Indira Parthasarathy

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[[File:இந்திரா பார்த்தசாரதி.jpg|thumb]Indira Parthasarathy] Indira Parthasarathy (Ee. Pa) (July 10, 1930) is one of the pioneers of modern tamil literature. He has accomplished in multiple fields including novels, short stories and plays. Recipient of the Padma Shri Award. Recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel 'Kuruthipunal'. He is 'fellow' in Sahitya academy. Professor of tamil with high proficiency in English. A Marxist enthusiast with a scholarship in Vaishnava devotional literature.

Most of his novels deals with the psychology of the upper middle class lives. Filled with Satire. They depict the metropolitan life through the fictional characters who are officials in the government offices.

Birth, Early life

Original name is Parthasarathy. He was born in a tamil vaishnavaite family in chennai on July 10, 1930. He was brought up in Kumbakonam. He was admitted to the school of education only when was 9 years old, that too in the class of sixth standard straightaway. He was introduced to tamil literary personalities such as Thi. Janakariman and Karichchan Kunju at this young age. Thi. Janakiraman was his teacher. He received Bachelor's degree from Kumbakonam arts college and Master's degree from Chidambaram annamalai university.

Personal life

He started his career as a Tamil teacher at the National College in Trichy in 1952. He later worked as a Tamil teacher at the University of Delhi (1962-2002) and after retirement became the Professor of Drama at the University of Pondicherry. For few years (1981-1986) he was a visiting professor of Indian philosophy and culture at the University of Warsaw in Poland. He is currently living in Chennai.

Family

It was from his family that he got the introduction to the Vaishnava devotional literature and gained his interest in Marxism. Ee. Pa.'s father was an ardent Vaishnava devotee. Brother Venkatachari was involved in extreme left politics. His reading habit is also inherited from his family. Her grandmother and mother were voracious readers. He has his wife’s name as the first part of his pseudonym.

Literary Contribution

Short Stories

In an interview to Vikatan, he once recalled that he wrote his first short story when he was 15 years old. It is the story about the increase in number of young women in the ‘Agraharam’.

His first published short story was ‘Manitha Enthiram.’ It was published in 1964 as a special story in the magazine, Anandha Vikatan.

“The form of the short story gets shaped by the unconscious mind of its respective author. It has no specific grammar. Forcing one to create a literary work in accordance to a particular theory is equivalent to saying that a woman who has studied medical science can only bear a child,” said Ee. Pa. This can be applied to his novels also.

Novels

His first novel ‘Kaalavellam’ was published in 1968. By creating characters with multiple traits and through the depiction of the contradictions, interactions and synchronicity between those characters he was able to convey the vision of the novel to his readers. Right from his first novel, this can be witnessed in all his works.

Kuruthipunal

His autobiographical novel, ‘Vaerpatru’ helps readers to get a close access to Ee. Pa., as a student and as a literary figure.

The Sahitya Akademi Award was given for his novel 'Kuruthippunal' which approached the caste massacres in a village called Keezhvenmani in Thanjavur from a completely new angle. This novel subtly points out that the Class divisions are not just determined by the external factor, the economics; But that the internal factors such as culture and myth also plays an important role.

Plays

While the literati had their hopes lost on the Plays, Ee. Pa. was attracted by this great creative format. Ee. Pa.’s first play was ‘Mazhai’. This play was staged by Bharathi Mani who belonged to the Dakshina Bharata Nataka Sangam of Delhi amidst various protests. Encouraged by this, he continued to write plays.

Also, since the then ‘Enact’ magazine translated most of his plays into english, he was mainly knows an a playwright than a novelist in Delhi. His historical plays such as ‘Aurangazeb’ and ‘Ramanujar’ are very popular.

After his retirement as a professor of Tamil from the University of Delhi, he received an opportunity to work at the university of Pondicherry. But he insisted that he would work only as a professor of drama and he became the reason for the formation of the department of drama in that university.

