கல்சர்: பண்பும் பயனும் அது- Kalsar Panpum Athu (Tamil)

In a thoughtful monograph on Hinduism Through the Ages it has been stated that the average level of culture in India at present is low and that most graduates of our Universities do not even know what the authoritative scriptures of Hinduism are.
The thoughts of Sri TN Seshachalam have run more or less on the same lines. He has produced a booklet in Tamil under the intriguing title கல்சர் பண்பும் பயனும் அது. He justifies the use of the English word Culture by the statement that there is no word in Tamil exactly equivalent in significance to Culture.
After giving a comprehensive definition of the term and quoting from Mathew Arnold who refers to the progress of humanity as "not a being and resting but a growing and a becoming”, He relies on the scriptural saying Tatvamasi and practically equates culture with the attainment of all human potentialities. In separate chapters he deals with culture and literature and other humna achievements especially poetry He emphasises the need for perfection of form as well as the importance of substance and deals incidentally with the usefulness or the utilitarian character of knowledge and its limitations.
Under the heading 'Self Culture', he points out the importance of strenuous self-analysis and self-manifestation by careful meditation and introspection which lead to perception of the identity of human interests and to an appreciation of both spiritual and material values. He refers picturesquely to the various obstacles to culture and the methods of their removal, and makes very caustic observations on the manner in which the present organs of popular expression, like the Press, deal with their responsibilities in this respect.
The author specially adverts to great works of Art like the Kamba Ramayana and the works of Shakespeare and Kalidasa as formative factors to bring about a comprehension of the ultimate rationale of human existence. He closes the book with Dr. Radhakrishnan's Address to students on Culture and adopts his definition of the word as involving "a hospitality of the mind and a new dimension" This small volume is a plea for the importance of Culture, Religion and Philosophy in this growingly technological age.