When we write about the greatness of Tamil or the symbols and people we celebrate, it often becomes a hagiography. Many times, this is unintentional. In the preface of his book, “Sri Meenakshisundaram Pillai Sarithiram” (“The History of Sri Meenakshisundaram Pillai.” Sri. Pillai was ‘Tamil Thatha’ U. Ve. Sa.’s teacher), U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer says, “(the authors/ publishers) attribute things to great people, thinking it will add to their fame. Thus, they impose blunders on the heads of these great people using this cheap tactic. They restructure great people’s history, life, and times according to their whims. There are instances when personal preferences of authors/ publishers have dictated the caste, religion, language, job, gender, time, and place of existence of these great men.”
Today is the day of remembrance of Mahamahopadhyaya U. V. Swaminatha Iyer. He passed away into glory on this very day in 1942. He was eighty-seven when he left us. Tamil would have been a richer language had he lived a couple of more centuries. As we remember him and his works, I wondered why we should only state and restate his great work for Tamil. Why not look at his life and works from the contemporary lens and explore how we can benefit by trying to emulate him?
Pancha Parivartan – The Five-Fold Transformations
This is the centenary year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which started its work on Vijayadashami Day in 1925. One of the programs that Sangh is advancing in society in this centenary year is Pancha Parivartan, the five-fold transformation we must strive for. The five places we need reforms are Equality and fraternity (Samajik Samarasata), Promotion of familial values, Environmental protection, Advancing ‘Swa’ (selfhood) based on Bharatiya values, and Duties and responsibilities of citizens. In this essay, let us look at U. Ve. Sa’s contribution through the lens of “Swa” or selfhood based on upholding Bharatiya values in all aspects of his life.
Selfhood or “Swa” has many dimensions, the seven major being Swa Bhasha (upholding the glory of our language), Swadhyaya (our education system), Swa Bhoosha (our way of dressing), Swadharma (our Dharma), Swatantra (our principles), Swabhimana (our practices), and Swadesi (all things material and geographical belonging to my country). U. Ve. Sa.’s life is undoubtedly the best example of a person upholding all dimensions of ‘Swa’. Let us see a few examples from his life that illustrate why ‘Tamil Thatha’ is the beacon of how to uphold “Swa.”
Swa Bhasha – Upholding The Glory Of Our Knowledge
It is known that without Tamil Thatha’s untiring efforts, much of ancient Tamil literature would have disappeared from the face of the earth. While it would be unfair to attribute all the revival efforts to U. Ve. Sa, it is a fact that he was a pioneer who travelled extensively across Tamil Nadu looking for palm leaf manuscripts of old classics, retrieving them by making a copy, talking to scholars to find more and then publish them for posterity. G. U. Pope, a missionary who translated some Tamil classics into English, had this to say about ‘Tamil Thatha’ – “Swaminathayier, the Tamil Professor in Kumbakonam College, has published “Purananooru.” Anyone who wants to publish a Tamil book must follow in his footsteps. This is his fifth publication. If reviewers from the West look at his publications, they wouldn’t think twice about putting Iyer among the crème of intellectuals and fete his literary capabilities and the hard work he has put into this publication. Thanks to Iyer, the world will know that Tamil is second to none.”
Swadharma And Swabhimana – U. Ve. Sa’s Dharma Was Reviving Tamil Literature
“Tamil Thatha” U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer’s sole focus was to search for the manuscripts of lost literature in Tamil and publish them in a way that would be useful to future generations. This was a tedious job that required seeking leads about the existence of palm leaf manuscripts, extensive travel across the nooks and crannies of Tamil Nadu, deciphering the manuscript, understanding the meaning, rearranging the text where required, and then publishing. This required a lot of time and money. Iyer wasn’t a rich man in the material sense. He was always looking for patrons who could support him in his effort, giving him monetary help to take his manuscripts to print and assisting him in locating palm leaf manuscripts. Iyer never looked to monetise his services for the language of Tamil. Two interesting instances stand testimony to Iyer’s Swadharma and Swabhimana.
U. Ve. Sa went to Ramanathapuram to condole the demise of the mother of Vallal Pandithurai Thevar, the Zamindar of Palavanatham, who had helped him publish a few classics, including Manimekalai. During his visit, the Raja of Ramanathapuram Samasthanam, Bhaskara Sethupathi, informed Pandithurai Thevar that he wanted to reward U. Ve. Sa with a village for his great work for the Tamil language. During his audience with Bhaskara Sethupathi, Iyer thanked him for his offer through Pandithurai Thevar. But he politely refused the reward, stating that he was being remunerated enough for his work as a college professor, and considering the state of Ramnad Samasthanam at that time, it wouldn’t be proper for him to accept the reward. It was another story that Ramnad Samastham was reeling under a lot of debt then.
The second instance was when the principal of the Kumbakonam College, Rao Bahadur C. Nagoji Rao, knew about Iyer’s struggle to publish Tamil Classics. He knew that Iyer was spending his own resources, and he wasn’t financially well off. Nagoji Rao was previously a school education inspector and had a good idea about pedagogy, syllabi, and school book publications. This well-paying and coveted job offered Iyer a second source of income. He offered to speak to the publisher, Longmans, Green & Co, who published all school books, and get U. Ve. Sa to contribute to their Tamil material for the first to third-form classes. U. Ve. Sa thanked Nagoji Rao profusely but politely declined the offer, stating that he spends much time researching and compiling the Tamil classics. If he also gets into designing school syllabi and books, he wouldn’t be able to do justice to both.
The ”Swa” (Selfhood) Lesson That U. Ve. Sa’s Life Offers
There can’t be a better icon for the Tamil society to learn about “Swa” than Mahamahopadhyaya U. V. Swaminatha Iyer. His love for Tamil, his single-minded focus on the mission he had taken up, and his unwavering commitment to the revival of ancient Tamil literature are unparalleled. There is much to learn from him on all things “Swa” from his life. On his Remembrance Day, I wish every one of us took a vow to learn and emulate the life and deeds of our beloved “Tamil Thatha” and contribute to the true renaissance of the Tamil society. If we do that, Valluvar’s words will come true.
தாமின் புறுவது உலகின் புறக்கண்டு
காமுறுவர் கற்றறிந் தார் (399)
Thaam Inburuvathu Ulagin Purakkandu
Kaamuruvar Katru Arindaar.
The learned man seeth that the learning that delighteth him delighteth also all that listen to him: and he loveth instruction all the more on that account – The Kural or The Maxims of Thiruvalluvar by VVS Aiyar.
Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.
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