Balakumaran - Revision history

Davidcza: enhance structure as per guidelines and cleaned formatting as per guidelines

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enhance structure as per guidelines and cleaned formatting as per guidelines

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	{{short description\|Indian Tamil writer}}		{{short description\|Indian Tamil writer}}
			{{More citations needed\|date=September 2023}}
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	'''Balakumaran''' (5 July 1946 – 15 May 2018)<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/veteran-tamil-novelist-balakumaran-dies-at-71/589638.html Veteran Tamil novelist Balakumaran dies at 71]</ref> was an Indian [[Tamil language\|Tamil]] writer and author of over 200 novels, 100 short stories, and dialogue/screenplay writer for 23 films.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/\| title="About me"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref> He also contributed to Tamil periodicals such as ''[[Kalki (magazine)\|Kalki]]'', ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' and ''[[Kumudam]]''.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece\|title=Balakumaran about his Novels\|date=30 June 2016\|work=The Hindu\|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> His notable works as a dialogue writer in Tamil Cinema include [[Nayakan]], [[Gunaa\|Guna]], [[Baashha]] and [[Pudhupettai]].		'''Balakumaran''' (5 July 1946 – 15 May 2018)<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/veteran-tamil-novelist-balakumaran-dies-at-71/589638.html \|title=Veteran Tamil novelist Balakumaran dies at 71 \|access-date=15 May 2018 \|archive-date=16 May 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516020621/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/veteran-tamil-novelist-balakumaran-dies-at-71/589638.html \|url-status=dead }}</ref> was an Indian [[Tamil language\|Tamil]] writer and author of over 200 novels, 100 short stories, and dialogue/screenplay writer for 23 films.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/\| title="About me"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref> He also contributed to Tamil periodicals such as ''[[Kalki (magazine)\|Kalki]]'', ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' and ''[[Kumudam]]''.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece\|title=Balakumaran about his Novels\|date=30 June 2016\|work=The Hindu\|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> His notable works as a dialogue writer in Tamil Cinema include [[Nayakan]], [[Gunaa\|Guna]], [[Baashha]] and [[Pudhupettai]].

	==Biography==		==Biography==
	Balakumaran was born in Pazhamarneri village near [[Thirukattupalli]] in [[Thanjavur district]] on 5 July 1946. He was married to Kamala and Santha. They have daughter Gowri and son Venkataraman aka Surya.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/\| title="About me"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> He was a disciple of Yogi Ramsurat Kumar. Balakumaran died at the age of 71 due to prolonged illness in a private hospital on 15 May 2018.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tamil-novelist-balakumaran-passes-away/article23892836.ece\| title="Popular Tamil novelist Balakumaran passes away"\| work=The Hindu \| date=16 May 2018 \| access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> As a child, he was highly inspired by his mother, who was a Tamil scholar and a Siromani in Sanskrit, used verses of Sangam and other ancient literature to motivate him whenever he was emotionally down. This created a deep interest in Tamil literature which made literature his passion. Despite having a poor relationship with his father due to average academic performance especially Maths, he continued his deep interest in literature with his mother's support. After completing his studies at ~~[http://wesleyschool.in/photogallery5.html~~ Wesley High School], he joined a tractor company TAFE in Chennai for a job like any middle class youth. But, with hunger for literature, he quit the job of stenographer in a tractor company and started work on poems first and gradually moved towards short stories & novels.<ref~~>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/\| title~~="~~About me~~"~~\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=16 May 2018}}<~~/~~ref~~> His first stories were published in a literary magazine called 'ka-ca-da-ta-pa-Ra' and for which he was also a founding member of KaChaTaThaPaRa, a self-anointed militant literary journal that had been launched with a mission to blaze new trails in modernist literature and later in Kumudam. Balakumaran's first novel — 'Mercury Pookaal' was serialized in Saavi and his second 'Irumbu Kuthirai' (Iron horse) was serialized in Kalki.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece\| title="Stories from the heart"\| work=The Hindu \| date=30 June 2016 \| access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref>		Balakumaran was born in Pazhamarneri village near [[Thirukattupalli]] in [[Thanjavur district]] on 5 July 1946. He was married to Kamala and Santha. They have daughter Gowri and son Venkataraman aka Surya.<ref name="writerbalakumaran_com">{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/\| title="About me"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> He was a disciple of [[Yogi_Ramsuratkumar\|Yogi Ramsurat Kumar]]. Balakumaran died at the age of 71 due to prolonged illness in a private hospital on 15 May 2018.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tamil-novelist-balakumaran-passes-away/article23892836.ece\| title="Popular Tamil novelist Balakumaran passes away"\| work=The Hindu \| date=16 May 2018 \| access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> As a child, he was highly inspired by his mother, who was a Tamil scholar and a Siromani in Sanskrit, used verses of Sangam and other ancient literature to motivate him whenever he was emotionally down. This created a deep interest in Tamil literature which made literature his passion. Despite having a poor relationship with his father due to average academic performance especially Maths, he continued his deep interest in literature with his mother's support. After completing his studies at Wesley High School, he joined a tractor company TAFE in Chennai for a job like any middle class youth. But, with hunger for literature, he quit the job of stenographer in a tractor company and started work on poems first and gradually moved towards short stories & novels.<ref name="writerbalakumaran_com" /> His first stories were published in a literary magazine called 'ka-ca-da-ta-pa-Ra' and for which he was also a founding member of KaChaTaThaPaRa, a self-anointed militant literary journal that had been launched with a mission to blaze new trails in modernist literature and later in Kumudam. Balakumaran's first novel — 'Mercury Pookaal' was serialized in Saavi and his second 'Irumbu Kuthirai' (Iron horse) was serialized in Kalki.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece\| title="Stories from the heart"\| work=The Hindu \| date=30 June 2016 \| access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref>

