98 PAPERS IN TAMIL LITERATURE
In this context, special mention must be made about the Vanampadi Movement. Many priceless journals containing Free-verse were also published. All these led to the increase of the quantity (partly quality also) of the new poetry. Poets who wrote poems in the traditional way also have shifted to write in the novel way.
The evolution process of the new poetry underwent three stages in Tamil. The pioneer of the new poetry is still debatable. Some are of the opinion that from Poet Bharathi (1882-1921) originated the new poetry. Bharathi wrote only prose-poetry. Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and Bharathi’s prose-poetry influenced Pichamirthy and it is he who declared open the era of new poetry. In ’thirties and ’forties, Pichamtrthy, followed by Ku. Pa. Rajagopalan, Vallikkannar, etc. were responsible to make the ball rolling well. These writers concentrated only on breaking the barriers of prosody. Their orientation on the content was less. This was the first stage. In the second stage, after 1945, the new poetry began to evolve further and to grow in all dimensions. Darumu Sivardman, T. S. Vénugopalan, Vaidiswaran, Mani, Sundararadmasdmy, T.K. Duraisamy, Gnanakkittan, etc. contributed liberally. The present stage is the third stage in which N. Kamarasan, Mira, Abdul Rahman, Abi, Kalapriya, Sirpi, Puviyarasu, Metta, Gangaikondan, Akkiniputtiran, Sakthikkanal, etc. are contributing devotedly. They have introduced a number of poetic techniques. The focus on the content and form as well is well seen. Among the writers of the new poetry, many are working as teachers in the colleges.
It is quite interesting to note the trends of the new poetry. The content and communication of the new poetry create the aesthetic appreciation in the reader. Mostly social consciousness of the poets blows the literary horn.
Some of the new poems are in riddle form :
We bought in the night
Still it didn’t dawn Sirpi �
