Acknowledgement...

{"Not just forgetting" the help of others, but even "forgetting to Thank" is not good}

       First of all, my heartfelt thanks to all who follow my work and help me with their honest feedback and every reader who visit my blog occasionally or just the one time. There are two important persons - who encourage me whenever I attempt something new like this plan of translating "Thirukkural". Not just the encouragement, but they give very honest feedback  to refine my views. They have also done a similar job when I started my first blog in Tamil (Link: www.vizhiyappan.blogspot.com). Like I duly remembered and thanked them therein for their efforts, I do the same now.

       First - it is my wife. Despite her very tight schedule at work and home, she has helped me reviewing the drafts and gave her honest feedback. When I sent her the 1st draft of the translation of "Kural Number: 0001" her immediate response was like "It is not appealing, needs revision".

          Second - it is my "longtime and lifetime" friend Dr. Suresh Babu Raman. Thanks da Maapley! He knows how to trigger my ego in a "right sense" and get the best out of me. He use very polite words, but the are very much enough to trigger me and do a better job. My 1st draft on the translation of Kural Number: 001 read like follows:

Alphabets originates with'A'; universe

                                                 originates with Almighty

          Both of them were clearly unhappy with this version, but then due to lack of time - they could not suggest the best alternate on time. And so, I have published the 1st Kural like follows:

A initiates Alphabets; Almighty

                                                      forefronts the universe

          Seems they were more unhappy about the 2nd version. In fact, my friend was really upset and as usual, we had a lengthy/heated arguments. As it always happens, after his long struggle - I understood his point. And then, I have modified it for the 3rd time as follows:

Alphabets starts with'A'; universe

                                                    originates with Almighty

           Meanwhile, my friend has come up with the following one:

  Alphabets begin with A; Almighty is 

                                                    the genesis of Universe

          I was really stunned at the vocabulary - "Genesis". I have appreciated him highly; that is what his strength is. Actually, he is my best English Guru. He will teach in a way that I learn it and do it myself than always depending on him. But still, I thought about my condition - i.e. to maintain the poetic annotations in the original, to the maximum extent possible. And also to restrict the words to 7 (as in the original) or around 7. In addition, I have remembered the comment from my wife - that is to replace the semicolon (;) by the word "as". Her point is very valid, because that is how almost all the Kurals are written but that word is "cleverly hidden" - by the brilliant annotations of the writer "Thiruvalluvar". So, I have modified it for one last time to appear as follows:

Alphabets begin with-A; (as)universe

                                                  genesis from Almighty

        I truly believe that this version of translation is at its best. I thank them both for their valuable support and effort. I have now understand as how this translation should be carried on, and I am confident of doing my best with the wishes from "Thiruvalluvar".

I would be thankful if you all can help me in the same way!