Devaneya Pavanar

A commemorative postage stamp on G. Devaneyan (Nanamuttan Tevaneyan), Doyen of Linguistics :

Issued by India

Issued on Feb 18, 2006

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolor

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

Name : Gnanamuthu Devaneyan Pavanar

Born on Feb 7, 1902 at Sankaranayinarkoil, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India

Died on Jan 15, 1981 at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

About : 

• A doyen of linguistics, Pavanar‘s command on the Tamil vocabulary both literary and colloquial, was phenomenal. New coinages of pure Tamil words made by him in his works have already entered the common usage.
• A versatile scholar, Pavanar displayed originality and boldness in his critical examination of prevalent theories. His works include History of Tamils, History of Tamil literature, A Critical Survey of the Madras University Tamil Lexicon (in English), History of Sanskrit (Vadamoli), Commentary on Tirukkural in Tamil Tradition, etc.
• He wrote more than 35 books, which provide an insight into the variety of facts and highlight the significant contribution made by literary stalwarts.
• Pavanar composed some noteworthy poems including the collection ‘Venpa‘. He was also skilled in music, vocal and instrumental and has written a number of books on metrical lyrics (Kirtanas).
• He was given the title ‘Senthamil Selvar‘ by Tamilnadu Government in 1979.