To see the world in Tamil writer S Ramakrishnan's written word

CHENNAI: From novels, short stories, essays, and Indian history, to translations, writings in world cinema and plays, S Ramakrishnan, fondly known as S.Ra, is a doyen of contemporary Tamil literature. Author of over 100 books in the last 30 years and a multi-award winner, including the Sahitya Akademi in 2018 for his novel, Sanchaaram, 59-year-old S.Ra dedicates the last paragraph in every book to five people — poet Devadatchan and SA Perumal, who hand-held him in his formative years, his wife, Chandraprabha and their two sons, who continue to support his writing career.

“It is not just for the sake of custom,” says S.Ra. “Whatever time I have to spend with family, I spend it on writing, reading and research. My wife and children have been nothing but supportive. They don’t bother me with everyday duties, and in hindsight, had they not been a part of my life, it could have been difficult.”

Born in Mallankinaru, Virudhunagar district, S.Ra grew up in a family that bought books to read, and they were discussed at home. So, reading was not an acquired taste. However, the family’s contribution in guiding a young littérateur to write stopped there.

A few good men

“Two people changed my life when I was young,” he says. During his visits to his grandmother’s house in Kovilpatti, Ramakrishnan was intrigued by a group of men seated on the temple steps having animated discussions on a variety of topics. There were days when some of them stormed off after a heated debate. He wanted to join them too, but was apprehensive.

Mustering courage, he approached one of them and asked if he could join their discussions, just to observe and learn. Rather than be condescending to a 16-year-old for his interest in joining their “intellectual discussions”, the man told him, “Ask anything.” A young S.Ra did exactly that.

He spent his annual vacation asking doubts in literature and poetry. From ‘why Sangam literature is indecipherable?’ to ‘why are translations important?’, his questions were like the sea — limitless and deep. “I used to think people (writers) engaged in their craft as a hobby. Speaking with him, I realised the nuances behind writing,” he recalled.

To this day, S.Ra speaks to his first mentor, Devadatchan, every single day.

Another well-wisher and mentor, whose name is a constant in his books is Perumal, who was a Communist party cadre when Ramakrishnan met him during his college days. Seeing a group of young boys engrossed in discussions at a tea shop, Perumal asked them about their interests and what they were discussing.

When S.Ra mentioned books, Perumal took a book out of his bag and gave it to him. It was a collection of short stories by Jack London, one of the first American writers to become a celebrity and earn a fortune as a writer. When Perumal received the book back from Ramakrishnan, he discussed with the youngster about his interests in literature and guided him to read history, social issues, contemporary thinkers and most important of all, according to Ramakrishnan, ignited the spark to travel and meet people and tell their stories.

“When we met, he was a party cadre. He then became my aasan (mentor). Today, he is the grandfather of my children. If my children mention thaatha (grandfather), it does not refer to my father. It’s him. Such is his bond with my family too,” says Ramakrishnan.

At 80, Perumal’s mentorship game hasn’t slowed down. He always asks S.Ra, “What next?”, which reminds him to not become laid-back with work. “The relationship started with words, but today it is beyond what words can describe,” he says of Devadatchan and Perumal. “I tell young writers to identify and hold onto mentors. They will build you. There are several in this world who are willing to raise you beyond the heights they reached. They will take you there.”

Teacher to the world

The Tamil word aasiriyar is generally used to refer to a teacher. It can also be used to refer to book authors.

In some villages, people address him as aasiriyar and they would have been right even if Ramakrishnan had not become a professional writer. For he wanted to be a teacher, keeping the family tradition alive and was set on the career path before he chose the writer in him bloomed.

“My family is full of teachers…my grandfather, uncles, aunt, and many others. It was either becoming a teacher or doctor; my journey was towards becoming a teacher, especially considering the respect they commanded from students and villagers,” he stated.

S.Ra completed PhD in English literature. At the same time, he had a flair for writing and was conflicted about his career path when his brother sat him down to talk. “There are two kinds of teachers — one for the classroom, and another for the world. You can write books and still teach people new things through your works,” he told me.

Those may have been casual words of encouragement, but he was prophetic as S.Ra accomplished exactly that with his seminal works such as Enadhu India (My India) and Maraikkapatta India (The hidden India), essays on Russian and world literature, and world cinema. He is among the very few writers who introduces Tamil readers to books in other Indian languages through his essays.

His Sahitya Akademi winning novel, Sanchaaram, is about the lives and travails of nadaswaram artistes in southern Tamil Nadu. “I still believe I am doing an aasiriyar’s job. Solroam, puriyavekroam (I explain and make them understand). If a reader tells me he/she has learnt something from my book, that’s the same as teaching,” S.Ra says.

S.Ra doesn’t wait for inspiration to hit. A man of varied interests, he writes every day and he has done so without missing a beat for 30 years. It can be a short story, essay, research article or writing for a documentary or cinema, Ramakrishnan is always in touch with any world that requires stringing words together.

