Tamil novelist, documentary filmmaker and Sahitya Akademi awardee Sa Kandasamy passed away in Chennai on Friday morning. He was 80. According to reports, he was undergoing treatment in a private hospital in the city and suffered a heart attack on Friday. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
Born in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu on July 31, 1940, Kandasamy got his first break in the literary world in 1968, when his novel ‘Saayavanam Puthinam’ was published. This novel was listed as one of the masterpieces of modern literature by the National Book Trust according to reports. He has written at least seven novels and 11 short stories in his lifetime.
Kaaval deivangal, a documentary based on his study of south Indian terracotta, made by Doordarshan, won the top honours at the Cyprus Angino Film Festival in Nicosia in 1989. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award in 1998 for his Tamil novel ‘Visaaranai Commission’. Another novel written by him, ‘Tholaindhu ponavargal’, was made into a television serial.
He was also granted a fellowship by the Lalit Kala Akademi of the government of Tamil Nadu in 1995 for his contribution to the development of art.
Condolences poured in from politicians and literary figures on social media for his demise.
DMK MP and poet Kanimozhi Karunanithi tweeted her condolences, calling his death as a “huge loss to the Tamil creative world”.
“His ‘Saayavanam’ spoke about the destruction of nature due to industrialisation. ‘Visaaranai Commission’ novel shed light on the bad side of the police. Sa Kandasamy was a great person who loved people and embraced them with their flaws,” she wrote in her tweets.
தமிழின் மிகச் சிறந்த படைப்பாளிகளில் ஒருவரும், சாகித்ய அகாடமி விருது பெற்ற எழுத்தாளருமான சா.கந்தசாமியின் மறைவு, தமிழ் படைப்புலகுக்கு பெரும் இழப்பு. மனிதர்களின் முரண்களை தன் எழுத்துக்களில் பதிவு செய்தவர். அவரின் சாயாவனம், தொழில்மயமாக்கலால் அழியும் இயற்கையை பற்றி பேசியது,
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) July 31, 2020
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AMMK Chief TTV Dhinakaran expressed his condolences on Twitter and said Sa Kandasamy’s literary creations will remain as reminders of his glory. “His works including novels, short stories, essays and documentary films spanning over half a century will sing his glory forever. I express my deepest condolences to his family members and friends,” he tweeted.
நாவல், சிறுகதை, கட்டுரை, ஆவணப்படம் என அரை நூற்றாண்டுக்கும் மேலாக அவர் உருவாக்கிய படைப்புகள் என்றைக்கும் சா.கந்தசாமி அவர்களின் புகழ்பாடும். அவரது மறைவால் வாடும் குடும்பத்தினருக்கும், நண்பர்களுக்கும் ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கலைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன். 3/3
— TTV Dhinakaran (@TTVDhinakaran) July 31, 2020