Charu Nivedita

Charu Nivedita
Born	K.Arivazhagan (1953-12-18) 18 December 1953 Nagore, Tamil Nadu, India
Pen name	Charu Nivedita
Occupation	Writer, Novelist
Nationality	Indian
Genre	Autofiction, Transgressive Fiction, Metafiction, Postmodernism
Notable works	Zero Degree, Exile, Rasaleela, Morgue Keeper
Spouse	Avanthika
Website
English blog: charunivedita.com Tamil blog: www.charuonline.com/blog
Literature portal

Charu Nivedita (born 18 December 1953) is a postmodern, transgressive Tamil writer, based in Chennai, India. His novel Zero Degree was longlisted for the 2013 edition of Jan Michalski Prize for Literature.^[1] He is inspired by Marquis de Sade and Andal.^[2]

Career

Charu Nivedita's first novel Existentialismum Fancy Baniyanum is about how a young man overcomes the angst of his life through his writings. His novel Zero Degree is an example of transgressive fiction, as it transformed what is termed as taboo.^[3] His next novel was Raasa Leela, a satire on governmental bureaucracy. Kaamarooba Kadhaigal dealt with incest.

His columns appear in magazines such as Art Review Asia, The Asian Age,^[4] Deccan Chronicle,^[5] and Swarajya.^[6] He currently writes a column on Latin American Cinema in Pesaamoli;^[7] a Q & A column in Andhimazhai magazine.^[8]

He is working on his next novel Srivilliputhur^[9] and Judas, a novella.

Bibliography

Novels

1. Existentialism and Fancy Baniyan (எக்ஸிஸ்டென்ஷியலிஸமும் ஃபேன்ஸி பனியனும்) - Tamil / Malayalam
2. Zero Degree (ஸீரோ டிகிரி) - Tamil / English / Malayalam
3. Rasa leela (ராஸ லீலா)
4. Kaamarooba Kathaigal (காமரூப கதைகள்)
5. Thegam (தேகம்)
6. Exile (எக்ஸைல்) - This book is edited and re-written as Puthiya Exile (புதிய எக்ஸைல்).
7. Puthiya Exile (புதிய எக்ஸைல்)

Short stories

1. Nano (நேநோ) - Collection of short stories, published along with Nagaarchunan and Sylvia aka M.D.Muthukumarasamy.
2. Madumitha Sonna Pambu Kathaigal (மதுமிதா சொன்ன பாம்புக் கதைகள்)
3. Shakespeare-in Minnanjal Mugavari (Shakespeare's e-mail address)
4. Kadal Kanni (கடல் கன்னி) - Translated short stories from world Literature
5. Oorin miga azhagaana Pen – Translated short stories from world Literature (ஊரின் மிக அழகான பெண்)
6. Muthukkal Pathu (முத்துக்கள் பத்து) - Selected short stories
7. Morgue Keeper - Selected short stories in English in Kindle
8. Diabolically Yours in Exotic Gothic 5, Vol. II

Collection of articles

1. Konal Pakkangal (கோணல் பக்கங்கள்)
2. Konal Pakkankal II (கோணல் பக்கங்கள் II)
3. Konal Pakkangal III (கோணல் பக்கங்கள் III)
4. Manamkoththi paravai (மனம் கொத்திப் பறவை)
5. Yenakku Kuzhandhaigalai Pidikadhu (எனக்குக் குழந்தைகளைப் பிடிக்காது)
6. Dante-yin Siruththai (தாந்தேயின் சிறுத்தை)
7. Kadavulum Nanum (கடவுளும் நானும்)
8. Kalaiyum Kaamamum (கலையும் காமமும்)
9. Kadavulum Saithaanum (கடவுளும் சைத்தானும்)
10. Sarasam Sallabam Saamiyar (சரசம் சல்லாபம் சாமியார்)
11. Varambu Meeriya Pradhigal (வரம்பு மீறிய பிரதிகள்)
12. Dhisai Ariyum Paravaigal (திசை அறியும் பறவைகள்)
13. Moodupani Saalai (மூடுபனிச் சாலை)
14. Vaazhvadhu eppadi (வாழ்வது எப்படி?)
15. Ketta vaarththai (கெட்ட வார்த்தை)
16. Malawi endroru Desam (மலாவி என்றொரு தேசம்)
17. Kanavugalin mozhipeyarppaalan (கனவுகளின் மொழிபெயர்ப்பாளன்)
18. Kadaisip Pakkangal (கடைசிப் பக்கங்கள்)
19. Vetrulagavaasiyin Diarykkuripugal (வேற்றுலகவாசியின் டயரிக்குறிப்புகள்)
20. Pazhuppu Nirap Pakkangal - 1 (பழுப்பு நிறப் பக்கங்கள் - 1)

