Restlessness is a trait inherent in most creative people. The need to constantly explore new avenues to expend their creative energies makes many of them veer towards uncharted territories. For producer-director-actor Cheran, it is this restlessness that has made him come up with critically acclaimed films such as Bharathi Kannamma , Vetri Kodi Kattu and Pokisham (both won National awards).
When friend and director V. Gowthaman requested him to read a book and write a preface to it, Cheran had no clue what his final reaction would be. The Tamil novel, Porum Valiyum (War and Pain) moved him so much that he read through the night with teary eyes the emotional account of a war-torn Srilanka. “The author is a 69 year old lady whose family was badly affected by the ethnic war in Srilanka. Her account of the ground realities, the atrocities and the social impact on the locals was so touching that I decided that Porum Valiyum should reach people of all languages. Therefore, as a first step, I decided to launch a publishing house, Cheran Noolagam, with the express intention of releasing the Tamil novel at the Chennai Book Fair. The plan is to get the English translation done quickly so that readers in India and abroad are apprised of the facts of what happened during the ethnic war.”
Says Savitri Advithanandhan, the author, “I was born and brought up in Yazhpanam, in the midst of all the action. I lost a daughter to the war. In 2004, my family and I migrated to the U.K. where we now live. This book is not just a personal account of what actually took place during the war; it carries many episodes that have not so far been divulged by any publication. More so, while there may be books in Tamil, the intention is to translate my book in English to be able to reach a wider audience.”
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For Cheran, getting into publishing is another facet of his creative self. Something which he hopes to use as a platform to explore his own writings as well as encourage new talent.