A creature of routine

He doesn’t take his family’s sacrifices for him lightly. Like an office goer, he has a day’s schedule and plans ahead for his holidays and his writing days.

“What you cannot buy in this world is time. I feel guilty when I waste time. I spend my time with words. I read and write every day. Whether they eventually get published or not is secondary, but I write,” S.Ra told DT Next of his routine.

He writes for four hours every day. For several years, he used to write at night. Then, he broke that routine and wrote only in the mornings. After the pandemic, he started to write at any time and these days, he writes for two hours each in the morning and evening. “What I write is dependent on my state of mind for that day, but I write,” he says.

Ramakrishnan’s modest writing desk at his Saligramam office has a computer and a few books. His idiosyncrasies are quite visible. The screensavers on his monitor are set to medieval paintings. A painting of Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Sower at Sunset’ is hung above his desk.

S.Ra doesn’t write while travelling, but he makes up for it by writing about his travels, the things he learnt and the people he met. Travel is part of his identity.

The OG travel influencer

Unbeknownst to him, Perumal had sown the seeds of travel early on in Ramakrishnan’s life. Among his writings that ran as series in Tamil magazine, Ananda Vikatan, were his essays based on his travels across the country.

The essay collections were published as a book titled, Desanthiri (traveller).

The publication house he started a few years ago is named Desanthiri too. He has travelled across the world, sometimes with purpose — in search of history, arts, in search of writers’ hometowns to see how they lived.

When he went to Japan, he went to the dwellings of Haiku poet Matsuo Basho; In America, he went to see where Mark Twain and Hemingway lived. He travelled to the village where Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali was shot to see in person. Many times, he travelled for the sheer joy of it. If a Gen Z youngster had to describe S.Ra, they would probably term him, ‘The OG travel influencer’.

“Sometimes, the object of travel is to just leave. Apart from the experiences, travel shows us new possibilities, and we learn about ourselves. The landmarks are noticed easily. It’s the small things we don’t notice when we travel. I want to write about those small things and lives of the simple people,” S.Ra says of his travels and how it shaped his identity as a writer. “You can trek over mountains, hike long distances, but you cannot gain even a little ground in the hearts of those who dislike you. So, the journey I undertake is to reach the hearts of strangers. The heart has everything...mountains, deserts, even palaces. Not everyone is allowed into the palaces. But, as a writer, that’s where I intend to reach.”

There is one story he tells often in interviews and meetings with readers. Two siblings, who were out of touch over differences, contacted him after reading one of his essays and patched up at his home. The story gets better.

Few months later, the brothers landed at S.Ra’s home again. And, this time, with their families. It was Deepavali and the families celebrated the auspicious day with the writer whose words made them bury their differences. The essays based on the writer’s observations from everyday life and his experiences were published as a book Thunaiezhuthu, one of his best-selling books.

One of the essays in Thunaiezhuthu starts with a question: What is the longest entity in the world? Is it the Great Wall of China? The Nile river’s trail? Not them. It’s the daytime of the unemployed (Velayilladhavanin Pagal). That too, the daytime of an unemployed married man moves slower than a snail. “Yaavarum nesikkiraargal enbadhudhan velayattravarin thuyaram (That he still receives love is the unemployed man’s misery).”

To understand the impact of Thunaiezhuthu on readers, here’s a review by a young reader Vignesh, who shared his opinion on the writer’s website: “I know people who carry around Thunaiezhuthu just as Bible and Qur’an, it makes wonders in people’s lives. It made one in mine.”

Unfamiliar writings

Whether there is an overwhelming reception or not, S.Ra continues to write and speak about Russian literature, the necessity for Tamil readers to explore literature in other Indian languages, and the need for translations of Tamil literary works into other languages to gain a widespread audience.

That the larger Tamil population is not aware of their literary greats is a lament every writer shares.

Writer Sujatha, in the author’s note of one of his essay collections, puts it harshly. “How many of those (readers) who consume Kumudham (magazine) know about Pudumaipithan? Every aspiring writer in Tamil should definitely read the works of Pudumaipithan, KuPaRa (KP Rajagopalan). But, many don’t know. That’s when a sense of frustration seeps in. Are we producing literature for these folks? Philistines.”

But there’s no frustration in S.Ra when he shares: “I am an avid reader first and foremost and I want to share that joy with my readers. If I like something, I immediately write about it. How many people can I take it to? That’s my thought.”

He has written over 10 books on world cinema, introducing his readers to non-popular cinema, without any condescension that is typical of cinephiles. In one of the books, he writes, “The writings in this book are not academic. Just my observations on the movies I watched and loved. An introductory essay of sorts to fellow cinema watchers. That’s it. I know the boundaries of my expertise.” Much like an elder brother wanting youngsters to appreciate the finer things literature and other arts have to offer!

