Chandran Nair
Encyclopedia
Chandran Nair is a Singapore
an poet
and retired Director
and Mediator
of UNESCO
in Paris
.
, India
in 1945. He left India for Singapore
at the age of seven. His father, Villayil Raman Gopala Pillai
who wrote short stories and novels in Malayalam under the pen name of Njekkad had migrated to Singapore in 1947.
In 1973 Chandran Nair married Ivy Goh Pek Kien.
He was educated at Raffles Institution
and University of Singapore from which he holds a Masters in Science (Marine Biology
) and a Diploma in Fisheries (with distinction) but went into publishing on his graduation and worked as an international civil servant with UNESCO
, first in Karachi
(1981-1985),where he started painting, and then in Paris
(1985 - 2004), where he now lives.
",(Woodrose Publications,Singapore) (1975). He won The New Nation Singapore Short Story Writing contest in 1973 and has published his stories in "Short Stories From Africa
and Asia
" (which he co-edited with Theo Luzuka), "Singapore Writing", 1977, which he edited for the Society of Singapore Writers," Singapore Short Stories (Vol. 1)" edited by Robert Yeo
and also in translation in Malay
in "Cerpen Cerpen Asean"(Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka).
He was founder President of the Society of Singapore Writers from 1976 to 1981.
Since moving to the Paris he has continued painting and writing but has not published, though he has been included in a number of anthologies including "Calling of the Kindred" (Cambridge
Universities Press, 1993), and has been featured in "Reworlding" :an anthology reviewing the writing of expatriate India
ns, edited by Emmanuel S Nelson (Greenwood Press, New York
, 1992). He is also included in "Idea to Ideal", FirstFruits, Singapore 2004 - 12 Singapore poets on the writing of their poems(edited by Felix Cheong
) and in "Journeys : An Anthology of Singapore Poetry
" edited by Edwin Thumboo
, 1995.
His poem "Grandfather" has been used by the University of Cambridge
International Examinations Board for their examination papers.
Nair is perhaps the only Singaporean poet cited in Parliament
. In a discussion about the multiracial nature of modern Singapore, Dr Chiang Hai Ding (MP for Ulu Pandan) had this to say:
To the east where there is sunshine
The Mind must turn for the beginning
of the World, in which only love matters
(Chandran Nair, Her World, February 1975, p. 27)
. . . But this is an important book of poems. Its themes are human ones, its scenes those we can recognize, its mythology
ours. And Mr Nair handles it all adroitly. Many foreigners sneer at local poetry, talking of its lack of skill (as if that is the only thing that matters) and residing in the weather-beaten towers of Eliot
, Yeats
and Dylan Thomas
. For them, I offer Mr Nair's volume of poems. It should be interesting to see his future development. We have a strong and unafraid voice among us.
. . . of all the Indians writing in English in Singapore, it is Chandran Nair, I believe, who may be said to be the most "Indian" in terms of literary expression. His two collections of poetry, "Once the Horsemen and other Poems (1972)" and "After the Hard Hours this Rain (1975)", reveal fairly explicit references to Indian myths
, legend
s, landscape and spirituality
. In an early poem (Grandfather) written for his grandfather, Nair clearly registers the Indian nostalgia felt deeply in contemplation. The poem is suggestive also of the position Nair himself seems to have adopted in relation to living in an environment which does not always appreciate the commitment of becoming a sensitive soul.(Reworlding: The Literature of the Indian Diaspora
, edited by Emmanuel S Nelson.)
. . . Chandran is no juggler of words. He dives to the existential core of an experience and describes it without ornamentation and verbal fat. The basic struggle of a psyche responding to the pressures of an intense search for a personality that is rooted in the present—in one's own present—bristles in each line written by this promising poet.
. . . Chandran Nair is obviously a master of words. His acuteness of observation and accuracy of detail when it comes to metaphorical allusions are admirable. Even if one is dissatisfied with his handling of themes, his handling of words distinguishes him as a skilled craftsman.
. . . Chandran Nair's poetry is good—amazingly good. First, even from a purely sociological point of view, one sees through his imagery all the varied influences of this Malaysian/Singaporean Indian and watches as the influences struggle to form, not a "Revolving Man" but a real "person". One sees the background of Hinduism
work side by side with Christianity
, one watches the Chinese
/Malay and "other" influences on his Indianness, from page to page and from poem to poem. It is very interesting reading—but even more, it is so forcefully well-written.
