Formation of a Political Love Triangle by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 21, 2020 Part 55 [Front Note: Due to lack of resources available at hand now, comprehending the undercurrents of MGR expulsion from the DMK in October 1972, this had been the most difficult chapter for me to write.] Three autobiographies deserve notice. Though MGR… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Sri Kantha
Battle of Elephant Pass: Twentieth Anniversary
When Tamil Tigers aimed for jugular at the Battle of Elephant Pass in 2000: Twentieth Year Remembrance by Sachi Sri Kantha, May 22, 2020 Sri Lankan President Gothabaya Rajapaksa made the following observations at the National Ranawiru Day commemoration held on May 19, 2020. Excerpts: “May 19th is a very important milestone in the history of… Read more »
G. G. Ponnambalam (1902-1977): His Power and Plight as a Tamil Leader
by Sachi Sri Kantha, May 8, 2020 Front Note: My father Siva Sachithanantham (1923-2003) was a fan of G.G. Ponnambalam’s theatrics in the political platforms and legal arena. He developed this fascination during the 1930s (when he was a teenager, and ‘Ponnan’ was his first local political hero), when Ponnambalam first contested the Point Pedro… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 14
90 Published Letters on Sri Lanka and Eelam by Sachi Sri Kantha Long before President Donald Trump promoted ‘fake news’ in 2016, Eelam Tamils suffered from the fake news promoted by the intelligence agencies of Sri Lanka and India, and the infamous Lake House (aptly ridiculed as Fake House) news organization in Colombo, since 1980s…. Read more »
Dr. Siva Chinnatamby: 20 years after her Death
by Sachi Sri Kantha, April 8, 2020 Twenty years have passed since the death of Dr. Siva Chinnatamby (1923-2000), an eminent Eelam Tamil woman physician. For her times, she was one of the rare women bio-medical scientists from Ceylon who received international recognition for her contributions to women’s health. Recently, while net surfing, I came… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 55
Ulagam Suttru Vaaliban [The Globe Trotting Youth] by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 17, 2020 Part 54 [Front Note: For continuity with the previous chapter, I omit the political events, including the Bharat award (July 1972) to MGR and his expulsion from the DMK in October 1972 that preceded the release of Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban movie… Read more »
Lessons Learnt from Kirk Douglas, the Writer
by Sachi Sri Kantha, March 4, 2020 Kirk Douglas, aka Issur Danielovitch (birth name), one of the last heroes of Hollywood’s studio era, bid goodbye to his fans on February 5th, after living for a century and three years. Though his oeuvre as a cine actor extends to nearly 90 movies (including his classics, Lust… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 13
An American Doctor’s view of colonial Ceylon in 1905 by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 16, 2020 In Chapter 10 of this series [https://sangam.org/from-sachis-files-chapter-10/] I provided the impression of an American nurse Ms. Annette Beals, in 1939. She reported about the medical conditions in Jaffna. In this chapter, I provide impression of an American doctor Nicholas… Read more »
Remembering Chidambaram S. Jayaraman (1917-1995)
by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 31, 2020 In Tamilnadu, there have been three renowned musicians with the name Jayaraman. D.K. Jayaraman (1928-1991), singer and the younger brother of Carnatic music diva D.K. Pattammal, Lalgudi Jayaraman (1930-2013), one of the leading Carnatic music violinist, and Chidambaram Sundaram Jayaraman (1917-1995) – chronologically the senior among the three…. Read more »
From Sachi’s File – Chapter 12
Eelam Advocacy in Tokyo during 1980s by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 18, 2020 After completing my Ph.D at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, I arrived in Tokyo in January 1986. Thirty four years had passed. Then, there were four English language print dailies; namely, Japan Times, Daily Yomiuri, Mainichi Daily News and Asahi Evening News…. Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 54
An Overview of the Final 31 movies of 1970s by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 27, 2019 Part 53 Front Note Due to commitments in teaching, I took a five month ‘leave’ from writing this series. Since I began this series in December 2012, seven years have passed by. As evident, I have covered MGR’s life… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 11
Sex education in Tamil Countries – Circa 50 years ago by Sachi Sri Kantha, December 14, 2019 The other day, during my routine visit to the Tokyo Metropolitan Library. I glanced at the last month’s The Times (London) newspaper copies. Four brief letters to the editor on sex education, all written by women, in response… Read more »
Remembering Aiyamperumal Maruthakasi (1920-1989)
The Ace Lyricist by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 27, 2019 November 29 marks the thirtieth death anniversary of ace Tamil movie lyricist Aiyamperumal Maruthakasi. His birth centenary comes in February next year. I plan to translate Maruthakasi’s lyrics into English next year. As such, this remembrance piece, will be a brief one, with only three… Read more »
Prof. Carlo Fonseka (1933-2019)
The Barnum of Sri Lanka by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 20, 2019 Prof. Carlo Fonseka, who died on September 2, 2019 at the age of 86, belongs to my tribe. Born in Sri Lanka 20 years apart (I’m his junior) and we both had a professional career as an academic in mostly university setting. Due… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 10
An American Nurse in Jaffna – 80 years Ago by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 30, 2019 Eighty years ago, the American Journal of Nursing published a four page article of by Ms. Annette Beals, in its Sept. 1939 issue (vol.39, pages 991-994). See below. She had visited the Green Memorial Hospital in Manipay and reported… Read more »
A Sin-eater’s (Lakshman Kadirgamar) Story
by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 10, 2019 Book Review: ‘The Cake that was Baked at Home – Lakshman Kadirgamar, Snapshotsof the Man’s Life and Times by his Daughter’, by Ajita Kadirgamar, Vijitha Yapa Publications, Colombo, 2nd ed., 2016, 522 pages. Fourteen years had passed since Lakshman Kadirgamar (1932-2005) was assassinated on August 12th. Though the… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 53
Anna’s Death and Aftermath by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 30, 2019 Part 52 On June 10th, MGR biographer Kannan sent me the following thoughts, after reading Part 52 of this series. “Thank you for Part 52 which I read in one breath. Yes. It could certainly form a subject of research. I don’t remember seeing… Read more »
The Muslim Factor in Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis
by Ameer Ali, 1997 A Critical Front-Note by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 25, 2019 ‘Under the bamboo Bamboo bamboo Under the bamboo tree Two live as one One live as two Two live as three Under the bam Under the boo Under the bamboo tree.’ S.Eliot’s lines in the verse, ‘Sweeney Agonistes’, 1926-27. In a… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 9
Kothamangalam Subbu’s Poem on Jaffna Tamils by Sachi Sri Kantha, July 17, 2019 Polymath Poet Kothamangalam Subbu (1910-1974) has a reputation which many cannot easily match. Apart from being a poet, he was also a movie actor – director, lyricist, script writer, novelist, short story writer, folk lore expert and an exponent in Villu Paatu,… Read more »
From Sachi’s Files – Chapter 8
My First Foray into Research in Sexuality by Sachi Sri Kantha, June 30, 2019 Forty years had passed since I made a 15 minutes presentation on December 18, 1979 at the 35th Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science at the University of Colombo premises, on an ‘eye-catching’ and controversial… Read more »