R?

VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

By K. V. is an ZVELEBIL

1.0. nowadays Lanka (1929)

The

title almost

of

this

brief

essay M.

echo

of

the Pillai,

title

of

a book

once

famous, King Literature a very of

forgotten: 1928). ten-faced

(Munnirpallam, wrote: "The

S. Purnalingam same author, The and twenty-armed

Ravana

the Great: Tamil apparently

in his better-known Ravana was

intelligent and valiant hero, a cultured and highly civilized ruler, knew the Vedas and
was warf touch goes an ace, her hand expert had musician. her He took woods With away Sita according to the Tamilian niece, mode of not in the Asoka she consented."1 companioned by his own of and would

unless in hand and

this re-evaluation re-evaluation of the great who

the character of Rama's

of Ravana warriors, of as or by

a milder

yet decisive personae

of Rama, story. desired of

Vibhisana, "the

other

dramatis

Vibhisana to be King low morality; Ravana and

is portrayed by hook Rama is not leader only of men,

treacherous the Aryans he an

brother

or deserter

of Ravana, as haughty, falters but

crook", his

are described courage and giant"

cowardly,

"has "a

specks", and

lacks

in crises. also "great

In contrast, administrator

physical ... a man This in which becomes Even work, a great demands loving result." because T.

intellectual

of his word".2 of the characters of the two main and an protagonists immoral caprice of coward the R?m?yana whereas Tamil saga R?vana author.

reversal Rama a great

is a despicable and admirable

weakling hero who "R?vana, is a man the tragic is not was but of

a freakish obviously

of a single admirer and

P. Meenakshisundaran3 of Rama, writes4: ... He for and

a great

and

for his military culture and

jingoism refinement personality, fully

of Kampan's ... egotism

is

personality an explanation in other And

. . . Poetic so great of

fall of going

this mighty to his end,

and the

justice so final

respects

so willingly adds

conscious had to be he had

Meenakshisundaran was wanting of Man". P. Sundaram Pillai

that Kampan's of things",

R?vana

destroyed "no place

dharma

in his "scheme

and because

in the brotherhood 1.1. Professor

(1855-1897)5

was

one

of

the

first

if not

the first

I am not dealing in this short paper with the representations and relationship of R?ma: in the folk-narrative R?vana versions of the R?m?yana. There were apparently many. 2 The first edition of the book was published in Tinnevelly, 1904, as Primer of Tamil are from the 1929 edition, pp. 224-8. The quotations Literature. 3 A History 1965. of Tamil Literature, Annamalainagar, 4 pp. 117-19. Op.cit. 5 P. Sundaram Pillai in philosophy from born at Alleppey, (Cuntaram Pillai), graduated soon after graduation Lecturer in Philosophy in Trivandrum, College, appointed Maharaja's later elevated to Professorship; his own alma mater, translator, author, historian, original brilliant in intellect and passionate in his convictions. philosopher, altogether at the young Cf. K. K. Pillay P. age of forty-two. (ed.), Professor Commemoration Volume, Madras, 1957, introduction. Died of diabetes Sundaram Pillai

R?VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

127

(non-Brahmin) Tamil scholar to express and stress the notion of the cultural separate ness and originality of the Dravidians. He was a soundly critical scholar6 of enormous capacities, and rare gift of persuasion. In a series of articles published in theMadras Christian College Magazine in 1891 and later in his book entitled Some Mile-Stones in theHistory of Tamil Literature (Madras, 1895) he successfully attacked the complex and difficult problems of the dating and chronology of early Tamil ?aiva bhakti
poetry. native to bear From the and Also, Dravidian upon about he pointed religion the primitive 1880 onwards, religion to revive was what The out that there alone was a period The that of Tamil superior its cream of this in great first antiquity influence religion".7 tried Vedic to show that "when the . . .was form in vogue. was foreign brought

of worship

the Vedic scholars to and was

many

non-Brahmin and

"Dravidian" attempted

distinctive they

the

teachings, the Saiva

considered exponent

its peak J. M.

