Τ. Μ. Ο. RΑGUΝΑΤΗΑΝ
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Tho. Mu. Chidambara Ragunathan, is a short story writer, novelist, poet, dramatist, biographer, literary critic, researcher, translator, journalist and editor, all rolled into one. Dr. Kailasapathy, a renowned Marxist scholar described him as a doyen in many respects in the realm of modern Tamil literature. Ragunathan is indeed a trailblazer of progressive literature in Tamil, the harbinger of the Progressive literature in Tamil, the harbinger of progressive writers Movement of Tamilnadu, the herald of Marxist literary criticism in Tamil and a pioneer of comparative literature in Tamilnadu.
Born at Tirunelveli on 20th October 1923, Ragunathan in his emergence as a writer owes much to his ancestral legacy and the literary environment prevailing in his hometown in his boyhood days. His great grandfather was a disciple of the saint-poet of 18th centruy Murugadass Swamigal, the author of Pulavar Puranam. His grandfather too was a poet who has written Nellai Pallu, the folk form of drama in poetry. His father an artist and photographer by profession has also produced some prose and poetical works. His only brother late T. M. Bhaskara Thondaiman, has written many books on south Indian sculpture and Tamil literature. His English professor and mentorin literary studies was A. Srinivasa Raghavan, a Sahitya Akademi award winner. Ragunathan had the opportunity of having a good library and of getting new books and journals at home itself. Thus Kamban and Shelley, Bharathi and Puthumaippithan became Ragunathan’s favourite wirters. Ragunathans’ first short story appeared in Prasanda Vikatan in 1941, while he was a teenager.
