The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : ‘Kamba Ramayanam unsurpassed’

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Monday, Sep 01, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

‘Kamba Ramayanam unsurpassed’

Staff Reporter

Actor Sivakumar speaks at a Sahitya Akademi event

— Photo: R.SHIVAJI RAO

LITERARY TALK: (From left) Actor Sivakumar interacting with Tamil writers Sa. Kandasamy and Tirupur Krishnan at a meeting organised by Sahitya Akademi in Chennai on Sunday.

CHENNAI: With its 12,000 verses and scores of characters, no other book can equal the Kamba Ramayanam. The drama, story, reflection of the culture of those times, the way each character has been portrayed and Kamban’s adaptation of Valmiki’s tale are amazing, said actor Sivakumar.

Talking about the literary works that have held his interest, at a programme ‘Men and Books’ organised by Sahitya Akademi here on Sunday, the actor-cum-artist said that after acting for over 40 years and drawing and painting for 20 years he had taken up reading once again.

“I have read the literature of the 50s but after that I did not have time for books. But now these past few years I have been reading Bharathi’s poems and Kamban’s Ramayanam. And I fell in love with the works for the way they have used the Tamil language.”

Bharathi, he said, had written poems on every possible topic including Independence before which he died. The poet has succeeded in taking the Tamil language to the masses, he explained. The actor said he was impressed with Bharathi’s bold outlook and his independence.

Mr. Sivakumar said he planned to make a presentation of 100 select Kamba Ramyanam verses in January next at the Kongu Vellalar Magali Kalloori in Erode and make a DVD to take the greatness of Kamba Ramayanam to the world.

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