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Sa. Kandasamy

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Sa. Kandasamy

Sa. Kandasamy (23 July 1940[1] – 31 July 2020)[2] was a novelist and documentary film-maker from Mayiladuthurai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in Tamil for his novel, Vicharanai Commission in 1998.[2]

Life

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Kandasamy was born on 23 July 1940 in Mayiladuthurai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.[3] After studying at the Singaram Pillai School, he worked at the Chennai Port Trust and the Food Corporation of India.[4][5]

Kandasamy later moved to Chennai, and joined a writers' group that included writer S. Ramakrishnan and artist R.B. Baskaran. They briefly published a literary magazine, Ka Sa Da Tha Pa Ra.[4]

He died at the age of 80, after experiencing a heart attack.[6]

Literary career

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Kandasamy's first novel was Saayavanam Puthinam, published in 1968. It was well-received and was later included by the National Book Trust as one of Indian literature's modern masterpieces.[3] Saayavanam is one of the earliest examples of literature focusing on ecological concerns in India, and focuses on forest clearances and industrial development in Tamil Nadu.[4] Kandasamy based on the novel on his own experiences in rural Tamil Nadu, and named the novel after a village that he had lived in with his family, as a child.[4]

His novel, Vicharanai Commission, which dealt with custodial violence and the police, won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil in 1998.[5]

He has published seven novels and several collection of short stories, in Tamil. One of Kandasamy's novels, Tholaindhu ponavargal was adapted for television.[2]

In addition to fiction, Kandasamy wrote several pieces of criticism, focusing on visual arts and writing in Tamil Nadu, as well as introducing a series of Tamil biographies published by the Sahitya Akademi.[4]

Film Making

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Kandasamy's documentary film, Kaval Deivangal, documented history and techniques relating to traditional terracotta art in South India.[4] It won the first prize at the Angino Film Festival, in Cyprus, in 1989.[7] In addition, Kandasamy also directed several other documentaries, primarily on popular Tamil writers and artists, including the sculptor S. Dhanapal, and writers Jayakanthan and Ashokamitran.[5]

Publications

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Novels

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  • Saayavanam Puthinam
  • Suriya Vamsam
  • Visaranai Commission
  • Avan Aanathu
  • Tholaindhu Ponavargal (Those Who Are Lost)
  • Perum Mazhai Natkal
  • Neelavan

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ Dutt, Kartik Chandra (1999). Who's who of Indian Writers, 1999: A-M. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 9788126008735.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sa Kandasamy, Tamil writer and documentary filmmaker, dies". Times of India. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b TNM Staff (31 July 2020). "Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi winner Sa Kandasamy passes away at 80". The News Minute. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Panneerselvan, A. S. (August 2020). "Sa. Kandasamy: Profound yet simple". Frontline. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Kolappan, B. (31 July 2020). "Writer 'Chayavanam' Kandasamy is no more". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Sahitya Akademi winner Sa Kandasamy no more". The New Indian Express. August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  7. ^ M. T. Saju (1 August 2020). "Sa Kandasamy: Tamil writer who spoke for the marginalised". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
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