From: sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu (M. Sundaramoorthy)
Subject: 'a' - Literaray Society Magazine, Nov' 92
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Date: 7 Nov 92 02:44:43 GMT







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        *    Volume 1                           Issue 1    *
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        *          oru kalai ilakkiya valai malar          *
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        *                   S.C.TAMIL                      * 
        *           Literary Society magazine              * 
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        *                 November 1992                    *
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                              ========
                              Contents
                              ========


     Relatively Unknown Novels From eezham  ... ... ... ... 1 
           Mini reviews 
	         K.S. Sivakumaran 
                 Tr. N. Asokan 

     Literary Profile: Na. Pichamurthy     ... ... ... ...  5 
           Essay   
                 Vallikannan          
                 Tr. M. Sundaramoorthy

     pettikkadai naaraNan                  ... ... ... ...  8 
           Poem            
                 Na. Pichamurthy         
                 Tr. Kamil Zvelebil
 
     maNNaasai                             ... ... ... ...  9 
           Short story
                 Na. Pichamurthy       
  
     enRaavadhu oru naaL                   ... ... ... ... 14 
           Poem          
                 R. Balaji    
 
     golu                                  ... ... ... ... 15 
           Short story                       
                 Sundara Pandian

     aindhu kavidhaigaL                    ... ... ... ... 22 
           Poetry
                 Janagapriya               

     Modern Tamil Dictionary               ... ... ... ... 24 
           Review 
                 M. Sundaramoorthy 

     Announcements                         ... ... ... ... 26
 

                                i    




------------
Mini reviews
------------
               =====================================
               Relatively Unknown Novels From eezham 
               =====================================

                         K S Sivakumaran

Since Sri  Lankan  writers  like  Che.  Ganeshalingan,  Che.  Yo-
ganathan,  K.  Daniel  and  Piramil  have published some of their
works in Tamil Nadu, literature aficionados from Tamil  Nadu  may
be aware of them.

There are many novelists in Sri Lanka, some of whom are relative-
ly  unknown  in  Sri  Lanka  itself.  My aim here is to provide a
small introduction to some such people.

V.A. Rajarathnam - kozhukkombu (1959)
------------------------------------
This is a love story.  Family feud stands in  the  way  of  love.
The  heroine,  Kanakam, requests the hero, Nadarajan, to wait pa-
tiently.  However he loses hope and marries another woman by  the
name  of  Pilomina.   A  while  later,  the  wife  learns  of her
husband's erstwhile affair.  When she realizes the  eternal  love
that  Kanakam  has  for  Nadarajan, Pilomina sacrifices her life.
This becomes a story of sacrifice too.

The author claims that men are the  "supports" (kozhukkombu)  for
women.   He  entwines descriptions of the culture and the natural
beauty of the North and East of Sri Lanka.  This is an  important
novel written in the late '50s.

        Other   novels  by V.A. Rajarathnam:   thuRaikkaaran 
        (1959), kroNYchap paRavaikaL (1978)

S. Ponnuthurai - thee (1961) 
----------------------------
In this novel,  one  can  discern  psychological,  philosophical,
social-  realistic  (samooga  yadhaarththap paarvai) and romantic
themes as well as elaborations on the subject of sex.  No  single


                                1   




theme dominates. "thee" is the written expression of the author's
own experiences, desires, hopes and dreams.  It has the  artistic
nature of a poem.  At the same time, a cruel and explicit realism
is occasionally foisted in an artless manner generating a feeling
of disgust in the reader.

The incidents and the characters of  this  novel  revolve  around
sexual  themes  and  the sex drive.  Even though each incident by
itself is realistic, the chain of events are not.   That  is,  in
real  life,  most  people  do  not limit their experiences to sex
alone.  Even though the  characters  and  the  incidents  revolve
around  sex,  that  is not the point of the novel.  The character
Thilaka is developed very well.  The chapter  titled  "kuzhi"  is
perhaps done in an excessive manner.

        His another novel: chadangu (1971)

Che. Sivagnanasundaram (Nandhi) - malaikkozhundhu (1964)
--------------------------------------------------------
This is a love story from the hill country.  The obstacle to love
here  is the rivalry between the trade unions in the plantations.
The novel is laudable not for its literary merit but for its  ef-
forts to help outsiders learn about the way of life of the Tamils
in the hill country.

        Nandhi's other novels: thangkachchiyammA (1977),  nambik-
	kai (1989)

Y. Benadict Balan - chondhakkAran (1968)
----------------------------------------
This is a remarkable novel that depicts the problems of the plan-
tation workers.  Chinnakkalappan, a worker, spearheads a struggle
by making workers realize their miserable  living  conditions  in
the  "line  rooms".   When  chinnakkalappan  builds a comfortable
house for himself, the goons of the management demolish it.   But
the struggle is continued by the trade union.  The excessive pro-
paganda mars the literary merit of this novel.  Yet it enlightens
the  reader,  uninitiated into the lifestyle of the hill country,
to the very real problems that exist there.
	
	Another novel by Y. Benadict Balan: kutti (1963)


                                2




Ka. Chokkalingam (Chokkan) - chellum vazhi iruttu (1973)
--------------------------------------------------------
This is an interesting novel describing the mess in  the  private
schools  before  they were taken over by the government.  The au-
thor skillfully depicts the problems faced by the  school  teach-
ers.

        Another novel by him: seethaa (1974)

        The author has been doing  his  share  as  a  playwright,
short story writer, critic and poet.  Chokkan's name will not be 
left out of the list of important Sri Lankan writers. 

E. T. Nithyakirthi - meettaadha veeNai (1974)
---------------------------------------------
E. T. Nithiyakirthi's  "meettaadha veeNai" is a sweet,  memorable
novel.   Nithyakirthi  had  written  many short stories.  This is
his first novel.  For a first novel of a young  writer,   it  has
remarkable form. "meettaadha veeNai" is an excellent descriptive,
almost poetic novel,  that  incorporates   an  interesting  story
about the achievements of the young people.

Yes, this is yet another dramatic story about young people.   But
this  is  not just a love story about youth.  Staying within that
literary framework, the author attempts to indirectly touch on  a
subject: the effects of allowing the remnants of regional, feudal
customs to linger on.  In this respect, it is a social novel too.
But that this is not the intention of the author is given away by
the excessive concentration of  happenings  in  the  novel.   The
characters  are  not  realistic.  They operate on a psychological
basis.  But like any good novel, this too gets its life from  its
social aspect.  It reflects the social status of the lower caste,
middle class youth that  lived  in  the  Jaffna  area  and  their
romances.   However,  it lacks the depth of analysis needed for a
social novel.

