As tonic of encouragement, instead
of showing the mirage to a thirsty traveler, it is better to make him
behold a desert, for at least there, he can come across an oasis. It
is from this principle, rose the poetry of
Inquilab
– a popular modern Tamil poet, who passed away last
year.
“ By digging deep at least in the
desert, you can discover a spring. But, it is futile to chase the
mirage in the belief that it contains water ” says Inquilab
in his book Oru Magudaththai Sirakukal
Sumandhu Sellaathu, (
Wings do not carry a crown), which
was his interview to the All India Radio, Coimbatore.
K.Stalin, former assistant director
of All India Radio, Coimbatore, and an author of a number of books,
profiled the poet once and has recently brought out the interview as
a book.
“ Since I felt that Inquilab
's opinions on Tamil society, its history and
literature should not be gone with the wind, I have documented it
as a book” says Stalin.
In his radio interview,
Inquilab says that he could see
through pieces of classical Tamil literature how life was in an
undemocratic world. At the same time, he also came across the
literary characters, who dared questioning even the king's absolute
power.
“ In the great Tamil epic
Cilapathikaram,
the heroine Kannagi, a rich woman-turned commoner, questioned the
Pandya king Nedunchezhian in Madurai for his unjust act of killing
her innocent husband. Such a question by a woman stands testimony to
an individual's voice against injustice even in the days of monarchy
“ notes Inquilab
.
Affectionately called as ' Makkal
Pavalar ' ( People's poet ) for his poems written from a subaltern
perspective, Inquilab
says that classical Tamil literature has stood as a mirror to
reflect the continuing class struggle , in which the mighty
overthrows the weak.
“ At
the end of Sangam age, the greedy kings of the three major
dynasties – Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas laid siege to the fortified
Parambunadu, a
region ruled by the Tamil chieftain Pari, who is known as the last of
the seven great patrons. The chieftain was finally killed by a
treachery and his territory captured, Histories say that Pari was
defeated, but I see the chieftain’s death as his victory over the
mighty kings, for he did not yield to their pressure. Being the
chieftain to the tribal community of the mountainous Parambunadu,
Pari is praised for his
munificence, as poet Kapilar sang paeans on him in Purananuru,
a Sangam period work” details Inquilab
.
Writers
from the 'serious' Tamil literary world criticized Inquilab
's poems to the extent of
calling them as ' communist posters', for he wrote verses from a
subaltern perspective.
It
may be noted that Inquilab returned the Tamil Nadu government's
Kalaimamani award in 2006, citing the government's failure in
protecting the Sri Lankan Tamils.
“I
am a bird with a flair for flying. In the name of an award, I don't
want to carry a crown on my wings” says Inquilab
Oru Magudaththai
Sirakukal Sumandhu Sellaathu, in
a nutshell
The
book is a document of the late Tamil poet Inquilab
's interview to the All India Radio, Coimbatore. In a chat with
K.Stalin, who was the programme executive then, Inquilab
shares his views on classical Tamil literature, history and modern
poetry. A poet, playwright, columnist and social activist, Inquilab
says if circumstances prevented him from standing by the side of
justice in a social issue, he always shook off the former and stood
by the latter.
Link to the article in The New Indian Express : http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/19354706
