Chennai: Erode Tamilanban, one of Tamil literature’s most distinguished contemporary voices and a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, was cremated with full state honours in Chennai on Sunday.
The 92-year-old poet, who passed away on Saturday, was accorded a ceremonial farewell at the Arumbakkam electric crematorium, where an armed police contingent fired 30 rounds in three volleys as directed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Tamilanban had been undergoing treatment for severe respiratory complications at a private hospital in the city.
Despite intensive medical care, he breathed his last on Saturday afternoon.
His mortal remains were later brought to his residence in Koyambedu, where they were kept for public homage.
Throughout the day and well into the night, a stream of dignitaries, political leaders, artistes, writers, and admirers visited to pay their respects to the beloved poet.
Chief Minister Stalin, who visited the residence on Saturday, conveyed his condolences to the grieving family.
In his message, he described Tamilanban as “an exceptional literary force whose life elevated Tamil language, culture, and scholarship”, noting that his contributions spanned an extraordinary range of genres and readerships.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin also paid tribute on Sunday ahead of the state funeral.
Born in 1933 in Chennimalai in Erode district, Tamilanban carved a niche as a prolific and versatile literary figure.
His works traversed classical Tamil poetry, modern free verse, haiku, short stories, novels, plays, essays, and children’s literature.
He earned the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2004 for his seminal work ‘Vanakkam Valluva’, which reinterpreted the moral philosophy of Tiruvalluvar for modern readers.
Over the decades, he was also honoured with the Kalaimamani award, among numerous other recognitions.
After the cremation, VCK leader and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan hailed Tamilanban as “a monumental treasure of Tamil thought and a global literary calibre voice”.
He said the poet’s demise was “an irreplaceable loss to the Tamil world”, reflecting the profound influence Tamilanban held across literary and cultural spheres.
With his passing, Tamil Nadu bids farewell to a towering figure who helped shape contemporary Tamil literature and inspired generations of readers, scholars and young writers.
His legacy, say admirers, will endure in the timeless resonance of his words.
(IANS)
