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Charu Nivedita

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இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: சாரு நிவேதிதா

Charu Nivedita
Charu Nivedita
Charu Nivedita
Charu Nivedita
Charu Nivedita
Charu Nivedita

Charu Nivedita (18 December 1953) is a Tamil writer. Charu Nivedita is one among the foremost writers of post modernic, post structuralist aesthetics and the forerunner of transgressive writing in Tamil. Charu Nivedita is popular for his writing styles such as encyclopedism combining multidisciplinary messages, metafictional tendency about writing, playfulness about everything, transcending the bounderies of morality and political correctness and rebellious against the system.

Birth, Education

Charu Nivedita's given name was Arivazhagan and he chose a pseudonym as he was a government servant. Being a supporter of the left wing revolutionary movements of that period, he carved out his pseudonym from Charu Majumdar, the founder and architect of the Naxalite movement. Charu Nivedita was born on 18 December 1953 to G. Krishnasamy and Parvathi at Idumbavanam near Thiruvarur. He completed his school education at Nagur, Pre University Course at Karaikkal and Bachelors degree in Physics at Thanjavur. Charu Nivedita joined the Government service even before completing the course. A. Marx was his physics teacher at Thanjavur.

Personal Life

Charu Nivedita got married to T. G. Sugantha @ Avanthika in the year 1992. He completed the typewriting and short hand courses and joined the Government service as a mid level employee. Charu Nivedita was an assistant at the office of the Inspector of Prisons in Chennai. He was employed in the Public Distribution Department in Delhi. Charu Nivedita then returned to Chennai and worked as an assistant at Postmaster's office and took voluntary retirement in the year 2001.

Literary Life

Literary life of Charu Nivedita can be divided into three eras.

First Era

From the beginning, Charu Nivedita had an aversion towards the modern literature revolving around the little magazines. He was close to left wing ideologies and was of the opinion that the modern writings written amongst a small group is useless. Charu Nivedita critized that the modern literature of Tamil is nothing but a modernist literature and is concerned only about the individual needs and does not take into account the social trends and political dynamics. According to him, these individual needs too belonged to the marginalised elites who were excluded by the political trends of the Tamil soceity, often imagined falsely and exaggeratedly within a small circle. To point this out, Charu Nivedita coined the sarcastic phrase Thayir Sadha Nunnunarvu ( curd rice perception) which became popular later.

Charu Nivedita's first published work was Kanavugal Sidhaithal under the pseudonym Nivedita in the populist Tamil magazine Saavi. Between 1978 and 1990, Charu Nivedita's works were published in the left wing magazines like Ilakkiya Velivattam and Padigal. After he returned to Chennai in the year 1990, Charu Nivedita was writing simple fictions in the populist magazines like Dinamalar Varamalar. At the same time, he was putting forward antipathy and strong criticism on modern Tamil literature. When Sundara Ramaswamy's novel JJ Sila Kurippugal was published in the year 1992, Charu Nivedita critized it strongly and published a bulletin in his own expense. In this bulletin, Charu Nivedita accused JJ Sila Kurippugal of putting forth the individualism and sectarianism of modernity that is close to facism, mocked and belittled all forms of revolutionary politics including Marxism.

During his stay in Delhi, Charu Nivedita was associated with the street theaters of Delhi. He published a short book on revolutionary politics proposed by Sartre. Through the articles written in various magazines, he was putting forward the staunch left wing political outlook.

Second Era

Charu Nivedita got transfered to Chennai from Delhi where he got friends like Ramesh Predhan, Prem and Nagarjunan. With them, he developed interest in post modern and post structuralist ideas. Charu Nivedita was associated with the Nirapirigai magazine that was published from Pondicherry. Nirapirigai was the magazine that attempted to combine the left wing and Periyarist ideas with the post modern perspective. Charu Nivedita says, "There were two categories in the little magazine milieu, viz., Sanathana logic and post modernism and I belonged to the second". His interest in post modernism led him to non linear and metafictional writing styles. Charu Nivedita's short story Cricketei Munn Vaithu Buthijeevigalukku Oru Muttal Sollikondathu (A word by a fool to the intellectuals in the context of cricket), published in the 26th issue of Meetchi magazine was a pioneer in this genre (published under the psedonym Muniyandi). The story ridicules and rejects the modernist writings and its inner depictions. The writing style transforms the story as a kind of dialogue through contradictions and refutations of its own narrative.

Charu Nivedita wrote his first novel Existensionilisamum Fancy Baniyanum in the non linear, metafictional style. This novel ridicules and rejects his earlier view on left wing ideas. It rejects the egoism and moralistic view of the left wing and puts forth the revolt against everything. Charu Nivedita's subsequent novel Zero Degree is considered as his best by the critics. This novel is in a mixed style consisting of diary jottings, cut and paste news clippings, free flowing proses and puts forth the revolt through the denial of self and outside. The current era is faced through various aversions in this novel.

Charu Nivedita serialised Konal Pakkangal in the Vikatan online magazine that can be considered as the gateway to his second era. This serial introduced the writers like Jean Genet, Marquis de Sade, Kathy Acker, Antonin Artaud who have transcended the traditional boundaries and also the alternate music trends like Cradle of Filth which broke down the musical traditions, and by combining these two, Charu Nivedita created a space that was little explored in Tamil. This serial paved way for many youngsters to get attracted towards Charu Nivedita.

