'Avvai' Natarajan, a renowned Tamil scholar and a multi-faceted personality who headed the prestigious Thanjavur Tamil University for three years, passed away here on Monday. He was 86 and is survived by three sons.
The scholar was admitted at a private hospital in Chennai due to age-related illness and breathed his last on Monday evening. His eldest son, N Arul works as Director in the Department of Tamil Development of the Tamil Nadu government, while other two sons – N Kannan and N Bharathan – are doctors.
Natarajan, who was bestowed with Padma Shri award in 2011 for his contributions to Tamil language, was a news reader with the All India Radio (AIR) in New Delhi in his early days and worked as a Tamil lecturer with the Thiagarajar College in Madurai and Rajah Serfoji Government College in Thanjavur.
An excellent orator who can keep his audience captivated for hours together, Natarajan served as the fourth Vice-Chancellor of the Thanjavur Tamil University from 1993 to 1995. He was also associated with the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, which was formed after Tamil was declared a classical language in 2004 by the then UPA-I government.
Impressed by his contributions to Tamil and efforts to further develop the language, the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had in 1972 appointed him as the Secretary of the Department of Tamil Development and Culture. This was a rare feat as the post of secretary is always held by an IAS officer.
Scholars recalled that Natarajan’s speeches on Sangam Literature would keep his audience spell-bound. Chief Minister M K Stalin led the state in mourning Natarajan’s death terming his demise as one that would make Mother Tamil cry. “We mourn the death of a great Tamil scholar. His works and his speeches will continue to live as long as Tamil exists,” Stalin added.
Born in Cheyyar, a town in Tiruvannamalai district, in 1936, Natarajan did his schooling in his native place. His father Avvai Duraisamy was a Tamil scholar himself and Natarajan’s love for Tamil began at a very early age.
Natarajan was cremated with full state honours on Tuesday evening.