Sahitya Ratna award winner narrates his story

By Surya Vishwa 

 Weeks after he received the Sahitya Ratna; the lifetime achievement award for literature in the Tamil medium, I met Dr. T. Gnanasekaran in his residence in Wellawatte in which he lives with his wife and family. 

Sipping several cups of herbal coffee that his wife serves, I get to hear the efforts of this Sri Lankan writer to foster understanding between diverse ethnic and religious communities in this country, particularly the Sinhalese and the Tamils, through the written word. 

We publish today details about his literary journey and how he uses literature to foster objectivity in analysing socio-political issues and juxtapose macro political contexts with the everyday micro reality of the humane contexts.

T. Gnanasekaran is a medical practitioner who has an Arts degree from the University of Peradeniya, whose two previous novels have won State literary awards and whose books are part of the syllabuses of the Sabaragamuwa University in Sri Lanka and the Madurai American College in Tamil Nadu. 

His short story collection Alseshanam Oru Poonaikudiam has been part of the curricula for the Sabaragamuwa university for twenty two years and his novel ‘Kuruthi Malai’ taught in the university in India. 

Why did he get into literature? 

“Because I wanted to understand the social issues of this country and present it in literary form,” he says.

His first novel ‘Kuruthi Malai’ (Blood Mountain) was written in 1978 about the trials and tribulations of the plantation community followed up by ‘Pudiya Suvadukal’ (new steps), about the caste issues of the Tamils of Sri Lanka. 

“As a medical practitioner I worked mostly in the plantation areas. For much of my medical profession I cared for these people and knew first-hand the hardships that they underwent.”

‘Kuruthi Malai’ was translated by Saminathan Wimal into Sinhala titled ‘Thalena Yakada’ (iron that is battered). 

His novel ‘Erimalai’ – (translated as The Volcano in English by V. Thillainathan) is centred around the beginning of the ethnic conflict in 1984 and published by Godage Publishers winning the Godage award for the best Tamil novel published in 2018.

It is a book that has done the near impossible; present different fragments of rationalisation that analyses the entire episode of the politicisation of the Sinhala-Tamil identity issues, providing people narratives from all sides of the divide, but yet keep to the ‘Tamil perspective.’ 

Through different characters in the story plot, one finds the youth who join the LTTE, those who oppose it, the different views on what is ‘terrorism’ presented from both Tamil and Sinhala consciousness.

He explains how he got to writing this particular novel in this manner. 

“Forty years ago, I was a young medical practitioner trying to figure out what happened in Sri Lanka. It was 1984 and after the anti-Tamil riots, many Tamils had fled to Jaffna. Jaffna was till then a very peaceful and quiet place. But almost overnight it became a frightful theatre of suspicion and bloodshed as the hostilities began with the newly formed LTTE and the Government military.”

“Many youth in my village in Jaffna – Punnalaikadduvan were joining this newly formed armed guerrilla movement. It was a huge social problem. There were many debates and arguments amongst different generations of Tamils of the North justifying or denouncing such action by the youngsters. I too was drawn into these debates at social gatherings.

“Many elders strived to send their youth out of the village to Colombo or overseas in a bid to salvage their future. It is during this time, in mid-1984 that I made up my mind that I will try and understand the unfolding social saga through different viewpoints and present it through a novel,” he narrates. 

The Tamil language novel ‘Erimalai’ that he completed in 1984 was published well after the end of the conflict in 2009 with subsequent English and Sinhala translations being launched in 2019 and 2022 respectively in different titles.

His wide exposure to the Sinhalese community through his days at Medical College and close friendships made then, and also the interaction with Tamils who held different opinions – such as Tamils who were staunchly against separatism, helped him to perfect the authenticity of the viewpoints woven into the novel.

His contribution to linking communities through literature is extensive. In the year 2000, he set up the Gnanam literary magazine to promote Tami literature of Sri Lanka and also used it to introduce Sinhala writers to the Tamil community. Legends of Sinhala literature such as Martin Wickremesinghe and Gunadasa Amarasekera were amongst the prominent writers featured in the Gnanam magazine, written about by Tamils. 

“Literature keeps the world connected. I seek to  connect people to showcase different perspectives and to create empathy in hearts. This is my goal and I hope to continue this task for as long as I can. The Gnanam magazine is published  every month both as a printed edition as well as an online version but advertisements have decreased in this economic context. Yet I am continuing with it as a task that should be done.”

How was it to win the lifetime literary award – the Sahithya Ratna?

“It is something that I value and appreciate but the true achievements over the years have been those such as  when ordinary people I did not ever know, volunteer to support with translations and publishing assistance without expecting anything in return.”

Having previously repeatedly won the State literary award under  the Tamil literary categories, he appreciates these recognition but finally believes that it is the people who give an author the highest honour – by reading the books and obtaining some pragmatic and incisive understanding of a particular issue.

“Being born a human enables us to think – as a novelist I have tried to get the reader to ponder and reflect a bit deeper than what is available on the surface,” states Dr. Gnanasekaran as I take his leave.