HILL COUNTRY 

WRITER IN THAMIL

K S SIVAKUMARAN

I wish to write about a versatile writer in Thamil who is no more with us. His name was K Govindraj. I have read some of his writing and enjoyed a teleplay by him but I had together more information about him particularly from Teliwatte Joseph, an important writer from the hillcountry.
Govindaraj was born in Angumpura estate in Matlaae. As a humanist he found the people in the estates were poor and had to struggle for their livelihood in unhealthy surroundings.
He depicted their life styles in writing stories about them since 1968. He wrote to Dinaptahi, Thinakaran, Virakesari, Chinthamani, Sudar, Kathambam and Congress the print media that was available to him then.
His short stories won prizes in completions thrice. He joiner the Virakesari in 1970 as a journalist and worked till 1981. He worked for the Yaalpaanam branch of the Virakesari he had contacts with a hilcountry academic M.Nithyananthan. The latter brought out three works based on hillcountry Thamil literature. They were Naam Irukkum Naadae (The Country we live in), Oru Koodaik Kolunthu (A basket of Tea buds) and Veedattavan (Homeless). Govindarasj contributed in the effort to bring out these books.
He wrote a column for Sirithiran under his pseudonym Kangulan depicting what was happening in the hill country. He wrote a column for the Thinakaran using his pen name Kangulan. In Kathambam he wrote a column called Malaiklin Pinnal (Behind the Hills).
His collection of short stories Pasiavaram (Vow for no hunger), and a pen sketch titled Thoattathuk Katha Nayakarkal (Heroes of the estate) were published in 1966 and 1968 respectively.
He was also a performing artiste using the radio, TV and the stage. He wrote a fine serial of 13 episodes for the Rupavaahini. Malai Oaram Veesum Kaattu ((The wind blowing over the foots of the hill) was its title. Produced by S K Wigneswaran this production included on the spot locales in narrating the story with dramatic effect. He continued wit other presentations like Arumbu (Bud), Maapillai Vanthaar (The Bridegroom arrived), Puthuk Kudumbam (New Family), Thiruppam (Turning Point), Manithrkal Nallavarkal (People are good).He wrote 16 single episode plays for Shakthi TV and were telecast.
He died prematurely and the local Thamil literary scene lost a talented writer.

ks.sivakumaran@yahoo.com

MORTALITY PROBLEM

In a opening a session of the legislative council, governor longden said that of 65 witness

who had appeared before the committee,30 thoughts that the ordinance had operated more or

less satisfactorily, while 35 felt that it was unsatisfactory. the medical witnesses had

wanted the government to undertake the entire responsibility for the health of the workers.

the committee had recommended a voluntary scheme which would however have safeguards to ensure

the proper care of the workers. longden said the fullest scope would be provided for voluntary

action but means would be provided to supplement such voluntary services where necessary.

in moving the repeal of the ordinance on 26 November 1879 in the legislative council, the colonial secretary stated that the whole scheme had not worked very well. estates had been divided on a geographical basic and if a river ran through an estate, access from one to another was difficult despite their contiguity. The scheme had been handicapped by a shortage of funds. the committees had tried to build hospitals and bear monthly expenses out of incomes which left no balance for some items of annual expenditure. there were difficulties in the collection of assessments and the planters did not take much interest in a scheme that was not their own. the government had therefore decided to the voluntary principle and the committees would be allowed to take the initiative of summoning meetings whenever necessary. generally the committee would function on their own and the government which would undertake the collection of the assessment, would other wise step in only when necessary.

the planters who were opposed to any from of "interference" by the government opposed the legislation even though it was a significant concession to them.

R.B.Downall, the representative of the planters in the council moved that the bill be read nine months hence-a parliamentary tactic of

expressing opposition. he said that although the government had spend large sums of money it had very little to show. he said that if

Ramaswamy was asked for his view he would say that it had been for the benefit of the doctors.he said that one doctor had been on leave 10 months in the last 18 months.

Downhall also alleged that native owners had evaded coming under the scheme by dividing their estates into blocks of less than 10 acres each,

and giving each block a different name,as estates under 10 acres were exempted from these schems. he said that as a result out of a total estate population of

about 360,000 estate workers only between 110,000 to 120,000 came under the scheme and he urged that provision should also be made for the others.

although a favourite joke among planters was how they had treated their workers with sauce, Downhall claimed that a government official had done precisely this.

he said that when workers in agovernment labour gang suffered from dysentery the officer in charge treated them with chlorodyne. when he asked for a fresh stocks. He therefore treated his sick workers with worcester sauce with very good results.amid laughter downhall said that if a planter had done such a thing it would have been reported to the government and there would have been a great deal said about it.

Ponnambalam (later sir) Ramanathan who had just succeeded sir Muttu coomara swamy as the Tamil member in the council, presented a very different picture of the situation in his speech. Ramanathan said there were 39 coffee districts with a total of 1,357 estates on which 275,000 to 300,000 workers were employed. There were 21 medical district with an average of 65 estates, and 15,000 workers. No doctor could look after 15,000 workers and as a result the doctors confined themselves to the superintendent and his family . the “coollies” were left to die at the rate of 60 per 1,000 which was three times as much as normal mortality.

l government public works department was also 60 per 1,000. Downhall was successful in his opposition to the bill in that the governor said that if he withdrew his motion about the bill being considered in nine months time ,the government would postponed consideration of it to another session. At the closing of the session the next day the governor paid a tribute to the planters saying “ on many estates I have seen with great satisfaction the care that is taken of the coolies”.

In the dying years of the coffee industry, as in those of its birth and growth, coffee workers continued to be “found dead” not only in the coffee districts and along the routes taken by them but also, in the last stages, even in the western province, and colombo. The overwhelming majority were workers who had been turned out of the estates when they were too sick to work.