M. Gopala Krishna Iyer

M. Gopala Krishna Iyer Biography

M. Gopala Krishna Iyer, also called Ma.Ko was a prominent writer of Tamil in the first quarter of 20^th century. Best known as a playwright, he was a poet, translator, essayist, dramatist, editor and a patriot, associated with freedom struggle movement through his literary works. He was the disciple of famous Tamil scholar, Cholavandan Arasan Shanmuganar. He has also served as a faculty in different colleges of Tamil Nadu. He was a close friend of Bharathiyar. A versatile writer and eloquent speaker, he was a scholar and translator par excellence. His works have been widely appreciated, and often facilitated by great personalities. He lived during the period 1878–1927, and died at the age of 49 leaving behind legacy.

Gopala Krishna Iyer was born in 1878 in the village of Lalgudi, Trichinopalli district. His father, Mahadeva Iyer, worked as shirastedar at Madurai sub-court. His mother Pravartha Srimathi used to teach Gopala and his siblings through moral stories and stories related to Hindu epics. He had three brothers and two sisters. After completing FA, he learnt Tamil under the celebrated Tamil scholar, Cholavandan Arasan Shanmukanar. Since the age of 18, he started publishing his works in different journals and magazines.

In 1897, he got opportunity to receive Swami Vivekananda when he returned to India from US. He was a great devotee of Vivekananda. He remained a close friend of Bharathiyar, who guided him in different occasions too. When Rabindranath Tagore visited Madurai, he presented a poem at a scholars’ meet in Madhurai. Known for his poetry and translation works, he scanned 400 years of English poetry, selected some poems and translated them to Tamil.

Published: September 04, 2018

Updated: September 04, 2018