Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai

Indian poet

Date of Birth: 11-Oct-1826

Place of Birth: Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India

Date of Death: 01-Jan-0001

Profession: poet, songwriter

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai (1826–1889), also known as Mayavaram Vedanayagam Pillai, was an Indian civil servant .
Tamil poet, novelist and social worker who is remembered for the authorship of Prathapa Mudaliar Charithram, recognized as the "first modern Tamil novel".
The novel reflects Vedanayagam's own ideals of women's liberation and education.
Despite his times, he spoke passionately about independence in woman and feminism.
He was born and remained a Roman Catholic till his death.
Coming from the lineage of Vellalar Pillai known to be a Tamil and also Malayalam speaking high ranking dominant sub-group of the elite caste of landlords called Vellalars.
The Vellalars identified with ruling authority and were lords in the predominantly wet-land villages which they controlled.
His parents owned a majority part of the land in Thanjavur.
His ancestral line now largely remains mostly in Malaysia, India and Singapore.
He was survived by his son Samuel A.Pillai who was subsequently survived by his sons Maria Joseph (MJ) Francis Pillai and Maundy Jacob (MJ) Francis Pillai.
His last known heritage remains to be Roach Francis Pillai.
His literature is celebrated and still practised by famous poets and theologians worldwide.
His work has appeared in many recent Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada movies and songs.