COIMBATORE: Accusing a Coimbatore-based auto rickshaw driver-turned writer, M Chandrakumar, of denigrating the Arunthathiyar community in his Tamil novel ‘Eriyum Pattatharasi’, a lawyer G T Rajendran, has filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police here seeking action.
Acting on the complaint, Raju, Assistant Commissioner, Social Justice and Human Rights, on Thursday directed Chandrakumar give a detailed explanation to the allegations.
According to Rajendran, a member of the Arunthathiyar community, Chandrakumar had shown the downtrodden community in poor light in the novel by addressing them with “bad words.”
Denying the allegations, Chandrakumar, said that his novel only speaks the plight of the members of Arunthathiyar community, as they faced untold discrimination and oppression from the Kongu Vellalar community during the 2006 caste violence of Kalapatti in Coimbatore. “Since I wanted to bring out the real effect of their discriminatory practice, I have made my characters from the Kongu Vellalar community use the same ‘bad words’ which they simply use to address the downtrodden in real life,” he said.
The novelist added that he was surprised that the complainant failed to understand that the object of his novel was to secure liberty of the Arunthathiyars from the caste Hindus.
While acknowledging the novel as a good work, Rajendran, said if the author had used the controversial expressions in unavoidable contexts it would have been fine. “But he has employed vulgar words and phrases throughout the novel even in the narrator’s language. This clearly shows his intention to show Arunthathiyars in bad light,” he charged.
The investigating officer Raju agreed that the author has only narrated the reality of the caste violence. “I don’t think he has any intention to hurt the Arunthathiyar community. However, I have directed him to give me a detailed explanation against the petitioner’s allegations,” he told Express.
Commenting on the controversy, Aathi Thamilar Peravai president Adhiyaman said Chandrakumar was among the few writers who have brought the issues of Arunthathiyars to light. “The truth of an incident can be felt by the readers, only if the writer portrays it in a realistic manner. In that way Chandrakumar has only shown through the abusive language how the members of an intermediate caste treat the downtrodden in real life,” he said.