	==Literary style and themes==		==Literary style and themes==
	Balakumaran's works majorly revolved around woman with great empathy. In his stories, women were not merely gendered cardboard cutouts but fully sentient individuals, with bodies, dreams, desires, yearnings and frustrations. This "legitimisation" of female existence earned him succeeding generations of devoted women readers who resonated with the female characters in his fiction. In an interview, he said that during his initial days in Chennai he spent his life amidst such people. This prompted him to develop a liking for them.<ref>{{cite web \| url=https://scroll.in/article/879234/balakumaran-1946-2018-struck-a-chord-with-readers-because-he-gave-a-voice-to-ordinary-individuals\| title="Balakumaran (1946-2018) struck a chord with readers because he gave a voice to ordinary individuals"\| work=scroll.in \| date=17 May 2018 \| access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> Balakumaran had the habit of experiencing characters by himself when writing a book. For instance, In 'Udayar' novel, he had traveled many places where Raja Raja Cholan visited in order to bring closeness towards the novel. Also, he traveled in trucks to longer distance for his 'Irumbu Kuthirai' (Iron horse) novel.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/portfolio/udaiyar-2-2/\| title="portfolio"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> In an interview given to The Times of India, he said that after reading Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel Ponniyin Selvan he wondered why it was needed to write a fictional account of the Cholas when there was enough to write about the facts there. "The Raja Raja Chola of Kalki was a different person. He hadn't become the king yet. The Thanjai temple wasn't even in the picture. I went to the Thanjavur district and visited Pallipadai, dedicated to Panchavan Madevi. She was an anukkiyar, a category that is apart from the queens and concubines. She was a friend of Raja Raja Chola I. If you look at the paintings there, each face is unique. Whoever did it, has worked on it with real faces. I did a lot of research for my novel Gangaikonda Chozhan also. But I felt I did that work, visiting those places as a tourist. Udaiyar, a six-part novel, gave me satisfaction as a writer."<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://madraswallah.com/2018/04/16/the-time-traveller-an-interaction-with-writer-balakumaran/\|title=The time traveller – An interaction with writer Balakumaran\|date=2018-04-16\|website=Madraswallah\|language=en\|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref>		Balakumaran's works majorly revolved around woman with great empathy. In his stories, women were not merely gendered cardboard cutouts but fully sentient individuals, with bodies, dreams, desires, yearnings and frustrations. This "legitimisation" of female existence earned him succeeding generations of devoted women readers who resonated with the female characters in his fiction. In an interview, he said that during his initial days in Chennai he spent his life amidst such people. This prompted him to develop a liking for them.<ref>{{cite web \| url=https://scroll.in/article/879234/balakumaran-1946-2018-struck-a-chord-with-readers-because-he-gave-a-voice-to-ordinary-individuals\| title="Balakumaran (1946-2018) struck a chord with readers because he gave a voice to ordinary individuals"\| work=scroll.in \| date=17 May 2018 \| access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> Balakumaran had the habit of experiencing characters by himself when writing a book. For instance, In 'Udayar' novel, he had traveled many places where Raja Raja Cholan visited in order to bring closeness towards the novel. Also, he traveled in trucks to longer distance for his 'Irumbu Kuthirai' (Iron horse) novel.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/portfolio/udaiyar-2-2/\| title="portfolio"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> In an interview given to The Times of India, he said that after reading Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel Ponniyin Selvan he wondered why it was needed to write a fictional account of the Cholas when there was enough to write about the facts there. "The Raja Raja Chola of Kalki was a different person. He hadn't become the king yet. The Thanjai temple wasn't even in the picture. I went to the Thanjavur district and visited Pallipadai, dedicated to Panchavan Madevi. She was an anukkiyar, a category that is apart from the queens and concubines. She was a friend of Raja Raja Chola I. If you look at the paintings there, each face is unique. Whoever did it, has worked on it with real faces. I did a lot of research for my novel Gangaikonda Chozhan also. But I felt I did that work, visiting those places as a tourist. Udaiyar, a six-part novel, gave me satisfaction as a writer."<ref name="madraswallah_com">{{Cite web\|url=https://madraswallah.com/2018/04/16/the-time-traveller-an-interaction-with-writer-balakumaran/\|title=The time traveller – An interaction with writer Balakumaran\|date=2018-04-16\|website=Madraswallah\|language=en\|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref>

