Wearing a safari suit, his trademark gold-rimmed spectacles and a radiant smile, Ilasai Sundaram shows up all beaming and jocular for the chat. Hordes of awards, shields, framed certificates, medals, books, felicitations and trophies fight for space inside the septuagenarian’s apartment at the Agrini society. As the photographer coaxes him to smile, Sundaram cracks a witty one liner leaving us in splits. Known for his eloquence in Tamil and spontaneous humour, Ilasai Sundaram is a popular brand in the circles of Pattimandram speakers and orators and goes globe-trotting delivering talks, spiritual discourses and spreading his aura over the Tamil diaspora across the world.
“Once I was invited to deliver a talk at the Paris Tamil Sangam and the moment I landed, an eager member of the Sangam enquired about my job. “ Enge velai seiringa ?” he asked. I paused briefly and he wondered if he had asked anything wrong. “Enga naatula, naanga velai seyyamattom, velai paarpom ,” I replied and everyone broke into laughter. They appreciated my spirit for humour even after jet lag,” recalls Sundaram, who has umpteen incidents to narrate. “Humour is a powerful tool that comes handy to cheer up people, sow fresh ideas in young minds and ease difficult situations. Many times, I narrate funny anecdotes to save delicate situations at debates and radio programmes.”
“I can never keep mum, even during the most trying times. It’s in my instincts to see humour in even a sad or gloomy event. Spontaneous comedy is all about observation,” says Sundaram, who grew up in Ettayapuram, the village of Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharathiyar. Even during school days at the Raja school in Ettayapuram, Sundaram had a natural liking for the Mahakavi. By then, little did he realise that he would take the message of the poet far and wide in the form of a skit. He wrote, directed and donned the role of Bharati in the skit ‘Bharathi Indru’, which saw over 200 shows in different countries across the world.
Conferred with ‘ Nagaichuvai Mamannar’ award by Kripananda Variyar at Karandhai Tamil Sangam in Thanjavur, Sundaram is also an accomplished Pattimandram speaker. “To speak at Pattimandram is no child’s play. Pattimandram humour is a subtle genre laced with satire. It’s more like a comment on society, politics and subjects that are often not discussed openly, he says. “These days, pattimandram has lost the purpose and depth. It has become an exchange of superficial ideas and cheap humour.”
Well versed across all genres of Tamil literature from Sangam age works to modern poetry and bhakti ilakkiyam, Sundaram is a man of many words. “My first step into the literary world happened when I was pursing M.A. Tamil at the Madurai Kamaraj University. One of my short stories was awarded the best in the State by Thamarai journal. Later, my collection of short stories ‘Sadhaga Paravaikal’, was made part of the syllabus at MKU,” beams Sundaram. “The credit goes to my college professor Srinivasa Ragavan who introduced me to profound works like Kamba Ramayanam. I used to stay at his house like a Gurukul and learnt language and poetry.”
As Sundaram delved deep into Bhakti literature, he was also invited to deliver spiritual discourses. Be it the London Balaji Temple, the Singapore Rama Temple or the Germany Kamakshi Temple, Sundaram is sought after by Tamils living abroad. “Srilankan Tamils who have settled in Canada and the US are staunch saivites and I visit their sangams regularly for discourses on Lord Shiva and Muruga,” he says.
Sundaram strongly believes that modern writings are much needed to enrich Tamil literature. “Puthilakkiyam or modern Tamil literature has added to the beauty of the language. We can’t just dwell on Sangam literature which majorly concentrated on only ‘love and war’. Today’s readers and world need a lot more that’s relevant,” he says. “Even the cultural ethos during Sangam Age was different. For instance, there’s a stanza by Avvaiyar, where she asks Kind Adhiyaman for some ‘kallu’ (toddy). It shows that drinking toddy was socially accepted in those days. But the same is prohibited currently. So, we need new thoughts and ideas for the present times.”
Having authored over 30 books, Ilasai Sundaram has bagged numerous awards and medals. He is also the recipient of the State Government’s Kalaimamani and Bharathiyar awards. After 28 years of service in the All India Radio, scripting, directing and heading various award-winning and path-breaking radio programmes, he has done a doctorate in ‘Vanoli Valartha Tamil’ from MKU. “It’s the thirst for learning that keeps me going. I will keep the spirit ignited,” he smiles.
