Puyalile Oru Thoni

இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: புயலிலே ஒரு தோணி ‎

Puyalile Oru Thoni is a novel written by Pa. Singaram in 1972. The novel portrays the migration of the Tamil diaspora across the sea. Additionally, it has a narrative that looks back at Tamil culture. Puyalile Oru Thoni is regarded as an achievement in Tamil novels, with a discontinuous writing style and great satire.

Writing, Publishing

Pa. Singaram may have started writing Puyalile Oru Thoni before 1950. In 1950, he wrote Kadalukku Appal, which continued the story of Puyalile Oru Thoni. The novel, Kadalukku Appal, won a prize in the Kalaimagal Novel Competition and was published by Kalaimagal Karyalaya Publishers in 1959. Pa. Singaram stated that he completed Puyalile Oru Thoni only in 1962.

Pa. Singaram tried to publish Puyalile Oru Thoni in many different ways, but it was not accepted in the publishing world of the time. C. Mohan notes that it was published by Kalaignan Publishing in 1972 at the initiative of journalist and writer Malarmannan. Masilamani from Kalaignan publishing has denied the statement that the novel was cut short. Although Pa. Singaram wanted to improvise the next editions, he was reluctant because his mind had moved on from that novel.

Ki. Rajanarayanan appreciated Pa. Singaram’s Puyalile Oru Thoni in a letter. C. Mohan mentions that Chitti and C. Sivapathasundaram met Pa. Singaram and talked highly of the novel. They got the only available edition and told him they would bring it to print in its entirety. Pa. Singaram did not hear anything from them later. The research book "Tamil Novel Noottrandu: History and Development," written by Chitti and Sivapathasundaram in 1977, doesn't mention either of Pa. Singaram's novels, Puyalile Oru Thoni or Kadalukku Appal, C. Mohan says.

Come Back

Puyalile Oru Thoni was not accepted by literary readers and critics of the time. Ka. Naa. Subramanyam simply perceived it as a biography. Sundara Ramasamy, Pramil, and Venkat Saminathan rated it as a formless novel with a flat adventure in the second part. Since 1972, the novel has not been republished. Only Ki. Rajanarayanan called it a masterpiece and wrote an appreciation letter to Pa. Singaram.

Critic C. Mohan continued to talk about Puyalile Oru Thoni, but his reviews were seen as biased because he was from the same place as Pa. Singaram. In 1987, C. Mohan wrote an article about Tamil novels for Pudhuyugam Pirakiradhu journal, in which he rated Puyalile Oru Thoni as one of the three best novels written in Tamil (Mogamul and J.J. Sila Kuripugal were the other two). This sparked a discussion in the Tamil Sitridhal literary space. Focus was drawn to Pa. Singaram and Puyalile Oru Thoni. When Vasantha Kumar, who was the editor of Pudhuyugam Pirakiradhu, founded Thamizhini publishing, he published both Puyalile Oru Thoni and Kadalukku Appal novels into one book. Pa. Singaram passed away while publishing was underway.

In 1998, in the published book, Jeyamohan wrote a lengthy review called "Vision of Historical Absurdity". That foreword provided a detailed explanation for the negative reviews of Puyalile Oru Thoni in a modern literary context up to that point. It argued that Puyalile Oru Thoni should be read as a centerless, multi-narrative, excellent satirical novel. Its aesthetics are postmodern. After 1998, Pa. Singaram gained widespread acceptance. Puyalile Oru Thoni was a new novel genre and a modern Tamil literary triumph.

Synopsis

Puyalile Oru Thoni is not a novel with a traditional, balanced storyline. The story takes place in the context of World War I during the period 1930–1945. The protagonist is Pandian, who was born in Chinnamangalam, grew up in Madurai, and moved to Medan for work. The events take place against the backdrop of cities such as Burma, Penang, Singapore, Malaysia, and Bangkok.

The story begins with the protagonist, Pandian, watching the Japanese army landing in Medan, Malaysia. The novel unfolds in the context of the invasion, the Malayan Tamils and their vatti (money lending) business. The novel expands on the setting in which they sit, drink, and dance with prostitutes in various hotels and their discussions. Criticisms and parodies of the pseudo-pride of Tamil culture are presented through those dialogues.

Many characters appear, including Andiyappa Pillai, Nallathambi Konar, and Shanmuga Pillai. Pandian discusses Tamil culture and Tamil freedom with Manikkam and Chellaiya. The Indian National Army then entered Malaya with the Japanese. Manikkam, Chellaiya, and Pandian joined the Indian National Army. The novel features Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Manikkam, Chellaiya, and Pandian, become the main heroes of the Indian National Army and face the war in different ways. The novel progresses with the scandals and conflicts within the Indian National Army. The novel concludes when Pandian joins guerrilla groups fighting to reclaim Burma and is eventually killed.

Reviews

There are a number of notable criticisms of Puyalile Oru Thoni.

• The first half of Puyalile Oru Thoni is set in a classic novel with aspects of cultural commentary, satire, and memoirs, but the second half falls flat as a simple adventure tale with superficial events. Many of the illustrations are in the guise of generic English adventure novels.
• In the novel, when Pandiyan forms the guerrilla force in Burma to fight, indigenous people and their way of life are not mentioned. Only generic, superficial fiction is used to define the location.
• The depiction of the Indian National Army's struggle in Malaya was also collected from newspapers. Pa. Singaram's portrayal contradicts written historical accounts of the Indian National Army's internal conflicts and its complete defeat.
• Puyalile Oru Thoni shows that Pa. Singaram was unaware of the Japanese army's Death Railway system, which killed and destroyed tens of thousands of Tamils in Malaya.

Literary space

Puyalile Oru Thoni is considered an important literary work for its amorphous form, excellent satire, and a new kind of poetry in certain parts. In the conversations that take place in the entertainment lodges of Malaya, Pa. Singaram mocks the phony pride and pretense of Tamil culture. His hopping language and the parodies that come as spare dialogues make the novel a stimulating reading experience. The Chinnamangalam and Madurai depictions coming through Pandian's memoirs have a fresh style in Tamil prose.

When Pandiyan is sailing, memories erupt in waves like the waves on a stormy sea, which are rare poetic moments in Tamil fiction. Even though the latter part of the story ends up being a simple adventure, the quarrel with the Englishman in the hotel and the conversations that happen there are full of great satire. The novel lacks a central vision, a cohesive story, and a fully developed character cast. It has a scattered form, a language that touches many, with many different layers of fiction that contradict each other. While critiquing the heroism of the Tamils, it also constructs Pandian as a hero. Due to this multifaceted versatility, this novel remains a triumph in Tamil.

References

• Vision of Historical Absurdity: Jeyamohan
• http://writernakkeeran.com/ Puyalile Oru Thoni
• Puyalile Oru Thoni - Historical Context
• Book Introduction: Puyalile Oru Thoni-Radhika Vijay Babu

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