Posts Categorized: Arts & Culture

May 31-June 4, 1981: Five Days of State Terror in Jaffna

by Santaseelan Kadirgamar, Transcurrents, June 4, 2011, also posted in Colombo Telegraph, February 3, 2013 Two years after the end of the war in Lanka*, without a political solution in sight, it may be appropriate to look back at events that occurred 30 years ago. 31 May to 4 June 2011 marks the 30th anniversary… Read more »

Noolaham: Preserving Lanka’s Tamil Language Heritage Digitally

by Shannine Daniel, The Sunday Times, Colombo, May 29, 2022 The Noolaham digital library was initially a Tamil language “virtual library” which contained documents, books, manuscripts, videos, photos and other material in the Tamil language. Established in 2005, it has since expanded to include books and other documents in Sinhala, English, Sanskrit, Dutch and French…. Read more »

Behind the Lyrics of Rathna Sri Wijesinghe

by Yamu, Colombo, July 21, 2021 It was the early 80s. Born into a Sinhala, Buddhist family in the South, Vineetha Samarasinghe Gunasekara fell in love with Balasingham Nadesan, a handsome, young Tamil man from the North. https://youtu.be/y8gyYsgRpdw Poets are not always born, nor are lyricists. Therefore, it’s quite rare to come across someone who is a poet and a… Read more »

Moving Bodies, Navigating Conflict

Practicing Bharata Natyam in Colombo, Sri Lanka by Ahalya Satkunaratnam, Wesleyan University Press, April 7, 2020 Moving Bodies, Navigating Conflict is a groundbreaking ethnographic examination of dance practice in Colombo, Sri Lanka, during the civil war (1983–2009). It is the first book of scholarship on bharata natyam (a classical dance originating in India) in Sri Lanka,… Read more »

The Bharatanatyam Dancer as Transnational Interpreter

At home in the world? by Janet O’Shea, TDR: The Drama Review, UK, 2003 Bharatanatyam Dancer as Transnational Interpreter The stage lights come up gradually as a bharatanatyam dancer, costumed in a tailored silk sari and beautifully adorned in jewelry, walks out from backstage. In a manner neither formal nor completely relaxed, she walks downstage… Read more »

Sangam Global Jan.1

by Sangam Global, January 1, 2022 www.sangam.global Saturday, January 1, 2022 11:00 am EST (US & Canada) 4:00 pm BST (UK) 9:30 pm IST (Tamil Nadu & Eelam) 10:30 pm Myanmar * Live links YouTube Facebook

Pure Tamil Movement

by Tamil Vaan Avai, Germany, December 26, 2021, 7am est, 1pm Europe, 5:30pm India  

Sangam Global Dec. 4

www.sangam.global Saturday, December 4 11:00 am EST (US & Canada) 4:00 pm BST (UK) 9:30 pm IST (Tamil Nadu & Eelam) 10:30 pm Myanmar * Live links YouTube  Facebook

FeTNA 2021 Today

by Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America, November 19, 20, 21 www.YouTube.com/FeTNA/live காலை நிகழ்ச்சிகள் நாள்: நவம்பர் 20 – சனிக்கிழமை நேரம்: 9 AM  EST  – 1 PM EST தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்து மறை ஓதுதல் பேரவை விழாப் பண் வரவேற்புரை ஒருங்கிணைப்பாளர் உரை தலைமைக் குழு அறிமுகம் அமைச்சர் PTRP தியாகராஜன்/ ராஜமாணிக்கம் CEO Tata OSAT உரை திரை நட்சத்திரங்களின் நேரம் ஹூஸ்டன் தமிழ் இருக்கை நிகழ்வு சான்றோரைப் போற்றுவோம்- பரிதிமாற் கலைஞரின்… Read more »

Sangam Global Nov. 6

www.sangam.global Saturday, November 6 10:30 am EST (US & Canada) 3:30 pmpm BST (UK) 8:00 pm IST (India & Sri Lanka) * Live links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilIRnB4O2Gk https://www.facebook.com/sangamglobal.live Program details at www.sangam.global

With Murunga, There Is No Need For Miracles

by Smriti Daniel, Diaspara Co blog, October, 2021 Far from a passing fad, murunga has always had deep roots in South Asian cultures. In Sri Lanka, where it is widely eaten, murunga has helped tide over wartime shortages and graced festive meals, without fuss or fanfare. Sometime in the ‘80s, my husband watched in fascination… Read more »

Sangam Global Program Oct. 2

Saturday, October 2 11:0am EDT (US & Canada) 4:00pm BST (UK) 8:30pm IST (India & Sri Lanka) * Live links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7RFmsYRR6Y https://www.facebook.com/sangamglobal.live * Sangam Global-Program-Flyer with live links *

Memoriam: Poet Pulamaipithan

A die-hard Eelam supporter dies at 86 by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 12, 2021 Renowned die-hard Eelam supporters in Tamilnadu, who could courageously express their views in public platforms, are not that many now. In these days of political sycophancy to rulers in power at the New Delhi for personal gains, it is not so… Read more »

Sangam Global Program Sept. 4

Saturday, September 4, 2021 * 11:0am EDT (US & Canada) 4:00pm BST (UK) 8:30pm IST (India & Sri Lanka) * Live links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYDdrJ-GlUY https://www.facebook.com/sangamglobal.live * Sangam Global-Program-Flyer-with live links * * Last month’s program Sangam Global Program August 7 * More at www.Sangam.Global

Sangam Global Program August 7

* Saturday, August 7, 2021 * 11:0am EDT (US & Canada) 4:00pm BST (UK) 8:30pm IST (India & Sri Lanka) * Live links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5X_6zoAG64 https://www.facebook.com/sangamglobal.live View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sangam Global (@sangam.global) More at www.Sangam.Global

Yet Another Incident in July 1983

by Basil Fernando, TamilNet, July 24, 2008 A poem, based on an eye-witness account of an event during 1983 pogrom captures the determination of a Tamil father at the time of his agonising death. The poem by Basil Fernando, a Sinhala lawyer, encapsulates the impelling spirit of the Tamil struggle of the post-pogrom years. Mr…. Read more »

By Nanthikadal Lagoon, Our Dreams Lie Rusting in the Mud

by Shash Trevett, PEN Transmissions, July 8, 2021 Shash Trevett on the poetry of Nillanthan All translations of the poems quoted here were done jointly by Shash Trevett and Geetha Sukumaran. * 18 May 2009 was a day of apocalypse. Fire rained from the air, from the water, across the land. It did not discriminate… Read more »

Review of ‘Methagu’ Film

by Arul MurugesaPandian, July 5, 2021 The most important factor about this movie is its timing. While a concerted effort is being made by nefarious forces to discredit the genuine liberation struggle of Eelam Tamils, this sincere effort to document the root causes of the armed struggle is a fitting reply.   The Family Man –… Read more »

Four International Tamil Actresses Shattering the Glass Ceiling

by Thamarai, July 1, 2021 Streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have helped us discover emerging Tamil talent from across the globe. Here are four amazing international Tamil actresses to watch as they shatter the glass ceiling.   Geraldine Viswanathan Standup comedian, sketch writer and now actress, Australian newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan is no stranger… Read more »