Trends in Tamil literature today. -Essarci
Tamil is a classical language of 5000 years heritage.
Language Tamil has a treasure of literature from the year 300 B.C . Literature is a vital record of what men have seen in life
experienced thought and felt. Even today Tamil is a spoken language for more or
less 10 crore people around the world.
Humanity as a whole today is experiencing an unprecedented
and unheard pandemic situation. A human Crisis Covid 19 has shadowed this planet
earth. Let us hope our faith in
science and endeavor in medical technology will find a way to get rid of this
gloomy situation. We hope literature will give a helping hand in strengthening
our mind to battle against this deadly monster that humanity never witnessed..
Tholkappiam written
by Tholkappiyar is the oldest Tamil
literature available to us. It is nearly 2500 years old. Tholkappiam speaks
mainly about TAMIL grammar.
’கல்வி தறுகண் இசைமை கொடை எனச் சொல்லப்பட்ட பெருமிதம் நான்கே’
says Tholkappaiyar. Education,valour,honour, and charity are the primary assets
of every human being With these basic ethical requirements of every human beinge
Thokappiyam speaks very high of Tamil
community existed then .Tholkappiyam is mainly a grammar book. It refers to
many scholars existed then and prior to it..
Tamil literature had two big divisions in olden days .They
are Agam and Puram.While ‘agam’ speaks of human love’ puram’ speaks of human valour. Puram can
also speak about importance of education morality and ethics .The sub division
Agam is dealing with purely of subjective nature and Puram is of objective. .In
Puranaanuuru a puram literature we witness Kaniyan Poongunranaar is holding
high, a principle that this world is one family.
’யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர்’ meaning, Every human dwelling
place is your own, Every human being is your kin. This is boldly and
beautifully inscribed in United Nations..
. We can recall here the exact reflection of ‘vasu dhaiva
kutumbakam’ (the world is one family) of Indian scriptures .Kaniyan Poongunranaar also
holds aloft the same principle, the crest of Tamil culture.
’பெரியோரை வியத்தலும் இலமே
சிறியோரை இகழ்தல் அதனிலும் இலமே’ meaning ‘We do not wonder
for one is great and We do not denigrate for one is mean.
There are three great works in Tamil literature and one
can equate them with any of the world renowned literatures.
They are ‘Thirukkural by Thiruvalluvar, Thiruvasagam by
Maanikkavasagar and Thirumoolam by Thirumoolar. .
Coming to the trends of today in Tamil literature I place the following, for the readers to
think over. Perumal Murugan a fiction
writer wrote a novel மாதொருபாகன் It was
translated into English as ‘One part Woman’
The main story of the novel goes, that women who have no progeny go to the
temple of Lord Ardha narishwara ( one part woman) during one festive night and
beget children .During that night something as what you presume only happens
and consequently women become MOTHERS. Women around the said temple town Namakkal got angry and ashamed by the
narration of the author for their chastity was put in question .People revolted
against the writer and the writer vacated his original residence and shifted to
Chennai on transfer. Madras high court came to his rescue and gave a judicial decision
upholding ones’ fundamental right, freedom of expression,.
It was star Tamil writer Jeyamohan once remarked that male
writers have to strive hard to maintain their name in the literary field, but
for women just their entry will suffice .Women writers rose against this
critical remark and agitated. Writer Jeyamohan apologized for the statement and
the problem got solved.
There is another literary view in currency that Dalit
writers alone can accomplish Dalit literature .There are writers for and agaist
thiscritical statement. Dalit writers like Bama, Imayam, Sivakami Cho.Dharuman display
the pain of the said people in their creation. Only a Dalit can feel the pain
of another dalit it is thus explained .Women alone can become feminist writers,
is also the view of some women artists Can we ignore the Elangovadigal for
Silappathikaram Seeththalai Chaththanaar for Manimekalai,Subramania Bharathi
for Paanjali sabatham, Bharathidasan for his ‘ தலைவாரி பூச்சூடி உன்னை’ in the
light of above argument i.e a woman
alone can feel the pain of another women.
Creating literature in local or regional or dialect is as
well prevalent now. In Taminadu we can come across different styles of Tamil
language in different regions. Usage and pronunciation differ from place to
place. Nagarcoil,Thirunelveli,Coimbutore,Thanjavur,and
Chennai have different styles and sounds for and the same Tamil language. .A story representing
people to a particular region should speak in that regional dialect only and
that should be the reality .In this situation we cannot entertain a question how and in which language Ravana
of Srilanka spoke to Sita of
Mithila of Bihar in the great
epic Ramayana. To Mahakavi kambar all in
RAMAYANA speak only in Tamil.
KI.Rajnarayanan -pen name ki.raa exploits the regional
dialect in his literary creations. There are several followers to Kiraa. Kiraa
belongs to black land of southern Tamilnadu called கரிசல்.
In translation area there are many translators in
Tamilnadu.Thisai ettum a translational quarterly magazine is brought out
regularly under the patronage of Sri Nalli.Kuppusamy chettiyar of Chennai.This
organization is annually honouring translators to and from Tamil language. With
cash awards translators are honoured in intellectual assemblies.Kurinji velan a
wellknown translator and sahitya academy winner renders translation from Malayalam
to Tamil. Paavannan does from Kannada to Tamil and so on.
