
CHENNAI: On the second day of the Chennai International Book Fair, Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writers Imaiyam and AR Venkatachalapathy shared compelling insights that underscored a shared concern – the untapped potential of literature from Tamil Nadu to explore both historical and contemporary social themes.
Both writers lamented the lack of literary works addressing significant issues and figures. Imaiyam spoke about the dearth of novels and short stories tackling pressing social issues, citing the harrowing violence in Vachathi village as an example. “It is the duty of writers to highlight social issues through their work.
However, writers from Tamil Nadu, including me, have failed to do so. There are not many short stories or novels based on these incidents,” he admitted. He also pointed to the Vengavayal incident in Pudukkottai, where human faeces were found in an overhead tank supplying water to Scheduled Caste households, as another critical issue overlooked by literature from Tamil Nadu.
Venkatachalapathy shifted the focus to the wealth of material awaiting exploration in Tamil Nadu’s history and biographies. “Even for someone as non-controversial as Subramania Bharathi, there isn’t a decent book to recommend to a non-Tamil reader,” he observed. He attributed this gap partly to the difficulty of translating Bharathi’s genius into English but also to the failure of writers from Tamil Nadu to capture his life effectively.
The historian also noted the absence of well-researched biographies of more recent figures such as MG Ramachandran. “There is significant intellectual space for well-researched, and rich biographies. For instance, a biography of Kannadasan would undoubtedly be controversial, but even if certain aspects of his life were omitted, the parts that remain would make for a fantastic story – one that could even rival biographies like that of Kazi Nazrul Islam,” he added.
Both writers agreed that literature from Tamil Nadu is yet to fulfil its potential in addressing these themes. While Imaiyam stressed the need for stories rooted in the social realities of the region, Venkatachalapathy called on young scholars to delve into the rich historical tapestry of Tamil Nadu and bring its untold stories to life.