By
B.Jeyamohan

(B.Jeyamohan is a Tamil and Malayalam language writer and literary critic from Nagercoil).

Tamil writer Vannanilavan has an anecdote about Vairamuthu. Twenty years ago, Vairamuthu visited him with a platter of fruit and gifts. “I came to know that you are on the Sahitya Akademi committee. I want your blessings,” he said. When Vannanilavan replied, “That’s not me; the writer on the Sahitya Akademi committee is Vallikannan.” Hearing this, the lyricist left, taking away the platter with him.

In short, Vairamuthu will do anything for awards. He was a friend of Karunanidhi and often sang his praises. He translated Modi’s poems and organised an event for him. He does not hesitate to present himself as a DMK man and at the same time support the BJP.

The Jnanpith award given to Vairamuthu this year prompted Tamil critic D. Dharmaraj to write: “Everyone knows that Vairamuthu has no role in literature. Everyone knows that he will do anything for awards. There is no need to talk about that. But we need to contemplate only one thing today. Who are these juries? How did they decide on this award? Why did they insult Tamil like this?”

The harsh criticism by Tamil writers this year is unprecedented. Writers like Sunil Krishnan and Karthik Balasubramanian, both winners of the Yuva Puraskar Award, are writing letters filled with contempt directly to the Jnanpith Committee.

Why is there so much opposition? It is not because he is a bad poet but because he is not a poet at all. Vairamuthu is a person who writes contemporary news with rhetorical sentences that resemble cheap oratory. Even his songs for films are often inappropriate. He is not a person who belongs to literature. Additionally, his work often lacks depth and fails to engage readers meaningfully. To call Vairamuthu a writer is only a source of shame for the world of writers.

Let me give you an example. When the writer Jayakanthan, a Jnanpith winner, was on his deathbed, Vairamuthu went to see him. He gave him his collection of short stories, clicked his photo, made him sign a note praising Vairamuthu and saying he should be the recipient of the next Jnanpith, and he published the letter. Jayakanthan’s children were angry and said their father had been unconscious for months and the letter was fake.

Then there is the #MeToo movement, in which several women, beginning with the singer Chinmayi, accused Vairamuthu of sexual misconduct and blackmail. He was accused of being a predator who had destroyed the careers of many women. Many of these women have reacted strongly to the Jnanpith being awarded to a #MeToo accused.

This happens again and again to Tamil literature. Akhilan, a cheap pulp fiction writer, received the Jnanpith award in 1975. At that time, Sundara Ramaswamy condemned it severely. If Akhilan is considered the “best”, is there any way for modern Tamil literature to exist? It is thus that modern Tamil literature has been marginalised among Indian languages.

To this day, Tamil does not have its rightful place in Indian literary forums. Tamil modern literature is one of the strongest among Indian languages. It has outstanding writers and great works. Yet, the reality is that Tamil literature is not recognised. “Is there modern literature in Tamil?” is the question at least two Hindi writers have asked me.

Tamil writers today are struggling to change that image, more so with modern Tamil literature going all over the world via English translations now. No leading literary publication in the world will publish an anthology of Indian literature without Tamil stories. At this time we face this tremendous setback, thrust upon us by the Jnanpith committee.

Nine years ago, to be exact, on December 28, 2017, a Tamil member of Parliament called me and said, “Vairamuthu is trying for the Jnanpith Award; he is almost there. I heard it at a party this evening. It is going to happen with the support of Venkaiah Naidu. If that happens, I will not be able to walk around saying I am a Tamilian.”

That very day, I wrote an article using strong language. It was published on my web magazine. It was read by lakhs of people. There was a tremendous response from all writers. Many wrote directly to the Jnanpith Committee. Groups of readers collected and sent signatures on petitions. The reply from the Jnanpith Committee was that they had no such intention. But Vairamuthu has now finally achieved his aim.

This award to Vairamuthu is a grave injustice to Tamil and by awarding him, the Jnanpith committee has denigrated modern Tamil literature. There is a saying that regardless of what one has done or how high one has climbed, only your worst side will be seen first and this will be proclaimed as the truest essence of one’s identity. All other achievements will be made to look inferior. This attitude of ignorant derision towards Tamil literature has continued for more than a hundred years.

We will fight against it. Yes, we will never let it go.

Courtesy:FRONTLINE