(by V Vijaysree)
Though I speak Tamil fluently,I tend to stumble over the printed word. I almost never read for fun in Tamil.Unsurprisingly, the only Tamil authors I know of are the ones who have written for the movies.
I had no idea how much I liked being read to in my first language till I heard a familiar voice read a short story by “Sujatha” Rangarajan, on a YouTube channel, during the lockdown. Sujatha who wrote screenplays for blockbusters,was a prolific Tamil writer.He wrote novels, short stories, non-fiction on science-related topics, even a manual on How to Write Movie Screenplays.
Bharathy Bhaskar, television personality,had picked a short story whose title translates to “An Uncomplicated Romance.” It was about two friends, residents of a medical college hostel.One of them isa confident,good-looking woman and the other is a good student,who has not yet developed a sense of self-worth.
Immediately, I was transported to the only ladies hostel the in IIT Madras campus, my home during my college years.The incredulity of the less sought-after girl when the watchman announces that she has a visitor, her loneliness, or the fact that she feels like an orphan simply because she is away from home – all of this felt so real. Thebudding physician later realizes she has the training to save lives, which is not a trivial skill.We leave her at the beginning of a lifelong romance,unmindful of young men who only know to worship physical beauty. She had found her purpose in life.
And so, I stumbled into an informal literature appreciation course. While we are familiar with the names of popular Tamil writers (like Sujatha or Balakumaran say) who have written stories, screenplays, and dialogues for the movies,here was a chance to know what made the movie industry seek them out in the first place. Hearing stories by writers who had nothing to do with movies would be a bonus.
So, this was Tamil Short Stories 101. The vivacious “course instructor”begins by telling you a little bit about the author of the day. Her enjoyment in reading her favorite stories is obvious,but her laughter will not garble funny passages. Her voice doesn’t crack at a sad ending.In short, she never gets between you and the story. After spotlighting some non-obvious aspect of that piece of fiction, she would leave to return a week later with an eclectic pick.
Popular writers too have their own favorite authors growing up. I was pleased to discover one of Sujatha’s favorites, T. Janakiraman. Fans called him Thi Ja, which is what his Tamil initials shorten to. The author would have been a 100 years old this year. Most of his stories are set in Thanjavur, where my ancestors are from and, no, I had never even heard his name before. Thi. Ja’s acclaimed novel “Mogamul” was made into a movie after his death.
Thi. Ja’s writing takes us to the small towns along the Cauvery and back to a time when most Indians traveled mostly by train. A second-class train compartment is, in fact, the setting for his story “Silirpu.” A young domestic worker is on her way to distant Calcutta to care for the children of a wealthy judge. Most fellow travelers feel sympathy for this girl who is barely ten years old. When a little boy offers her an orange as a parting gift, his father is overjoyed. As they alight the train,the proud father holds the kind hearted boy close to his chest. Don’t we all long to make our parents this proud of us?
Most of this well-established author’s stories make a gentle push for a more humane humanity.
The beloved stage actor, and scriptwriter, Crazy Mohan was also a fan of Thi. Ja’s writing. In fact, his evergreen sketch in the comedy classic “Michael Madana Kamarajan,”about the piece of dried fish that accidentally lands in a cauldron of wedding sambar has echoes of an old Thi. Ja story.The old plot was set in an eatery, and someone dies after, but maybe not from, eating tainted sambar. This tale of a disaster not averted has interesting insights into a man’s conscience.
Like any good instructor, Ms. Bhaskar inspiresme to go out of syllabus, and do some extra reading, or extra listening, as is the case here most of the time. (For supplementary listening, I’d recommend Bava Chelladurai’s narration of stories by the same authors Bharathy has picked. Or knock yourself out and discover a few other writers!) In a few short months, I have become acquainted with the work of at least a dozen Tamil writers: the old-time greats, the household names, and writers in our midst, who deserve to be better known.
One of our Ms. Bhaskar’s favorite writers seems to be R. Chudamani.T he pioneering feminist author’s insights are so worldly and sharp, it is hard to believe she was recluse because of a medical condition. Her work has not been adapted for the screen.
The first Chudamani story I heard had all the melodrama of a black-and-white P-series Bhimsingh movie distilled into one piece of fiction. Two brothers, who have drifted apart as adults, because of a difference in income, social standing, and their insensitive wives, reunitein the face of a crisis.A satisfying weepie.
