The term ‘epistle’ indicates formal compositions written
by an individual to a distant individual or group. While the common letter is a spontaneous, chatty, private composition, the epistle is a conscious literary form. Some of the books of the New Testament have been traditionally called epistles. This does not mean that the subject of an epistle has to be restricted to theological or religious issues. Formal letters which deal with political, social, historical, literary and philosophical matters may also be called epistles. Alexander Pope used the term to describe some of his formal letters in verse. An epistolary novel is one in which the narrative is carried forward by letters written by one or more of the characters.
In England, literary compositions in the form of personal letters were popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The device was principally used for the dissemination of knowledge, for the circulation of ideas and arguments and at times for the propagation of a cause. Locke’s Letters on Toleration is known for its appeal of apparent direct address to the reader. Swift’s Drapier’s Letters enjoys the reputation of having forced a change in government policy in Ireland regarding the grant of a private patent. The collection called the Letters of Junius is remembered for its pseudonymous attack on king George III and his ministers. Edmund Burke’s political letters must have had a worldwide impact during their time and later exerted their powerful influence on Indian intellectuals like Nehru, Rajaji and Arignar Anna.
As a seasoned journalist, Kalaignar understood the value of this genre and fully exploited its potentialities in the course of his long and distinguished career as a journalist. K.S. Subramanian does not exaggerate the extent of Kalaignar’s success in this sphere when he states,
A strongly committed journalist, with his uninterrupted contributions to his journal Murasoli for over 50 years – particularly, his epistles to ‘siblings’ (DMK colleagues and cadre). Such a steady and continual involvement over such a long period should be a peerless record in the world of journalism.
That Kalaignar took a leaf from Periyar’s book in this also is acknowledged by himself on the occasion of the inauguration of the English journal The Rising Sun:
In running a journal, weariness has no place. If at the very early stage itself, you become a victim of despondency over the journal’s poor circulation, that negative feeling will persist as a canker. Weariness and despondency should be firmly discarded.
I remember vividly Periyar’s sardonic remark. When he launched the Kudiyarasu (‘People’s Rule’) journal, it used to be called ‘Green Wrapper Journal.’ A time there was when the readers of that journal used to shield it from others’ view. After reading the journal, they would conceal it in another journal and keep it close to them.
‘The guy who reads the Green Wrapper journal’ – this used to be a pejorative remark. During that phase, Periyar used to say: “I am not bothered whether or not persons buy the journal I write in and publish. I’ll be the lone writer, the lone publisher and the lone reader.” Because of his resolute stand the Kudiyarasu journal – that Green wrapper journal – grew to reach tens of thousands of readers, nurtured the ‘self-respect’ principles, and flourished to provide a wide reach to Periyar’s thoughts and writings. We should not forget that it laid the foundation for the establishment of today’s government, based on rationalist principles and run by rationalists.
So, give no room for weariness or despondency. If weariness infects us, our efforts – particularly in the field of journalism – cannot march triumphantly.
We don’t know if any contemporary journalists of Tamilnadu benefited by this wise counsel; but Kalaignar never gave room for weariness or despondency at any stage of his career. His party might win an election by a thumping majority or might be routed in another election. Unmindful of landslide victories and utter defeats which were often of Himalayan dimensions, he would pursue his work never letting his joys and sorrows have an adverse impact on it. That accounts for the accumulation of twelve substantial volumes of letters on a vast variety of subjects including politics, economics, sociology, history, philosophy, literature, and culture, not to speak of the day-to-day issues about which he could be very illuminating. Whenever he wants to sensitize his fellow-Tamils to a particular problem or situation of considerable significance, he will dash off a letter.
When Kalaignar was interviewed by a journalist on behalf of Ananda Vikatan, a popular weekly as early as 15 march 1996, he gave a number of interesting details about the letters he had been writing in Murasoli since 1971. The views expressed by him on that occasion equally hold good for the letters that have been written for the last fifteen years.
Eminent scholars like Jawaharlal Nehru and Mu. Varadaracanar have used the epistolary form to express their ideas in order to attract the attention of all their readers. They are the pioneers in this field. When Anna was alive, he used to write a letter every week apostrophizing his younger brothers. ‘Tampikku’ was the term he was fond of. Even then I had written letters using the apostrophe ‘Anbu Nanbaa’ (my dear friend). If those letters are also taken into account, you may assume that this practice of mine began even in 1965. All the letters that I have written to my dear brethren, my dear blood brothers (Udanpirappu) since 1968 have been anthologized and brought out in twelve volumes. The change from ‘Nanbaa’ (friend) to ‘Udanpirappe’ (brethren) is due to the fact that the latter is common to both sexes. It is not an exaggeration to say that these letters addressed to my brethren serve the cause of affectionate bringing together of the devotees of our D.M.K.
I have never written long letters to my parents or to my kith and kin. Whenever I was in prison, I used to write very brief letters to them in four lines each!
My mother and my sister have written to me on certain occasions. When I was employed in the office of the journal Kudiyarasu in 1943 and 1944, when I was writing the story and dialogues for the films of the Jupiter Studio in Coimbatore, and when I briefly stayed in Villupuram and Pondicherry in order to stage dramas preaching our ideals, I often received letters from my parents and from my sister enquiring about my well – being.
The letters from my mother would be expressive of her love and affection for me. She would have advised me to have plenty of sleep! She would ask me not to forget closing the windows while going to bed at night. All that was said only to ensure my safety!
At times I would reply to them. In the letter itself I would have suggested to my nephew Maran a topic for an article. Maran was a very young boy at that time. This arrangement was thought of just to kindle his imagination and to increase his word-power! He would have to send an essay on the subject recommended by me. I would send the corrected version together with the next letter. Thus I did the uncle’s duty in the exchange of letters!
Rajaji has admired my letters many times. He once wrote to me,
Dear Karunanidhi,
With a view to showing your opposition to the northern language, you have mentioned in your journal my name as ‘Iraasaasi.’ The letters ‘ja’ and ‘ji’ are to be found in names like ‘Vijayakumari’, ‘Rajendhiran’, and ‘M.G.R.’ also. But they are not removed. What is the crime I alone have committed in this?
In my reply to that letter I apologized for having written like that in Murasoli and assured him that his name would thereafter be mentioned as only ‘Rajaji’. For the sake of showing our opposition to Hindi, is there a need to make changes in proper nouns?
During the Emergency, I had to face problems in the matter of writing letters to my brethren. Censoring my five-page letter, they would remove three pages and allow only two pages! Once, in a letter written on my birthday (the third of June) I had written to say that Anna showed greater love to me than my mother. That line was removed by the censors. Arrested under the MISA act, Maran and Stalin were then in prison. My sons Thamizh and Azhagiri and my nephew Selvam were in the house. Working with the treadle during the whole night, we made hundreds of copies of the letter containing the removed words. Lest the news should leak, the work was secretly done in the house itself. The next day, we left the house early in the morning, walked the distance from the Anna Overbridge to the Anna Statue and distributed all the notices. When I stood near the statue of Anna holding a party flag in one hand and the notices in the other, a huge crowd gathered there. The shout “Long live Democracy” rent the sky. I was imprisoned. My colleagues and I were kept in the Triplicane prison. The Congress Minister, C. Subramaniam, who had come to Chennai at that time, speaking to Mrs Indra Gandhi in Delhi, got us released.
Later I went to court seeking permission for the right to publish letters without being censored and I got a favourable stay order! Consequently, I started writing in Murasoli many belligerent letters defending democracy. This touched off a storm in the political world! Before the sparks spreading in all directions grew into a fire, they got from the court an interim stay on ‘my stay order’. After this, I could express my views only indirectly and allegorically. One such allegory entitled ‘The story of a palm tree’ earned me a reputation. When did all this happen? It happened during the time when we couldn’t even openly say that Kamaraj was a democrat!
The three – page letter in Murasoli written by me during the inaugural function of Valluvar Kottam is the most unforgettable, the most moving of my letters. This took place only ten days after the dissolution of my ministry. The stone inscription declaring my efforts to build the kottam was removed, a new stone was erected in its place and the opening ceremony was conducted with a fanfare. In order to prevent me from participating in the function, they belatedly sent me the letter of invitation. There was no heart that was not melted by the letter that I wrote then. If I read that letter even now, I cannot help shedding tears.
The emotions stirred by my grief are the cause of my moving letters! Writing such pieces is not a sweet experience but a terrible torment. Even now when important members of the party die, the elegiac epistles that I write brim over with sadness. The epithets and titles that I use on such occasions will win the admiration of many. For instance, when K.V.K. Samy of Tuticorin, who lived like the commander of the D.M.K. was assassinated, I gave the following title to my letter of mourning: “O Pearl of the Sea of Southern Pandy! Has your life come to an end?” Similarly, when Kambam Nadarasan (who had a big moustache), a supreme leader of the D.M.K. died, I wrote a letter under the title, “Have you gone, O man of a sword-like moustache!” Plenty of such titles have been given.
