T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan
Encyclopedia
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.
in 1923. His elder brother T. M. Bhaskara Thondaman, a member of the Indian Civil Service was also a noted author. He was a student of and mentored by A. Srinivasa Raghavan
. His first short story appeared in Prasanda Vikatan in 1941. He was jailed in 1942 for his participation in the Indian independence movement
. He worked as a sub-editor in Dina Mani
briefly in 1944 and later joined the literary journal Mullai in 1946. His first novella Puyal was published in 1945. His first noted work was the literary criticism `Ilakkiya Vimarsanam' (1948). He followed it up with the novel Panchum Pasiyum in 1951. It was translated into Czech
and sold 50,000 copies within weeks of publication. The same year he published his first short story collection. During 1954-56 he ran the progressive literary monthly Shanthi. The magazine introduced many young writers to the world including - Daniel Selvaraj
, Sundara Ramasami
, Jayakanthan
and Ki. Rajanarayanan
. For the next decade he worked as a free lancer in magazines. In the mid 1960s he joined Soviet Land Publications (Soviet Information Branch), where he edited and translated many Russian
works into Tamil. Some of his noted translations include Maxim Gorky
's The Mother and Vladimir Mayakovsky
's elegy Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. In 1983, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award
for Tamil for his literary criticism - Bharathi: Kalamum Karuthum (lit. Bharathi - his times and his ideas). In 1985, he published Ilango Adigal Yaar (lit. Who is Ilango), a socio-historical study on Ilango Adigal
. He retired from Soviet Land in 1988. He died in Palayamkottai
in 2001.
Ragunathan was a friend and associate of the Tamil writer Pudhumaipithan
. After Pudhumaipithan's death in 1948, Ragunathan collected and published many of his works. In 1951, he published a biography of his friend. In 1999 he published Pudumaippithan kathaigal: sila vimarsanangalum vishamangalum (lit. Pudumaippithan's stories - some criticisms and some mischiefs). It was a follow up to his 1951 biography and a detailed defense of Pudhumaipithan against the allegations of plagiarism leveled by his contemporaries like P. G. Sundararajan. Ragunathan's most productive literary phase was during 1942-62. He belonged to the socialist-realist school of writers and his political orientation was socialist. His ideology is well reflected in his Panchum Pasiyum (lit. Cotton and hunger) which describes the plight of handloom weavers in Tamil Nadu. He also wrote poems using the pseudonym Thiruchirrambala Kavirayar. In his literary career, he produced four short story anthologies, three novels, three poetry collections, two plays and one biography, besides his non fiction (research and critical) works.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, writer, translator, journalist and literary critic from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is also known as T. M. C. Ragunathan, Tho. Mu. Si. Ragunathan or by his Tamil initials as Tho. Mu. Si.
Biography
Ragunathan was born in TirunelveliTirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
in 1923. His elder brother T. M. Bhaskara Thondaman, a member of the Indian Civil Service was also a noted author. He was a student of and mentored by A. Srinivasa Raghavan
A. Srinivasa Raghavan
A. Srinivasa Raghavan , was a Tamil poet, writer, orator, and professor from Tamil Nadu, India. He was also popularly known by his initials as Aa. See. Ra .-Biography:...
. His first short story appeared in Prasanda Vikatan in 1941. He was jailed in 1942 for his participation in the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
. He worked as a sub-editor in Dina Mani
Dina Mani
Dina Mani is daily Tamil newspaper printed and published from Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore, Trichy, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Dharmapuri, Bangalore, and New Delhi in India. The newspaper was established in 1933 and owned by The New Indian Express Group.The first edition came in 1934 september 11...
briefly in 1944 and later joined the literary journal Mullai in 1946. His first novella Puyal was published in 1945. His first noted work was the literary criticism `Ilakkiya Vimarsanam' (1948). He followed it up with the novel Panchum Pasiyum in 1951. It was translated into Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
and sold 50,000 copies within weeks of publication. The same year he published his first short story collection. During 1954-56 he ran the progressive literary monthly Shanthi. The magazine introduced many young writers to the world including - Daniel Selvaraj
Daniel Selvaraj
Daniel Selvaraj or D. Selvaraj is a Tamil Dalit writer from Tamil Nadu, India. He is the author of a number of novels, short stories, and plays in Tamil. He is a lawyer by profession and is involved in various Communist and left leaning writers' organisations like Democratic Writers Association...