Thelivathai Joseph - kaalangaL saavadhilaai (1974)
--------------------------------------------------
This is a novel that talks about some aspects of the lives of the
people  in  the hill country.  Yet the issues raised are not ela-
borated fully.  It talks about the salary system in  the  states,


                                3




the  lust  of the management and their family life.  The novel is
set in an estate in the Badulla district.  The novelist fails  to
touch  any  fundamental  truths  or basic realism.  Attempting to
depict the suffering of  the  people  of  Indian  origin  in  our
estates,  the  novelist  strays  from this central theme into un-
necessary matters.  Arumukam is the hero of the novel.  He  views
suffering as a personal phenomenon instead of considering it as a
collective malaise.  Instead of rebelling against the  exploiting
class,  he  directs his attacks against individual estate-owners.
He is satisfied with making complaints to the "periya dorai" (the
big boss of the estate).  In the end, he falls victim to the dom-
ination of the management.  He goes further and tries to suppress
other  rebellious  workers.   Arumukam  is  also the lover of co-
worker, Kannamma.  Thelivathai  Joseph is a  gifted  writer.   He
is  popular both in Sri Lanka and outside.  But if he resists the
temptation for pseudo-realism (of merely recording happenings  in
the  life of the society) and understands the fundamental reasons
for social problems, he would be useful to society.

He also  wrote the  screen play for the movie, "pudhiya  kaaRRu".
As  far  as  Sri  Lankan  Tamil movie industry is concerned, this
movie should be considered a step forward in some respects.

S. Sri. Johnrajan - pOdiyaar maappiLLai (1976)
----------------------------------------------
This is a love story that beautifully describes the marriage cus-
toms  of  the  KaNNankudA  region  in  Batticola.  The lifestyle
of a land owning caste called "pOdiyaarkaL" is painted here.

Vai. Ahmad - pudhiya thalaimuRaikaL (1976)
-----------------------------------------
The theme of this novel is the generation gap.  It is set in  the
vAzhaichchEnai  region of eastern Sri Lanka.  In addition to pro-
viding details about the way of life of the Muslim  people,  this
novel  also  has a certain social awareness.  It can also be seen
as a novel describing class struggle.

Gnanaradhan - pudhiya boomi (1976)
----------------------------------
V. Sachidanandan,  who   writes  under    the    pen    name   of
Gnanaradhan,  has written another novel before.  But pudhuya pUmi


                                4




can be considered as a step ahead in realism  compared  to "oomai
uLLankaL".   The  central theme is the experiences of a young man
called  Ravindran in a  surveyors' camp.  He  depicts  the  rela-
tionship  among  the  Tamil  and Sinhala workers who work under a
Tamil surveyor.  In addition to describing the day-to-day life of
surveyors  and  labourers,  this novel also attempts to establish
that the ethnic problem is, in reality, a class problem.

Gnanaradhan is remarkable among the new generation of writers.
_________________________________________________________________
Original Tamil article: Kanavu-17, August 91, Secundrabad, India
(ed. Subrabharathimaniyan).

Translated by: N. Asokan
_________________________________________________________________

-----
Essay
-----        
                =================================
                Literary Profile: Na. Pichamurthy
                =================================

                          Vallikkannan

 Na. Pichamurthy was one of the  many  distinguished  writers  of
maNikkodi era (1930s). He was trained as a lawyer and was in that
profession for few years in his home town, Kumbakonam. However he
was  more  interested and involved in literature. His first short
story won a prize in a writing contest conducted by 'kalaimagaL',
a  Tamil  monthly, which pushed him towards writing with more vi-
gour. He also served as assistant editor for few  literary  maga-
zines in those days.

His stories written during  maNikkodi  days  reflect  his  poetic
mind.  They  were of imposing style. The contain a lot of impres-
sive similes in them. They are highly imaginative.  'padhinettaam
perukku',  'vaanampaadi',  'meenalOchani'  and 'thaai' are few of
his best short stories.




                                5




Na. Pichamurthy is a very  good  poet.  Inspired  by   Subramanya
Bharathi's  'kaatchigaL' (vacana kavithai) and free verses of the
American poet Walt Whitman, he  started writing poetry. He  real-
ised that poetry actually doesn't require the restrictions of me-
ter and rhythm and wrote  many  free  verses.  They  appeared  in
maNikkodi during 1930s, kalaamOhini and grama oozhiyan during 40s
and 50s, and ezhuththu during 60s. He wrote poetry  mostly  in  a
pseudonym 'Bikshu'.

He relinquished his responsibilities  in  the  magazines  he  was
serving  before  and  served as a temple trustee in many villages
during 1940s and 50s. He gave up writing for sixteen  years in  a
row.  He  has not written anything during that period, the reason
no one knows.

He resumed  writing again with more vigour in 1960s. He  wrote  a
lot of stories and poetry.

His later stories are not of  embellished  style,  but  are  very
simple  and  elegant.  He  chose  such themes as those which find
meaning, create attachement and instil confidence in human life.

His poetic works were variously called as 'ilagu kavithai'  (sim-
ple  poetry), 'kattaRRa kavithai' (free verses), 'yaappillaak ka-
vithai' (non-metrical poetry), etc. in the beginning  and  got  a
new  name during ezhuththu days, 'pudhuk  kavithai' (new (modern)
poetry).

His poetry was published in two  anthologies,  'kaattu  vaaththu'
and 'vazhith  thuNai', by Si.Su. Chellappa and later he published
them in a single anthology as 'Pichamurthy  kavithaigaL'  through
'ezhuththu prasuram'.

Na. Pi. wrote poetry conforming to Tamil prosody too.  They  were
compiled   in   an  anthology  'kuyilin  suruthi',  published  by
'vaasagar vattam'.

He wrote many highly imaginative, informative  and  philosophical
essays,  which in fact, had touches of both creative writing like
stories and simple prose like essays. These were collected  in  a
single   volume   entitled  'mana  nizhalgaL'  and  published  by
'ezhuththu prasuram'.

                                6




Na. Pichamurthy, who sported beard, had the appearance of  Rabin-
dranath  Tagore,  but  he would humbly say, 'Tagore was very tall
and had impressive personality'.

He served as an assitant editor in 'nava indhiyaa', a daily, dur-
ing last few years of his life.

Na. Pi. was an amateur  ornithologist. He  studied  the lives  of
birds  and  enjoyed watching birds and listining to their sounds.
He even wrote a poem on birds, 'aindhu mahaakavigaL'.

Na. Pi. was affectionate to fellow human beings and had the prin-
ciple:  'Life  should be the primary concern and, literature and
art are only my secondary interests'.

_________________________________________________________________

Original article: 'Na. Pichamurthy: vaazhvum kalaiyum' by Vallik-   
kannan, 'oru', issue 3, January 1991.

Translated by: M. Sundaramoorthy   

Translator's note:

Na. Pichamurthy is the 'father of pudhu_kavithai', who made  con-
sious  and  concerted  attempts to get a place for free verses in
Tamil as early as 1930s, though Bharathi did  experiment  in  his
'kaatchigaL' earlier. Few years back, a bunch of Tamil poetasters
and lyric writers (Na. Kamarasan, Mu. Metha are few to  name  and
later  'Kunkumam'  magazine  for its part added Karunanidhi), who
started writing in 60s and  70s,  went  on verbal  war in popular
magazines, everyone of them claiming he is the 'father of pudhu_k
kavithai'. The irony was that  many  'maNikkodi'   era   writers,
including Na. Pichamurthy, were still alive when this debate took
place.

All his poems, including some of the unpublished ones,  are  col-
lected  in a single anthology and published by Cre-A, with a pre-
face by Ka.Naa.Su., recently.




                                7




----
Poem
----
                    ====================
                    pettikkadai naaraNan
                    ====================

                       Na.Pichamurthi

   [ "It is a poem about the fall of modern man - about a 
      mock-hero, even an anti-hero - and the disintegration 
      of traditional values." - K.Zvelebil ]

      The stork
      inside me
      ...pecks;
      I go
      rashly open
      a
      ration shop.
      .....
      What is a ration shop
      Set up to
      Sell
      Rice pure like stars
      Like faultless pearls?
      A sieve?
      A winnowing field?
      A rice-mill?
      Or the woman
      Who levels the floor?
      There are
      Three hundred people
      Waiting
      Before I even
      Unpack
      The sack
      Where is the place to sift?
      Where is the place to winnow?
      Where is the time
      To be generous and
      Polite?

                                8




Translated by: K.Zvelebil
From: 'Smile of Murugan',
 
Contributed by: Sundara Pandian 
_________________________________________________________________

-----------
Short story
-----------
                          ========= 
                          maNNaasai
                          =========

                       Na.Pichamurthy


    Yes, this is my house.The empty site in front belongs to  me.
The   enclosed   square, contagious with the site is also part of
it.
    One or two stray dogs in the street  started  at  me   as   I
walked along the street clad in my Delhi woolens. I need not have
come at all ; but wisdom is not always  common to  everyone.  The
fixed   gleam   in   the   eyes of the dogs seemed to display the
certain knowledge that I did not belong   to   the  place.   They
had   not   decided  that  the stranger they saw deserved atleast
to be barked if not bitten. The deep  growl in  the  throats  did
not  develop  into loud barking.  Confident that there was little
danger to my leg or  to  my  dress,  I continued my progress  to-
wards the house. Courage should make one forget the enemy ; erase
him from  thought. Being  courageous  after setting  up spies  to
assess  the enemy's strength and position is meaningless. Barking
dogs do not bite.  Does it  mean that biting dogs do not  bark  ?
This  was  my brand of courage. I continued to walk, looking back
frequently.  One of the dogs followed me for  about  ten  feet  ;
another fifteen feet, then burrowed into the earth  in  the  mid-
dle  of  the street and lay down. We like our  beds  raised.  For
the  dog  it  should  be hollow. Can one say that ups  and  downs
are  the same ? Nevertheless my courage was confirmed.  The house
was near.
    Was the house near or  had  I   neared   the   house   ?   Is
language  always topsy turvy when there is meaning?. Perhaps con-
cealment of meaning is high style. Or is it the sense  of sound ?

                                9

 

 
    The house looked the  same.   In   the   space   of   fifteen
years,   it had not undergone changes as a girl's form does ; nor
did  it show  decay like a old woman.   The  same  old  pial  was
there.
    The teacher was seated on the pial.  I  assumed  he   was   a
teacher   from   the   presence   of  the boy in front of him - a
deduction much of the same as looking for fire  where   there  is
smoke. I hesitated a little.
    ` Whom are you looking for ? '
    ` Saami. '
    ` He is not in. '
    ` His wife ? '
    ` She is not either. '
   Discerning my decision to leave the  place,  the  teacher  re-
moved his spectacles and placed them on the pial.
    ` Please have your seat. He will be back soon. '
   I had only pretended to  leave  the   place   ;   I   had   no
thought  of  leaving.  I  caught at the words of the teacher like
a drowning man clutching at the  proverbial   straw   and  seated
myself on the pial.
    ` Chinnaswami, close the book. I will have a  word  with this
gentleman. '
   Chinnaswami placed the open book face downwards, snatched  his
playthings from the roof and ran out.
   My eyes travelled to the spot from  where  the  boy  had   re-
moved  his playthings.  I saw four or five wasps'  nests  looking
like empty houses left by poor farmers  going   to   work.   They
looked like surplus houses built beyond normal needs.
   ` Excuse me. Do wasps lay eggs  or   do   they   bring   forth
their young like all of us ? '
   ` That is not a part of  the  syllabus.  I   understand   your
point.   This   Saami   is   rather  lethargic. Like a buffalo. I
should not say that perhaps. But the  fact   is,   he   is   just
that.  He  has no attachment for the home. He has no desire to be
clean. Please come and have a look at  my   house.   Perhaps  you
are   too   busy.  It  is  just off the temple nearby. Of course,
it is rented. Like a parrot cage. These wasps' nests  are   there
for the past three years. He is not answerable to anyone. It nev-
er occurs to him even in his  dream  that  the  house  should  be
kept neat, bereft of cobwebs. '



