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பக்கம்:இளங்குமரனார் தமிழ்வளம் 27.pdf/22

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yrino During his sojourn in Colombo, Va Su's brother, Tiru varanganar, made the acquaintance of the notred Tamil scholar and writer, Maraimalai Adigal, arranged for the savant's memorable first visit to Colombo in 1914, and stimulated the sale of his books. It was during his second visit in 1917 that Va Su met the Adigal andlaid the foundation of his Boswellian relationship to the Master. That year also saw the establishment by Tiruvaranganar of Tiru - Sankar Company, a bookshop in Colimbo for the sale of the works of Maraimalai Adigal and other scholars. Tiruvaranganar, however, Soon realised that his real work lay in Tamil Nadu, and hence moved to Coral Merchant Street, Madras, to organise the bookshop Tiru-Sankar Company, while asking Va Su to open in the family home at Palayamkottai a branch of the firm. Tiruvaranganar and Va Su firmly believed that the sale of good books, being verily the commerce of idean and knowledge and values., blessed the givers and takers alkie; no surfeit in the receiving, and no loss in the giving!

Tlhe next decisinve turn was the incorporation by the brothers, on 21 September 1920, of the Tirunelveli South India Saiva Siddhanta Book-publishing Kazhagam. The brother received much encouragement from Tiru M. Diraviyam Pillai and Tiru T.S. Visvanatha Pillai, and the Kazhagam commenced its career with and authorised capital of Rs. 50,000, made up of 5000 shares, each of Rs. 10. The capital was to be increased in 1952 to Rs. 1 lakh, and in 1963 to Rs. 2 lakhs. With the opening of the Madras Branch of the Kazhagam in February 1921, with Va Su as Manager on Rs. 35 per month (Tiruvaranganar shifting to the Tirunelveli Head Office), the Tirunelveli - Madras axis startedfunctioning with quiet efficiency and a change of missinary zeal.

The new publishing firm was active from the very beginning. The bookshop Tiru - Sankar Company. and the Saiva Siddhanta Book-publishing Corporation teamed together and merged, and in 1923 a Tamil monthly literary journal, 'Senthamil Selvi', waslaunched as an auciliary force pointing towards the same end. In book-publishing, the new firm aimed at the