15 May,2011 08:23 AM IST | | Lhendup G Bhutia
He's been writing for 25 years but is better known for dialogues he scripts for Rajnikanth. Meet S Ramakrishnan, a recipient of this year's Tagore Literature Award
S Ramakrishnan lives in Chennai with his wife Chandrapraba and two sons, and is known for his scripts for Tamil films starring Rajnikanth. But those who read Tamil fiction will know Ramakrishnan as one of the best contemporary writers of modern Tamil literature, whose oeuvre extends from fiction to plays, essays and pieces of film criticism. The world cinema expert has written four novels, five short story collections, nine collections of essays and has three books on films.
On May 5, Ramakrishnan was one of the eight recipients of the Tagore Literature Awards instituted by the Sahitya Akademi in 2009, along with Samsung India, to recognise regional writers. He won the best Tamil language novel for 2010 for his fictional work, Yaamam. In its second year, the awards have been given to writers from languages such as Dogri, Assamese and Odiya, among others. Next year, eight other languages will be chosen to award writers.u00a0
Can you tell us a little more about Yaamam?
Yaamam has two parallel stories. The first is about a family of perfume makers, who move to Chennai. There are no perfume makers in the city now. Through them I get into the history of the city, how many families migrated into it, and what the process of perfume-making was like. The other storyline is about a Tamil student in London, who is modelled on the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.
What was your inspiration for the book?
I have been living in Chennai for the last 25 years and wanted to write about the city and its history. I have tried doing this in Yaamam, by using elements of history and fiction.
In another novel Urrupasi, you tell the story of a man who is educated in Tamil, but remains unemployed. What are your views on the different treatment meted out to writers in English and other regional languages?
Urrupasi means 'eternal hunger' in Tamil. It is the story of a man who has studied Tamil language and literature, yet remains a failure in life. It is strange but no one recognises regional writers. I have written extensively for over 25 years, yet I remain largely unknown. However, I don't hanker after money and fame. I simply want to devote myself to my language and contribute in my little way towards my tradition.
You have written countless short stories, novels, plays, and translations. Which form do you find the most satisfying?
I enjoy short stories. I have written over 100 short stories; even my first published work was a short story. Novels are a lot more difficult. In the last 25 years, I have managed to write only five novels. I don't find it difficult to move from one form to another. My grandfather was a Tamil scholar and my brother too writes in Tamil. So, shifting from one form to another isn't difficult, as long as it is in Tamil.
Other 2010 Tagore Literature Awardeesu00a0
>> Debabrata Das for Nirbachita Galpa (Short stories in Assamese)
>> Santosh Khajuria for Badlondian Bahaaraan (Poetry, Dogri)
>> Professor RG Jadhav for Nivadak Samiksha (Criticism, Marathi)
>> Brajnath Rath for Samanya Asamanya (Poetry, Odia)
>> Vijay Dan Detha for Bataan Ri Fulwari ufffd Volume 14 (Short stories in Rajasthani)
>> Somai Kisku for Namalia (Novel, Santali)
>> Chander Bhan Khayal for Subah-e-Mashriq Ki Azan (Poetry, Urdu)