. . . Much of Chandran Nair's poetry is exploration. "Once the Horsemen" (1972) communicates the variety of Nair's poetic world and the note of urgency with which he attempts his themes. Image and metaphor abound and are part and parcel of "the wrestle with experience". For the raid into the articulate to achieve what Shelley
called "new materials of knowledge" amounts to an essential self-understanding to harmonise the ways to thought and feeling. By taking many themes as grist for his maw, Nair's poetry ranges over the feelings of a Hindu
bride to the Roman Emperor
, Caligula
. The simultaneous forays into life and language
and the myths and legend
s of East and West, have strengthened and extended the coordinating power of Nair's idiom
.
. . . For those of us who remember Chandran Nair's first book of poems (Once the Horsemen, 1972), impressed with its versatility and hard brilliance of style, a second offering of poems from any poet is another matter. . . we are worried about the poet's development, we search for those unhealthy signs that indicate a falling into the cliched and routined. . . If we are inclined to such ungenerous thought, Chandran Nair's new volume, "After the Hard Hours this Rain" sets our minds at ease. Our poet is as articulately tough as ever. . .
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and retired Director
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
and Mediator
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Background
Nair was born in KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1945. He left India for Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
at the age of seven. His father, Villayil Raman Gopala Pillai
Villayil Raman Gopala Pillai
VR Gopala Pillai was a Singaporean novelist writing in Malayalam under the nom de plume G.P. Njekkad, after his natal village in Kerala.- Background :Married to Bhargavi Pillai, he migrated to Singapore from Kerala, India in 1947...
who wrote short stories and novels in Malayalam under the pen name of Njekkad had migrated to Singapore in 1947.
In 1973 Chandran Nair married Ivy Goh Pek Kien.
He was educated at Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...
and University of Singapore from which he holds a Masters in Science (Marine Biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
) and a Diploma in Fisheries (with distinction) but went into publishing on his graduation and worked as an international civil servant with UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, first in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
(1981-1985),where he started painting, and then in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1985 - 2004), where he now lives.
Career
Nair started writing at an early age and his first poems were published in his school magazine The Rafflesian in 1963. His first book of poems, Once The Horsemen and Other Poems, (University Education Press, Singapore), was published in 1972 and was well received as was his second collection After the Hard Hours, This Rain,(Woodrose Publications, Singapore) (1975), and he has co-translated with Malcolm Koh Ho Ping "The Poems and Lyrics of the last Lord Lee,the last Emperor of the Southern Tang DynastyTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
",(Woodrose Publications,Singapore) (1975). He won The New Nation Singapore Short Story Writing contest in 1973 and has published his stories in "Short Stories From Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
" (which he co-edited with Theo Luzuka), "Singapore Writing", 1977, which he edited for the Society of Singapore Writers," Singapore Short Stories (Vol. 1)" edited by Robert Yeo
Robert Yeo
Robert Yeo is a Singaporean poet, playwright and novelist.-Career:Yeo is a retired lecturer of the National Institute of Education and Nanyang Technological University. At present he is a teacher of Creative Writing at the Singapore Management University...
and also in translation in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
in "Cerpen Cerpen Asean"(Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka).
He was founder President of the Society of Singapore Writers from 1976 to 1981.
Since moving to the Paris he has continued painting and writing but has not published, though he has been included in a number of anthologies including "Calling of the Kindred" (Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
Universities Press, 1993), and has been featured in "Reworlding" :an anthology reviewing the writing of expatriate India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, edited by Emmanuel S Nelson (Greenwood Press, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 1992). He is also included in "Idea to Ideal", FirstFruits, Singapore 2004 - 12 Singapore poets on the writing of their poems(edited by Felix Cheong
Felix Cheong
Felix Cheong is a Singaporean author, and poet.Cheong has written two young adult fiction books used as part of a national education campaign – The Call From Crying House and its sequel, The Woman In The Last Carriage .Cheong's first collection of poetry, Temptations, and Other Poems was...
) and in "Journeys : An Anthology of Singapore Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
" edited by Edwin Thumboo
Edwin Thumboo
Edwin Nadason Thumboo is an award-winning Singaporean poet and academic who is regarded as one of the pioneers of English literature in Singapore....
, 1995.
His poem "Grandfather" has been used by the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
International Examinations Board for their examination papers.
