Sundara Ramasami

Sundara Ramasamy (1931—2006), 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 Night") created waves in Tamil creative world. His best known 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 30th May 1931, in Thazhuviya MahadevarKovil, 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.C. Raghunathan. 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. Fact|date=March 2008It 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.Fact|date=March 2008 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 Cemmi and Tottiyue Makal 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 "Naunici Noykal".

He translated two Malayalam novels into Tamil: "Thotiyin 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.