Veteran Tamil poet Gnanakoothan, known for his social satire and parody of the Dravidian movements, died in Chennai last night. He was 78.
‘Gnanakoothan’ was the pseudonym of R Ranganathan. He entered the world of literature through his 1968 poem Prachanai. Following this, he authored several poems including the noteworthy Andru Veru Kazhamai, Suryanukku Pinpakam, Kadarkkarayil Sila Marangal and Meendum Avargal.
Gnanakoothan was one of the pioneering modern poets of Tamil literature. Known for his surrealist mode of writing, his poems had a modern outlook. He was also a regular contributor to many popular Tamil publications such as Kalki, Kalachuvadu and Uyirmei.
The Tamil writer’s association described his death as an “irreplaceable loss” to the world of Tamil literature. Senior writer, Balakumaran called him one of the finest Tamil poets of the century and lauded him for leaving behind a rich legacy of modern Tamil poems. Veteran writer Sa Kandasamy pointed out that although his mother tongue was Kannada, he had only written in Tamil. In 2010, he was awarded the honourary Saral Award by The Robert Arockiam Trust. In 2014, he was awarded the Vishnupuram award, an award to honour senior Tamil writers for their contribution to Tamil literature.
Gnanakoothan’s writings have inspired many contemporary writers. Kamal Haasan in his interview to The Hindu said, “Great poets such as Gnanakoothan encouraged me to write”. The well-known Telugu poet, Yakoob was also an ardent admirer of the poet. Yakoob said that he was overwhelmed by his presence at the launch of his book Sarihaddu Rekha.
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Well-versed in traditional prosody, Gnanakoothan was unhappy with the status of translation that prevailed during his times. At Yakoob’s book launch, he expressed this dissatisfaction, describing Sahitya Akademi as the sole channel for translations. Later, in 2009, Penguin books launched The Rapids of a Great River, the work of writer and translator Lakshmi Holmstrom. The book is a collection of poems in translation of the ancient Sangam poets to contemporary poets including Gnanakoothan. At the event, he expressed his concern about the derth in English translations of Tamil poetry.
Feature Image courtesy: Dinamani