	==Novels written==		==Novels written==
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	*Peria Puranak Kathaigal		*Peria Puranak Kathaigal
	*Kannaadi Koburangal		*Kannaadi Koburangal
	*~~Katigai~~		*Kadigai
	*Ramayanam		*Ramayanam
	*Ammavum 10 Katturaigalum		*Ammavum 10 Katturaigalum
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	==Filmography==		==Filmography==
	Balakumaran's contribution to films was largely in the field of screenplay making and dialogue writing. His skills in crafting the dialogue for any conceivable character are noteworthy in [[Kollywood]] and his dialogues in [[Nayakan]] and [[Basha (film)\|Baasha]] are still popular and widely used. Surprisingly, he believed movies ware just a means to lift him from the lower middle-class to the upper middle-class. "For a writer of novels, cinema dialogues come easily because our mind has already been conditioned to think while writing novels."<ref~~>{{Cite web\|url~~=~~https:~~//madraswallah.com/2018/04/16/the-time-traveller-an-interaction-with-writer-balakumaran/\|title=The time traveller – An interaction with writer Balakumaran\|date=2018-04-16\|website=Madraswallah\|language=en\|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref>		Balakumaran's contribution to films was largely in the field of screenplay making and dialogue writing. His skills in crafting the dialogue for any conceivable character are noteworthy in [[Kollywood]] and his dialogues in [[Nayakan]] and [[Basha (film)\|Baasha]] are still popular and widely used. Surprisingly, he believed movies ware just a means to lift him from the lower middle-class to the upper middle-class. "For a writer of novels, cinema dialogues come easily because our mind has already been conditioned to think while writing novels."<ref name="madraswallah_com" />

