Nanjil Nadan
இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: நாஞ்சில் நாடன்
Nanjil Nadan (born December 31, 1947) is one of the important writers of modern Tamil literature. He has authored short stories, novels, poems and essays. He has been writing and giving speeches about Classical Literature. He has written about life at Nanjil Nadu. His writings, which are satirical and uses regional dialects, are well received by readers and critics alike.
Birth, Education
Nanjil Nadan’s birth name is K. Subramaniam (G. Subramaniam Pillai). He was born on December 31, 1947 in Veeranarayanamangalam, Kanyakumari district to Ganapathiappillai and Saraswathi Ammal. Nanjil Nadan mentioned in an interview that his father was ‘Orer Uzhavar’ (Orer Uzhavar is the name of a sangakala poet. It means a farmer who ploughs with only one ox). Ganapathiappillai used to lease land from the Brahmins living in Vadiveeswaram, Nagercoil and cultivate it.
Nanjil Nadan was born with a sister and five brothers. He was the eldest of them all. Nanjil Nadan was adopted by his childless aunt (mother’s sister) at a young age and he grew up in a home in Vadiveeswaram. After his aunt had children of her own, he came back to Veeranarayanamangalam. He has always considered his aunt as his mother and her children as his own family.
Nanjil Nadan attended a government primary school in Veera Narayanamangalam from class I to V. He studied at Rachakkulam Government Middle School from class VI to class VIII and completed his schooling at Thalakudi Government High School. He received his Bachelor's degree (B.Sc. Mathematics) from S.T. Hindu College, South Travancore, Nagercoil. Historian A.K. Perumal and Professor Vedasagayakumar were his College friends. Nanjil Nadan received his Masters Degree (M.Sc. Mathematics) from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College, Thiruvananthapuram. While studying as a postgraduate student in Thiruvananthapuram, he also worked as a lecturer in Nagulan’s English tutorials in Mar Iraniya Catholic College, which was right opposite to his college.
Personal Life
Even after completing his masters in mathematics, Nanjil Nadan couldn’t get a job for two years. Meanwhile he helped his father in agriculture. The landlord who had leased the land to them was in Mumbai. On his recommendation, he went to Mumbai and worked in the Mumbai District Collector's Office and in a private company. In 1973, he joined W.H. Brady in Bombay, which manufactures spare parts for weaving machines, as a helper and subsequently climbed his way as a Salesperson and later as a Sales Manager.
In 1989, he was transferred to the Coimbatore branch as the Deputy Manager of Sales. He retired on 31st December 2005, as an Inventory Manager for the four states in the Southern Region. Post retirement, he temporarily ran his own company, Nanjil Agencies, as a sales agent for spare parts for weaving machines. He now lives in Coimbatore.
Nanjil Nadan was married to Sandhya (birth name - Bhagawathi) in 1979 at Tiruvanandapuram. His daughter S. Sangeetha is an Anesthesiologist (MD- Anaesthetist) and her husband R. Vivekanandan is an Orthopedician. Nanjil Nadan's son S. Ganesh works as a supervisor in a software company in Canada and is married to Srileka.
Literary Life
Nanjil Nadan, who was used to living around people, agricultural lands, rivers and village life in Nanjil Nadu, overcame his loneliness in Bombay with the help of Bombay Tamil Sangam. He got into the habit of reading books in its library. He started writing while working in Bombay Tamil Sangam as an unofficial editor. His first short story "Viradham"(fasting) was published in Na. Parthasarathy's Monthly Magazine, Deepam, in August 1975. This won the prize for ‘Best Short Story’ from ‘Ilakiya Sindhanai’, an organisation by P. Lakshmana Chettiyar and P. Chidambaram in Chennai. P. Lakshmana Chettiyar , who was on his way to Ahmedabad, met Nanjil Nadan in Bombay and handed him the cash prize of Rs 50/-.
Kavignar Kalaikoothan and Writer Vannadasan encouraged him to write novels. His first novel, “Thalaikeezh Vigidhangal”, was published in 1977 by Annam Publications. He maintained his friendship with A. Madhavan, Nagulan and Neela Padmanaban and had regular discussions with them. Nanjilnadan's novel Enpilathanai Veyilkayum was refined by Nagulan before getting published. Nanjil Nadan has mentioned that Sundara Ramasamy’s review on the novel Thalaikeezh Vigidangal helped him to advance in literature more seriously. Nanjil Nadan's Ettuthikum Madhayanai is a notable novel. This novel is set against the background of Mumbai Crime World.
He received the Sahitya Academy Award for his short story collection, “Soodiya Poo Sudarka”, in 2010. During his tenure on the jury of the Sahitya Akademi, Tamil’s senior writer A. Madhavan received his Sahitya Academy Award and young writers Abilash Chandran, Sunil Krishnan received their Yuva Puraskar Award.
From 2012, he has taken Kamba Ramayana classes in ‘Kaviya Mugaam’, which is organised in Guru Nitya Gurukul, Ooty every year by Vishnupuram Literary Circle. During the Corona period he started taking Kamba Ramayana classes on behalf of the Canada Literary Circle on the second Saturday of every month, which he continues to take even now. Nanjil Nadan, who is passionate about Kamban and Classical Literature, has been studying Classical Literature at school from a very young age. Enkodi Chettiyar during his seventh grade, Mahadevan Pillai during his highschool, Professor Avvaiyar Azhagappan Ammaiyar during his college, and teachers like K.C. Daanu, Poet Arasu Arumugam, Dr. S. Subramaniam contributed to his inclination towards classical literature. The speeches on classical literature that he heard in Bombay further contributed to his passion towards classical literature. His book titles such as, ‘Nathiyin Pizhayandru Narumpunal Inmai’, ‘Soodiya Poo Sudarka’, ‘Theedum Nandrum’, ‘Enbiladanai Veyil’ shows his love towards Classical Literature.
