Joseph Vijay by Unni K Chennamkulath, The New Indian Express, May 9, 2026 Whether his government succeeds or falters will shape Tamil Nadu’s next political chapter. But Vijay has already transformed the state’s political landscape, emerging as the architect of one of its most significant modern political breakthroughs. ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay has scripted one of the… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Biography
Chelliah Rajadurai: The Rajah of Batticaloa – Part 3
by Sachi Sri Kantha, May 3, 2026 A Trend setter In comparison to his Federal Party colleagues of 1960s (excluding Pundit K.P. Ratnam), Rajadurai was blessed with Tamil literary mind. Majority of his Federal Party colleagues were advocates and lawyers, with E.M.V. Naganathan being the solitary medical doctor. Even those who began their career as… Read more »
“Pasarai Pāṇar” Thenisai Chellappa Dies Aged 85
https://youtu.be/EEP-uL-ktoc?si=e3fjgAwEufogo14j Singer of Eelam revolutionary songs by Tamil Guardian, London, April 28, 2026 Veteran Tamil singer Thenisai Chellappa, fondly known as the “Pasarai Pāṇar” for his powerful and evocative musical contributions to Tamil Eelam national consciousness, passed away on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, at the age of 85 following a period of ill health. Born… Read more »
Asha Bhosle, Longtime Voice of Indian Cinema, Dies at 92
Her distinctive and adventurous voice was the soundtrack for generations of Bollywood films. by Pragati K.B., The New York Times, April 12, 2026 Asha Bhosle, the Indian singer whose astonishing range and longevity made her one of the most recorded voices in modern Indian music, died on Sunday in Mumbai. She was 92. Her death,… Read more »
Chelliah Rajadurai: The Rajah of Batticaloa – Part 2
by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 7, 2026 In Part 1, I presented the post-Independence electoral details of Batticaloa constituency, from 1947 to 1989. To provide context to the Tamil and Muslim ethnic distribution, what has been recorded about the Batticaloa region by pre-Independence scholars deserves notice as well. Then, I provide details about Rajadurai’s first… Read more »
T. Kumar, Rights Activist
T Kumar memorial booklet – Kumar Mama Booklet Document For Kumar, who died on Martin Luther King Day, the struggle of one person, race, gender, caste or nation could never be viewed in isolation. He believed that a problem for one person or group, was a problem for all human beings. Kumar staked his entire professional… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 85
Eye Health Notes from Elite Film Stars by Sachi Sri Kantha Comments from R. Kannan For Part 84, Kannan’s comments, received on Dec 9, 2025, were as follows: “Except for a few, those close to MGR hold him in very high regard as a person. Countless individuals have noted his exceptional hospitality and helpful nature…. Read more »
Prof. Robert Sidharthan Perinbanayagam (1934-2025) – An Appreciation
by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 19, 2026 Robert Perinbanayagam was the eldest son of Handy Perinbanayagam (1899-1977), a much respected social activist, educator and journalist of the 20th century from Jaffna. I met Perinbanayagam in New York, only once, when I was a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. My diary notes of… Read more »
Felix Arulnayagam Christopher
It is with deepest regret that we inform you of the passing of Felix Arulnayagam (Aras) Christopher, beloved husband, father, engineer, and community leader, who passed away peacefully on January 1, 2026, at the age of 83. . . Felix was deeply involved in cultural and community life. As an active member—and later President—of the… Read more »
Chelliah Rajadurai: The Rajah of Batticaloa – Part 1
by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 2, 2026 Chelliah Rajadurai (1927-2025), the ‘charmer’ among Eelam Tamil politicians, bid adieu on Dec 7, 2025, after a lengthy mortal life of 98 years and 5 months. He was garlanded with quite a few sobriquets, like ‘sollin chelvar’ (Wealthy in Words) and ‘Ezhil Thamil Aalar’ (The ruler of elegant… Read more »
