Record of a Recent Digital Duel Now connect the dots please: LTTE turncoat K.P – Kapila Hendawitharana – Chinese gumshoes. Hence, this note. by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 4, 2022 As one who enjoyed the sword fencing duels – MGR vs. Veerappa or MGR vs. Nambiar – in old Tamil movies in my teenage years,… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Sri Kantha
Memoriam: Prof. Kandiah Balasubramaniam (1932-2021)
by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 1, 2022 Only in last September, I wrote about my memories of student days about Prof. A. A. Hoover and passingly mentioned Prof. Kandiah Balasubramaniam. Then, last November, the news of death of Prof. Balasubramaniam saddened me a lot. He died on November 9th, at the age of 89 in… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 63
‘Manthiri Kumari’ (1950) movie – revisited by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 21, 2021 Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s comments to my previous part 62, received on October 4th, was as follows: “You have discussed two difficult issues related to MGR. Annaism brought much flak. Most of what it said about nationalization and the right to… Read more »
Poet Subramania Bharati’s Centenary of Death
Personal Thoughts by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 10, 2021 One hundred years have passed since Indian freedom fighter and the gifted Tamil poet of the 20th century, Subramania Bharathi (1882-1921) lost his life prematurely at the age of 39, on the early hour of September 12th. Quite many of the hagiographical accounts remembering his life,… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 19
A 1985 Report on Rajiv Gandhi and Tamil Insurgency by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 5, 2021 Front Note by Sachi A report on Rajiv Gandhi and the Tamil Insurgency, May 17, 1985 Sometime back, while trawling the net on Eelam Tamil militancy, I picked up a ‘Sanitized Copy approved for release on 2010/11/08: CIA-RDP85T01058R000406330001-0’, from… Read more »
Prabhakaran’s Critics
An Alphabetical Assembly by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 22, 2021 Front Note by Sachi I contributed this commentary to this site on Nov.19, 2004, to celebrate V. Prabhakaran’s 50th birthday. Now, 17 year later, I reproduce it without altering a word, in memory of Velupillai Kumar Pancharatnam, aka George Master (1936-2021), a postmaster who had… Read more »
Aubrey Collette’s 1950s’ Political Cartoons Revisited
by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 3, 2021 I like political cartoons. Nine years ago, in Sept. 15, 2012, I wrote a column entitled, ‘On Sri Lankan Political Cartoonists, stray dogs and hypocrites’ in which I had commented about cartoonists Hasantha Wijenayake and Jiffry Yoonoos. [https://sangam.org/on-sri-lankan-political-cartoonists-stray-dogs-and-hypocrites/] Prior to that, in November 2006, I had contributed a… Read more »
Poet Kannadasan: Autobiographical Notes
Of pre-1943 period translated by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 25, 2021 Front Note by Sachi 40th death anniversary of King Poet Kannadasan (1927-1981) passed by on October 17th. Among his numerous books, two autobiographical memoirs, Vana Vaasam (1965, 376 pp) and Mana Vaasam (1980, 228 pp) stands out. Vana Vaasam covers the period of Kannadasan’s… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 62
Two Peculiar Thought Balloons: Annaism and Tattoos by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 30, 2021 Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s expert comments on the previous chapter Part 61, received by email of July 7, 2021, are as follows: “Sachi, Read your piece with interest. MGR’s use of the interchangeable spelling of his names in the initial… Read more »
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 »
Notes on Four pre-1950 Ph.D Recipients among Eelam Tamils
by Sachi Sri Kantha, September 7, 2021 University of Vavuniya was the 17th public university to be established in Sri Lanka in Aug 1, 2021. With a total of 17 universities in Sri Lanka now, an earned Ph.D degree is now dime a dozen (figuratively at least) among Sri Lankans. But 70 years ago (in… Read more »
Reflections on K. R. Ramasamy (1914-1971)
The Singing Star of the ‘40s and ‘50s by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 19, 2021 The name Ramasamy had a good omen among Tamil cinema actors. According to my count, at least five actors carried this name. In chronological order of birth, they are ‘Pulimootai’ (Tamarind-sack) T.R. Ramasamy Aiyar (1912 – ?), ‘Friend’ Ramasamy (1914-1971),… Read more »
One Hundred Influential Sri Lankan Tamils of the 20th Century – Revisited
by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 9, 2021 Prelude Twenty five years ago (when internet was in its infancy period), I prepared a list of One Hundred Influential Sri Lankan Tamils of the 20th Century. This list appeared in my self- published short book of 114 pages – ‘MGR Movies Revisited: and Other Essays’ (1995). Originally… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 18
An interesting overview by Prof. Shelton Kodikara of ‘Family Planning in Ceylon’ by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 20, 2021 Family Planning in Ceylon (1973) by Prof. S.U. Kodikara Prof. Shelton Upatissa Kodikara (1927-1994) was an authentic Sinhalese academic, whom I respected very much. Sadly, as of now, there is no Wikipedia entry about his contributions… Read more »
The Pirabakaran Phenomenon
by Sachi Sri Kantha, reposted from May 2001 – February 2003 Original index at The Pirabakaran Phenomenon We have been re-posting histories of the period leading up to the war, including Prabakaran’s early life to make sure that they are more readily available. The biography by T. Sabaratnam is at ‘Pirapaharan,’ Volume 1 & 2… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 61
Political Activities, Travels to USSR and USA by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 2, 2021 Fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan’s expert comments on the previous chapter Part 60, received by email of Mar 29, 2021, are as follows: “ I read your well-researched article with interest. MGR had much respect for Kamaraj and Kamaraj had defended MGR’s… Read more »
The Pirabaharan Phenomenon, Part 45
The Scenario of the Eastern Front by Sachi Sri Kantha, October 18, 2002 D.S. Senanayake’s notorious Lebensraum (Living Space) strategy: a synopsis To analyze the dilemma faced by Pirabhakaran at the Eastern Front of Eelam in mid-1980s, I need to review the sinister significance of the Sinhala-Buddhist Lebensraum strategy which occurred in the first half… Read more »
Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Trial: Supreme Court Verdict of May 11, 1999
by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 27, 2021 The Indian Supreme Court verdict on the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Trial delivered on May 11, 1999 was historic. When I was writing V. Prabhakaran’s biography to this site during 2001-2003, I made use of the three electronic files – then posted in the web pages of Central Bureau… Read more »
Book Review: Karunanidhi – A Life, by A.S. Panneerselvan
by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 11, 2021 Penguin Random House India Pvt. Ltd, Gurgaon, Haryana, 2021, 450 pp. Prelude to the Review The dictionary defines realpolitik as ‘n. politics based on realities and material needs, rather than on morals or ideals’. Tiruvaroor Muthuvel Karunanidhi (1924-2018) was an unparalleled Indian master of realpolitik and pungent repartee… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 17
My Participation at the Madurai Tamil Research Conference (January 3-11, 1981) by Sachi Sri Kantha, May 1, 2021 Front Note Forty years ago, I made my first (and as of now, only) trip to India, as a Sri Lankan Tamil delegate to the 5th International Tamil Research Conference, held in Madurai, between Jan. 5 and… Read more »