Literary Place
While mentioning about Nanjil Nandan’s fictional works, writer Jeyamohan says the following:
“ In Nanjil Nadan's stories, you will find that the plot’s surrounding environment is very much believable. Be it Nanjil Nadu or Mumbai, the clearly defined portrayal helps us see the environment right before our eyes. Even while considering one of his earlier stories ‘Ambarimel Or Aadu’, he has effortlessly created the buoyant atmosphere of a high-class Sabah in Mumbai.
His portrayal of Nanjil Nadu is in such a way that even people who have never seen it would have lived a life there through imagination. Why should he portray in detail about the red soap that was stuck to the cloth in the washing stone in a stream? It teases our imagination and brings the stream right before our eyes.
The characters in Nanjil Nadan’s stories can be easily seen in Nanjil Nadu. These are people with innate pettiness, love, and anxiety. From extraordinary characters like ‘Prandhu’ to ordinary characters like ‘Thiraviyam’ (Thalaikeezh Vigidhangal) they think what they are capable of thinking. They speak what they are capable of speaking. They thrive only as much as they can thrive naturally.
His creations show us credible people’s emotions in a credible environment. Mostly he never shows us emotions directly. He makes the reader realise it. ‘A man who is severely hungry goes to his two daughters' home. Both his daughters assume that he would have eaten and don't offer food. He goes back home hungry.’ In this entire scenario the man’s feelings are not portrayed. It has been left to the readers to gauge.
There is no space for melodrama in Nanjil Nadan’s creations. There are no sentiments as well. There are emotions. Short stories like ‘Salapparindu' are an example. But his best short stories portrays peak emotions. ‘Yam Unbem’ is an example. At Least 50 such stories can be pointed out. What the reader feels there is not feelings of sadness but the thrill of experiencing the greatest morality or the wholeness of life. Nanjil Nadan is considered to be one of the greatest creators of Tamil because he wrote them. He is considered to be on par with Pudhumaipithan and Ku. Alagirisami.
Most of his stories have a credible environment, credible character, a worldly problem and his take on it. These are his normal stories. His emotional stories would have credible emotions in it. An immense human value would have been shown in his best stories.”
Awards
- Best Novel of the Year - 1993 (Sathuranga Kuthirai) Tamil Valarchithurai Virudhu by Tamil Nadu Government
- Best Novel of the Year 1993 - 1994 (Sathuranga Kuthirai), Kasthuri Srinivasan Arakattalai, Coimbatore
- Best Novel of the Year - 1993 (Sathuranga Kuthirai) , Puthiya Paarvai - Neelamalai Tamil Sangam Parisu, Chennai
- Best Short Story Collection - 1994, Peikottu, Lily Devasigamani Ilakkiya Parisu, Coimbatore
- Best Novel of the Year - 1986, Midhavai, Deiva Tamil Mandram Parisu, Mayiladudurai
- Best Novel of the Year - 1986, Midhavai, Bombay Tamil Ezhuthalar Sangam, Bombay
- Deivangal Onaigal Aadugal Short Story, Velli Vizha Sirukathai Poti, Kolkata TamilMandram Parisu, Kolkata
- Best Short Story of the Month - August 1975, Viradham, Ilakiya Sindhanai, Chennai
- Best Short Story of the Month - July 1977, Vaai Kasandhadhu, Ilakiya Sindhanai, Chennai
- Best Short Story of the Month - November 1979, Murandu, Ilakiya Sindhanai, Chennai
- Lifetime Literary Achievement Award- 1999, Amudhan Adigal Ilakiya Parisu
- Nadhiyin Pizhaipandru Narumbunal Inmai, Ulaga Tamil Aasiriyar Ninaivu Parisu 2007, Tamil Ilakiya Thottam, Canada.
- Best Short Story Collection - 1994, Peikottu, Tirupur Tamil Sangam
- Kannadasan Virudhu - 2009, Kannadasan Kazhagam, Coimbatore
- Sahitya Academy Award - 2010, Soodiya Poo Sudarka Short Story Collection
- Iyartamil Kalaignar Kalaimamani Virudhu by Tamil Nadu Iyal, Isai, Nadaga Mandram
Bibliography
Novels
- Thalaikeezh Vigithangal (1977, 1983, 1996, 2001, 2008, Kaalachuvadu Publications)
- Enbiladanai Veyil Kayum (1979, 1995, 2007, Pusthaga Digital Media)
- Mamisapadaippu (1981, 1999, 2006, Vijaya Publications)
- Midhavai (1986, 2002, 2008, Vijaya Publications, Natrinai Publishers)
- Sathuranga Kuthirai (1993, 1995, 2006, Vijaya Publications)
- Ettuthikkum madhayaanai (1998, 1999, 2008)
Short stories
- Deivangal Aadugal Onaigal (1981)
- Vaakku Porukkigal (1985)
- Uppu (1990)
- Pei Kottu (1994, 1996)
- Prandhu (2002)
- Soodiya Poo Sudarka (2007)
- Khan Sahib (2010)
- Tholkudi
- Karangu
- Ammai Parthirukiral
Poetry
- Manulli Paambu (2001)
- Pachai Nayagi (2010)
- Vazhukkupparai
- Achamen Maanudava
Articles
- Nanjil Nattu Vellalar Vazhkai (2003, 2004, 2008 - Kalachuvadu Publications)
- Nanjendrum Amudhendrum Ondru (2003, 2008)
- Nathiyin Pizhayandru Narumpunal Inmai (2006)
- Kavalan Kaavaan Yenin (2008)
- Theedhum Nandrum (2009)
- Thigambaram (2010)
- Kambanin Ambaraathuni (2014)
