Pon.Selvaganapathy on Tamil Language

PON.SELVAGANAPATHY ON TAMIL LANGUAGE

Some poems, which show the poet’s abundant love for Tamil, find place in this volume. His intention is not to glorify his mother tongue but to have a pragmatic approach towards the ways and means to develop it in all fields. He wants Tamil to be introduced as a medium of instruction in all educational institutions. Instead of reciting Sanskrit hymns in temples Tamil should be the language for worship.

The poem titled"Self- help is the best way"(p13-14) insists the need for the introduction of Tamil as a medium of instruction in educational institutions.
"The cuckoo should sing in its own voice.
Why should it imitate owl?
The peacock should dance in its original style.
Is there any need for the peacock to learn dance from the Turk?
Likewise Tamils should not wish to follow Englishmen.When Tamils were under the rule of the British they were forced to do such foolish things. But now we are independent, free from any foreign domination, we should strive to develop our mother-tongue in all fields."
This is the contention of the poem.

"Is it necessary to insist upon the introduction of Tamil as a medium of instruction? When every other country in the world is using its own language for intellectual pursuit why should you hesitate?"

In another poem,"Why should you oppose worship through Tamil?"(p16-17) the poet points out the fallacy in another poet’s argument that worship need not be done through Taamil.The poet named Kaa.Mu.Sherif had written in a popular weekly, named ‘Anandavikatan’ ,that Sanskrit may be continued as a language for worship and had opposed the introduction of Tamil in its place. Provoked by this, Pon.Selvaganapathy had written this poem as a rejoinder to Sherif’s statement. Let us hear Sevaganapathy’s argument:

"Do you consider devotion as bowing to the recitation of Sanskrit slokas without knowing their meaning? Worms without self-respect may do that?Tamilians who know the hoary past of Tamil won’t do that .Tamil should rule all the fields (religion, education, administration etc) without any delay."

He describes Tamilians as "sleeping tigers" and cautions those who belittle Tamil not to irritate and arouse the ‘sleeping tiger’.The poems "Oh! Fellow countrymen who adore a wonderful language"(p15) and "Slaves no more!"(p18) voice the sentiments of the poet against the imposition of Hindi as the sole official language of India

Pon.Selvaganapathy actively participated in the 1965 Anti-Hindi agitation when he was a student of Annamalai University. The then congress government adopted cruel ways to suppress the agitation. Severe lathi charge and police firing were made as routine exercises by the police.The poet was an eyewitness to the police firing in Annamalai University.
He narrates:

" The scene of yesterday
I can visualise today
The pitiable days when
We wept and cried
When our friends shed blood
Recur in my mind always
The fire-mouthed devils
Pounced upon our boys
They jumped over
The schoolgoing kids
Boys of the blooming youth
Were hacked to death mercilessly
How can I forget
Those cruel scenes?
(pp58-61)
Rajendran along with other students shouted slogans condemning the imposition of Hindi. He did not indulge in violence. He just exercised his rights as a citizen in a democratic way to claim his linguistic human rights. He was mercilessly shot at.The innocent youth who expressed his love towards his mother tongue and aversion to the imposition of an alien language was fired at .Pon.Selvaganapathy narrates the tragedy as an eyewitness.

"The bullet hit on the shoulder
Piercing the biceps
A spurt of blood came as a jet
The unperturbed lad
Smiled with glad!
The heroism he displayed
Can never be compared
To anyother hero in the epics!
There is no equivalent!
We were jubilant!
Rajendran shouted the slogan
"Our body to the earth and
Our life to our Tamil!
With strong will
We have dedicated
We cannot be dictated!"
Oh…The bullet killed him!
Neither he waylaid anybody
Nor indulge in violence
He just fought for his right
In a country called democratic
Oh… They murdered him!
Rather they butchered Justice"
The poet is unable to forget the horrible murder and a historical sacrifice. As the poet happened to be one of the friends of Rajendiran he is nostalgic when he recollects the past.

Everyday when the morning sky appears red
Every evening when the sky looks red
There I see the bloody reddish
Wound body of Rajendiran!
A horrible murder scene!
A sacrifice unparalleled!
Which daily I remember!

Not only in the mind of Selvaganapathy but also in the mind of every Tamilian Rajendiran lives forever.

In the poem "Oh! Fellow countrymen who adore a wonderful language"(p15) the poet appeals to the fellow Tamilians to agitate against the domination of Hindi.He tells the 17th amendment to the constitution which made Hindi as the sole official language is a fraudulent one. He insists that all of the Indian languages should be made official languages of India and English should be made the link language. He requests the Tamilians to put on fire thee useless act and to start an agitation to get the linguistic human rights, which were denied in the name of law and with the support of the constitution.

In the poem "Slaves no more!" he tries to arouse self-respect among Tamils.He cautions the Tamilians that the enemies of Tamil have not disappeared.He wants Tamilians to have an aggressive attitude to save Tamil from its foes.The antagonists are so skilful that they try to pluck the papa out of our eyes even when we are awake.So the poet wishes to keep Tamils alert and active.This is the piece of advice he intends to impart:

Even a small hindrance done to our language
Will be a great humiliation to us;
Forget it no more!Be slaves no more!

In 1968 the Second International Tamil Conference was conducted at Chennai by the then C.N.A. government.The impact of the conference on the poet had resulted in a poem"International Tamil Conference"(p12) Participation of scholars from all directions of the world and appreciation of the Tamil literature by foreign scholars made the poet feel elated. Through this poem he expresses his wish that Tamil should flourish in all faculties and the conference should envisage constructive measures for the development of Tamil.

Blossoming flowers have a day’s life
Flourishing plants and creepers have some month’s life
Paddy in the field has life only if it rains
For men and women life is limited
Depending on the arrival of their end
Our ancient Tamil is here from time immemorial
Whose time of origin we know not
But we are here to work for its eminence
Forever and forever…..

Thus comes the encouraging remark from the enchanted poet who is excited over by attending the second International Tamil conference. These poems cited above not only show the language loyalty of the poet but also his perturbance over the imposition of Hindi and his expectation that Tamilians would work whole-heartedly for the development of the Tamil language.