Leading light of Modern Literature in Tamil is Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi and every modern writer is influenced by his
poetry. Without Bharathis’ writings one cannot imagine modern Tamil Literature
.Knowing his poetry is very much essential to know uniqueness of Tamil thinking.
Bharathi was born on 11th September in Ettayapuram a very small town of Thuththukudi District
Tamilnadu State. He lived only for a short span of life, that is for 39 years.
He was proficient in 14 languages. It was he who said among the languages he knew
the Tamil is the sweetest .He writes,
’யாமறிந்த மொழிகளிலே தமிழ் மொழிபோல்
இனிதாவது எங்கும் காணோம்’
After his parents’
eternal departure He went to Varanasi learnt Sanskrit in his paternal aunts’
care. In his stay at Pudhucherry He brought out three master pieces in Tamil
they are Kannan Paattu,Kuyil Pattu,and Paanjaali sabatham.
Bharathi was a revolutionary poet .He welcomed Russian
revolution and said this was accomplished because of Goddess Paraa shakthi s’
blessing .He adored a scheduled caste friend Knankalingam with Upanayanam
(sacred thread that Brahmins wore).He wrote poems on emancipation of women .He
welcomed Indian Independence in the year 1920 though she got Independence only
in the year 1947.
’ஆடுவோமே பள்ளு பாடுவோமே
ஆனந்த சுதந்திரம் அடைந்துவிட்டோமென்று’
He calls people to dance and sing but the Song should be
in Pallu form a rustic variety .The fruit of independence should be felt by the
down- trodden and under privileged section of the society Bharathi wished.
He dreams to row a boat in the gushing river Indus and play under moon light. Young
women of Kerala should give sweet company. Beautiful Telugu song should be sung
by them in that boat.
‘’சிந்து நதியின் மிசை நிலவினிலே
சேர நன் நாட்டிளம் பெண்களுடனே
சுந்தரத்தெலுங்கினில் பாட்டிசைத்து
தோணிகள் ஓட்டி விளையாடி வருவோம்’
India divided in two before independence on communal
lines .Boating as Poet Bharathi wished in Indus
river will ever be a dream only. A NEW DAWN in Tamil literature was made
possible by Bharathi, an innovator.
Education through ones’ mother tongue in Institutions is
most advantageous where in learning process is made easier and faster .Parental
assistance to the learning of their children will immensely help when the
learning process is through one’ mother tongue .At least primary education in
schools should be in ones’ mother tongue. By mother tongue one should not
wrongly mean the language ones’ mother speaks. A language which is prevalently
spoken of and used in the milieu of any child with respect to its’ living and brought
up, alone should be taken as ones’ mother tongue.
Irulars
Narikkuravars and sakkiliars Todars and Kurumbars speak their own mother tongue
and people from Telugu Malayalam kannada and Sourashtra regions settled permanently
during the periods of King Krishna Deva Raya etc. in Tamilnadu may not expect
their mother tongue should be medium of their education here which is
practically impossible and unexpected.
Scientific tamil (lஅறிவியல்
தமிழ்) literature should explore the possibilities of inculcating scientific
knowledge in children from the beginning of their school education .Fomer
president Honourable A P J Abdul kalaam
and living scientists like Sri. Mayilsamy Annadurai
learnt their education only through Tamil. We know Vaa. Se. Kuladaisamy (குலோத்துங்கன்)
vice chancellor of Anna university was a well known Tamil poet and Tamil
scholar a vociferous speaker in advancement and uplift of Scientific Tamil.
Unless more encouragement is extended to advancement of
Scientific Tamil and forming of a body exclusively for that Tamil development
is well exploited, a new strength and energy cannot be gained by the Language
Tamil. This area seems to be dull and depressing today and requires more
attention of the concerned sans any known prejudice.
Ethno linguistic diversity is destablizing force in
Bangla Desh, Srilanka,Myanmar and Pakistan.Our experience in India is quite different
.Ethno linguistic diversity is a unifying force in India. True Hindu Culture
here is a unifier.
S.Ramakrishnan in Tamil a fiction writer in his Sahitya
Academy award winning novel சஞ்சாரம் depicts the plights of Nadhaswaram vidwans
of southern Tmilnadu A Nadaswaram party goes to great city LONDON to deliver
their performance. One of the audiences in the assembly asks for reducing the
volume of Nadswaram which is not possible in the auspicious instrument. Again
he comes and asks for stopping of the playng of Nadswaram for dogs they had
brought as camaraderie were frightened by the noise they were hearing. Playing
of Nadswaram is a noise making affair there. Sorry status of every artist is
mostly at par with that Nadswara vidwan who had gone to London.
A good work is born of one s’ brain and heart. We should
become good readers first and not scholars. Aesthetic impulse is turning in
literature as art. We only are experiencing life through medium Language.
Literature alone accomplishes comfort to the needy soul. We should not forget
ever the kural on Education.
கற்க கசடற கற்பவை கற்ற பின்
நிற்க அதற்குத் தக. (391)
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