The daughter of the late Tamil writer Jayakanthan has questioned the authenticity of a letter attributed to him that praises lyricist Vairamuthu.
The letter, described as one of Jayakanthan’s last writings before his death, was published in the Tamil magazine Kumudam. However, Jayakanthan’s daughter, Deepa Lakshmi, has said that her father was not in a condition to read or write in the months leading up to his death.
In a Facebook post on Monday, April 20, Deepa Lakshmi wrote that she felt compelled to respond after coming across an interview with Vairamuthu in Kumudam in which the letter was published.
“I’m forced to say this because at times remaining silent becomes a crime. I came across an interview by Vairamuthu in Kumudam in which an appreciation letter of my father was published; it was also referred to as his last writing,” she wrote.
She added that those close to Jayakanthan would know that he had not been in a position to read or write anything in the months before his death.
“Those who were close to him are aware that during the few months before his demise, father was not in a position to read or write anything,” she said.
Deepa Lakshmi also stated that her father had not read the collection of letters referred to in the published note, and that he had not signed the letter either.
“Stating something which is entirely contrary to the truth is doing injustice to the great writer’s ideals, and this prompted me to come out with this explanation,” she wrote.
Describing his condition during his final months, she added: “He used to hold the hands of whoever spoke to him, almost like a child. A great orator, he wasn’t in a position to respond to their talk. It pains my heart to write this.”
She further alleged that the letter may have been written by someone else who visited Jayakanthan.
“The letter was not penned by him. Someone who came to my father read it out to him as if it were his own appreciation letter and requested if they could use my father’s old signature on the letter,” she said.
However, Vairamuthu told The Hindu that the letter was in his possession and that he had called Jayakanthan to thank him after receiving it.
“I immediately phoned Jayakanthan to thank him for the gesture. He reciprocated my words. When I told him that I would meet him one day, he said ‘Vaango’ (please come),” he reportedly said.
The letter, which was described as Jayakanthan’s final written piece before his death, reportedly praised Vairamuthu and stated that the lyricist had dispelled doubts that a poet could not succeed as a short story writer.