Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal
இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: கு.ப.சேது அம்மாள்
Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal (1908-2002) was a writer of short stories and novels in Tamil. She is regarded as first woman writer to publish collection of short stories in Tamil. She was younger sister of renowned writer Ku. Pa. Rajagopalan.
Birth, Studies
Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal (Kumbakonam Pattabhiramaiyar Sethu Ammal) was born in 1908 to Pattabhiramaiyar and Janakiammal in Kumbakonam. Her elder brother was Ku. Pa. Rajagopalan. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal married at the age of 11 and continued her studies from her husband’s place till school final grade.
Screen Life
In 1949, Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal along with Sandilyan and S.D.S. Yogiar contributed to the story and dialogues for film Krishnabhakti, produced by New Tone Studio starring P.U. Chinnappa.
Literary Life
Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal was assisting Ku. Pa. Rajagopalan in penning his stories when his vision was blurred due to cataract. Thus, she received literary training and began to write regularly. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal published her first short story Sevvai dosham in Gandhi magazine in 1937. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal wrote stories Karuhia Kadal (charred love), Savitriyin Kaditham, (Savitri's letter), Lalitha and Gunavathi in Manikkodi magazine. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal published more than 500 short stories. First collection of short stories Oli Udayam was published in 1946. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal dedicated this collection of 13 short stories to her elder brother Ku. Pa. Rajagopalan. Her first novel Ambika was released in 1962.
Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal was a veena artiste. She wrote books on Culinary arts. She penned a cooking series in Ambalam e-magazine when Sujatha was editor.
Death
Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal passed away in 2002 in Chennai.
Awards
Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal's publications were nationalized in 2002.
Literary Significance
Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal conceptualized same plots in her writings as that popular writings of women writers. These plots depicted the oppression of women and their ruin in tight grip of family system. But Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal writings gain literary value due to the unexaggerated realistic portrayals. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal can be regarded to be the foremost female litterateur of modern Tamil literature. Ku.Pa. Sethu Ammal was a pioneer to subsequent writers like R. Sudamani.
