Murugan’s Tamil poems translated into English
In 2015, Tamil author Perumal Murugan decided to give up writing, shaken by the threats issued against his name. A recent public event in Delhi marked his return to the literary sphere, writes Srija Naskar.
present state of mind and is a cause for happiness.”
The author added: “I am also mulling over the reissue of my earlier writings. I will soon begin the weary task of reviewing my books. If required I shall revisit the text. I’m not sure if this is right. However, when so many things that are not quite right are happening all over, why not this? What am I to do? A censor is seated inside me now. He is testing every word that is born within me. His constant caution that a word may be misunderstood so, or it may be interpreted thus, is a real bother. But I’m unable to shake him off. If this is wrong let the Indian intellectual world forgive me. The learned judges have said that, ‘I should not live under fear.’ But my old teacher, the great Thiruvalluvar has said, ‘Folly meets fearful ills with fearless heart/ To fear where cause of fear exists is wisdom’s part.”
That conflict was deepseated in the writer’s pscyche since 2014 was evident from Murugan’s statement addressed in the national capital’s high literary circle. But Murugan, who couldn’t write a word in the last 19 months, also expressed, during a conversation with critic Nilanjana Roy at the Delhi event, a sense of conviction in refusing to be bogged down from writing about love and caste, a recurring theme in his novels and short stories. “I don’t think that a writer cannot write about caste…My belief is that no writer can write a single word in defence of caste,” said Murugan.
On being questioned by Roy about whether he would go back to writing prose, Murugan said, “Most of my writing is in the realist mode. I doubt I can continue to do that. Only time will tell me what I will write. My writing will do little to change this world. Let me write what I can.”