Category Archives: Literary Retellings / Cultural Commentary
“Thought Too Deep for Tears” — From the “Apu trilogy” to Bhishmacharya, from Sathyajit Ray to Ramanujacharya, “Eepa”, “Amaruvi”and I: a Parlour Conversation on the Novel, the Cinema and the Inner Life
A brief WhatsApp exchange among Sri Indira Parthasarathy, Sri Amaruvi Devanathan, and the author becomes an imagined parlour conversation on Donna Tartt’s provocative claim that novels take us inside another soul while films leave us as voyeurs.
From Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy to Bhishma’s death in the Mahabharata and the sorrows of Ramanujacharya, the discussion asks what novels and cinema do differently to imagination, memory, and feeling.
Please, for God’s sake, Leave Her Spirit Alone
On M.S. Subbulakshmi’s 110th birth anniversary, a pan-India biopic—M.S – A Legacy On Screen—was launched at the Music Academy with starry fanfare: Rashmika Mandanna in the lead, Gowtam Tinnanuri directing, Anirudh Ravichander composing, and Kamal Haasan giving the first clap.
This op-ed asks a harder question: when does tribute become exploitation?
Arguing that M.S. was a private, spiritually oriented artist who disliked the spotlight offstage, it contends that the endless cycle of articles, statues, awards, and now a high-profile biopic risks turning her into a brand.
The piece calls for homage that honours the art—paataantharam, discipline, humility—rather than PR-heavy pageantry.
If we must celebrate, let it be through performance, archival rigour, and restraint in iconography.
Celebrate Sadasivam if you must; leave Subbulakshmi alone.
Who Was Mukkur Swami? And why you must read his biography?
Who Was Mukkur Swami? Sri Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachariar was not a figure of India’s distant past. He lived in the twentieth century, from 1944 to 2001, and left behind an immense spiritual and cultural legacy. He was:• A distinguished scholar of Veda and Vedanta• A powerful and widely admired upanyasaka• An austere performer of Vedic yajnas•Continue reading “Who Was Mukkur Swami? And why you must read his biography?”
When Ideology Blinds Us to Beauty: In Defence of “Sangha Tamizh”
By Sudarshan MadabushiSeptember 10, 2026, Chennai, India “நீ ப்ரணதார்த்திஹரனோடா? நீ ப்ரணதார்த்திகரனாக்கும்.”“Are you with the Lord who removes devotees’ distress?No—you’re the one who causes distress to those around you!” This was a Sanskrit teacher’s favourite way of reprimanding a naughty classmate while tweaking the boy’s ears — And the incident was narrated to me with nostalgicContinue reading “When Ideology Blinds Us to Beauty: In Defence of “Sangha Tamizh””
“பகவான் பாடுபடுகிறாரா? விசிஷ்டாத்வைத வேதாந்தத்தில் இறை கருணையின் முரண்பாடு”
தயா, லக்ஷ்மி தத்துவம் மற்றும் புருஷகார சித்தாந்தத்தின் மெய்யியல் ஆய்வு by M.K. Sudarshan August 9, 2026: Chennai, India முன்னுரை: மெய்யியல் புதிர் கேள்வி எளிமையாகத் தோன்றினாலும், இது விசிஷ்டாத்வைத மெய்யியலின் மையத்தை ஊடுருவியது: “பிரபஞ்சம் முழுவதும்—சித் மற்றும் அசித்—பகவானின் சரீரம் (உடல்), மற்றும் பகவான் அனைத்து அस्तித்வத்தின் சரீரி (உள் கட்டுப்பாட்டாளர்) என்றால், பகவான் தம் உடலாக உள்ள ஜீவாத்மாக்களின் கர்மிக் துன்பத்தை அனுபவிக்கிறாரா?” ஒருபுறம், சரீர-சரீரி சம்பந்தம் பகவானுக்கும் ஜீவர்களுக்கும் இடையேContinue reading ““பகவான் பாடுபடுகிறாரா? விசிஷ்டாத்வைத வேதாந்தத்தில் இறை கருணையின் முரண்பாடு””
“Why the Rahasyatrayasāram Appeals to the Old”: A Conversation with the Young
The Setting: A quiet courtyard outside the temple hall, late afternoon. The golden light of dusk filters through the ancient banyan tree. Two figures emerge from the kalākṣepam hall — one elderly, silver-haired, standing erect and proud with a dignified bearing; the other young, bright-eyed, clutching a notebook. They have just attended a discourse onContinue reading ““Why the Rahasyatrayasāram Appeals to the Old”: A Conversation with the Young”
The day Lord Krishna revealed yet another “Vishvaroopa” in the United Nations General Assembly
What happens when diplomacy collapses and escalation takes over? In this powerful four-part imaginary retelling, Sri Krishna manifests His Vishwaroopa before the United Nations General Assembly to deliver a final, chilling warning about modern warfare, human hubris, and the devastating cycle of self-inflicted civilizational ruin.