Asokamitran first appeared here in What Should I Tell Father – Asokamitran. He is known for his simple style and prose. He does not waste too much time in description and commentary. Just a word or two and he would go straightaway into dialogues. This is one of my favourite stories. Read on.... Two Finger Typing இரண்டு... Continue Reading →
Teachers are fascinating people. At least I can say that about the teachers till I was in school. They inspire thousands of students every year. I have mentioned about two such teachers of mine in my blog, Two Great Teachers. Some of the most interesting short stories I have translated are about teachers, Ku Azhagirisamy's Kumarapuram... Continue Reading →
Mohan Ram and I met Kapil Dev, the legendary cricketer the other day. I am exaggerating a bit here. Saying 'hello' and getting smiled at in return would not constitute a meeting. We saw Kapil Dev in person would be more apt. (Mohan Ram ended up taking a selfie though). Cricket fans who watched the... Continue Reading →
Subramani Bharathi or Mahakavi Bharathiyar, as he is affectionately known, is perhaps the best known poet from Tamil Nadu. In cricket parlance he was an all rounder a la Garfield Sobers. He was not just a poet, but also a freedom fighter, social reformer, fiery orator, an outstanding spokesperson for women's liberation. His thoughts and... Continue Reading →
The simple writing style of Ashokamitran (one of the best known authors in Tamil), is simply breathtaking. Readers would have seen that in What Should I Tell Father – Asokamitran. One more example is this story. Read on..... His Favourite Star அவனுக்க்கு பிடித்த நட்சத்திரம். Sriram was twenty one years old. He had just written his B.A... Continue Reading →
One more story about teachers, a subject close to my heart, from my favourite author, Thi Janakiraman. Crown of Thorns முள்முடி - தி. ஜானகிராமன் "So can we take leave sir?" as soon as Kannusamy said this, the crowd which was sitting close to him stood up as well. "I will take leave sir." "I will... Continue Reading →
I walked into a Head Office of a Paper Mill in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai (Bombay) yesterday with a colleague of mine. I checked with the receptionist if we could meet the head of the commercial department for a few minutes. She asked me if we had an appointment. I told her we did... Continue Reading →
1970களில் நாங்கள் மதராசுக்கு குடியேறியதைப்பற்றியும், வெங்கடேஷும், சிவாஜியும் எப்படி நண்பர்களானார்கள் என்பதைப் பற்றியும் முந்தைய சில பதிவுகளில் குறிப்பிட்ருந்தேன். நாங்கள் ஒரே குடியிருப்பில் (postal colony) வசித்துவந்தோம் மற்றும் ஒரே வகுப்பில் பயின்று வந்தோம் (VII A). VII A Vs VII C – My First Cricket Match பெரிய நகரத்திற்க்கு வந்த சந்தோஷம் வெகு நாளைக்கு நிலைக்கவில்லை. பழைய பதிவில் சொன்னனது போல் அஞ்சுகம் பள்ளி, 'நல்ல பள்ளி - கண்டிப்பு நிறைந்த பள்ளி'... Continue Reading →
I have mentioned in some of my previous blogs about shifting to Chennai (Madras as it was known then) in the 1970s and how Shivaji and Venkatesan became my first friends. Not only we stayed in the same locality, we were in same class as well. VII A Vs VII C – My First Cricket Match.... Continue Reading →
