Kamban - A New Prespective

Book Details
• Publisher: SAHITYA AKADEMI
• Author: A.S. Gnanasambandhan and A. Dakshinamurthy
• Language: English
• Pages: 320
• Cover: Paperback
• Dimensions: 21.5 cm x 14 cm (8.50 X 5.50 inch)
• Weight: 410 gm
• Edition: 2013
• ISBN: 9788126041176

About the Book
‘Kamban – A New Perspective’, is the translation of the Tamil original, ‘Kamban: Pudhiya Paarvai’, by Professor A.S. Gnanasambandhan, which won the award of the Sahitya Akademi for the year 1984. It is an excellent criticism of the Kambaramayanam, one of the most celebrated works in the Tamil language. It attempts to establish that Kamban’s main aim was to stress the importance of ‘Sense-control’, to take humanity to the path of salvation. It also establishes beyond doubt that Raman is the incarnation of the Primordial God and not of any deity of any particular religion. The author emphatically concludes that Kamban is the first Tamil poet who spoke the ideas of the great Upanishads in Sanskrit. The last two chapters that deal with the greatness of Hanuman and human values bear witness to the intellectual loftiness and critical acumen of the author.

About the Author
Professor A.S. Gnanasambandhan, author of several books, is well known as a great teacher, profound scholar, eloquent orator, noteworthy publisher, and above all, a seasoned literary critic. His mastery over the English language is legendary. He enjoyed the respect of a wide circle of literary men. He had won the love and affection of great men like Na. Mu. Venkatasamy Nattar, a profound savant of Tamil, Prof. T.P. Meenakshi Sundaram, the great polyglot and polymath, and Rt. Hon. V.S. Srinivasa Sastri, the world-renowned Indian personality who was the Vice-Chancellor of the Annamalai University during his college days.

Dr. A. Dakshinamurthy, a scholar of Tamil with proficiency in English, is the leading translator of ancient Tamil classics like The Akananuru, The Natrinai, The Kuruntokai, The Purananuru, The Patthupaatu, and six works on the Akam theme in The Pathinenkeelkanakku division. He is also one of the few scholars who have contributed significantly to the translation of the poems of Bharathidasan. He has received several awards for his contribution to Tamil.

Introduction
In the course of my studying the Kambaramayanam for many years and my literary discourses in various forums, I had always raised the question: 'Did Kamban compose his work with a desire to establish his eternal fame by writing a matchless epic in the Tamil Language?' This question haunted my mind very often. I had for a long time thought if Kamban also had a cherished aim like Milton, who declared, 'I am going to compose an epic which cannot be destroyed even if the world wishes so.'