Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday presented Russian President Vladimir Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural , the celebrated Tamil classic by poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar, on the sidelines of the 18th Brics Summit .
The army’s deep dive into the enduring wisdom of ages is part of a project named Udbhav, or emergence. One of those resolutions was to uproot all signs of colonial slavery from mindset and habits. The Thirukkural, one of Tamil literature’s most revered works, comprises 1,330 couplets exploring ethics, virtue and governance.
“Presented President Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural, which carries the eternal wisdom of the great Thiruvalluvar across languages and borders,” Modi wrote on X. It was announced three years ago amid a flurry of government efforts—some controversial—to encourage “Indianisation” in critical areas including defence, education, health and science. In his 2022 Independence Day speech, Modi spoke of the “ panch pran ” or five pledges for India to become a developed country by 2047, its 100th year of independence. The “Indianisation” of military culture manifested itself in several moves, including the navy adopting a new ensign with the flag drawing inspiration from the seal of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and dropping the Cross of St George; it also ended the practice of senior officers carrying batons, and the defence ministry launching a drive to rename British-era cantonments as military stations.
