Tamil writer, the late Jekasirpiyan, was one of my favorite writers during my childhood and teen years. I loved reading his historical and social novels, which appeared as serials in popular Tamil magazines. One of his novels was published in a Tamil Malaysian newspaper, Tamil Nesan, which I never got the chance to read.
Vinoba Bhave was an Indian philosopher and activist. His 'Bhoodan Movement' (Boodan means land gift) encouraged landowners to donate lands to his movement and distribute them to the poor. It was a popular movement in the fifties. Jekasirpiyan was attracted to this concept and wrote a social novel based on it, titled Mannin Kural (Mannin kural means the voice of the earth).Still, I remember seeing the novel in a studio's front showcase in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka when I was a seventh-grade student. At that time, I didn't have a chance to buy the book. Thus, I couldn't read it, but the book and its cover permanently stayed in my mind. Whenever I have had a chance, I have looked for the book since then.
The publisher who published Jekasirpiyan's books is known as Vanathy Pathippagam, a popular Tamil book publisher operating from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. They have started to republish Jekasirpiyan's books except Mannin Kural. The original owner of the publishing company passed away. The new owners, probably his kids, seem not to be aware of the book.
Recently, when I did a Google search, I found out that the book is listed in the Library of Congress, USA. When I contacted its Asian Division, a lady officer named Carliotte replied to me, offering her services for my search. I wanted to write about the novel since it was the first Tamil novel written based on Vinoba Bhave's 'Bhoodan Movement'. Additionally, my writing may urge the present owners of Vanathy Pathippagam to republish the novel.
She took her time to help me by sending me a few scans of the pages of the novel, including the title page, the first chapter, and the last chapter. However, she couldn't find the cover image of the book. Since the book was published in 1961 and 1964, it's possible that the cover images might have been lost.
It was indeed a great help. I am able to write up on the novel from the pages I received from the Library of Congress' Asian Division. I am also surprised to see the Library of Congress' collection on foreign literature.
It's a Tamil book published in Tamil Nadu, India. I couldn't obtain any information about the book from there, including the original publisher. However, I was able to obtain copies of a few pages and details from the Library of Congress in the USA. What a service! Its service and staff's help should be appreciated. Thanks to the Library of Congress for its valuable and useful service.
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