Sundara Ramasami
Encyclopedia
Sundara Ramasamy fondly known as "Su.Ra" in literary circles, is one of the giants of Tamil modern literature. He edited and published a notable literary magazine called Kalachuvadu. He wrote poetry under the penname "Pasuvayya". His poetry collection Nadunisi Naaykal (Dogs at Midnight) created waves in Tamil
creative world. His novels are Oru Puliya Marathin Kathai (The Story of a Tamarind Tree), J.J Silakuripukal (J.J: Some Jottings, tr, A.R Venkadachalapathy, Katha, 2004) and Kuzhanthaikal, Penkal, Aankal (Children, Women, Men).
Ramaswamy was born on 30 May 1931, in Thazhuviya MahadevarKovil,http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.198344&lon=77.4343067&z=18&l=0&m=b&v=8 a village in Nagercoil
). At 20, he began his literary career, translating Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
's Malayalam novel, Thottiyude Makan into Tamil and writing his first short story, "Muthalum Mudivum", which he published in Pudimaipithan Ninaivu Malar.
He was influenced by the works of great reformers and savants like Gandhi, E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia
, Dr. J.C. Kumarappa and Jiddu Krishnamurti
. He met the great literary luminary of Malayalam, M. Govindan
, in 1957 and remained his good friend till the end. In 1952, he met the charismatic Communist leader T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan
. He was influenced by Marxian philosophy. His relationship with the literary magazine Shanti, edited by Raghunathan, and his joining the editorial-board of Saraswathi, edited by Vijayabhaskaran, also an ardent Communist, were decisive in his growth as a writer.
His talent manifests itself uniquely through his novels. Oru Puliamarathin Kathai (The Story of a Tamarind Tree, 1966), his first novel, was well received as a work that proved to be a new experience both in form and content, extending the frontiers of Tamil novel and creating new perspectives. He gave up active writing for nearly six years; and when he began again in 1973, he had gone far beyond executing an interesting and agile narration.
He still remained a stylist, but his concerns took new directions and his language acquired a solid texture, retaining a powerful and pointed humour.
Oru Puliamarathin Kathai has been translated into English (Tale of a Tamarind Tree, Penguin India, New Delhi), Hindi
(Imli Puran, Nilakant Prakashan, New Delhi
), Malayalam (Oru Puliyamarathinte Katha, D.C.Books, Kottayam
) and into Hebrew language (by Ronit Ricci, Hakibbutz Hameuchaud Publishing House, Tel Aviv
).
In 1959, he wrote his first poem, "un kai nagam" under the poetic pseudonym "Pasuvia" and published it in Ezhuthu. Poetry brought him the experience of a dimension beyond the concreteness of words and their meaning. The early poems were rigorous in language and heavy in tone. His poems gradually became more translucent and immediate. All his poems are collected in the volume, 107 Kavithaikal.
"Sundara Ramaswamy who has written poetry under the name Pacuvayya is perhaps the most important writer today in Tamil. His earlier short-stories, with which he began his writing career, influenced by Marxist philosophy transcended the rigid perceptions normally seen in such writings in Tamil at that time and revealed his natural instinct for both form and style.
Ramaswamy is by nature a stylist. His inspiration derives partly from Pudumaipithan, the writer who ushured in modernity into Tamil literature. Right from the beginning, Ramaswamy developed for himself a unique sense of narration, marked by a keen sense for local languages and honour. Thus, his stories were delightful and compelling. His first novel Oru Puliyamarattin katai (Tale of a Tamarind Tree) extended the frontiers of Tamil novel and created new perspectives on novel.
Sundara Ramaswamy suspended active writing for nearly six years; and when he resumed in 1973, one found a different Ramaswamy whose considerations outgrew those for an interesting and agile narration. True, he still remained a stylist, but his concerns took new directions and his language which ceased to be soothing and amusing acquired a solid texture yet it retained a strong feel for humour, only now more powerful and pointed. It was in this phase that he wrote his stories in the Palanquin Bearers volume, and later an outstanding novel J.J. Some Notes. This novel defied all the notions prevalent in Tamil writing about the concern, form and language of a novel. It eschewed narration, brought in a tone of intense meditation on the quality of human life and the problem of remaining human.
Ramaswamy started writing poetry
in 1959. His urge for new poetry stemmed from the condition of Tamil poetry which, in spite of the great poet Subramaniya Bharati in the early decades of the century, remained weak and which was heavily regimented by the classical prosody. Also poetry brought him the experience of that dimension which was beyond the concreteness of words and their meaning. The possibilities inherent in poetry were challenging.