	Some of Balakumaran novel names have been used in [[Tamil cinema]] as movie titles - [[Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara]], [[Irumbu Kuthirai]] which are samples of Balakumaran's popularity.		Some of Balakumaran novel names have been used in [[Tamil cinema]] as movie titles - [[Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara]], [[Irumbu Kuthirai]] which are samples of Balakumaran's popularity.
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	*[[Guna (film)\|Guna]] (1991)		*[[Guna (film)\|Guna]] (1991)
	*Shenbagathottam (1991)		*Shenbagathottam (1991)
	*[[Gentleman (1993 film)\|Gentleman]] (1993)<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/article/38329.html\|title=Balakumaran in 'Robot'\|date=3 May 2008\|work=IndiaGlitz\|access-date=29 June 2012}}</ref>		*[[Gentleman (1993 film)\|Gentleman]] (1993)<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/article/38329.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124181013/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/article/38329.html\|url-status=dead\|archive-date=24 January 2014\|title=Balakumaran in 'Robot'\|date=3 May 2008\|work=IndiaGlitz\|access-date=29 June 2012}}</ref>
	*[[~~Kadhalan~~]] (1994)		*[[Kaadhalan]] (1994)
	*Kizhakku Malai (1995)		*Kizhakku Malai (1995)
	*[[Ragasiya Police]] (1995)		*[[Ragasiya Police]] (1995)
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	==Awards==		==Awards==
			{{Unreferenced section\|date=September 2023}}
	*Literary Awards won :		*Literary Awards won:
	**Irumbu Kudhiraigal – Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiyar Trust Awards		**Irumbu Kudhiraigal – Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiyar Trust Awards
	**Mercury Pookal – Illakkiya Sindhanai Awards		**Mercury Pookal – Illakkiya Sindhanai Awards
	**Kadarpalam – State Award (II Prize) (Short Story Collection)		**Kadarpalam – State Award (II Prize) (Short Story Collection)
	**Sugajeevanam – State Award (I Prize) (short story collection)		**Sugajeevanam – State Award (I Prize) (short story collection)
	*Cinema Awards Won :		*Cinema Awards Won:
	**Guna – Cinema Express Award		**Guna – Cinema Express Award
	**Kaadalan – [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer]]		**Kaadalan – [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer]]
	*Other Awards :		*Other Awards:
	**Honoured with "Sindhanai Chemmal" title (From Lions Club Madras)		**Honoured with "Sindhanai Chemmal" title (From Lions Club Madras)
	** Kalaimaamani Award from Government of Tamil Nadu		** Kalaimaamani Award from Government of Tamil Nadu
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	==See also==		==See also==
	* [[List of Indian writers]]		* [[List of Indian writers]]

	==References==		==References==
	{{Reflist}}		{{Reflist}}
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	*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/blog Official Blog]		*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/blog Official Blog]
	*[http://balakumaran-writer.blogspot.com Balakumaran Thoughts]		*[http://balakumaran-writer.blogspot.com Balakumaran Thoughts]
			{{Portal bar\|Biography\|India\|Literature\|Tamils}}

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	[[Category:Tamil screenwriters]]		[[Category:Tamil screenwriters]]
	[[Category:Indian male novelists]]		[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
	[[Category:~~People~~ from Thanjavur district]]		[[Category:Writers from Thanjavur district]]
	[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]		[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]
	[[Category:Indian male short story writers]]		[[Category:Indian male short story writers]]

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	*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/blog Official Blog]		*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/blog Official Blog]
	*[http://balakumaran-writer.blogspot.com Balakumaran Thoughts]		*[http://balakumaran-writer.blogspot.com Balakumaran Thoughts]
	~~{{Portal bar\|Biography\|India\|Literature\|Tamils}}~~

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← Older revision		Revision as of 02:10, 18 May 2022
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	\| nationality = Indian		\| nationality = Indian
	\| spouses = Kamala<br/>Shanta		\| spouses = Kamala<br/>Shanta
	\| children = Gowri,, Surya		\| children = Gowri, Surya
	}}		}}

	''' Balakumaran''' (5 July 1946 – 15 May 2018)<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/veteran-tamil-novelist-balakumaran-dies-at-71/589638.html Veteran Tamil novelist Balakumaran dies at 71]</ref> was an Indian [[Tamil language\|Tamil]] writer and author of over 200 novels, 100 short stories, and dialogue/screenplay writer for 23 films.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/\| title="About me"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref> He also contributed to Tamil periodicals such as ''[[Kalki (magazine)\|Kalki]]'', ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' and ''[[Kumudam]]''.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece\|title=Balakumaran about his Novels\|date=30 June 2016\|work=The Hindu\|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> His notable works as a dialogue writer in Tamil Cinema include [[Nayakan]], [[Gunaa\|Guna]], [[Baashha]] and [[Pudhupettai]].		'''Balakumaran''' (5 July 1946 – 15 May 2018)<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/veteran-tamil-novelist-balakumaran-dies-at-71/589638.html Veteran Tamil novelist Balakumaran dies at 71]</ref> was an Indian [[Tamil language\|Tamil]] writer and author of over 200 novels, 100 short stories, and dialogue/screenplay writer for 23 films.<ref>{{cite web \| url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/\| title="About me"\| work=writerbalakumaran.com \| date= \| access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref> He also contributed to Tamil periodicals such as ''[[Kalki (magazine)\|Kalki]]'', ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' and ''[[Kumudam]]''.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece\|title=Balakumaran about his Novels\|date=30 June 2016\|work=The Hindu\|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> His notable works as a dialogue writer in Tamil Cinema include [[Nayakan]], [[Gunaa\|Guna]], [[Baashha]] and [[Pudhupettai]].

