Kuthoosi Gurusamy

In this Indian name, the name Saminathan is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Gurusamy.

Saminathan Gurusamy (23 April 1906 – 11 October 1965), commonly known as Kuthoosi Gurusamy, was an Indian writer and journalist closely associated with the Self-Respect Movement led by Periyar E.V. Ramasamy.

Kuthoosi Gurusamy
Born	(1906-04-23)23 April 1906 Kuruvikkarambai, Tanjore District, Madras Presidency, British India (now Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	11 October 1965(1965-10-11) (aged 59)
Pen name	Esji
Spouse	Kunjitham ​ ​ (m. 1929; died 1961)​
Relatives	Kuppu Ammaiyar (mother) Saminathan (father) Gandhamma (younger sister) N. D. Sundaravadivelu (brother-in-law) Saroja (niece) Poondi Kumaraswamy (nephew-in-law)

Life

Gurusamy was born on 23 April 1906 in Kuruvikkarambai (a village near Peravurani in present-day Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu),^[1] to Saminathan and Kuppu Ammaiyar.^[2] He completed his undergraduate studies at National College, Trichy.^[3]

Gurusamy became involved in the Self-Respect Movement through Kudiyarasu, a magazine founded by Periyar.^[2] In 1928, after meeting Periyar, he formally joined the movement.^[2] His contributions included articles and editorials advocating rationalism, social equality, and opposition to caste-based discrimination and superstition.^[2] He later served as editor-in-chief of Viduthalai, a prominent publication associated with the movement.^[4] Gurusamy also worked with Revolt, an English magazine founded by Periyar,^[5] and contributed to Tamil publications such as Puduvai Murasu,^[6] Dravidan, and Pagutharivu, facilitating the dissemination of the movement's principles.^[3]

Gurusamy presided over the first Self-Respect Volunteers Conference held in Pattukkottai on 25 May 1929.^[2] On December 8 of the same year,^[7] he married Kunjitham, a fellow advocate of the Self-Respect Movement. The marriage became the first recorded self-respect marriage conducted without Hindu rituals. The ceremony, presided over by Periyar, marked a significant departure from traditional practices.^[8][9] Gurusamy also advocated ending the centuries-old practice of barring people from lower castes from entering temples.^[10]

Gurusamy's contributions to Tamil literature included translations and original works. He translated Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian into Tamil,^[11] introducing readers to rationalist thought, and Jean Meslier's Testament as Marana Sasanam.^[3] Under the pseudonym Kuttusi, he wrote satirical columns, some of which were published as Palasarakku Moottai and Puthiya Kuthoosi Thogupu.^[3]

S. Gurusamy died on 11 October 1965.^[1]