I write the epistles to siblings after reading the newspapers in my house and after my walk in my Arivalayam office, I start writing only at 6.30 in the morning. Within an hour at the most, the work will be over. Occasionally, I may go to the Murasoli office and start writing at 10 a.m.
If it is in the house, I do the writing in my bedroom! My practice is to write sitting on the mattress, and keeping a pillow on my lap. The shirt will be unbuttoned and the vest visible. I am habituated to it and there is no sentiment involved in it.
When I am out of office, there will be ‘excessive heat’ in my writings. When I am in power, I will see to it that the heat is a little reduced. But I have never compromised my principles!
Depending upon the circumstances, the dominant themes of my letters may vary from time to time. At present (in the last decade of the twentieth century), opposition to Hindi and awareness of social justice are given prime importance. I think that even after the twenty – first century begins, we will have to fight for social justice.
Not only my interest in public welfare but my selfishness is also responsible for my not ceasing to write letters under any circumstances! Letters relieve fatigue and add to my zeal; the burden and the pressure are shared and, therefore, considerably reduced! I keep writing so that my mind may be free from pressure. The epistolary form, especially, creates a net of love and affection for my brethren, an extraordinary feeling of oneness with them. Besides, my letters will have their immediate impact and lead to positive results. Just by writing five letters, I could recently conduct a mammoth procession for social justice in which five lakh people took part in Chennai.
When I write, I am especially vigilant and avoid committing mistakes. Normally, no mistakes will occur. If at times a word goes wrong, I won’t strike it off or change it but write the following line in such a manner that the use of the particular word is justified.
We thus come to know from the most authentic source (1) the pioneers in the field from whom he drew inspiration, (2) the raison d’etre of the choice of the epistolary form, (3) the modus operandi which he preferred, (4) the brick – bats he had to face and (5) the bouquets he received.
Almost all the letters are occasional pieces demanded by some public event or social function or festival or political celebration. But the message of the author transcends the occasion and stresses the truths, the values and the ideals relevant to the Tamil cause. Even a cursory analysis of one of the letters will reveal most of the salient features of Kalaignar’s epistles to his blood brothers.
The letter published in Murasoli dated 16 August 1997, for instance, was obviously inspired by the golden jubilee of India’s independence. It opens with a very brief, one – sentence, reference to the event and then passes on to the author’s grave concerns. A short quote from Bharati serves as corroborative evidence.
It is fifty years since our motherland broke the fetters of slavery. We should, however, be aware that we are still in the early dawn, waiting for the emergence of wholesome freedom. Poet Bharati sang of a white official chastising a freedom fighter:
You measly vassal –
Thoughts of freedom for you?
Seen wealth ever?
Even deserve it do you?
Banished caste squabbles?
Given up religious conflicts?
Dare you talk of justice?
Get out of my sight!
This admonition seems relevant to our predicament even during this golden jubilee year. This thought fills us with hurt and anguish as if a spear is goring a gaping wound.
Shouldn’t we hark back? Should not those thoughts haunt our hearts? So many flaming lights of sacrifice had soaked their bodies in blood, and lent their life blood to enable the flag of freedom to fly aloft, and laid the foundation for the country’s liberty.
The thought of the struggle for freedom naturally leads him to a sincere tribute to the greatest of our freedom fighters, Mahatma Gandhi, but then Kalaignar cannot miss the opportunity of breaking into a panegyric on a heroic Tamil woman:
Mahatma Gandhi had said that it was the ultimate sacrifice of that jewel of womanhood Thillaiyadi Valliammal against South Africa’s racist scourge which spurred the passion for the motherland’s freedom in him.
Again Kalaignar cannot help giving vent to his agony over the condition of the poorest of the poor in this country.
A large proportion of our people are spending their lives in misery – with hands for umbrellas as protection from the scorching sun, and resorting to the foot of a tree for cover against rain, treating it as their mansion. Millions of Adi Dravidas, lovingly called Harijan or God’s people, live in hovels, which are but the garbage dumps of villages.
The farmer producing food; the weaver dispensing cloth to protect our self-respect; the toiling worker sprinkling his sweat as rose water on the soil of his motherland; the miner burrowing the bowels of the earth; the pearl diver; the fisherman; the blacksmith sweltering by furnance; the worker ferrying head loads of sand; the tree climber; the washerman, the barber; the person with a nominal education engaged in clerical chores – no salubrious breeze touches the lives of these multitudes. Not that ameliorative measures are not being taken. But these measures have not produced wholesome results. Whatever development plans are drafted, unbridled explosion of population would make such development plans mere moonlight flooding forest lands.
Transcending party loyalties and ideological preferences, Kalaignar states that the fact that “this land of continental proportions has been flourishing as a democracy in the comity of nations and enhancing its esteem fills us with pride and exultation”. But he would like to remind his readers that the spirit of democracy is not something alien to the Tamil genius:
Our literatures bear witness to the signs of people’s rule even during the Sangam period. The Uttiramerur stone inscriptions have recorded the election of municipal leaders by the people.
Then comes the characteristic assurance that his government “will tread the path blazoned by Anna which enjoins that the government machinery should function with focus on resolving the problems of every one – depressed people, backward classes, most backward castes, office goers, and the whole gamut of workers.”
The letter ends with a rhetorical, almost poetic, exhortation to the Tamils:
Guarding the unity, the integrity and the sovereignty of the nation, we will serve well, holding the Tamil honour aloft.
We will follow the path hallowed by noble patriots. Mahatma Gandhi said that truth is God.
Arignar Anna said that we should find God in the poor’s smile.
Do your duty unmindful of return, urged Periyar.
Hard work would yield greatness, observed the great leader Kamaraj.
Let their thoughts illumine the lives of the Tamil people. Let us resolve to serve this cause on the occasion of this golden jubilee.
All this does not mean that Kalaignar’s letters are stereotypical. They do vary in structure and style depending upon the subject chosen.
When the occasion demands it, the letter to the party cadre may be turned into a carefully composed essay meant for a wider group of readers. In one letter, for instance, he contends that it is basically wrong to decide that politics is nothing but poison and that politicians cannot but be poisonous creatures. To demonstrate the validity of the statement that the abuse of something is not an argument against it, he brings in numerous analogies from several branches of knowledge and walks of life.
Valluvar, considering the importance of the subject, has dealt with politics in the whole of “Porutpaal” in seventy chapters of 700 couplets; it is foolish to come to the hasty conclusion that politics is an indecent, uncultured sphere of human activity.
Just because some lovers have proved treacherous and unscrupulous, it is not wise to condemn love itself. Again, poets like Valluvar, Bharati and Bharatidasan have sung the glory of love.
Just because some claiming to be ascetics turn out to be rogues, it is not wise to condemn renunciation itself.
Just because one’s dress has become dirty, one does not tear it off.
When poison is mistaken for medicine, there are bound to be dangerous consequences. On that account, it is unwise to reject medicine itself.
In a fertile land, weeds will also grow with cultivated plants. On that account, the land cannot be abandoned.
In a pond of drinking water, if dirt spreads over the surface, one does not blame the pond for that.
Kalaignar then concludes that for the flourishing of democracy politics is essential and that ruling a nation is not the birthright of the rich alone since in a truly democratic set-up, those who live in huts are as privileged as those who live in palaces. But “just because we own a pot of water, can we kick it off and break it? Or, can an individual, claiming that it is his, dance beside it holding a sickle in his hand?” If in the field of politics weeds are removed, the crops of righteousness will grow more and more. In order to see clearly the dirt and the filth in the pond of politics, we have to remove the dust that has fallen into our eyes.
Some letters begin with humorous anecdotes and end with wholesome messages to his beloved younger brothers and sisters. A letter dated 29 April 2005 exhorts them to aim high and to work hard to achieve the desired goal. It substantiates the saying, “Only if you run long, can you jump high.” A young man met Kalaignar in his Arivalayam office and handed over a small piece of paper in which the following sentences were written:
My dear leader! You work without resting; you keep working all the time; you work without sleeping. I too work, but not without sleep. I sleep because, as advised by our President Abdul Kalam, young men should have dreams.
Kalaignar was naturally amused by this letter which triggered off a series of thoughts about his being a workaholic as well as about the young man’s misunderstanding of Kalam’s well-meant advice.