Siddh?nta

philosophy.

foremost

trend

Nallaswami

Pillai (1864-1920).
Hand of educated first to express who in hand with these tendencies went the anti-Brahmin classed as S?dras. velldlas. race have feelings; The the resentment community Pillai again: their Tamil non-Brahmins were of at being the leading

this resentment form the flower

landowning

P. Sundaram now

"Vellalas nationality By scholars Sundaram Westerners partly culture contrast, and on

the Dravidian and speak of

so far forgotten

as to habitually

think

themselves

as Sudras."8 non-Brahmin Non-Brahmin and Brahmin scholars on and the views others, like of and Tamil In

the beginning widened, Pillai

of the XXth and an

Century rift Pillai, G. U.

the gap between was-inevitable. basing Pope, G. of their

open

and Nallaswami Caldwell,9 evoked by

opinions Ch.

partly Gover classics, and a mere

like R. the pride

Slater,

the resuscitation independent

the Tamil

described very

as entirely Brahmin

sui generis, scholars was

of Aryan that South who

influence, India migrated was

ancient.

"contended by

the reclamation of

started (750-350

the Aryans B.C.)."10

marshy into South India Aiyangar pointed

jungle during out

the period 6 His

the S?tras

S. Krishnaswami

was perhaps the first truly rigorous and dating of the Saiva poet Tirun?nacampantar at unprejudiced in Tamil it has been gradually attempt dating literary historiography; as valid. and Indian scholarship accepted by Western 7 p. 24. 8Op.cit. to J.M. Nallaswami Letter Pillai cited in E. F. Irschick, p. 295. 9 At this point I would like to rectify an unfortunate formulation by Irschick (op. cit. p. 343) "... the Self-Respect Irschick writes: Movement the Caldwell; concerning represented . . . had assimilated of persons who the racial theories propounded growing militancy by such men as Caldwell, and Sundaram I have no quarrel with Pillai ..." Grant-Duff, Nelson, never propounded Irschick concerning the views of Sundaram Caldwell Pillai. However, any "racial theories". All Caldwell did - following earlier scholars like F. W. Ellis, Ch. Lassen and - was to a few others that there exists in India a point out what should have been obvious: critical of languages in its "origins" of Aryan a and Indo-European, totally independent linguistic family sui generis spoken mainly by the inhabitants of South India, and for this family an old Sanskrit he adopted term dr?vida - Dravidian. 10 K. Nambi Arooran, and Dravidian Tamil Renaissance Nationalism Madurai, 1905-1944, 1980, p. 35-6. family

128
that "the Dravidian
history, M. owes Srinivasa

R?VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

civilization of the south, though much more

to Aryan in 1914 into the being, immigration, that "within consisting as much the as does years admirers wrote come of Their last fifteen of

ancient that its

north a new and Mr. India".11 school castemen Sundaram any trace of in the of

its history Aiyangar have K.V.Z.)

Tamil (italics Pillai

scholars mine,

mainly and

late object to exalt

lamented has been

professor to disown

antiquary, to disprove

of Trivandrum.

and

indebtedness the name views of

to the Aryans, of historic research

the civilization traditions and

of the ancient literature, of

Tamils, and

to distort

current support of attacks

to pooh-pooh race".12 sharper with

former the

scholars,

which

Brahminization divisions,

the Tamil of

It was of the

logical

sequence that the

the deepening on

and

the ever interference

tone and

disputes,

the Aryan-Sanskritic

imposition on indigenous Tamil

against the scriptures Tamil Party of "Sanskritized" The Justice poets and of

(Dravidian) culture began to be directed as well

and, as a next step, against the scriptures of

the Brahmins, the past.

the Self-Respect

Movement

headed

by E.

V.

