imported>Alfasst: /* Controversy surrounding Madhorubhagan ('One Part Woman') */

2021-04-29T11:51:00Z

Controversy surrounding Madhorubhagan ('One Part Woman')

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{{short description|Indian writer (born 1966)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{use indian english|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Perumal Murugan
| image = Perumal Murugan in 2019.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1966}}
| birth_place = India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Author
| period =
| genre =
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks = ''Madhorubagan'' (novel) ''Saathiyum Naanum'' (novel)
| signature = Perumal Murugan Autograph.png
| website = {{url|perumalmurugan.in}}
}}
'''Perumal Murugan''' (born 1966<ref name="boats">{{cite news |url=http://caravanmagazine.in/books/boats-against-current |title=Boats Against The Current: The Kongunadu novels of Perumal Murugan |first=N. Kalyan |last=Raman |date=1 December 2013 |work=Caravan Magazine |accessdate=18 October 2015}}</ref>) is an Indian author, scholar and literary chronicler who writes in [[Tamil language|Tamil]]. He has written ten novels, five collections of short stories and four anthologies of poetry. Five of his novels have been translated into English: ''Seasons of the Palm'', which was shortlisted for the [[Kiriyama Prize]] in 2005, ''Current Show'', ''Poonachi or the Story of a Goat'', ''One Part Woman'' and ''Pookkuzhi'' (Pyre) <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/en/content/perumal-murugan |publisher=Penguin Books of India |title=Perumal Murugan}}</ref> He was a professor of Tamil at the Government Arts College in [[Namakkal]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=http://peoplesdemocracy.in/2015/0104_pd/tamilnadu-writers-condemn-burning-tamil-novel-hindutva-outfits |work=Peoples Democracy |title=Tamilnadu: Writers Condemn Burning of Tamil Novel by Hindutva Outfits |first=S. P. |last=Rajendran |date=10 July 2016 |volume=40 |issue=28}}</ref>

== Life and education ==

=== Early life ===
Perumal Murugan was born in 1966 to a family of farmers who had small land holdings near [[Thiruchengode|Thiruchengodu]], a town in [[Namakkal district]], [[Tamil Nadu]]. His father, a farmer, supplemented the family's income by running a soda shop in a cinema theatre in Thiruchengode.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reviews-essays/boats-against-current|title=Boats Against the Current|date=2013-12-29|work=The Caravan|access-date=2017-05-23|language=en-US}}</ref> Murugan began writing from an early age, and some of his early lyrics for children's songs were featured on programmes broadcast by the All India Radio.<ref name=":1" />

=== Education ===
Murugan initially studied Tamil literature both as an undergraduate, in [[Erode]] and as a postgraduate in [[Coimbatore]]. He went on to obtain an M. Phil. from Madras University in Tamil studies, and followed by a Ph.D.<ref name=":1" /> His doctoral thesis focused on the works of author R. Shanmugasundaram.<ref name=":1" />

=== Scholarly career ===
As a professor of Tamil literature, Murugan has made several contributions to research and academic study of Tamil literature specific to the [[Kongunadu]] region, including building a lexicon of words, idioms and phrases special to Kongunadu.<ref name=":1" /> He has also extensively researched and documented Kongu folklore, especially the ballads on Annamar Sami, a pair of folk deities. In addition, Murugan has worked on publishing authoritative editions of classical Tamil texts.<ref name=":1" /> He has also republished works of literature relating to the Kongu region. One commentator notes that "In sum, his over 35 books provide a veritable cultural map of the Kongu region."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/in-defence-of-the-chronicler-of-kongu/article6778031.ece|title=In defence of the chronicler of Kongu|last=Venkatachalapathy|first=A. R.|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-05-23|language=en}}</ref> Murugan taught as professor of Tamil at the Government Arts College in [[Namakkal]].<ref name=":0" /> but was forced to leave Namakkal following assaults and protests by right-wing Hindu and caste groups,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/perumal-murugan-was-asked-to-exile-himself-by-police/article6792161.ece|title='Perumal Murugan was asked to exile himself by police'|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-05-23|language=en}}</ref> and now heads the department of Tamil literature at a government college in [[Attur]], Tamil Nadu.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/perumal-murugan-interview-criminal-case-tamil-writer-2989518/|title=Tamil writer Perumal Murugan breaks his silence, will return with 200 poems|date=2016-08-22|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2017-05-23|language=en-US}}</ref> In between, he briefly taught at the [[Presidency College, Chennai|Presidency College]] in Chennai.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/south/hounded-tamil-author-perumal-murugan-set-to-join-new-college-posting-away-from-home-740175|title=Hounded Tamil Author Perumal Murugan Set to Join New College Posting Away From Home|work=NDTV.com|access-date=2017-05-23}}</ref>

== Literary career and works ==
Murugan is the author of ten novels, and five collections each of short stories and poems, as well as ten books of non-fiction relating to language and literature, in addition to editing several fiction and non-fiction anthologies.<ref name=":1" /> Several of his novels have been translated into English, including ''Seasons of the Palm'' and ''Current Show''. He has also written a memoir, ''Nizhal Mutrattu Ninaivugal ''(2013).<ref name=":1" />

