Renowned Tamil writer K Rajanarayanan passes away at 98
(Sourced from PTI)
Renowned Tamil writer, novelist, and the recipient of Sahitya Akademi award K Rajanarayanan, popularly known as Ki Ra died in Puducherry on Monday, family sources said. He was 98 and is survived by two sons. Rajanarayanan was ailing from age-related health conditions for some time and breathed his last at the government quarters in Puducherry.
Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday visited the writer's residence and paid her last respects to him. Later, she told reporters that a representation was made by Tamil writers that the house where Rajanarayanan lived be converted into a memorial library, which would be considered.
Rajanarayanan served as the Professor of Folklore Department at Pondicherry University in the 1980s. He was an eminent writer of short stories, novels, folklores, and essays. He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1991 for his novel Gopallapurathu Makkal. He was known for the depiction of the people and culture of Karisal Kaadu (bhoomi)— the hot and dry land of southern Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin condoled the veteran's death and said that the final rites of Ki Ra, a native of the neighboring state, will be held with state honors. The DMK leader paid rich tributes to the writer and said that his demise has put a "full stop to Karisal literature."
"Rajanarayanan has not died but continues to live through his words," Stalin said and expressed his sympathies with the family of the author and others. Ki Ra was born in Idaiseval village near Kovilpatti in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin District in 1923. AIADMK joint coordinator K Palaniswami, PMK founder Ramadoss, and MDMK supremo and Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko also condoled Rajanarayanan's death.