Ramaswami

Naicker
the Vedas, These began

(1879-1973) first pointed out as the target of attack such Sanskrit scriptures as
the (Sanskrit) of in purdnas, the sacred weekly 1929, of and and the two epics, Mah?bh?rata texts ("People's began and to write and R?m?yana. Hinduism started of articles in as denunciations in 1924, venerated of Brahminical Government") a series this time

the Tamil From

Kutiaracu Naicker

by Ramaswami Kutiaracu the next

Naicker.

ridiculing logical by Kampan step,

the contents the Tamil has been that it was

the epics

the pur?nas,

attacking,

version

century

who to add the

It is necessary before, belittling and propagated Dravidian

of the R?m?yana in the Xllth composed as the greatest Tamil by many poet. regarded P. Sundaram Pillai who, more than three decades the a travesty of truth, story was R?m?yana as well as proof of Aryan penetration a book years

thesis

that

culture in South

typified

by R?vana

dominance 1.2. In 1930,

India. published This was two book, called Iramayanap p?ttirankal Pillai's the epic became Ravana complete versions, heroes. the

F. V.

Ramaswami

("Characters the Great

in R?m?yana"). mentioned above.

after

Purnalingam performed in the original

In his those now were rescued against

Ramaswami depicted villains; out: Lanka; was his the

of characters: transposition or Tamil, as heroes, Sanskrit Many moral S?t? of V?li; of the fallacies after of Rama she was war

that were became pointed from Lanka much took

anti-heroes

shameful R?ma's

behaviour role as in the

towards treacherous

innocent killing conquest hordes

Rama's realm which

interpreted in culture of his army

the Aryans' civilization. none other

brutal The than

of Ravana, Rama

of monkeys

superior as part along was regarded

and were

the collaborating

Dravidians;

the epic

as a racial

insult

to Dravidians.

11 Ancient India, London, 12 Tamil Studies, Madras,

1911, p. 5. 1914, p. 46.

R?VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

129
the

Hence

the necessity arose to depict R?vana as a Dravidian invading Aryan hordes in tragic resistance.

hero, withstanding

In 1927-28, Ramaswami campaigned for the burning of Manu's law-books. In 1942, he started a campaign to burn the Kampardmdyanam. "Tamil poets of old
like Kambar, self-respecting only glorified would the Aryans have any at the cost of the Dravidians or other and, Tamil hence poet no like Tamilian respect for Kambar

him. The first act of any future Tamil Government would be to ban the reading of the
Kamba of Ramayana and On set fire Jan. copies of of 17, to that 1943, revolting the 4th book Salem which District has destroyed Self-Respect and the honour Conference Periyapurdnam. the Tamils".13 to burn the of

proposed However, because announced that the

of Manusmrti, the movement meetings be classics burnt was

Kampardmdyanam had to postpone that

leaders

a wave that

protest would the

against

the burning of the classics It was decision. nevertheless Later it was announced in the

the books to burn opposed is far the has been

at a later dropped

date.14 because

proposal were

certain

leaders

movement 2.0. The

to it.15 from being settled. of the When the negative and destructive

issue failed, which

approach16 movement, patterns positive thesis -

ideologues since the developed subject problem

anti-Brahmin/anti-Sanskrit/anti-Hindi and culturally in very felt antagonism. civilization but for the complex need The of main a

politically of detailed of

that

have

investigation,17 R?vana a great

approach viz R?vana Aryan

to the whole

the R?ma:

the villainous artistic would As terms. present mentioned

as the Dravidian had invader

hero not

defending

against

R?ma,

only to be

to be preserved composed

expressed

in positive people which

In brief, R?vana above, -

a new epic had as the protagonist. the issue of

the Tamil

the Rdmdyana

is still

very

much

alive.

