B. Jeyamohan

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Bahuleyan Jeyamohan, commonly known as B. Jeyamohan, is an Indian writer and literary critic who works in Tamil and Malayalam. He was born on 22 April 1962 in Thiruvarambu, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. His best-known work is Vishnupuram, a deep exploration of Indian philosophy and mythology. In 2014, he began Venmurasu, a modern retelling of the Mahabharata, which he completed and which is described as the world’s longest novel. Other notable novels include Rubber, Pin Thodarum Nizhalin Kural, Kaadu, Pani Manithan, Eazhaam Ulagam, and Kotravai.

Jeyamohan’s early life was shaped by readers and thinkers. His mother encouraged his writing, while his father pushed him toward commerce and accounting. After a close friend’s suicide, he left college and traveled the country, taking odd jobs while reading widely. He became involved with leftist circles and was mentored by writers Sundara Ramasamy and Aattoor Ravi Varma. Spiritual development came through his meetings with Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati in 1993. Gandhi and Gandhian ideas became important influences for him.

Though born into a Malayali Nair family, Jeyamohan has mostly written in Tamil, and his body of work includes nine novels, many short stories and plays, numerous literary criticisms, biographies, introductions to literature, philosophy, and various translations. He has also written scripts for Tamil and Malayalam films.

In his personal life, Jeyamohan married Arunmozhi Nangai in 1991. They have two children, Ajithan (born 1993) and Chaitanya (born 1997).

Politically and culturally, he has been active and sometimes controversial. He was involved with the RSS in his youth but distanced himself by the mid-1980s. He supported the anti-nuclear activist S. P. Udayakumar and the Aam Aadmi Party in the 2014 elections. He has written extensively on democracy, Gandhian principles, and social issues, including support for Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.

Notable achievements include being named Tamil Author of the Year by the National Library, Singapore, in 2013 and serving as a writer-in-residence at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 2016. He helped create a literary community around serious Tamil writing, including the Vishnupuram Ilakkiya Vattam.

Jeyamohan’s work often highlights nature, ecology, and the human relationship with the environment. His stories like Kaadu and other writings reflect these themes, and one of his real-life-inspired pieces, “Dr K, the Elephant Doctor,” has been used in Tamil school textbooks.

He has also faced criticism over some of his remarks, including a 2008 set of satirical pieces about Tamil cinema icons and a 2014 comments about women poets. In 2019, he was involved in a shop dispute that led to a physical confrontation. In 2024, a blog post about a Malayalam film sparked controversy, with debates about his views on cinema and regional identity.

Beyond novels, Jeyamohan continues to contribute essays, criticism, and philosophy, maintaining a prominent role in modern Indian literature, especially Tamil, with a focus on literature, philosophy, ecology, and Gandhian thought.