Brand Tamilvanan

by R.V. Rajan

A few months ago, at a meeting of the South India Heritage series, Lena Tamilvanan, the elder son of the legendary Tamil writer Tamilvanan, while speaking about his father, asked the audience, “How many of you know about Tamil­va­nan and have read his writings?”

More than half of the audience, comprising senior citizens in their 60s and 70s, raised their hands. A clear indication of the popularity of Tamilvanan in the 1950s and 1960s. ‘A master of all subjects, as he was known, Tamilvanan had a huge following among the Tamil reading youth of the time. The impact that he made on them through his motivational and inspirational writings was unbelievable. He was almost a cult figure. Though I was Mumbai-based, I was also one of those who got hooked on his writings and adopted his famous slogan ‘Thunivey Thunai’ ( Courage as Companion), as a tharaka mantram of my life. Even my autobiography is titled Courage My Companion.

Tamilvanan.

Born in a large family – Tamilvanan was one of 16 children, in Devakottai in Tamil Nadu, Ramanathan alias Tamilvanan, had to discontinue his studies because of his involvement in the ‘Quit India’ movement during his student days. He started his working life as general assistant in a company making ‘chalk pieces’. His interest in writing got him a job as an Assistant editor with Grama Oozhian, a magazine edited by Vallikannan. A voracious reader, he was keenly interested in Tamil literature. This interest took him to Chennai in 1946, where he managed to get a job as an Assistant editor in a children‘s magazine called Anil. His column became so popular that he was called ‘Anil Anna’. While working, he was also trying to improve his knowledge of Tamil by learning at least ten new words every day under the tutelage of the well-known Tamil Pandit V. Kalyana­sundaram (Thiru Vi Ka). The Tamil word Vanan, meaning ‘a person who lives life’, caught his imagination. He decided to combine his love for Tamil with his zest for life and coined the word ‘Tamil­­vanan’ which he wanted to use as a pen name
for himself. Thiru Vi Ka approved. But he did not know at that time that ‘Tamilvanan’ would soon become a household name among the Tamil reading public.

When S.A.P.Annamalai, the founder editor of Kumudam weekly, was looking for an editor in 1948, to start a new children’s magazine called Kalkandu, he invited Tamil­vanan to offer his ideas. The dummy (mock-up) prepared by Tamilvanan impressed him so much that he was immediately appointed the editor of the new magazine. Though he started as a writer for children, thanks to the total freedom given to him by SAP, started targeting his writings towards the youth through essays and stories covering a wide variety of topics and promoting general knowledge among his readers. The words Thunivey Thunai, his tharaka manthiram, was featured prominently on the front cover of every issue of Kal­kandu. The Question & Answer feature that he started became a big hit, and he had to spend a lot of time at the Connemara Library to find answers to the sometimes difficult questions posed by his readers. His answers, essays and generous sprinkling of useful ‘tidbits’ in the magazine covered topics ranging from media, religion, politics, literature, yoga, medicine, films and many more. His self-improvement essays, giving tips to improve a person’s life, became very popular not only with the youth but entire families. His detective serials appearing week after week, featuring the unforgettable detective ‘Sankarlal’ and his assistants ‘Kathirikkai’ and ‘Manik­kam’, became famous. It seems the suggestion for starting a detective novel came from a reader from Kerala called Sankar­lal, who wanted Tamilvanan to feature a super detective like Sherlock Homes in his stories. Tamilvanan not only acted on the suggestion but also decided to call the detective by the reader’s name – Sankarlal.

While he was gaining popularity as a writer/editor he found that he had to do something to improve his finances. ‘Manimekalai Prasuram’, nam­ed after his wife was started in 1956 to publish his own books. While he continued as the editor of Kalkandu for 30 years, until his death, he also published over 500 books during his life time Tamilvanan was perhaps the only Tamil writer who consciously built a brand image for himself. Breaking away from the stereo type dhoti-clad Tamil writer with a jolna pye and keeping in mind his youthful audience, he was always impeccably dressed in white trousers and white shirts in addition to donning a hat and dark glasses. In fact, over a period to time, the hat and dark glasses became his symbols. It is said that if a reader sent a letter featuring only the hat and dark glasses marked Madras, on the cover, it would reach him withoutfail.

He was as popular as the film stars of those days. Whenever he went to address a meeting, he was invariably mobbed by his enthusiastic fans. It was not unsual for him to exit through the back doors of the auditoriums after the meetings, to escape overzealous fans.

Like many other writers, he also got the film bug. In his later years he too dabbled in film production. He produced two films, Tamil versions of two popular Telugu films, titled Pillai Pasam and Thudikkum Thuppakki.
Tamilvanan was very close to the top political leaders and film stars. Though he knew M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) well as a friend, he did not hesitate to criticise him through his writings, whenever he felt that MGR was wrong. This earned the wrath of MGR who filed a defamation suit for Rs. 2 lakh against Tamilvanan. MGR realised that Tamilvanan would not bow to the threat when he published the news as a cover story in Kalkandu. He quietly withdrew the suit. Another big controversy Tamil­vanan was involved in, was his challenging the importance given to Veera Pandia Katta­bom­man as a freedom fighter. He argued that Katta Bomman was actually ‘Ketty Bommu’ and that ‘Pyli thevan’ was the real freedom fighter of the time and not Kattabom­man.

Tamilvanan was equally popular as a speaker. His lectures were always laced with humour and insightful ideas. Unfortunately for a man who wrote inspiring and motivational essays, like ‘How to live longer?’ he never looked after his own health, developing a serious heart condition. He took enormous risk when he went to pay his respects to his mentor, S.A.P. Annamalai, on Deepa­vali Day in 1977, like he always did on every Deepavali day, though SAP had offered to visit him instead of Tamilvanan visiting him. He was determined to pay his respects to SAP at his house, much against the advice of his doctor and family. Unable to stand the strain, he collapsed soon after he returned home and died. It was November 10, 1977 and he was only 51. Among his four children, two of his sons, Lena and Ravi, had to discontinue their studies to carry on with their father’s legacy, against all odds. How they rose upto the challenge and kept the brand ‘Tamilvanan’ going makes for on story by itself.

(Feedback welcome: at rvrajan42@gmail. com)

(To be concluded)

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