Periyasamy Thooran

Periyasamy Thooran (also known as M.P. Periyasaamy Thooran, Periyasami Thooran) was a Tamil scholar. He compiled the first modern Tamil encyclopedia. A traditional poet, translator, publisher, lyricist and composer of children's songs, he was one of the earliest scholars to study Subramania Bharati's life and works. Owing to his contributions as principal editor of both the first modern Tamil encyclopedia and the first children's encyclopedia in Tamil, he is regarded as one of the chief architects of the modern Tamil intellectual space.

Birth and education

Periyasamy Thooran was born in Manjakkatuvalasu, a village near Modakurichi in Erode district, on September 26, 1908 to Pazhanivelappa Goundar and Pavaathaal. At birth, he was named Manjakkattuvalasu Pazhaniyappa Goundar Periyasamy. His surname 'Thooran' refers to a subcaste (or koottam) within the Kongu Goundar caste. Thooran's mother died when he was young.

He attended primary school in Modakurichi, his hometown. Influenced by Thirumalaisamy Ayyangar, a teacher in his school, he got interested in Tamil language and literature. He was a member of the Karungalpalayam library in Erode, he read extensively in his school days. He completed high school at the Mahajanasabha High School in Erode. In 1927, he completed his intermediate degree from Presidency College, Chennai, and in 1929, he obtained an L.T. (Licentiate in Teaching) in mathematics.

He enrolled for an undergraduate degree in 1930. However, he was involved in various student agitation movements as part of the Indian freedom struggle. In 1931, on March 23, the heroes of the movement Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hung to death. Periyasamy Thooran boycotted his final degree exams to participate in the protests against this event. Thooran never completed his degree till the end.

Personal Life

Thooran married Kaliyammal on May 1, 1939. He had three daughters, Saradamani, Vasantha and Vijayalakshmi, and a son, Sudhanthira Kumar. Sudhanthira Kumar's wife's name was Shenbagatilakam.

From 1929, Thooran was employed as a schoolteacher. From 1948-1968 he served as the principal editor of the Tamil encyclopedia and from 1968 - 1976, the principal editor of the children's encyclopedia. He retired in 1976, after which he became a full-time writer. He lived and died in Coimbatore.

Educational Service

Thooran began his life as a school teacher. From 1929, he worked as a teacher in Diamond Jubilee High School, Gobichettipalayam. In 1931, after he had dropped out of undergraduate studies, he started work as a teacher at the Pothanur and Periyanayakkan Palayam branches of the Ramakrishna High School. This was a chain of school founded on Gandhian educatational ideals by Thi.Su.Avinasilingam Chettiar. Chettiar mentions in his diaries that during the time Thooran worked there, he accepted only a very small amount of money as salary and lived frugally like an ascetic, owing to his principled belief that educational institutions ought to be run at low cost. In 1934, when Gandhi visited Coimbatore to collect money for the Harijan Fund, he gave a speech at Ramakrishna High School. During this visit, Periyasamy Thooran made the welcome address felicitating Gandhi and translated his speech for the public. He worked at the Ramakrishna schools till 1948.