Rajagopal Muthukumaraswamy (2 December 1936 –15 August 2017) was an Indian publisher, librarian, translator and a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

scholar. He is also the Managing Director of South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Publishing Society Ltd., (also known as ''Kazhagam'').

Biography

Muthukumaraswamy has been known to Tamil research scholars for more than 6 decades. As a writer he has contributed in translating famous English classics such as ''Kadathapatta David'' (''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

''), ''Wakefield Pathariyar'' (''

The Vicar of Wakefield ''The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale, Supposed to Be Written by Himself'' is a 1766 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774). It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766. It was one of the most popular and widely read 18 ...

''), ''Karumani Malar'' ('' Black Tulip''), ''Thayathu'' (''Talisman'') by

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

, ''Sirumi Eithi'' (''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published between 1880 and 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' () and ''Heidi: How She Used What She Learned'' ( ...

'') by

Johanna Spyri Spyri (; ; 12 June 1827 – 7 July 1901) was a Swiss author of novels, notably children's stories. She wrote the popular book ''Heidi''. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Zürich, as a child she spent several summers near Chur i ...

, Indira Priyadharshani & 1008 Commemoration Bibliography. He has also compiled a bibliography of

books jointly with Dr.

S. R. Ranganathan Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan ( 09 August 1892 – 27 September 1972) was an Indian librarian and mathematician. His most notable contributions to the field were his five laws of library science and the development of the first major faceted c ...

, the father of the Library Movement of India. Born in Chennai, Muthukumaraswamy had his education in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

. After graduation in 1957 he trained in

Library Science Library and information science (LIS)Library and Information Sciences is the name used in the Dewey Decimal Classification for class 20 from the 18th edition (1971) to the 22nd edition (2003). are two interconnected disciplines that deal with info ...

. Education: B.A. (Hons) (Tamil Literature) (1957)

Pachaiyappa's College Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, it is the first sole Indian college in Madras Presidency. History Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai is the resul ...

, M.A. (1958), D.L.S. (1959), B.Lib.Sc. (1961). In 1980, he joined as the General Manager of South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Publishing Society Ltd. and was promoted to Managing Director in 1983. Apart from publishing old manuscripts and rare books, the Kazhagam is running a library called Maraimalai Adigal Library which was started in remembrance of

Maraimalai Adigal Maraimalai Adigal (15 July 1876 – 15 September 1950) was a Tamil Saivite writer, orator and father of the Tanittamil Iyakkam movement. He authored more than 100 books, including works on original poems and dramas and notable research works o ...

and he started his career as a Librarian from this library. The library is considered important to Tamil Research Scholars. As a librarian he has helped more than 500 scholars to prepare their

Thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

for Ph.D., M.Litt., & M.Phil., degree. He showed keen interest in collecting papers related to Tamil and Tamils history & culture. Likewise, few of the collections was utilized to publish a book in 1946 called Madras Presidency Tamil Sangam this is recorded by the author in the book called 'Antinomies of modernity essay' & his work is also recorded in another book called The Province of the Book as, 'The publishing house Saiva Siddhanta Kazhagam, which has a central place in Tamil publishing history. V. Subbiah Pillai and his heir apparent R. Muthukumaraswamy had built this library over the years as the place for Tamil imprints'. Also, he is the editor of the Tamil literary Magazine called ''SenTamizh Selvi''.

Posts held

*1960-1970: Secretary - Madras Library Association, Madras. *1963 : Member - Indian Standards Institution, Library Committee, Madras Chapter. *1967 : Secretary - IInd International Tamil Conference - Exhibition Committee. *1981 : Secretary & Treasurer Vth International Tamil Conference, Madurai. (Paper Studies & Seminar Area -

Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city, in southern Tamil Nadu, India, that was established in 1966. MKU is one of the 15 universities in India with the University with Potential for Excellence sta ...

*2003-2005: President BAPASI -

Chennai Book Fair Chennai Book Fair (earlier Madras Book Fair) is an annual book fair organized in Chennai, India by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI). The fair typically lasts for about two weeks during the New Year- Pongal se ...

Awards

*Dr. S. R. Ranganathan Award for Library Service. *Federation of Indian Publishers Award for leading Tamil Publishing service. *Sentamizh Selvar virudhu by the

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muthukumaraswamy, Rajagopal 1936 births Scholars from Chennai 20th-century Indian translators 2017 deaths