As a poet, Ramaswamy's output, though not quantitatively vast, is very significant. Fundamentally, his is a mind of a poet, and what his poetic sensibilities could not capture in poetry, one may say, spilled over to prose. In fact it is more difficult to speak about his poetry. His poems are a severe questioning into one's existence
, perceptions, conflicts, tireless but often defeated search. The early poems were rigorous in language and heavy in tone. But gradually, his poems became more translucent and immediate. Often, he adopts a discussive tone. His poems are not rhetoric
; his language usage has set new directions and possibilities.
Almost all of Ramaswamy's writings have appeared in little magazines which though reaching limited readership have sustained serious literary work in Tamil during the last fifty years. Ramaswamy has also contributed significantly to the disciplines of literary criticism and essays. He has translated poems from English and novels from Malayalam. Ramaswamy has travelled widely; he was a participant in the Indian Poetry Festival in Paris
. He has visited Malaysia, Singapore
, London
and Toronto
for talks on literary topics.
Ramaswamy has translated from Malayalam into Tamil Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's Chemmeen and Thottiyude Magan and short stories by Thakazhi, Basheer
, Karoor Neelakanta Pillai and M. Govindan
. He has also translated a few poems of N.N. Kakkad. He was awarded the prestigious Kumaran Asan Memorial Award for his collection of poems Nadunisi Naaykal.
He translated two Malayalam novels into Tamil: Thottiyude Magan and Chemmeen, written by Tagazhi Sivasangara Pilla. "Su. Ra" had a tall and handsome stature and a mesmerizing presence. Friends and acquaintances still recall that he had the gift of the gab and a terrific sense of humour. He was the mentor of writers like B. Jeyamohan and Lakshmi Manivannan and a close friend of world-class Malayalam director John Abraham. Ramaswamy received Katha Choodamani award on January 2, 2004.
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
creative world. His novels are Oru Puliya Marathin Kathai (The Story of a Tamarind Tree), J.J Silakuripukal (J.J: Some Jottings, tr, A.R Venkadachalapathy, Katha, 2004) and Kuzhanthaikal, Penkal, Aankal (Children, Women, Men).
Ramaswamy was born on 30 May 1931, in Thazhuviya MahadevarKovil,http://wikimapia.org/#lat=8.198344&lon=77.4343067&z=18&l=0&m=b&v=8 a village in Nagercoil
Nagercoil
Nagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
). At 20, he began his literary career, translating Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language, spoken in Kerala state, South India. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to...
's Malayalam novel, Thottiyude Makan into Tamil and writing his first short story, "Muthalum Mudivum", which he published in Pudimaipithan Ninaivu Malar.
He was influenced by the works of great reformers and savants like Gandhi, E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia
Ram Manohar Lohia
Rammanohar Lohia was an Indian freedom fighter and a socialist political leader.-Early life:Lohia was born in a village Akbarpur in Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, in India to Hira Lal, a nationalist and Chanda,a teacher. He was born to Marwari Maheshwari family. His mother died when he...
, Dr. J.C. Kumarappa and Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...
. He met the great literary luminary of Malayalam, M. Govindan
M. Govindan
M.Govindan was a famous writer and cultural activist of Kerala. India.He was born in Ponnani in Malappuram district on September 18, 1919. He joined the freedom struggle while studying in high school class and could not complete his studies. He went to Madras and settled there. In 1944 he joined...
, in 1957 and remained his good friend till the end. In 1952, he met the charismatic Communist leader T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan
T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan
T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan , was a Tamil, writer, translator, journalist and literary critic from Tamil Nadu, India. He is also known as T. M. C. Ragunathan, Tho. Mu. Si. Ragunathan or by his Tamil initials as Tho. Mu. Si.-Biography:...
. He was influenced by Marxian philosophy. His relationship with the literary magazine Shanti, edited by Raghunathan, and his joining the editorial-board of Saraswathi, edited by Vijayabhaskaran, also an ardent Communist, were decisive in his growth as a writer.
His talent manifests itself uniquely through his novels. Oru Puliamarathin Kathai (The Story of a Tamarind Tree, 1966), his first novel, was well received as a work that proved to be a new experience both in form and content, extending the frontiers of Tamil novel and creating new perspectives. He gave up active writing for nearly six years; and when he began again in 1973, he had gone far beyond executing an interesting and agile narration.
He still remained a stylist, but his concerns took new directions and his language acquired a solid texture, retaining a powerful and pointed humour.
