T. V. Kalyanasundaram | |
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| Born | Thiruvarur Viruttachala Kalyanasundaram (1883-08-26)26 August 1883 |
| Died | 17 September 1953(1953-09-17) (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Scholar, activist |
| Spouse | Kamalambigai (expired 1918) |
Thiruvarur Viruttachala Kalyanasundaram (Thiruvarur Virudhachala Kalyanasundaram : 26 August 1883 – 17 September 1953), better known by his initialsThiru. Vi. Ka, was an Indian scholar, essayist and activist for theTamil language. The analytical depth of his commentaries on classicalTamil literature and philosophy, and the clear, fluid style of his prose. His works, along with those ofV. O. Chidambaram Pillai,Maraimalai Adigal, andArumuka Navalar, are considered to have defined the style of modern Tamil prose.
Thiru Vi.Kalyanasundaram was born inThuluva Vellala family in the village of Thullam, presently calledThandalam inChengalpet district, nearChennai in the southern Indian state ofTamil Nadu on 26 August 1883. His family moved to Thiruvarur as his father got transferred. He attended the Wesley College High School, and also studied Tamil underMaraimalai Adigal andN. Kathiravel Pillai ofJaffna. He worked briefly as a teacher and, in 1917, became an editorial assistant onDesabaktan, a nationalist, Tamil daily newspaper. Thiru Vi. Ka. was soon involved in various aspects of the independence movement. During this period, he became a strong campaigner for worker rights. In 1918 he became active in the trade union movement as an associate ofBP Wadia and organised the first trade unions in the south of India.[1]
In 1920, Thiru. Vi. Ka. started a new Tamil weekly magazine, titledNavasakthi. Navasakthi would be the vehicle for his thoughts for much of the rest of his life. Thiru Vi. Ka. sought to make his magazine a beacon to the Tamil people. His writings reflected his political and philosophical views. He published one of the first Tamil interpretations of the thought ofMahatma Gandhi, which is still regarded as an important milestone in Gandhian studies. He wrote a number of works on the religious and spiritual thought ofRamalinga Swamigal, an influential Tamil Saivite philosopher-saint of the 19th century. He wrote commentaries on a number of works of classical Tamil literature, which appeared as serials in Navasakthi.[2]Over the course of his writing career, Thiru Vi. Ka. published over fifty books. These includeManitha Vazhkkaiyum Gandhiyadigalum, a study of the implications of Gandhi's thought for human conduct. HisPennin perumai allatu valkait tunai nalam was one of the most read books of that period. Also very influential, albeit at a more critical level, is his study of the concept of Beauty inHinduism, published asMurugan alladhu azaku (Lord Murugan or Beauty). His writings reflect theinternationalism characteristic of Indian intellectuals of that period, a strong pride in Indian and Tamil culture, coupled with a strong belief in the unity and universal kinship of all human thought.[3]
In his writings, Thiru Vi. Ka. developed a prose style which built on the inner rhythms of the Tamil language and produced a rhythmic, flowing text. The field of Tamil prose was still relatively new, and the style he developed was extremely influential. His works are today seen as having given a new energy to the Tamil language and regarded as part of the foundations on which the modern Tamil prose style has been built.[4]
Through this period, Thiru Vi. Ka. continued to remain active in politics and theIndian independence struggle. He was considered to be one of the three pillars of theIndian National Congress in Tamil Nadu, even becoming the President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in 1926.[5] He spent much time touring Tamil Nadu, making speeches on the need for independence. He remained active well into his sixties, and did not retire from politics until Indian independence in 1947.
Thiru Vi. Ka. died on 17 September 1953 at the age of 71.[6]