Lesson - 6 : P10146

The Novels of Sujatha

    The name Sujatha is familiar to all readers of Tamil magazines and books. He is the first to write science fiction novels in Tamil. This lesson introduces Sujatha and analyses his novel "En Iniya Iyandiraa".

    This is the age of science. Science has invaded everything, including the novel, which is a representative of people's literature. Sujatha is a pioneer in science fiction novels in Tamil. In this novel, En Iniya Iyandiraa, sujatha envisages a future, when people's government will be replaced by Machines' government.

    Sujatha - whose real name is S. Rangarajan - was born on 3.5.1935 in Srirangam in Tamil Nadu. As an engineer he worked in Bharat Heavy Eletricals Limited, Trichy, and Bharat Electronics, Bangalore. He has written several science-based novels and other works. His detective novels are very popular even today. His novel, En Iniya Iyandiraa has created a record in the field of publication. After it was published, many people named their pets "Jeeno", after the genial Robot Jeeno, introduced by Sujatha in the novel. Hence, he wrote another novel, "Meendum Jeeno", as a sequel to this novel.

    In his detective novels, Sujatha created two sleuths Ganesh and Vasanth, who were so realistically portrayed, that people believed them to be real, living men. Subsequently, detective novelists like Pushpa Tahangadurai, Rajeshkumar, Rajendrakumar, Pattukottai Prabhakar, Subha, and Devibala, followed Sujatha's example of having two detectives in their novels. Many of Sujatha's novels have been adapted into movies.

    In addition to novels, Sujatha has written numerous short stories, poems, essays, reviews and translations. Through his novel En Iniya Iyandiraa, Sujatha shows how the ordinary people are treated as sheep by governments. It is upto the common man to be alert to the disadvantages of government schemes. Only then will society be benefited.

    This lesson deals with the science fiction novels of Sujatha and analyses their characteristics. It also tells you how Sujatha has set an example in detective stories for many others to follow.