The Times Of India
M T Saju | TNN | Jan 8, 2015, 03.25 AM IST
CHENNAI:
It was because of his love for "Silapaddikaram" that this retired professor erected a sculpture of Kannagi (the central character in the epic) near Pammal a year ago. For J. Srichandran, life remains a journey from one epic to the other.
Having authored 35 books and having written commentaries on all major epics in Tamil, particularly Jain literature, Srichandran is considered an authority on such monumental works as "Jeevaka Chinthamani", "Sripurana", "Thirukkural" and "Tholkappiyam." Srichandran has got no awards or recognition but his passion keeps him going. The man, whose 87th birthday falls on Thursday, is busy writing a commentary on Tamil epic "Perumkathai". "I sleep only for four hours. The rest of the time I use for reading and writing. Books have been my best friends for years. We need more commentaries on our epics so that the youngsters will have a better idea about our tradition. I have done whatever I could," says Srichandran, who taught Tamil literature at Chennai's A.M. Jain College for 30 years.
Teaching was his bread and butter, but he wanted to do something for lay readers and opened publishing house 'Varthmanan Pathippagam,' mainly to popularize Tamil epics and Jain literature. "We have published more than 200 books, from Tamil literature to grammar and epics. The books became popular among lay readers, mainly because of their simplicity and accuracy. I always try to keep up this promise," he says. Tracing the copies of epics was not easy and Srichandran had to travel far and wide to find rare copies of epics to write commentaries and criticism based on them.
The pinnacle of his contribution to Jainism is his translation into Tamil of the "Sripurana," an abridged work of the "Mahapurana" of the great Acharya Jinasena and Gunabadra. It is revered in individual houses as well as in Jain pilgrim centres. He has translated, printed and published this book. Besides, he has brought out audio cassettes and compact discs on Jain philosophy. His "Samanam Valartha Thamizh (Tamil nurtured by the Jains) is an important work on the contribution of Jains to Tamil language and culture.
Srichandran now plans to form a team of volunteers to set about creating awareness on the need to protect neglected Jain sites across Tamil Nadu. "It is disturbing to see many Jain sites in Tamil Nadu lying uncared. I have done whatever I could to create awareness about our literature. It will help if we could form a team of heritage enthusiasts to create awareness among people about these abandoned Jain sites. It's our duty to protect our heritage," he says.