https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=K.A._GunasekaranK.A. Gunasekaran - Revision history2026-07-31T15:12:47ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=K.A._Gunasekaran&diff=507104&oldid=prevChloeBrogan at 02:04, 23 April 20262026-04-23T02:04:19Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian Tamil Playwright}}<br />
{{Infobox officeholder<br />
| birth_date = 12 May 1955<br />
| birth_place = [[Marandai]], composite [[Ramanathapuram district]],<br/>[[Madras State]]<br/>(now [[Sivaganga District]],<br/>[[Tamil Nadu]]), India<br />
| occupation = Writer<br />
| office = 11-th Director,<br/>[[International Institute of Tamil Studies]]<br />
| 1blankname =<br />
| 1namedata = <br />
| term = 2008 - 2011<br />
| predecessor = [[M. Rajendran]] (2006-07)<br/>Sean Laurence (acting- 2008)<br />
| successor = [[G. Vijayaraghavan (academician)|G. Vijayaraghavan]] (2012-21)<br />
| order = <br />
| alma_mater = * [[Dr. Zakir Husain College, Sivagangai]]<br/>* [[Thiagarajar College]], [[Madurai]]<br/>* [[Madurai Kamaraj University]]<br />
| main_width = <br />
| data1 = <br />
| honorific_prefix = <br />
| office1 = <br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|1|17|1955|5|12|df=yes}}<br />
| death_place = [[Pondicherry|Puducherry]],<br/>[[Puducherry (union territory)|UT of Puducherry]], India<br />
| image_size = <br />
| native_name_lang = ta<br />
| native_name = கரு. அழ. குணசேகரன் <br />
}}<br />
'''K.A. Gunasekaran''' (1963 – 18 January 2016) was an Indian [[Dalit]] [[Folklore studies|folklorist]], theatre personality, and the first Dalit playwright in [[Tamil Nadu]]. He made significant contributions to the field of Tamil literature, theatre, and folklore, addressing the issues faced by marginalized communities, including Dalits, tribal people, transgender people, and other backward classes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-01-17 |title=Folklorist Gunasekaran passes away |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/Folklorist-Gunasekaran-passes-away/article14005041.ece |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><br />
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Born in a poor Dalit family in [[Elyankudi|Elayankudi]], he began writing small poems and plays infused with [[Marxism|Marxian]] ideology.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-01-18 |title=K A Gunasekaran - Playwright, university teacher dies in Pondy |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/puducherry/k-a-gunasekaran-playwright-university-teacher-dies-in-pondy/articleshow/50620097.cms |access-date=2024-01-29 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><br />
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== Career ==<br />
Gunasekaran's groundbreaking play, "Bali Adugal" (Sacrificial Goat), is considered a precursor to the emergence of Dalit theatre in Tamil Nadu. He went on to practice a distinctive form of theatre known as Odukkapattor Arangam or [[Theatre of the Oppressed]]. His works addressed the struggles faced by disadvantaged sections of society, challenging the hegemonic forces exploiting individuals based on caste and gender. His rebellious song "Manusangada Naanga Manusangada," written by poet [[Inkulab]] and powerfully sung by Gunasekaran, became an anthem for the Dalit Movement in the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Tribute to K A Gunasekaran |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/tamil/en/podcast-episode/a-tribute-to-k-a-gunasekaran/jsxg0mc95 |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=SBS Language |language=en}}</ref><br />
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He served as the dean of the School of Performing Arts at [[Pondicherry University]] and the director of the [[International Institute of Tamil Studies]]. Gunasekaran was associated with the [[Progressive Writers' Movement|Progressive Writers’ Movement]] and received recognition for his extensive research on urban folklore.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-04-14 |title=Bali Aadugal staged in Pondicherry University |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/bali-aadugal-staged-in-pondicherry-university/article7103319.ece |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=INDIAN RESEARCH INFORMATION NETWORK SYSTEM |url=http://irins.inflibnet.ac.in/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=irins.inflibnet.ac.in |language=en}}</ref><br />
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== Notable works ==<br />
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* ''Sathya Sothanai'' (Experiments with Truth, 1988) <br />
* ''Pavalakkodi Alathu Kudumba Valakku'' (Family Dispute, 2001) <br />
* ''Mazhi''<br />
* ''Maatram''<br />
* ''Varaivu Kadavuthal''<br />
* ''Kanthan Valli''<br />
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== Legacy ==<br />
He received the [[Kalaimamani]] award from the Government of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the [[Dalit Isai Kurisil Award]] from the [[Tamil Association of Canada]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hadi |first=H. Abdul |date=February 2023 |title=Rereading Myths as an Act of Resistance: A Critical Study of K.A. Gunasekaran's Kanthan X Valli. |url=https://tlhjournal.com/uploads/products/10.h-abdul-hadi-article.pdf |journal=The Literary Herald |volume=8 |issue=5 |pages=67–74 |issn=2454-3365}}</ref><br />
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== Death ==<br />
K.A. Gunasekaran died on 16 January 2016 at his residence in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] after a prolonged illness due to [[kidney failure]]. He is survived by his wife and two children.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-01-17 |title=Folklorist Gunasekaran passes away |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/Folklorist-Gunasekaran-passes-away/article14005041.ece |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><br />
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== References ==<br />
<references /><br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunasekaran, K.A.}}<br />
[[Category:1963 births]]<br />
[[Category:2016 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Indian folklorists]]<br />
[[Category:Indian dramatists and playwrights]]</div>ChloeBrogan