“We need literary connoisseurs”

“We need literary connoisseurs”

We need literary connoisseurs to bring to light the influential writers, their works in the country, and that is what is lacking, said Jeyamohan, one of the most influential cotemporary Tamil writer.

It was a short encounter, but Jeyamohan as he does with his writings was clear, starighforward and forceful in the points he made.

It is shocking level of ignorance that exists about Indian language writers – JeMo talked about the instance of The Hindu publishing a small obituary on La.Sa.Ramamritham with a wrong photo.

How are the speakers, panellists chosen for the literary festivals, seminars or awards in this country? As most of us are aware, it is just a small coterie that decides, and wields influence.

Who decides on a Jnanapith Awardee, it is the politicians and the powerful, not the quality, calibre of the writer, author.

We need to create a group of people, literary connoisseurs who can write, bring out the names of the most influential contemporary writers, show the world who should be read, is the essence of what JeMo said.

“It is only in India the academics, the professors are on a pedestal higher than that of writers, and if at all anyone cross and go above them it is possible only when an Amitav Ghosh or Arundhati Roy comes”.

I wasn’t surprised that in a short encounter the number of things JeMo could put across. I have seen the speed, clarity and force with which he delivers his ideas.

In fact I told him, not as a mere laudatory quote, but factually that he writers faster than most of us can cope with reading.

He said as a matter of fact that he doesn’t attend any seminars, and this one was after two decades on the insistence of his Malayali friends. Why? He says in in 1992 he and his poet friend were in a seminar which was full of academics. “Naam kavignargal, namakku inga ennappa vela”, we are poets, what are we doing here, said his friend and that is when they  decided they would not attend any seminars.

What is there for them, and even for readers, sometimes there is very little. It is the same speakers, voicing same opinions over and again at every seminar, festival. 

Moving from a personal conversation to panel discussion:

Jeyamohan said all that he did as a matter of fact. There was no tone of condemnation, complaint. While, most awardwapasi crowd went to town, this man didn’t even reply to an introductory comment about his refusal to accept a Padma award.

Of course, his refusal to accept Padma was not the same as the awardwapasi gang – he didn’t want to take any political colouring a Padma award might create.

He was not talking about markets, not manging publications, selling his editions. My worry is about the work, the creation, finding words, creating myths.

Two of his works, ‘Vishnupuram’ and ‘Kotravai’ are myths wholly his creation.

Now, into ninth volume, the Mahabharata – he said is a wrestling match with Vyasa. “I wrestle with Vyasa”, JeMo said.

A whole new dictionary is being compiled out of the new words, new as much as in not having been in use, forgotten words that he has brought out in Mahabharata volumes, Venmurasu.

His works are serious, picked up and read by discerning readers, maximum reaching a readership of 30 or 40,000. On the one hand was this creator, battling with his own creative powers and on the end of the debate was a popular author who consciously makes efforts to take his works to readers.

“I spend time every day, several hours, compromising on my family time, my working hours to create something and I want to be sure it reaches readers,” said Anand Neelakantan.

Anand was also straightforward, clear, precise in his approach, and infact introduced himself with almost apologetically about his conscious efforts to write, improve his skills as an English language writer.

He was also brutally honest in saying he wanted to start with subjects he was most familiar with – Ramayana and Mahabharata and therefore his first work being Asura, a remaking of Ravana, mythology retold from the point of view of the vanquished.

He did not spin any political connotation to his work. Neither Jeyamohan or Anand go beyond the topic of the day to discuss on the panel anything beyond their approach to creating, writing mythology.

But, there was an attempt, a conscious attempt by some writers to bring beef, intolerance all into the discourse. One said, Anand you should be careful, for you have not yet been attacked by the intolerant brigade.

JeMo was actually quick to point out the attempt to make villain a hero is nothing new and Pulavar Kuzhandhai’s ‘Ravana Kaviyam’ came out in the first part of the 20^th century in Tamil.

Fortunately or not, most writers one heard were not interested in getting into the politics of intolerance or JNU.

“Our biggest weapon is writing, we should continue to write, instead of returning awards,” said Pratibha Ray. “Why should writers get on to the streets and rally, that is not our job,” Ray said.