	==Biography==		==Biography==
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	** Kalaimaamani Award from Government of Tamil Nadu		** Kalaimaamani Award from Government of Tamil Nadu

			==See also==
			* [[List of Indian writers]]
	==References==		==References==
	{{Reflist}}		{{Reflist}}
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	*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/blog Official Blog]		*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/blog Official Blog]
	*[http://balakumaran-writer.blogspot.com Balakumaran Thoughts]		*[http://balakumaran-writer.blogspot.com Balakumaran Thoughts]
			{{Portal bar\|Biography\|India\|Literature\|Tamils}}

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	{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakumaran, V.}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakumaran, V.}}
			[[Category:1946 births]]
			[[Category:2018 deaths]]
	[[Category:Tamil-language writers]]		[[Category:Tamil-language writers]]
	[[Category:Tamil screenwriters]]		[[Category:Tamil screenwriters]]
	[[Category:Indian male novelists]]		[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
	~~[[Category:2018 deaths]]~~
	~~[[Category:1946 births]]~~
	[[Category:People from Thanjavur district]]		[[Category:People from Thanjavur district]]
	[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]		[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]

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Undid revision 1046035084 by Nb Balakumaran (talk) remove nonsense text

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{{short description|Indian Tamil writer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox writer 
| name = Balakumaran
| image = BalakumaranVPic.jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1946|07|05}}
| birth_place = [[Pazhamarneri]], [[Thirukattupalli]], [[Thanjavur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2018|05|15|1946|07|05}}
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| occupation = Writer, novelist
| nationality = Indian
| spouses = Kamala<br/>Shanta
| children = Gowri,, Surya
}}

''' Balakumaran''' (5 July 1946 – 15 May 2018)<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/veteran-tamil-novelist-balakumaran-dies-at-71/589638.html Veteran Tamil novelist Balakumaran dies at 71]</ref> was an Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]] writer and author of over 200 novels, 100 short stories, and dialogue/screenplay writer for 23 films.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/| title="About me"| work=writerbalakumaran.com | date= | access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref> He also contributed to Tamil periodicals such as ''[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]]'', ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' and ''[[Kumudam]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece|title=Balakumaran about his Novels|date=30 June 2016|work=The Hindu|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> His notable works as a dialogue writer in Tamil Cinema include [[Nayakan]], [[Gunaa|Guna]], [[Baashha]] and [[Pudhupettai]].

==Biography==
Balakumaran was born in Pazhamarneri village near [[Thirukattupalli]] in [[Thanjavur district]] on 5 July 1946. He was married to Kamala and Santha. They have daughter Gowri and son Venkataraman aka Surya.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/| title="About me"| work=writerbalakumaran.com | date= | access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> He was a disciple of Yogi Ramsurat Kumar. Balakumaran died at the age of 71 due to prolonged illness in a private hospital on 15 May 2018.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tamil-novelist-balakumaran-passes-away/article23892836.ece| title="Popular Tamil novelist Balakumaran passes away"| work=The Hindu | date=16 May 2018 | access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> As a child, he was highly inspired by his mother, who was a Tamil scholar and a Siromani in Sanskrit, used verses of Sangam and other ancient literature to motivate him whenever he was emotionally down. This created a deep interest in Tamil literature which made literature his passion. Despite having a poor relationship with his father due to average academic performance especially Maths, he continued his deep interest in literature with his mother's support. After completing his studies at [http://wesleyschool.in/photogallery5.html Wesley High School], he joined a tractor company TAFE in Chennai for a job like any middle class youth. But, with hunger for literature, he quit the job of stenographer in a tractor company and started work on poems first and gradually moved towards short stories & novels.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/aboutme/| title="About me"| work=writerbalakumaran.com | date= | access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> His first stories were published in a literary magazine called 'ka-ca-da-ta-pa-Ra' and for which he was also a founding member of KaChaTaThaPaRa, a self-anointed militant literary journal that had been launched with a mission to blaze new trails in modernist literature and later in Kumudam. Balakumaran's first novel — 'Mercury Pookaal' was serialized in Saavi and his second 'Irumbu Kuthirai' (Iron horse) was serialized in Kalki.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/Stories-from-the-heart/article14410319.ece| title="Stories from the heart"| work=The Hindu | date=30 June 2016 | access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref>

