Parithimar Kalaignar (born V. G. Suryanarayana Sastri at Vilacheri near
Thirupparankundram
Thiruparankundram, also spelled Tirupparankundram or Tiruparangundram, is a town in Madurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is about from Madurai city and constitutes the southwest part of the greater Madurai city (Municipal Corporation). The ...
on 6 July 1870
– 2 November 1903), a
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
at the
Madras Christian College
Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institu ...
, was the first person to campaign for the recognition of Tamil as a
classical language
A classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large and ancient body of written literature. Classical languages are typically dead languages, or show a high degree of diglossia, as the spoken varieties of the ...
.
Life
Suryanarayana Sastri was born at Vilacheri near
Thirupparankundram
Thiruparankundram, also spelled Tirupparankundram or Tiruparangundram, is a town in Madurai district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is about from Madurai city and constitutes the southwest part of the greater Madurai city (Municipal Corporation). The ...
in a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
family.
He graduated in philosophy and was soon employed as a
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of Tamil in the Madras Christian College. In 1895, Suryanarayana Sastri rose to become the Head of Department for Tamil at the Madras Christian College.
Campaign for recognition of Tamil as classical language
Suryanarayana Sastri had immense love for Tamil and wrote plenty of books.
He even changed his Sanskrit name to its Tamil translation (although "Parithi"
பரிதி and "Kalai"
கலை are from Sanskrit परिधि and कला, respectively).
When the
Madras University
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
proposed to exclude Tamil from its syllabus, Parithimar Kalaignar vehemently protested against the proposal forcing the authorities to drop the move.
In 1902, he proposed that Tamil be designated as a "classical language" thereby becoming the first person to make such a petition.
Parithimar Kalignar is also known as Dravida Sastri.
Parithimar Kalaignar was also the first to use the Tamil name ''Kumarinadu'' for the mythical lost-land of
Lemuria
Lemuria (), or Limuria, was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorized to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the di ...
.
Death
Paritihimar Kalaignar died in 1903 due to
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
at the age of 33.
Legacy
![Parithimar Kalaignar 2007 stamp of India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Parithimar_Kalaignar_2007_stamp_of_India.jpg)
Parithimar Kalaignar is regarded as an inspiration for Tamil enthusiasts as
Maraimalai Adigal
Maraimalai Adigal (15 July 1876 – 15 September 1950) was a Tamil orator and writer and father of Pure Tamil movement. He was a fervent Tamizh Saivite. He wrote more than 100 books, including works on original poems and dramas, but most famous ...
and the
Tanittamil Iyakkam
( ta, தனித்தமிழ் இயக்கம், , Independent Tamil Movement) is a linguistic-purity movement in Tamil literature which attempts to avoid loanwords from Sanskrit, English and other languages. The movement began in ...
.
In 2006, the Government of Tamil Nadu declared Parithimar Kalaignar's house in his native village of Vilacheri as a memorial and sanctioned a sum of rupees 15 lakh towards nationalizing his books.
On 17 August 2007, postage stamps were issued in memory of Saint Vallalar, Parithimar Kalaignar and Maraimalai Adigal.
On 13 December 2006, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister,
M. Karunanidhi extended an amount of Rs. 15 lakh to the Tamil scholar's descendants.
See also
*
Tanittamil Iyakkam
( ta, தனித்தமிழ் இயக்கம், , Independent Tamil Movement) is a linguistic-purity movement in Tamil literature which attempts to avoid loanwords from Sanskrit, English and other languages. The movement began in ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalaignar, Parithimar
1870 births
1903 deaths
Tamil-language writers
Tamil language activists
Tamil writers
People from Madurai district