                                10




   ` It may not be that bad. I have heard that children  are born
only in houses where there are wasps' nests. '
   ` I do not know about that. '
   ` The syllabus may not contain these things. Nests   built  of
mud   are said to result in the birth of girls. Nests  of wax are
supposed to bring boys. '
   ` Quite possible. There should  be  a  limit  to   everything.
This man has already three nests of mud. The boy  taking  lessons
from the wax is the eldest.  Should  he   not   keep   the  house
clean atleast from now on ? '
   I stared at him  pointlessly,  wondering  whether the  teacher
was a family planning propagandist.
   The neighbour entered the empty site  in  front  of  the   en-
closed   square.   He   drew   strand  of straw from the haystack
there and left with them.
   ` Has he rented the house ? '
   ` That is what I was saying. Penny wise and pound  foolish.  I
wanted  five  rupees  ; I had no other go. So I accepted the fees
for the tuition. He has lost the site. '
   I was suddenly enraged. I smashed all the wasps' nests on  the
rafter. Were there young ones in the nests ?
   Does the gadfly show mercy to the  cow  ?  Does   the   earth-
quake   show  mercy  to  anyone  ? Mercy is a trick played by the
loser to win. The nests lay scattered like houses smashed  by  an
earthquake.
   The teacher stared at me in horror.
   ` What is the name of that neighbour ? '
   ` Samisa. '
   ` What is that ? '
   ` Yes, that is his name. That is  the  name   found   on   all
letters addressed to him. '
   ` So you are in the habit of looking at letters  addressed  to
others  ? ' I commented and left the pial. I hastened to Samisa's
house.
   From Samisa's threshold one can see the courtyard in  the cen-
tre.  Samisa was feeding the cow with hay. I  kept on  looking at
him, at the cow and at the courtyard without  uttering  a   word.
It  lasted for an eternity. Neither the cow nor the courtyard was
visible.
   ` Who was it ? '
   The noise nudged me into wakefulness.


                                11



   ` Who are you ? ' I asked, meaning to say that I had  come  to
see the opposite house.
   ` I am the owner of this house ? '
   He inclined his head slightly as he replied. The hair  on  his
head bristled like that on the neck of a fighting cock.
   ` Who are you to ask ? None of your business. '
   ` I - I am the owner of that house. '
   ` I know all that. ' He shouted and was about to chuck me out.
   Our altercation brought other neighbours  who  intervened  be-
fore   words turned into action. I was boiling with rage. A weak-
ling has no control over whether  it  is,   house,   land,  wife,
or   money   .  Discretion should not be limited to the disburse-
ment of charity alone. My anger  was  about  to  explode.
   Just then, someone thrust   his   head   inside   the   crowd.
Looking   at   me,   in   tears,  in the midst of the rumpus, was
Saami. I looked back at him - in silence.
   ` When did you come ? Why did you get into  trouble  with  him
, of all people ? '
   I did not ask.
   ` Who is this fellow in the woolens ? He claims  he  owns  the
house. If he does , what about you ? '
   Saami did not reply to him. ` Come with me  please  '  he said
and took me away. In fact he dragged me away.
   On the pial, the teacher was continuing his lesson to the boy.
   ` Mr.Teacher, what did you tell to this gentleman ? '
   ` I told him you had gone out. '
   ` Do you know who he is ? '
   ` I bought this house from him. '
   I exploded at last. ` You do not deserve this  house.   It  is
like marrying agirl to an eunuch. '
   ` You can take back the house. Have you come for that ? '
   I was floored. I did not have the means.
   `He was sitting at the pial when he saw the wasps' nests.   He
smashed  them.   He  saw  the empty site in front. He picked up a
quarrel with the neighbour. I told him that  Samisa  misbehaved.'
the teacher explained.
   ` I am just coming from the lawyer's after issuing  notice  to
him. '
   ` Notice, rubbish. You should  burn  his   house   and   hays-
tack. '




                                12




   ` Those who could not afford all that  should depend  on law.' 
   ` Forget at all that. Let us have a  talk  in  my   house   in
peace. '
   ` I have no heart to sit in that house. It was  built   by  my
grandfather   through   bricks  purchased  when  they were cheap.
The site in front was acquired by  my   grandmother   by  selling
buttermilk and cowdung cakes. '
   ` All right. You can sit on that  pial.  Why   do   you   keep
standing ? '
   ` Even a dog will not sit on your pial with  people  like  you
who have no shame and self-respect. '
   He did not get angry.
   ` I am ready to give you the house even if you  pay  half  the
amount.   You   can pay the balance later. I am pained to see you
suffering on my account. '
   Only then I realized my going off  the  rails.  It   was   ten
years  since I sold the house. I had taken roots in Delhi. A nos-
talgic desire to see the old house had brought   me   back.   And
now   there   was   anger and chagrin at not being able to fulfil
the desire. ` Serve you right. You would   not   listen  when   I
told  you  there  was  no  need to go to this village at all. " I
chided my mind.
   ` I will get the money presently "  I  said  and  turned   to-
wards  the railway station. Each man thinks the other fellow is a
fool. But ..........

_________________________________________________________________

From: Indian Writing Today", VOL II, No.2, April-June 1968.

 
 
Contributed by: Sundara Pandian 
_________________________________________________________________









                                13 




----
Poem
----

      ===================
      enRaavadhu oru naaL 
      ===================

          R.Balaji


kaar mEgak kuzhalin kaLaippaaRRum nizhalOram
naan iLaippaaRak koodumO?

karu vizhith thiruvoLi
ivvaazhvai iruLaakkum
vidhi thannai maaRRmO?

kaalamaRRa unnazhagil
kaandhamuRRa un vizhiyil
kavalaigaLai maRandhu ennaal
kaNNuRanga mudiyumO?

vaazhvin kasappai un
idhazhth thEn pOkkumO?
nijaththin kodumaiyil irundhu un kEsam
pugalidam thaan aLikkumO?

neeyaRRa vaazhvil mOgamEdhu? sOgamE.
poruLaRRu, ilakkaRRu kaalam mella nadakkiRadhu.
sOgangaLE vaazhkkaiyaay,
maraNaththin nizhal padiyum
vazhi theriyaap paadhaiyin mudivu thEdi
naanum nadakkiREn.
gadhiyaRRu, vazhi kaattum madhiyaRRu
veRumaiyil uzhalgirEn. 

idhil oru naaL
naan tholaivadhu nichchayam -
eninum,
enRaavadhu oru naaL...........


