CHENNAI: An elderly man once protested in public and was about to immolate himself for the cause of Tamil language at Srivaikuntam, Thoothukudi district. The cops averted the man’s attempt and bundled him away. The protester thought that he would be taken to the police station. But to his surprise, he found himself at an IPS officer’s home, who ordered him to be brought there. The officer treated him as a guest, counselled him and introduced his two sons.
At a time where a few parents in Tamil Nadu have little concern to preserve Tamil language, the protester was astonished to hear the beautiful names of the police officer’s sons — Senthan Amudhan and Vannanilavan! Mani Shanmugham, the superintendent of police (Special Investigation Team),
Pursawalkam, and principal, Police Training College, Chennai, is a nature lover and modern Tamil poet with four books of poems to his credit.
Netri Surungiya Buddhar, his new book is a treasure house of haikus evolving images in the natural world as he penned them adhering to the Zen tradition. Unlike other policemen who are generally aggressive, Mani is a soft-hearted man. Otherwise, he could not have admired the beautiful bird which crossed past the moon just at the flap of its wings.
“Earlier in my school days, my poems would sound like the rhythmic dialogues of yesteryear film actor and director T Rajhendherr. Meant only for reading out on the dais, they would receive a rousing applause from the audience,” recalls Mani, a Cuddalore native.
The police officer-cum-poet recently launched three books — Moondru Varikalil Munnooru Poikal, Netri Surungiya Buddhar and Vaarathin Ettavathu Naal, in Coimabatore. Later, in a chat with CE, he says, “When I was the deputy superintendent of police at Paramakudi, the people who invited me to different programmes, preferred to address me as Kavingnar Mani and not DSP.”
Earlier, while working as a medical representative the medical company honored Mani for surpassing his sales target at the national level. Later when he worked as a school physics teacher, he was even ‘accused’ of spending too much time in the school library!
“While preparing for TNPSC Group I services examinations and Civil Services exam, I got the opportunity of reading Tamil classics including the Silappathikaram and Manimekalai. I had chosen Tamil literature as my optional paper,” informs Mani.
Answering a question on how, being a poet, he felt when the police department let down Kongu writer Perumal Murugan after he was hounded by certain Hindu outfits for his book, Mathorubhagan, the police officer-cum-poet says, “It is a bitter reality that people in our society are inseparable from their respective castes and are used to view all social issues from a caste perspective. With democracy guaranteeing every citizen the right of speech and expression, the protesters against Mathorubhagan should have viewed the central idea of the book as just the opinion of the author.”
His works, in a nut-shell
While Netri Suringiya Buddhar is a bilingual book of haikus (English and Tamil), Moondru Varikalil Munnoooru Poikal is a translation of around 300 haikus by various poets from different countries. His other books of poems are Veyilil Nanaintha Mazhai and Vaarathin Ettavathu Naal