codes vary with respect to place and time, and the wise people in a society determine them at a particular period. His philosophy is totally secular. Thiruvalluvar's views on human equality, rationalism, human effort, love and compassion, and secularism are completely compatible with those of modern humanists.

Dr. R. Prabhakaran, USA

Dr. Prabhakaran was born in Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu. He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Mathematics from the University of Madras, Chennai. After working as a lecturer in engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu for six years, he migrated to the USA and obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science and MBA in Information Management from U.S. universities. He has held senior positions in private companies, and he has also managed and directed Supercomputing facilities for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and U.S. Army.

Dr. Prabhakaran is passionate about the Tamil language, Tamil literature, Tamil culture, and the Tamils' welfare. He has served as President of the Washington Tamil Association, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Foundation, and Vice President of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America.

In 2003, Dr. Prabhakaran founded the Tamil Literary Study Group in Washington, D.C. Under the auspices of this group, he conducted classes on Tamil literature. He has coordinated and successfully conducted major international conferences in the USA on Thirukkural, Puranaanuuru, and Kurunthokai. Dr. Prabhakaran has authored several blogs on Thirukkural, Puranaanuuru, Kurunthokai, and other Tamil literary classics. He has authored books on Puranaanuuru and Kurunthokai. He has also published his Thirukkural related essays in English as a book under the title, “The Ageless Wisdom (As embodied in Thirukkural).” His book on Thirukkural, “Puthiya paarvaiyil Thirukkural (புதிய பார்வையில் திருக்குறள்),” was released recently.

He has delivered several lectures on Thirukkural and Puranaanuuru in various cities in the USA and India. His lectures are available on YouTube. Dr. Prabhakaran considers promoting Thirukkural and Sangam Literature in western countries as his mission in life. He lives with his wife Geetha in Maryland, USA.

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