Murugan began his writing career by publishing several short stories in the Tamil journal ''Manavosai'' between 1988 and 1991. These stories were later collected and published in a book titled ''Thiruchengodu'' (1994).<ref name=":1" /> His first novel, ''Eru Veyyil'' ('Rising Heat') was published in 1991, and dealt with the problems that a family faced when their land was acquired for the construction of a housing colony, engaging with themes of family, greed, and corruption.<ref name=":1" /> His second novel, ''Nizhal Mutram ''(1993), translated into English by V Geetha as ''Current Show ''(Tara Books, 2004), drew from his personal experience of helping his father run a soda stall in a cinema theatre.<ref name=":1" />

Murugan's third novel, described by the translator and critic N. Kalyan Raman as a 'tour de force' was titled ''Koolamadari'' (2000), and was translated by V Geetha as ''Seasons of the Palm ''(Tara Books, 2004).<ref name=":1" /> The book dealt with the life and travails of its protagonist, Koolaiyan, a young goatherd of the Chakkili caste, who was bonded to work in a Gounder caste family to repay his father's debts.<ref name=":1" /> The book dealt with themes of childhood, autonomy, and freedom.

His next novel, ''Kanganam'' (Resolve, 2008) dealt with the consequences of sex-selective abortions and female foeticide that caused a skewed sex ratio in the Kongunadu region. It focuses on the protagonist, Marimuthu, unmarried because of the scarcity of women within his caste and society.<ref name=":1" /> His novel, ''Madhurobhagan'' (2010) translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan as ''One Part Woman'' (Penguin, 2013) dealt with a young childless couple struggling within their marriage, drawing specifically from the community and culture of the Kongunadu region.

''One Part Woman'' is a novel based on a possible ancient cultural practice among people living around Tiruchengode, written by Perumal Murugan. According to historian [[Romila Thapar]], it is the story of a childless couple with a strong desire of having a child, "depicted with admirable sensitivity, anguish and gentleness".<ref name="Thapar 2015">{{cite web | last=Thapar | first=Romila | title=The real reasons for hurt sentiments | website=The Hindu | date=2015-03-13 | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/the-real-reasons-for-hurt-sentiments/article6988107.ece | accessdate=2017-04-20}}</ref> Published by [[Penguin Books]],<ref name="Kolappan 2017">{{cite web | last=Kolappan | first=B | title=One Part Woman bags Sahitya Akademi award | website=The Hindu | date=2017-04-19 | url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/one-part-woman-bags-sahitya-akademi-award/article18147328.ece | accessdate=2017-04-20}}</ref> the novel was originally written in Tamil under the name ''Madhorubagan'' and then later translated in English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan as ''One Part Woman''.<ref name="The Indian Express 2017">{{cite web | title=Akademi award for translation of Perumal book | website=The Indian Express | date=2017-04-19 | url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/akademi-award-for-translation-of-perumal-book/ | accessdate=2017-04-20}}</ref> Aniruddhan Vasudevan was awarded [[Sahitya Akademi Award#Translation Awards|Sahitya Akademi Translation Award]] (2016) for this book.<ref name="The Indian Express 2017"/> The book was also included in the longlist for the 2018 [[National Book Award]] in the "Translated Literature" category.<ref name="NBA">{{cite news |title=The 2018 National Book Awards Longlist: Translated Literature |url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-2018-national-book-awards-longlist-translated-literature |accessdate=12 September 2018 |work=[[The New Yorker]] |date=12 September 2018}}</ref>

His latest novel, ''Poonachi'' (The Story Of A Black Goat, 2017) [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38318462-poonachi] deals with the life of a special female goat in the Kongunadu region, focusing on the tragic life of the goat in the hands of a poor old couple.<ref name=":1" /> Recently, his novel [[Pyre (novel)|''Pookkuzhi ''(''Pyre)'']] has been translated to English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan, as well.

In 2017, an anthology of Perumal Murugan's poems, ''Mayanathil Nitkum Maram (A Tree that Stands in the Crematorium) ''was published, containing his four previous collections of poetry: ''Nigazh Uravu'', ''Gomuki Nadhikarai Koozhaangal, Neer Midakkum Kanngal ''and ''Velli Shani Bhudhan Nyayaru Vzhyayan Chevvai.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/87592/perumal-murugan/|title=Perumal Murugan: The Before and the After|last=Srilata|first=K.|website=thewire.in|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-05-23}}</ref>

In June 2018, Murugan announced that he was working on a new novel, which examined middle class families and their relationship with new technology.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Saqaf|first=Syed Muthahar|date=2018-06-19|title=Perumal Murugan’s new novel is ready|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/perumal-murugans-new-novel-is-ready/article24196264.ece|access-date=2020-07-20|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> This novel, titled ''Kazhimugam'' (Estuary) was translated by Nandini Krishnan to English and published in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-19|title=Books of the week: From Perumal Murugan's Estuary to Mary L Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough, our picks - Art-and-culture News , Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/art-and-culture/books-of-the-week-from-perumal-murugans-estuary-to-mary-l-trumps-too-much-and-never-enough-our-picks-8610471.html|access-date=2020-07-20|website=Firstpost}}</ref>
[[File:Perumal Murugan at KLF 2018.jpg|thumb|At KLF in 2018]]

