[hr-education] First Book on Human Rights in Literature (in Tamil)

Dear Colleagues in Human Rights Education,

Greetings.

I have pleasure in providing you a copy of an entry in
http://www.crosswinds.net/~antonaya/tamil.html  for your kind information.

I would suggest that people interested in Human Rights in Literature could
visit http://www.crosswinds.net/~antonaya/ maintained by María Luisa
Antonaya Núñez-Castelo (mantonaya@mac.com) and also join the discussion
group set up by her.

Regards,

Raja Muthu

--------------
Tamil Book on Human Rights in Literature

By Prof. Raja Mutthirulandi


Title: ILAKKIYATHIL MANITHA URIMAIGAL (HUMAN RIGHTS IN LITERATURE)
Author: Prof. Raja Mutthirulandi. Project Director, Human Rights Education,
WCCI, Tiruchirappalli 620012 (TN-India).
Language: Tamil
Pages: 133+
Price: India Rs 55/- (Postage Extra). Foreign US $5 =actual shipment
charges.
Publisher: M/s Soorya Pathippakam. PO Box 33 (HPO), Tiruchirappalli 620001,
TN-India. Contact email: pathippakam@yahoo.com. First Published: July 2000.

The book is perhaps the first and pioneering one initiating a new approach-
in the domains of Human Rights and Literature- approaching Literature from
Human Rights perspectives. It would be a highly useful resoure in the field
of Human Rights Education. It would also be a very valuable addition to the
resources on Human Rights available in the regional language (TAMIL).

The book contains seven chapters. The first chapter deals with the triangle
of Literature-Society and Human Rights and seeks to establish that as
literature is essentially a reflection of the society, the societal values
related to human rights are bound to find expressions in literary works.
Literary works could, therefore, be seen as potent and rich resources for
human rights concepts. The foundations laid in literary traditions for a
culture of human rights could be highlighted to bring home the values
represented in literature to the learners and enable them appreciate the
cultural foundations for human rights already existing in their
traditions/literature.

The second Chapter provides a bird's eyeview of the concept, growth and
development of Human Rights and also introduces them to the efforts of the
United Nations in the field.

The third chapter approaches the concepts of Kings' Rule derivable from
Sangam Literature (the most ancient period for Tamils) from the perspectives
of current concepts related to human rights (justice, common welfare,
taxation polices andpractices, etc.) and highlights the strong cultural
foundations laid by the Tamils of the ancient period in the domain of human
rights.

Manu Neethi (Manu's Justice) is subjected to a re-reading (second look) from
the human rights angle in the fourth chapter of this book. Manu Smriti is
almost condemned as anti-people as it speaks only about justice for kings.

The second look reveals that pro-people clauses are also there in Manu
Smirti and so we need not condemn Manu Smirti blindly. Pro-people
provisions, concessions for women, pregnant women, students are allowed in
Manu. Property disputes were to be tried in open and a sort of evidence
system has been encouraged. To protect consumer rights, the King has been
asked to fix prices of produced goods. Manu asks this excercise to be
carried out in the open and every five days! Prices have to be fixed keeping
in mind all the costs involved in production, transport to market and the
profit allowable to the producer.

The next three chapters are intended to introduce to the Tamil readers
literary echoes from the west on rights, liberty, democracy, women's rights,
children's rights etc. Shelly's clarion call for rights, liberty, democracy
etc. is introduced to the Tamil readers in the Fifth chapter. Shelly was
perhaps the first to issue, from the literary arena, a Declaration of Rights
in 1812. The basic philosophy expressed in his Declaration is only akin to
that embedded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the
UN in 1948. The next chapter explains Mary Wollstonecraft's ideas on women's
rights as seen in her Vindication of Rights of Women (1792). The last chapter
brings Ingersol's thoughts about the rights of Man, Women and Children.
These chapters attempt to establish that voices for rights have been raised
by different authors in their literary works and several of them are nearer
to our current ideas on these subjects. Useful annexures in the book would
help enrich education in Human Rights.

*(This book has been included as the chief reference book for a course on
Human Rights in Literature for B.Lit students of Bharathidasan University,
Tiruchirappalli, TN-India).




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