M. P. Sivagnanam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mylai Ponnuswamy Sivagnanam
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Sivagnanam on a 2006 stamp of India
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Mylai Ponnuswamy Sivagnanam
26 June 1906 Chennai, Tamil Nadu
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| Died | 3 October 1995 (aged 89) Chennai, Tamil Nadu
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| Occupation | Journalist, poet |
Mylai Ponnuswamy Sivagnanam, often called Ma.Po.Si. (born June 26, 1906 – died October 3, 1995), was an important Indian leader. He was a freedom fighter who worked to make India independent. He also started a political group called Tamil Arasu Kazhagam. Ma.Po.Si. was a talented writer and wrote over 100 books.
Contents
Life Story
Ma.Po.Si. was born on June 26, 1906, in a small village called Salvankuppam in Chennai. His family was not rich. His parents, Ponnuswamy and Sivagami, were very religious.
He had to stop school early, after just third grade, because his family could not afford his textbooks. After that, he learned a lot by reading and experiencing the world. Ma.Po.Si. was the oldest of three children who survived out of ten.
He worked hard from a young age. First, he earned money each day doing small jobs. Then, he worked as a weaver for eight years. Later, he became a compositor, someone who arranges type for printing, at a Tamil newspaper.
In 1967, Ma.Po.Si. was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He represented the Thiyagarayanagar area. He was part of the DMK party.
He played a big role in deciding the borders of Tamil Nadu. Thanks to his efforts, the city of Madras (now called Chennai) stayed with Tamil Nadu. He also helped Tamil Nadu get Tiruttani from Andhra Pradesh. Later, he was the leader of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council until it was closed in 1986.
Saving Chennai for Tamil Nadu
A leader named Potti Sreeramulu started a movement to create a separate state called Andhra Pradesh. As part of this, some people wanted Madras (Chennai) to be the capital of Andhra Pradesh. This was called the 'Madras Manade' movement.
Ma.Po.Si. and his party, Tamil Arasu Kazhagam, strongly disagreed. They held protests, meetings, and sit-ins. He famously said, "We will protect and save the capital for Tamils even if we have to part with our heads." Many leaders, like C. Rajagopalachari, supported Ma.Po.Si.
Even though they had different political views, Ma.Po.Si. respected Sreeramulu. He visited Sreeramulu during his fast. Sreeramulu's supporters wanted Madras to be their temporary capital, but Ma.Po.Si. refused.
Ma.Po.Si. and his party organized huge protests to keep Madras within Tamil Nadu. He was even put in jail sometimes for his actions. Sadly, Sreeramulu died during his fast. This made the 'Madras Manade' movement even stronger.
Then, Prime Minister Nehru asked a judge named Vansu to study the Madras issue. Rajaji told Nehru that he would resign if Madras was given to Andhra. Ma.Po.Si. gave Vansu many historical and literary facts. He explained why Thiruthani, Thirupathi, and Madras should be part of Tamil Nadu.
Nehru also read a famous speech Ma.Po.Si. gave in the Madras Corporation. People in Tamil Nadu sent thousands of telegrams to Nehru. They all stressed that Madras must stay with Tamil Nadu. Finally, because of Ma.Po.Si.'s great efforts, Madras became part of Tamil Nadu. However, Tirupati remained with Andhra Pradesh.
Chennai Corporation Symbol
During the time of British rule, the flag of the Madras Corporation had symbols like the sea, a boat, three lions, and two fish. The three lions stood for the British. The sea, boat, and fish showed that Madras was a coastal city.
After India became independent, people wanted to change the flag. M.P. Sivagnanam was in charge of the education part of the corporation. He suggested using the symbols of the ancient Tamil kingdoms: the Pandiya (fish), Chola (tiger), and Chera (bow). He already had these symbols on his own party's flag. Rajaji agreed with his idea.
