Tony Askew, my super boss at BetzDearborn had an acerbic wit. Although he was British, he lived most of his life in America, and I guess, this was the reason, his humour was not the understated kind one normally sees with British people. He spent few years in India and we were fortunate to learn... Continue Reading →
திரு இரா முத்துசாமி, எனது கருமாரி அம்மன் கோவிலும் கணக்கு மார்க்கும் – சென்னை நாட்கள். blog படித்துவிட்டு, 'இந்த அனுபவங்களையாவது தமிழில் எழுதுங்கள்' என்று சொன்னார். எனது சில நண்பர்களும், உடன் பணிபுரிபவர்களும், "சார் நீங்க இங்கிலீஷில் எழுதினால் பார்க்கிறோம், ஆனால் படிப்பதில்லை. தமிழில் வருவதை தவறாமல் படிக்கிறோம்" என்றார்கள். இரண்டு வாரங்களுக்கு ஒரு முறையாவது தமிழில் எழுதலாம் என்று நினைத்தேன். பிரச்சினை என்னவென்றால் தமிழில் சிந்தித்து உடனே எழுதுவதைவிட ஆங்கிலத்தில் வேகமாக சிந்திக்க எழுத முடிகிறது.... Continue Reading →
I was watching a Ted Talk 'It's OK not to have a plan,' by Mithila Palkar, a stunningly beautiful and talented Marathi Film actress, a couple of weeks ago. Her cup song on inspired by Anna Kendrick's cup song from Pitch Perfect on YouTube has became hugely popular. In her talk, she gave a lot of... Continue Reading →
Every city and most of the towns in India have gone through huge changes in the last four or five decades. Almost all the suburbs in Chennai (Madras) have 'lake-view' street but there are no lakes to be found; the unbridled development had led to apartment complexes and houses standing in those lakes. Only when... Continue Reading →
The word aunt in English denotes both mother's and father's sister. But most of the Indian languages have different words for aunt; in Tamil, Chitti means mother's younger sister and father's sister is called Athai. In the winter of 1995, I was taking a chemical (Polymer) trial in a paper plant near Kalyan, a distant... Continue Reading →
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 →