Oru Puliamarathin Kathai has been translated into English (Tale of a Tamarind Tree, Penguin India, New Delhi), Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
(Imli Puran, Nilakant Prakashan, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
), Malayalam (Oru Puliyamarathinte Katha, D.C.Books, Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
) and into Hebrew language (by Ronit Ricci, Hakibbutz Hameuchaud Publishing House, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
).
In 1959, he wrote his first poem, "un kai nagam" under the poetic pseudonym "Pasuvia" and published it in Ezhuthu. Poetry brought him the experience of a dimension beyond the concreteness of words and their meaning. The early poems were rigorous in language and heavy in tone. His poems gradually became more translucent and immediate. All his poems are collected in the volume, 107 Kavithaikal.
"Sundara Ramaswamy who has written poetry under the name Pacuvayya is perhaps the most important writer today in Tamil. His earlier short-stories, with which he began his writing career, influenced by Marxist philosophy transcended the rigid perceptions normally seen in such writings in Tamil at that time and revealed his natural instinct for both form and style.
Ramaswamy is by nature a stylist. His inspiration derives partly from Pudumaipithan, the writer who ushured in modernity into Tamil literature. Right from the beginning, Ramaswamy developed for himself a unique sense of narration, marked by a keen sense for local languages and honour. Thus, his stories were delightful and compelling. His first novel Oru Puliyamarattin katai (Tale of a Tamarind Tree) extended the frontiers of Tamil novel and created new perspectives on novel.
Sundara Ramaswamy suspended active writing for nearly six years; and when he resumed in 1973, one found a different Ramaswamy whose considerations outgrew those for an interesting and agile narration. True, he still remained a stylist, but his concerns took new directions and his language which ceased to be soothing and amusing acquired a solid texture yet it retained a strong feel for humour, only now more powerful and pointed. It was in this phase that he wrote his stories in the Palanquin Bearers volume, and later an outstanding novel J.J. Some Notes. This novel defied all the notions prevalent in Tamil writing about the concern, form and language of a novel. It eschewed narration, brought in a tone of intense meditation on the quality of human life and the problem of remaining human.
Ramaswamy started writing poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
in 1959. His urge for new poetry stemmed from the condition of Tamil poetry which, in spite of the great poet Subramaniya Bharati in the early decades of the century, remained weak and which was heavily regimented by the classical prosody. Also poetry brought him the experience of that dimension which was beyond the concreteness of words and their meaning. The possibilities inherent in poetry were challenging.
As a poet, Ramaswamy's output, though not quantitatively vast, is very significant. Fundamentally, his is a mind of a poet, and what his poetic sensibilities could not capture in poetry, one may say, spilled over to prose. In fact it is more difficult to speak about his poetry. His poems are a severe questioning into one's existence
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
, perceptions, conflicts, tireless but often defeated search. The early poems were rigorous in language and heavy in tone. But gradually, his poems became more translucent and immediate. Often, he adopts a discussive tone. His poems are not rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
; his language usage has set new directions and possibilities.
Almost all of Ramaswamy's writings have appeared in little magazines which though reaching limited readership have sustained serious literary work in Tamil during the last fifty years. Ramaswamy has also contributed significantly to the disciplines of literary criticism and essays. He has translated poems from English and novels from Malayalam. Ramaswamy has travelled widely; he was a participant in the Indian Poetry Festival in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He has visited Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
for talks on literary topics.
Ramaswamy has translated from Malayalam into Tamil Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's Chemmeen and Thottiyude Magan and short stories by Thakazhi, Basheer
Basheer
Basheer, an Arabic name meaning "bringer of glad tidings", and can refer to:* Max Basheer, former administrator with the South Australian National Football League* Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, popular Malayalam language writer...
, Karoor Neelakanta Pillai and M. Govindan
M. Govindan
M.Govindan was a famous writer and cultural activist of Kerala. India.He was born in Ponnani in Malappuram district on September 18, 1919. He joined the freedom struggle while studying in high school class and could not complete his studies. He went to Madras and settled there. In 1944 he joined...
. He has also translated a few poems of N.N. Kakkad. He was awarded the prestigious Kumaran Asan Memorial Award for his collection of poems Nadunisi Naaykal.
He translated two Malayalam novels into Tamil: Thottiyude Magan and Chemmeen, written by Tagazhi Sivasangara Pilla. "Su. Ra" had a tall and handsome stature and a mesmerizing presence. Friends and acquaintances still recall that he had the gift of the gab and a terrific sense of humour. He was the mentor of writers like B. Jeyamohan and Lakshmi Manivannan and a close friend of world-class Malayalam director John Abraham. Ramaswamy received Katha Choodamani award on January 2, 2004.