Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani
Encyclopedia
Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, or Kosa as he was also known, a Tamil writer and publisher, was born in Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu
, on 20 April 1903. He received a good education and was effectively bi-lingual in Tamil
and English
. At 21, he went to Singapore
to work as a bookkeeper, eventually becoming the manager at his firm.
Sarangapani was deeply influenced by E. V. Ramasami Naicker (better known as Periyar) and his Self-Respect Movement
in Tamil Nadu. He was committed to rationalism
and the ideal of a modern, progressive
society. Sarangapani established direct contact with the Self-Respect Movement in India when he became the agent in British Malaya
(then including Singapore) for the distribution of its magazine, 'Kudi Arasu'. These links were strengthened in 1929 and 1954, when he helped to arrange Periyar's visits to Singapore and Malaya to spread his message to local Tamils.
Sarangapani was also active as a Tamil writer and publisher in his own right. In 1929 he set up the magazine Munnetram (Progress), and in 1935 he launched Tamil Murasu
, which remains Singapore’s only daily Tamil newspaper. He was also a founder of the Tamils Reform Association, and served as its Chairman and Secretary at various points. Through his publications and the Association, Sarangapani promoted the importance of education, as well as denouncing the Hindu caste system, superstitions and alcoholism
.
Sarangapani was also a champion of the Tamil language in Singapore. He was part of campaigns to make Tamil one of the four official languages of Singapore, as well as having it taught in Singapore schools from the primary to tertiary level. He also helped set up the Department of Indian Studies at the University of Malaya
in Singapore. Sarangapani also urged Tamils to embrace Singapore as their home. Singapore President Sellapan Ramanathan has noted that
In 1937, he married Lim Boon Neo, with whom he had six children (four sons and two daughters). When he died on 16 March 1974, tributes were paid to him in Tamil Nadu, the land of his birth, in Malaysia and in Singapore. In 2004, Sarangapani’s birth centenary was marked in Chennai
, by tributes from leading Tamil poets, and a seminar on his life and achievements.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, on 20 April 1903. He received a good education and was effectively bi-lingual in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
and English
English 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...
. At 21, he went to 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...
to work as a bookkeeper, eventually becoming the manager at his firm.
Sarangapani was deeply influenced by E. V. Ramasami Naicker (better known as Periyar) and his Self-Respect Movement
Self-Respect Movement
The Self-Respect Movement was founded in 1925 by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu, India. The movement has the aim of achieving a society where backward castes have equal human rights, and encouraging backward castes to have self-respect in the context of a caste based society that...
in Tamil Nadu. He was committed to rationalism
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
and the ideal of a modern, progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
society. Sarangapani established direct contact with the Self-Respect Movement in India when he became the agent in British Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
(then including Singapore) for the distribution of its magazine, 'Kudi Arasu'. These links were strengthened in 1929 and 1954, when he helped to arrange Periyar's visits to Singapore and Malaya to spread his message to local Tamils.
Sarangapani was also active as a Tamil writer and publisher in his own right. In 1929 he set up the magazine Munnetram (Progress), and in 1935 he launched Tamil Murasu
Tamil Murasu
Tamil Murasu is a Singapore based Tamil language newspaper. Launched in 1935 by Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, Tamil Murasu is Singapore's only Tamil language newspaper...
, which remains Singapore’s only daily Tamil newspaper. He was also a founder of the Tamils Reform Association, and served as its Chairman and Secretary at various points. Through his publications and the Association, Sarangapani promoted the importance of education, as well as denouncing the Hindu caste system, superstitions and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
Sarangapani was also a champion of the Tamil language in Singapore. He was part of campaigns to make Tamil one of the four official languages of Singapore, as well as having it taught in Singapore schools from the primary to tertiary level. He also helped set up the Department of Indian Studies at the University of Malaya
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya is located on a campus near the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and is the oldest university in Malaysia. It was founded in 1905 as a public-funded tertiary institution...
in Singapore. Sarangapani also urged Tamils to embrace Singapore as their home. Singapore President Sellapan Ramanathan has noted that
In 1937, he married Lim Boon Neo, with whom he had six children (four sons and two daughters). When he died on 16 March 1974, tributes were paid to him in Tamil Nadu, the land of his birth, in Malaysia and in Singapore. In 2004, Sarangapani’s birth centenary was marked in 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...
, by tributes from leading Tamil poets, and a seminar on his life and achievements.