In Mylapore, Madras, on July 19th, 1944, Rt. Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri delivered the fifteenth in his series of thirty sterling “Lectures on the Ramayana” Profoundly insightful observations were made in the course of the passionate speech upon a very wide range of matters, political and philosophical viz.: Patriotism, Treason, Nationalist pride, Democracy, Political Dissent, PoliticalContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-13): …Lecture#15 of “Lectures on the Ramayana” – 2025 Independence Day special…”
Category Archives: Literature and Criticism
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-11): …Living for the love of Valmiki and Shakespeare…
In the sunset years of his life — i.e. the early and mid-1940s — Srinivasa Sastri’s physical and mental health remained beleagured. His angina attacks came upon him suddenly and not infrequently. They caused him excruciating chest-pain and breathlessness. In those days in contrast to the present day, medical research had not yet discovered miracleContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-11): …Living for the love of Valmiki and Shakespeare…”
The “Tolkappiyam” and Melkote Tirunarayanapuram: sombre thoughts
In 2017 , I had darshan of Lord Narasimha the deity on the sacred hill of Melkote . From the ramparts of the temple I took the opportunity to shoot a video clip of the lush green and vast landscape around Tirunarayana Puram. What a marvellous panoramic breathtaking scenery! In Sri Vaishnava sampradayam we callContinue reading “The “Tolkappiyam” and Melkote Tirunarayanapuram: sombre thoughts”
Yesterday 10 July 2025: Happy 95th Birthday greetings to Sri Indira Parthasarathy (Eepa): My gift to a very dear friendly guide and outstanding doyen of Tamil literature
“The Middlemen of Vedapura”: A Masterful Translation That Transcends the Original By Indira ParthasarathyTranslated by M.K. SudarshanBlueRose Publishers, 2025★★★★★ (5/5 stars) A Translation That Becomes Transformation There’s something audacious about claiming that a translation surpasses its original, yet M.K. Sudarshan’s English rendering of Indira Parthasarathy’s 1995 Tamil novel “Vedapuratthu Vyaabaarigal” achieves precisely this feat. TheContinue reading “Yesterday 10 July 2025: Happy 95th Birthday greetings to Sri Indira Parthasarathy (Eepa): My gift to a very dear friendly guide and outstanding doyen of Tamil literature”
Is the Upanishad “Brahmann” not “God Almighty” as per The Oxford English Dictionary ?
Watch the above video-clip. The controversy centers on the distribution of Oxford English-Telugu dictionaries to students in Andhra Pradesh under a government scheme led by former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. Allegations surfaced on social media and in political debates claiming that the dictionary’s definition of “God” was altered or presented in a way thatContinue reading “Is the Upanishad “Brahmann” not “God Almighty” as per The Oxford English Dictionary ?”
“The Unusual Essays of an Unknown Sri Vaishnava” — new India Edition 2025! Just out in online bookstores !
The earlier international editions (2016 and 2021) of this popular and critically acclaimed book were priced @₹.5000/+. Now, the new 2025 India Edition at an affordable price of ₹.1000/- is available for sale: The 60 delightful essays penned inside this book include also two short-stories based on imaginative reinterpretations of an episode each from theContinue reading ““The Unusual Essays of an Unknown Sri Vaishnava” — new India Edition 2025! Just out in online bookstores !”
The HINDU LITERARY REVIEW OF “THE MIDDLEMEN OF VEDAPURA”, my English translation OF Sri. Indira Parthasarathy’s satirical novel “வேதபுரத்து வியாபாரிகள்வியாபாரிகள
Hello everyone , THE HINDU LITERARY REVIEW DT. May 25, 2025 published a review of my book “THE MIDDLEMEN OF VEDAPURA” , my English translation of the Tamil satirical novel “வேடபுரத்து வியாபாரிகள்” of the doyen of Tamil literature “Eepa”, Sri Indira Parthasarathy .— M. K. Sudarshan https://www.thehindu.com/books/book-review-indira-parthasarathy-the-middlemen-of-vedapura-translation-mk-sudarshan-satire/article69589643.ece Sudarshan Madabushi
The cinema world is neither boon nor bane … “it’s about jobs, stupid!”
Yesterday in The Hindu dt. May 9, 2025, I read a very interesting article about how the well known Tamil novelist Asokamitran had in a couple of his popular novels described both the dark and bright sides of the Tamil Cinema world by using the now defunct Gemini Studios S.S.Vasan’s career as his template. TheContinue reading “The cinema world is neither boon nor bane … “it’s about jobs, stupid!””
The Tamil word பூகோளம் (bhukolam) and its rich Sanskritic roots
After watching the video-clip above, if you are intrigued with the word பூகோளம்…, you are also likely to wonder how old the word would be and how it originated. The Tamil word “பூகோளம்” (pūgōḷam) means “globe” or “the terrestrial globe,” referring to the Earth as a spherical object. It is a compound of “பூ” (earth/land)Continue reading “The Tamil word பூகோளம் (bhukolam) and its rich Sanskritic roots”
My Appreciation: A bold feminist re-telling of a scene from “Ramayana” by Indira Parthasarathy (published in “Amuda Surabhi”)
Sri Indira Parthasarathy (Eepa to his fans) was kind enough to send me yesterday a copy of a short-story he had written for the Tamil Magazine “Amudha Surabhi” (please scroll down to read it) . “My story based on uttarakaandam (a little modern for your liking, maybe!) has been published in the latest issue ofContinue reading “My Appreciation: A bold feminist re-telling of a scene from “Ramayana” by Indira Parthasarathy (published in “Amuda Surabhi”)”