Devaneya Pavanar


Devaneya Pavanar was an Indian scholar who wrote over 35 research volumes on Tamil language and literature. Additionally, he was a staunch proponent of the "Tamil movement">Tamil language">Tamil movement" and initiated the Etymological Dictionary Project primarily to bring out the roots of Tamil words and their connections and ramifications with Nostratic studies.
In his 1966 Primary Classical language of the World, he argues that the Tamil language is the "most natural" and also a proto-world language, being the oldest language of the world, from which all other major languages of the world are derived. He believed that its literature, later called Sangam literature and usually considered to have been written from 200 BCE and 300 CE, spanned a huge period from 10,000 to 5,500 BCE. Mainstream linguists, geologists and historians do not subscribe to his theories.
Devaneya Pavanar composed many musical pieces and many noteworthy poems, including the collection of Venpa. The title was conferred on him by the Tamil Nadu State Government in 1979, and he was also addressed as Dravida Mozhi nool Nayiru.

Biography

Gnanamuthu Devaneyan Pavanar was a Tamil professor at Municipal College, Salem, from 1944 to 1956. From 1956 to 1961, he was the head of Dravidian department at Annamalai University. He was a member of the Tamil Development and Research Council, set up by the Nehru government in 1959, entrusted with producing Tamil school and college textbooks. From 1974, he was director of the Tamil Etymological Project, and he acted as president of the International Tamil League, Tamil Nadu..
The Chennai District Central Library is named after Devanaya Pavanar and is located at Anna Salai, Chennai.

Views on Tamil versus Sanskrit

Pavanar's Vadamoli Varalaru argues that hundreds of Sanskrit words can be traced to a Tamil origin, and at the same time he insisted that pure Tamil equivalents existed for Sanskrit loan words. He claimed that Tamil is a "superior and more divine" language than Sanskrit. In his view the Tamil language originated in "Lemuria", the cradle of civilisation and place of origin of language. He believed that evidence of Tamil's antiquity was being suppressed by Sanskritists.
Pavanar's timeline for the evolution of mankind and Tamil is as follows:
In the preface to his 1966 book The Primary Classical Language of the World he wrote:
In a chapter entitled Tamil more divine than Sanskrit, Pavanar gives the reasons why he judges Tamil to be "more divine" than Sanskrit, arguing for "Primary Classicality of Tamil", he enumerates:
Tamil LanguageSanskrit Language
Primitive and original.Derivative.
Spoken and living language.Semi-artificial literary dialect.
Scriptural studies exoteric.Scriptural studies esoteric.
Inculcation of cosmopolitanism.Division of society into numerous castes on the basis of birth and parentage.
Admission of all to asceticism.
Holding higher education common to all.
Encouragement of gifts to all the poor and needy.Enjoinment on the donors to give only to the Sanskritists.
Love of truth.Love of imposture and plagiarism.
Laying of emphasis on love, as means of attaining eternal bliss.Laying of emphasis on knowledge, as means of attaining union with the universal soul.
Having a system of sacrifices to minor deities as religion.Having monotheistic Saivism and Vaisnavism as religions.
Literary description natural.Literary description imaginary.

Publishing history

The Central Plan Scheme for Classical Tamil of the Centre of Excellence for Classical Tamil recommends
The literary works and books of Pavanar have been "nationalised" by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the course of the "Golden Jubilee year of National Independence". This means that the copyright for Pavanar's work is now owned by the state of Tamil Nadu, his legal heirs having been compensated financially.

Awards and honours

  • A Silver plate presented to him by the Tamil Peravai, Salem in 1955 in appreciation of his service to Tamil.
  • A Copper Plate presented to his by the Governor of Tamil Nadu 1960 in appreciation of his contribution to the collection of administrative terms in Tamil.
  • A Silver Plate presented to his by the South Indian Saiva Sinddhanta Works Publishing Society, Thirunelveli Ltd., in 1970 in appreciations of his research work in Tamil philology and etymology.
  • Official centenary celebrations of Pavanar were held at Sankarankoil and Gomathimuthupuram of Tirunelveli district and at Chennai, attended by the Minister for Education and the Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.
  • In February 2006, a commemorative stamp of Devaneya Pavanar was released by the Postal Department in Chennai.
  • In October 2007, a memorial was installed at Madurai by the Government of Tamil Nadu in honour of Devaneya Pavanar.
Tamil
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Devaneya Pavanar award

Devaneya Pavanar award was instituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu to honour the legacy of this renowned Tamil scholar.