Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram

Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram Biography

Thiruvarur Viruttachala Kalyanasundaram, also known as Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram and better known by his Tamil initials Thiru. Vi Ka, was a Tamil scholar, essayist and activist. He sahres space with great literals of Tamil, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, Maraimalai Adigal, and Arumuga Navalar who gave new definition to the style of modern Tamil prose. His essays are noted for strong humanism, philosophy, simple, clear, word flexibility and the analytical depth of his commentaries on classical Tamil literature.  

Thiru Vi. Ka was born in Thullam in Chengalpet district, near Chennai in the year 1883. He attended the Wesley College High School and got opportunity to study Tamil under Maraimalai Adigal and N. Kathiravel Pillai of Jaffna. After studies, he worked for a short period as a teacher and then joined as editorial assistant on Desabaktan, a nationalist Tamil daily in the year 1917. He thus became a part of Indian freedom struggle movement. He became a strong campaigner for worker rights and in 1918 he became a part of trade union movement as an associate of BP Wadia. It was one among the earliest trade unions of south India.

In 1920, Thiru. Vi. Ka. started the a new Tamil weekly magazine, titled Navasakthi through which he shared his thoughts throughout his life. He published one of the first Tamil interpretations of the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. His writings on the religious and spiritual thought of Ramalinga Swamigal also need mention. As a writer he published more than 50 books. A few of his noted works include - Manitha Vazhkkaiyum Gandhiyadigalum, Pennin perumai allatu valkait tunai nalam and Murugan alladhu azaku. He died on September 19, 1953 at the age of 71.

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Updated: January 21, 2014