Play

1. Rendaam aattam (ரெண்டாம் ஆட்டம்)

Cinema review

1. Cinema: Alainthuthiribavanin Azhagiyal (சினிமா: அலைந்து திரிபவனின் அழகியல்)
2. Cinema Cinema (சினிமா சினிமா)
3. Naragaththilirundhu oru kural (நரகத்திலிருந்து ஒரு குரல்)
4. Kanavugalin Nadanam (கனவுகளின் நடனம்)
5. Kalagam Kaadhal Isai (கலகம் காதல் இசை)
6. Thappu Thalangal (தப்புத் தாளங்கள்)
7. Theeraakaadhali (தீராக்காதலி)

Collection of political commentaries

1. Azaadhi Azaadhi Azaadhi (அஸாதி அஸாதி அஸாதி)
2. Adhigaaram Amaidhi Sudhanthiram (அதிகாரம் அமைதி சுதந்திரம்)
3. Enge Un Kadavul? (எங்கே உன் கடவுள்?)

Collection of interviews

1. Ozhunginmaiyin Veriyaattam (ஒழுங்கின்மையின் வெறியாட்டம்)
2. Ichchaigalin Irulveli (இச்சைகளின் இருள்வெளி) (Second edition of the erstwhile Paaliyal - Oru Urayaadal (பாலியல் - ஒரு உரையாடல்) that comes with the new title)

Question and Answers

1. Arugil Varaadhey (அருகில் வராதே)
2. Aram Porul Inbam (அறம் பொருள் இன்பம்)

Awards and accolades

• He was selected as one among 'Top Ten Indians of the Decade 2001 - 2010' by The Economic Times.
• Zero Degree was longlisted for the 2013 edition of Jan Michalski Prize.^[1]
• The Hindu included him in its list of 'Manathil Pathintha Mugangal 25' (Twenty Five Eminent Personalities of Tamil Nadu) in its Diwali Malar 2014.

Literary contemporaries on Charu Nivedita

• Vahni Capildeo places Charu Nivedita on par with Vladimir Nabokov, James Joyce and Jean Genet, in her article in the Caribbean Review of Books.^[10]
• In his foreword to the Malayalam translation of Zero Degree, Paul Zacharia wrote, "It is like an open experimental laboratory. Amidst the smoke, noxious vapors, and beautiful imagery, I experienced a wondrous journey."^[11]
• Tarun Tejpal wrote that Zero Degree is remarkable for its experimental voice and its varying and shifting tonalities.^[12]
• Anil Menon considers Zero Degree bold and ambitious.^[13]
• Translator Jason Grunebaum considers Zero Degree "wildly exciting".^[14]

Public events

Literary festivals

• Charu Nivedita was one of the invitees for the 2010^[15] and 2011^[16] editions of Almost Island Dialogues, New Delhi.
• He was one of the invitees for the Hay Festival 2010, Thiruvananthapuram.^[17][18]
• Hay Festival 2011, Thiruvananthapuram was inaugurated at the British Deputy High Commission, Chennai by Mike Nithavrianakis, the then Deputy High Commissioner, followed by a reading of an excerpt from Charu Nivedita’s works.^[19]
• He was one of the invitees for the 2012 edition of Jaipur Literary Festival.^[20][21][22]
• He was felicitated at the Twenty Sixth Anniversary Celebration of Katha, a monthly literary magazine of Sambad (an Odia daily) at Bhubaneswar on 10 February 2013.^[23]

