Pa. Singaram
இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: ப.சிங்காரம்
Pa. Singaram (August 12, 1920 - December 30, 1997) was s a Tamil novelist, who has written two popular novels in the backdrop of Tamil diaspora. One of which is Puyalile Oru Thoni, a satirical novel and a forerunner in the non linear narrative technique.
Birth, Education
Pa. Singaram was born on August 12, 1920 to K. Palanivel Nadar and Unnamalai Ammal at Singampunari, Sivagangai District as their third son. Subramaniyan and Baskaran were his siblings. His family was into garment business along with his grand father Kumarasamy Nadar. Pa. Singaram had his primary education at Singampunari Primary School and then completed his high school education at St. Mary's High School, Madurai.
Personal Life
After completing his high school education at Madurai, Pa. Singaram moved to Medan, Indonesia to work with his relative S.K. Chinnamuthu Pillai. He got married in Medan. When Pa. Singaram was 25 years old, his wife and child passed away during labor. After living in Malaya for 8 years (1938 - 1946), Pa. Singaram returned to India after the Second World War in the year 1946 and lived in Madurai. He was employed as a proof reader in the Madurai edition of Thina Thanthi daily and retired in the year 1987 due to his poor health. Pa. Singaram lived alone in a rented room in the YMCA hostel, Madurai for 50 years. He stayed aloof and did not participate in any literary events. After YMCA management forcefully sent him out in the year 1996, he lived in a hotel room till his death.
Literary Contribution
Two Novels
Pa. Singaram began reading magazines like Manikodi and Kalaimagal when he was at school. His letters were published in these magazines. He started reading in English after he moved to Indonesia and the American novelist Ernest Hemingway influenced Pa. Singaram's vision and style. After his return to India, he wrote two novels. The first novel Kadalukku Appal won a prize in Kalaimagal Novel Competition in the year 1959 and was published by Kalaimagal Karyalayam. The second novel Puyalile Oru Thoni that remained as a manuscript for long was published by Kalaignan Pathipagam in the year 1972. Both the novels were not noticed by literary critics when they were published. Apart from these two novels, Pa. Singaram is said to have written essays and short stories that remained only as manuscripts.
Resurgence
Due to the difficulties in publishing the novels and the lack of readership, Pa. Singaram did not continue his writings and even harboured resentment and discontent towards literature. Literary critic N. Murugesa Pandian, who lived in Madurai, published an interview that he had with Pa. Singaram. Only a few writers like Ki. Rajanarayanan and Thanjai Prakash liked Pa. Singaram's writings. Ki. Rajanarayanan had written a letter to Pa. Singaram. N. Murugesa Pandian mentions that Thanjai Prakash had met Pa. Singaram in person.
In the year 1987, critic C. Mohan wrote an article about Tamil novels in the pro Tamil Eelam journal Pudhuyugam Pirakkiradhu. He rated Puyalile Oru Thoni as one of the three best novels in Tamil which sparked a renewed interest in the novel.
Tamizhini publisher and the editor of Pudhuyugam Pirakkiradhu, Mr. Vasanthakumar had high regards for Pa. Singaram. Tamizhini brought out an improved edition of both the novels of Pa. Singaram in a single book in the year 1998. While the publishing was underway, Pa. Singaram passed away in the year 1997. Tamizhini published the book with a long critical essay Varalatru Abathathin Dharisanam (A perspective on the absurdity of history) by writer Jeyamohan. It was the first critical essay on Pa. Singaram and refuted the earlier criticisms on his novels. Writer Jeyamohan had argued in the essay that although modern literary critics Ka. Naa. Subramanyam and Sundara Ramaswamy had dismissed the novel saying that it lacked perfection in form; it is the non linear narrative and the varied voices that is major the aesthetic appeal to the novel and helps it transcend limitations of modernism in literature.
The renewed interest in the novel helped Pa. Singaram to gain a place among serious writers and Puyalile Oru Thoni is now considered a great achievement in Tamil literature.
Death
Pa. Singaram passed away on December 30, 1997. He donated his savings of Seven and a half lakhs rupees to Nadar Mahajana Sangam towards the education of students. He had requested not to disclose his death to anyone.
Literary Significance
Pa. Singaram is regarded as the pioneer in satire and the non linear narrative style of writing in Tamil literature with his masterpiece work, Puyalile Oru Thoni. Jeyamohan mentions in the essay Varalatru Abathathin Dharisanam [1] , "Tamil writers who pushed the limits of creative expression in Tamil fiction writing were Pudhumaipithan, Mouni, La. Sa. Ra., Ashokamitran and Sundara Ramaswamy. One can pick up instances from Pa. Singaram's novels where his language parallels the above mentioned, and even in some ways surpasses them". Literary critic C. Mohan mentions "the creative language of Puyalile Oru Thoni finds a special place in the modern Tamil narration. No author in Tamil could narrate the inner monologues of the characters like him. The spontaneity of memories is narrated in a facile style".
Books
- Puyalile Oru Thoni (1972)
- Kadalukku Appal (1959)
References
- Life of Tamil people amidst the Second World War, As Documented in Pa. Singaram's novels - BBC News Tamil
- A Request to Pa. Singaram' s Publishers | Writer Jeyamohan
- Polyphony of Voices in Pa. Singaram's Novels | Kanali
- Difficulties faced by Pa. Singaram in publishing the novel Puyalile Oru Thoni, by C. Mohan
- Excerpts from the novel Puyalile Oru Thoni, by Charu Nivedita
Footnotes
✅Finalised Page