Charu - Avanthika

Third Era

Charu Nivedita passed through the second era with the Zero Degree novel. In the Zero Degree novel, spirituality that was independent of any religion was touched upon through the emotions of the narrator's daughter. The third era of Charu Nivedita has evolved out of these emotions. During this period, Charu Nivedita started to consider the spiritualists and tried to imbibe the classical music which he ignored earlier. This period putsforth the spirituality that is attained through contradictions. Charu Nivedita reinvented the terms ethics and easthetics that he was ridiculing earlier, in his own sense. In Tamil modern literature, he started to reconsider the writers Pudhumaipithan, Na. Pichamurthy and Ku. Azhagirisamy whom he completely rejected earlier. He identified his favorites from their works and compiled them in the book Pazhuppunira Pakkangal. Charu Nivedita's novel Exile is considered as the gateway to the third era.

Controversies

In the year 1982, Charu Nivedita published a bulletin strongly condemning Sundara Ramaswamy's novel JJ Sila Kurippugal and this was widely debated.

In the year 1992, Charu Nivedita staged the play entitled Rendavathu Aattam along with his friends in Madurai and was attacked on the allegations of surpassing the limits of morality.

In the year 2010, Charu Nivedita wrote articles about the controversial godman Nithyananda. Later when Nithyananda was arressted on sex scandel, Charunivedita wrote articles Sarasam Sallabam Samiyar, criticising him and Nithyananda pursued criminal charges against Charu Nivedita.

In the year 2015, when Perumal Murugan's novel Maadhorubagan was opposed for insulting a particular caste, Charu Nivedita took a stand against Perumal Murugan. He said that writing against the sentiments of the people is neither a rebel nor a revolution and the writer has to write against the institutions of power as that is the limit for freedom of expression.

Awards and Recognitions

  • Zero Degree was listed in the anthology '50 Writers 50 Books' edited by Pradeep Ed Sebastian and Chandra Siddan [1]
  • Charu Nivedita was one among the best ten Indian writers between 2001 and 2010, chosen by Economic Times.
  • Zero Degree was longlisted for the 2013 edition of Jan Michalski Prize for Literature.
  • Critic Dessidre Fleming has included Zero Degree in his list of fifteen major works of Indian Literature [2]
  • Kannadasan Award for the year 2019 was presented to Charu Nivedita
  • Charu Nivedita was awarded the Vishnupuram Literary Award for the year 2022.

Literary Significance

Works

Novels
  • Existenrtialisamum Fancy Baniyanum
  • Zero Degree
  • Raasa Leela
  • Kaamaroopa Kathaigal
  • Dhegam
  • Exile
  • Aurangazeeb
Short Stories
  • Karnataka Murasum Naveena Tamil Ilakkiyathin Meedhana Oour Amaipiyal Aaivum - Anthology published along with the stories of Nagarjuna and Sylvia ( M. D. Muthukumarasamy)
  • Nano
  • Madhumitha Sonna Paambu Kathaigal
  • Shakespearin Minnanjal Mugavari
  • Kadal Kanni (Translated short. stories)
  • Oorin Miga Azhagaana Penn ( Translated short stories)
EssaybCollections
  • Konal Pakkangal - Part 1
  • Konal Pakkangal - Part 2
  • Konal Pakkangal - Part 3
  • Thisai Ariyum Paravaigal
  • Varambu Meeriya Pradhigal
  • Thappu Thaalangal
  • Danteyin Siruthai
  • Moodupani Salai
  • Enakku Kuzhanthaikalai Pidikkathu
  • Kadavulum Naanum
  • Vaazhvathu Eppadi?
  • Malavi Endroru Desam
  • Kanavugalin Mozhipeyarpaalan
  • Ketta Vaarthai
  • Kadavulum Saithanum
  • Kalaiyum Kaamamum
  • Sarasam Sallabam Saamiyar
  • Manam Kothi Paravai
  • Kadaisi Pakkangal
  • Vetrulagavaasityin Diary Kurippugal
  • Pazhuppunira Pakkangal - Part 1
  • Pazhuppunira Pakkangal - Part 2
  • Pazhuppunira Pakkangal - Part 3
Drama
  • Rendam Aattam
Film Reviews
  • Lathinamerica Cinema: Oru Arimugam
  • Theerakkadhali
  • Kalagam Kaadhal Isai
  • Cinema: Alainthu Thiribavanin Azhagiyal
  • Cinema Cinema
  • Naragathilirunthu Oryu Kural
  • Kanavugalin Nadanam
Politics
  • Azadi Azadi Azadi
  • Adhikaram Amaithi Sudhanthiram
  • Enge Unn Kadavul?
நேர்காணல்கள்
  • ஒழுங்கின்மையின் வெறியாட்டம்
  • இச்சைகளின் இருள்வெளி ('பாலியல் - நளினி ஜமீலாவுடன் ஒரு உரையாடல்' புத்தகத்தின் இரண்டாம் பதிப்பு)
கேள்வி பதில்
  • அருகில் வராதே
  • அறம் பொருள் இன்பம்
English
  • Zero Degree (Novel)
  • Marginal Man (Novel)
  • To Byzantium: A Turkey Travelogue
  • Unfaithfully Yours (Collection of articles)
  • Morgue Keeper (Selected short stories)
  • Towards a Third Cinema (Articles on Latin American Cinema)

Links


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