Great Christian Poets of Mylaudy:  Mr. Devaram Biddulph  or Devaram  Munshi [1802-1874] :

The versatile  Christian  writer,  thinker and lyrical Poet Mr. Devaram   Biddulph was born at Mylaudy in the year 1802  in the family of Maharasan Vethamanickam. He is popularly called as Devaram Munshi.[Tha.Mu]

According to  Mr. C. M. Agur ,the great Church  historian,  Devaram Buddulph  was the most prominent of the  Tamil Christian  poets of Travancore .  Agur writes about Devaram   Biddulph , " His style  is classic throughout.  Possessing   the fullest   power over the language he has versified Christian morals in a strong and vivid  manner.  His verses are majestic  and  eloquent , and at once show the  fervour  of his heart,and the depth of his learning and piety"

His village and Family:   Devaram  Biddulph's  father  Mr. Sivanaan [Gnanabranam] and his  mother Gnanayee  were  rich and landed  proprietors in Mylaudy.  When Sivanaan's  elder brother  Vethamanickam brought the Christianity to Mylaudy,  Sivanaan  embraced Christianity with his family and brought up  his children in Christian faith and ways.

Devaram was baptized by Mr.  Ringeltaube:   Devaram and his parents  were baptized by Mr Ringeltaube in 1806 at Mylaudy.   Mr. Ringeltaube was staying at Mylaudy and doing the Christian  ministry at Mylaudy and it's surrounding places ,assisted by Vethamanaickam. While he  was  young  he used to get highest sum of money from Mr. Ringeltaube by repeating the greatest number of Scripture verses. He was very much  liked by Mr. Ringeltaube , Mead , Revd.Mr. Knill and others.

Devaram's Education in the Seminary at Nagercoil:    When  Mr. Charles Mead the successor of Ringeltaube established  the Nagercoil Seminary  in 1819, Mead took Devaram with him as one of the first batch of students at the Nagercoil Seminary.  In the Seminary he was given some basic training and then he was sent to Tanjore ,Combaconam and Madras, the centres of   education, to continue  and complete his studies .  Devaram was a brilliant  student from the beginning and so at Combaconam and other places  he studied Tamil to perfection .  He  also  studied Sanscrit, Music, and Astrology under an able teacher. His knowledge of  Sanscrit was sound and commendable and his addresses were highly  attractive to the educated Hindus as he interspersed his addresses with beautiful quotations from Sanscrit classical works.


                                                 
        L.M.S SEMINARY AT NAGERCOIL FOUNDED BY REV .CHARLES MEAD, 1819

Devaram  became Mead's Assistant  : On his successful completion of his studies Devaram returned to Nagercoil and  on  his return  from Madras , he was appointed  as  the Native Assistant to Mr. Charles Mead;   Mr. Devaram served  Mead  faithfully  as a  Native Assistant both at Nagercoil and at Neyoor.  Mr. Mead recognized  Devaram's creative and literary talent  and as a  well  wisher,  Mead encouraged Devaram to improve in his creative potentialities  and  pursuits.  Devaram   was a born creative genius and so he started to write  Tamil Christian lyrics , poems and prose works. Mr.  Charles  Mead's   Munshi  [Teacher] Mr. Thiruvamalathinnamutham Pillay   had also  helped the young budding Poet Devaram Munshi, in his early and beginning literary  attempts.

Devaram as a creative writer of lyrics , poems and prose ;  Within in a short span of time Devaram attained great perfection  and elegance  in writing  poems and lyrics ,and  the south Indian Tamil poets conferred on him the title  "Dom Muni".    Agur writes  about Devaram's writing genius , " his poems can be placed almost on level with Thiruvalluvars's.   Mr. Devaram's Shen Tamil was perfect and was the delight of many".

Devaram's poetical works :  The following are some of his main poetical works:

1.Vethavithikural [ The Christan Kural]. In this work Scriptural truths and precepts have been versified by the learned Poet Devaram in exact imitation and style of the well known Tamil classic  "Thirukural" by Thiruvalluvar.

2.Thiruttanthamalai [Christian morals illustrated by the Scriptural examples ]. This elegant Christian classical work resembles the Hindu poem "Moothurai".
3.Sinthukavimalai  [the Garland of Christian Lyrics].
4. Semmolimalikai [The Garland of Good Words] . This is written in imitation of Ouvai's  "Athisudi".
5.Nallarivinsaram [Watt's First Catechism in Tamil lyrics ].
6.Vetha Aharathi [ Bible Dictionay].
7.Peyaraharathi [Dictionary of nouns enlarged ].
8. Sathuraharathi.
9. Vinaiyaharathi  or  Panjaharathi[The fifth Dictionary or Dictionary of roots and verbs [left unfinished].

Devaram's popular Christian Lyrics  : Apart from many standard and classical Tamil creative works as mentioned above  he had also  written some popular  Christian lyrics which are being sung  in the Tamil Church worship services throughout  the world  . The following  are some his famous Tamil Christian Lyrics sung in the Tamil Churches :

1.Athi mangala karanana  2.Deva Suthan Poovulahor Pavam Ozhikka   3. Yesu Nayahanai  Thuthi Sei Sei
4. Serum Kiristhyesuva  Enai  Serum  Kristhesuva.  5. Varuvar Vizhiththirungal Yesunathar and some other.

Conclusion :   In South Travancore ,  the then Christians generally , affectionately  and respectfully called,  Mr. Devaram Biddulph as  "Iyah"[Father] . In the field of Christian literature till today he has a few equals . He was a genius and great research scholar in Tamil literature. It is pertinent to remember one important historical fact that  Mr. Charles Mead married the daughter of Mr. Devaram Biddulph ,  Miss Lois Biddulph in 1851 , on account of  his  previous  wife's  death.  Mr. Charles Mead  confronted  many criticisms and unkind  treatment and thankless conduct  from some of the Junior Missionaries and some section of the Christian society on account of his inter-continental and inter-racial marriage.   So Mr. Mead  resigned from Travancore LMS Mission in  1854, and  went to  Trivandrum and settled there with his wife Lois Biddulph and  his Father -in law  Mr. Devaram Biduulph.   The great Tamil scholar and writer  Devaram  Munshi [Devaram Biddulph] happily spent his last  days with his daughter Lois Mead and his four grandchildren born to Mr. Mead and Mrs.Lois Mead .  Devaram Munshi died on the 28th of December, 1874 at Tirvandrum and his mortal body was interred   in  the Christ Church Cemetery, Trivandrum . A great Tamil scholar , writer, researcher and poet  of Mylaudy  is silently sleeping inside the burial ground  in  the Christ Church Cemetery, Trivandrum

It is  quite and strangely unfortunate that the Tamil speaking Christians ,  Tamil scholars , and the enlightened Tamil speaking world have failed in remembering  and honoring  a  great creative  Tamil scholar  of Devaram's stature. But he will live for ever in his creative works and lovely Christian Lyrics.

P. BABU MANOHARAN.[Rights reserved].