I spend sleepless nights only to find time to write and to undertake journeys to meet people. I have seen Arignar Anna writing when the rest of the world would be asleep. I have also cultivated the same habit following his example. I would keep writing till the dawn makes its appearance and asks me to put my pen down and the joy, the peace that I find in this has no parallel. Do you know the kind of encouragement given by the peaceful time when there is no sound other than the one made by a fresh breeze that blows gently?
I have cultivated the other habit of writing following the example of Periyar, who, in the Kudiyarasu office at Erode, would be writing day in, day out in the midst of the din raised by the vehicles on the road, the movement of the people in the printing office, and the large gathering of visitors.
What is made clear by these two different practices? We should be prepared for the journey through flower – gardens as well as through bush-filled, storm-swept forests.
The advice by the Hon’ble Abdul Kalam that young men should have dreams has been literally taken by this young man!...
What he meant was that young men should think and act…
Young men should dream of becoming great intellectuals, excellent engineers, service-minded doctors who work for the creation of a healthy society, heroes who can create histories, researchers who examine the endless sky and the ever-flowing sea, noble men who ignore caste and religious distinctions, poets, painters, sculptors, politicians concerned with constructive works, scholars and patrons.
Striking an autobiographical note in this context, Kalaignar adds,
The dream that I did not desire to dream during my youth was that I should have college education. That became a shattered dream. But to work for the glory of my language, my nation, my people was a constant dream that I always cherished. Those who have such a dream will receive the stamp of approval only as exceptional cases…
It is not necessary to fall asleep in order to have such a dream. Only when you wake up, can you realize your dreams. It is easy to have a dream about anything; but it is hard to achieve it without hard work!
The following is one of my favourite golden sayings:
“The longer you run, the higher you can jump.”
Kalaignar bursts into poetry when the occasion happens to be a magnificent one such as the World Classical Tamil Conference held at Coimbatore on 23-27 June 2010. In a letter in verse penned on the eve of the Conference, Kalaignar invites everyone of the entire Tamil community to throng the place since it is a festival organized to pay homage to Mother Tamil, hailed by Bharati and Bharatidasan, on the Kongu land, where reputed philanthropists of Sangam fame like Kumanan lived. In such contexts, Kalaignar does not fail to invoke Bharati whose words on the need to have such celebrations would have originally urged him to undertake such ventures. In a Tamil essay ‘Poet’ (Kavi), Bharati states,
There have been no grand festivals in Tamilnadu in honour of Tamil heroes, poets and philanthropists. In a nation which does not cheish the memory of great souls, there is no possibility of the emergence of new generations of noble men. Even if exceptionally one or two may make their appearance, they will not receive the reverence due to them. How will the people who are not in the habit of wondering at the mighty men of the past and loudly proclaiming their achievement to the world take care of new products?
What we wish for will be born. What we support will grow. What is uncared for will perish. The talent that is not used will be lost. In a nation that does not glorify wise men, well-wishers of the world and heroes, wisdom, generosity and heroism will disappear. Since there is now a resurgence in Tamilnadu, without being slothful, we should, for great poets like Kamban, Ilango and Tiruvalluvar, erect memorial statues and celebrate anniversaries…
We should organize scholarly conferences and colourful public functions with a fanfare so that men and women of all castes and religions may attain supreme joy, vast knowledge and enrichment of heart. Every intelligent man may realize the need for festivals in Tamilnadu which are above religious prejudices.
Soaked in such sentiments, Kalaignar tells his readers that the conference is going to be a gala held with the serious intention of redeeming the Tamil race. He wants them to listen to the speeches and discussions of a variety of learned men on Dravidian Civilization, art, culture and literature ultimately proclaiming to the world that Tamil is the primary classical language of the world. It is made clear that he is not, as is his wont, inviting the rank and file of his party to participate in a struggle for their rights. The invitation is meant for every Tamil and the destination won’t be a battle field but a conference hall replete with sessions of knowledge! Though he would like to meet everyone in person and extend an invitation, he has to be contented with this letter in verse and this should not stop anyone from setting out to make the journey to Coimbatore. Quite characteristically, Kalaignar warns the Tamils against being misled by his principal political adversary who has been casting aspersions on him:
O Tamilnadu! Trust not poison! And don’t land yourself in trouble, O Tamilnadu!
The series of seven letters written under the title “Some Landmarks in the History of Classical Tamil” (Chemmozhittamizh Varalaarril Sila Seppedukal) is at once an authentic historical document and an exquisite work of art. A breathtaking narration of the saga of the victorious struggle for classical status for Tamil, it chronicles all the significant events, recalls the names of towering personages and praises the formidable men of letters who participated in the epoch – making fight. The seven subheadings chosen for the letters are indicative of the research that has gone into the making of the worthy record: (1) “A Welcome Arch to the Classical Tamil Conference” (2) “The Uniquencess of Dravidianism as Demonstrated by Caldwell” (3) “Fifteen Evidences Provided by Devaneya Pavanar” (4) “The Oldest Living Language of the Prehistoric Past” (5) “California Professor’s Considered Viewpoint” (6) “Continuous Efforts for Prominence for Classical Tamil” (7) “Not a Letter, but an Imperishable Copperplate.”
In the first letter, Kalaignar states the purpose of the series of epistles to the young Tamil enthusiasts:
My real intention is to use my leisure for composing letters to you that might serve as a decorative welcome arch to the Classical Tamil Conference for which preparations are under way. These are the stones gathered by me for the construction of such an arch.
He recalls what Arignar Anna said about Tamil at the inaugural function of the second World Tamil Conference held in Chennai:
Extremely rich in vocabulary and expression, it is a right medium most suited to conveying nuances of abstract ideas and thoughts with a high degree of precision and accuracy. Tamil is a native well undefiled. Its linguistic resources are vast: the language can accommodate with consummate ease long prose narrations, sharp comments, explanations and discussions.
The objectives of the conference are firmly and clearly drawn by Kalaignar:
We wish that the seminars of the Conference should educate the next generation of young scholars, the plenary sessions kindle and arouse finer feelings for serious study and research, exhibitions remain memorable spectacles and public parade and pageantry demonstrate our primordial culture and civilization.
Praising Parithimarkalaignar for being the first to raise his voice claiming classical status for Tamil, Kalignar recalls the passage from his book The History of the Tamil Language in order to reveal how the earlier Kalaignar condemned the Sanskritists:
The Sanskritists understood the customs and manners of the Tamils and introduced their Sanskrit works which imposed their beliefs. They created imaginary tales and puranas on the temples and holy centres of Tamil Nadu with a view to spreading their ideology. They introduced the Varnasrama system that was alien to the Tamil mind. They gradually established the caste hierarchy of Antanar, Aracar, Vanikar and Velalar. See what Kapilar Akaval tells the Aryas ‘you have brought into this country the caste system as though the castes had been marked since creation.’ They got into the good books of the Tamil kings and got themselves appointed lords and ministers of the King’s cabinet by displaying their cleverness. They acquired rare ideas and words of wisdom from the Tamils, translated them into Sanskrit and introduced these as originating from Sanskrit.
Quoting these fiery and uncompromising words, Kalaignar purposely adds the question:
“Do not these words, written a century ago with substantial evidence, clearly echo the thoughts of Periyar and Anna?”
In the second letter, Robert Caldwell’s Contribution to the cause of Classical Tamil is chosen for special praise. Besides coining the phrase “Dravidian Language”, Caldwell in his incomparable magnum opus A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages has given conclusive proof to establish that Tamil is a classical language. In the second part of the letter, Kalaignar chronicles the series of events that added strength to the claim, especially, the efforts taken by Saiva Siddhantha Maha Samajam and Karanthai Tamil Sangam right from the days of the Tamil Scholar Umamaheswaranar. In one of the extraordinary meetings convened by Saiva Siddhantha Maha Samajam, the resolution tabled by K. Subramania Pillai stressed the fact that Tamil is a naturally formed language which is in vogue even today and that rich in diverse literary genres with outward beauty of linguistic form and richness in content and message, possessing a matchless variety of rare compositions, it should be accepted with pride as a language which is deservedly classical on par with Sanskrit, Arabian and Persian.
In 1921, when the Governor of Madras Presidency paid a visit to Thanjavur, on behalf of Karanthai Tamil Sangam, a delegation led by Rao Bahadur U.A. Vandaiyar met the Governor and tendered an appeal to make a public announcement that Tamil is raised to the status of an independent classical language.
Any reader will be moved by the revelation in the letter that Gnaniyar Adigal “in his presidential address expressed his deep sense of regret and anguish that the Indian Government had not given the respect due to Tamil and had not treated it as a classical language.”
In the third letter, the memorable statement made by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a highly respected freedom fighter and multilingual scholar well-versed in Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, Persian, Bengali and English, is exultantly quoted by Kalaignar:
We must remember that Tamil is really a classical language and most of the achievements of Tamil which entitle it to recognition belong to a past age.
