Maunaguru
Mounaguru (June 09, 1943) is a drama teacher, koothu artist, poet, educator, researcher, drama trainer, and a drama director. He is one of the foremost artists in Eelam koothuruva drama, and he recovered Eelam Tamil koothukalai.
Birth, Education
Mounaguru was born on June 09, 1943, in Seelamunai, Batticaloa, near Amirthakali. He was born to Chinnaya and Muthammal as their second son. He studied at Amirthakali Methodist Mission School until his fifth grade (1948-53), and studied at Vantharumoolai Central College from sixth grade until his final years of schooling. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) (1961-65) and a Master's degree (1970-73) from the University of Peradeniya. He completed his doctorate (1975-76) at the University of Ceylon, Colombo, and obtained his PhD (1978-84) from the University of Jaffna. He started his kalanidhi (doctoral) research studies at the University of Jaffna in 1978 under the guidance of Prof. Kailasapathy; he continued under the supervision of Prof. Sivathambi after Prof. Kailasapathy passed away in 1982.
Personal Life
Mounaguru married Chitralekha in 1973. Chithralekha is one of the most prominent female writers of Eelam who works as a Professor in the Fine Arts at the University of Batticaloa. Recipient of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (U.N.H.C.R) Award. Chitralekha was the editor of a compilation of poems written by various female poets that was released as Sollatha Seithigal. Their son, Siddharthan, is a professor of anthropology at the National University Of Singapore.
Teaching Life
Mounaguru started his teaching career at Kalmunai Zahira College (1966-70). He worked as a writer of textbooks (1971-75) and again went back to teaching (1976-81). He worked as a lecturer at the Teacher Training College in Palaly, Jaffna (1982-83), as an assistant lecturer of Fine Arts at the University of Jaffna (1984-88), and as a lecturer for the Master’s degrees (1989-91). He has served as a lecturer for the Master’s degree, as a principal, and as the Head of Faculty of Fine Arts at Eastern University. In 1997, he served as the Acting Vice Chancellor of Eastern University. He worked as a coordinator at Swami Vipulananda University (2003-05). He retired from government service in 2008.
Drama work
Mounaguru’s father was involved in arts and drama of the village; hence, Mounaguru was also naturally inclined towards them. In 1959, at the age of 16, he enacted Pasupadham, a koothu on stage at Vantharumoolai University. This was his first theatrical experience. In 1964, as a college student, he played Ravanesan in his professor Su. Vidhuyananthan’s play Ravanesa; he played the same role at the age of 70 with the same excitement. Mounaguru continued as a writer and an actor in Vithiyandan's Karnan Por (1962); performed at Peradeniya, Nondi Natakam (1963), Ravanesan (1964) and Valivathai (1966). He has been training and performing Arangatrukkai along with his students. He has been involved in modernizing traditional art forms and presenting them, after his retirement from government service in 2008. He has documented koothu, plays, folk music, and musical instruments. He was trained by Prof. K. Kailasapathy, K. Sivathambi and S. Vidhyanathan in the field of drama. Among the students of Mounaguru are Chidambaranathan, Balasukumar, Ganesan, Jayasankar, Selvi, B. Akilan, Kanagaratnam, (Valanadan), Cho Devarasa, Kalalakshmi, Elango, Mattakalppu, Seevarathinam, Anbazhagan, Sudhakaran, Inbamohan, Priyanthini, Ravichandran, Thavarasa.
In 2018, at the age of 76, he staged Mahakavi Rudramoorthy’s drama Puthiyathor Veedu in 1978 with Jaffna University students (fourth generation students). He has directed more than twenty plays.
Aesthetics of Traditional Musical Drama
Mounaguru was instrumental in the debut of the Koothuruva drama in Eelam. He recreated the art with a contemporary modernization of content and aesthetics. Mounaguru mentions that preserving a tradition and rejecting change, in order to preserve the antiquity of a tradition leads to building a samadhi (grave). Mounaguru who believes that modernity must emerge through traditions, is well versed with koothu and dramas of the Sinhalese people and street koothu, koothu and drama traditions of Tamil Nadu and other parts in India. He restored the arts of Eelam and taught them to students. He is well-versed in explaining the Tamil koothu traditions in Sinhala, and explaining Tamil music and the musical instruments. He researched the relationship between Tamil and Sinhala arts in Srilanka. Mounaguru, who has performed and staged many koothu plays, has written many books on koothu. He has staged many mythical, epics, historical and societal stories in the form of plays and koothu.
Mounaguru's Ravanasen play, focusing on the life of Ravana, with elements of koothu, music, song, and rhythm is a remarkable work. Mounaguru's Thappi Vantha Thadi Aadu, a popular children's play is on the many plays that he has created and acted in.
He combined koothu with bharathanatyam and created a new art form; merged traditional koothu with modern art forms and created a modern Tamil art form.
Mounaguru's works often reflect the myths and culture of Eelam; they express ideas, thoughts, and guidelines such as social progress, equality, freedom for women, unity, peace, love, compassion, and the tragedies caused by war.
Awards
- Nadagakeerthi- 2013 (Ilangai Kalai Kalachara Amachagam)
- Kodage Desiya Sahitya Award (Lifetime Achiever) - 2014
