Manonmaniyam P. Sundaranar (4 April 1855 – 26 April 1897) was an Indian scholar, noted for the famous

Tamil drama Koothu or Therukoothu (jwalith) ( ta, கூத்து), is an ancient art, where artists play songs with dance and music in storytelling the epics, performed in Tamil; it is a folk art originated from the early Tamil country. More precisely ...

'' Manonmaniyam''. as well as the state song of Tamil Nadu Tamil Thai Valthu.

Career

Sundaram showed his respect for Harvey, a Scottish Professor of Philosophy and English at The ''Maharaja's College'', by dedicating his drama ''Manonmaniyam'' to him, and naming his farmhouse after him. Together they wrote the book, ''Some Early Sovereigns of Travancore''. The MDT Hindu College, Tirunelveli, of which he was the first Principal, describes his works as follows: He established Saiva Prakasha Sabha at Trivandram in 1885. He taught

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

about the Saiva Sidhantham. In 1885, he published ''Chathira Saugiragam'', commonly known as ''Nootrogai Villakkam''. He wrote and published his masterpiece ''Manonmaniam'' in 1891. In the same year, he became a member Fellow of

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

(FMU). In 1897, ''Some Early Sovereigns of Travancore'' was published and he became a Member of

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

(MRAS).

Death

He died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

on 26 April 1897, at age 42. His son

P. S. Nataraja Pillai P. S. Nataraja Pillai (March 1891 1966) was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and Member of Parliament during the 3rd Lok Sabha elections held in 1962. He served as the Adviser to the Travancore government at Delhi in 1948 and finance mini ...

served as Minister of Finance for Travancore-Cochin state from 1954–56 and was also a member of

Constituent Assembly of India The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...

. He was elected to state legislative assembly of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and to the

Indian Parliament The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...

as a

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

member. He was politically associated with the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

and

Praja Socialist Party The Praja Socialist Party, abbreviated as PSP, was an Indian political party. It was founded when the Socialist Party, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, Rambriksh Benipuri, Acharya Narendra Deva and Basawon Singh (Sinha), merged with the Kisan Mazdoo ...

of India.

Legacy

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Manonmaniam Sundaranar University is a university in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was hived off the Madurai Kamaraj University on 7 September 1990. The motto of the university is "In Pursuit of Excellence". It is named after the Tamil s ...

was named after him. The 1942 cinema adaptation ''

Manonmani ''Manonmani'' ( ta, மனோன்மணி) is a 1942 Indian Tamil-language film directed by T. R. Sundaram. It starred P. U. Chinnappa, T. R. Rajakumari, Serukalathur Sama, T. S. Balaiah, T. R. Mahalingam, K. K. Perumal, A. Sakunthala, N ...

'', is considered a classic film.

Works

*''Nūṟṟokai viḷakkam'' (''நூற்றொகை விளக்கம்'') (

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, nativ ...

,1888) *''Maṉōṉmaṇīyam'' (''மனோன்மணீயம்'') (

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

, 1891) * * *''Tamiḻttāy vāḻttu (தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்து)''

References

External links

*Dr. Kanam Sankara Pillai
Prof. Manonmaneeyam Sundaram Pillai MA (1855-1897)
(

Project Madurai Project Madurai (மதுரை தமிழ் இலக்கிய மின்தொகுப்புத் திட்டம்) is an open and voluntary initiative to publish free versions of ancient Tamil literature on the Internet. Te ...