Tamil Grandfather U Ve Swaminatha Iyer / தமிழ்த்தாத்தா உ. வே. சாமிநாத​ ஐயர் - Work of a Lifetime!

U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer; Image: Wikipedia

இவரின்றித் தமிழின்று ஒளிர்ந்திடுமோ

சுவரின்றிச் சித்திரமும் மலர்ந்திடுமோ

மொழியின்றிச் சரித்திரமும் நிலைத்திடுமோ

பயனிலா வாள்போல​ மழுங்கிடுமோ . . .

காலத்தில் சுவடிகளும் தகர்ந்திடுமோ

ஞாலத்தின் ஞானங்கள் மறைந்திடுமோ

தமிழ்கூறும் வேதங்கள் மறந்திடுமோ

தமிழ்த்தாத்தாவின் வேள்விகளும் அணைந்திடுமோ . . .

U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer (Uthamadhanapuram Venkatasubbaiyer Swaminatha Iyer), popularly known as Tamil Thaatha or the Tamizh grandfather, was born this day, on the 19th of February, 1855, in Uthamadhanapuram near Papanasam, Thiruvaroor District, Tamil Nadu. 

Uthamadhanapuram, Thiruvaroor District, birthplace of U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer

The work of a lifetime

Dr. U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer, also fondly known as U. Ve. Sa, and motivated by Salem Ramaswamy Mudaliar, built on his interest in medieval Tamil literature and embarked on the herculean pursuit of recovering lost paper and palm manuscripts of Tamil classics that would have been lost forever but for his efforts. His initiative and relentless research of over five decades resulted in the recovery of over 3000 manuscripts and in around 100 books published by him.

U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer brought to life some of the Tamil classics that have been / are being researched today, some of them dating back to the Sangam period, dating between the 5th century BCE and the 3rd century CE. Cilappathikaram, Pathuppattu, Ettuthokai, Civaka Cintamani, Manimekalai, and Purananuru are some of the classics whose recovery and publication could be attributed to Thamizh Thatha.  

U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer dedicated his entire life towards reviving Tamil literature by restoring the Tamil classical gems to their glory, literally knocking on doors village after village, and asking for manuscripts that may have been left with the residents - with years of invasions from foreign forces, the age-old knowledge in India had been dissipated, many of them destroyed. It took the single-minded dedication and lifetime work of U. Ve. Sa to collect them from disparate individuals and aggregate them into the form and shape that we are able to find them in today. 

Civaka Cintamani, for instance, is a Jain religious scripture that was authored by Thiruttakkatevar, a descendant of the Chola Dynasty who later became a Jain monk. Salem Ramaswamy Mudaliar is said to have contributed the palm manuscript of Civaka Cintamani to U. Ve. Sa. The Thamizh Thatha, in his quest to restore the classic, is said to have visited and consulted many Jain scholars to interpret Civaka Cinthamani and restore it in its original form.

U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer's Memorial Library, Uthamadhanapuram; Image: Information and Public Relations Dept, Tamil Nadu Govt

Subramaniya Bharathi, Rabindranath Tagore, and U. Ve. Sa

Apart from his associations with Subramaniya Bharathi, the fiery Tamil poet and freedom fighter, that the great poet from Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore met Dr U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer in person and penned a poem in Bengali in 1926 on his literary efforts, is a tribute to Dr Iyer's life mission and accomplishments. 

Rabindranath Tagore was a frequent visitor to South India during the Indian freedom movement, and could connect with Dr U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer during his many visits. Tagore compared Iyer with Sage Agastya himself, the source and author of Tamil language. 

House and History

While the house where the Tamil Thatha lived has unfortunately been erased, perhaps on commercial considerations, his works and manuscripts are preserved in the library in his name in Uthamadhanapuram in Thiruvaroor district, and in Adyar, Chennai. Details of his life and his house have been recorded by his disciple and student Ki.Va. Jagannathan in his book "Enathu Asiriyar Piran" (எனது ஆசிரியர் பிரான்). The essence of his life and works has been captured in his autobiography, En Sarithiram (என் சரித்திரம்).

U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer Library:
18/1/2, Anna St, Lakshmipuram, Radhakrishnan Nagar, Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600041

The Tamil grandfather breathed his last in 1942, a few years before India could celebrate Independence from the British colonial empire. However, his efforts of a lifetime have revived Tamil classics and have breathed fresh life into the Tamil language for generations to come!