Subramaniya Siva | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Subramaniya Siva | |
| Born | 4 October 1884 |
| Died | 23 July 1925(1925-07-23) (aged 40)[1] Papparapatti, Madras Presidency, British India |
Subramaniya Siva (4 October 1884 – 23 July 1925) was anIndian independence activist, and writer. He was a supporter ofTanittamil Iyakkam, alinguistic purism movement, that advocated to get rid ofloan words from theTamil language.
Subramaniya Siva was born on 4 October 1884 in aTamil Brahmin family inBatlagundu,Madurai District,Madras Presidency.[2][3] He joined theIndian independence movement in the early 1900s. He considered himself as asanyasi, and equated India's freedom from theBritish colonial rule with spiritual liberation. He worked along with other Tamil independence activists such asSubramania Bharati andV. O. Chidambaram. In 1908, he was arrested by the British and sent to jail. While serving a prison term, he was afflicted byleprosy.[2]
Despite Siva's release from prison, the British authorities forbade him to travel by rail since leprosy was regarded as acontagious disease. He was forced to travel on foot, and continued his political and literary activities. Between 1908 and 1922, he was imprisoned four times and endured severe physical hardship and poverty. He eventually succumbed to the disease and died on 23 July 1925.[2]
Siva served as the editor of the journalGnanabhanu. He authored more than 30 books inTamil, across various themes. His major works includeRamaniya Vijayam,Sachithanandha Sivam,Sankara VIjayam, andYoga Sadhana Rahasyam. He also wrote several plays, short stories, and a novel. He translated the works ofSwami Vivekananda fromEnglish to Tamil. Siva was a supporter ofTanittamil Iyakkam, alinguistic purism movement, that advocated to get rid ofloan words from the Tamil language. He promoted the movement through his works, and writings in the magazineGnanabanu.[2]
A memorial for Siva has been established at Papparapatti inDharmapuri district.[4]