Her other stories were very different. In fact, the ending of one was so radical, I was not even sure I had heard right. It was a good 40 years since she had written those lines. It was 11 PM in Boston, but I just had to replay the ending. (I went to bed wondering if this story “He visits often” was Chudamani’s take on the Mrs. Robinson character from The Graduate.)
Last week, Ms. Bhaskar picked a story by a Sri Lankan Tamil author who now lives in Toronto, Canada. In his working career, A. Muttulingam’s World Bank assignments have taken him to many countries of Asia and Africa for long stints. In his writing you can catch a glimpse of his career and his interactions with people from other cultures.This makes him the opposite of Chudamani, but his work too has not been adapted for the screen yet.
These story sessions have me hooked. I cannot wait to see which writer she will present to us next. The star debater and motivational speaker must be waiting to get back on stage, fulminate in high-flown Tamil, and listen to the sweet sound of live applause.But in the meantime, Ms. Bhaskar has the quiet gratitude of listeners like me who cannot read Tamil books on their own.
Links:
https://youtu.be/OiSXCGnbt2U?t=17 (An older KathaiNeram session with BB in which she introduces three writers. Jeymohan, M.V. Venkatram and Thi. Ja)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-XlKg-t7a4&t=214s (ParadesiVandhan, a Thi Ja story narrated by Bava Chelladurai)
Latest story by A. M. Muttulingam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCAuDz2SK0I&t=38s
Baradwaj Rangan 
Eswar
October 17, 2020
Thanks V Vijaysree for writing about the story tellers. The first story I heard in this format is Bava Chelladurai narrating Jeyamohan’s Oomai Sennaai. I have read that story before but I still enjoyed Bava’s narration. Only earlier this week I listened to Bharathi Bhaskar reading Balakumaran’s Karisanam. Your observation is spot on.
Her enjoyment in reading her favorite stories is obvious, but her laughter will not garble funny passages. Her voice doesn’t crack at a sad ending.In short, she never gets between you and the story.
Bava is just the opposite, isn’t it? But clearly he is narrating rather than reading which is a different format. I haven’t listened to this yet, but I think Jeyamohan’s Aram would be a good listen in Bharathi Bhaskar’s style.
I think this story telling format is enjoyable even for those who can read the language well. And it’s a great way to extend the longevity of these works.
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Eswar
October 17, 2020
Ah! In today’s post writer Jeyamohan, responds to a reader who has asked if it is okay to narrate literary works in a story format.
https://www.jeyamohan.in/139424/
இலக்கியம் என நாம் சொல்லும் இவ்வடிவம் எழுத்துவடிவுக்கு வருவதற்கு முன் வாய்மொழி வடிவிலேயே திகழ்ந்தது. அதிலிருந்தே எழுத்துக்கும் அச்சுக்கும் வந்திருக்கிறது. வாய்மொழி வடிவமே அடித்தளம், ஆகவே அது அவ்வண்ணமே நீடித்தது, என்றும் அவ்வாறே இருந்துகொண்டிருக்கும். கி.ராஜநாராயணன் ஓர் உரையாடலில் சொன்னார், ‘சொல்லப்பட முடியாத கதை இலக்கியம் அல்ல. அது ஒருவகை இலக்கியப் பயிற்சி மட்டுமே’ அது பெரும்பாலும் உண்மை.
…
இலக்கியவாசகர் அல்லாதவரையும் செவ்வியல் படைப்புக்கள் சென்றடையவேண்டும் என்பது பண்பாட்டியக்கத்தின் தேவை. அந்நிலையிலேயே அச்சமூகத்தின்மேல் அப்படைப்புக்களின் செல்வாக்கு உறுதிப்படுகிறது. அச்செல்வாக்கு நேரடியானதாக இருக்கவேண்டும் என்பதில்லை. பலமுறை சொல்லப்பட்டு, மருவி, சுருங்கி, ஒரு படிமம் மட்டுமே என்றாகிக்கூட அது அனைவரையும் சென்றடையலாம். செவ்வியல் படைப்பு அந்நிலையிலே கூட தன் பாதிப்பை நிகழ்த்தும்
…
இலக்கியப் படைப்புக்களின் இலக்கியவடிவம் அந்த படைப்புக்களில், மொழிவடிவில்,மட்டுமே இருக்கும். நிகழ்த்துகலையாக அவற்றின் வடிவம் மாறுபடும். சொல்லும்போது இன்னொருவகை மாற்றத்தை அடையும்.சினிமாவில் இன்னொருவகை மாற்றம் வந்தமையும். இக்கலைவடிவங்கள் சில புதிய இயல்புகளை அப்படைப்புக்கு அளிக்கும். அப்படைப்பின் மொழிவடிவிலுள்ள சிலவற்றை இல்லாமலும் ஆக்கும்.