His book, Nilavazhi (By land), introduces Tamil readers to writers and books from across the country. What better way to understand a complex nation like ours than through stories from its land! “This thought that the best works from across the world should be read in Tamil is not new. Even Bharathiyar has written about it. Writer KaNaSu (Ka Naa Subramanyam) used to travel to Kolkata and translate the best works from the libraries there. War and Peace (Tolstoy) was translated in Tamil in the 1950’s itself by writer TS Chockalingam. They sourced the book from London. The facilities available in those times were very less compared today and they still did that,” he points out.

He refers to the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature awarded to Norwegian writer Jon Fosse “for his innovative prose and plays”. One of his novels, Septology, is written as one continuous sentence.

“No full stops. So, people might assume a writing like this must be experimental in writing, right? No, he has been recognised with the Nobel Prize. This is a boost for writers around the world to try new things and translations will help readers,” he points out.

Be like an Olympian

In several of his writings, Ramakrishnan comments on the social disparity and social issues, and expresses strong opinions as observations. But, unlike some of his contemporaries, it is rare to see Ramakrishnan on TV panels regularly. Why?

“Yes, I have an opinion on things. But, when I’m invited to speak on TV, I ask myself whether I am an expert on this issue. My knowledge on the issue is from what I read from newspapers and magazines and I feel there are those who are better placed to comment on them.”

On the other hand, Ramakrishnan uses every available platform and stage offered to him to comment on literature, culture, and language. So, does he not have any ideological labels as a writer? “I see myself as a representative of an average Tamil man, the language,” he says.

He’s the village boy who wondered why his geographical location robbed him of the opportunity of consuming good literature, good cinema, classical music. “I write about forgotten arts, culture, and introduce people to literature other than ours. All these are my labels. Labels need not be necessarily affiliated to any ideology or political party.”

S.Ra has been the recipient of most of the awards in the Indian literature scene. The latest being the Bhartiya Bhasha award. “When I receive an award, I’m most excited about the happiness it brings to people around me — my family, loved ones and readers. It’s as if they won the award. So, I always feel that I am receiving it on their behalf.”

He likens awards to the energy drinks given during marathons and Iron-man competitions. “It’s given to keep you moving/running. Not to rest.” In the writer’s case, not to rest on laurels, which he sees in some young Tamil writers. He points to athletes who go for training the next day after winning an Olympic medal.

“Aale illadha maidhanathla odi payindraldhaan, aayiramper ulla maidhaanathla kaithattu kedaikkum (An athlete who practices every day in an empty stadium is the one to get the applause from thousands),” says S.Ra. “A writer’s life is like that.”

But when his work is acknowledged publicly, he wins. And in Ramakrishnan’s case, he becomes a legend.

A voyager’s trail

· First short story collection: Veliyil Oruvan published in 1990

· Debut novel: Upa Paandavam, a retelling of Indian epic Mahabharata through the auxiliary characters

· Published over 100 books in the last 30 years

· Sanchaaram won him the Sahitya Akademi award in 2018. It portrays lives and travails of nadaswaram artistes in arid TN

Historical essay books

Ramakrishna had reservations about the way Indian history was written. So, when an opportunity came up to serialise history in a magazine, he jumped at it. “I gave the readers small slices. The research began in 1995. I wrote the series in 2008/09. At the end of every essay, I have given reference books too,” he recalled. “In Enadhu India, I dealt with social history and in Maraikkapatta India, I dealt with cultural history.”

S.Ra is working on the third part of his historical essays book, Colonial India, which will be published in a few months. “Colonial history need not be about lords and governors. I have told the story of the people and the times they lived in.”

From time to time, S.Ra also takes up assignments in Tamil cinema where he contributes to story and dialogues. “The remuneration I earn from these projects sets me for half-a-year, which I use to research for my writings.”

Bookstore culture

S.Ra says there is no vibrant bookstore culture in the state. “There are over 500 engineering colleges in the state, of which at least 100 of them will have over 2,000 students. Authorities or the respective management can set up bookstores in these colleges. The US has a campus bookstore culture. It can be imitated here too. It will not be a bad thing for an educational institution to run a bookstore.” The acclaimed writer believes that a good decor for Marina Beach would be a mobile bookstore.

Writer a good speaker too!

S.Ra is a good orator too. Several of his talks at literary events are well received on YouTube as well. His publication, Desanthiri, managed by his son, R Hari Prasad (29) also runs a YouTube channel featuring his speeches at literary events. Hari also takes care of wrapper designs for his father’s books.

From his books

We witness life’s woes. We see men who have lost hope, are frustrated and curse life. But, literature is created on the principle of inspiring hope in people and life. The pen and the literature it produces should be used to show life’s magnificence and what it has to offer:

“Nam Kaalathin Magatthaana Vanigaporul POI” (The greatest commercial product of our times is LIE)”

- Indhiya Vaanam, on the state of affairs of the news media