Thuppariyum Sambu
Encyclopedia
Thuppariyum Sambu is one of the greatest detective short story series in the Tamil language
, written by Devan
in the early 20th century. The novel features its main protagonist as Sambu
who is a rather stupid bank clerk in his middle age and solves great crime puzzles out of serendipity.
The stories are famous for their distinctive humor set around contemporary society and eloquently portray the conditions of the modern city of Chennai
during the 1920s , 1930' and 1940's period. Some of his "Thuppariym sambu" episodes carry subtle references to the world war 2 also.
The prefix Thuppariyum comes from the Tamil thuppu = clue and ari = know (yum denotes present participle). Sambu
himself is described by Devan
as having a bald fringe, a prominent nose and a weak chin. Along with a generally bewildered stare his appearance invariably invites people to term him asadu (stupid), an assessment not far from the mark. This becomes an asset for Sambu
as criminals often underestimate him. Even though Sambu
displays a certain reasoning and cunning, it is Lady Luck who leads him to literally stumble on the truth. A typical Sambu
story has him clutch a newly built window railing as he trips over some obstacle, and some stolen diamonds hidden in the cement by a mason come to light. The drama is maintained by Sambu
triumphing over people who have previously laughed or ridiculed him, with Sambu
often being the last to understand that he has actually solved the crime.
Sambu
's stalwart champion in the police force is Inspector Gopalan, who usually brings a case to the detective's attention. Sambu
and Gopalan usually have great regard for each other save for occasional irritants in their relations caused by Sambu
's thin skin. Sambu eventually gets married to Vembu, who is clearly smarter than her husband and spares no criticism of her husband's vacuousness. The two eventually have a son called Sundhu who also helps in his father's work in solving crimes.
Sambu
's detective career is launched when the Director of the bank where he works fires him for letting a corrupt bank manager escape. Sambu
gets sweet revenge when the same Director eventually summons him to recover a lost pearl necklace. In another story Sambu
traps the same corrupt manager who used to take great pleasure in referring to him at works as "that idiot". Sambu
's best moments are when he walks into his old office on the case of the pearl necklace and haughtily ignores his former colleagues who once showed him scant respect.
In the late 1970s Thuppariyum Sambu was made into a popular TV serial with Kathadi Ramamurthy as Sambu
and 'Delhi' Ganesh as the Inspector.
Also it must be known that the episodes were run in comics form in Ananda vikatan it self and the person who created it is none other than Gopulu very famous artrist
In one of the last episodes Sambu visits London and meets with Scotland Yard sleuths and solves a crime for them too and on his return from UK he is feted very well and his wife also delivers their daughter. With this the last episode of this classic serial ends.
This is also widely known to be based on the English fictional character Sherlock Holmes
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, written by Devan
Devan
Devan was one of the greatest of twentieth century Tamil writers, known for his witty and humorous stories. Many people think of him as the 'Wodehouse' of Tamil writings....
in the early 20th century. The novel features its main protagonist as Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
who is a rather stupid bank clerk in his middle age and solves great crime puzzles out of serendipity.
The stories are famous for their distinctive humor set around contemporary society and eloquently portray the conditions of the modern city of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
during the 1920s , 1930' and 1940's period. Some of his "Thuppariym sambu" episodes carry subtle references to the world war 2 also.
The prefix Thuppariyum comes from the Tamil thuppu = clue and ari = know (yum denotes present participle). Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
himself is described by Devan
Devan
Devan was one of the greatest of twentieth century Tamil writers, known for his witty and humorous stories. Many people think of him as the 'Wodehouse' of Tamil writings....
as having a bald fringe, a prominent nose and a weak chin. Along with a generally bewildered stare his appearance invariably invites people to term him asadu (stupid), an assessment not far from the mark. This becomes an asset for Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
as criminals often underestimate him. Even though Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
displays a certain reasoning and cunning, it is Lady Luck who leads him to literally stumble on the truth. A typical Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
story has him clutch a newly built window railing as he trips over some obstacle, and some stolen diamonds hidden in the cement by a mason come to light. The drama is maintained by Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
triumphing over people who have previously laughed or ridiculed him, with Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
often being the last to understand that he has actually solved the crime.
Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
's stalwart champion in the police force is Inspector Gopalan, who usually brings a case to the detective's attention. Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
and Gopalan usually have great regard for each other save for occasional irritants in their relations caused by Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
's thin skin. Sambu eventually gets married to Vembu, who is clearly smarter than her husband and spares no criticism of her husband's vacuousness. The two eventually have a son called Sundhu who also helps in his father's work in solving crimes.
Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
's detective career is launched when the Director of the bank where he works fires him for letting a corrupt bank manager escape. Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
gets sweet revenge when the same Director eventually summons him to recover a lost pearl necklace. In another story Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
traps the same corrupt manager who used to take great pleasure in referring to him at works as "that idiot". Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
's best moments are when he walks into his old office on the case of the pearl necklace and haughtily ignores his former colleagues who once showed him scant respect.
In the late 1970s Thuppariyum Sambu was made into a popular TV serial with Kathadi Ramamurthy as Sambu
Sambu
Sambu was one of the traditional independent Ovimbundu kingdoms in Angola....
and 'Delhi' Ganesh as the Inspector.
Also it must be known that the episodes were run in comics form in Ananda vikatan it self and the person who created it is none other than Gopulu very famous artrist
In one of the last episodes Sambu visits London and meets with Scotland Yard sleuths and solves a crime for them too and on his return from UK he is feted very well and his wife also delivers their daughter. With this the last episode of this classic serial ends.
This is also widely known to be based on the English fictional character Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...