Anandabodhini
இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: ஆனந்தபோதினி
Anandabodhini (1915-1960) was a multi-facetted magazine published in Tamil by N. Munisamy Mudaliar on behalf of Anandabodhini Press. Five thousand copies were printed in the first year. Till 1960, Anandabodhini was published in various forms for 25 years with support from readers, and then it was stopped.
Background
In 1915, Nagavedu Munisamy Mudaliar started Anandabodhini magazine. It was run well with support from thousands of subscribers. When Anandabodhini was published, the process of distributing magazines through shops was not established. For the readers outside Chennai, magazines were distributed through post, only for subscribers. It is believed that Anandabodhini had 5000 subscribers, which was a big number for the period. The detective series written by Arani Kuppusamy Mudaliar contributed for the sales of the magazine.
After Kalki joined Ananda Vikadan as its editor, its success continued and became a major publication. Kalaimagal magazine was also a commercial success. Anandabodhini gradually lost its popularity and was got published sporadically and then stopped in 1960.
Litigation
Fascinated by the success of Anandabodhini, two more magazines were launched by others: Ananda Vikatan in 1925 and Ananda Gunabodhini in 1926. S.G. Ramanujalu Naidu was the editor of Ananda Gunabodhini and his strong writing skills foretold the defeat of Anandabodhini. Since both Ananda Vikatan and Anandagunabodhini were in the same structure as Anandabodhini, Nagavedu Munisamy Mudaliar filed a case and received the verdict in his favour. Ananda Gunabodhini altered its structure and changed its name to Amirtha Gunabodhini.
Content
Anandabodhini was published entirely as magazine for popular reading. Common topics of the day such as Indian independence, Hindu revivalism and social reform were dealt in Anandabodhini, however, these were published in simple language for the common audience. Anandabodhini was the alternative to literary journals of the time such as Chakravarthini, Manikodi and Kalamohini. Modern writers of the day like Pudhumaipithan did not write in Anandabodhini. Arani Kuppusamy Mudaliar's serial stories contributed to the popularity of Anandabodhini.
Historical Significance
Anandabodhini is considered to be the first commercially successful magazine in Tamil by literary researchers. The structure and language of Anandabodhini were later followed by magazines such as Ananda Vikatan.
Repository
Collection of Anandabodhini articles in the monthly issues from July 1920 to December 1944 are available in a web site[1]. Some of Anandabodhini magazine issues are stored digitally in Tamzham Naal Oru Nool (A Book a Day) Program.
Reference
- Anandabodhini: An anthology of essays from the monthly issues of Anandabodhini from July 1920 to December 1944.
- Anandabodhini Library
- Dinamani Article on Anandabodhini
- Thamizham Link-1 and Thamizham Link-2: Issues preserved in digital form in Tamzham Naal Oru Nool (A Book a Day) Program.
- Anandabothini Website
Footnotes
✅Finalised Page