In

the

1960's Ramaswami18 burned pictures of the god R?ma (just as in 1953 he broke images
of the god Vin?yaka Ganesa); in 1959, he published an entire book against the

13 16.5.1942. Mail, 14 17.1. and 18.1.1943, Hindu Cf. Mail, 17.1.1943, Mail, 20.1.1943. 15 Cf. Mail, 18.5.1943. See also a pamphlet Mudaliar entitled by V. P. Subramanya erikkum muyarci to burn K. and Kampar?m?yanattaiyum Periyapur?nattaiyum ("Attempts in 1944, condemning the idea of burning it was reviewed the books; in The P."), published Hindu,29.10.1944. 16 our opinions or sympathies may be, any attempt Whatever to burn books - whatever they are - must be condemned as negative, destructive and barbarous. 17 Cf. Hardgrove, L. Jr., The Dravidian Robert Movement, 1965; Irschick, Bombay, in South India, The Non-Brahmin Movement and Tamil F., Politics and Social Conflict Eugene Charles A., in 1916-1929, 1969; Ryerson, Separatism, Bombay, 'Meaning and Modernization Tamil India: Primordial Sentiments and Sankritization, Columbia 1979; Nambi University, Tamil Renaissance and Dravidian Nationalism 1980. Arooran, K., 1905-1944, Madurai, in Power, Further, 1970; and Klimkeit, Spratt, D., D.M.K. H.-J., Bombay, Anti-religi?se inmodernen 1971. S?dindien, Bonn, Bewegungen 18 One of the ironies of this case is that Periy?r E. V. Ramaswami Naicker's name, personal is indeed that of "Lord R?ma". R?mac?mi,

130
R?m?yana.19 was "there considered is no

R?VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION It is, however, by E. literature that his For V. of to remember an integral that part by were the R?m?yana of Tamil literature It should of his statues bear

necessary Ramaswami

by Kampan and also general erected the same that be

the Tamils

unadulterated on Rama no

the Aryans".20 part to man's V. and parcel

remembered hatred

scathing him,

attacks religion was

of religion. places

solution to E.

ills. The

in several

in the

state

of Tamilnadu

Ramaswami

inscription:
He who created propagates worships God God God is a fool, is a scoundrel, is a barbarian. he who he who

2.1. modest the

The poet son

man

who

furnished great merit

modern called

Tamil Pulavar and

literature Kulantai.

with He

an epic was in a born family of

of R?vana on 1.7.1906 of Kavunta volumes

is a as

of no

of Muttucc?rnik near Erode. He

Kavuntar is a teacher Fatal,

Cinnammaiy?r, and

landlords of poetry of prosody),

by profession, as well dealing

author

several

(Pulavar and

Kulantai even some

etc.)

as commentaries, with cultural

grammars history. He

(mainly also wrote

prose-works

a poetic drama entitled K?mancari

Sohrab The and Rustam magnum opus by Matthew of Kulantai Arnold.

(probably his best piece) which

is Ir?vanan k?viyam (1st

is based on

Pulavar

edition,

1946).21

It has five books (k?ntam) in 57 cantos (patalam) comprising 3100 stanzas (pa). The
five are as follows: 1. Tamilakak k?ntam 2. Ilahkaikk?ntam 3. Vintakk?ntam 8 cantos; cantos: 18 cantos. 5. P?rkk?ntam books 2.2. Once, Tamilnadu (n?tu): was much larger spread than between -I- 7 cantos; Pay iram (Introduction) 11 cantos; 4. Palipurik?ntam 12 it is today. the rivers It consisted Kumari of five and vast

territories

Peruvalan?tu

Pahruli.