Devaneya Pavanar’s The Primary Classical Language of the World, claiming that Tamil is a highly developed classical language of Lemurian origin on the basis of fifteen well-substantiated evidences, is an unforgettable landmark in the history of Classical Tamil.
When the D.M.K. came to power for the fourth time in Tamilnadu under the stewardship of Kalaignar, it created a separate Ministry for the Department of Tamil as the official language and Tamil culture which, as advised by him, took upon itself as its first and foremost duty to do everything for attaining classical status for Tamil. The Committee of experts constituted by the Ministry prepared a document including all reasons for the strong claim for classical status to Tamil and sent it to the Central Government. This well-researched letter provided convincing historical and other scholarly evidences:
Tamil has a very unique place among the classical languages of the world. It has a history of more than two thousand years of consummate literary expression, and is the sole preserver of the Dravidian heritage of old literature, a massive corpus of poetry written in this language being traced to pre-christian era. It has had a continuing, vibrantly alive existence, growth and development through centuries down to the present, witnessing diversity and ramifications through space and time. It has tributaries of languages growing from, meeting and mingling all along its course by virtue of its seminal position as a major language of the Dravidian family of languages. Also, it had been flowing parallel to the streams of Northern tongues, chiefly Sanskrit, right from the pre-Christian days of Indian cultural evolution, maintaining healthy affinities with those tongues and yet preserving its uniqueness and identity as the expressive medium of a cultural community…
During the past five decades or more and since the discovery of Indus Valley Civilization followed by the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the considerable and significant contribution which the Tamils or Dravidian speaking peoples have made to the totality of the Indian culture is gradually better understood. Prof. R.D. Banerji, who discovered the Mohenjo-Daro site wrote, “it has been established that a wonderful Pre-Aryan Civilization existed in the Indus Valley many centuries before the period of the Aryan intrusions… who were apparently the Dravidians or Proto-Dravidians later represented by the various communities in South India speaking dialects of the Dravidian Languages…”
In spite of all its global recognition and merits, its antiquity and greatness, it is still considered in its native country as a regional language and it is grouped under the MIL (Modern Indian Languages). No Indian language except Sanskrit is as ancient as Tamil. But, it is still given the status of a modern Indian language by the Government of India. The constitution of India makes it a fundamental duty of every Indian citizen “to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture”. While the contribution of Tamil to Indian culture is so enormous and immense, it failed to get the recognition it deserves. In the Dakar University in Senegal, Tamil, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit are taught as Classical Languages in the Department of Classical Languages. But, in our universities, Tamil was excluded in this list for a long time and the other languages namely Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit are accepted as Classical Languages…
As far as Tamil is concerned, the period from Sangam Age to the sixth century A.D. can be termed Classical age since this age witnessed unique literary and linguistic achievements. These contributions are the typical representatives of the Dravidian heritage which forms an integral part of the composite cultural heritage of India. It is clearly stated by most of the leading scholars of Indology that any study on the cultural heritage of India will be incomplete if it fails to take into account the rich cultural achievements of the Dravidians. International scholarship has now accepted Tamil as one of the Classical Languages of the world…
The contentions in the appeal to the Central Government reproduced in the fourth letter by Kalaignar in Tamil were given wide publicity by himself in his speeches and writings. The request was duly forwarded by the Department of Education of the Central Government to the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore for careful scrutiny and comments. The Institute, after examining all aspects of the subject, recommended strongly that since Tamil possesses the required qualities of a classical tongue, the centre may announce that it is a classical language.
The fifth letter of the series details the follow – up action taken by Kalaignar through direct and indirect measures when the Central Government was found to be rather lackadaisical in its approach to the whole question. Unamimous resolutions were passed by the Universities of Tamilnadu urging it to accord Classical status and to allocate liberal funds for the future growth of Tamil. As the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, he himself wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister Deve Gowda to say that without any further delay the Ministry of Human Resources Development and the University Grants Commission should sanction liberal grants for the development of Tamil, besides granting it the status of a classical language. When nothing positive was forthcoming, he had to write a letter again on 24 October 98 to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee bringing to his notice the demand of all the Tamils living throughout the world. In the capital city, Delhi Tamil Sangam and other organizations convened a conference on 29, 30 April 2000 which put forward the demand that Tamil be made an official language and its status raised as a primary Classical Language.
The highlight of the fifth letter is the Tamil version of some excerpts from Prof. George Hart’s learned article / letter furnished by Kalaignar for the benefit of his Kazhagam brethren and others. Hart’s credentials are mentioned before his irrefutable arguments are reproduced. His is a spirited defence of the claim of the Tamils.
Let me state unequivocally that, by any criteria one may choose, Tamil is one of the great Classical literatures and traditions of the world. The reasons for this are many…
First, Tamil is of considerable antiquity. It predates the literatures of other modern languages by more than a thousound years…
Second, Tamil constitutes the only literary tradition indigenous to India that is not derived from Sanskrit… Third, the quality of Classical Tamil Literature is such that it is fit to stand beside the great literatures of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Persian and Arabic… Finally, Tamil is one of the primary independent sources of modern Indian Culture and tradition… To deny that Tamil is a Classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian Culture.
Giving the importance that Hart’s letter richly deserves, Kalaignar emphatically asserts that “the ideas in this pronouncement of Prof. G.L. Hart had a great impact on the minds of the educationists in India and inspired the Tamil lovers and enthusiasts.”
In the sixth letter, Kalaignar enumerates the efforts of the DMK Government and of himself to persuade the Central Government to declare Tamil a Classical Language. They started taking political and legal steps apart from working at the government level. In the election manifesto of 2001, the party announced its electoral promise for getting Tamil the classical status and started taking steps for the fulfillment of the promise. There is a detailed account of the resolutions passed by Tamil Sangam, Chennai, Bangalore Tamil Sangam, Tiruvanantapuram Sangam and Karanthai Tamil Sangam all of which drew the attention of the Central Government to the fact that it did not seem to have comprehended the genuine feelings of the Tamils.
In this letter, Kalaignar gives his answer to those who had been repeatedly raising the question : What are the advantages we derive if Tamil is accepted as a classical language?
If the Central Government announces that Tamil is a Classical Language, the University Grants Commission will accept it. Then, Tamil will begin to function as an independent department in all Indian universities. Advanced research in Tamil Language, Tamil art and literature will be conducted with greater zeal. Tamil will gain acceptance in all the universities of the world as an independent language and not as one of the several oriental languages. Like the Sanskrit year, for celebrating which the Centre grants rupees fifteen crore, there will be a Tamil year which can also be celebrated. There will be opportunities for creating Encyclopedias with details on Tamil art and culture. Tamil – English dictionaries can be brought out with the aid from the centre. There can also be other plans for the development of scientific Tamil. Tamil works will get translated not only into other Indian languages but also into foreign tongues such as English and French.
The seventh letter ends on a note of triumph. In 2004, United National Alliance led by Sonia Gandhi swept the polls and after the government was formed, in the national common minimum programme, it was publicly announced that Tamil would be declared a classical language. The joy of the Tamil lovers and scholars all over the world knew no bounds when the President of the Indian Republic, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam announced in the combined meeting of the members of the Parliament that Tamil would be declared a classical language. The declaration was made on 12 October 2004 and Kalaignar’s description of the joy he felt is characteristic.
I felt the same delight and bliss as I experienced whenever Thanthai Periyar lauded my work patting me on my back and Arignar Anna embraced me with affection.
Reproducing the letter written to him by Sonia Gandhi on the occasion, Kalaignar observes:
You have written that my party and I have been primarily responsible for this. This is not just a letter. Hundreds of years later, when my great – grandchildren read this, they should realize that this is the invaluable monument that had been protected by their great – grandfather. In my younger days, I began my political career, raising the slogan, ‘Long live Tamil,’ holding aloft the flag bearing the insignia of the tiger, the bow and the fish. The same political career continues even today. If there is a history behind this movement for Classical Tamil, the letter that you have written to me is worthy of being inscribed in letters of gold, studded with diamonds and hung in my burial chamber. The letter is a token of remembrance for my entire life and I do most heartily extend my thanks and greetings to you. Every word of my thanksgiving speech will keep reverberating in my heart till I live and in my graveyard after I die.
But he tells his younger brothers and sisters that this victory should not simply result in gloating self–satisfaction.
A hundred – year old dream of the Tamils has come true. The first part of the history of Classical Tamil has come to a glorious end. A great deal of service for the cause of Classical Tamil awaits us. Let us prepare ourselves and get ready for the task before us!
