An ancient door. A bunch of kids who swing on it playing 'train journeys.' The door is taken away by a debt collector. The girl whose family lost the door sees it in the scrapyard and hugs it. Ki Rajanarayanan popularly knows as Ki Ra wrote one of the best short stories in Tamil based... Continue Reading →
Guruthatchinai - குருதட்சிணை - A fee or gift or present to the teacher (Guru). குருதட்சிணை - இந்திரா பார்தசாரதி It's Pasupathi's favourite 'Pair of Trousers.' What do you call Trousers/Pant in Tamil? Manimegalai, one of the five ancient classic literature says, ikantha vatudai (இகந்த வட்டுடை) roughly translates to loose fitting garment for legs. May be a... Continue Reading →
I just read this short story. Two things struck immediately. I had written about people going on pilgrimage from south to Varanasi (Kasi, the holiest of Indian cities by foot). My grandma's grandma did this The Family Autocrat – Tribute To My Grandma. Google maps tells me the distance is about 1910 Kilo Meters about... Continue Reading →
This story from Thi Janakiraman is from collection of Thi Jaa's Short Stories. Thi Janakiraman had this unique ability. In few short sentences, he would bring a character to life and some of these characters stay in memory forever. He is undoubtedly the master of Modern Tamil Short Stories. Read on..... ஆயா - தி ஜானகிராமன்... Continue Reading →
Amalraj, my erstwhile colleague and a good friend now, is probably reason for this effort. Well, not exactly Amalraj, but his father. He is one of the people who has inspired me. When I read this story after many years, Amalraj's father immediately sprang to my mind. Amalraj's father was a fruit seller. When Amalraj... Continue Reading →
Advaita Vedanta (/ədˈvaɪtə vɛˈdɑːntə/; Sanskrit: अद्वैत वेदान्त, IAST: Advaita Vedānta, literally, "not-duality") is a school of Hindu philosophy, and originally known as Puruṣavāda is a classic system of spiritual realization in Indian tradition. The term Advaita refers to its idea that the true self, Atman, is the same as the highest metaphysical reality of the universe, Brahman. Wikipedia சூசைம்மாவும் அத்வைதமும் - இந்திரா பார்த்தசாரதி Annamma looked at her watch. 5.15. Mathew must... Continue Reading →
I have translated couple of short stories of Indira Parthasarathy. 'Distance' figures in most of the top short stories lists. Jeyamohan writes about the author, 'Delhi is Indira Parthasarathy's playground. He looks it as a machine with two large spare parts. One, it is about the people who wield unlimited power, the bureaucrats and the... Continue Reading →
I have translated some of the stories from this collection by Thi. Janakiraman, Crown of Thorns – முள்முடி – Thi Janakiraman, Pathu Chetti – Thi Janakiraman, Complaint – Thi Janakiraman, Mr. Dash Dash Dash – Thi Janakiraman and couple of other stories. Not sure how did I miss this one. Only a genius like Mr. Janakiraman can expound philosophy... Continue Reading →
Vinay, my nephew thinks that the competition in India is scary today for getting a job. Of course, being a millennial, he would not know about the India with its noble(?) socialistic ideas which was making the country progress with two to three percent growth. Forget competition, there were no jobs except for the ones... Continue Reading →
To me, Sujatha still remains the most popular writer in Tamil Language. As I have mentioned before, some of his short stories are really good. He is a master storyteller. He constructs his stories concisely and the conversations are always precise. Even a two line description would provide the background and the characters of the... Continue Reading →
Biking. Adventure. Nostalgia.x 