                                14




-----------
Short Story
-----------        
                                ====
                                golu
                                ====

                          Sundara Pandian


   "Sister, are we having a golu in our house this  year?"  asked
Vichu  who  could  not get any  sleep worried  over this thought.
Nidya took her eyes off the  HINDU  newspaper she was reading and 
noticed Vichu lying on the hall-floor coiled like a snake.
   "What?"
   "He is asking whether we are having a golu this  year"  inter-
preted her mother Lalitha from the kitchen grinding rice and gram
for making dosa for the evening. The sunbeam pierced through  the
window  and  scrutinized  Vichu's  face like a doctor examining a
patient's mouth. Vichu got up angrily and threw his pillow on the
wall. It hit the wall and fell on the floor accepting its defeat.
Vichu made a face to the window.
   Nidya smiled and asked him, "Why are  you  asking  sir,  right
honourable!  What  makes  you think that we are not having a golu
this year?"
   It was hard for Vichu to give a quick reply. He had a  lot  to
tell  his  sister what was bothering him. The other day, he saw a
big golu in his neighbour Chellam Maami's house and big  prepara-
tions  going  on in another neighbour Rukku Maami's house. He saw
his friend Jayanth, Chellam Maami's only son playing with a  boat
in  the golu in their house. It ran in circular motion in the big
water bowl kept before the golu  steps  announcing  its  presence
with  a sound "dup! dup! dup! dup!" Though Chellam Maami insisted
him to sing a song for the golu, he refused strongly. He is after
all a boy, not a Carnatic vidwan like his Maama Vairamani who had
given many vocal recitals or like his sister who could play  many
kritis  in her violin. He could sing Ilaiyaraja's movie songs, of
course, but he was too shy to sing them in a  golu  in  front  of
all Maamis in Kanchipuram silk sarees who would laugh for no rea-
son. He was afraid that they would laugh at him for singing movie
songs  unlike  his  sister  or his Maama. He just chanted the `Om


                                15




Nama Sivaya' slogam his mother had taught him and duly  collected
the  chundal  packet  Chellam  Maami gave to him. He also saw big
wooden steps in the  golu  under  preparation  in  Rukku  Maami's
house.  New  wooden  steps  with  lots  of new bommais (dolls) of
delightful colours in each step. New dasavadhara bommais  in  the
first  step, Valluvar bommai, Kannagi bommai, rishi bommais, Pol-
ice bommais, Tanjavur bommais, his  favourite  Chettiyaar  bommai
with  a  big tummy catching everyone's attention in the center of
the third step, small oil lamps on both sides of  each  step  and
two  big bronze oil-lamps on the floor near the bottom step.  Vi-
chu was spellbound by their golu and he could not take  his  eyes
off  their  golu  for  many years.  He was very amused by the new
Tanjavur bommais and he played with them by feeling their  heads.
He  could not help giggling when he saw their heads dancing when-
ever he touched them. But in his house, his sister is  reading  a
newspaper  and  his  mother  is grinding rice and gram for making
dosa. Vichu suspected whether they were having a golu at all.
    "What? No answer.."
    "If there is golu in our house this year, why are you reading
this newspaper now?"
    "Golu is just symbolic. It is enough if we keep a few bommais
in our puja room."
    "Don't be lazy. We could arrange a golu with six  steps  just
like others."
    Nidya smiled at Vichu.
    "Dear brother! Even if we arrange the golu steps by today, we
have to take the bommais out from the heavy boxes in upstairs. We
need our father to help us for that. Go back to sleep! I am read-
ing the review of a violin concert.."
    "We can arrange the steps now. When father  comes  back  from
his  office,  we  can ask him to bring here the bommai boxes from
upstairs. We have all old bommais. But still-"
    "Old is gold" Lalitha interrupted from the kitchen.
    "..they look good. We can then take the bommais out and place
them  on the golu steps. Our bommais are very big. Especially the
dasavadharam bommais. I bet we will steal the show from others."
    "Good idea. Why don't you read the newspaper later? It's  not
borrowed  from  others. It's ours. You can read it later. Now why
don't you two set-up the golu steps? Remember how we arranged the
golu  steps  in our last golu with book-stands, books, empty-tins
etc. ? Same this year also. We  have  also  a  lot  of  laundered


                               16




cloths. Many in white. You can use them to cover the golu steps."
Lalitha suggested Nidya from the kitchen.
    "I'm reading a concert review, mother."
    "Whose concert?"
    "Lalgudi's violin concert in  our  Madurai  Lakshmi  Sundaram
Hall."
    "Allright. Finish it fast. Vichu, wash your face with a  soap
and help your sister. We can arrange the steps by today itself. I
will get you the things you will need when I am done with  grind-
ing."
    "Yes, mother" Vichu ran fast from the hall to well and almost
collided with the kitchen door on the way.
    "Go  slow,  Vichu.  Don't  get  yourself  hurt  in  this  Na-
varaathri."
    "Yes, mother" said Vichu with soap all over his wet face.


                    ***********************


    Vichu received his father Jayaraman in the street itself.  He
took  the  suitcase from him and like a porter in a railway junc-
tion, he carried it over his head and announced his  presence  to
his  mother  in the kitchen. Lalitha lighted on the gas stove and
started heating milk for making coffee  for  everyone.  Jayaraman
who  was  about to turn on the fan in the hall paused when he saw
golu steps in the hall. He counted the steps. There were six. Vi-
chu  received  a  cycle-bell  outside. Jayaraman sat in a sliding
chair and smiled appraisingly when he saw laundered white  cloths
covering  the  golu steps. He closed his eyes and waited for cof-
fee. He could smell the strong aroma of the brewed coffee  float-
ing  from  the  kitchen. He opened his eyes when the aroma neared
him. Lalitha handed him a tumbler of coffee.
    "Good work, these golu steps. Who made it? Nidya or you?"
    "Vichu! He wanted six  steps like the golu in  Rukku  Maami's
house  and he worked on this all this day with Nidya. I gave them
some  white cloths for covering the golu steps from the stuff you
brought from the laundry yesterday."
    "Good job. Where is Nidya?"
    "Violin class."
    "Any letters today?"


