Fake histories, dubious authorship: Perumal Murugan questions Periyar Arivulagam book procurements

Controversy has erupted over book procurements at the newly inaugurated Periyar Arivulagam library and science centre in Coimbatore after writer Perumal Murugan allegedly uncovered exorbitantly priced books of questionable authorship filled with falsified information. One such book is on a made up chief minister. Another claims that the Naladiyar—an ancient collection of Tamil poems—was a person. A third seems to attribute short stories to modern Tamil poet and writer Bharathiyaar that he likely never wrote. Perumal also raised the question if these ‘books’ are simply AI-generated text from fake publishing houses that were set up expressly for supplying to the library. The allegations have triggered a political storm between the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with the government announcing an inquiry into the purchases.In an article titled Periyar Arivulagathil Periya Oozhal (Major Scam in Periyar Arivulagam), published on the Tamil portal Sindhai on November 6, Perumal said he found nearly 1,800 books published by a company called Agal Vilakku Pathipagam on the library's fourth floor.One of the books that caught his attention was Naladiyar Vaazhvin Vazhikaati (A guide to Naladiyar’s life), a 300-page volume authored by Surya Balu and priced at Rs 1,445. The book describes Naladiyar as an important Tamil poet and philosopher. Perumal pointed out that Naladiyar is not a person but a collection of 400 verses written in the Sangam era and attributed to anonymous Jain monks.Another book, Madurai Kanchi Oru Ilakkiya Payanam, authored by Dev Nilan and priced at Rs 1,395, identifies a person named Madurai Koozhathip Peruvazhuthi as the poet who composed the 782 verses of the Madurai Kanchi. Perumal pointed out that the work is traditionally attributed to the Sangam poet Mangudi Maruthanar.He also flagged a book titled Bharathiyar Kathaigal, credited to Manisha Saravanan, which contains a story titled 'Sadhanaiyin Mugam' attributed to Bharathiyar. Questioning whether the story was actually written by the poet, he said Bharathiyar scholars would have to verify its authenticity.Another publication, Keezhadi Seppum Varalaru, authored by Jothi Hariharan, contains a photograph of a Nandi statue purportedly found during the Keezhadi excavations. Perumal questioned the authenticity of the photograph, pointing out that no such statue had been found at the archaeological site.A book titled Tamil Nadu Oru Paarvai, authored by Dhanalakshmi Arjun, identifies Muthuvelu Subbaiah Iyer as the first Premier of the Madras Province in 1947. It also refers to a political leader named Mu Ka Ramasamy, who supposedly held the position before K Kamaraj took over in 1954. These are entirely fabricated historical claims.Perumal also pointed out that none of the persons credited as authors of these books are known in literary circles. Similarly, Agal Vilakku Pathipagam and another dubious publishing company he found named Phoenix Pathipagam are also unheard of, he wrote.  He listed several other authors whose names appeared on the books, including Trisha Vijay, Jothi Saravanan, Jothi Lakshmi Anbalagan, Nivetha Anbalagan, Thamarai Panneer, Rani Panneer, Thamarai Karthi, Surya Balu, Mangaleswari Balu, Vijaya Balu, Monika Surya, Brinda Sethuraman, Darshini Sethuraman and Manisha Saravanan.Perumal found more than a hundred titles from Phoenix Pathipagam. He alleged that some of the books appeared to have been produced using AI and that the ISBNs printed on them could not be verified through online searches. He also questioned the absence of contact details for the publisher, apart from an email address.Perumal, who is a member of the committee constituted to recommend books on modern literature and literary criticism for Periyar Arivulagam, said he had recommended books after examining titles sent to him online. However, he was not informed about which books were eventually purchased.Speaking to TNM, Kannan Sundaram, publisher of Kalachuvadu Pathippagam, said the allegations were serious and warranted further investigation. He, however, distinguished the procurement for Periyar Arivulagam from the earlier government library book-purchase scheme.Kannan said that the earlier publishers had to apply through a government website and submit details of the books they wished to supply under Tamil Nadu's Transparent Book Procurement Policy and Portal. Publishers were required to apply every year, and the government would subsequently place orders.He said that during the previous DMK government, book purchases were made twice under a scheme intended to make the procurement process