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M.S. Kalyanasundaram

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இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: எம்.எஸ்.கல்யாணசுந்தரம்

Irubathu Varudangal
Irubathu Varudangal

M.S. Kalyanasundaram (March 28, 1901-1989) was a writer of novels and short stories in Tamil. He is considered an important Tamil writer because he wrote stories on domains that are not usually dealt with in Tamil Literature. His finest work is Irubathu Varudangal (Twenty Years), in which he narrates the escape of a prisoner of war in World War II who is trapped on a Pacific island.

Birth, Education

M.S. Kalyanasundaram was born on March 28, 1901 in Madurai in a Saurashtra family. His father  Sitaramaiya was a Gandhian. M.S. Kalyanasundaram’s elder brother ran a Gandhi Ashram called Vegavathi at Andipatti near Madurai. In 1934, Sitaramaya stayed at the ashram and wrote the novel Karatur Ramu.

From the University of Punjab, M.S. Kalyanasundaram received a B.A degree and a Praveen degree in Hindi. He learned the Montessori method of teaching from Maria Montessori. He knew English, Tamil, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Sanskrit, and German.

Personal Life

M.S. Kalyanasundaram was not married. It is believed that he contracted leprosy while serving in backward areas. He spent his last days in a hospital in Kodaikanal.

Politics

Accepting Gandhi's call in 1942, M.S. Kalyanasundaram quit his job in the postal service, and joined the freedom struggle. He wrote political articles in English, Tamil and Hindi. He produced Tamil-Hindi and Tamil-English dictionaries.

Literary life

Only his novel Irubathu Varudangal and a collection of short stories titled Ponmanal were published during M.S. Kalyanasundaram’s lifetime. K.A. Sachidanandam had the manuscript of his other novel Pagal Kanavu, which was released posthumously.

Publication of books

M.S. Kalyanasundaram did not show interest in publishing his books. In manuscript form, they stayed with K.A. Sachidanandam, who got acquainted with him in the final days of his life. Except for Irubathu Varudangal, his other books went unnoticed. In 2001, twenty years after his passing, his second novel Pagal Kanavu was published from its manuscript.

Death

M.S. Kalyanasundaram passed away in 1989.

Literary Significance

M.S. Kalyanasundaram went beyond the general storylines written in Tamil at the time, such as village life, family life, and man-woman relationships, and wrote stories in completely new domains such as World War II. He had a non-excessive, Realistic style of writing that meticulously observed animals and the environment. His works, which had not been in print for a long time, were brought into print by Tamizhini Publications in commemoration of his centenary year. Their readers considered them to be works that were not outdated by time.

"M.S. Kalyanasundaram can be considered to be the writer who had to reduce his active literary space for his own purpose. The lack of creative space prevented him from becoming a leading creator. But he touches on some essential places in the cultural movement. Therefore, his works are of much importance to Tamil Literature," says literary critic Jeyamohan. In his Ilakkiya Munnodigal Varisai, Jeyamohan places M.S. Kalyanasundaram as one of the pioneers of Tamil literature.

In his introduction to one of M.S. Kalyanasundaram’s books, T.J. Ranganathan says, "In terms of form, quality, and genre, all short stories of Kalyanasundaram are gems."

Works

  • Irubathu Varudangal (Novel)
  • Pagal Kanavu (Novel)
  • Pon Manal (Collection of stories)
  • Dailies


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