== Controversy ==
{{Main|One Part Woman}}

Murugan's fifth novel ''[[One Part Woman|Madhorubhagan]]'' (translated as 'One Part Woman') was set in his native town of Thiruchengode, and dealt with a couple, Kali and Ponna, who were the subject of social stigma and humiliation for their inability to have a child. The novel portrays their eventual participation in a chariot festival to honour the god Ardhanareeshwara, during which, for one night every year, the local community in the novel relaxed taboos and allowed free relations between men and women.<ref name="Bhatia">{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/perumal-murugan-book-controversy-and-madras-high-court/article14476037.ece|title=The fault in our speech|last=Bhatia|first=Gautam|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-05-23|language=en}}</ref> The novel was published in 2010 and was well-received, but began to attract controversy in 2014 after local caste-based and religious Hindu groups objected to the fictional portrayal of traditions at the [[Ardhanareeswarar temple, Tiruchengode|Ardhanareeswarar Temple]] in [[Tiruchengode]], where the eponymous presiding deity is part-[[Shiva]] and part-[[Parvati]] in one idol. He had further received grants from the Tata Foundation and [[India Foundation for the Arts]] headed by [[Anmol Vellani]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}} The Tamil title of the book, ''Madhorubagan'', is a translation of the name of the deity (Ardha-naree-eswarar), just as the English title, ''One Part Woman'', is an allusion to the deity's form. The protest by some outfits were continued by the local units even after they lost momentum at the state level.<ref name="hindu">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/perumal-murugan-quits-writing/article6786990.ece|title=Perumal Murugan quits writing|date=14 January 2015|work=The Hindu|accessdate=2016-07-13}}</ref>

Protests were eventually called off after the local police summoned the protesters and Murugan for a 'peace talk' and compelled him to sign an “unconditional apology” and withdraw all copies of the novel.<ref name="Bhatia"/> Murugan in January 2015 announced that he was giving up writing, and said on his Facebook page that "Perumal Murugan the writer is dead. As he is no God, he is not going to resurrect himself. He also has no faith in rebirth. An ordinary teacher, he will live as P. Murugan. Leave him alone."<ref name="hindu" />

A series of litigation and suits concerning ''One Part Woman'' were instituted before the [[Madras High Court]], and on 5 July 2016 the [[Madras High Court]] dismissed the case under citing Article 19(1)(a) of the [[Constitution of India]], ruled that there was no binding force or obligation in the previous state intervention that forced him to apologise and withdraw the books. The court further directed the state to provide appropriate protection when artistic or literary people come under attack, and to form an expert body to help guide the police and local administration to develop sensitivity to the issues involved.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/050716/hc-relief-for-tamil-writer-perumal-murugan-court-pulls-up-state-govt.html |title=HC relief for Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, court pulls up state govt |work=The Deccan Chronicle |date=5 July 2016 |accessdate=2016-07-13}}</ref> Following this judgment, Murugan returned to his literary career with a collection of poetry.

== Bibliography ==
* Eru Veyyil (1991)
* Nizhal Mutram (1993)
* Thiruchengodu (1994)
* Koolamadari (2000)
* Neer Mithakkum Kankal (2007)
* Kanganam (2008)
* Neer Vilaiyattu (2009)
* [[One Part Woman|Madhurobhagan]] (2010)
* Nar Nareeshwar (2010)
* Pathippugal Maruppathippugal (2012)
* Veppennaik Kalayam (2012)
* Nizhal Mutrattu Ninaivugal (2013)
* [[Pyre (novel)|Pūkkul̲i]] (2013)
* Aalandaapatchi (2013)
* Arthanaari (2014)
* Aalavaayan (2014)
* Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat(2017)
* Mayanathil Nitkum Maram (2017)
* Kazhimugam (2018)

== Awards and prizes ==
* In 2005, Perumal Murugan's novel ''Seasons of the Palm'' was shortlisted for the Kiriyama Prize.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sangamhouse.org/perumal-murugan/|title=Perumal MuruganSangam House {{!}} Sangam House|website=www.sangamhouse.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-05-23}}</ref>
* In 2017, the English translation of Murugan's novel ''Madhorubhagan,'' or ''One Part Woman'', by Aniruddhan Vasudevan, won the [[Sahitya Akademi Award|Sahitya Akademi's]] Translation Prize.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{citation |url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/people-are-looking-to-settle-scores-with-me-perumal-murugan/article6778030.ece |title=People are looking to settle scores with me: Perumal Murugan |date=12 January 2015 |publisher=The Hindu}}

{{commons category|Perumal Murugan}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murugan, Perumal}}
[[Category:Tamil-language writers]]
[[Category:Censorship in TamilNadu]]
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Namakkal district]]
[[Category:Novelists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Scholars from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian novelists]]

Perumal Murugan - Revision history

imported>Alfasst: /* Controversy surrounding Madhorubhagan ('One Part Woman') */