Lesson - 6

p10136 Novels of K R Rangaraju

This lesson talks about the detective novels written by K R Rangaraju, one of the foremost practitioner of detective novels. His novel "Mohanasundaram" appeared in the year 1932. K R Rangaraju's detective novels have a special place in Tamil literature. He has authored eight novels from 1906 to 1932. Like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character "Sherlock Holmes", the author has created a detective character called "Thiruvalikeni Govindan".

    Mohanasundaram is one of the best novels authored by K R Rangaraju. His detective novels contain a lot of suspense and mystery. The main characters in this novel are Govindan, Leelavathi, Visalakshi, Mohana Mudaliar, Sundara Mudaliar and Boopathi Mudaliar and Gopalsamy Naidu. The Minor characters are Subbarayan. Ramudu, Maragatham and Seetharama Mudali. The novel revolves around the character "Thiruvalikeni Govindan". Thiruvalikeni Govindan is an expert detective. He collects the small clues available and unravels the mystery. He finds out the murderer by looking at the slippers at the scene of the crime.

    Another main character in the novel is Leelavathi. Leelavathi craves for wealth. She is responsible for all the problems in the novel. She presents herself as an ideal woman but in reality, she is manipulative and wicked. Sundara Mudaliar is a wideower in his 60's and marries Leelavathi as he falls for her beauty. In the middle of the novel, there is a segment where Sundara Mudaliar appears to have died. But he emerges alive at the end of the novel. He is puppet in the hands of Leelavathi. The minor characters are also responsible for the flow of the novel. Even though their presence is not felt in the whole novel, it is needed for the novel to progress.

    The author has employed various techniques in this novel. The title of the novel emphasizes the names of the two main characters of the novel. The story revolves around Mohana Mudaliar and Sundara Mudaliar who are friends and run a joint business. A murder takes place in their company and the incidents that happen afterwards are discussed in the novel.

    From this lesson we have learnt about the novel Mohanasundaram written by K R Rangaraju. The author is well known for his detective novels and is among the foremost detective novelists. The character Thiruvalikeni Govindan is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. K R Rangaraju has curved a niche for himself in the field of Tamil detective novels.