more transparent. The policy framework had taken around two years to formulate, he said, adding that the purchases made under it were different from the procurement for Periyar Arivulagam. He added that it was not clear if the scheme was still in place.According to Kannan, the orders for the books at Periyar Arivulagam were confirmed in January and February 2026, and the procurement was carried out outside the earlier scheme. He said the earlier system had its limitations but also had safeguards against certain kinds of manipulation. Under the older procurement arrangements, the library authorities fixed a flat rate for Tamil books based on the size of the book, rather than allowing publishers to quote arbitrary prices.Kannan said the latest controversy was particularly serious because the procurement for the new library had taken place outside the earlier scheme. He said it was necessary to establish when the purchases were made, who authorised them and how the books were selected.He also alleged that poor-quality books containing misleading and factually incorrect information were a larger problem in Tamil Nadu's public libraries. “More than half the books in many libraries could be such titles, making it necessary to examine the quality of public library collections more broadly,” he said.Vijay, DMK trade chargesReacting to the allegations, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay accused the DMK of corruption in the name of Periyar and Tamil. In a post on X, he said the irregularities had exposed how the party, which claimed to represent Tamil interests, had allegedly misused public money.Vijay said a book recommendation committee had been constituted for Periyar Arivulagam and other new libraries, and a government order had been issued on November 5, 2025, during the previous DMK regime.He also criticised the DMK for allegedly recommending substandard books and indulging in corruption during their procurement. Referring to other alleged corruption cases involving the previous government, he questioned whether public money meant for a library intended to benefit students and children had also been misused.The DMK, meanwhile, accused the TVK government of attempting to shift responsibility for the purchases. In a post on X, the party said the books from Agal Vilakku and Phoenix Pathipagam had a June date stamp, while books from established publishers, including the widely known Valga Vilundhu Gangai Varai, carried a March stamp.The DMK asked whether the questionable books had been purchased after the TVK government assumed office and asked who had authorised the procurments and who had received commissions.The party also pointed out that Perumal had been part of a book recommendation committee during the DMK regime and questioned why the irregularities had come to light only after the change of government.இடைத்தேர்தல் பிரச்சாரம் மற்றும் தேர்தல் முடிவுக்கு (அக்டோபர் 9) பிறகு தவெக தலைவர், டம்மி முதலமைச்சரின் அதிகாரப்பூர்வ பக்கத்தில் இருந்து வந்திருக்கும் பதிவு ‘அடடே இந்த பொம்மை பேசுமா?’ என ஆச்சரியமளிக்கிறது.விலைவாசி உயர்வு குறித்து பதிவு இல்லை..கொலைகள் குறித்து கவலையில்லை…காணாமல்… pic.twitter.com/fPjLGlIpfJ— DMK (@arivalayam) November 6, 2026 PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss also demanded an inquiry into the alleged irregularities. He said the purchase of books that were of little use to readers at exorbitant prices could not be accepted. He called for an investigation by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), besides a commission of inquiry to establish the people involved and their role in the alleged scam.பெரியார் அறிவுலகம் நூலகத்திற்கு நூல்கள் வாங்கியதில் நடந்த ஊழல் குறித்து ஆணையம் அமைத்து விசாரிக்க வேண்டும்!கோவையில் திமுக ஆட்சியில் அமைக்கப்பட்டு, கடந்த அக்டோபர் 16-ஆம் தேதி திறக்கப்பட்ட பெரியார் அறிவுலகம் நூலகத்திற்கு நூல்கள் வாங்கியதில் ஊழல்கள் நடைபெற்றிருப்பதாக…— Dr ANBUMANI RAMADOSS (@draramadoss) November 6, 2026 School Education Minister Rajmohan, who also holds the Tamil Development, Information and Publicity portfolio, said an inquiry would be initiated immediately. He said corruption involving a library bearing Periyar's name was unacceptable and that action would be taken against everyone found responsible.The key questions that remain unanswered are when the books were purchased, who approved the final procurement list, and whether the titles supplied matched those recommended by the expert committees, and how much public money was spent on them.Perumal has demanded that the questionable books be removed from the library shelves until the allegations are investigated. He has also called for the government to disclose the details of the procurement and take action against everyone involved.