Tenp?lin?tu between Pahruli and the Western ocean; Tir?vitam between Cape Kumari and the Vindhy? mountains (which formed the boundary of Great
Tamilnadu). of river The Pahruli. the capital Tir?vitam to of Peruvalan?tu was the ruled East ruled this was and Tenp?lin?tu by Velir the from princes. The was Madurai To the West supreme city on the bank of Tir?vitam lord situated of Great to the in the

spread Tamijakam, southeast

Ceran?tu, who was

C?jan?tu. a splendid

elected,

southern capital of

of

today's

Sri Lanka:

the ancient lands of

subsequent ocean. Out As notions we

sea-erosions, of one can see of even such

the original catastrophes, this are brief

the Dravidians Sri Lanka of vague the first

the P?ndyas. There, were destroyed by

today's outline of

emerged. k?ntam, much the fiction, geopolitical traditional

from there

propagated

a mixture

facts,

A True Reading, Madras, Ramayana: Madras, 1964; Iramayana kurippukal, p?ttirahkal, 8.3.1964. ioVitutalai, 21 2nd ed., 1971.

19 The

Dravidian

Press,

Tiruchir?ppalli,

1959; 1971.

also,

Iramayana

R?VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

131

legendary accounts and propaganda which has two main aims: first, to arouse the pride of the Tamils in their country which is described as spreading all over South Indian territory between the Vindhyas and the southern seas; and, second, to claim Sri Lanka as originally being a Tamil territory - a claim which in fact has rather
drastic political reverberations and consequences in our days.

In the midst of Lanka, on a hill called Mukk?tal,

King and Vaccirav?vu, his queen K?kaci, a great had Tamil three ruler who sons: as Ir?vanan, the who

stood Lanka City (ilahkainakar).

Tam?akam and King. from from Pitanan, He the Lanka, and married town of a Kumpakannan became

administered

daughter, Vant?rkujali, Mutirai.

K?mavalli. the daughter

Ir?vanan, of M?y?n

eldest, ruled

over Mullain?tu

Beyond
taught

the Vindhyas
their

lived the Aryas. Originally,

civilization. There were

the Tamils welcomed

even intermarriages.

them and
In the

them

superior

Vindhya mountains,
abominable The Aryas sacrifices. troubled

some Aryas settled down and killed animals for their bloody,
This and was attacked opposed by the civilized from their Tamils. Soon enmity arose. the Tamils strategically advantageous

positions in the Vindhyas.

There sent her was among army from the Tamils under a Princess T?takai, tried who asked Ir?vanan's T?takai, help. and also He to a large the Aryas Cuv?ku. Cuv?ku their bloody to protect

prevent

performing

sacrifices,

propagated

in particular

by an Arya priest called K?cikan.

In the North with many describes performed liquor, Kau?alya, him with and his three there was wives a small kingdom, concubines. of K?calam Ayodhya, Dasaratha where Dasaratha by The ruled brutal epic as king force poem they drank of then them, killed and many the conquered state. by

lands

and made gusto

with

territory a number of hideous horse-sacrifice, The the horse the sword. three

into a powerful practised animals

customs ate horrid

its inhabitants: snakes, One and

a perverted fornicated. embraced slashes of

including conceived.

wives

of Dasaratha intercourse three wives, as her three

in sexual Out of the

husband sons were

born:

K?calai

(Kau?alya) gave birth to Ir?man (R?ma), Kaik?ci

and Cumattirai (Sumitra) (?atrughna). the boys grew up, to assist the priest K?cikan to Ilakkuva, also called Catturukkar When Ir?man

(Kaikeyi) to Paratan (Bharata),

Lakkuvan (Laksmana), and to

came could

to Ayodhya his

and sacrifices.

demanded The two

and Lakkuvan

him

so that he

perform

young warriors killed T?takai,

General sacrifices. escaping younger Vindhya In Mitilai Cuv?ku Thereupon and sister informed K?mavalli and Ir?man the ruler who

the Tamil princess.