Both with regard to their historical significance and their literary merit, Kalaignar’s letters running to several volumes do challenge comparison with those of any reputed statesman from any part of the world.
by an individual to a distant individual or group. While the common letter is a spontaneous, chatty, private composition, the epistle is a conscious literary form. Some of the books of the New Testament have been traditionally called epistles. This does not mean that the subject of an epistle has to be restricted to theological or religious issues. Formal letters which deal with political, social, historical, literary and philosophical matters may also be called epistles. Alexander Pope used the term to describe some of his formal letters in verse. An epistolary novel is one in which the narrative is carried forward by letters written by one or more of the characters.
In England, literary compositions in the form of personal letters were popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The device was principally used for the dissemination of knowledge, for the circulation of ideas and arguments and at times for the propagation of a cause. Locke’s Letters on Toleration is known for its appeal of apparent direct address to the reader. Swift’s Drapier’s Letters enjoys the reputation of having forced a change in government policy in Ireland regarding the grant of a private patent. The collection called the Letters of Junius is remembered for its pseudonymous attack on king George III and his ministers. Edmund Burke’s political letters must have had a worldwide impact during their time and later exerted their powerful influence on Indian intellectuals like Nehru, Rajaji and Arignar Anna.
As a seasoned journalist, Kalaignar understood the value of this genre and fully exploited its potentialities in the course of his long and distinguished career as a journalist. K.S. Subramanian does not exaggerate the extent of Kalaignar’s success in this sphere when he states,
A strongly committed journalist, with his uninterrupted contributions to his journal Murasoli for over 50 years – particularly, his epistles to ‘siblings’ (DMK colleagues and cadre). Such a steady and continual involvement over such a long period should be a peerless record in the world of journalism.
That Kalaignar took a leaf from Periyar’s book in this also is acknowledged by himself on the occasion of the inauguration of the English journal The Rising Sun:
In running a journal, weariness has no place. If at the very early stage itself, you become a victim of despondency over the journal’s poor circulation, that negative feeling will persist as a canker. Weariness and despondency should be firmly discarded.
I remember vividly Periyar’s sardonic remark. When he launched the Kudiyarasu (‘People’s Rule’) journal, it used to be called ‘Green Wrapper Journal.’ A time there was when the readers of that journal used to shield it from others’ view. After reading the journal, they would conceal it in another journal and keep it close to them.
‘The guy who reads the Green Wrapper journal’ – this used to be a pejorative remark. During that phase, Periyar used to say: “I am not bothered whether or not persons buy the journal I write in and publish. I’ll be the lone writer, the lone publisher and the lone reader.” Because of his resolute stand the Kudiyarasu journal – that Green wrapper journal – grew to reach tens of thousands of readers, nurtured the ‘self-respect’ principles, and flourished to provide a wide reach to Periyar’s thoughts and writings. We should not forget that it laid the foundation for the establishment of today’s government, based on rationalist principles and run by rationalists.
So, give no room for weariness or despondency. If weariness infects us, our efforts – particularly in the field of journalism – cannot march triumphantly.
We don’t know if any contemporary journalists of Tamilnadu benefited by this wise counsel; but Kalaignar never gave room for weariness or despondency at any stage of his career. His party might win an election by a thumping majority or might be routed in another election. Unmindful of landslide victories and utter defeats which were often of Himalayan dimensions, he would pursue his work never letting his joys and sorrows have an adverse impact on it. That accounts for the accumulation of twelve substantial volumes of letters on a vast variety of subjects including politics, economics, sociology, history, philosophy, literature, and culture, not to speak of the day-to-day issues about which he could be very illuminating. Whenever he wants to sensitize his fellow-Tamils to a particular problem or situation of considerable significance, he will dash off a letter.
When Kalaignar was interviewed by a journalist on behalf of Ananda Vikatan, a popular weekly as early as 15 march 1996, he gave a number of interesting details about the letters he had been writing in Murasoli since 1971. The views expressed by him on that occasion equally hold good for the letters that have been written for the last fifteen years.
Eminent scholars like Jawaharlal Nehru and Mu. Varadaracanar have used the epistolary form to express their ideas in order to attract the attention of all their readers. They are the pioneers in this field. When Anna was alive, he used to write a letter every week apostrophizing his younger brothers. ‘Tampikku’ was the term he was fond of. Even then I had written letters using the apostrophe ‘Anbu Nanbaa’ (my dear friend). If those letters are also taken into account, you may assume that this practice of mine began even in 1965. All the letters that I have written to my dear brethren, my dear blood brothers (Udanpirappu) since 1968 have been anthologized and brought out in twelve volumes. The change from ‘Nanbaa’ (friend) to ‘Udanpirappe’ (brethren) is due to the fact that the latter is common to both sexes. It is not an exaggeration to say that these letters addressed to my brethren serve the cause of affectionate bringing together of the devotees of our D.M.K.
I have never written long letters to my parents or to my kith and kin. Whenever I was in prison, I used to write very brief letters to them in four lines each!
My mother and my sister have written to me on certain occasions. When I was employed in the office of the journal Kudiyarasu in 1943 and 1944, when I was writing the story and dialogues for the films of the Jupiter Studio in Coimbatore, and when I briefly stayed in Villupuram and Pondicherry in order to stage dramas preaching our ideals, I often received letters from my parents and from my sister enquiring about my well – being.
The letters from my mother would be expressive of her love and affection for me. She would have advised me to have plenty of sleep! She would ask me not to forget closing the windows while going to bed at night. All that was said only to ensure my safety!
At times I would reply to them. In the letter itself I would have suggested to my nephew Maran a topic for an article. Maran was a very young boy at that time. This arrangement was thought of just to kindle his imagination and to increase his word-power! He would have to send an essay on the subject recommended by me. I would send the corrected version together with the next letter. Thus I did the uncle’s duty in the exchange of letters!
Rajaji has admired my letters many times. He once wrote to me,
Dear Karunanidhi,
With a view to showing your opposition to the northern language, you have mentioned in your journal my name as ‘Iraasaasi.’ The letters ‘ja’ and ‘ji’ are to be found in names like ‘Vijayakumari’, ‘Rajendhiran’, and ‘M.G.R.’ also. But they are not removed. What is the crime I alone have committed in this?
In my reply to that letter I apologized for having written like that in Murasoli and assured him that his name would thereafter be mentioned as only ‘Rajaji’. For the sake of showing our opposition to Hindi, is there a need to make changes in proper nouns?
During the Emergency, I had to face problems in the matter of writing letters to my brethren. Censoring my five-page letter, they would remove three pages and allow only two pages! Once, in a letter written on my birthday (the third of June) I had written to say that Anna showed greater love to me than my mother. That line was removed by the censors. Arrested under the MISA act, Maran and Stalin were then in prison. My sons Thamizh and Azhagiri and my nephew Selvam were in the house. Working with the treadle during the whole night, we made hundreds of copies of the letter containing the removed words. Lest the news should leak, the work was secretly done in the house itself. The next day, we left the house early in the morning, walked the distance from the Anna Overbridge to the Anna Statue and distributed all the notices. When I stood near the statue of Anna holding a party flag in one hand and the notices in the other, a huge crowd gathered there. The shout “Long live Democracy” rent the sky. I was imprisoned. My colleagues and I were kept in the Triplicane prison. The Congress Minister, C. Subramaniam, who had come to Chennai at that time, speaking to Mrs Indra Gandhi in Delhi, got us released.
Later I went to court seeking permission for the right to publish letters without being censored and I got a favourable stay order! Consequently, I started writing in Murasoli many belligerent letters defending democracy. This touched off a storm in the political world! Before the sparks spreading in all directions grew into a fire, they got from the court an interim stay on ‘my stay order’. After this, I could express my views only indirectly and allegorically. One such allegory entitled ‘The story of a palm tree’ earned me a reputation. When did all this happen? It happened during the time when we couldn’t even openly say that Kamaraj was a democrat!
The three – page letter in Murasoli written by me during the inaugural function of Valluvar Kottam is the most unforgettable, the most moving of my letters. This took place only ten days after the dissolution of my ministry. The stone inscription declaring my efforts to build the kottam was removed, a new stone was erected in its place and the opening ceremony was conducted with a fanfare. In order to prevent me from participating in the function, they belatedly sent me the letter of invitation. There was no heart that was not melted by the letter that I wrote then. If I read that letter even now, I cannot help shedding tears.
The emotions stirred by my grief are the cause of my moving letters! Writing such pieces is not a sweet experience but a terrible torment. Even now when important members of the party die, the elegiac epistles that I write brim over with sadness. The epithets and titles that I use on such occasions will win the admiration of many. For instance, when K.V.K. Samy of Tuticorin, who lived like the commander of the D.M.K. was assassinated, I gave the following title to my letter of mourning: “O Pearl of the Sea of Southern Pandy! Has your life come to an end?” Similarly, when Kambam Nadarasan (who had a big moustache), a supreme leader of the D.M.K. died, I wrote a letter under the title, “Have you gone, O man of a sword-like moustache!” Plenty of such titles have been given.
