பேராசிரியர் க.கைலாசபதி-80: கைலாசபதி நினைவுகள்-சித்திரலேகா மெளனகுரு

Sunday, August 31, 2008

கைலாசபதி நினைவுகள்-சித்திரலேகா மெளனகுரு

பேராசிரியர் கைலாசபதி நம் மத்தியில் வாழ்ந்து,மாறைந்த பெரும் அறிஞராவார்.பல்கலக்கழகத்துடன் மாத்திரம் அவர் பணி அடங்கிவிடவில்லை.

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In memory of K. Kailasapathy

On Sunday November 27, 2004, the 22nd Remembrance Day of the late Lankan intellectual born in the Thamil Community was observed with a memorial Lecture by Prof Chitraleka Maunaguru of Kilakku Palkalaikalaham (the Eastern University) under the chairmanship of K. Shanmugalingam, a retired SLAS officer and an earnest seeker of socio-literary knowledge and a practising commentator in Thamil on many matters of academic interest. This was held at the Ramakrishna Seminar Hall, Wellawatta.
On this particular evening there were more than five cultural items taking place in the metropolis. Despite these attractions, quite a few genuinely interested people turned up at the function.
Chitraleka, a student of Kailasapathy elaborated the everlasting contributions the late Prof K.Kailasapathy had made to the intellectual climate of this country. The Forewords written by Kailasapathy to many books have been gathered into a volume and that was also released on the occasion.
On the previous day there was a panel discussion on his contribution especially to the Thamil community in Sri Lanka over the Tamil National Service of the SLBC. The station presenter Ravindran invited the three participants to recount their experiences with the deceased don and evaluate his role as a Marxist thinker and a literary researcher.
The participants were A. Mohammed Sameem, a historicist and an educationist Kumarasamy, an educationist and a trade unionist and yours truly, K. S. Sivakumaran. They all viewed the different roles played by Kailasapathy in his short life from different angles.
As far as I am concerned, let me be permitted to say that I have written in Thamil a little book called " Kailasapathiyum Naanum " (Kailasapathy and I) and has incorporated this in my latest book 'Thiranaivu Entral Enna?" (What is Literary Criticism?) November 2004 published by Manimekalai Prasuram in Chennai. The late K. Kailasapathy wrote an introduction to my 1974 publication in English, "Thamil Writing in Sri Lanka".
The present day younger generation might not have heard of Kanagasabapathy Kailasapathy, but the Lankan intellectuals from all communities know him very well. In fact quite recently, Dr Gunadasa Amarasekera told me that he and Kailas were in the same Hall at the Peradeniya University.
A Yaalpaanam Thamilian, who had spent his boyhood in either Singapore or Malaysia, came down to his birthplace and had his early education in Vannarpannai in the north.
He entered the University of Peradeniya through Royal College in Colombo. His maternal uncle was a former Civil Servant and an FAO employee in Sudan and Indonesia, Maanickka Idaikaadar. He married his daughter Sarvamangalam.
Kailasapathy did Thamil Special in the university and joined Lake House as the Editor of the Thinakaran when the late Esmond Wickramasinghe (Opposition Leader Ranil's father) was at the helm. He made the paper, particularly the Thinakaran Vaara Manjari, a vehicle for transformation of the mindset of the writers in Thamil in this country.
He had a fine set of assistants, who later became editors themselves like the late R. Sivagurunathan, Sivapragasam, Balasingam, Sabaratnam, Hanifa, Kumarasamy, M.R, and so on and a fleet of excellent reporters. Even Prof Thillainathan had worked for the Thinakaran and the Ceylon Observer.
Kailasapathy emphasized a social consciousness and a writing featuring the lifestyles of local people in realistic manner and encouraged local writers and gave them prominence. He introduced literary criticism and world literature through competent people here and diversified the scope of the paper to be well versed with modernity, while re-reading tradition.
Having been a Marxist, he subtly made his readers accept contemporary way of thinking rather than totally lying in past glories of a dying culture. He loved world literature and his favourite foreign writer was James Joyce. He read avidly spy stories, espionage and detective novels.
But he modelled his literary approach, multidisciplinary though, on the lines of Christopher Caldwell, Ralph Fox, Plakenov and other Marxist critics like Raymond Williams, Arnold Kettle and other American and British critics and writers.
I started as a creative writer, but he encouraged me to take up to literary criticism. He invited me to read books in the series - The Critical Idiom.
Apart from his role as a newspaper editor, which was for a brief period, his biggest contribution lies in his teaching and researched works. He brought in fresh insight into Thamil Literature with critical perceptions.
He wrote extensively and with original interpretations as evidenced by his books, particularly 'Adiyum Mudiym' (The Top and the Bottom), "Padai Thamilar Vaalvum Valmum (The Lives and potentials of the Ancient Thamilians), Thamil Naaval Ilakkiyam (The Thamil Novel) and "Ilakkiya Chinthanaikal (Litrasry Thoughts).
There are many more books by him. He compared Greek Poetry with Thamil Sangam poetry in his book in English "Thamil Heroic Poetry". For the Official language department he compiled a book in English on Tamil Language along with Prof A Shanmugadas.
He obtained his doctorate from the Birmingham University for his work on comparative Literature. He studied under Prof Thomson, a great scholar.
When the Yaalpanam Valaham (Campus) was opened in the north, Kailasapathy became the first president. He played a vital role in modernizing the campus which became a full-fledged university.
Kailasapathy was an intellectual, writer, critic, author and researcher and also a broadcaster.
During his time, the Sinhala department and the English department in Yaalpaanam university, dons like Suchitra Gamalath, Sunil Ariyaratne Dharmasena Pathirajah, just to name a few , and a Red Cross executive, Harsha Gunawardena were teaching there.
Regi Siriwardena was a visiting lecturer. Kailasapathy was a sign post to the ensued changes in academic learning both in Sri Lanka and Thamilnadu in India.

பேராசிரியர் க.கைலாசபதி-80

Sunday, August 31, 2008

கைலாசபதி நினைவுகள்-சித்திரலேகா மெளனகுரு

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