Prof. M. L. Thangappa, a Tamil scholar equally proficient in English from Puducherry, recognized at long last

When I was getting ready to start for the University my youngest daughter gave a ring and informed me that Prof. M. L. Thangappa has been showered the National Bal Sahitya Puraskar Award for 2011. When I heard this my joy knew no bounds and I virtually saw ten thousand daffodils fluttering and dancing in the breeze before my eyes. It is just a coincidence that Thangappa’s writings I was going through in the last one week. The same thing happened when Prof. Paul Krugman got Nobel Prize in 2008. On that morning I was going though the “Return of Depression Economics” written by him although there was no specific purpose to read that book for classroom lecture.

Prof. M. L. Thangappa started his career as a school teacher and ended up as a Professor in a college. Long ago he worked in our Government High School. At that time I was not his student. Later we became colleagues while working in college in the Union Territory of Puducherry. To my knowledge he is one of the outstanding scholars in Tamil poetry, having proficiency and expertise in English, leading to his critical capability to translate the ancient Sangam Literature and Vallalar’s “Song’s of the Grace” into English. I have had several occasions to interact with him. The essence of his writing shall be summed up in a single line we are born here only to love the fellow human and without any inflated ego or arrogance we must lead a simple life and render service to humanity in whatever way possible.

I found out his landline number from old diary and immediately spoke to him and expressed my heartfelt appreciation for getting this award belatedly. Readers can remember his letter to me which I had posted in my blog some time ago. His Tamil poetry writing dates back to 60s’ and 70s’ and I don’t know to what extent people in Delhi and other committee members are really aware of his literary excellence as they were written in traditional form. He has lived his life, closely aligning himself with nature without expecting any reward or award in his life. Indeed in my own self interest I want him to live for a longer time in order that he will give a lengthy introduction to what all I will publishing during my retirement days which would start from 2013 May.

I have not had any goals in life but I want to read more and write more not just economics alone but a variety of things which I have experienced, suffered pleasantly in my life. We don’t know our expiry date. There is a lingering desire to live for some more time with reasonably good health and leave behind something substantial about our footprints. There are many scholars like Prof. M. L. Thangappa and I am very happy that he will be collectively representing all those who have gone unnoticed and unhonoured by the authorities but getting themselves into history through cosmos. I am proud to be a Tamil although of late. I have considered myself not just an Indian but a world citizen having an endless love and boundless energy to do something at least to think about the downtrodden in all parts of the world.