Periyar Dasan
| Abdullah Periyar Dasan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | பெரியார் தாசன் |
| Born |
Seshachalam[1] August 21, 1949[2] Agaram village, North Arcot District, Tamil Nadu |
| Died |
August 19, 2013 (aged 63)[2] Chennai, India |
Cause of death | Liver cancer |
| Residence | Perambur, Chennai |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Tamil Professor, Actor |
| Employer | Pachaiyappa's College |
Political party | MDMK |
| Religion | Islam (Born a Sivite Hindu, later converted to Buddhism before converting too Islam) |
| Spouse(s) | Vasantha[2] |
| Children |
Valavan Suratha[2] |
Periyar Dasan (August 21, 1949 - August 19, 2013) was an eminent speaker and activist from Tamil Nadu. He was a Tamil Scholar and thinker. He propagated Atheism and Rationalist ideologies for most part of his life. He has also appeared in Tamil-language films. He had acted in around 15 films and his role in the film Karuthamma won him the National Award for Best Actor.
Early life
Born in a Saivite family on August 21, 1949 at Agaram in Perambur, he was attracted towards the rationalist ideals of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy founder of the Dravidian movement. During his days in Pachaiyappa’s college, he changed his original name Seshachalam to Periyar Dasan ('Ardent follower of Periyar').[3] He well versed in Tamil literature, various religious studies and English and he has authored around 120 books. He was served as a professor in his alma mater, Pachaiyappa’s college, for 34 years.
In 1991, Periyar Dasan embraced Buddhism and added Siddartha as a prefix to his name. He translated the Dhammapada, a compilation of Buddhist virtues, authored by BR Ambedkar, into Tamil. This took him to learn Pali and Sanskrit.
Taking everyone by surprise, he embraced Islam as his way of life on March 11, 2010 during a visit to Mecca and rechristened his name as ‘Abdulla Periyardasan’. Thereafter, he started giving a series of lectures on Islam.[4] Before embracing Islam, he spent 10 years in knowing the key aspects of that religion and learning the Holy Quran and the Arabic language. Since 2004, he stopped his propagation of atheism.[5]
Filmography
This film-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| Year | Film | Language | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Karuthamma | Tamil | Mokkaiyan | debut |
| 1996 | Tamizh Selvan | Tamil | ||
| 1996 | Aavathum Pennale Azhivathum Pennale | Tamil | Amavasai | |
| 1999 | Kadhalar Dhinam | Tamil | ||
| 2001 | Azhagi | Tamil | ||
| 2005 | Amma Appa Chellam | Tamil | ||
| 2008 | Dindigul Sarathy | Tamil | ||
| 2010 | Thamizh Padam | Tamil | Mokkai | |
| 2014 | Veeram | Tamil | Bhai | Last film[1] |
Death
He died on Aug 19 2013 at the age of 63, after fighting cancer.[6] He is survived by wife Vasantha and two sons Valavan and Suratha.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Actor Periyardasan passes away". chennaionline.com. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Periyardasan takes final bow after multiple roles". newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
- ↑ "FROM 'SLAVE OF PERIYAR' TO 'SLAVE OF ALLAH'". radianceweekly.com. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
- ↑ "Periyar Dasan Dr. Abdullah". milligazette.com. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ "Periyar Dasan No More". indiaglitz.com. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
- ↑ "Periyar Dasan Passes Away". kollytalk.com. Retrieved 10 December 2014.