Mowni

Who was Mowni?

Mowni was the pen name of Tamil fiction writer S. Mani Iyer. Born at Semmangudi, Mowni, was one of the few writers of Tamil fiction. He had his high school education in Kumbakonam and lived there for fourteen years after marrying. Then he moved to Chidhambaram permanently to look after his family properties. He initially had 5 children. There were 4 boys and 1 girl. Two of his sons died when they were very young. One other son passed on due to an accident. His remaining son lives in America while his daughter lives in his house.

Mowni had a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, but he did not take up any job. He was very fond of European classical music and he also had very strong exposure to Western literature, and showed deep interest in Indian philosophy. Mowni wrote 24 short stories from around 1934, some of which have been translated into English.Mowni's stories are based on the uncertainties of human life, relationships and their manifestations. His pen name and the titles of his stories were given to him by his mentor. His stories came out in Tamil magazines such as Theni. He was fondly called by pudhumaipithan as " sirukathaiyin thirumular".