Literature and Writing
Ma.Po.Si. started his writing journey while he was in Amaravathi prison. His interest in old Tamil literature grew because of the words of Subramanya Bharathi. He felt that Bharathi's simple words helped him become a better writer. He believed Bharathi was key to all his literary success. Ma.Po.Si. wrote about 10 research books about Bharathi.
Books on Bharathi
- Vallalarum Bharathiyum (1965)
- Engal Kavi Bharathi (1953)
- Bharathiyum Aangilamum (1961)
- Bharathi Kanda Orumaipadu (1962)
- Ulaga Mahakavi Bharathi (1966)
- Bharathiyar Pathaiyile (1974)
- Bharathiyin Porkural (1979)
- Bharathy Patri Ma.Po.Si. Perurai (1983)
- Tholkappiathilirunthu Bharathi varai (1979)
- Ennai Valartha Bharathi (2013) by Vikraman
Silapathikaram
Ma.Po.Si. became deeply interested in Silapathikaram, a famous Tamil epic poem. He used the lessons from this epic as guiding principles for his political party. He was a pioneer in sharing the importance of Silapathikaram with everyone.
Because of his deep research on Silapathikaram, he earned the special title "Silambu Chelvar" from R. P. Sethu Pillai. He loved this epic so much that he even named his daughters Kannagi and Madhavi, after characters from the story.
Books on Silapathikaram
- Silappatikaramum Thamizharum (1947)
- Kannagi Vazhipadu (1950)
- Illangovin Silambu (1953)
- Veerakanagi (1958)
- Nenjaiallum Silappatikaram (1961)
- Madhaviyin Manbu (1968)
- Kovalan Kutravaliya (1971)
- Silappatikara Thiranaivu (1973)
- Silappatikara Yathirai (1977)
- Silappatikara Aayvurai (1979)
- Silappatikara Uraiasiriyargal Sirappu (1980)
- Silappatikarathil Yashum Esaiyum (1990)
- Silambil Edupatathu eppadi (1994)
Silapathikara Vizha
Ma.Po.Si. wanted to share the greatness of Silapathikaram with the whole world. In 1950, he organized the first 'Silapathikara Vizha' (festival) in Tamil history. It took place in Chennai and included many famous Tamil scholars. From 1950 onwards, Ma.Po.Si.'s Tamil Arasu Kazhagam celebrated this festival every year.
After Ma.Po.Si. passed away, his daughter, Ma.Po.Si. Madhavi Baskaran, continued the tradition. She started celebrating the Silapathigara Vizha again in 2013 through a trust named after her father.
V.O. Chidambaram Pillai
Ma.Po.Si. helped people understand the important work of V.O. Chidambaram Pillai. He wrote a biography about him called 'Kappalottiya Thamizhan'. Because of this book, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai became known as 'Kappalottiya Thamizhan' (The Tamilian who steered ships). A Tamil movie with the same name was later made based on Ma.Po.Si.'s book.
Books on V.O. Chidambaram Pillai
- Kappalottiya Thamizhan (1944)
- Kappalottiya Chidambaranar (1972)
- Thalapathy Chidambaranar (1950)
Veerapandiya Kattabomman
Ma.Po.Si. also helped bring back public interest in Veerapandiya Kattabomman, a brave freedom fighter. He wrote a biography about him. Later, a Tamil movie called 'Veerapandiya Kattabomman (film)' was made, which made Kattabomman even more famous. Ma.Po.Si. wrote the script for this movie.
Books on Veerapandiya Kattabomman
- Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1949)
- Kayathatril Kattabomman (1950)
- Suthanthira Veeran Kattabomman (1950)
Thiruvalluvar
Ma.Po.Si. also wrote books about Thiruvalluvar, the great Tamil poet and philosopher.