M?rican, killed Cuv?ku, however, whereas Ir?vanan the again stopped K?cikan's succeeded a large army south of in to his the M?rican sent

Prince

of all Tamilakam. ruled over Vintan?tu,

province

mountains. the meantime, and Ay?ttiyai. various The marriages events were celebrated from in the Aryan current kingdoms of of the

well-known

versions

132

R?VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

R?m?yana caused the ousting of Ir?man, Citai and Lakkuvan to the forest. The court of Ay?ttiyai is described as a despicable place full of intrigues and treachery.
When Ir?man One Da?aratha with day dies, Catturukkar go into exile to ravish becomes for fourteen K?mavalli, ruler, years. Ir?vanan's younger sister. She refuses. Paratan stays in seclusion, and Lakkuvan Ir?man wants

Ir?man sends Lakkuvan

fashion:

to punish her. Lakkuvan kills her in the barbaric Aryan

ears and nipples.

he cuts off her nose,

Iravanan in his fast chariot goes toVintam and with the help of a lovely deer which
had been a favourite animal of K?mavalli, he succeeds in dividing Ir?man and

Lakkuvan,
chivalry Ir?man treacherously Sugriva and

and in kidnapping Qtai.

promises prepares kills not his to harm southern her,

However,
and conquest. V?li in an

he behaves
her He

to her with the utmost

the

to return

to her husband. monkey in return Sugriva, the usurper

helps and

the monkey-king to help Ir?man.

ambush,

promises

P?tanan,

Ir?vanan's

brother,

proves

to be a traitor.

The war begins. The Tamil Maravar fight bravely with the invader. Finally, thanks to
P?tanan's and Hanum?n Cey?n. In Qtai the next battle, the great sets up the Ir?vanan nobility traitor But is killed of Ir?vanan's P?tanan he also as the by Ir?man. character. ruler his Ufe of Lanka rather and introduces since he Aryan sends Vant?rkulali, the queen, dies. treachery, bring the combined efforts of after Ir?man, Ilakkuvan's Lakkuvan, arrow P?tanan, kills Sugriva son success, particularly Ir?vanan's

reveals Ir?man

domination

in Tamijakam.

ends

miserably,

Qtai
in her 2.3.

along with Lakkuvan to the jungle and leaves her there, for he does not believe
innocence As even and and the the cannot brief roles poem. R?ma, accept summary of the The the notion of two hero the main of the of Ir?vanan's shows, decency the towards her. of the contents transposition

characters Ku]antai's account the of

protagonists traditional

is complete and standard villain,

in Pulavar pan-Indian Ir?man; the and the

narrative the story,

becomes villain of

the unscrupulous, the This standard story,

cowardly R?vana, of logical

demoniac, heroic,

monstrous noble hero,

becomes

cultured, roles

Ir?vanan. is of course

transposition and

the characters outcome

of R?ma

and R?vana

a necessary

of a process

begun late in the XlXth century in the non-Brahmin Tamil intellectual milieu. it would be worthwhile investigating, first, how much of it is indebted to However,
the prevailing what mpan's It is extent Xllth logical goes who help local there South is any Indian connection oral folk-traditions with the and, second, whether of R?vana and in Ka to reinterpretation

century that

Ir?m?vat?ram with the in hand

(see below). and of or the reversed picture characters. those of the two

re-evaluation the transposition scoundrels

protagonists all those

hand

the minor traitors

Ir?man are

are either heroes.

whereas

In general, are on who

the side of Necessarily, one glaring

Ir?vanan

tragic - to Thus of events. also be a reinterpretation there must quote just tries to sister S?rpanakh? R?vana's in the standard account, example

R?VANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

133

seduce R?ma by all possible means, and her despicable and low attempts lead to her
mutilation, and to R?vana's fury. In Ku]antai's poem, Ir?vanan's sister K?mavalli22

is an innocent victim of Ir?man who wants to ravish her and when she refuses she is horribly mutilated and murdered by Iranian's brutal brother Lakkuvan. The basic ideology of the poem of Kulantai is rather simple: the Sanskrit Rdmdyana (and all current versions derived from it) is a false picture of what had
actually depicted contrast happened, in Pulavar and clash a tendentious Kujantai's of "Aryam" epic pack of of lies. The The The truth of the events text are was such by as is Ir?vanan. "Tami]". and entire Aryans whereas is permeated despicable the acurar, that the

versus

animal i.e. the is the

slaughterers, Tamilians, used

meat-eaters, are abstinent

drunkards and gentle

fornicators,

vegetarians.