, Sundara Ramasami
Sundara Ramasami
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 created waves in Tamil...
, Jayakanthan
Jayakanthan
- Biography:Jayakanthan was born in 1934 in a family of agriculturists in Cuddalore, in the South Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. He quit school after completing grade 3 education. He was then considered a problematic child. He was close to his mother and grandfather. He had a rocky relationship with...
and Ki. Rajanarayanan
Ki. Rajanarayanan
Ki. Rajanarayanan , popularly known by Tamil initials as Ki. Ra., is a Tamil folklorist and author from India.-Writing career:Ki. Ra.'s first published short story was Mayamaan , which came out in 1958. It was an immediate success. It was followed by many more short stories...
. For the next decade he worked as a free lancer in magazines. In the mid 1960s he joined Soviet Land Publications (Soviet Information Branch), where he edited and translated many Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
works into Tamil. Some of his noted translations include Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
's The Mother and Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky was a Russian and Soviet poet and playwright, among the foremost representatives of early-20th century Russian Futurism.- Early life :...
's elegy Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. In 1983, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
for Tamil for his literary criticism - Bharathi: Kalamum Karuthum (lit. Bharathi - his times and his ideas). In 1985, he published Ilango Adigal Yaar (lit. Who is Ilango), a socio-historical study on Ilango Adigal
Ilango Adigal
Ilango Adigal was a Tamil poet and a Jain monk, who was instrumental in the creation of Silappathikaram, one of the five great epics of Tamil Literature. Prince Ilango was the brother of Chera king Cheran Chenguttuvan , in South India. Ilango Adigal was born in the Chera dynasty that ruled parts...
. He retired from Soviet Land in 1988. He died in Palayamkottai
Palayamkottai
Palayamkottai , known as the "Oxford of South India", is a town in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It is part of the Tirunelveli city corporation. It is on the eastern bank of the Thamirabarani river, while its twin city Tirunelveli is on the western bank.-Etymology:The archaic word Palayam...
in 2001.
Ragunathan was a friend and associate of the Tamil writer Pudhumaipithan
Pudhumaipithan
Pudhumaipithan also spelt as Pudumaipithan or Puthumaippiththan, is the pseudonym of C. Viruthachalam , one of the most influential and revolutionary writers of Tamil fiction. His works were characterized by social satire, progressive thinking and outspoken criticism of accepted conventions...
. After Pudhumaipithan's death in 1948, Ragunathan collected and published many of his works. In 1951, he published a biography of his friend. In 1999 he published Pudumaippithan kathaigal: sila vimarsanangalum vishamangalum (lit. Pudumaippithan's stories - some criticisms and some mischiefs). It was a follow up to his 1951 biography and a detailed defense of Pudhumaipithan against the allegations of plagiarism leveled by his contemporaries like P. G. Sundararajan. Ragunathan's most productive literary phase was during 1942-62. He belonged to the socialist-realist school of writers and his political orientation was socialist. His ideology is well reflected in his Panchum Pasiyum (lit. Cotton and hunger) which describes the plight of handloom weavers in Tamil Nadu. He also wrote poems using the pseudonym Thiruchirrambala Kavirayar. In his literary career, he produced four short story anthologies, three novels, three poetry collections, two plays and one biography, besides his non fiction (research and critical) works.
Awards and recognitions
- Sahitya Akademi Award (1983)
- Soviet Land Nehru Award - in 1965 for Thai and in 1970 for Lenin kavithaanjali
- Tamil Annai Prize from Tamil UniversityTamil UniversityThe Tamil University , India, was established to provide higher research in the Tamil language and advanced study in allied branches such as linguistics, translation, lexicography, music, drama and manuscriptology...
, Thanjavur. - Bharathi Award (2001)
Literary critism
- Bharati kaalamum karuthum
- Bharatiyum Shelliyum
- Ilakkia vimarsanam
- Gangayum Kaviriyum
Literary research
- Pudumaippithan kathaigal: sila vimarsanangalum vishamangalum
- Ilango adigal yaar
Translations
- Thai (Gorky's mother)
- Lenin kavithaanjali (Mayakovsky's elegy Vladimir Ilyich Lenin)
Short story collections
- Serril Malarndha Senthamarai
- Kshanapitham
- Sudarmam
- Ragunathan kadhaigal