Karisal literature became a major movement due to contributions of Ki. Ra. says Perumal Murugan

Ki. Ra. encouraged Karisal lit. to evolve as major classification in Tamil lit. His works, letters of appreciation, forewords for other writers, dictionaries of Tamil dialects, helped it become a big movement. It reflects rural life, pain & joy of people of black cotton soil. Photo exhibition, seminars, lectures, anthology of short stories to understand region.

Karisal literature had evolved as a major classification in Tamil literature with the encouragement by Sahitya Akademi award-winning author, Ki. Rajanarayanan, popularly known as Ki. Ra., said award-winning author Perumal Murugan.

Delivering the special address at the two-day Karisal Literary festival that began here on Friday, Mr. Murugan said that Ki. Ra. had not just penned his own works, but also encouraged other writers who wrote on the life and livelihood of people of the black cotton soil of the southern districts of Tamil Nadu through his letters of appreciation.

Besides, he also wrote the foreword for many works of other writers and brought out an anthology of their work. Ki. Ra. also brought out dictionaries on words of different Tamil dialects. These works were the main reasons for the evolvement of Karisal literature into a big movement. “The Karisal literary works became popular not because employing the colloquial language of local people, but they mirrored their life and livelihood,” he said.

Sahitya Akademi award winner, S. Ramakrishnan, said that Ki. Ra. was the father of Karisal literature. In a video clippling of his speech which was telecast at the festival, Mr. Ramakrishnan said that Karisal literature had been the pioneer among various such dialect-based literatures in Tamil Nadu

It is all about the arid land and the rain-fed irrigation, farmers and their livelihood. “The soil had never been fertile and their life never had been with abundance. The life of small farmers revolved around crises throughout the year, but their hearts are filled with love. The Karisal literature brings out all these elements and the changes their lives had gone through,” he said. Karisal literature is mostly based on the rural life and has been a documentation on life of the people belonging to various communities and class, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Virudhunagar Collector, V.P. Jayaseelan, said that Karisal literature was based on the Tamil dialect of the rain-fed regions of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram. The characters of the works were the local people of the black cotton soil that reflected their pain and joy.