                                17



    "A letter from Delhi. From some Sampath. It is  for  you.  We
have not opened it."
    "Sampath from Delhi?" Jayaraman hurriedly emptied the  coffee
tumbler  and  placed  the empty tumbler on the floor. "Give it to
me, I was expecting it from the last week. It is the alliance for
Nidya  I  was telling you last month. Their birth-charts have ten
matches. It is rare. My colleague  Krishnan  knows  their  family
very  well. Traditional family, he says. They don't ask any dowry
also. I sent them Nidya's birth-chart, her photos  and  a  letter
from  Krishnan. Krishnan called them twice on this, but they told
him that they were waiting to hear from  their  family  `joshyar'
(astrologer)." Jayaraman cut open the letter.
    "Mother,`poo'!" Vichu handed a small garland made of  jasmine
flower to his mother. A sweet fragrance filled the hall.
    Jayaraman was very pleased. He smiled to himself "A very good
sign!"  and  started reading the letter. Lalitha held the garland
in her right hand and studied Jayaraman's face tensely. Jayaraman
burst into laughter.
    "They've said YES. They have also seen  that  there  are  ten
matches  in the birth-charts of our Nidya and their son Sundaram.
They say yes for a marriage, but they  like  to  see  Nidya  here
traditionally and also to talk terms with us.  They will probably
come here after two months and they will confirm  the  date  this
month after hearing from us."
    "Mother Meenakshi! I knew you would bless our Nidya." Lalitha
started chanting Meenakshi Pancha Ratnam. Vichu did not know what
to do. He could guess that the letter has  brought  a  good  news
about his sister. Whose marriage are they talking about? His sis-
ter getting married or is it some sort of a joke?
    "Father, why are you laughing?  What  is  the  joke  in  this
letter?"
    "There is no joke, you, idiot. Your sister has got  an  alli-
ance.  She  is  getting married. This is a letter from Delhi. She
will go to Delhi after her marriage. You can  go  there  also  in
your summer holidays."
    "What should I do now? We thought of asking you  to  get  the
bommais  for us from the upstairs for fixing the golu tomorrow to
call Jayanth, Chellam Maami, Narayanan  Maama,  Rukku  Maami  and
Srinivasan Maama tomorrow evening."
    "Don't worry. I will get the bommai boxes for  you.  We  will
call them tomorrow and break this good news as well. Lalitha, can
you prepare a good `pattaaNi chundal' for tomorrow's golu? It  is


                                18




call them tomorrow and break this good news as well. Lalitha, can
you prepare a good `pattaaNi chundal' for tomorrow's golu? It  is
the usual dish that we serve for the golu, isn't it so?"
    "I'll make it tomorrow just as you say. We should  inform  my
elder  brother  Vairamani.  He  would  be  glad to know this good
news."
    "Should I go? I thought of going to  upstairs  to  bring  the
bommai  boxes.   They  are too heavy for Vichu and he is very in-
terested in the golu."
    "Why is Vichu here? I'll send him to my brother's house."
    "Good. I'll get the bommai boxes for our kids" Jayaraman left
the hall.
    Vichu emptied his coffee tumbler and  looked  at  his  mother
waiting for her word to go.
    "Vichu! Would you go and bring  your  Maama  Vairamani?  Just
tell  him that we got a letter from Delhi saying YES. It is about
Nidya's marriage. He will understand everything. You  don't  have
to give him a sermon. Understand?"
    "Yes, mother" Vichu was about to leave. He was excited.
    "Wait. Give this `poo' to your Maami. She must have  returned
by  now  after  teaching in her college." Lalitha cut the garland
Vichu had brought and gave him a piece. Vichu flew.


                    ************************


    The next evening...
    Vichu and Nidya received their Maama Vairamani and Maami Sav-
itri in the street itself. Vichu found his Maama Vairamani in all
smiles. Then they received their neighbours  -  Srinivasan  Maama
and  Rukku  Maami, followed by Narayanan Maama and Chellam Maami.
Others they had invited did not arrive and Vichu suggested  Nidya
that  they  could  go  in and talk with their guests. Vichu found
Rukku Maami asking his mother,
    "What have you planned to do with  Nidya's  studies?  I  know
that this is her final year in her B.Sc."
    It was Jayaraman who gave the reply.
    "Of course, she has to discontinue her studies. Even  if  she
completes her studies, it will be difficult for her to get a job.
Also they are not looking for a working girl.  I  don't  see  any


                                19




problems."
    Vichu looked at his Maama Vairamani. He looked worried.
    "She can't get a degree, `MaapLai' (brother-in-law)"
    "So what? I could show you many degree holders  withot  jobs.
It  is  her  future that matters. Not her degree." replied Naray-
anan.
    "I will tell you what. You want a degree, right. Don't worry.
Just  put  `Nidya,  M.Sc.' in a big board. Who cares? It is all a
show " commented Srinivasan. All men nodded  their  heads.  Vichu
did  not  understand. Is it all a show? He looked here and there,
and his eyes fell on the dasaavadharam bommais in the golu.  Oth-
ers followed suit.
     "Looks good. Who arranged it? Nidya?" Vairamani asked.
     "No. She just assisted.  It's  all  Vichu's  work.  His  own
ideas." Lalitha replied her elder brother.
     "Oh! How lovely! Come here, Vichu. I will give you  a  hand-
some  reward." Savitri called Vichu. Vichu felt shy and looked at
the floor. Golu was not his idea.  He got that idea by seeing the
nice  golus  by  Chellam  Maami and Rukku Maami.  Also, he got to
know how to arrange the bommais in his golu by reading  how  they
have  kept the bommais in their golus. Vichu did not know what to
reply his Maami.
    "What are you thinking deeply, Vichu?" Chellam asked him.
    Vichu was taken aback by her question. As he lifted his  head
from  looking  at the floor, his eyes caught a marappaachi bommai
(wooden lady doll) lying idly on the floor.
    "I was thinking of where to place this poor little lady."
    Many came to his help.
    Jayaraman replied, "Why  don't  you  just  leave  it  on  the
floor?"
    Lalitha agreed. "Yes, Vichu. Leave it just as he says."
    Srinivasan suggested, "May be,  you  could  keep  it  in  the
fourth  step  near  the  police  constable. It will look safe and
sound."
    Rukmini agreed. "Yes, he's right.  I  also  see  some  vacant
space there."
    Narayanan thought of something else. "We have kept  marappaa-
chi  bommai  in  the  fifth  step in our golu near little kitchen
utensils."
    Chellam corrected  him  atonce,  "It's  actually  the  bottom
step."