I write the epistles to siblings after reading the newspapers in my house and after my walk in my Arivalayam office, I start writing only at 6.30 in the morning. Within an hour at the most, the work will be over. Occasionally, I may go to the Murasoli office and start writing at 10 a.m.
If it is in the house, I do the writing in my bedroom! My practice is to write sitting on the mattress, and keeping a pillow on my lap. The shirt will be unbuttoned and the vest visible. I am habituated to it and there is no sentiment involved in it.
When I am out of office, there will be ‘excessive heat’ in my writings. When I am in power, I will see to it that the heat is a little reduced. But I have never compromised my principles!
Depending upon the circumstances, the dominant themes of my letters may vary from time to time. At present (in the last decade of the twentieth century), opposition to Hindi and awareness of social justice are given prime importance. I think that even after the twenty – first century begins, we will have to fight for social justice.
Not only my interest in public welfare but my selfishness is also responsible for my not ceasing to write letters under any circumstances! Letters relieve fatigue and add to my zeal; the burden and the pressure are shared and, therefore, considerably reduced! I keep writing so that my mind may be free from pressure. The epistolary form, especially, creates a net of love and affection for my brethren, an extraordinary feeling of oneness with them. Besides, my letters will have their immediate impact and lead to positive results. Just by writing five letters, I could recently conduct a mammoth procession for social justice in which five lakh people took part in Chennai.
When I write, I am especially vigilant and avoid committing mistakes. Normally, no mistakes will occur. If at times a word goes wrong, I won’t strike it off or change it but write the following line in such a manner that the use of the particular word is justified.
We thus come to know from the most authentic source (1) the pioneers in the field from whom he drew inspiration, (2) the raison d’etre of the choice of the epistolary form, (3) the modus operandi which he preferred, (4) the brick – bats he had to face and (5) the bouquets he received.
Almost all the letters are occasional pieces demanded by some public event or social function or festival or political celebration. But the message of the author transcends the occasion and stresses the truths, the values and the ideals relevant to the Tamil cause. Even a cursory analysis of one of the letters will reveal most of the salient features of Kalaignar’s epistles to his blood brothers.
The letter published in Murasoli dated 16 August 1997, for instance, was obviously inspired by the golden jubilee of India’s independence. It opens with a very brief, one – sentence, reference to the event and then passes on to the author’s grave concerns. A short quote from Bharati serves as corroborative evidence.
It is fifty years since our motherland broke the fetters of slavery. We should, however, be aware that we are still in the early dawn, waiting for the emergence of wholesome freedom. Poet Bharati sang of a white official chastising a freedom fighter:
You measly vassal –
Thoughts of freedom for you?
Seen wealth ever?
Even deserve it do you?
Banished caste squabbles?
Given up religious conflicts?
Dare you talk of justice?
Get out of my sight!
This admonition seems relevant to our predicament even during this golden jubilee year. This thought fills us with hurt and anguish as if a spear is goring a gaping wound.
Shouldn’t we hark back? Should not those thoughts haunt our hearts? So many flaming lights of sacrifice had soaked their bodies in blood, and lent their life blood to enable the flag of freedom to fly aloft, and laid the foundation for the country’s liberty.
The thought of the struggle for freedom naturally leads him to a sincere tribute to the greatest of our freedom fighters, Mahatma Gandhi, but then Kalaignar cannot miss the opportunity of breaking into a panegyric on a heroic Tamil woman:
Mahatma Gandhi had said that it was the ultimate sacrifice of that jewel of womanhood Thillaiyadi Valliammal against South Africa’s racist scourge which spurred the passion for the motherland’s freedom in him.
Again Kalaignar cannot help giving vent to his agony over the condition of the poorest of the poor in this country.
A large proportion of our people are spending their lives in misery – with hands for umbrellas as protection from the scorching sun, and resorting to the foot of a tree for cover against rain, treating it as their mansion. Millions of Adi Dravidas, lovingly called Harijan or God’s people, live in hovels, which are but the garbage dumps of villages.
The farmer producing food; the weaver dispensing cloth to protect our self-respect; the toiling worker sprinkling his sweat as rose water on the soil of his motherland; the miner burrowing the bowels of the earth; the pearl diver; the fisherman; the blacksmith sweltering by furnance; the worker ferrying head loads of sand; the tree climber; the washerman, the barber; the person with a nominal education engaged in clerical chores – no salubrious breeze touches the lives of these multitudes. Not that ameliorative measures are not being taken. But these measures have not produced wholesome results. Whatever development plans are drafted, unbridled explosion of population would make such development plans mere moonlight flooding forest lands.
Transcending party loyalties and ideological preferences, Kalaignar states that the fact that “this land of continental proportions has been flourishing as a democracy in the comity of nations and enhancing its esteem fills us with pride and exultation”. But he would like to remind his readers that the spirit of democracy is not something alien to the Tamil genius:
Our literatures bear witness to the signs of people’s rule even during the Sangam period. The Uttiramerur stone inscriptions have recorded the election of municipal leaders by the people.
Then comes the characteristic assurance that his government “will tread the path blazoned by Anna which enjoins that the government machinery should function with focus on resolving the problems of every one – depressed people, backward classes, most backward castes, office goers, and the whole gamut of workers.”
The letter ends with a rhetorical, almost poetic, exhortation to the Tamils:
Guarding the unity, the integrity and the sovereignty of the nation, we will serve well, holding the Tamil honour aloft.
We will follow the path hallowed by noble patriots. Mahatma Gandhi said that truth is God.
Arignar Anna said that we should find God in the poor’s smile.
Do your duty unmindful of return, urged Periyar.
Hard work would yield greatness, observed the great leader Kamaraj.
Let their thoughts illumine the lives of the Tamil people. Let us resolve to serve this cause on the occasion of this golden jubilee.
All this does not mean that Kalaignar’s letters are stereotypical. They do vary in structure and style depending upon the subject chosen.
When the occasion demands it, the letter to the party cadre may be turned into a carefully composed essay meant for a wider group of readers. In one letter, for instance, he contends that it is basically wrong to decide that politics is nothing but poison and that politicians cannot but be poisonous creatures. To demonstrate the validity of the statement that the abuse of something is not an argument against it, he brings in numerous analogies from several branches of knowledge and walks of life.
Valluvar, considering the importance of the subject, has dealt with politics in the whole of “Porutpaal” in seventy chapters of 700 couplets; it is foolish to come to the hasty conclusion that politics is an indecent, uncultured sphere of human activity.
Just because some lovers have proved treacherous and unscrupulous, it is not wise to condemn love itself. Again, poets like Valluvar, Bharati and Bharatidasan have sung the glory of love.
Just because some claiming to be ascetics turn out to be rogues, it is not wise to condemn renunciation itself.
Just because one’s dress has become dirty, one does not tear it off.
When poison is mistaken for medicine, there are bound to be dangerous consequences. On that account, it is unwise to reject medicine itself.
In a fertile land, weeds will also grow with cultivated plants. On that account, the land cannot be abandoned.
In a pond of drinking water, if dirt spreads over the surface, one does not blame the pond for that.
Kalaignar then concludes that for the flourishing of democracy politics is essential and that ruling a nation is not the birthright of the rich alone since in a truly democratic set-up, those who live in huts are as privileged as those who live in palaces. But “just because we own a pot of water, can we kick it off and break it? Or, can an individual, claiming that it is his, dance beside it holding a sickle in his hand?” If in the field of politics weeds are removed, the crops of righteousness will grow more and more. In order to see clearly the dirt and the filth in the pond of politics, we have to remove the dust that has fallen into our eyes.
Some letters begin with humorous anecdotes and end with wholesome messages to his beloved younger brothers and sisters. A letter dated 29 April 2005 exhorts them to aim high and to work hard to achieve the desired goal. It substantiates the saying, “Only if you run long, can you jump high.” A young man met Kalaignar in his Arivalayam office and handed over a small piece of paper in which the following sentences were written:
My dear leader! You work without resting; you keep working all the time; you work without sleeping. I too work, but not without sleep. I sleep because, as advised by our President Abdul Kalam, young men should have dreams.
Kalaignar was naturally amused by this letter which triggered off a series of thoughts about his being a workaholic as well as about the young man’s misunderstanding of Kalam’s well-meant advice.
I spend sleepless nights only to find time to write and to undertake journeys to meet people. I have seen Arignar Anna writing when the rest of the world would be asleep. I have also cultivated the same habit following his example. I would keep writing till the dawn makes its appearance and asks me to put my pen down and the joy, the peace that I find in this has no parallel. Do you know the kind of encouragement given by the peaceful time when there is no sound other than the one made by a fresh breeze that blows gently?
