As a student of Tamil, in school days, many ( if not all) of us must have had ( or borrowed) a copy of the famous கோனார் உரை (Konar Urai) to study and understand Tamil Literature…
Our Tamil teacher too recommended us to buy Konar urai as it was (quite rightly) considered the best! The Konar Urai was (and seems still is) very detailed and sophisticated urai, hence most teachers would give full marks if one writes as such as in the urai. For backbenchers (and poor performers) even Konar’s urai would be tough to grasp so there was an even more simpler urai (தேன் தமிழ்) but if you write exams studying that urai, you will not get full marks but you can surely pass! If one manages to answer of course!!!
Now 22 years after completing my schooling, my passion to learn Tamil ( her literature) continues…
It was only recently I wondered and became curious about Konar, his urai.
How many of us know who Konar was? Was he an ancient urai asiriyar, like Parimelazhakar who wrote a famous urai for the Tirukkural?
To know about Konar, let’s first look at the publisher (Palaniappa Bros) who made the author (and his Urai) as famous as he has been for many decades!
The Publishing house
S.M. Palaniappa Chettiar, a student in Rangoon, was an avid reader, and even tried to organise a library in his school. His father Meiyappa Chettiar would often say, “Books will be your undoing.” He was proved wrong. Palaniappa Chettiar returned to India and set up a shop near Clive’s Hostel in Tiruchi, where he sold stationery, ink powder, and later books.
The entry into publishing happened because of a train journey! It is trite, but true that Fortune favours the venturesome. In the early 1940s, Chettiar, while on a train to Madras, struck up a conversation with his fellow passenger — Ayyamperumal Konar, who was a Tamil professor in St. Joseph’s college, Tiruchi. The Professor said that he was looking for someone to publish his Tamil guide book for school students. “I’ll do it,” said Palaniappa Chettiar, and thus was born Palaniappa Brothers, and the guide titled ‘Konar Urai’ became a runaway best seller.
That was a time when text books for schools were not prescribed by the Government. The books to be used in each district were decided by the Collectors. Upon the success of Konar Urai , Palaniappa Brothers started publishing text books too, and Chettiar toured the State, promoting his text books and visited schools to convince principals of the utility of Konar Urai .
Chettiar now could turn his attention to other books. How did Chettiar know which book would be a good business proposition? “We never looked at books from that angle. Anyway, the money kept coming and still does from Konar Urai . That is our bread and butter. And so we could publish other books, without worrying about sales,” says Palaniappa Chettiar’s son Chellappan who now runs the business.
And over the years, Palaniappa has come out with books for readers looking for good non-fiction. Many years ago, this writer bought Va.Ra’s book on Bharatiar and all of Tamil scholar Ra.Pi. Sethupillai’s books at Palaniappa. Upon Azha Valliappa’s suggestion a series of books for children — Ariviyal Arignargal, Naattukku Uzhavithavargal and Samayam Valartha Sandror — were brought out. They were best sellers in Chettiar’s time and continue to be so. Bal Sahitya Puraskar award given by the Government of India for best children’s literature has come to books published by Palaniappa thrice.
CHENNAI: 30-08-2017— Palaniappa Brothers, Publishers (KONAR PUBLICATIONS) in Chennai. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
The business first functioned from Triplicane, and in the 1960s, it moved to Peter’s Road, Royapettah. When the building came up in Royapettah,
Palaniappa Chettiar rightly gave it the name ‘Konar Maligai.’
Ayyamperumal Konar named his house ‘Palaniappan Illam,’
to show his gratitude to Chettiar who had made Konar Urai a household name in Tamil Nadu.
In 1969, Konar died, but the guide, continues to come out, written by other authors. Palaniappa Chettiar never wanted short shelf life books, and so he kept away from trends. Fiction too was never looked at favourably, with a few exceptions like Kothamangalam Subbu’s Thillana Mohanambal. “We continued to publish Thillana Mohanambal until Subbu’s works were nationalised,” says Chellappan. Chettiar’s relationship with authors went beyond business. Gregarious by nature, he became friends with them, and was almost like family to many of them.
CHENNAI: 30-08-2017— Palaniappa Brothers, Publishers (KONAR PUBLICATIONS) in Chennai. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
CHENNAI: 30-08-2017— Chellappan, Palaniappa Brothers, Publishers (KONAR PUBLICATIONS) in Chennai. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
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