He has been conferred with a Doctorate by the university of Delhi for his research on Alwars. The play Ramanujar was the result of these research studies and the play received ‘Saraswathi Samman’ award.

Literary Significance

Indira Parthasarathy has put forward the power struggles, games played by the pompous, intellectual complexities that are hallmarks of a metropolitan life in Tamil literature. Indira Parthasarathy’s works, through the subtle satire, depicts the attitudes of the bureaucrats and the politicians who holds the power directly and also that of clerical class who witnesses it everyday being part of that power centre and at the same time enslaved to it. His early novels such as ‘Thanthira Bhoomi’ and ‘Suthanthira Bhoomi’ are best examples.

Indira Parthasarathy wrote more about the human pretensions. It is a vision out of emotionless but of an intellectual research view. Hence, his fictions placed more emphasis on the Freudian psychology. It is the narrative style that delves into the psychology of the characters through the narration of the story itself.

In the seventies, Indira Parthasarathy moved towards the ideas of existentialism. Intellectual humor slowly moved towards the vision of meaninglessness. Indira Parthasarathy chose plays as its best form during this period. It is through these plays that Indira Parthasarathy is considered to be one of the pioneers of Tamil modern play. In particular, his ’Porvai Porthiya Udalgal’ is known to be the best realistic play then and even today. Indira Parthasarathy’s later novels have a satirical take on the decline of our politics. ‘Mayamaan Vettai’, ‘Vedapurathu Viyabarigal’ are the best examples of his satiric view.

He was born in a big city but raised in a small town. He is a collection of such oxymorons. But the fact that his novels do not define these psychological problems only on the economical grounds is an outcome of the contradictions that inherent in him.

Awards

  1. Sahitya Akademi Award
  2. Saraswathi Samman Award
  3. Sangeet Natak Akademy Award
  4. Bharatiya Bhasha Award
  5. Padma Shree (2010)
  6. The Hindu Lit for Life - The Lifetime achievement award.
  7. Sahitya Academy Fellowship

Works

Short Stories

He has written more than hundred short stories. They are published as several compilations by various publishers.

Novels

  1. Kaalavellam (1968)
  2. Aagasath Thamarai
  3. Maayamaan Vettai
  4. Thanthira Bhoomi
  5. Thiraigalukku Appal
  6. Saththiya Sothanai
  7. Kuruthipunal (Recipient of Sahitya Akademi award)
  8. Krishna Krishna
  9. Vedapuraththu Viyabarigal
  10. Suthanthira Bhoomi
  11. Helicoptergal Keezhae Irangivittana
  12. Vaerpatru
  13. Venthu Thanintha Kaadugal
  14. Agni
  15. Theervugal
  16. Yesuvin Thozhargal
  17. Nilam Ennum Nallaal (Original story of the play 'Mazhai')
  18. Uchchi Veyil (It was later adapted as a feature film.)

Plays

  1. Mazhai (Adapted from the novel - Nilam Ennum Nallal)
  2. Porvai Porthiya Udalgal
  3. Kaala Yanthirangal
  4. Nandan Kathai
  5. Kongai Thee
  6. Aurangazeb
  7. Ramanujar
  8. Iruthi Aattam
  9. Sooravali
  10. Pasi
  11. Kovil
  12. Dharmam
  13. Nattakkal
  14. Punarabi Jenmam, Punarabi Maranam
  15. Veedu

Translations

The plays Iruthi Aattam and Sooravali are inspired from Shakespeare's The King Lear and The Tempest, respectively.

Translated Works

Most of his plays were translated into English by the magazine 'Enact' that was operated from Delhi. This exclusive theatre magazine was run by Rajendra paul.

Below novels were translated into english

  1. Krishna Krishna - Translated by Ee. Pa.
  2. Kuruthipunal - 'River of Blood' translated by Ka. Na. Su.
  3. Thiraigalukku Appal - 'Through the Veils' by Lakshmi Kannan.

References