Sundhara Ramasamy: An Overview (Kanchana)

Sundhara Ramasamy: An Overview

By Kanchana Dhamodharan, 1999


Sundhara Ramasamy (Su.Ra.) belongs to the third generation modern Tamil writers, his contemporaries being other literary giants such as Ku.Azhagirisamy, Thi.Janakiraman, Ki.Rajanarayanan, Jeyakanthan, Indira Parthasarathy, Nakulan and G. Nagarajan. He has been writing for more than 40 years now. Su.Ra. writes poetry under the name 'Pasuvaiyyah'. He founded and served as the editor for "Kalachuvadu" literary magazine for several years. Continues to be active in the literary circles and has been contributing to the meager but slowly growing literary criticism area in modern Tamil literature.

Su.Ra's earlier works are full of lyricism and sharp, ironic humor ('prasadham' for example). It almost seems as if his style was influenced by Pudhumaipithan then. His later works (like 'pallakku thookkigaL') were different and adopted a poetic form, rather than a conventional prose form. Most of his works make use of his native dialect very effectively. Each of his novels-- 'oru puLiyamarathin kadhai', 'J.J. sila kuRippukaL' and 'kuzhandhaigaL, peNkaL, aaNkaL'--adopts a different narrative style. He is one of those Tamil authors who do not shy away from experimentation, for sure.

A brief review of some of Su.Ra.'s works:

107 kavidhaigaL: An anthology of poems written under the name Pasuvaiyyah, from 1959 to 1995. Using precise, simple, economic words, Pasuvaiyyah excels in bringing out the poeticism and philosophy inherent in what appears to be a mundane situation/object. This is no poet who gets seduced by empty words and the artifice of language, but one with a keen inner eye. Unpretentious, crisp, aesthetically pleasing poetry.

mElpaarvai: An anthology of nine short stories selected from the period between 1953 and 1995. Slice-of-life stories. Authentic rural touches which pervade characterization and language in fine detail, making even the older stories seem fresh and timeless.

oru puLiyamarathin kadhai: One of the more noteworthy novels to be written in Tamil, in my opinion and many others'. Su.Ra. weaves a tale about the post-independence India, by centering the narrative on a tamarind tree! Changes in the social and moral fabric are depicted with
incisive insight. The ever-changing relationship between humankind and Nature serves as a dynamic backdrop.

J.J. sila kuRippugaL: The most experimental among Su.Ra.'s works in terms of content, form, and style. Cerebralism and lyricism are two key characteristics of the narrative, which includes historical notes and diary entries, and explores the possible ranges in prose. Strong expression and a very interesting read. However, it is important to note that this novel has been received with reservations by the critics in Tamil Nadu. I feel that this piece has a distinct post-modernist brushstroke to it. I read this novel a while ago, immediately after reading post-modernist writer Samuel Beckett; that might have contributed to my perception (wrongly, may be?). I've never heard Tamil literati identify 'J.J.' as having post-modernist hues. This remains an unresolved question mark to date, for me.

kuzhandhaigaL, peNkaL, aaNkaL: Balu and Ramani characters from 'J.J. sila kuRippukaL' continue on in this 1998 novel by Su.Ra. Set in the 1937-39 timeperiod, the story divides a home space into an ever-shifting Venn diagram with three circles--the male space, the female space, and the children's space-with all three constantly trying to test and change the existing intersections and boundaries. An interesting angle, viewed against the backdrop of rigid societal codes/expectations and the freedom struggle. This novel departs from the hallmark lyrical narrative style of Su.Ra., while still employing his usual "vattaara vazhakku". For a highly emotionally-charged premise, I felt that all the emotions have not been plumbed to their fullest. Is that suppression reflective of the society of those times, or the author's shying away from total disclosure? May be I should re-read the book with a more critical perspective, instead of inevitably identifying Su.Ra. as the protagonist. (The Kumudham interview family details read like a synopsis of the core of the novel.)

Other Works: Su.Ra.'s criticism books include "na. pichamoorthyin kalai: marabum manidha nEyamum", "kaaRRil kalandha pErOsai" and "virivum aazamum thEdi". Writer Jayamohan, who considers Su.Ra. as his mentor and who is a literary critic himself, makes an observation that Su.Ra.'s critiques are based more on subjective tastes rather than an objective, analytical approach. Su.Ra. has also translated Thagazi Sivasankara Pillai's classics "chemmeen" and "thOttiyin magan" from Malayalam to Tamil.

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