Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar
Encyclopedia
Pammal Vijayaranga Sambandha Mudaliar, popularly known as the father of modern Tamil theatre was a great playwight of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He made enormous contributions to the Tamil drama.
, Chennai
to Vijayaranga Mudaliar and Manickavelu Ammal in 1873. He had his education at Govindappa Naicker School and then at Pachaiyappa's School. He went to Pachaiyappa's College
. He studied law and practised as a lawyer from 1924 to 1928. When he started his career as a lawyer he detested Tamil plays. The reason was Mudaliar found the Tamil theatre as obscene and crude, but held some respect for English drama.
and Sanskrit
plays. These received with much enthusiasm. Educated people turned their attention to the potential of theatre. Some even joined the Sabha and began acting. It became a centre of great moral and educational value. Songs were given a back seat, prose gained significance, and realistic acting was stressed. Mudaliar changed stage conventions, creating new sets and scenery that surprised viewers. T. P. Krishnaswamy Pavalar, hailed as a great teacher of Tamil drama, was a product of the Sabha. After retiring as a judge, Mudaliar continued acting for it.
He wrote ninety-six plays. All of these were premiered by Suguna Vilasa Sabha, in many of which he acted the lead. Subsequently, other sabhas or groups produced their own versions. His Lilavati-Sulochana in 1895, Manoham which was published in 1907, Amaladitya i.e. Shakespeare
's Hamlet
that published in 1908, Makapati i.e. Shakespeare's Macbeth
, published in 1910, and Sabhapati that published in 1918 were the first Tamil plays in prose dialogue while others still performed Puranic musicals. He gave equal importance to narrative and aesthetics in drama. He composed scripts that could be performed within three hours, a revolutionary concept when Tamil productions normally took twice that time. Quite a few were cinematized later, such as Yayati
in 1908, Ratnavali
was adapted from Harsha
in 1910, and the originals mentioned above. He was also the only person of his generation to voluminously record his experiences and views, which document the theatre history of that period. He left behind six volumes of stage memoirs and a handbook for actors.
Birth and education
Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar was born in PammalPammal
Pammal is a town in Kancheepuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is a populated neighbourhood of the city of Chennai. Pammal is home to more than 250,000 people. Some world class leather skins are prepared in and around Pammal. Pammal Vijayaranga Sambandha Mudaliar, the father of...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
to Vijayaranga Mudaliar and Manickavelu Ammal in 1873. He had his education at Govindappa Naicker School and then at Pachaiyappa's School. He went to Pachaiyappa's College
Pachaiyappa's College
Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The college was established as Pachaiyappa's Central Institution at Popham's Broadway on January 1, 1842, from money given in Pachaiyappa Mudaliar's will. It was the first Hindu...
. He studied law and practised as a lawyer from 1924 to 1928. When he started his career as a lawyer he detested Tamil plays. The reason was Mudaliar found the Tamil theatre as obscene and crude, but held some respect for English drama.
Entry into Tamil drama
Mudaliar developed an impression towards Tamil Drama when he happened to see the stage drama enacted by the actor Bellary krishnamacharlu in the then Madras. He also learnt that the actors of that group, the Sarasa Vinodini Sabha, worked in high government positions. His ambition to do similar reformist theatre in Tamil goaded him to start the amateur Suguna Vilasa Sabha the following year.Works of playwright
Pammal Vijayaranga Sambandha Mudaliar staged the first social drama, Pushpavalli in 1893, and adapted EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
plays. These received with much enthusiasm. Educated people turned their attention to the potential of theatre. Some even joined the Sabha and began acting. It became a centre of great moral and educational value. Songs were given a back seat, prose gained significance, and realistic acting was stressed. Mudaliar changed stage conventions, creating new sets and scenery that surprised viewers. T. P. Krishnaswamy Pavalar, hailed as a great teacher of Tamil drama, was a product of the Sabha. After retiring as a judge, Mudaliar continued acting for it.
He wrote ninety-six plays. All of these were premiered by Suguna Vilasa Sabha, in many of which he acted the lead. Subsequently, other sabhas or groups produced their own versions. His Lilavati-Sulochana in 1895, Manoham which was published in 1907, Amaladitya i.e. Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
that published in 1908, Makapati i.e. Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, published in 1910, and Sabhapati that published in 1918 were the first Tamil plays in prose dialogue while others still performed Puranic musicals. He gave equal importance to narrative and aesthetics in drama. He composed scripts that could be performed within three hours, a revolutionary concept when Tamil productions normally took twice that time. Quite a few were cinematized later, such as Yayati
Yayati
Yayati was a Puranic king and the son of king Nahusha and one of ancestors of Pandavas. He was a great scholar of Vedas. He had five brothers, Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti. He had two wives, Devayani and Sharmishtha. Devayani was the daughter of Shukracharya, the priest of Asuras ....
in 1908, Ratnavali
Ratnavali
Ratnavali is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha . It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual references to the celebration of Holi, the festival of Colours have been found in this text...
was adapted from Harsha
Harsha
Harsha or Harsha Vardhana or Harshvardhan was an Indian emperor who ruled northern India from 606 to 647 AD. He was the son of Prabhakara Vardhana and younger brother of Rajya Vardhana, a king of Thanesar, Haryana...
in 1910, and the originals mentioned above. He was also the only person of his generation to voluminously record his experiences and views, which document the theatre history of that period. He left behind six volumes of stage memoirs and a handbook for actors.