I have cultivated the other habit of writing following the example of Periyar, who, in the Kudiyarasu office at Erode, would be writing day in, day out in the midst of the din raised by the vehicles on the road, the movement of the people in the printing office, and the large gathering of visitors.
What is made clear by these two different practices? We should be prepared for the journey through flower – gardens as well as through bush-filled, storm-swept forests.
The advice by the Hon’ble Abdul Kalam that young men should have dreams has been literally taken by this young man!...
What he meant was that young men should think and act…
Young men should dream of becoming great intellectuals, excellent engineers, service-minded doctors who work for the creation of a healthy society, heroes who can create histories, researchers who examine the endless sky and the ever-flowing sea, noble men who ignore caste and religious distinctions, poets, painters, sculptors, politicians concerned with constructive works, scholars and patrons.
Striking an autobiographical note in this context, Kalaignar adds,
The dream that I did not desire to dream during my youth was that I should have college education. That became a shattered dream. But to work for the glory of my language, my nation, my people was a constant dream that I always cherished. Those who have such a dream will receive the stamp of approval only as exceptional cases…
It is not necessary to fall asleep in order to have such a dream. Only when you wake up, can you realize your dreams. It is easy to have a dream about anything; but it is hard to achieve it without hard work!
The following is one of my favourite golden sayings:
“The longer you run, the higher you can jump.”
Kalaignar bursts into poetry when the occasion happens to be a magnificent one such as the World Classical Tamil Conference held at Coimbatore on 23-27 June 2010. In a letter in verse penned on the eve of the Conference, Kalaignar invites everyone of the entire Tamil community to throng the place since it is a festival organized to pay homage to Mother Tamil, hailed by Bharati and Bharatidasan, on the Kongu land, where reputed philanthropists of Sangam fame like Kumanan lived. In such contexts, Kalaignar does not fail to invoke Bharati whose words on the need to have such celebrations would have originally urged him to undertake such ventures. In a Tamil essay ‘Poet’ (Kavi), Bharati states,
There have been no grand festivals in Tamilnadu in honour of Tamil heroes, poets and philanthropists. In a nation which does not cheish the memory of great souls, there is no possibility of the emergence of new generations of noble men. Even if exceptionally one or two may make their appearance, they will not receive the reverence due to them. How will the people who are not in the habit of wondering at the mighty men of the past and loudly proclaiming their achievement to the world take care of new products?
What we wish for will be born. What we support will grow. What is uncared for will perish. The talent that is not used will be lost. In a nation that does not glorify wise men, well-wishers of the world and heroes, wisdom, generosity and heroism will disappear. Since there is now a resurgence in Tamilnadu, without being slothful, we should, for great poets like Kamban, Ilango and Tiruvalluvar, erect memorial statues and celebrate anniversaries…
We should organize scholarly conferences and colourful public functions with a fanfare so that men and women of all castes and religions may attain supreme joy, vast knowledge and enrichment of heart. Every intelligent man may realize the need for festivals in Tamilnadu which are above religious prejudices.
Soaked in such sentiments, Kalaignar tells his readers that the conference is going to be a gala held with the serious intention of redeeming the Tamil race. He wants them to listen to the speeches and discussions of a variety of learned men on Dravidian Civilization, art, culture and literature ultimately proclaiming to the world that Tamil is the primary classical language of the world. It is made clear that he is not, as is his wont, inviting the rank and file of his party to participate in a struggle for their rights. The invitation is meant for every Tamil and the destination won’t be a battle field but a conference hall replete with sessions of knowledge! Though he would like to meet everyone in person and extend an invitation, he has to be contented with this letter in verse and this should not stop anyone from setting out to make the journey to Coimbatore. Quite characteristically, Kalaignar warns the Tamils against being misled by his principal political adversary who has been casting aspersions on him:
O Tamilnadu! Trust not poison! And don’t land yourself in trouble, O Tamilnadu!
The series of seven letters written under the title “Some Landmarks in the History of Classical Tamil” (Chemmozhittamizh Varalaarril Sila Seppedukal) is at once an authentic historical document and an exquisite work of art. A breathtaking narration of the saga of the victorious struggle for classical status for Tamil, it chronicles all the significant events, recalls the names of towering personages and praises the formidable men of letters who participated in the epoch – making fight. The seven subheadings chosen for the letters are indicative of the research that has gone into the making of the worthy record: (1) “A Welcome Arch to the Classical Tamil Conference” (2) “The Uniquencess of Dravidianism as Demonstrated by Caldwell” (3) “Fifteen Evidences Provided by Devaneya Pavanar” (4) “The Oldest Living Language of the Prehistoric Past” (5) “California Professor’s Considered Viewpoint” (6) “Continuous Efforts for Prominence for Classical Tamil” (7) “Not a Letter, but an Imperishable Copperplate.”
In the first letter, Kalaignar states the purpose of the series of epistles to the young Tamil enthusiasts:
My real intention is to use my leisure for composing letters to you that might serve as a decorative welcome arch to the Classical Tamil Conference for which preparations are under way. These are the stones gathered by me for the construction of such an arch.
He recalls what Arignar Anna said about Tamil at the inaugural function of the second World Tamil Conference held in Chennai:
Extremely rich in vocabulary and expression, it is a right medium most suited to conveying nuances of abstract ideas and thoughts with a high degree of precision and accuracy. Tamil is a native well undefiled. Its linguistic resources are vast: the language can accommodate with consummate ease long prose narrations, sharp comments, explanations and discussions.
The objectives of the conference are firmly and clearly drawn by Kalaignar:
We wish that the seminars of the Conference should educate the next generation of young scholars, the plenary sessions kindle and arouse finer feelings for serious study and research, exhibitions remain memorable spectacles and public parade and pageantry demonstrate our primordial culture and civilization.
Praising Parithimarkalaignar for being the first to raise his voice claiming classical status for Tamil, Kalignar recalls the passage from his book The History of the Tamil Language in order to reveal how the earlier Kalaignar condemned the Sanskritists:
The Sanskritists understood the customs and manners of the Tamils and introduced their Sanskrit works which imposed their beliefs. They created imaginary tales and puranas on the temples and holy centres of Tamil Nadu with a view to spreading their ideology. They introduced the Varnasrama system that was alien to the Tamil mind. They gradually established the caste hierarchy of Antanar, Aracar, Vanikar and Velalar. See what Kapilar Akaval tells the Aryas ‘you have brought into this country the caste system as though the castes had been marked since creation.’ They got into the good books of the Tamil kings and got themselves appointed lords and ministers of the King’s cabinet by displaying their cleverness. They acquired rare ideas and words of wisdom from the Tamils, translated them into Sanskrit and introduced these as originating from Sanskrit.
Quoting these fiery and uncompromising words, Kalaignar purposely adds the question:
“Do not these words, written a century ago with substantial evidence, clearly echo the thoughts of Periyar and Anna?”
In the second letter, Robert Caldwell’s Contribution to the cause of Classical Tamil is chosen for special praise. Besides coining the phrase “Dravidian Language”, Caldwell in his incomparable magnum opus A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages has given conclusive proof to establish that Tamil is a classical language. In the second part of the letter, Kalaignar chronicles the series of events that added strength to the claim, especially, the efforts taken by Saiva Siddhantha Maha Samajam and Karanthai Tamil Sangam right from the days of the Tamil Scholar Umamaheswaranar. In one of the extraordinary meetings convened by Saiva Siddhantha Maha Samajam, the resolution tabled by K. Subramania Pillai stressed the fact that Tamil is a naturally formed language which is in vogue even today and that rich in diverse literary genres with outward beauty of linguistic form and richness in content and message, possessing a matchless variety of rare compositions, it should be accepted with pride as a language which is deservedly classical on par with Sanskrit, Arabian and Persian.
In 1921, when the Governor of Madras Presidency paid a visit to Thanjavur, on behalf of Karanthai Tamil Sangam, a delegation led by Rao Bahadur U.A. Vandaiyar met the Governor and tendered an appeal to make a public announcement that Tamil is raised to the status of an independent classical language.
Any reader will be moved by the revelation in the letter that Gnaniyar Adigal “in his presidential address expressed his deep sense of regret and anguish that the Indian Government had not given the respect due to Tamil and had not treated it as a classical language.”
In the third letter, the memorable statement made by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a highly respected freedom fighter and multilingual scholar well-versed in Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, Persian, Bengali and English, is exultantly quoted by Kalaignar:
We must remember that Tamil is really a classical language and most of the achievements of Tamil which entitle it to recognition belong to a past age.
