Tamil Characters: Personalities, Politics and Culture – Book Review - M Joseph

 

        Generally the history of India ends with the Independence of India. The famous Indian historian Ramachandra Guha emphasizes the need and importance of writings on the post colonial history of India in one of his interview or article. He specifically mentions C.N Annadurai. Towards that historian A.R. Venkatachalapathy’s book, Tamil Characters: Personalities, Politics and Culture, published by Pan Macmillan India, 2018, makes a valid attempt to record the history of post colonial Tamil Nadu, though peripherally.

    The Tamil personalities like Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, C.N. Annadurai and the like and other historical events pertinent to Tamils and Tamil Nadu, with due recognition along with their contribution are well presented in this book. Books on such kind will give deeper insight into the post colonial history of Tamils and Tamil Nadu to the International community.

    I was very much surprised and shocked to see the book which does not have any references and foot notes, that too from a renowned historian of India. But realized later, though its a book on history of Tamils, but more of on the opinions of the historian. Of course, the book is an yield of author’s absentminded, unplanned course of work, as he states in the book itself.

    What is really a point of concern, selection of the personalities - both cultural and political - need a genuine justification. When there is a claim that the book serves as prism of the current political issues of Tamils (Tamil Nadu), through the Political and Cultural Personalities and Events, how can the personalities like K.Kammaraj can be left out. Even the profiles of Rajaji, Sathiyamoorthy, the mentor of K.Kamaraj and marxian scholars like Kovai Gnani find no place. Ilayraja can also find place, in my opinion, I may not be right, though. The criteria of selection could have very clearly been laid out for alleviating certain misconceptions.

The author attributes himself as the one who writes on the social change (of Tamils and Tamil Nadu), and it is true to some extent; and in such case, how can he consider himself hidden to the contribution of Christian missionaries in changing the Tamil Society, when it addresses about daliths. No mention even in the Preface, which lists a lot on Tamils and Tamil Nadu very positively (not highlighting how corrupted system it has, though with a single word) and also in the inside content. The Tamil Society owe to them with respect the social change, especially in southern Tamil Nadu.

    There is one typo, it is not "crickinfo.com", but 'circinfo.com'. However it has lot of merits as it addresses the very important movements like non-Brahmin movement, issues like Dalit oppression and events like “The Deluge” of Chennai, of post colonial Tamil Nadu. There is a clear delineation between author’s article with that of the corresponding artilce of simialr title in Wikipedia like online portals, as his article stands out with the author's subjectivity on the domain of the article, which may or may not subject to vulnerable comments.