Pioneering litterateur
ASHOKAMITRAN
A. MATHAVAIAH PADAIPPUKAL — Collection of A. Madhavaiah’s Literary Works (Tamil): Edited by Shanmugasundaram; Kavya, 16th Cross Street, Trustpuram, Kodambakkam, Chennai-600024. Rs. 500.
One of the pioneers of modern Tamil writing, A. Madhavaiah (1872-1925) had as eventful a life as his fiction. His early education and graduation took place in Christian institutions and his writings, especially his English novels ‘Clarinda’ and ‘Sathianandan,’ indicate he earnestly believed that Christian faith could be an alternative to centuries-old oppression and humiliation silently borne by millions of the countrymen.
He attacked the various instances of hypocrisy exhibited by the Hindu orthodoxy. He did not reject tradition or continuity but passionately willed for the elimination of social ills.
Omnibus
This omnibus edition of Madhavaiah’s prose and poetic works, barring his celebrated novels ‘Padmavathy Charitram’ and ‘Vijaya Marthandam,’ is a useful addition to such attempts at honouring the pioneers of modern Tamil writing. Madhavaiah wrote a number of songs, more or less contemporaneously with Subramania Bharati, even specifying the tune for a song very much like the great poet did. (He won the first prize for a song while Bharati was awarded the second prize.)
Translation
He also tried his hand in translation and rendered into English a selection of verses from Tirukkural, providing also a paraphrase in Tamil. The choice of the 40 verses from 1330 itself reflected his passion for cleansing the Hindu society of its dross and inequalities instead of destroying the edifice.
A number of Madhavaiah’s stories were published in The Hindu. He translated them into Tamil and had them published in three volumes as ‘Kusigar Kutti Kathaigal.’ He attempted playwrighting and adapted ‘Othello’ for a full-length stage play.
Actually one of his early writings is an extended critique of Prof. Sundaram Pillai’s ‘Manonmaniam’ in an idealistic monthly, named ‘Viveka Chintamani.’ It will be interesting to note that B.R. Rajam Aiyer, another pioneering Tamil writer serialised his novel ‘Kamalambal Charitram’ in ‘Viveka Chintamani’ while at the same time writing his philosophical essays in English for ‘Prabuddha Bharata.’
Account
This collection also contains Madhavaiah’s accounts of Gautama Buddha, Dalavai Ariyanatha Mudaliar, Hyder Ali (of Mysore) and ‘Comdan’ (Commandant) Khan Sahib of Madurai who was known as Marudanayagam before conversion to Islam.
A more comprehensive contents page and a proper biographical note giving a chronology of landmarks in Madhavaiah’s life would have enhanced the book’s value. The misprints are jarring and unacceptable particularly because Madhavaiah had been very keen about getting his books free of misprints. A volume of this nature and dimension deserved much better editorial attention.
Yet, there is little doubt that the book is valuable as a means of enlightening the people on the pioneering literary efforts in Tamil and throwing light on the conditions of Tamil society a hundred years ago.
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