Akilan’s centenary should be celebrated in at least a hundred places!
Sahitya Academy and Tamil Department of Loyola College, Chennai organized a special event on November 4th and 5th despite the rains to mark the centenary of author Akhilan.
The seminar was conducted on various topics on Akhilan’s novels, short stories, essays and his multifaceted works.
I participated in the session ‘Akilan’s Novels on Screen’ and gave a short speech before reading the paper. It is as follows:
“A writer is one who sows dreams in the minds of readers. And the ideas shared by a writer read by a large number of people are sown deep in the social mind and bear great fruit.”
Speaking here yesterday, writer Thilakavathy said that Akhilan’s female characters, which she studied during her student days, played a major role in her development.
Similarly, Advocate Radhakrishnan mentioned that when he met former Chief Minister Karunanidhi during his arrest, he asked him to buy Akhilan’s novel ‘Ponmalar’. Later, when he visited the artist in the hospital, he said that he found the book on his head.
From a Chief Minister to a student studying in Chittoor, village are fascinated by Akhilan’s writings.
Writer Akhilan has contributed to Tamil literature with about 20 novels, 200 short stories, numerous essays, children’s stories, plays, biographies and screenplays.
Akhilan wrote his stories in the Gandhian way, using ordinary people as characters, presenting realistic stories and the great ambition of mankind. Simple language is his language. His stories have no major problem in the way of storytelling.
When his stories were published in major magazines like Ananda Vikatan, Kalaimalam, Kalki etc., thousands of readers read them and were inspired to change their lives through them.
The heroes and heroines of his stories have enjoyed naming their children. Why there are people who named their children after him. He is the one who created such constructive effects in the society.
The face of a period can also be said to be the stories of Aklan.
Akhilan wrote the political economic social changes of 50 years before and after independence in his stories. He wrote about themes such as women’s rights, economic equality, the search for the truth by uncovering falsehoods in Gandhian ethics.
He was the first recipient of the Jnan Peetha Award in Tamil. He is also a recipient of awards from Sahitya Akademi, Tamil Nadu Government Tamil Development Department, and various literary organizations.
I hope we all agree that a society that celebrates poets and writers can progress into a thriving society.
So I request through this seminar to celebrate the centenary of writer Akhilan at least in 100 places.
Sahitya Academy has been started.
Not only universities, colleges, schools… I want literary organizations in every town to hold meetings and discuss Akhilan’s works.
I think it will help to instill good morals and confidence in young minds.”