Thirukkural translation in Manipuri (மணிப்பூரியில் திருக்குறள் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு)

The official language of the people of Manipur is Meiti, commonly called Manipuri. It is not only the most widely spo- ken but also the most cultivated Tibeto-Burman language in the Northeast India. The cultural literary history of Meiti lan- guage is close to 2,000 years, much older the most popu- lar and influential language in the Northeast, Assamese. The oldest inscription in Meiti language dates back to the 7th-8th century CE. Till the 17th century, Meiti had its own writing system which was replaced by the Assamese/Bengali script due to the influence of Hinduism. Consequently, Meiti Hindu literatures began to appear from the 17th century. It is only befitting that the Kural should find a translation in a language of great antiquity like Meiti.

Sombam Rebika Devi’s translation of the Kural is only known work, published in 2012, the same year when the Pun- jabi translation of the Kural was also released. A doctorate in linguistics from the Madurai Kamaraj University, Rebika Devi is now a resource person for translations for the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore.

Source: Thirukkural Translations in World Languages by ValaiTamil Publication