There is an old adage in Tamil, ‘ Thaai ettadi paanja, kutty padinaru adi payum`. Freely translated it means if the mother jumps 8 feet , the child will jump 16 feet. Brothers in arms , Lena & Ravi, the multifaceted sons of the legendary Tamil writer Tamilvanan have proved the adage right by taking the legacy of their father to great heights. Lena as a writer & Ravi as a publisher.
When
Tamilvanan died at the age of 51 of a heart attack, both Lena and Ravi had to
discontinue their studies temporarily to take over the reigns of the business
their father so assiduously built over 30 years. While Lena, with a Masters degree in Tamil literature followed
the footsteps of his father as a writer, Ravi, a qualified Chartered Accountant
with a sharp busines acumen took over the family`s publishing business-
Manimekalai Prasuram.
Lena
remembers that he was only 23 studying for law and already married when his
father passed away. While his father was still alive he had written a few
essays in Tamil which were published in Kalkandu- a magazine targeting the
Youth, of which his father was the
editor.His father not only appreciated his writing but also rewarded him with a
small honorarium. He never imagined that one day this small brush with writing will land him
an editor`s job when S.A.P.Annamalai, the founder editor of Kumudam , owner of
Kalkandu magazine, invited him to take over the editorship of Kalkandu, on his
father`s death. Lena was very
apprehensive about stepping into the larger than life shoes of his father, but seeing
the confidence that Mr Annamalai had in him, he accepted the challenge. Though
initially the circulation dropped from 1,80,00 to 1,40,000, it picked up when the readers found that Lena was `a chip
of the old block` and could dish out informative and inspirational issues of
Kalkandu week after week, just like what his father did for 30 years. Within
four years the circulation reached
2,20,000. Lena never looked back and was
to continue as the editor of Kalkandu magazine for the next 37 years until he
retired in 2014 .
Lena ensured
the continuity of Brand Tamilvanan, not only by wearing dark glasses like his
father, but continued with the features made popular in Kalkandu by his
father. He also introduced new ideas in the magazine. His one page
essays on self improvement were lapped by a whole new generation of
youth. His travelogues, based on his visits to all continents ( except
Antartica) not only were read with great interest by his readers but
also earned him a prestigious Award from
Tanjore Tamil University as the Best Travelogue writer in Tamil. The Q & A
feature covering all subjects bagan to appear under a new title `Junior
Answers~. He also wrote short stories
and novels. `Meendum Sankarlal` a novel series, featuring the fictitious detective character Sankarlal made popular by
his father , which he wrote were well received. When one of his well wishers
asked, ` When do you get the mood to write?` he replied, `There is no question
of mood. When I put the pen on paper to write the ideas simply flow`.
Lena has
been as popular a speaker as he is a writer. His speaking assignments have taken
him to all the countries where Tamils reside winning him legion of friends and
admirers, across the globe. He is also
associated with the family`s publishing business as the Chairman of the editorial
board of Manimekalai Prasuram. Apart
from helping in the editing of the books
published by Manimekalai Prasuram he also helps his brother Ravi in deciding
about the choice of books to be published.
Ravi
Tamilvanan, younger to Lena by just 15 months is singularly responsible for
making the 60 years old Manimekalai Prasuram as one of the topmost publishing
houses in Tamilnadu. While his father started the publishing business only to
publish his own books, better business
sense made Ravi decide to extend the
reach to cover all authors.
Ravi recalls
an incident in his life when he was just 10. When his father brought home a big
bottle of Quink ink ( Don`t say ink, say
quink`) , it seems Ravi remarked, `Appa, by the time you finish writing with
this ink, you would have earned a lakh of Rupees, no?`. His father was
impressed with his son`s business acumen
and hugged him. In later years, his
father would encourage him to give his views on some of the financial issues he was concerned with. He had so much
confidence in Ravi`s ability to manage a
business, that he asked him to supervise the running of a family restaurant,
located in their own complex in Anna Nagar, when the original owner handed over
the restaurant to his father as a settlement for some money owed. Ravi was still in college then
and remembers managing the affairs of
the restaurant, after returning from college every evening. Business was obviously in Ravi`s
blood. No wonder Manimekalai Prasuram
has published over 10000 titles over the years covering 6000 authors. 3600
titles are still actively on sale.
While both
brothers travel abroad regularly, Ravi`s trips are strictly business trips for launching new
books, organizing exhibition and sale of books.
Among the hundred countries that
he has visited , Srilanka is one of Ravi`s favourite destination. He is proud
of the fact that he has helped Srilankan
Tamil writers to publish over 450 books.
Manimekalai Almanac covering 95 years ( 1926-2020) is very
popular among Astrologers. Equally well known is the Directory of `Whose who` `
of Tamilnadu, providing contact details of well known people from different
walks of life, published by the group.
Among the many awards Ravi has won from the industry. he values the Honorary
Doctorate that he got from Washington Tamil University the most.
Both Lena
and Ravi have inherited their father`s qualities of charming people with their
simplicity, sincerity and friendliness.
They are both highly focused and work hard to achieve whatever they set out to
achieve,. On a visit to their home I was amazed to see a joint, well-knit family,
living in complete harmony. In these days when nuclear families are the norm.
where even children don’t want to stay with their parents, it is heartening to
see two brothers` families living together under the same roof even after their marriages forty years ago.The contribution of their
respective spouses cannot be under-estimated in this successful joint family experiment.
The brothers
take the projection of unity in thoughts one step further. Every day , through
a prior understanding, they dress in the same colour outfits, when they go out.
Unlike their father who never looked after his health and died young, right
from their younger days the brothers have been health freaks. In their early
sixties now, both the brothers have serious workouts every morning- Lena
plays badminton and Ravi plays tennis.
When some one asked Lena, ` “While you look very fit for your age, how is it that, your father
who preached the world how to live longer died young?` Lena replied,` What my
father achieved in 51 years of his life
was much more than what many people achieve in 100 years.`
I am sure
that the `Rock Star` brothers of the publishing industry will live to see a
Century and cross many more milestones
in their lives! Far more than what their father achieved.
( concluded)
This article appeared
in Madras Musings issue dt. 15-31 July,2016.
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