Nair is perhaps the only Singaporean poet cited in Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
. In a discussion about the multiracial nature of modern Singapore, Dr Chiang Hai Ding (MP for Ulu Pandan) had this to say:
- Where else but in Singapore can we find an ethnic Indian, born in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, educated in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, possessing a Science degree from the University of Singapore (a Master's degree in Marine BiologyMarine biologyMarine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
) and writing beautiful love poems to his ethnic Chinese wife in an English language magazine? I do not propose to read out his poems today but, in view of the forthcoming visit of our foreign minister to Peking, perhaps Mr Speaker and hon. Members will bear with me if I read three lines:
To the east where there is sunshine
The Mind must turn for the beginning
of the World, in which only love matters
(Chandran Nair, Her World, February 1975, p. 27)
Reviews
Nair's poetry has been commented upon by local as well as foreign reviewers. Below are some of these comments.- Ban Kah Choon on "Once the Horsemen and Other Poems":
. . . But this is an important book of poems. Its themes are human ones, its scenes those we can recognize, its mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
ours. And Mr Nair handles it all adroitly. Many foreigners sneer at local poetry, talking of its lack of skill (as if that is the only thing that matters) and residing in the weather-beaten towers of Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
, Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
and Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
. For them, I offer Mr Nair's volume of poems. It should be interesting to see his future development. We have a strong and unafraid voice among us.
- Kirpal Singh in "Staying Close but Breaking free: Indian writers in Singapore":
. . . of all the Indians writing in English in Singapore, it is Chandran Nair, I believe, who may be said to be the most "Indian" in terms of literary expression. His two collections of poetry, "Once the Horsemen and other Poems (1972)" and "After the Hard Hours this Rain (1975)", reveal fairly explicit references to Indian myths
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, landscape and spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
. In an early poem (Grandfather) written for his grandfather, Nair clearly registers the Indian nostalgia felt deeply in contemplation. The poem is suggestive also of the position Nair himself seems to have adopted in relation to living in an environment which does not always appreciate the commitment of becoming a sensitive soul.(Reworlding: The Literature of the Indian Diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, edited by Emmanuel S Nelson.)
- Hariharan Poonjar in "MalayaliMalayaliMalayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
Rebel in Singapore":
. . . Chandran is no juggler of words. He dives to the existential core of an experience and describes it without ornamentation and verbal fat. The basic struggle of a psyche responding to the pressures of an intense search for a personality that is rooted in the present—in one's own present—bristles in each line written by this promising poet.
- Nirmala D Govindasamy in "Chandran Nair: An Appraisal":
. . . Chandran Nair is obviously a master of words. His acuteness of observation and accuracy of detail when it comes to metaphorical allusions are admirable. Even if one is dissatisfied with his handling of themes, his handling of words distinguishes him as a skilled craftsman.
- Nallama Jenstad on "Once the Horsemen and Other Poems":
. . . Chandran Nair's poetry is good—amazingly good. First, even from a purely sociological point of view, one sees through his imagery all the varied influences of this Malaysian/Singaporean Indian and watches as the influences struggle to form, not a "Revolving Man" but a real "person". One sees the background of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
work side by side with Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, one watches the Chinese
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces...
/Malay and "other" influences on his Indianness, from page to page and from poem to poem. It is very interesting reading—but even more, it is so forcefully well-written.
- Edwin ThumbooEdwin ThumbooEdwin Nadason Thumboo is an award-winning Singaporean poet and academic who is regarded as one of the pioneers of English literature in Singapore....
in his "Introduction to the Second Tongue":
. . . Much of Chandran Nair's poetry is exploration. "Once the Horsemen" (1972) communicates the variety of Nair's poetic world and the note of urgency with which he attempts his themes. Image and metaphor abound and are part and parcel of "the wrestle with experience". For the raid into the articulate to achieve what Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
called "new materials of knowledge" amounts to an essential self-understanding to harmonise the ways to thought and feeling. By taking many themes as grist for his maw, Nair's poetry ranges over the feelings of a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
bride to the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
, Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
. The simultaneous forays into life and language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
and the myths and legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s of East and West, have strengthened and extended the coordinating power of Nair's idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
.
- Ban Kah Choon on "After the Hard Hours this Rain":
. . . For those of us who remember Chandran Nair's first book of poems (Once the Horsemen, 1972), impressed with its versatility and hard brilliance of style, a second offering of poems from any poet is another matter. . . we are worried about the poet's development, we search for those unhealthy signs that indicate a falling into the cliched and routined. . . If we are inclined to such ungenerous thought, Chandran Nair's new volume, "After the Hard Hours this Rain" sets our minds at ease. Our poet is as articulately tough as ever. . .
Poetry collections
- Once the Horsemen and Other Poems (1972)
- After the Hard Hours, This Rain (1975)
- Poems of the Last Lord Lee:A Translation,with Malcolm Koh (1975)
Anthologies (editor)
- Singapore Writing (1977)
- Short Stories from Africa and Asia, with Theo Luzuka (1976)
Awards
- New Nation Short Story Contest, First Prize for Leta, 1973
- University of Singapore Students' Union Silver Medal for Outstanding Work, 1969