==Literary style and themes==
Balakumaran's works majorly revolved around woman with great empathy. In his stories, women were not merely gendered cardboard cutouts but fully sentient individuals, with bodies, dreams, desires, yearnings and frustrations. This "legitimisation" of female existence earned him succeeding generations of devoted women readers who resonated with the female characters in his fiction. In an interview, he said that during his initial days in Chennai he spent his life amidst such people. This prompted him to develop a liking for them.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://scroll.in/article/879234/balakumaran-1946-2018-struck-a-chord-with-readers-because-he-gave-a-voice-to-ordinary-individuals| title="Balakumaran (1946-2018) struck a chord with readers because he gave a voice to ordinary individuals"| work=scroll.in | date=17 May 2018 | access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> Balakumaran had the habit of experiencing characters by himself when writing a book. For instance, In 'Udayar' novel, he had traveled many places where Raja Raja Cholan visited in order to bring closeness towards the novel. Also, he traveled in trucks to longer distance for his 'Irumbu Kuthirai' (Iron horse) novel.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/portfolio/udaiyar-2-2/| title="portfolio"| work=writerbalakumaran.com | date= | access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> In an interview given to The Times of India, he said that after reading Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel Ponniyin Selvan he wondered why it was needed to write a fictional account of the Cholas when there was enough to write about the facts there. "The Raja Raja Chola of Kalki was a different person. He hadn't become the king yet. The Thanjai temple wasn't even in the picture. I went to the Thanjavur district and visited Pallipadai, dedicated to Panchavan Madevi. She was an anukkiyar, a category that is apart from the queens and concubines. She was a friend of Raja Raja Chola I. If you look at the paintings there, each face is unique. Whoever did it, has worked on it with real faces. I did a lot of research for my novel Gangaikonda Chozhan also. But I felt I did that work, visiting those places as a tourist. Udaiyar, a six-part novel, gave me satisfaction as a writer."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://madraswallah.com/2018/04/16/the-time-traveller-an-interaction-with-writer-balakumaran/|title=The time traveller – An interaction with writer Balakumaran|date=2018-04-16|website=Madraswallah|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref>

==Novels written==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*Udayar
Series about the Great Emperor Raja Raja Cholan, includes the details about how he built [[Thanjavur district]] [[Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur]] and many more. It is a reference to the culture gradient between different kingdoms during Udayar period.
*Mercury Pookkal
*Irumbhu Kudhiraigal
*Krishna Arjunan
*Thayumanavan
*Agalya
*Kai Veesamma Kai Veesu
*Endrendrum Anbudan
*Udayar (novel)
*Shenbagathottam
*Pani Vizhum Malar Vanam
*Kadal neelam
*Naan Enna Solli Vittaen
*Kadarpaalam
*Pey Karumbu (''on Pattinathaar'' ''Swamigal'')
*Simmasanam (''on Kumara Guruparar Swamigal'')
*Thangakkai (''on Seshadiri Swamigal of Thiruvannamalai'')
*Guru (''on Bhagawan Sri Yogi Ram Suratkumar of Thiruvannamalai'')
*Nigumbalai
*Kadalora Kuruvigal
*Karaiyora Mudhalaigal
*Payanigal Kavanikkavum
*Thunai
*Meettadha Veenai
*Vetrilai Kodi
*Manja Kaani
*Karnanin Kathai
*Shakthi
*KatruKondal Kutramillai
*En Manathu Thamaraippoo
*Kalyana Murungai
*Peria Puranak Kathaigal
*Kannaadi Koburangal
*Katigai
*Ramayanam
*Ammavum 10 Katturaigalum
*Manam Uruguthey
*Appam Vadai Thayirsatham
*Ithuthaan Vayathu Kathalikka
*Snegamulla Singam
*Yeno Theriavillai
*kathal Aragam
*Neli Mothiram
*Ean Mathil Tamarai Poo
*Kathalperuman (On Arunagirinathar)
*Vilvamaram
*Marakal
*idharkuth Thane Aasaippattaay Balakumara
*Thalaiyanai Pookkal
*En Kanmani Thamarai (On Abirami Bhattar)
*Thozhan
*Gangai Konda Cholan
*Avani
*Idhu Pothum
*Mahabharatham
*333 Ammaiyappan Theru
*Kanne Vanna Pasungiliye
*Brindhavanam (On Shri Ragavendra Swamigal){{div col end}}

