Kuthoosi Gurusamy
Kuthoosi Gurusamy | |
|---|---|
| Born | S. Gurusamy 23 April 1906 Kuruvikkarambai, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Died | 11 October 1965 (aged 59) |
| Pen name | Esji |
S. Gurusamy (23 April 1906 – 11 October 1965), commonly known as Kuthoosi Gurusamy, was an Indian writer and journalist closely associated with the Self-Respect Movement led by Periyar E.V. Ramasamy.
Life
[edit]Gurusamy was born on 23 April 1906 in Kuruvikkarambai, Madras Presidency, British India,[1] to Saminathan and Kuppu Ammaiyar.[2] He completed his undergraduate studies at National College, Trichy.[3]
Gurusamy became involved in the Self-Respect Movement through Kudiyarasu, a magazine founded by Periyar.[2] In 1928, after meeting Periyar, he formally joined the movement.[2] His contributions included articles and editorials advocating rationalism, social equality, and opposition to caste-based discrimination and superstition.[2] He later served as editor-in-chief of Viduthalai, a prominent publication associated with the movement.[4] Gurusamy also worked with Revolt, an English magazine founded by Periyar,[5] and contributed to Tamil publications such as Puduvai Murasu[6], Dravidan, and Pagutharivu, facilitating the dissemination of the movement's principles.[3]
Gurusamy presided over the first Self-Respect Volunteers Conference held in Pattukkottai on 25 May 1929.[2] In December 1929, his marriage to Kunjitham, a fellow advocate of the Self-Respect Movement, became the first recorded self-respect marriage conducted without Hindu rituals. The ceremony, presided over by Periyar, marked a significant departure from traditional practices.[7][8] Gurusamy also advocated ending the centuries-old practice of barring people from lower castes from entering temples.[9]
Gurusamy's contributions to Tamil literature included translations and original works. He translated Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian into Tamil[10], introducing readers to rationalist thought, and Jean Meslier's Testament as Marana Sasanam.[3] Under the pseudonym Kuttusi, he wrote satirical columns, some of which were published as Palasarakku Moottai and Puthiya Kuthoosi Thogupu.[3]
S. Gurusamy died on 11 October 1965.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "குத்தூசி குருசாமி: சுயமரியாதையின் அடையாளம்!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ a b c d e "கொள்கைவேள் - நாத்திகச் செம்மல் தோழர் குத்தூசி குருசாமி". www.keetru.com (in Tamil). Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ a b c d Vēlu, Kuruvikkarampai Cu (1991). Kuttūci Kurucāmi (in Tamil). Vaḷavan̲ Patippakam.
- ^ migrator (2019-06-03). "Viduthalai daily hailed for spreading Periyar's ideology for past 85 years". www.dtnext.in. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ Rājaturai, Es Vi; Kītā, Va (2008). Revolt-a Radical Weekly in Colonial Madras. Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam. p. 9.
- ^ More, J. B. P. (2022-10-06). Towards Freedom in Pondicherry: Society, Economy and Politics under French Rule (1816-1962). Taylor & Francis. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-000-78245-5.
- ^ Jeevasundari, B. (2024-02-16). The Life and Work of Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar. Zubaan. ISBN 978-93-90514-86-1.
- ^ Rajendran, Sowmya (2018-02-01). "No thaali, no priest: Meet the couples who rejected rituals at their wedding". The News Minute. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ Kabirdoss, Yogesh. "77 yrs after Madurai victory, temples still shut for Dalits". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ Kītā, Va; Rājaturai, Es Vi (1998). Towards a Non-Brahmin Millennium: From Iyothee Thass to Periyar. Samya. p. 428. ISBN 978-81-85604-37-4.