INNAMBURAN PAGES: 21 AUGUST 1907

INNAMBURAN PAGES: 21 AUGUST 1907

“ Uyirinban” was a man of the masses. He led a humble life. Daily commuting in III class in the suburban trains  from Tambaram to various places of his public engagements, he mingled with one and all with ease, en route. He was a most persuasive orator and could attract and retain the attention of the man in the street by his simple and convincing presentation of his themes. His democratic spirit, his progressive outlook in different spheres and his total dedication to the Common Cause made him a legend in his lifetime. He was drawn to Mahatma Gandhi, but chose to question his standpoints in a letter to him, while he was running an ashram at Siravayal, a village in Chettinadu. When Mahatma Gandhi came South, he expressed his desire to meet him and insisted upon visiting him in his abode. He was met there by a 25 year old youngman, much to his surprise. It is said that Gandhiji asked him about what he owned and the reply was ‘the Nation’. Gnadhiji, it seems, told him that the nation had owned him. 

He founded the Tamil Nadu Art-Literary Federation (Tamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumandram) in 1961, which is the fountainhead of progressive Tamil Literature. He worked tirelessly for due recognition to unsensored Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharathiyar's literary contribution. There is an interesting story about his name. His given name is Sorimuthu, the name of a deity. He called hims Jeevanandam and got it translated as “ Uyirinban” in chaste Tamil. One day, he called on Maraimalai Adigal, the great Tamil savant, who doggedly pursued chaste Tamil to the extent of translating his given name of Vedagiri as Maraimalai, who queried whether it was the post man. His use of an English word in casual conversation convinced P.Jeevanandam to revert to his earlier name. We all knew him as our Jeeva. I heard him last in 1953 or so. Clad in an ordinary shirt and kaki half-trousers, he was as obscure as any one on the motley crowd. He held us all spell bound. His contribution to society in a short life of fifty six years is monumental.  His funeral was attended by 200,000 mourners. His simultaneous friendship with Rajaji, EVR and Kamaraj, each being distant lodestars, is indicative of they being drawn to him.

You should know more about him by reading the well written research article cited by me.

Reference:

http://www.vvvcjournal.in/assets/journalsnew/september2015/2016article28.pdf