Cholas

Published on 7th October, 2022, in Times of India. Nobody will admit this, out of respect for the venerable filmmakers, I suspect. But, I found, many non-Tamilians were rather bored with Ponniyin Selvan: I , the new Tamil epic period action drama film directed by Mani Ratnam. People complained it was dull, despite the grandeur of the posters, spectacular trailer and the fawning critics. The reason, I fathom, is rather simple: Most were unfamiliar with Chola history, and clueless about Kalki’s famous historical novels that inspired this film. There was no emotional connection. Few know that the Cholas were the kings who changed the Hindu ..

Published on 15th August, 2022, in Times of India. As per Brahmin lore, all civilisation in Tamil lands emerged in a mystical past after Agastya brought grammar from the Himalayan regions, along with mountains and rivers which became known as Southern Kailasa and Southern Ganga. But these are clearly later tales, composed less than thousand years ago, seeking to obscure the contribution of earlier Buddhists and Jain monks, and the even earlier Dravidian drum-beating poets, patronised by warrior chieftains, who venerated gods of the mountains, pastures, farms, drylands and seashores, and merchants who travelled by sea to faraway golden islands of Southeast Asia, the Survanabhumi, ..