Books on Thiruvalluvar
- Thirukuralil Kalai Patri Kurathathen (1974)
- Valluvar Thantha Vazhi (1952)
- Thiruvalluvarum Karl Marxum (1960)
Books Translated to English
Some of Ma.Po.Si.'s books were translated into English:
- The Great Patriot V.O. Chidambaram Pillai
- The First Patriot Veera Pandia Katta Bomman
- The Universal Vision of Saint Ramalinga
He was also the editor of a journal called "Senkol." This journal was a way for him to share his ideas about politics and literature.
In 1966, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil literature for his book about Vallalar, titled Vallalar kanda orumaipaadu. In 1972, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri award for his contributions to literature and education.
Educational Contributions
Ma.Po.Si. worked hard to improve education:
- From 1952 to 1953, he was the Chairman of the Education Committee for the Corporation of Madras.
- He was a member of the Senate (a governing body) of Madras University from 1952 to 1954.
- He was also a member of the Senate of Madurai Kamaraj University from 1957 to 1969.
- From 1972 to 1976, he was a member of the Syndicate (another governing body) of Madras University.
- In 1978, he became a member of the Senate of Annamalai University.
- In 1981, he gave the main speech at the graduation ceremony of the Rural University in Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu.
- He also led many committees and groups set up by Madras University.
Many of his books, like Veerapandia Kattabomman, Kappalottiyathamizhan, and Vallalar Kanda Orumaippaadu, were used as textbooks in high schools and colleges. They were also used as reference books for advanced studies.
Library Movement
Ma.Po.Si. also played a big part in improving libraries:
- From 1952 to 1954, he was the Chairman of the Madras District Local Library Authority.
- He held this position again from 1970 to 1973.
- From 1972 to 1974, he was a member of the Tamil Nadu State Local Library Authority.
- He was responsible for creating a separate department and a Director for Libraries in Tamil Nadu. He also helped increase the library tax from 3 paise to 5 paise, which helped libraries get more money.
Travels Abroad
Ma.Po.Si. traveled to many countries:
- In 1948, he visited Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) for 28 days.
- In 1956, he visited Burma (now Myanmar) for 18 days.
- He visited Malaysia and Singapore twice between 1964 and 1965.
- In 1965, he went to Kulalumpur as a representative of the Tamil Nadu Government for the World Tamil Conference.
- In 1970, he represented the Tamil Nadu Government at The World Tamil Conference in Paris.
- Also in 1970, he visited the Soviet Union for seven days after being invited.
- On his way back from Paris in 1970, he stayed in London for three days. There, he studied how libraries and police worked.
- In 1986, he visited London and the United States for over three weeks. He traveled to many places in America and attended the World Peace Conference in Virginia.
Awards and Honors
- 1950: He was given the title "Silambu Selvar" by Professor R.P.Sethupillai.
- 1966: He received the "Sahithya Academy Award" for his book Vallalarkanda Orumaipadu.
- 1970: He received an award from UNESCO Mandram, Madras, during the International Education Year.
- 1972: The President of India honored him with the ‘Padmashri’ Award.
- 1976: He received the ‘Kalaimamani’ title from Tamil Nadu Iyal,Isai, Nataka Mandram, Madras.
- 1979: The University of Madras awarded him the title “Doctor of Literature”.
- 1979: Annamalai University also awarded him the title “Doctor of Literature”.
- 1980: The Tamil Nadu Government gave him a prize for his 1200-page book, "Enathu Porattam." The former President of India, Thiru. V.V.Giri, released this book.
- 1985: His book "Viduthalai Poril Thamizhagam" was recognized by the Tamil Nadu Government.
- 1985: Madurai Kamarajar University gave him the ‘Peravai chemmal’ award.
- 2006: The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, released a special postage stamp in his honor. This stamp was issued by the Department of Posts to remember Ma.Po.Si. as a freedom fighter and Tamil scholar.
- 2006: The Tamil Nadu Government also made his books public property, so they could be widely shared.
- 2011: A statue of Ma.Po.Si. was unveiled in Thyagaraya Nagar (T.Nagar, Chennai).
