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Manonmaniyam P. Sundaram Pillai
File:Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai.tif
Born
Manmoniyam Perumal Sundaram

(1855-04-04)4 April 1855
Died26 April 1897(1897-04-26) (aged 42)
Occupation

Manonmaniyam P. Sundaranar (4 April 1855 – 26 April 1897) was an Indian writer and scholar, noted for the famous Tamil drama Manonmaniyam.[1] as well as the state song of Tamil Nadu Tamil Thai Valthu.

Career[edit | edit source]

Sundaram showed his respect for Harvey, a Scottish Professor of Philosophy and English at The Maharaja's College, by dedicating his drama Manonmaniyam to him, and naming his farmhouse after him.[2] Together they wrote the book, Some Early Sovereigns of Travancore.

The MDT Hindu College, Tirunelveli, of which he was the first Principal, describes his works as follows:[3]

In 1885, he published Chathira Saugiragam, commonly known as Nootrogai Villakkam. He wrote and published his masterpiece Manonmaniam in 1891. In the same year, he became a member Fellow of Madras University (FMU). In 1897, Some Early Sovereigns of Travancore was published and he became a Member of Royal Asiatic Society (MRAS).[citation needed]

Death[edit | edit source]

He died of diabetes on 26 April 1897, at age 42. His son P. S. Nataraja Pillai served as Minister of Finance for Travancore-Cochin state from 1954–56 and was also a member of Constituent Assembly of India. He was elected to state legislative assembly of Kerala and to the Indian Parliament as a Lok Sabha member. He was politically associated with the Indian National Congress and Praja Socialist Party of India.[4]

Legacy[edit | edit source]

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University was named after him.

The 1942 cinema adaptation of Manonmani is considered a classic film.[1]

Works[edit | edit source]

  • Nūṟṟokai viḷakkam (நூற்றொகை விளக்கம்) (Tamil,1888)
  • Maṉōṉmaṇīyam (மனோன்மணீயம்) (Drama, 1891)
  • Some early sovereigns of Travancore (திருவிதாங்கூர் பண்டை மன்னர் கால ஆராய்ச்சி. P.S. Natarajan. 1894.
  • Some Milestones in the History of Tamil Literature: Found in an Enquiry Into the Age of Tiru Gnana Sambandha. Addison & Company. 1895.
  • Tamiḻttāy vāḻttu (தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்து)

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Randor Guy (19 December 2010). "Manonmani 1942". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  2. "University of Glasgow :: International Story :: Robert Harvey". Internationalstory.gla.ac.uk. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  3. "Madurai Diraviyam Thayumanavar Hindu College, Tirunelveli". Mdthinducollegetirunelveli.org. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  4. "Members Bioprofile". Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.

External links[edit | edit source]