Posts Categorized: Sri Kantha

(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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Andy Rooney’s influence on my letter writing by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 9, 2023 I consider Andy Rooney (1919 – 2011), one of my favorite humorists, as a teacher in English writing for me. Twelve years had passed since his death on Nov 4, 2011. Rooney warned prophetically in one of his columns in early… Read more »

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulls down the pants of RAW rascals by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 27, 2023 As a long term observer of the sins of India’s gumshoes, I’d say ‘three cheers’ for Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau for pulling down the pants of RAW rascals on September 18th. He claimed ‘Agents of the… Read more »

Notes on the White Anglo Saxon Protestant (WASP) Editorials by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 2023 Preamble and Inference Though digital writing has many merits, one of its demerits (i.e., disappearance of past published records into the digital black hole, within few years) is a pain in the neck for me. Originally, I compiled this collection… Read more »

by Sachi Sri Kantha, September , 2023 Previously I had contributed twice on G.G. (Kumar) Ponnambalam Jr. to this website The first was on the occasion of his 69th birthday in 2007. [https://sangam.org/2007/08/Kumar.php?uid=2505]. The second was in 2008, regarding his 1982 Presidential candidacy.[https://sangam.org/2008/08/Ponnambalam_Candidacy.php?uid=3042] This year, Kumar Ponnambalam’s 85th birthday had passed by on Aug. 12th…. Read more »

From Cinema Screen to Chief Minister Crown by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 28, 2023 About the contents in Part 71 of this series, I received the following thoughts from pal and fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan on June 5th. “I read part 71 of the MGR series with much interest and, as always, found it… Read more »

An updated version by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 12, 2023 Front Note by Sachi The original version of this commentary of mine (written under the pseudonym C.P. Goliard) first appeared in the Tamil Nation print edition (London) of August 15, 1991. For digital preservation, it was posted in the sangam site in April 2002. https://www.sangam.org/ANALYSIS/Sachi04_01_02.htm… Read more »

by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 7, 2023  [N.B. Anti-Tamil ‘riots’ in Sri Lanka are more properly called ‘pogroms,’ since they have been ‘an organized massacre of or attempt to exterminate a particular ethnic, racial or religious group.’ — Editor] In 2018, I covered the May 1958 anti-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka (then, known as Ceylon)… Read more »

Essaying the Folk Heroes in Films and Becoming One by Sachi Sri Kantha Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s observations, on Part 70, received on Mar 27th , was as follows: “The article was fascinating. I did not know anything about Kalai Arasi and was quite taken with the fact that it was a sci-fi movie in Tamil… Read more »

Part 1 by Sachi Sri Kantha, May 8, 2023 [Felicitations to our long-time contributor!!! – Editor] by Sachi Sri Kantha I reached 70 today (May 8th). I’m quite happy about this landmark, because when I was born in Sri Lanka in 1953, the then life expectancy for male babies was only 58. And my mother… Read more »