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| Wednesday, 29 September 2004 |
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Undying memories of an eminent poet by S. Jegathiswaran Many persons become great poets through perseverance while quite a few inherit the art of composing songs and poems from their birth itself. Kaviarasu Kannadhasan belongs to the latter category. His real name was Muththiah but later changed it as Kannadhasan, the name derived from God Krishna (Kanna) whom he worshipped with utmost piety. Although he was an atheist during his salad days he became a theist after having adored the great God. 'Kaviarasu' is a honorary title that was given to him for the great work he did to the Tamil cinema world. The term means 'King of Poems'. Virtually the word is used in the field of composing songs, poems in the Tamil literary world. A cinema without songs is like a body without soul. His poems or songs were cohesive to any musical background. The diction he used to express his inner feelings was marvellous. Although some of his poems are to be heard comprehensively, a man who is eager to enjoy all aspects of life in a tuneful way, surely sees the soothing effect in his creations. The poems were of a great genre. They fall in the category of romance, comic, social themes, philosophy, art, literature, patriotism, history etc. The love of a hero and heroine was next to that of Adam and Eve. In 'Pavamannippu' (The Confession) the futility of immoral life was being elaborated. In 'Alayamani' (The 'Kovil' Temple) the hero (Sivaji) inquired himself, repented for his mistakes and became a matured human being through critical thinking. The greatest poet personified the physical objects or even they have become vital elements in his poems. He used similes quite successfully. He made his debut as a composer of cinema songs in the film 'Kanniyin Kathali' in 1949. He got the National Award in 1970 for fostering patriotism through songs. In 1971 he got the best cinema poet award from the Tamil Nadu government. It was the late M. G. Ramachandran who appointed him as a poet laureate to the then Tamil Nadu legislative council and honoured him duly. It was the custom of early Tamil kings to appoint bards to their realms. The bards used to extol the great deeds of the kings. 'Kaviarasu' thought that he was born in order to fulfil a definite purpose in his life. Having fulfilled that purpose he departed this word. He was a good orator. He outwitted his rivals through eloquence. He had the gift of the gab. On one occasion he said, "An outstanding poet has been standing out", which shows that he even mastered the English language to a certain extent. Moreover, he was a novelist and a good writer. He wrote a series of books on Hinduism, 'Arththamulla Indumatham' (Hinduism, The Meaningful Religion). It's a boon to those who want to lead a moral life. He composed several thousands of poems and songs that we could cherish in a meaningful way. Wherever I do hear the program 'Iravin Madiyil' on the radio, I am in a rapturous mood and enjoy the metaphorical effect as the title implies (on the lap of night). I really wonder as to why such a great poet of all seasons couldn't get the Nobel award or at least the Pulitzer award in literature for the great piece of work he had done to the literary world. **** Back **** |
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