Remembering the wonderful poet Vedanayagam Sastri of Thanjavur

This week, there will be an opportunity to revisit the literary genius of Vedanayagam Sastri, whose 250th birth anniversary is being celebrated in Thanjavur on September 6 and 7. Known for Tamil Christian evangelical songs and compositions, Sastri’s works formed the basis of early Protestant worship in South India.

Along with H.A. Krishnapillai of Palayamkottai and N. Samuel of Tranquebar, Sastriar formed the great trinity of Tamil Christian worship.

“We don’t want his legacy to be forgotten. Many of the new generation of his progeny know only his name and nothing about his deeds. Perhaps this is our last chance to rectify that. Vedanayagam Sastriar was a great scholar and social reformer,” says Juda Vincent, a fifth-generation descendant of his youngest son Eliya Devasigamoni Sastriar.

Vincent, a Chennai-based retired engineer who is coordinating the commemorative event, says more can be done to preserve and popularise Shastri’s book.

“Out of over 130 books, only a few were published. I have digitised four important works of Vedanayagam – Jebamalai, Gyan Pad Keertanai, Perinba Kathal And कदाईसी न्यायतीरपु .It is his greatest work Jebbamalai (Prayer Beads), was composed for over 40 years in the 1800s. Gyan pada KeerthanaigalWith over 400 songs, and allegorical plays Bethlehem Kuravanji “These are some of his lasting creations,” said Vincent, who also created a two-part online documentary on his ancestor.

Some of the famous hymns of Sasthriyar include ‘Amen Alleluyah, Mahathuva Thambbarabara’ and ‘Esuvaiye Thudhi Sei Nee Maname’.

Early Years

The official website www.sastriar.org gives a lot of information about the life and times of the poet-lyricist. Born on September 7, 1774 to Devasahayam, a resident of Tirunelveli, Vedanayagam had a clear vision of the cross at the age of 10, an event that influenced his entire life. Lutheran missionary evangelist Rev. Christian Friedrich Schwartz, who was Prince Serfoji’s teacher, took the young boy under his protection and brought him to Thanjavur.

Vedanayagam studied theology at the Lutheran Seminary at Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) and worked in the villages around Thanjavur.

However his career as a preacher was tumultuous – in 1829 he was excommunicated by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) mission.

When Raja Serfoji came to know about his friend’s plight, he appointed Shastri as the court poet in 1830 and also provided him with a monthly salary of Rs. 35 and a residence in Thanjavur.

It is said that before his demise in 1832, Serfoji had requested his court that his body should not be removed until Shastrir composes and sings a poem. Shastrir fulfilled his wish by singing an elegy.

Despite his tumultuous life, Vedanayagam Sasthyr continued to exert influence on the ‘main’ Protestant church communities and was eventually reconciled back to the church in 1848. He died on January 24, 1864, at the age of 90 and was buried in the cemetery of St. Peter’s Church, Thanjavur.

Honors for scholarship

Sastri’s literary works can be broadly divided into two categories: lyrical compositions and works composed according to the minor literary forms in Tamil. Most of them are based on the traditional metres of the time. Thevaram (hymns of Saivite saints) and Tiruppugazh can be seen in his works.

The title of ‘Shastri’ was given in honour of Vedanayagam’s scholarship and prodigious poetic compositions, and was given to family members who followed in his footsteps.

“The church of the time wanted to honour our ancestor’s contribution to Tamil Christian music, and the title of Shasthira was conferred on her in recognition of her learning,” says Shasthira Sarah Martin, who is the second woman from the lineage to be honoured with the title after Shasthira D. Gnanadeepam (1811-1870).

Kotagiri-based Sarah Martin and her husband P. Martin Deva Prasad are former academics who are now religious preachers.

“When the missionaries introduced Christianity to our region, the liturgies and religious songs were either from a Lutheran or Anglican background, which people could not relate to. Vedanayagam began writing Tamil keerthanais because he wanted the local congregation to understand their religion in their native language,” she says.

Literary value

Sara says that these songs can also be appreciated for their literary excellence.

“His detailed descriptions of God’s creations in the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark are beautifully rendered in Tamil poetry. I am amazed at Vedanayagam Sasthriyar’s imagination in describing the names of the insects, birds, animals, herbs, plants, etc. that went on the Ark. He also wrote in a variety of genres, from operatic plays to folk dramas,” says Sara.

However, owing to his Carnatic tone, Shastri’s Kirtans Today these are considered difficult to learn and perform.

“There is a tendency to adopt Western music in Tamil worship, but we are trying to reintroduce their keerthanai with a modified semi-Carnatic background,” said Sarah. He, along with his brother (minister) Clement Vedanayagam Sastharyar, has published a book with explanatory notes on 150 compositions of early Tamil Christian poets.

Themes of caste-based discrimination and women’s rights found place in Vedanayagam Sastriar’s works, which were in line with the social concerns of the time.

Evangelical Hall built on the residential property donated by Raja Serfoji to Vedanayagam Sastry in Thanjavur. | Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement