Posts Categorized: Sri Kantha

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 »

by the Hon. P. Ramanathan [read April 26, 1888] Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 1888; 10(36): 234-262. Ramanathan Ethnology of ‘Moors’ of Ceylon 1888 Introductory Note by Sachi Sri Kantha 135 years ago, Ponnambalam Ramanathan (1851-1930) read a paper entitled ‘The Ethnology of the Moors of… Read more »

And RAW’s rascality in 1989 by Sachi Sri Kantha, April 2, 2023 Former Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s (1924-1993) 30th death anniversary falls on May 1st. 15 years ago, I wrote about the puzzles of his assassination, alleged to be by the LTTE (but NOT proved legally!), in this website [https://www.sangam.org/2008/05/Premadasa_Assassination.php?uid=2906]. As such, for his… Read more »

On Kalai Arasi (1963; Queen of Arts): an experimental and space fiction movie by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 18, 2023 Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s observations, on Part 69, received on Jan 13th , was as follows: “Read part 69. My humble thanks for mentioning my reaching and befriending you among the notable events. These sentiments, as… Read more »

Knocked out by the Grim Reaper by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 10, 2023 After evading more than four assassination attempts during his term of office as the President- strong man of Pakistan (2000-2008), Gen. Pervez Musharraf (1943-2023) was eventually knocked out by the Grim Reaper on February 4th. The cause of his death is attributed… Read more »

by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 27, 2023 Gandhi in death-bedJanuary 30th 2023 marks the 75th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. To commemorate the anniversary, first I provide below period items from two esteemed American print sources, announcing Gandhi’s death. Robert Trumbull’s report from New Delhi, with the caption ‘Gandhi is killed by a Hindu; India… Read more »

On the Sri Lankan Army recruits between Oct 1949 and Dec 1976 by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 14, 2023 After the July 1977 General Elections in Sri Lanka, followed by the August 1977 Sinhala-Tamil riots, I became interested in writing on local politics and establishing myself as a Tamil writer in English. Towards this purpose,… Read more »

Power and Personality: Peer Perceptions by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 25, 2022 Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s observations, on Part 68, received on Oct 12th , was as follows: “Read your superb chapter that diligently lists the movies where Sivaji Ganesan shunned Kannadasan. The statistics are brilliant and show the hard work that epitomizes your… Read more »

by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 5, 2022 Guruge’s conclusion was, “…at some point in the pursuit of this goal of filling gaps in history,…Paranavitana stepped beyond the thin line which separates reality from the imaginary.” Introduction Oct 4th marked the 50th death anniversary of Senarat Paranavitana (1896-1972), renowned Sinhalese epigraphist and the former archeological commissioner… Read more »