                                20




    Narayanan smiled. "Oh! I forgot. It is you who arranged  golu
in our house.  I should have asked you in the first place to give
a good idea."
    Srinivasan commented, "We all know this is Madurai.  Why  are
you reminding it to everyone here?"
    Others laughed but Vichu did not get the joke. He  looked  at
his Maama Vairamani. Vairamani was surprised at Vichu's enquiring
look. He gave him a resigned smile.
    "It's just as others say. Place your bommai near  the  little
kitchen utensils. Place it in the bottom step as they say."
    Vichu looked at the bottom step in his golu. It did  not  ap-
peal to him as a good place for his marappaachi bommai. He looked
at his Maami Savitri.
    "Don't be afraid. She is a professor only in her college. She
is  your Maami and not your school instructor. Feel free to ask."
Vairamani smiled at him.
    Vichu hesitated and turned around to notice that others  were
looking  at  him.  Vichu  first formed a question in his mind and
then said it aloud,
    "Maami, could you tell me what is the right  place  for  this
marappaachi bommai   in the golu?"
    "Come on, Vichu. Don't you see that it is a  bommai?  Do  you
think  that  it is really a lady like your sister? Why do you ask
others where to place this bommai  as it is yours? And it is your
golu. It is your choice."
    Savitri stopped and left  Vichu  to  decide.  Vichu  did  not
understand  a  word of his Maami. He was also very shy and uneasy
at the thought that others were watching him. He decided  to  act
fast  on  the  bommai.  He hurriedly moved forward and placed the
bommai near the little kitchen utensils just as he was told to do
so.  Others  watched  him from his behind. Vichu took a few steps
back and checked meticulously whether the bommai was in the right
place. The bommai was a  little too far from the kitchen utensils
and one could clearly notice the empty space between the  kitchen
utensils  and  the  bommai.  Empty  space is bad and it should be
close to the kitchen utensils just as  Chellam  Maami  suggested,
Vichu  told himself. He took the bommai again and placed it a few
inches close to the kitchen utensils. He checked again and  found
that  he  was correct. Very much like in Rukku Maami's golu as he
could now recall what he saw there. Vichu was very pleased.
    Vichu turned back hoping that others would  approve  him  for


                                21




choosing  a  good  place for his marappaachi bommai, just as they
suggested him. Much to his disappointment, noone was  looking  at
him.  They  were busy talking to each other and he saw his sister
sitting in a corner and playing a kriti in her violin  unnoticed.
Vichu  stared  at  his  golu. The chettiyaar bommai smiled at him
knowingly.

_________________________________________________________________

   [ Translated from Tamil by the  author]

_________________________________________________________________ 


 
------
Poetry
------
                          ==================
                          aindhu kavidhaigaL
                          ==================

                              Janagapriya



-----                             |--------- 
natpu                             |nambikkai
-----                             |---------
                                  |
nilaa paarththu                   |eLidhil thavaRugiRa
kaigaL kOrththu                   |kaNNaadip paaththiramaay
tholaivaay nadanth                |veLLaththil pOgum 
illaadha naaLilum pEciyirundhu    |carkkarai moottaiyaay   
iruttum namakkup podhuvenRuNarndhu|adikkadi thOnRum                  
pazhagiyadhellaam                 |vazhikkadan bayamaay -
pazhacaayp pOchchu                |dhinamum
vandha vElai                      |achchuRuththum
pudhucenbadhaal.                  |idhan caavu ennai. 




                                22



-------                           |-------
kavalai                           |kaimmai
-------                           |-------
                                  |
onRaanaalum                       |vaazhndhu cezhiththa 
araiyaanaalum                     |maram onRu
adhigam peRRadhai vaiththE        |thEraayp pOgum
adhikaaram vazhangappadugiRadhu.  |theruvil orunaaL
                                  |
kuvindhu koNdiruppadhu            |kaayai kaniyai thandha nizhalai
piNangaL thaan                    |oor pEcum
eNNaviruppadhO                    |palavaai
Ottuch cheettugaL.                |koodi
                                  |
pudhumaiyalla                     |vErum kiLaiyum 
endha aracaangaththilum           |iNaindha vaazhvil
aindhaayiramaayinum               |koodugaL kattiya paRavaigaL
paththayiramaayinum               |uyarap paRakkum
uyirgaL paRRiyalla kavalai        |iRakkaiyai agalap paRappi
dhEcam! aam                       |
avargaL aaLa oru                  |muRindha vErin
dhEcam                            |meedhi irukkum
adhai_p paRRiththaan...           |inivarum naaLaai
                                  |maNNuL
                                  |
-------                           |andha oRRai manacaay
naatkaL                           |eriyum cidhai.
-------                           |
                                  |------------------------------
kaLaiththa mooLai                 |[From: 'maraNam edhuvena',
puththagam nirambi                |       'nigazh' veLiyeedu,
iruNdadhu veedu.                  |        Madurai (1990) ] 
                                  |  
poymaiyum bOdhanaiyaagi           |Contributed by:  
kazhiyum naatkaL.                 |        M.Sundaramoorthy
__________________________________|______________________________
Note: 'maraNam edhuvena' is the debut poetry collection of Janag-
apriya. He is one of  many who live  below the 'poverty line', as
defined by the  governement and had played various roles from the
owner of 'ilakkiya  veLivattam'  magazine to a peon. According to
Prof. Rajagouthaman, his poetry  speaks the language of his expe-
iences learned from life, not from the text books.


                                23




------
Review
------
                     =======================
                     Modern Tamil Dictionary
                     =======================

                        M. Sundaramoorthy


        Title: 'kriyaavin thaRkaalath  thamizhagaraadhi' (Cre-A's
	Contemporary Tamil Dictionary) (1992)

        Price: Rs.170.00

        Publisher: Cre-A, 268 Rayapetta High Road, Madras 600014,
	Tamil Nadu, India.


Cre-A is at the forefront of publishing good books in Tamil, both
fiction  and  non-fiction.  The selection of subject for publica-
tion, the quality of paper, printing and finishing,  and  minimal
typographical  mistakes  are unique to Cre-A among Tamil publish-
ers. They have the perfection of book making with  total  dedica-
tion.  And  the  dictionary under review is a latest example that
proves their credentials mentioned above.

