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My Aunt, the Matunga Mami

It is more than a year since Ramesh Mahadevan passed away. Some day his writings may vanish from the net too. So, I am going to put up the best of his writing on my site unless it violates some law or the other. To...

Annaya’s Anthropology

Annayya's Anthropology by A. K Ramanujan Annayya couldn't help but marvel at the American anthropologist."Look at this Fergusson," he thought, "he has not only read Manu, our ancient law-giver, but knows all about our ritual pollutions. Here I am, a Brahmin myself, yet I...

The Young Indian Scientist’s Dilemma by RKN (1966)

(From an old essay of R. K. Narayan's -- from 1966. Not sure where it was published.) A young scientist from Madras, who arrived in New York only a week before, met me at my hostel and introduced himself as one longing to hear an...

From Jejuri by Arun Kolatkar

Makarand Take my shirt off and go in there to do pooja? No thanks. Not me. But you go right ahead if that's what you want to do. Give me the matchbox before you go will you? I will be out in the courtyard...

A.K.R.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am huge fan of A.K.Ramanujan's writing -- be it his translations from Tamil, his academic writing, his poems, essays .... just anything. So I was delighted to learn that he had written his own memoir in Kannada --...

Red Earth, Pouring Rain

Blessed are those who have a friend to discuss beautiful verses with. Movie-makers, lyricists make it easy for poetry-lovers when they chose to incorporate words from ancient poems into nicely picturized modern hits. In a double dose of luck, a novelist (Vikram Chandra) chose imagery...