At the age of eighty seven, as a political leader holding
high positions of power and authority including the Chief Ministership of Tamilnadu for the fifth time, as a revolutionary bent upon preaching the ideals of the Dravidian Movement, as an activist and fighter trying to implement what has been recommended by Periyar and Anna for the benefit of the Tamil Community, as an author of countless literary works in many genres and subgenres, as an artist writing dialogues for plays and movies, and as one combining all these roles, Kalaignar has broken numerous records held by eminent personalities from India and abroad. A handful of records in the world of letters may remain like the one set by Sophocles, who is believed to have written his magnum opus Antigone when he was ninety one years old.
In his autobiography, Kalaignar tells those who, with sinister intentions, advise him to take rest and stop working,
“The man who shunned rest all his life is now resting here – this inscription will appear only on my tomb.” This is my reply.
Here Kalaignar shows the determination of Milton, who, while writing a rejoinder to a pamphlet defending monarchy, stated that even if Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine, were to urge him not to take up the job because of his impaired eyesight, he was not going to listen to him.
During the Sangam period, there were poets who, while gratefully paying glowing tributes to their patrons, kings and chieftains, would express the sincere desire that the remaining years of their life be added to the life of their benefactor. In a Purananuru poem, Aattiraiyanaar tells a chieftain:
Aatungan! My lord! May you live long! Those who open my heart would see you there! Should I forget you, it could only be when my life is leaving my body!
I would have to forget myself to forget you,
who are like the broad sphere of the sun when it settled… you who take
the duty to protect everyone upon yourself through out the day and the night.
Kallaatanaar, expressing his sense of gratitude to Amparkilaan Aruvantai, tells him,
May the overlord of Ampar where the fields grow their paddy and the water
of the Kaviri River laps into the low-lying land of the gardens,
may that good man Aruvantai live for more years than there might be
drops of rain falling from the heights
of the sky upon Palli’s hill of Vengadam, the mountain of victory.
Kunrukatpaaliyaatanaar, praising his patron, observes,
And so may he live on for more aeons than the grains of sand by the resounding Porunai River that washes the city of Vanji named for the tree with dull – coloured leaves, more than the grains of rice that grow in all the fields around the many cities of that land!
Kalaignar has himself been a poet and a generous patron concerned with the welfare of contemporary Tamil poets, novelists, artists and scholars in the academic and non-academic fields. He has been extremely generous to them giving them awards, conferring titles on them, sanctioning monthly and annual grants, providing them with houses and going out of the way to help them when they face problems in their old age. Now all these writers and artists will certainly hope and pray like the Sangam poets of the distant past that their saviour will live a long and healthy life.
These sincere wishes and blessings will keep Kalaignar going for many more years when he will be able to set a few more records and break the one now held by the reputed Greek playwright, the author of Antigone.
high positions of power and authority including the Chief Ministership of Tamilnadu for the fifth time, as a revolutionary bent upon preaching the ideals of the Dravidian Movement, as an activist and fighter trying to implement what has been recommended by Periyar and Anna for the benefit of the Tamil Community, as an author of countless literary works in many genres and subgenres, as an artist writing dialogues for plays and movies, and as one combining all these roles, Kalaignar has broken numerous records held by eminent personalities from India and abroad. A handful of records in the world of letters may remain like the one set by Sophocles, who is believed to have written his magnum opus Antigone when he was ninety one years old.
In his autobiography, Kalaignar tells those who, with sinister intentions, advise him to take rest and stop working,
“The man who shunned rest all his life is now resting here – this inscription will appear only on my tomb.” This is my reply.
Here Kalaignar shows the determination of Milton, who, while writing a rejoinder to a pamphlet defending monarchy, stated that even if Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine, were to urge him not to take up the job because of his impaired eyesight, he was not going to listen to him.
During the Sangam period, there were poets who, while gratefully paying glowing tributes to their patrons, kings and chieftains, would express the sincere desire that the remaining years of their life be added to the life of their benefactor. In a Purananuru poem, Aattiraiyanaar tells a chieftain:
Aatungan! My lord! May you live long! Those who open my heart would see you there! Should I forget you, it could only be when my life is leaving my body!
I would have to forget myself to forget you,
who are like the broad sphere of the sun when it settled… you who take
the duty to protect everyone upon yourself through out the day and the night.
Kallaatanaar, expressing his sense of gratitude to Amparkilaan Aruvantai, tells him,
May the overlord of Ampar where the fields grow their paddy and the water
of the Kaviri River laps into the low-lying land of the gardens,
may that good man Aruvantai live for more years than there might be
drops of rain falling from the heights
of the sky upon Palli’s hill of Vengadam, the mountain of victory.
Kunrukatpaaliyaatanaar, praising his patron, observes,
And so may he live on for more aeons than the grains of sand by the resounding Porunai River that washes the city of Vanji named for the tree with dull – coloured leaves, more than the grains of rice that grow in all the fields around the many cities of that land!
Kalaignar has himself been a poet and a generous patron concerned with the welfare of contemporary Tamil poets, novelists, artists and scholars in the academic and non-academic fields. He has been extremely generous to them giving them awards, conferring titles on them, sanctioning monthly and annual grants, providing them with houses and going out of the way to help them when they face problems in their old age. Now all these writers and artists will certainly hope and pray like the Sangam poets of the distant past that their saviour will live a long and healthy life.
These sincere wishes and blessings will keep Kalaignar going for many more years when he will be able to set a few more records and break the one now held by the reputed Greek playwright, the author of Antigone.
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