An Analysis of Narratives in R. A. Padmanabhan’s Non-Fictional Prose Work V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

Abstract

Today English has become the global language and to express one’s feelings and emotions in English has become inevitable. The evolution of English writing in India could be traced back to the Anglicized imperialists whose official necessities created the need for the Indian clerks and secretaries to learn to speak and write in English. This slowly induced the Indian intellectuals to use the language for the benefit of the Indian expressions – especially during the pre-independent times. K.R.Sinivasa Iyengar rightly points out ” Talented Indians learned to use the  medium for translation, petitioning, journalism, law, oratory political agitation, social reform propaganda and educational, historical and philosophical studies”. During the pre-independent era the themes were generally related to freedom movement, Independence, Gandhism etc. with freedom, the post Independent prose writings took different shape of themes along with the themes of Freedom and Independence. Various types of prose had been there since the time of the Independence.  The present author is one such writer  whose prose writing fall under the umbrella of  Post Independent  Indian English writing. Mr. R.A.Padmanabhan, ( 2.4.1917 - 26.1.2014.) was an Indian Writer in English and Tamil. He was a biographer, translator, veteran journalist, news reader and a reviewer. He had won many awards for his books. His Tamil book Chithra Bharathi had won him many awards and laurels. Having been a bilingual writer, Mr.Padmanabhan has written 13 books in Tamil and 4 books in English and more than 50 essays in English. His writing can be classified as non-fictional prose works under the broad category of Indian Writing in English. His essays were published as series in a Journal called Indian Review and a Magazine called Free India. These essays talk on varied subjects like the History of how the Tamil Press  (Tamil Journalism) – was established, the first Car, Tram, Aeroplane, Radio etc to Chennai, Bharathi, as an English Writer and the author’s experiences with great men like Ramana Maharishi, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Shri.Kamaraj, the immersion of  Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashes in the confluence of the Ganga Yamuna rivers at Allahabad and the life and experiences of  Nilakanta Brahmachari, a revolutionary turned Sadhu. Not to mention his radio scripts.