The visually-challenged Marxian Tamil literary critic Kovai Gnani, who questioned God's 'immortality' in his book Kadavul Ean Innum Saakavillai? ( Why has God not yet died?), passed away a couple of days ago. But the day of his demise was one of the days when his 'immortal' God took new avatars to the extent of a godman warning that the tongues of the atheists would be cut if they repeated to denigrate the Almighties in the religion.
The visually-challenged Marxian Tamil literary critic Kovai Gnani, who questioned God's 'immortality' in his book Kadavul Ean Innum Saakavillai? ( Why has God not yet died?), passed away a couple of days ago. But the day of his demise was one of the days when his 'immortal' God took new avatars to the extent of a godman warning that the tongues of the atheists would be cut if they repeated to denigrate the Almighties in the religion. According to Gnani, 'god', which is rather a concept than a being, has grown further strong and become more powerful after the Karuppar Koottam, who allegedly made derogatory comments against Lord Muruga in a YouTube video. Gnani, who researched the reasons behind the existence of the concept called 'god' in his book Kadavul Ean Innum Saakavillai? published in 1996, must, even in his last days, have observed how the concept of 'god' has snowballed into the present-day political scenario.
An author of many books including Marxiamum Thamizh Ilakkiyamum, Thamizhagathil Panpaattu Nerukadikal, and Marxia azhagiyal, Gnani has edited the magazines Parimanam, Velvi, Nigazh, and Thamizh Neyam as a literary critic for over the last five decades. Being one of the veteran Vanambadi poets of Coimbatore in the early 1970s, Gnani had experimented with his skills in poetry and later authored a few books of poems Kalligai, Tholaivilirunthu, and Kallum Mullum Kavithaikalum. But he gave up writing poetry and felt in him that literary criticism was his cup of tea. From then on, he was an unbroken chain as a literary critic until the last hour of his lifespan. A well-read scholar in Marxism, Gnani wielded his pen to interpret from classics to modern in Tamil literature by viewing them from a Marxian perspective. With Marxism being the only pathway for people to attain equality against the clutches of capitalism and discriminations based on class, race, religion, caste, and gender, Gnani looked for the reasons behind every such social evil through his wide readings and detailed writings.
An atheist, Gnani never believed in the existence of God, but believed in the concept called 'God', which, through ages, has been haunting mankind.
Reminding the quote by Karl Marx " Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world. and the soul of the soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people", Gnani discovered that religion, which man had established to protect God, is like anesthesia for people to escape from pains in the practical world. Hence, he concluded that the concept of 'God' continues living as long as mankind exists under the sky. However, the critic, through his plenty of research on pieces of Tamil literature such as Sanga Ilakkiyam, Tolkapiyam, Bhakti Ilakkiyam and so on, discovered that life in ancient societies had been egalitarian, and the differences in human society as 'rich and poor', 'the ruler and the ruled' began to appear only after the birth of civilization, state, politics, and power.
"The concept of 'God' continues as an inevitable need for mankind. This truth ignited my passion to research the 'god'. The concept of 'god' continues as the mystery of mysteries In the functions of the universe and those of the individual and human life " says Gnani, in the preface to his book Kadavul Ean Innum Saakavillai? Substantiating his point. Gnani quotes a line from the famed Tamil bhakti literature Thiruvasagam, while its author Manickavasagar praises the God.being everything in the cosmos as the sky, earth, wind, light, body, soul and so on. But in a line of this famed poem " Vaanaki, Mannaaki Valiyaagi Oliyaagi..." the bard of the bhakti literature also says that God is both 'existence' and 'nonexistence' when he continues defining Him in Tamil as 'Unmayumaai' 'Inmayumaai...'
"While singing a hymn in praise of the God, Manickavasagar says that God is both existent and nonexistent. It is surprising to feel this contradiction" wonders Gnani.
Helpless to act against some injustice, people usually burst out at God "Unakku Kannillayaa?" ( I wonder whether you have sight). But, the untiring vision-impaired literary critic stands bright as the dawn of Tamil society, for every letter in his countless writings is a ray of light piercing through the darkness of human life.
An author of many books including Marxiamum Thamizh Ilakkiyamum, Thamizhagathil Panpaattu Nerukadikal, and Marxia azhagiyal, Gnani has edited the magazines Parimanam, Velvi, Nigazh, and Thamizh Neyam as a literary critic for over the last five decades. Being one of the veteran Vanambadi poets of Coimbatore in the early 1970s, Gnani had experimented with his skills in poetry and later authored a few books of poems Kalligai, Tholaivilirunthu, and Kallum Mullum Kavithaikalum. But he gave up writing poetry and felt in him that literary criticism was his cup of tea. From then on, he was an unbroken chain as a literary critic until the last hour of his lifespan. A well-read scholar in Marxism, Gnani wielded his pen to interpret from classics to modern in Tamil literature by viewing them from a Marxian perspective. With Marxism being the only pathway for people to attain equality against the clutches of capitalism and discriminations based on class, race, religion, caste, and gender, Gnani looked for the reasons behind every such social evil through his wide readings and detailed writings.
An atheist, Gnani never believed in the existence of God, but believed in the concept called 'God', which, through ages, has been haunting mankind.
Reminding the quote by Karl Marx " Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world. and the soul of the soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people", Gnani discovered that religion, which man had established to protect God, is like anesthesia for people to escape from pains in the practical world. Hence, he concluded that the concept of 'God' continues living as long as mankind exists under the sky. However, the critic, through his plenty of research on pieces of Tamil literature such as Sanga Ilakkiyam, Tolkapiyam, Bhakti Ilakkiyam and so on, discovered that life in ancient societies had been egalitarian, and the differences in human society as 'rich and poor', 'the ruler and the ruled' began to appear only after the birth of civilization, state, politics, and power.
"The concept of 'God' continues as an inevitable need for mankind. This truth ignited my passion to research the 'god'. The concept of 'god' continues as the mystery of mysteries In the functions of the universe and those of the individual and human life " says Gnani, in the preface to his book Kadavul Ean Innum Saakavillai? Substantiating his point. Gnani quotes a line from the famed Tamil bhakti literature Thiruvasagam, while its author Manickavasagar praises the God.being everything in the cosmos as the sky, earth, wind, light, body, soul and so on. But in a line of this famed poem " Vaanaki, Mannaaki Valiyaagi Oliyaagi..." the bard of the bhakti literature also says that God is both 'existence' and 'nonexistence' when he continues defining Him in Tamil as 'Unmayumaai' 'Inmayumaai...'
"While singing a hymn in praise of the God, Manickavasagar says that God is both existent and nonexistent. It is surprising to feel this contradiction" wonders Gnani.
Helpless to act against some injustice, people usually burst out at God "Unakku Kannillayaa?" ( I wonder whether you have sight). But, the untiring vision-impaired literary critic stands bright as the dawn of Tamil society, for every letter in his countless writings is a ray of light piercing through the darkness of human life.