Se. Ganesalingan

Se. Ganesalingan (; 9 March 1928 – 4 December 2021) was a Sri Lankan author and a veteran Marxist. He was one of the prominent writers who predominantly contributed to Tamil literature in Sri Lanka He wrote and published several books in his illustrious career often covering wide range of interests such as caste, religion, sociology, political science, feminism and art.

Biography He was born on 9 March 1928 in Urumpirai, Jaffna District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. His daughter Maanvili Chithamparanathan and his son G. Kumaran both pursued their careers in publishing. During the Black July riots in 1983, a Sinhalese family volunteered to provide shelter to him and his family.

Career He joined the government service soon after completing his academic career and his academic career turned out to be a modest in terms of his standards. He was transferred to serve in areas outside his hometown at Trincomalee in the Eastern Province and at Colombo in the Western Province. After serving at Trincomalee and Colombo, during duration between 1950 and 1981, he retired from treasury.

He had a knack for writing, which he developed from his school days. His first story was published in 1950 and after a gap of eight years, he launched a collection of short stories with a foreword by a renowned Tamil scholar Mu. Varadarajan which was dubbed as 'Mu Va'.

He launched his first novel titled Neenda Payanam (Long Journey) in 1965 and the novel was based on caste oppression. His debut novel received positive reception among critics and it fetched him an award from the Sri Lanka Sahitiya Mandalaya. He launched a press named Kumaran in 1971 and began publishing a monthly magazine under the same name with the intention of articulating his leftist-marxian philosophy and communism ideology. He was also known for his non-fiction literary work which included the events involving Chile, Vietnam and Kachatheevu.

Death He died on 4 December 2021 at his daughter Maanvili Chithamparanathan's residence in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was 93 at the time of his death.