==Filmography==
Balakumaran's contribution to films was largely in the field of screenplay making and dialogue writing. His skills in crafting the dialogue for any conceivable character are noteworthy in [[Kollywood]] and his dialogues in [[Nayakan]] and [[Basha (film)|Baasha]] are still popular and widely used. Surprisingly, he believed movies ware just a means to lift him from the lower middle-class to the upper middle-class. "For a writer of novels, cinema dialogues come easily because our mind has already been conditioned to think while writing novels."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://madraswallah.com/2018/04/16/the-time-traveller-an-interaction-with-writer-balakumaran/|title=The time traveller – An interaction with writer Balakumaran|date=2018-04-16|website=Madraswallah|language=en|access-date=2019-03-04}}</ref>

Some of Balakumaran novel names have been used in [[Tamil cinema]] as movie titles - [[Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara]], [[Irumbu Kuthirai]] which are samples of Balakumaran's popularity.

He directed the 1988 K. Bhagyaraj starrer film 'Idhu Namma Aalu'.

List of the films to which Balakumaran contributed:
;Writer
*[[Nayakan]] (1987)
*[[Guna (film)|Guna]] (1991)
*Shenbagathottam (1991)
*[[Gentleman (1993 film)|Gentleman]] (1993)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/article/38329.html|title=Balakumaran in 'Robot'|date=3 May 2008|work=IndiaGlitz|access-date=29 June 2012}}</ref>
*[[Kadhalan]] (1994)
*Kizhakku Malai (1995)
*[[Ragasiya Police]] (1995)
*[[Basha (film)|Baasha]] (1995)
*[[Sivasakthi]] (1996)
*[[Ullaasam]] (1997)
*[[Velai]] (1998)
*[[Jeans (film)|Jeans]] (1998)
*[[Mugavaree]] (2000)
*[[Uyirile Kalanthathu]] (2000)
*[[Citizen (film)|Citizen]] (2001)
*[[Majunu|Majnu]] (2001)
*[[Kadhal Sadugudu]] (2003)
*[[Adhu]] (2004)
*[[Jananam]] (2004)
*[[Manmadhan (film)|Manmadhan]] (2004)
*[[Vallavan]] (2006)
*[[Pudhupettai]] (2006)

==Literary works==
*Epic on Rajendra Cholan
*Monthly Novels on various themes..

==Awards==

*Literary Awards won :
**Irumbu Kudhiraigal – Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiyar Trust Awards
**Mercury Pookal – Illakkiya Sindhanai Awards
**Kadarpalam – State Award (II Prize) (Short Story Collection)
**Sugajeevanam – State Award (I Prize) (short story collection)
*Cinema Awards Won :
**Guna – Cinema Express Award
**Kaadalan – [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer]]
*Other Awards :
**Honoured with "Sindhanai Chemmal" title (From Lions Club Madras)
** Kalaimaamani Award from Government of Tamil Nadu

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com Official Site]
*[http://www.writerbalakumaran.com/blog Official Blog]
*[http://balakumaran-writer.blogspot.com Balakumaran Thoughts]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakumaran, V.}}
[[Category:Tamil-language writers]]
[[Category:Tamil screenwriters]]
[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:People from Thanjavur district]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]
[[Category:Indian male short story writers]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian short story writers]]
[[Category:Novelists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]