Tamil literature has existed for over 2000 years, making it one of the oldest languages with a rich literary history. In the Tamil literary tradition, there exists a poetic form that is written in accordance with the rules and construction of the Tamil language; it is referred to as Yappilakanam. The young poetess Usharani Saminathan has continued this tradition through her two poetry books. She has spent several years of her life immersed in the Tamil literary field, and had decided to bring forth her own poetry collections through the books Santhana Thoni and Naanagiya Naan.
The young poetess, hailing from Penang, started writing Tamil poetry at the age of 16. Her poetic structure was that of new wave Tamil poetry, and after the encouraging and nurturing advice of poets Seeni Naina, Kampar Kanimozhi, and Professor Manonmani, she began dedicating herself to the poetic structure of Yappilakanam. Out of the poetries that formed, the poetess states that she sent some to poetry competitions while the rest of her writing was made into these two books. Usharani expressed that Naanagiya Naan is a poetic work that comprises the emotions of the individual; it is a poetry collection that centres her own being. While Santhana Thoni is a mosaic-like poetry collection that speaks upon a diverse set of subjects such as Tamil, art, literature, culture, and society.
The poetess has written at length and in depth on the structures of society, the complexities of motherhood, the root of identity, and many more crucial discussions that should enlighten the world we live in. She had also shared how poetry writing is flourishing among the Tamil youth of today.
At this time, many young people are writing poetry, particularly Yappilakkiyam. They study the format in a proper, dedicated manner and begin writing their works. If you read the published works in the Kavithural Collection or Malayaga, they mostly contain the poetry of younger writers. So if you ask me, the passion among the youth for poetry has just grown stronger.
Usharani Saminathan
Also accomplished in the academic field, the young poetess holds both a Bachelor of Communications and a Masters in Corporate Communication and Media Studies from the prestigious University of Putra Malaysia. She has been working as an assistant producer at Astro for several years now, and it can be firmly stated by looking at her accolades that she is an ambitious, intellectual, and artistic woman.
The event that took place on July 2 at the Wisma Tun Sambandhan saw the likes of Tan Sri Dato Dr. S. Subramaniam and Dato Sri Dr. M. Saravanan, as well as some significantly important personalities and Tamil enthusiasts attending this auspicious event. The MIC Deputy Minister M. Saravanan stated that the writers of today should create works that reflect their society and create meaningful discussions amongst the people, he added that he hope more poets will emerge from the young generation to keep the world of literature alive.
Source: Bernama
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