” சாவது ஒரு கலை - சில்வியாப்ளாத்
சாகமுடியாததும் ஒரு கலை –சுகந்தி “
சுகந்தி சுப்ரமணியன்
Suganthi
subramanian
Poems
which contained life and death
B.
Meenakshi Sundaram
A
notebook of poems by the late poetess, Suganthi Subramanian, begins with the
famous quote of the American poetess, Sylvia Plath — dying is an art. On the
same page, Suganthi wrote — not dying is also an art. One of the early poetesses of Coimbatore who
suffered from psychiatric disorders, Suganthi used the two contrary quotes to
hint her struggle between life and death.
A number
of her poems, a few short stories and some of her journal entries were compiled
by eminent Tamil writer and husband, Subrabharathi Manian. The work now has
been published as a book — Suganthi Subramanian Padaipugal (The literary works
of Suganthi Subramanian).
A native
of Alandurai, which lies at the outskirts of Coimbatore, Suganthi was neglected
by her parents. She was brought up by her paternal grandmother. When she was in
high school, she got married to Subrabharathi Manian, who was then an employee
in the telecom department.
Famed
Tamil writer Jeyamohan, in his tribute on the demise of Suganthi, says :
“The
society’s mockery and ridicule on Suganthi on being a parentless girl took a
toll on her mental health even while she was a school student. The stress
caused in her early childhood days developed into psychiatric disorders in
later life.”
An
author of the two books of poems Pudhayunda Vaazhkkai (Life that was buried) and Meendezhuthalin
Rakasiam (The secrets of redemption), Suganthi had begun writing poems after
her husband advised her, who believed writing could act as a therapy to
overcome her mental issues. However, Suganthi took psychiatric treatments in
different hospitals. She breathed her last on February 11, 2009.
Her
complete literary works Suganthi Subramanian Padaipukal, which was posthumously
published, contains writer Jeyamohan’s fitting tribute to her.
“Suganthi
was one of the remarkable poets whom I knew when I began to appear in the
literary scene of Tamil Nadu. I once evaluated her poems in the magazine
Kalachuvadu, which was edited by famed writer Sundara Ramasamy. However, when I
read her later poems, they were not as appealing, as her health was
deteriorating. Nevertheless, the direct prayers in her later poems depicted the
suffering she endured every day. And for this, the literary world will remember
her.”
City-based
writer CR Ravindran, a recipient of Bharathiya Basha Parishad’s award for his
novel Eeram Kasintha Nilam, says:
“Suganthi
led a beautiful life with Manian. But the grief, which she experienced her in
childhood, haunted her throughout her life. Suganthi’s poems are unfeigned as
she wrote them from her pleasures and pains she experienced.”