to explain the term acurar (or misused) curar who drink Pulavar, equals (those kal-l-unpor liquor), are a-curar whereas those who do not drink. Kutiydtavar, As mentioned above, those southerners who help

It is interesting asura -). (<Skt.

philology to

According

kutiyar

(drunkards),

Ir?man

are

despicable

slaves

and traitors: Anuman (Hanum?n), Cukkirivan (Sugriva), but above all Pitar?an (Vibhisana). If Ir?man had stood alone and not been helped by these traitors he
would The never wrath have of been able to subdue Pulavar the "emperor" Ir?vanan. is particularly of Tamil directed against Kampan, Kulantai as

traditionally treatment poet's Pillai and work was

regarded

of Kampan the ultimate outcome by Kujantai of a process which had begun half a century of the opinion that Kampan admired R?vana leader of his people. V. at the P. When E.V. Mudaliar, and tried

We see in the poets. may short of burning the great earlier. M.S. Purnalingam cultured hero as a civilized,

accomplished

Ramaswami otherwise

Naicker

proposed with ideas

to burn Naicker, and

the Rdmdyana, was shocked were

Subramanya suggestion

in agreement that Kamban's to Valmiki's R?vana and the sons", influence C. never

to "establish superior Kampan's of his wives he falls under

ideals

conceptions".23 personality, of culture

Dravidian and characteristically T. P. Meenakshisundaram describes of his people, but becomes of of his brothers, course, an ugly "once jackal

Aryan as a great "a man of his

"beloved and

refinement" for Sita, this

vicious

passion say

trying

to abduct (1961): dramatic once see Kampan, does

her,"24 "There

and H. was . . .His in the for a

Jesudasans grander language repulsive Kampan

in their History of

of Tamil villain

Literature

in the role personality to S?ta is the language coarseness when of indecent to the

in the world's . . .Never Thus we

literature he of indulge

of a cavalier language."25 character

a kind

apologia

it comes

of R?vana:

according

to most

the change of names: The original Sanskrit name unflattering is changed into the lovely K?mavalli S?rpanakh? ("Sharp-Nails") ("Creeper 23 The Hindu, 19.10.1944. 24 A 1965. of Tamil Literature, Annamalainagar, 25 History A History Calcutta, of Tamil Literature, 1961, pp. 181ff.

22 Notice

of Ravana's of Desire").

sister,

134

RAVANA THE GREAT IN MODERN TAMIL FICTION

Tamil interpreters of his grand poem, did not characterize R?vana as a black villain
but cruel, This stressed be as a complex, gentle and tragical, vicious heroic personality, at the same time. Pulavar. reversed. too: he a slave to his passions, generous and

is unacceptable again and again,

to Kulantai were

For

him, Hence,

the

roles

and

characters, had

as

I to

totally down,

Kampan's of

evaluation servility He

completely

turned of giving

upside his talents of made

is accused to the service

servitude, of and the Aryans. out

and made

slavishness, out Aryan (pp. of

like a traitor

the greatest murderer

hero he

the Tamils, God

Ir?vanan, incarnate;

a demon, this

of a treacherous hideous deception" is an ideologue mire".28 crime and of

is Kampan's spread "Aryan

42-43).

Kampan's

R?m?yana speech" all of which

the ugly, lies, crimes

polluting and

"Aryan slavery,27

is guilty all over can be

of having Tamilnadu.26 simply

Kampan

designated

as "Aryan

26 ariyamoli. ariya mokam, 27 P. 53 of the text. 28 P. 43 of the text.