M.S. Subbulakshmi in the ‘Meera’ Movie‘s 80th Anniversary
by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 9, 2025 Introduction This year marks the 80th anniversary of the release of the Tamil version of the Meera movie on November 3rd 1945 in Chennai. Also, December 11th marks the 21th death anniversary of Carnatic Music diva Madurai Shanmugavadivu (M.S.) Subbulakshmi (1916-2004). It also happens to be the birthday… Read more »
‘Uprooted — Voices of Tamil Dispossession and Resilience’
MEDIA RELEASE Uprooted — Voices of Tamil Dispossession and Resilience MP4 video of Mr. Ana Pararajasingham on his book — fa06ec34-bcfd-4e5c-8597-290df08410c0 Published in late September and now available on Amazon, Uprooted explores the displacement of Sri Lanka’s Tamil people through the voices of those who lived it — thirty-four individuals across the globe who, while… Read more »
Richard Armitage Obituary
Richard Armitage has notoriety among Tamils for arming one side – the Sri Lankan government – which fatally destabilized the 2002 ceasefire between the LTTE & the government. – ED Richard L. Armitage, 79, Dies; State Department Official in a Turbulent Era While serving as Colin Powell’s deputy during the Iraq war, he found himself… Read more »
University of Toronto Scarborough Library Archives – Alfred Jeyaratnam Wilson
Papers of Alfred Jeyaratnam Wilson alfred-jeyaratnam-wilson-fonds.pdf Administrative history / Biographical sketch Note Alfred Jeyaratnam Wilson was born on October 4, 1928 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Kanagasabay Rajaratnam Wilson and Elizabeth Ariammah Dutton. Wilson completed a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Ceylon in 1950, a Ph.D from the London School… Read more »
ITJP: Gamini Silva Dossier
by International Truth & Justice Project Sri Lanka, South Africa, February 17, 2025 Gamini-Silva-Public-Dossier_final ITJP Dossiers Gamini Silva [Full legal name: Palliyaguruge Sarath Gamini Silva (a.k.a. Gamini de Silva)] Date of Birth: September 3, 1953 Career: • Member of the National Police Commission (May 2023 – April 2024);1 [Retired from police force in December 2013];2… Read more »
Krishna Vaikunthavasan at the UN 1978
from Tamil Guerrilla, a Tamil historical archive on Instagram & X, February 14, 2025 Krishna Vaikunthavasan was an Eelam Tamil lawyer and activist, known for his advocacy for Tamil Eelam. In August 1978, he gained international attention when he took to the podium at the UN, pretending to be the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka,… Read more »
The Death of Francis Boyle
A Great Progressive International Law Scholar and Practitioner by Prof. Richard Falk in his blog, February 6, 2025 [Prefatory Note: The following post represents my reflections on the outstanding progressive international law expert of our time, and takes notes of both pardonable faults and eternal gratitude for a courageous life well spent. Francis Boyle: In Memoriam;… Read more »
The Will to Freedom
An Inside View of Tamil Resistance by Adele Balasingham, London, October 6, 2001 Front Cover Maps Photos Introduction 1 New Horizons 2 Inside The Tigers’ Den 3 Turbulent Times in India 4 The Indo LTTE War 5 Hunted By The Indian Army 6 Premadasa – LTTE Talks 7 Living amid War in Jaffna 8 Tribulations in Vanni Post Script Annexure Abbreviations Back Cover… Read more »
Ambassador Who Had Lankan Politics in His Blood
by K.M. de Silva, Sunday Times, Colombo, October 5, 2008 The death occurred on August 30 this year of W. Howard Wriggins, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 1977 to 1979 and well-known scholar who specialised on Sri Lanka and the region during his years at Columbia University whose South Asian Institute… Read more »
Viraj in Tamil Radical Politics
by Dr. N. Malathy, TamilNet, August 18, 2024 The “radicalness” observable in Eelam Tamil Nationalist struggle ranges from centre-right all the way to radical left. It was only the launch of armed struggle that saw radical-left politics entering the Tamil Nationalist struggle. Prior to that Tamil radical politics was led by the Communist party centred… Read more »