Prem'sJourney

The issue with trying to pick up a Historical Narrative from the Sangam and Pre-Sangam era is less to do with the Scarcity of the source than the credibility of the information. Hagiography, Poetic Reading and Epigraphy from the Royal Inscriptions pepper the landscape of time and how a narration is pieced from these, separates a historian from a common bard. So someone who needs to trace a thread from such a past has to tread very carefully. The secondary Sources one quotes have to be stellar and non contentious. In this I would say Kanakalatha Mukund has walked a tightrope trying to paint the picture of the inception of the Tamil trading community. In doing so, whether she succeeded in that effort is a question that gets answered when we read the book. The book initially talks about the Tamil society, the evolution of its social and cultural structure. Most part of the book talks about the information gleaned from the literary source by triangulating the information from those sources

Growing up in Tamil Nadu I have been familiar with Thirukkural in many ways, both in school and outside. Buses, Business places, Government Office and many walks of our normal life had one or other Kural being displayed all over. In spite of that, the understanding of Kural and its meaning has been a much maligned affair. Of Late, the motivated Right wing propaganda machine is trying to appropriate this important text which is synonymous with Tamil ethos. It has reached a crescendo with Nagaswamy’s ill motivated work. Though there have been brisk push back from Various Tamil circles, the fact that the person who did this dastardly act enjoys an intellectual podium that transcends Tamil, and more than that, Thirukkural itself enjoys a wider audience beyond the Tamils, it is most fitting that a Solid rebuttal to that malicious propaganda comes out in English, catering to a wider audience outside the Tamil readers. This had been long due and when I read this book, I was overjoyed at the m

வருடம் தவறாமல் நடக்கும் காவிரிப் பிரச்சினை இங்கே மறுபடியும் துவங்கியிருக்கிறது. மாறியிருக்கும் அரசியல் அதிகாரங்களின் பின்னணியில், இது இந்த வருடம் சற்று உக்கிரமாகவவே இருக்கும் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கலாம். பிரிவினை வழி அரசியல் நடத்தும் ஒரு தரப்பு அரசியல் அதிகாரம் இன்றி நிற்கும் நேரத்தில் அவர்களின் நல்வாய்ப்பாக இது அமைந்திருப்பதால், அரசியல் சதுரங்க ஆட்டத்தில் இது இந்நேரத்தில் முக்கியம் பெறுவது தவிர்க்க இயலாது. ஆனால் கருநாடகத்துக்கும் தமிழகத்துக்கும் இடையே இது தவிர பல ஆறுகள் கால காலமாக ஓடிக்கொண்டேதான் இருந்திருக்கிறது. இலக்கியம், திரைப்படம், கலாச்சாரம் என. அவற்றில் சில இருபக்கமும் வெளிப்படையாக வற்றி இருக்கலாம், ஆனால் அவற்றில் சுவடுகள் இன்றும் உண்டு. அப்படி ஒரு ஆறுதான் நாடகத் துறை. காவிரியின் இரு கரைகளிலும் நாடகத்துறையும் அதன் குழுக்களும் கோலோச்சிய காலமும் ஒன்று இருந்தது. சினிமா வெகுஜனத்தின் கற்பனைகளைக் கவர்ந்துகொள்ளும் காலத்திற்கு முன்பு, ஊர் ஊருக்கு சென்று முகாம் அமைத்து நாடகம் நடத்தும் குழுக்களும் அதை தேடித் தேடி ரசித்த கூட்டமும் ஒரு காலத்தில் நிஜமாகவே இருந்தது. அதில் பெற்ற புகழின் மூலம் சினி

The element of Serendipity that we encounter often in a travel, sometimes would present a stunning perspective. A remarkable travelogue, one which is well conceived, executed and written, gives interesting and deep insights on very sensitive subjects that is not present in any narrative. It usually lies somewhere in between, interesting story telling and journalistic reportage. It also takes you on a trip to places and times, with an authenticity that we rarely experience in any other type of narrative, however well written it may be. That is why I tend to select travelogues quite regularly. Rarely you get travelogue which gives an experience that is not just academic or array of simple incidents but would instead, take you on a trip into your inner self and offer a perspective on life that has the power transform you. I did not realize this book was one such when I started reading it. It all started with me choosing this book to accompany a long flight. I started browsing the book I f

  I often wondered what would I want to become when I grew up. This answer kept changing constantly until when I finished my graduation. At that point I was sure I wanted to go into the Oldest human profession and my career started evolving since then. Wait, Hold your horses… It is not what you think. Banish your nasty thoughts. The oldest Profession that the world has seen is Tool Design and Manufacture. Human Evolution took a decisive step when our ancestors evolved into two legged Humanoids and thereby left their two hands free to do something that improved our life. Last 2 Million Years transformed us. All from a simple Ape like creature that fashioned a rough Hammer for Hunting and slowly the history took a decisive turn. This brought us to the fore front of the Food chain and made us cross the frontiers in space. Often - not just by the right wing, fundamentalists, but even the Liberal believers - a question that puts people in a corner is, how Science Keeps changing its Answers