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Prof. Dr. Kamil Vaclav
Zvelebil
17 November 1927 - 17 January
2009
[see also http://www.marketaz.co.uk/Zveleb1.html
]
Prof. Zvelebil was born in Prague (Czechoslovakia)
on 17-11-1927. He studied at the Charles University
in Prague from 1946 to 1952. He read Indology,
English language, literature and philosophy. He was
awarded his Ph.D in 1952 in Sanskrit, English and
Philosophy. In 1959 he obtained a second Ph.D in
Dravidian philology.
From 1952 to 1970 he was a research fellow and
senior research fellow in Tamil and Dravidian
linguistics and literature at the Oriental
Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
His many field trips included those to South India
and in 1965-66 he was a visiting professor at the
University of Chicago, USA, and 1967-68 at the
University of Heidelberg.
He held the position of associate
professor of Tamil and Dravidian at Charles
University in Prague until 1968 when he and his
family had to leave their native Czechoslovakia in
1968 after the Soviet-led invasion of the
country.
He subsequently obtained the chair
in Dravidian studies at the University of Chicago,
USA. In 1970 he left the USA and was a visiting
professor at the College de France, Paris, then
visiting professor of the Sudasien Institute,
University of Heidelberg, senior research fellow,
University of Leiden and settled as a professor of
Dravidian Linguistics and South Indian
literature/culture at the University of Utrecht
till his retirement in 1992.
During his career he had the opportunity not only
to travel on his field trips but also to teach in
various cities including, Delhi, Madras, Tokyo,
Philadelphia, Rochester, Moscow, Leningrad, Uppsala
and Lund. He is the author of more that 500
bibliographic items including books, articles,
reviews and translations. Translations include
those of ancient and modern poetry and prose from
Sanskrit, Tamil, Malayam, Kannada and Telugu into
Czech, Slovak, English and German.
His works covered the fields of
descriptive and historical Tamil linguistics and
dialectology, Tamil literature, Tamil Prosody,
Dravidian comparative linguistics, Tribal languages
and cultures of the Nilgiries (South India: in
particular Irula - described for the first time by
Zvelebil), South Indian cultural and religious
history, Hinduism, Sanskrit ritual texts,
comparative Sanskrit and Tamil literature, Tamil
Folklore Tamil Siddha movement. In The Smile
of Murugan : On Tamil Literature of South
India, he wrote
"...The Dravidians, and in
particular the Tamils, have contributed a great
deal to the cultural riches of the world: Pallava and Chola temple
architecture, Chola bronze sculpture, the
dance-form known as Bharatanatyam, the
so-called Carnatic system of music. But
probably the most significant contribution is that
of Tamil
literature, which still remains to be
"discovered" and enjoyed by the non Tamilians and
adopted as an essential and remarkable part of
universal heritage. If it is true that liberal
education should "liberate" by demonstrating the
cultural values and norms foreign to us, by
revealing the relativity of our own values, then
the "discovery" and enjoyment of Tamil literature,
and even its teaching (as a critical part of the
teaching of Indian literatures) should find its
place in the systems of Western training and
instruction in the humanities..."
Writing in 'Tamil Culture' in 1956, (Vol. V,
No. 4. October, 1956) Dr. Zvelebil made an
appeal under the heading "The Tamil Contribution to
World's Civilisation". He said:
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"There is no doubt that the culture of
the Tamils belongs to the great and
immortal treasures of the world's
civilisation.
From my own experience, however, I can
say that even those who claim to have a
wide outlook and deep education, both
Indians and Europeans, are not aware of
this fact. And it is the task of the Tamils
themselves, and of those sympathetic
mlecchas who try to interpret Tamil
culture, to acquaint the world's cultural
public with the most important
contributions of Tamil culture to the
world's civilisation.
As far as literary works are concerned,
it is necessary before all to make them
accessible to a wide public of readers by
means of artistic translations into the
worlds great languages; with regard to
works of arts and architecture, it is
necessary to make them a common treasure of
the world with the help of publications
giving detailed and perfect reproductions.
This may be achieved through the UNESCO as
well as through the work of individual
scholars and local Institutions; this
should also be one of the main tasks of the
Academy of Tamil Culture.
The following works of art and
literature are among the most remarkable
contributions of the Tamil creative genius
to the world's cultural treasure and should
be familiar to the whole world and admired
and beloved by all in the same way as the
poems of Homer, the dramas of Shakespeare,
the pictures of Rembrandt, the cathedrals
of France and the sculptures of Greece:
1. The ancient Tamil lyrical poetry
compiled in 'The Eight Anthologies'; this
poetry is so unique and vigorous, full of
such vivid realism and written so
masterfully that it can be compared
probably only with some of the pieces of
ancient Greek lyrical poetry;
2. The Thirukural, one of the great
books of the world, one of those singular
emanations of the human heart and spirit
which preach positive love and forgiveness
and peace;
3. The epical poem Cilappathikaram, which by
its "baroque splendour', and by the charm
and magic of its lyrical parts belongs to
the epic masterpieces of the world;
4. The school of Bhakti both Vaishnava and
Saiva,
which is one of those most sincere and
passionate efforts of man to grasp the
Absolute; and its supreme literary
expression in the works of Manikkavasagar,
Tirugnana Sambandar,
Nammalwar and Andal.
5. The philosophical system of Saiva Sidhdhantha, a system,
which may be ranked among the most perfect
and cleverest systems of human thought;
6. The South Indian bronzes of
the Chola period, those splendid and
amazing sculptures belonging to the best
creations of humanity,
7. The Dravidian temple
architecture, of which the chief
representatives are perhaps the temples of
Tanjore, Chidambaram and
Madurai.
These seven different
forms of contribution without which the
world would be definitely less rich and
less happy, should engage the immediate
attention of all who are interested in
Tamil culture; they should all dedicate
their time and efforts to make known (and
well and intimately known) to the whole of
the world these heights of Tamil creative
genius."
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Prof. Zvelebil is a member of many
societies including associations of the Czech Union
of Writes, Hon. Fellow Sahitya akademy (National
Academy of Letters, India).
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