…
இப்படித் தொகுக்கலாம். ஒரு செவ்வியல்படைப்பு வாய்மொழிமரபுடன் ஏதோ ஒரு நுண்ணிய இணைப்பு கொண்டிருக்கும். மீண்டும் வாய்மொழி மரபுக்குச் சென்று வளரும். பல்வேறு கலைவடிவுகளினூடாக மறுபிறப்பெடுத்துக்கொண்டே இருக்கும். நவீனத் தொன்மமாக ஆகும். பல்வேறு இலக்கியப்படைப்புகளுக்கு மூலப்பொருளாக ஆகும். பண்பாட்டால் உள்ளிழுக்கப்பட்டு மீண்டும் மீண்டும் வெவ்வேறு வகையில் நிகழ்த்தப்படும்.
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gsriram72
October 17, 2020
V Vijaysree – Thanks a ton.
I am famiiar with the Bava Selladurai story telling through YT.
Thanks for reintroducing me to the joy of reading short stories in Tamil.
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v.vijaysree
October 17, 2020
*eshwar *– Thanks for your feedback and the links. You started with Oomai Sennaai? That story was brutal wasn’t it? But strangely, even stories which will push me over edge of the cliff, emotion-wise, I am OK if Bava is telling it… The other post — I was sure serious writers have their own take on whether literature should be narrated — can’t read now. (Like the house owner character in Avvai Shanmugi, I have to say “Ennakku Andhra Range-kku Tamil theriyadhu…) .
Also the Balakumaran story “Karisanam” — one should be a woman who has traveled by PTC bus to doubly appreciate it. I am told serious readers are supposed to be dismissive of Balakumaran’s writing. Yes, you read it but you’ve moved on is the ides you are supposed to create. But in some stories, he captures some feelings so well, it is hard to be dismissive.
“sriram” — Glad you liked listening to the stories.
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v.vijaysree
October 17, 2020
eswar sorry — Andha range-kku Tamil theriyadhu. Jey enna dhan solla varar?
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Eswar
October 18, 2020
v.vijaysree: Like the house owner character in Avvai Shanmugi, I have to say “Ennakku Andhra Range-kku Tamil theriyadhu…
Ha Ha Ha 😂
But strangely, even stories which will push me over edge of the cliff, emotion-wise, I am OK if Bava is telling it
Yes, Bava narrates as if he is talking to a friend — with anecdotes here and there and sentences sounding “ippa paathingana”. Just like his character in the movie, Joker.
Jeyamohan eppavum pola neraiya solraar. Naan romb surukkitten. Mannichikkonga:
There is a continuous dialogue between written literature and other forms of storytelling like Kadhai Solli, plays, movies and even other forms of writing like picture books.
Before writing became the format for literature, it used oral narration. Oral tradition is the foundation for writing. Even epics like Mahabharata was told originally in the oral format, then it took a literary form and from there it went back again to an oral form and other performing arts. This dialogue between the formats has always happened and should happen to take literature to everyone. Oral stories when becoming classical literature does not appeal to all. So these epics and classics once again take the form of oral tradition, performing arts and sometimes even in a simpler written form of the classic. This continuous dialogue between various formats keeps these stories alive in a society.
He touches upon a few other things but in essence, he says that there has always been a dialogue and transformation between these various formats and so it will be.
I agree with him when he says there is something about reading literature which one can appreciate only by reading. But as he says, this does not mean it cannot and should not be locked down in that format. He has decorated the essay, with the images of Les Misérables in its various forms, from line drawing to web series, to draw a parallel.
In an Indian context, the re-telling of Mahabharata in various formats illustrate Jeyamohan’s view very well. A.K.Ramanujan’s Three Hundred Ramayanas essay shows this is true even for Ramayana.
A more modern-day example for me is Ponniyin Selvan. Mani Ratnam’s upcoming movie is well known. But even before that TVK cultural academy in Madras has been staging Ponniyin Selvan for a while. I have never seen a stage play before that, but in that format and within their limitations, I think they did it well. There is also readings of Ponniyin Selvan on YouTube. There is even an M.G.R version 😀. And looks like there is now a Podcast as well. For me, the most exciting format of Ponniyin Selvan is the comics version as this is a great way to take this work to the next generation. They had the first volume out a while back. I hope they have garnered enough interest from TN readers to publish all the volumes.
https://nilacomics.com/
https://ivmpodcasts.com/kadhaipodcasts-ponniyin-selvan
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v.vijaysree
October 18, 2020
Interesting Eswar. Thanks for the translation. will check this out, this version of PS.
