Chennai: A documentary titled “Speaking History” on the life and achievements of T.V. Ramasubbaiyar (popularly known as TVR), founder of the Tamil daily Dinamalar, was aired on Tamil Janam TV at 6:30 pm on Sunday.
The 30-minute film portrays TVR as a journalist who viewed the press not merely as a vehicle for news, but as a tool for social change. It traces his early life—born on October 2, 1908, near Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district—and notes his inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals and his work for the welfare of oppressed communities.
The documentary also recounts his role in promoting the compulsory education scheme introduced in the Travancore kingdom in 1946, stating that his efforts helped lead to the creation of 50 schools within three months. It covers the launch of Dinamalar on September 6, 1951, in Thiruvananthapuram, inaugurated by Tamil scholar Vaiyapuri Pillai, and highlights TVR’s stated aim of remaining non-partisan while focusing on solutions to Tamil people’s issues.
A key segment focuses on the Kanyakumari merger movement, describing how Dinamalar played a prominent role despite advertisement bans and police action, and how Kanyakumari became part of Tamil Nadu on November 1, 1956. The film further mentions the paper’s later shift to Tirunelveli, its emphasis on local news, the introduction of teleprinter facilities there, and the financial pressure faced after 1967 when government advertisements were stopped—improving only after 1977.
It also notes TVR’s contributions such as introducing offset printing and a colour edition, implementing Tamil script reforms in the newspaper ahead of government adoption, and campaigning for public projects including the Nellai–Kumari–Thiruvananthapuram rail plan. TVR passed away on July 21, 1984; the documentary mentions that the Union government honoured him with a special postal stamp in 2011. The film will be available on Tamil Janam TV’s YouTube channel from today.
