Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan
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Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan Malayalam തുഞ്ചത്തു് എഴുത്തച്ഛന് (commonly known as Thunjath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan) is considered as the Father of the Malayalam language. He was born around 450 years ago in Malappuram district of Kerala, south India. His real name is not known; of the many names attributed to him, Ramanujan is the most popular.
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[edit] Birth
The story of his birth is mixed with myths and truths. He traveled extensively in search of knowledge and returned to Thrikandiyur, after mastering the religious sciences. Ezhuthachan tried to propagate the universal nature of the language. He wanted to bring language to level of a layman’s understanding.[citation needed] Although Cherushery, another prominent writer, lived before Thunjath, Thunjath is revered as a cultural icon.
[edit] Father of Malayalam language
There may have been many keerthanas, namam or japam, but is was impossible to find a single house in Kerala without a copy of his Adhyathmaramayanam during the dark times of war, disease and famine. There is no doubt about his contribution to the literary level of the common man. The great teacher taught the people to respect and worship the language and the alphabet, a level of culture which is difficult to find even in the modern era. He refined the Malayalam language style and wrote his works for ordinary people, incorporating whatever is good with a strong sense of righteousness and worship. His contribution to the language through the Adhyatmaramayanam and Mahabharatham is unparalleled, and his contribution in the cultural level is immense.
[edit] Ezhuthachan and alphabet system in Kerala
Till Ezhuthachan’s time, the following was the situation in Kerala:[citation needed]
1. The 30 letter Vattezhuthu[1] was taught as the Malayalam alphabet by the various Kalaries or schools to the common people.
2. Alphabets which are equivalent to those in Sanskrit (Grandhakshara) must have been used by scholars to write their works in Sanskrit.
3. Sanskrit alphabets were used by Namboothiri priests and a few great scholars only.
4. As the influence of Sanskrit in Malayalam increased, Vattezhuthu was used commonly to write Sanskrit words and other derivations, though distorted. The names of parts of Vedas like Samhita, Ashtakam, Varggam, Anuvakom were written as changatha, attam, vakkom, anam respectively, in Vattezhuthu. What was written, was not exactly what was read. Works were also written in this way.
5.Vattezhuthu was used with interposition of letters of the Grandhakshara to denote essential Sanskrit phonetics. (Eg. - In important Decrees or Shasanas.)
6. Various combinations of Vattezhuthu and Grandhakshara may have been tried by some schools, with the result of more confusion and less unanimity.
We can visualize the glaring inadequacies which were prevalent.
[edit] What Ezhuthachan did
To establish an alphabet system for all people, which is equivalent to Sanskrit and which encompasses all these alphabets in all schools, instead of the 30 letter alphabet set for Malayalam (Vattezhuthu), the first step would be to take the best from the existing systems, and form common derivations etc. It was not sufficient to form just an alphabet set, as it will not be accepted in all places easily. Most probably there were different views at that time. The most practical way out was to establish the set by a Keerthanam, so that it will be standardized everywhere. Ezhuthachan must have thought it auspicious and total for the alphabet set to have 51 characters. (See Harinamakeerthanam) “Hari Sree Ganapathaye Namah” is also 51 according to the system of counting with alphabets. This method of initiating children to the alphabets was also begun by Ezhuthachan according to Prof. K. P. Narayana Pisharody[citation needed]. Ra and zha were used as parishishtam after the 51 alphabets. (Malayalam does not have words which begin with these characters, but these alphabets are essential in the language.)
(However Vattezhuthu continued to be taught in various places as the Malayalam alphabet till the British regulations relating to registration of bonds and deeds eventually led to its disappearance.)
[edit] Thunjan Parambu
It was in Thunjan Parambu that Ezhuthachan modified the Malayalam alphabets and wrote the Harinamakeerthanam to popularize them.[citation needed] Even after centuries people from various parts of the state come to take sand from Thunjan Parambu to initiate their children to the alphabet. Every year, hundreds of people bring their children to write their first alphabets during the Vijayadasami festival, to Thunjan Parambu.
"Anpathoraksharavum oronnithenmozhiyil
Anpodu cherkka Hari Narayanaya Nama"
- Harinamakeerthanam 14th stanza
There is no controversy that the great teacher was the strongest sponsor of the 51 letter alphabet for Malayalam instead of the 30 letter Vattezhuthu.[citation needed]