Film festivals

• Charu Nivedita was invited as the Guest of Honour on 10 March 2002 at the National Folklore Support Centre Folk Festival, Chennai.^[24]
• He inaugurated the Third SIO Samvedana Vedhi International Film Festival, 2010, organised by the Students Islamic Organisation of India wing of the University of Calicut.^[25]
• He inaugurated the International Film Festival of Tamil Nadu 2010, Chennai, organised by the International Tamil Film Academy and Seventh Channel Communications.^[26]
• He ianugurated the Fourth Panchajanyam International Film Festival 2011 at Chittur, Kerala.^[27]
• He inaugurated the valedictory session of the Third International Film Festival 2011, Kochi, which was jointly organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Heart Light Association and the Ernakulam District Information Office.^[28]
• At the 2013 Chennai Rainbow Film Festival(LGBT Film Festival), presented by Alliance Française de Madras, he participated in the 'Panel Discussion on Media Portrayal of LGBT issues.'^[29][30]

Lectures and meets

• Charu Nivedita delivered the 2009 Paul Chirakkarode Memorial Lecture at Kottayam.^[31]
• He was invited to speak at the valedictory function of ‘Thattakaperuma,' a series of programmes to observe the second death anniversary of Kovilan, Malayalam writer at Thrissur on 3 June 2012.^[32]
• He delivered the commemoration speech at the 'Bob Marley Cultural Fest' on 11 May 2010 at Kochi.^[33][34]
• He was one of the panelists at the Outlook Speak Out debate 2010, Chennai on the subject 'Moral Policing in a Democracy'.^[35]

Social activism

• 

  Charu Nivedita at Velichikala - Anti-clay mining protest, May 12, 2008

• 

  Charu Nivedita at Velichikala

• 

  Charu Nivedita at Plachimada Anti-Coca-Cola Relay Hunger Strike, 77th day, May 13, 2008

• He was invited as the chief guest of Sambavas' annual celebrations (a Dalit caste) at Chalakudy in Kerala on 11 May 2008.^[36]
• He inaugurated a meeting and spoke among the adivasis protesting against wanton clay mining at Velichikala, near Kollam.^[37]
• He addressed a gathering of Plachimada villagers who were on a relay hunger strike against Coca-Cola's wanton over-drawing of groundwater and polluting water bodies.^[38]
• He marched with villagers protesting against Coca-Cola and Pepsi's wanton overdrawing of groundwater at Kanjikode, near Palakkad on 29 August 2008.^[39]
• He inaugurated a symposium on Mullaiperiyar Dam issue organized by 'Uyiru', a joint cultural forum of Tamil and Malayalam writers and social activists on 7 July 2012 at Kottayam.^[40]

'Zero Degree' in Academics

• Zero Degree was on the curriculum in Spring 2010 in a Comparative World Literature course, taught by Jordan Smith, at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).^[41]
• University of Rochester has included Zero Degree in its translation program.^[42][43]
• The Malayalam translation of Zero Degree is in the curriculum for postgraduate students at the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
• An SRM University professor in her paper on the IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) places Zero Degree on par with William Burroughs' Naked Lunch.^[3]

Quotations

• "I convert my schizoid (state) into an art."^[44]
• "There is nothing like planning in my literature, at any point of time. It's something which gets written between the schizoid state and dreams. Hence, with this same reason, I cannot comment on my writing. Like how I don't accept the roles of a father, a son, a lover, a friend – I despise the role of a writer too. My writing is nothing but the brush strokes of a person trying to escape from hell."
• "Hatred is a disease."

References

External links

• An excerpt from Zero Degree
• Morgue Keeper Short Story