Samas
Samas (Tamil-சமஸ், Birth: December 4, 1979) is an Indian journalist and writer in Tamil language. He has worked in popular Tamil newspapers Dinamalar, Dinamani, Hindu Tamil Thisai and magazines including Ananda Vikatan and Puthiya Thalaimurai. He presently works as the Op-Ed Editor of Hindu Tamil Thisai newspaper.
Early Life
Samas was born to M.Chandrasekaran and M.R.Malarkkodi in Mannargudi, a town located in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu. Having lost his father at at a very young age, Samas grew up under the aegis of his maternal grandfather S.Rajagopalan. He did his schooling at Xavier Jesus Public School, Ilakkanampettai Panchayat Union Primary School and Mannargudi Findley Higher Secondary School. He studied Literature in Mannargudi Rajagopalasamy Government Arts College and obtained a Master of Arts degree in English Literature. Samas currently lives in Chennai with wife R.Rekha, a daughter and a son.
Writing career
Right from school days Samas has been drawn towards reading books and writing. Articles he wrote during his school days and college were published in a local magazine like ‘Indian’ and ‘Indian Ini’. During his college days Samas published three Poetry collections namely ‘Ninaivugal’, ‘Kanneer Kadhalan’ and ‘Nizhal’. However the world came to know of the writer in Samas through the gastronomy related articles that he wrote under the title ‘Eating Corner’ in ‘Gnayiru Kondattam’, the Sunday Supplement editing of Dinamani. The collection of these articles was published as a book titled ‘Sappattu Puranam’ (Eng: Legendary Tales of Food) in 2009. The book which claimed to be the ‘First ever Tamil book to celebrate the food of Tamils’ was hailed as a “huge treasure’ by the Tamil edition of India Today weekly magazine in its book review column. In the meantime Samas started contributing essays for the Op-Ed page of Dinamani switched to Ananda Vikatan as one of its columnists. Later he was part of the initial group of eminent journalists and writers associated with ‘Pudhu Yugam’ channel started by ‘Puthiya Thalaimurai’ group, where he reported to popular Television program producer Bala Kailasam. When the prestigious Hindu Group decided to start a Tamil Newspaper Samas was recruited as a member of its foundational team. .
Essay series
As the Op-Ed Editor of Hindu Tamil, Samas writes many articles and series of essays which are popular among Tamil readers especially youngsters. He wrote a series of articles about how about how various sections of Indians view the Indian General Elections considered as the World’s biggest even of democracy after travelling to various places across the nation. This series titled as ‘Indiavin Vannangal’ (English- Colours of India) was published during the 2014 Indian General Elections. He wrote ‘Neer Nilam Vanam’ (English-Water, Land, Forest), which is a series about the lives of fishermen, farmers and forest dwellers of India. He wrote this series after staying and spending time with them in their native places. These two series are considered as exemplary initiatives in Tamil journalism. His third series titled as ‘Arasiyal Pazhagu’ (Train yourself in Politics) which coincided with 2016 State Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu strongly registered the connection between the people, society and politics and how they are interdependent.
Writing Style
Samas writes essays that deal with the contemporary issues with their historical perspective, end up breaking the common psyche, communicate with the conscience and seek changes in the society.
Books
Sappaattu Puranam (Series of articles published in Gyayiru Kondattam, supplement of Dinamani), Thuli Publication, First Edition 2008, Third Edition 2014
Yarudaiya Eligal Naam (Articles written in various magazines and newspapers), Thuli Publication (Mobile-9444204501), Chennai.