The way this work started seems  to  have  an  interesting  back-
ground,  as  described  in the preface by Cre-A Ramakrishnan. Ap-
parantly he and his colleague Narayanan, used to write  down  the
new  words on small cards, when they proof read translation works
in Tamil, which gave them a new experience  in  the  usage  Tamil
words  in  the present context. When they told about this to Usha
Aroor, Publishing editor of  Orient  Longman  company,  she   em-
phasised the need of a dictionary for contemporary Tamil.

This is a very difficult task for a few individuals to accomplish.
This  could  have  been done only by a team with total dedication
and is obvious from the list people  acknowledged  and  the  long
list of names in the dictionary committee.



                                24



This new dictionary was compiled by a team of experts  comprising
many Tamil professors, linguists  and  lexicographers after doing
systematic research for six years  and  creating  a  computerised
data base.

The team was chaired by Dr. E. Annamalai, Director of Central In-
stitute  of  Indian languages, Mysore with Dr.P.R. Subramanian as
the Chief editor and S. Ramakrishnan as the Managing editor.  The
team  is  made  up  with  such  distinguished  people  as  Dr. N.
Kumaraswamy Raja (Annamalai University), Dr. J. Neethivanan  (Ma-
durai  Kamaraj  University),  Dr. K.Rangan (Tamil University) Dr.
Pon. Kothandaraman (Madras University),  Dr.M.A.  Nuhman  (Jaffna
University),  in  the  expert  committee  and Drs. Francois Gros,
A.K.Ramanujan,  RM. Sundaram,  R.A.Singh,  A.   Dhamodharan,   K.
Paramasivam, James M. Lindholm and many others as special consul-
tants. There are scores of people involved at  different  levels,
like   software  developement,  expertise  on  special  subjects,
secratorial works etc.

It is claimed that this is a first such  attempt  in  any  Indian
langauge  and  has  been  partly  funded  by  the Human Resources
Developement Department  of  the  Indian  Government.  Also,  the
software  developed specially for this could be used for any such
work in other Indian languages and Tamil linguistic research.

This is the first authentic Tamil-Tamil-English Dictionary, after
the first lexican published by the University of Madras in 1930s.
1956, the year that Tamil was  made  Administrative  language  in
Tamil  Nadu,  was  made  as the starting year, to define the term
ning  over  40,000  pages, from government documents, text books,
literature, magazines, news  papers,  transcripts  of  radio  and
television  programs  etc.,  which reflect the contemporary Tamil
usage and collected about 16,000 entries for this dictionary.

Each entry has the following structure, as in any  standard  dic-
tionary.

Main entry word  (thalaich  chol),  grammatical  form  (ilakkaNak
kuRippu), inflected forms(thiribuch choRkaL), meanings (poruL) in
the order of their usage, examples  of  usage  in  sentences  and
phrases   (eduththukkaattu,  vaakkiyangaL),  English  equivalants
(aangialp poruL).


                                25 



Superscripts numbers are used for the  entries,  with  the  above
features,  if  the same entry is used in more than one gramatical
form.

Apart from these standard features there  are  also  mentions  of
the  signifcance   of  the  words,  in  special contexts (a.va. -
arugi varum  vazhakku,  becoming  less  popular,  pe.va.   perugi
varum   vazhakku,   becoming  more   popular, pE. va. pEchchu va-
zhakku - slang, u. va. -uyar vazhakku -literay  etc.),  geography
(ialnk  - ilankai - Sri Lankan Tamil usage, va. va.- vattaara va-
zhakku - local dialect) etc.), cultural (is. -iSlaamiya  vazhakku
-  Islamic  usage,  ca.   va. - samooga  vazhakku -  usage  in  a
special cultural groups etc) and specialised fields (ilak. -ilak-
kaNam - grammar, vE.  -  vEdhiyal- chemistry etc.) etc.

There are about 270 illustrations for special, not_so_common  and
cultural  words.(  eg. kammal (ear ring), kamalai (a native water
draining system with animal power for irrigation) etc.).

This dictionary will be particulary very useful for those who are
outside  Tamil  speaking  areas,  both Tamils and non-Tamils, the
second generation Tamils brought up in non-Tamil  mileu,  parents
who  want to teach Tamil to their children and also those who in-
volve in translations of contemporary Tamil works.
_________________________________________________________________

                         =============
                         Announcements
                         =============

Articles pertaining to  Modern  Tamil  literature and related art
forms are invited for publication in this electronic magazine.

 * The articles should be formatted to 65 columns.

 * ADAMI transliteration should be followed wherever  applicable.
   For more details on ADAMI scheme, please contact the author of
   ADAMI software, Dr.K. Srinivasan,  srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca.

 * The articles may be sent to any one of the editorial committee
   members and will be scrutinised by all the  members to  decide
   the suitability of the article for publication.


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 * If the articles are not authored by the contibutors, a  proper
   reference should be provided.

 * The short stories may be submitted in translation. However, it
   is suggested  to  submit poetry in  Tamil in  transliteration,
   preferably accopmanied by the translation.

 * When submitting a short story or a summary of a novel,  it  is
   suggested to include  excerpts  for  about  a  page  from  the 
   original Tamil work, such that the readers can have a feel for
   the style, power  of expression etc. of the original author.

 * Articles received till 20th day of every month will appear  in
   the following issue.

 * Comments about the articles are welcome..
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This issue is contributed by:

	Asokan, N.            nasokan@yoho.uwaterloo.ca 
	Balaji, R.            arbi@iris.polymer.uakron.edu
	Sundaramoorthy, M.    sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu
	Sundara Pandian       sp2@cec1.wustl.edu  

and edited by:
 
	Arul Suresh           GR8888@SIUCVMB.SIU.EDU
        Ramesh, Vaidhyanathan vaidhyan@ecn.purdue.edu 
	Sundaramoorthy, M     sundar@indigo1.hsis.uci.edu
	Sundara Pandian       sp2@cec1.wustl.edu  
	Vigneswaran           VIGNESWA@ecs.umass.edu

Posted for SCTamil LITERARY SOCIETY by M. Sundaramoorthy
_________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: The opinions  expressed in the articles of this issue 
are of the authors of the respective articles and have nothing to
do with the institution it is posted from.

Note: This  issue  is   partly   prepared  from  the  copyrighted 
materials, reproduced without permission, and  so may not be used
for commercial purposes.
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