Part 1 by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 14, 2024 I was saddened to hear the death of M.K. Eelaventhan, at the age of 91 on April 28, 2024 in Canada. Born on Sept 14, 1932, he was 20 years older than me. I became acquainted with him in 1976 (see below, my diary entries, from… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Sri Kantha
On the Tamil National Army (TNA)
RAW’s malformed Baby that lived for 9 months by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 10, 2024 As a chronicler of Eelam history of the 20th century, I had been highlighting issues and items that demands a record and focus. One such item was the brief existence of Tamil National Army (TNA), a malformed baby of India’s… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 76
On M.K. Muthu; from a Fan to promoted Cinema Rival and Fall by Sachi Sri Kantha, May 14, 2024 Comments received from fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan on Mar 26th about the contents in Part 75 of this series, were as follows: “The Economic and Political Weekly articles [cited] appropriately show the pressures on MGR… Read more »
Prabhakaran and LTTE: A Chronological Bibliography
Compiled by Sachi Sri Kantha, May 23, 2024 Front Note This is a revised version of my previous compilation, in three parts. Part I appeared on Nov 16, 2009. Part 2 was posted on Nov 24, 2010, and Part 3 appeared on Nov 27, 2011. Cumulatively, there were 189 items in the three parts. After… Read more »
Notes on Reaching 70 Not Out – Part 4
My Initial Steps in Sexuality Research by Sachi Sri Kantha, April 13, 2024 Front Note 21 years had passed since the late Dr Rajan Sriskandarajah posted my essay item ‘Alfred Kinsey as an Apparent Guru: My Sri Lankan experience in Sex Research’ in this site (April 23, 2003. This link is still survives, despite… Read more »
The Hindu Religious Heritage in Sri Lanka
Revived and Remembered by Prof. A. Sathasivam [source: Religiousness in Sri Lanka, edited by John Ross Carter, Marga Institute, Colombo, 1979, pp. 161-173.] Front Note by Sachi Sri Kantha When I was a 3rd year undergraduate at the University of Colombo, in 1974, I had the opportunity to associate with Prof. A. Sathasivam, then… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 75
Chief Minister – Tangling with the Cerberus dog of the Center by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 25, 2024 Kannan’s critical comments and my response I provide MGR scholar and my pal Kannan’s critical comments on the content of Part 74 (received on Jan 20, 2024) below: “Many thanks indeed for part 74 and the three… Read more »
Eulogy to My Mother
by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 14, 2024 Front Note Puvaneswary Sachithanantham, my mother, died on March 2, 2024. Born in April 10, 1936, she had lived for 87 years and welcomed four great grandsons. For her memory, I provide excerpts of a 1995 essay I wrote in English. This was the title essay of my… Read more »
Ponnusamy Venugopal Master
Pirabhakaran’s First Mentor by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 28, 2024 Front Note After my visit to Kilinochchi in March 2004, I posted the following profile of Ponnusamy Venugopal Master in this site. Then, he was 60. Now after a passage of 20 years, I’m not sure whether he is still among the living, or he… Read more »
Notes on Reaching 70 Not Out – Part 3
Silent Awards of Recognition by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 15, 2024 I consider that my intellect (not the physical frame) was conceived in Sri Lanka, born in USA and bloomed in Japan. As such, my contributions to research, writing and teaching are filled with tri-partite influences. In this part, I provide snippets of my thoughts… Read more »
In Memoriam: Dr Rajan Sriskandarajah
(1943 – 2023) by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 3, 2024 When I heard the news of death of Dr Rajan Sriskandarajah last November, I felt so sad as if I had lost one of my family members. Though I came to be acquainted with him only in 2001, when I was 48, he was like… Read more »
Looking Back: An Item in Cyril Mathew’s Dossier
by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 29, 2024 35 years have passed since Caludewage Cyril Mathew (1912-1989), popularly known as Cyril Mathew was called to his Maker. A nasty Tamil-baiting politician made a big splash in November 1978 with the infamous ‘Mosquito question’ in a university entrance zoology exam paper to trap the Tamil university academics… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 74
Chief Minister – Phase 1 by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 19, 2024 I provide below the comments received from pal and fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan on Nov. 21st about the contents in Part 73 of this series, and my response. Kannan had written, “…thank you for part 73 of MGR-remembered [series]. Your eye for… Read more »
50th Anniversary of the Tragic Deaths at the 1974 International Tamil Research Conference
Held in Jaffna by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 10, 2024 In 2014, I had presented my impressions on the 4th International Tamil Research Conference, held in Jaffna, from Jan 3 to 9, 1974. [Please check this link. https://sangam.org/jaffna-international-tamil-research-conference-1974/] In addition, I had also contributed my thoughts about the tragic deaths of 9 Tamils that occurred… Read more »
G.G. (Kumar) Ponnambalam Jr. Remembered on His 24th Assassination Anniversary
by Sach Sri Kantha, January 1, 2024 Front Note G.G. (Kumar) Ponnambalam Jr. (1938-2000) was assassinated on January 5, 2000, in Colombo. To remember him, I provide two published documents. One – an ‘Open Letter’ to the then Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga. Most probably, this was the final public statement released by Kumar prior… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 23
Remembering my Father on his Birth Centenary Year by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 12, 2023 My father (Sivapragasam Sachithanantham, 1923-2003), whom my sister and I called Aiyah was born in Puloly West, Point Pedro, Ceylon, to Vinasithamby Sivapragasam (1882-1936) and Packiyam (1889-1945), as the sixth and youngest child. Ten years ago, I posted Aiyah’s autobiographical… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 22
My meager contributions to Tamil Writing in the Natural Sciences by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 5, 2023 Science writing is an orphan genre among Tamil writers, due to specific conditions needed by a Tamil author. These are, (1) one should have studied natural sciences and/or technology to earn a university degree in any discipline; (2)… Read more »
In Memoriams: Randor Guy and Prof. Robert L. Hardgrave Jr.
by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 19, 2023 Madabhushi Rangadorai, aka Randor Guy: DOB – 1937 Nov 8 and DOD – 2023 Apr 23 Prof. Robert L. Hardgrave Jr: DOB – 1939 Feb 6 and DOD – 2023 May 21. As one of the biographers of M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), an Indian movie star turned a successful… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 73
Notes on the released Final Two Movies by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 9, 2023 About the contents in Part 72 of this series, pal and fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan on Sept 3rd sent me the following comments. “Thank you for part 72. You have pulled together the strands of that momentous period. Even AIADMK men… Read more »
Book Review: Prisoner #1056 – How I Survived War and Found Peace
by Roy Ratnavel, Viking/Penguin Random House, Canada, 2023, 260 pp, US$27.00 by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 28, 2023 This book of memoir by Roy Ratnavel (born 1969), a naturalized Canadian of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, has achieved bestseller status in Canada this year. The memoir has 12 chapters altogether, among which the first three (in… Read more »