Tamil Literature Pro’s and Con’s
When Our beloved former President Mr.Abdul Kalam was asked to recite his favourite Thirukural , He said this
“ எண்ணித் துணிக கருமம் துணிந்தபின்
எண்ணுவம் என்பது இழுக்கு.”
English Meaning :
Consider, and then undertake a matter; after having undertaken it, being in a dilemma is a folly
The same applies for choosing optional subjects too. Your firm decision making ability is put to test here and any half hearted decision in choosing the Optional subject might consume a lot of time and effort. But that time and effort if appropriately put can save you from regret and disappointment later.
The weightage of optional subject is approximately 30% of the total Mains marks and it can play a major role in deciding your selection in the final list. Thus it is advisable that the aspirants who wish to take Tamil Literature as an optional go through the merits and demerits before stepping in.
MERITS
Limited syllabus - so can be completed comfortably within 4 months
Requires minimal current affairs updation which saves you a lot of time
Relieves you from stress amidst the hectic study and test schedules ( provided you love reading Tamil).
Maximum of 120 people writing mains with this optional. Not a big crowd when you compare with other commonly chosen optionals like Political science, Geography , History , Anthropology ,etc. Scope to stand out from competitors with decent hardwork.
Flow of thoughts become easy when you start writing in your mother tongue. Since every paper in Mains demands you to write quality answers in a short span of time , flow of thoughts and organised presentation is vital to score marks. It can help you in GS papers and essay.
DEMERITS
Requires you to memorise ‘sangam’ age songs, thirukural and much more. So frequent revision is required.
Unlike other optionals , literature mandates you to have a good command over the language. Thus in addition to providing factual accuracy and analysis, literary exposition is needed.
The syllabus of tamil literature does not overlap with general studies. In very few cases you may use some translated version of ancient couplets in essay and ethics.
The highest scores in tamil literature has been ranging from 270-290, while some other optional high scores are well above 330. This means your optional marks alone cannot help you cross mains. You need to be equally good in General Studies too.
Despite the above demerits , if you have decided to proceed with Tamil Literature I hope this Thirukural can be your guiding light
“கலங்காது கண்ட வினைக்கண் துளங்காது
தூக்கங் கடிந்து செயல்.”
Meaning - “An act that has been firmly resolved on must be as firmly carried out without delay.”