Devaneya Pavanar’s The Primary Classical Language of the World, claiming that Tamil is a highly developed classical language of Lemurian origin on the basis of fifteen well-substantiated evidences, is an unforgettable landmark in the history of Classical Tamil.
When the D.M.K. came to power for the fourth time in Tamilnadu under the stewardship of Kalaignar, it created a separate Ministry for the Department of Tamil as the official language and Tamil culture which, as advised by him, took upon itself as its first and foremost duty to do everything for attaining classical status for Tamil. The Committee of experts constituted by the Ministry prepared a document including all reasons for the strong claim for classical status to Tamil and sent it to the Central Government. This well-researched letter provided convincing historical and other scholarly evidences:
Tamil has a very unique place among the classical languages of the world. It has a history of more than two thousand years of consummate literary expression, and is the sole preserver of the Dravidian heritage of old literature, a massive corpus of poetry written in this language being traced to pre-christian era. It has had a continuing, vibrantly alive existence, growth and development through centuries down to the present, witnessing diversity and ramifications through space and time. It has tributaries of languages growing from, meeting and mingling all along its course by virtue of its seminal position as a major language of the Dravidian family of languages. Also, it had been flowing parallel to the streams of Northern tongues, chiefly Sanskrit, right from the pre-Christian days of Indian cultural evolution, maintaining healthy affinities with those tongues and yet preserving its uniqueness and identity as the expressive medium of a cultural community…
During the past five decades or more and since the discovery of Indus Valley Civilization followed by the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the considerable and significant contribution which the Tamils or Dravidian speaking peoples have made to the totality of the Indian culture is gradually better understood. Prof. R.D. Banerji, who discovered the Mohenjo-Daro site wrote, “it has been established that a wonderful Pre-Aryan Civilization existed in the Indus Valley many centuries before the period of the Aryan intrusions… who were apparently the Dravidians or Proto-Dravidians later represented by the various communities in South India speaking dialects of the Dravidian Languages…”
In spite of all its global recognition and merits, its antiquity and greatness, it is still considered in its native country as a regional language and it is grouped under the MIL (Modern Indian Languages). No Indian language except Sanskrit is as ancient as Tamil. But, it is still given the status of a modern Indian language by the Government of India. The constitution of India makes it a fundamental duty of every Indian citizen “to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture”. While the contribution of Tamil to Indian culture is so enormous and immense, it failed to get the recognition it deserves. In the Dakar University in Senegal, Tamil, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit are taught as Classical Languages in the Department of Classical Languages. But, in our universities, Tamil was excluded in this list for a long time and the other languages namely Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit are accepted as Classical Languages…
As far as Tamil is concerned, the period from Sangam Age to the sixth century A.D. can be termed Classical age since this age witnessed unique literary and linguistic achievements. These contributions are the typical representatives of the Dravidian heritage which forms an integral part of the composite cultural heritage of India. It is clearly stated by most of the leading scholars of Indology that any study on the cultural heritage of India will be incomplete if it fails to take into account the rich cultural achievements of the Dravidians. International scholarship has now accepted Tamil as one of the Classical Languages of the world…
The contentions in the appeal to the Central Government reproduced in the fourth letter by Kalaignar in Tamil were given wide publicity by himself in his speeches and writings. The request was duly forwarded by the Department of Education of the Central Government to the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore for careful scrutiny and comments. The Institute, after examining all aspects of the subject, recommended strongly that since Tamil possesses the required qualities of a classical tongue, the centre may announce that it is a classical language.
The fifth letter of the series details the follow – up action taken by Kalaignar through direct and indirect measures when the Central Government was found to be rather lackadaisical in its approach to the whole question. Unamimous resolutions were passed by the Universities of Tamilnadu urging it to accord Classical status and to allocate liberal funds for the future growth of Tamil. As the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, he himself wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister Deve Gowda to say that without any further delay the Ministry of Human Resources Development and the University Grants Commission should sanction liberal grants for the development of Tamil, besides granting it the status of a classical language. When nothing positive was forthcoming, he had to write a letter again on 24 October 98 to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee bringing to his notice the demand of all the Tamils living throughout the world. In the capital city, Delhi Tamil Sangam and other organizations convened a conference on 29, 30 April 2000 which put forward the demand that Tamil be made an official language and its status raised as a primary Classical Language.
The highlight of the fifth letter is the Tamil version of some excerpts from Prof. George Hart’s learned article / letter furnished by Kalaignar for the benefit of his Kazhagam brethren and others. Hart’s credentials are mentioned before his irrefutable arguments are reproduced. His is a spirited defence of the claim of the Tamils.
Let me state unequivocally that, by any criteria one may choose, Tamil is one of the great Classical literatures and traditions of the world. The reasons for this are many…
First, Tamil is of considerable antiquity. It predates the literatures of other modern languages by more than a thousound years…
Second, Tamil constitutes the only literary tradition indigenous to India that is not derived from Sanskrit… Third, the quality of Classical Tamil Literature is such that it is fit to stand beside the great literatures of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Persian and Arabic… Finally, Tamil is one of the primary independent sources of modern Indian Culture and tradition… To deny that Tamil is a Classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian Culture.
Giving the importance that Hart’s letter richly deserves, Kalaignar emphatically asserts that “the ideas in this pronouncement of Prof. G.L. Hart had a great impact on the minds of the educationists in India and inspired the Tamil lovers and enthusiasts.”
In the sixth letter, Kalaignar enumerates the efforts of the DMK Government and of himself to persuade the Central Government to declare Tamil a Classical Language. They started taking political and legal steps apart from working at the government level. In the election manifesto of 2001, the party announced its electoral promise for getting Tamil the classical status and started taking steps for the fulfillment of the promise. There is a detailed account of the resolutions passed by Tamil Sangam, Chennai, Bangalore Tamil Sangam, Tiruvanantapuram Sangam and Karanthai Tamil Sangam all of which drew the attention of the Central Government to the fact that it did not seem to have comprehended the genuine feelings of the Tamils.
In this letter, Kalaignar gives his answer to those who had been repeatedly raising the question : What are the advantages we derive if Tamil is accepted as a classical language?
If the Central Government announces that Tamil is a Classical Language, the University Grants Commission will accept it. Then, Tamil will begin to function as an independent department in all Indian universities. Advanced research in Tamil Language, Tamil art and literature will be conducted with greater zeal. Tamil will gain acceptance in all the universities of the world as an independent language and not as one of the several oriental languages. Like the Sanskrit year, for celebrating which the Centre grants rupees fifteen crore, there will be a Tamil year which can also be celebrated. There will be opportunities for creating Encyclopedias with details on Tamil art and culture. Tamil – English dictionaries can be brought out with the aid from the centre. There can also be other plans for the development of scientific Tamil. Tamil works will get translated not only into other Indian languages but also into foreign tongues such as English and French.
The seventh letter ends on a note of triumph. In 2004, United National Alliance led by Sonia Gandhi swept the polls and after the government was formed, in the national common minimum programme, it was publicly announced that Tamil would be declared a classical language. The joy of the Tamil lovers and scholars all over the world knew no bounds when the President of the Indian Republic, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam announced in the combined meeting of the members of the Parliament that Tamil would be declared a classical language. The declaration was made on 12 October 2004 and Kalaignar’s description of the joy he felt is characteristic.
I felt the same delight and bliss as I experienced whenever Thanthai Periyar lauded my work patting me on my back and Arignar Anna embraced me with affection.
Reproducing the letter written to him by Sonia Gandhi on the occasion, Kalaignar observes:
You have written that my party and I have been primarily responsible for this. This is not just a letter. Hundreds of years later, when my great – grandchildren read this, they should realize that this is the invaluable monument that had been protected by their great – grandfather. In my younger days, I began my political career, raising the slogan, ‘Long live Tamil,’ holding aloft the flag bearing the insignia of the tiger, the bow and the fish. The same political career continues even today. If there is a history behind this movement for Classical Tamil, the letter that you have written to me is worthy of being inscribed in letters of gold, studded with diamonds and hung in my burial chamber. The letter is a token of remembrance for my entire life and I do most heartily extend my thanks and greetings to you. Every word of my thanksgiving speech will keep reverberating in my heart till I live and in my graveyard after I die.
But he tells his younger brothers and sisters that this victory should not simply result in gloating self–satisfaction.
A hundred – year old dream of the Tamils has come true. The first part of the history of Classical Tamil has come to a glorious end. A great deal of service for the cause of Classical Tamil awaits us. Let us prepare ourselves and get ready for the task before us!
Both with regard to their historical significance and their literary merit, Kalaignar’s letters running to several volumes do challenge comparison with those of any reputed statesman from any part of the world.
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