Friday, February 29, 2008

Sujatha passes away

Sujatha, the famous Tamil writer passed away yesterday night. The distinctive writer, who has penned stories and dialogues for many distinguished films, has been admitted in Apollo Hospital a couple of days ago. He was in coma before leaving his last breath.

S. Rangarajan (Sujatha’s real name) was 73 years old when he passed away. The prolific writer has written over 100 novels, 200 short stories, stage plays and number of essays. He has also been writing regular columns and Q&A series on science in popular magazines. He also served for a short time as the editor of Kumudham magazine. In addition, he has contributed to educational CD-ROMs.

The writer’s close association with Tamil cinema is second only to his association with literature. He has written stories, screenplays and dialogues for several Tamil movies. He has been an integral part of the films by ace directors Mani Rathnam and Shankar. His dialogues in Kannathil Muthamittaal (Mani Rathnam) and Anniyan (Shankar) were well received by the public and critics.

His demise has come as a shock to the literary circles and the film fraternity. Just like his fresh and unique way of writing has rejuvenated Tamil literature, his contribution to Tamil cinema – in terms of scientific approach and sharp intelligence – has changed the way dialogues are penned in Tamil films. The dialogues have become more practical and shorter after the entry of Sujatha into Tamil films. Aging has never affected his writing, which always used to be smart and young.

He was also the Chief of the team that designed the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) during his tenure in Bharat Electronics as GM of R & D. The machine is now used in elections all over India.

He is survived by his wife (Sujatha Rangarajan) and two sons.

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