INDIA, January 15, 2016 (The Hindu): Tirukural, a moral treatise in pithy verse is rarely associated with music. Now, Chitraveena exponent N. Ravikiran is planning to set to music all 1330 couplets. He will begin the work on January 12 at the International Institute of Tamil Studies in Taramani.
“It is possible to make use of the lyrical beauty of the kurals (couplets) and set them to music. I have decided to complete the task in 50 hours,” said Mr. Ravikiran when asked how a work not meant for musical rendering would fit into the grammar of Carnatic ragas.
Mr. Ravikiran said he would use over 300 Carnatic ragas for setting the couplets to music. “Besides I will use Hindustani and folk tunes, tunes suitable for Western orchestra and tunes to capture the attention of children. My objective is also to make Tirukural popular on concert platforms on a par with traditional keerthanas,” he said.