Siva, the youngest son of a renowned and highly respected poet, his father died when he was only eighteen months old and thus Pulavar Siva began his life’s journey by teaching himself and immersing in the Tamil Culture and literature from an early age, influenced by his father’s many poetic works.
Although his mother, Thangaratnam Nallathamby, passed away when Siva was only 19 years old, her influence on his believes and behaviour, was also very strong, not only during his childhood but also on his ongoing life’s journey.
His passion and interest in poetry, drama and all aspects of the spoken word led him into village-based events, functions, and performances from an early age.
During his school days, he used to spend all of his spare time watching Kooththustage plays and many othermusical plays and attending meetings or events where he could listen to famous orators from Tamil Nadu.
Siva’s obvious creative leanings and early evidence of leadership skills were recognised by his circle of friends from an early age. He would gather his village friends and directed and produced traditional plays, folk arts, and dramas in front of audiences at his own residence hall.
Siva’s creative, poetic, dramatic and oratory skills and talents were further developed during his school and college life, spent atVaddukoddai Hindu College, Skandavarodaya College, Kantharodai, Chunnakamand Aquinas University college, in Colombo.
This continued through further studying in Colombo, his teaching life in Uruththirapuram, Kilinochchi, and his home life in Pallai. Poetry and drama continued to be the major influence on his ethos and was further influenced by his associates, friends and mentors.
In 1974, aged 25, Pulavar Siva came to the UK, and commenced his engineering studies at Bolton Institute of Technology initially and then followed to complete his degree education at Middlesex Polytechnic.
As his engineering education progressed, Siva’s passion for the Tamil language, literature, art, and culture, alongside a desire to expand his understanding of his ancestor’s history and civilization,continued to grow.
He has immersed himself in the writing of Tamil Poetry in publications and journals, delivering speeches and poetry recitals. This has increasingly moved into other media, with interviews on stages, in community radios and televisions, and speaking at public and on-line zoom conferences.