OMG. What a prolific writer! And what a vast range of subjects he dealt with in his inimitable style!
His in-depth research on the great Chola kings, Rajaraja and Rajendra. His prolific writings on religion from Mahabaratham to Thevaram and Thiruvasagam. His elegant handling of contemporary subjects like industrial strife and descriptions of a trucker’s ambitions. The popularity he gained in the dialogues he wrote for over 20 films: many of these are remembered for the punch dialogues and humour rendered by superstars Rajanikant and Kamal Hassan.
Balakumaran who died recently was unique.
He worked as a stenographer at TAFE that provided him abundant opportunity to watch from close quarters industrial organisation and practices. The long strife at the Simpson group in 1971 gave him the theme for his much-acclaimed novel Mercury Pookkal. Irumbu Kudiraigal (iron horses) serialized in the Tamil weekly Kalki, described the ambition of one who joins as a cleaner-assistant to a lorry driver, learns driving in a guru-sishya mode, achieves his dream of ascending as a driver and in course of time, becomes a truck-owner. The author points to the willingness of the assistant even going to the extent of serving his driver-guru by taking the onus of an accident caused by the driver on himself!
I notice a parallel of this sharp observation in R Thyagarajan. Well-versed with Tamil literature and novels, he took Shriram Transport to great heights, working so successfully on tapping the burning ambition of cleaner-drivers of trucks!
In-depth historical research
In the realm of Tamil novels, Kalki Krishnamurthy was the pitamaha. He wrote in lucid prose on Mahendra and Narasimha Pallava kings and subsequently on the great Chola king Rajaraja. This provided the inspiration for many Tamil writers to focus on novels on Tamil kings and chieftains. Chandilyan and Balakumaran readily come to mind.
Balakumaran did extensive research, taking painstaking efforts to pursue the travels and conquests of Rajendra Chola, both within India and abroad; he worked even through years of his serious illness to complete the 2300 page novel Gangai Konda Cholan. His own description of the passion and the travails he underwent in writing this book should be an inspiration.
Working closely with the famous director K Balachandar on two of his acclaimed films, Punnagai Mannan and Sindhu Bhairavi, must have been an inspiration for Balakumaran. His sharp Tamil prose rendered by superstars like Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth had a big part in the success of blockbuster films such as Basha, Nayakan, Guna, Gentleman….
The evolution of Brahmins…
I rate Balakumaran’s Appam, Vadai, Thayir Saadam serialized in Ananda Vikatan as among his best contributions. This novel describes the evolution of the Brahmin community over seven generations. The transformation of the community which focused for ages on the pursuit and spread knowledge of the Vedas and Sastras, adopting and growing to take to business and, in course of time, to educate itself in the Macaulay tradition and rapidly ascend the prosperity ladder was so graciously depicted in the story. The community’s brilliance in the legal profession, in civil service, further spreading to business, depicts the dramatic change over two centuries.
I believe that Balakumaran’s great success as a scriptwri-
ter in the film world should have impressed the other popular Tamil writer Sujatha to enter and shine in this field equally brilliantly.
Balakumaran became a disciple of Yogi Ramsuratkumar of Tiruvannamalai and in later years focused on religious pursuits and yoga. When he suffered severe breathing problems with both his lungs severely infected, his steadfast belief in his guru’s dictates and the practice of yoga and pranayama brought about dramatic cure. The society was richly rewarded by his magnum opus on
Rajendra Chola. – SV
