His Services to Tamil

It is good to owe good things to good people. I owe my introduction to K. Ramakotiswara Rau to K. Chandrasekharan, scholar and savant. That introduction ripened into close association, friendship, and collaboration: and was rewarding to me in many ways.

I would surprise many–or perhaps not–to know that such a staunchly loyal Andhra as Ramakotiswara Rau was, should yet be very sympathetic to the Renaissance spirit as reflected in many sub-national units of India. Translations into English of poems from all Indian languages were a feature of Triveni–the triple stream of Love, Wisdom and Power.

In the very first number of Triveni published in January 1928, there was a translation of a Tamil poem ascribed to Oppilaamani-Pulavar, though it is really an abridged form of a poem by Perumtalai Saattanar included in Pura-Naanooru, one of the Sangham anthologies. The translator was T. G. Aravamuthan, advocate, archaeologist, historian, numismatist, and scholar, who passed away recently. It was followed in later issues by translations by other Tamil scholars.

It was this particular feature which interested me most. At that time, I had not met Ramakotiswara Rau, though I had heard of him, and had seen a few numbers of Triveni, which then appeared once every two months. I had been impressed by the splendid Sangham poems, which had intensity, brevity, rhythm, tenderness, and restraint, and wanted a wider world to appreciate them.

I had been reading some of the other translations from Tamil published now and then in Triveni. I felt that Ramakotiswara Rau was doing a service to Tamil by making these excellent poems known to a larger public. I too wished to translate some which appealed to me, but I could not muster the necessary courage, or daring. A few years later when Ramakotiswara Rau had become my friend, I showed him some attempts of mine. He suggested that I publish a few of them in Triveni. I told him about my faint heartedness in view of the fact that I was not a poet in my own right. His infective enthusiasm and the respect I had for his judgment, combined to make me venture into the field. The first translation of mine to appear in Triveni was of a poem by Avvai entitled “Am I to sing of you?” It appeared in April 1937. I do not know which one of the many Avvais (Avvai merely means “grand-mother”, and seems to be a nickname rather than a given name) composed that poem. Though there is some internal evidence that it was the Avvai of the Sangham classics, its value seems doubtful. Mahavidvan R. Raghava Aiyangar who saw the translation in manuscript form, and liked it for its simplicity, and blessed it, said that he felt that the author was not the Sangham classics Avvai.

We soon coaxed Professor K. Swaminathan to translate two lovely gems from Jayamkondar's “Kalingathu-p-parani”, entitled “Open wide your door”, and another bigger from “Narrinai” entitled “Green parrot with red bill”. In the meantime, I was being drawn more and more into the stream, into which some others had been drawn already–Sri K. Ramaratnam, V. Narayanan and P. Sri Acharya, to name a few. The encouragement my friend gave me made me forget my fears; and so also did the need to keep myself afloat. I plunged.

The climax came a few years later, when he decided to publish a long translation of mine. The original was a poem of 261 lines included in the Sangham anthology, “Pattu-p-pattu” (Ten Idylls). The poem was by Kapila, and is known as Kurunchi-p-pattu. I had translated it as free verse, and into lines of more or less equal length. It contains many more lines than the original, and had inversions and the like, for the sake of emphasis or rhythm. He said that it was too long to be printed as written, since it would take much valuable “Triveni” space and paper and so he would prefer to run it on as prose. His words were, “I am going to sacrifice you for Triveni'sgood. The idea of the poem is a novel one. I am shortly going to jail, and so you must agree. However, you will not be a laughing stock.” I had to agree, and did so somewhat reluctantly. It was published under the title “Love in the valley”, and covered eight pages of Triveni (Vol. XIV, No.3). My opening words were “O mother dear! Long live thou mother dear. I pray thee hearken unto me.” I would not use thee and thou today, but I did then for the sake of producing an archaic effect as I thought, and was greatly afraid.

Sometime thereafter, I received a letter from the Rt. Hon. V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, which I reproduce below.
“Swagatam” Mylapore
Feb. 1, 1943      

My dear Appuswami,

It is long since I read Oenone. After reading your idyll, I shan’t be in a hurry to go to it. The haunting effect is felt deep down.

The story is new to me. It is a pastoral into which the divine element intrudes, but with a marvellous mellow effect. I am in your debt for an hour of exquisite enjoyment.

Let me say too that I envy you your taste of the original. To be unable to enjoy it is to be kept out of it great heritage.
Yours ever affly,
V. S. Srinivasan

I could not believe my eyes. I could not be grateful enough to Sri Ramakotiswara Rau for two reasons, one was subjective and the other objective. I knew that Srinivasa Sastri’s letter was an expression of the affection he had for me. Yet I was proud and happy. I knew also that it was partly Ramakotiswara Rau’s affection for me which made him publish the translation in Triveni. Objectively I was glad that its publication made a great scholar see and admire the beauty of an ancient Tamil classic, and feel a pang that he was not able to enjoy the original. Ramakotiswara Rau served Tamil well by his publication through the years of translations from that language, and by making others see its beauties which otherwise might have lain hidden in unfathomed caves.

One other aspect of our association I must touch upon. Triveni owed everything to Ramakotiswara Rau, but it often ran out of funds. In order to stabilise the regular issue of Triveni I was appointed as Trustee by a small group of lovers and well-wishers of Triveni in which Sir Alladi Krishnaswami Aiyer and V. Govindarajachari were members. I was entrusted with some funds, from which I met all the necessary expenses through cheques drawn by me on that fund. As Ramakotiswara Rau was living about a furlong or so from my house at Mylapore, this arrangement gave me much opportunity for enjoying his company, knowing him intimately, and sharing his hopes and fears.

He was a rare combination of patriot, scholar, journalist and a loving and lovable friend. He drew out the best in his friends by offering them the best in himself. He was an incurable optimist in all matters notwithstanding the sets he had. Such men make the nation richer and nobler.

May his spirit enthuse others to do dedicated so that the nation may be welded together!

NAWAB HASSAN ALI MIRZA
Nawab of Masulipatam

HYDERABAD

Andhra Pradesh

Sri K. Ramakotiswara Rau was one of the true patriots of our land and a nationalist and humanist in the real sense. He led a simple life with a noble mind. He was confident of the success in what all he attempted. He never compromised with principles.

As a journalist he was devoted to the high ideals of the profession. His death is an irreparable loss to the country, especially to the people of Andhra Pradesh.

May God give rest and peace to the departed soul!