Mysore/Mysuru: Renowned Tamil author Perumal Murugan captivated the audience at Mysuru Literature Festival yesterday with his fascinating anecdotes and challenges.

During a panel discussion ‘Is the Pen Mightier? Politics of Culture and Defiance,’ Perumal Murugan revealed that he faced similar threats to those encountered by writers Gauri Lankesh and Prof. M.M. Kalburgi in Karnataka. These threats stemmed from his translation of Vasudevan’s Tamil work, ‘Mathoru Bagan,’ into English, published under the title ‘One Part Woman.’

In response to the protests, he expressed his frustration by posting on Facebook that writer Perumal Murugan had passed away and would no longer have a rebirth. He declared that only a teacher named P. Murugan would continue to exist.

Perumal Murugan explained that the Konguvellala Gounder, a powerful community in Western Tamil Nadu, accused his book of defaming their women and targeting a Goddess. However, the Madras High Court deemed the peace meeting organised by the community in 2016 as illegal. Additionally, the Court dismissed all criminal charges filed against Perumal Murugan by casteist groups. He highlighted that the Court’s ruling upheld freedom of expression, allowing him to freely express his opinions. In recognition of his work, his book ‘One Part Woman’ received the Sahitya Academy Award in 2017.

Expressing his views on language, Perumal Murugan criticised the categorisation of languages in India, stating that Hindi and English are considered dominant languages while others are often labelled as regional languages.

He questioned whether this classification would change if books written in South Indian languages and non-Hindi languages received international awards and recognition.

Later, Perumal Murugan discussed another one of his books, ‘Poonachhi,’ which centres around a goat. He mentioned that the process of writing the book itself was enthralling and expressed his gratitude for the widespread appreciation it received from various quarters.

When asked why he focused on writing about humans and animals like dogs and cats, Perumal Murugan humorously admitted that he avoided writing about cows and pigs to avoid controversies.

Kannan Sundaram, Editor & Publisher of Kalachuvadu, a monthly journal on culture and politics, provided English translation for Perumal Murugan’s speech in Tamil, and the panel discussion also featured Ravi Joshi, former Diplomat, R&AW, as a participant.