Friday Review
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Not an Anniyan to any genre
SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI
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From religion to science, Sujatha’s imagination touched all subjects. And his favourite medium was the short story.
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Photo: S.S. Kumar
Rich palette: Writer Sujatha.
If one were to make a compilation of things they don’t teach you in engineering college, creative writing would probably head the list. And yet Rangarajan, an engineer by training, became famous as writer Sujatha. A year ago, this writer met hi
m and had an interesting conversation that ranged from the Divyaprabandhas to robotics!
It was quite by accident that Sujatha became a writer. Asked to suggest improvements to a friend’s story, he found himself rewriting the whole story. He then wondered why he himself should not be a writer. Although initially some of his stories were rejected by editors of popular magazines, when his first story in Kumudam was published, he received a note from the editor exhorting him to write more stories. Encouraged by this, Sujatha began to spend his free hours writing.
Although he had written novels, his first love was the short story, he said. To weave a plot, and to bring it to a conclusion in just a few pages, while ensuring that the story is not insipid, is challenging.
And of course, Sujatha loved challenges, which was why he tried his hand at every genre of writing. He wrote plays, dialogues for films, articles on science, books on ancient Tamil literature like ‘Purananooru’ and articles on Visishtadwaita.
His was a palette with a myriad colours ranging from the flashy, thought-provoking, disturbing and startling to the subtle, contemplative and soothing.
His stories sometimes make the reader squirm with unease, because they touch a raw nerve with their brutal honesty. ‘Kagitha Changiligal’ is one such story. It shows the tenuousness of relationships when self-interest is at stake. But the beauty of the story is that it is written without a trace of cynicism, and is not in the least judgmental. ‘Vilai’ is yet another story that leaves the reader drained of all emotion.
Sujatha, who grew up in Srirangam, said, “Srirangam, the Bhoolokha Vaikuntam, is my favourite town.”
His stories set in Srirangam are shot through with nostalgia. His love for the works of the Azhwars began when he was a child, though at that time he did not understand the meaning of the pasurams, but was in love with the sheer sonorousness of the words.
As he grew older and understood the meaning of the pasurams, he was totally fascinated by the prabandhas.
Hoardings put up at a memorial meeting in the city.
A votary of science
Sujatha was clearly a votary of science. Didn’t he see science with its emphasis on empiricism as the very antithesis of religion with its emphasis on faith? He said, I don’t see any conflict between the two. The philosophical questions posed by the Upanishads are similar to the questions posed by Quantum Mechanics. The answers they offer to these questions are different, but both prompt the same kind of speculative thought.”
He was always concerned about putting science and technology within the reach of the common man, and won an award from the National Council for Science and Technology for his efforts at popularising science. About blogs he had this to say, “Blogs are an endless ego trip. They can never pose a threat to regular journals or newspapers.” He pointed out that without an editor to ensure that an article was crisp, a writer would tend to ramble and to be verbose.
Sujatha began the interview rather apologetically with the words that his memory was no longer what it used to be. After all he was past 70. But he recalled stories and jokes he had read years ago, giving the lie to this disclaimer.
Sujatha had his share of detractors. There were those who felt his stories peppered with scientific facts were too abstruse. There were those who thought some of his stories were voyeuristic journeys. How did he react to such criticism? He had learnt not to react emotionally to criticism. But he was a trifle sad that people had become prudes, who frowned upon artistic liberties.
Was an autobiography in the offing? “Too early. I am only 70 years old!” he said. Besides he didn’t want to publish his autobiography, and face a battery of criticism from those who had been left out, those who’d been included, and those who thought they hadn’t been properly portrayed. “Maybe I’ll write one with instructions to publish it posthumously. The criticisms won’t hurt then,” he quipped with a chuckle!”
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