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shaviswa
October 19, 2020
I too had the unfortunate situation of not learning Tamil while in school. My father was in a transferable job and since we could have potentially gone to anywhere in India, my parents made me learn Hindi as second language. I spent my entire school education in different cities of TN and I now regret not having learnt proper Tamil.
However, I have read a fairly good amount of novels in Tamil. Sujatha and Balakumaran are of course the easiest to name as they were very popular. But I have also read works of Thevan (Mahadevan), Kalki, Jayakanthan, Chandilyan, Akilan, Baghyam Ramasami, Indira Parthasarathy, Indira Soudararajan, Ra. Ki. Rangarajan, etc. Not a fan of the Lakshmis and Sivasankaris though I have read some of their works.
Used to read English novels voraciously while in school. My interest in Tamil novels picked up around my first year of college. And since then, I have almost stopped reading English novels. Whenever I went to libraries, I instinctively picked up a Tamil novel to read like how I pick up a Tamil movie first to watch. Anything else is only after a lot of recommendation. 🙂
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v.vijaysree
October 19, 2020
shaviswa —
As Eswar said even you, a reader of Tamil books, may enjoy being read to. Give it a try :-).
Bava especially can broaden our horizons more than most. He narrates, doesn’t read, so you can still go find the books afterwards. Stories like this one — just blew me away . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_qTvDFkZZw&t=289s made me go read up the history of kallars and other denotifiedcommunities.
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v.vijaysree
October 19, 2020
and shaviswa — To speak to your larger point, I too have read Tamil books but it is always going to be an uphill task for me, till I get in the zone. It is not beyond me 🙂 Those efforts, I write about here.
https://vijeejournalist.com/2019/09/reading-tamil-in-new-orleans/
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v.vijaysree
October 24, 2020
@eswar — you should write about Jeymohan and the Tamil movies one day when you have the time. I don’t know anything about his work for the movies — Jey mentioned it himself in passing during one of his talks..
On a different note, this is a lazy trap I fell into — the idea that if you are a good writer, the industry would have tapped you by now — as if our movies are filled with great plot lines/ flourished that owe something to literature.
In fact just two years ago, I asked writer Dilip Kumar this question — have you written for the movies? I like to believe I am a little less ignorant now but at the same time if writers have added something of value to films — I would like to know about that as well.
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Eswar
October 25, 2020
@v.vijayasree: Sounds like a very difficult task to write about Jeyamohan and movies but I will give it a try 🙂.
the idea that if you are a good writer, the industry would have tapped you by now
Haha. It’s definitely not the case. I came across a Jeyamohan’s interview with The Hindu, after the release of Naan Kadavul and Angadi Theru. Jeyamohan has said that the role of writers in Tamil cinema is yet to be acknowledged.
“It is an accepted phenomenon world wide. Only in Tamil cinema we think we can manage without writers”.
This was in 2010. But I don’t think much has changed.
Off the top of my head, I could list only a handful of Tamil writers who have been involved in Tamil movies. And the most popular of them was Sujatha. And when they are involved, Sujatha being an exception, they are rarely part of mainstream movies involving leading actors and directors. I am hoping Vetrimaran’s adaptation of Vekkai inspires other filmmakers to make better use of Tamil literature in the coming years.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/Writing-for-cinema-yet-another-profession-says-Jayamohan/article16192204.ece.
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Deepika
August 13, 2022
Enjoyed the write up Vijaysree.. You spoke about fish in sambar from MMKR.. Here’s an excerpt from Marapasu which you can see take its form in Nenjukulle song from Kadal..
(Conversation between Pattabhi and Ammani when they first meet):
(Ammani asks Pattabhi’s interests in music and dance, and here’s what Pattabhi replies):
“Why do people listen to jalatarangam, but not to the sounds of a cycle bell? ….. They listen to a flute, but not to the cry of an eagle….
….
If there’s a dance performance, people go and watch. Why don’t they care to watch someone walking down to the rice mill with a sack of rice on his head, or someone walking to the vegetable market with a basket, or someone balancing pots of water on her head?”
You can see these lines come to life in this song from Kadal:
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