On February 19, 1945, the anniversary of the death of Gopala Krishna Gokhale, Sastri spoke for about forty-five minutes at a public-meeting and suddenly lost consciousness. When he regained it after a while, he was advised by his doctors to give up all arduous work including public speaking. Nevertheless, on March 6. 1945, he gaveContinue reading “CONCLUDED:The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy…(Part-20): Death of the “Brahmin-Liberal””
Category Archives: indian politics
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-19): Last days in Mylapore…
The last days of Srinivasa Sastri were spent in his home “Swaagatham” in Mylapore, Madras… in one of the oldest, most historically well-known quarters of the city (now known as Chennai). Mylapore was indeed one of the oldest and culturally richest parts of Madras, known for its temples, classical music, and Tamil and Sanskrit scholarship.Continue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-19): Last days in Mylapore…”
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-18): Ignored by New Delhi, short-shrifted in Durban, forgotten in Mylapore,…
In the last ten years, Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s has made more than one high-profile State visit to South Africa. His public addresses there in Durban focused primarily on Mahatma Gandhi, with ceremonial visits, of course, made to places like Durban associated with Gandhi’s life and message. There is extensive media coverage and official documentationContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-18): Ignored by New Delhi, short-shrifted in Durban, forgotten in Mylapore,…”
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-17): A streak of “raashtravaadi”? …
Srinivasa Sastri, in so far as we have studied him in the foregoing pages, was a man who never could be stereotyped as either this or that type of votary of any particular political ideology or as anyone who could be easily swayed by any extreme notions of Nationalism, Patriotism or Liberalism. And nor wasContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-17): A streak of “raashtravaadi”? …”
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-16): “Anti-Sanatanist Liberal” or “Orthodox Performative Brahmin”? …
“THE SARADA ACT 1929“ Sastri deeply respected the śāstra-s and Hindu traditions but at the same time he also insisted that tradition must be intelligently interpreted in the light of contemporary science and modern needs. In taking this stand, the Mylaporean Brahmin-liberal-humanist clearly stood on the side of the “anti-Sanatanist Hindu Reformers” of his times …Continue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-16): “Anti-Sanatanist Liberal” or “Orthodox Performative Brahmin”? …”
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-15): “Anti-Sanatanist Liberal” or “Orthodox Performative Brahmin”? …
Even with the benefit of 20:20 historical hindsight that we enjoy today, and as it was in his own time without it, Srinivasa Sastry could never easily be stereotyped. He was rather unique in that it could not be said with any certainty whether he was outright an Orthodox or Performative Brahmin “Sanatanist” or otherwiseContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-15): “Anti-Sanatanist Liberal” or “Orthodox Performative Brahmin”? …”
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-14): “Anti-Sanatanist Liberal” or “Orthodox Performative Brahmin”? …
Srinivasa Sastri viewed Dharma as both personal ethical conduct and societal duty. He linked it closely to moral responsibility, justice, compassion, and wise governance. If there was only one overriding theme that overshadowed all others in his famous thirty “Lectures on the Ramayana“ 1944, it was this commandment and this alone: “Rulers must abide by Dharma—a combination ofContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-14): “Anti-Sanatanist Liberal” or “Orthodox Performative Brahmin”? …”
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-13): …Lecture#15 of “Lectures on the Ramayana” – 2025 Independence Day special…
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…”
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 Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-10): ….An “Ahimsa” purer than Gandhi’s….
Srinivasa Sastri’s melancholia that clearly arose from a general sense of being cutoff from mainstream political life in India during the years leading up to the Indian National Congress’s QUIT INDIA Movement — and thereafter too until his death in 1946 — was perhaps worsened by declining health. It is documented that Sastri suffered fromContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-10): ….An “Ahimsa” purer than Gandhi’s….”