Thuppariyum Sambu is a detective short-story series in
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, nati ...
, written by Indian writer
Devan in the early 20th century. The novel's protagonist is Sambu, a not-very-intelligent bank clerk in middle age, who solves difficult crime puzzles out of serendipity but is quick to explain as well as take credit. Sambu's character is sometimes considered to be a comical version of
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
.
The stories are known for their distinctive humor set around contemporary society and eloquently portray the conditions of the modern city of
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s period. Some of the episodes carry subtle references to World War II as well.
Etymology
The prefix ''Thuppariyum'' comes from the Tamil ''thuppu'' = clue and ''ari'' = know (''yum'' denotes present participle).
Sambu and other characters
Sambu is described by
Devan as having a bald fringe, a prominent nose and a weak chin. Along with a generally bewildered stare his appearance invariably invites people to term him ''asadu'' (stupid), an assessment not far from the mark. This becomes an asset for Sambu as criminals often underestimate him. Even though Sambu displays a certain reasoning and cunning, it is Lady Luck who leads him to literally stumble on the truth. A typical Sambu story has him clutch a newly built window railing as he trips over some obstacle, and some stolen diamonds hidden in the cement by a mason come to light. The drama is maintained by Sambu triumphing over people who have previously laughed or ridiculed him, with Sambu often being the last to understand that he has actually solved the crime.
Sambu's stalwart companion in the police force is Inspector Gopalan, who usually brings a case to the detective's attention. Sambu and Gopalan usually have great regard for each other save for occasional irritants in their relations caused by Sambu's thin skin. Sambu eventually marries Vembu, who is clearly smarter than her husband and spares no criticism of her husband's vacuousness. The two eventually have a son called Sundhu who also helps in his father's work in solving crimes.
Sambu's detective career is launched when the Director of the bank where he works fires him for letting a corrupt bank manager escape. Sambu gets sweet revenge when the same Director eventually summons him to recover a lost pearl necklace. In another story Sambu traps the same corrupt manager who used to take great pleasure in referring to him at work as "that idiot". Sambu's best moments are when he walks into his old office on the case of the pearl necklace and haughtily ignores his former colleagues who once showed him scant respect.
Adaptations
In the late 1980s ''Thuppariyum Sambu'' was made into a popular TV serial with
Kathadi Ramamurthy as Sambu and
Delhi Ganesh
Delhi Ganesh is an Indian actor who mostly acts in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1976 to present. Before films, he was a member of the Delhi-based theatre troupe, ''Dakshina Bharata Natak ...
as the Inspector.
In one of the last episodes Sambu visits London and meets with Scotland Yard sleuths and solves a crime for them, too, and on his return from the UK, he is heartily welcomed. His wife also delivers their daughter.
In early 1990s, ''Thuupariyum Sambu'' was made into a TV serial with
Y. G. Mahendra
Y G Mahendran (born 9 January 1950) is an Indian Actor, dramatist, actor, singer, playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G. Parthasarathy, one of the pioneers of mo ...
as Sambu and
A. R. Srinivasan
Alangadu Ramamurthi Srinivasan (born 8 April 1933), popularly known as A. R. Srinivasan and A. R. S., is an Indian stage, television and film actor. He was introduced to theatre by veteran dramatist YG Parthasarathy.
With a career spanning ove ...
as the inspector Gopalan.
The concept was also adapted into comics form created by
Gopulu in
Ananda Vikatan.
Shikari Shambu
Shikari Shambu (''Hunter Shambu'') is an Indian comics character created by Vasant Halbe and Luis Fernandes for the ''Tinkle'' magazine in 1983. Shikari Shambu is one of the characters of Tinkle.
Shambu is a cowardly and lazy shikari (hunter) ...
, a forest ranger character created by
India Book House
India Book House Pvt. Limited (IBH) is an importer, distributor and publisher of books and magazines in India.
Formed in 1952, India Book House published paperback editions of children's authors such as Enid Blyton and Frederick Forsyth, as well ...
for their
Tinkle
''Tinkle'' is an Indian fortnightly magazine for children in English, published from Mumbai. Originally owned by the India Book House, the Tinkle brand was acquired by ACK (Amar Chitra Katha) Media in 2007. The magazine contains comics, sto ...
series, is loosely based on ''Thuppariyum Shambu''. Besides the name, Shikari Shambu borrows the concept where lady luck plays a key role in helping Shikari in many an adventure.
References
External links
Sambuat Thrilling Detective.
*.
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
.
15 episodes of Teleseries Thupparium Sambu Indian Imprints.
{{Sherlock Holmes by others
Tamil novels
Novels set in Tamil Nadu
Novels set in India
Indian detective novels
Fictional Indian people
Sherlock Holmes pastiches
Indian novels adapted into television shows
Novels adapted into comics
Indian comedy novels
Novels set in the 1920s
Novels set in the 1930s
Novels set in the 1940s
Novels set during World War II
Indian short story collections