Comments on: SITA MAMI

By: Justice & Fairplay

Justice & Fairplay — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 08:03:00 +0000

How indeed, did we come to this?

By: Bhoopalan

Bhoopalan — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 19:51:00 +0000

This is a creative narrative of a high order. Kudos to the writer and the publisher. However, there is a problem – there is an element of intellectual and spiritual casualness… This becomes clear when we read:
http://www.indiafacts.co.in/the-buddha-was-every-inch-a-hindu/
http://www.indiafacts.co.in/dispelling-the-myth-of-akbar-the-great/
One can say that tge above narrative is close to being historical fiction. In that case, we need to remind ourselves of what Mr. S. L. Bhyrappa (Kannada novelist) says, “I am constantly aware of my responsibility for being true to history. One can write fiction about contemporary issues without research. But in a historical novel every important detail must be supported by research. A writer’s ultimate responsibility is to historical truth. When there is a conflict between beauty and truth, the writer must choose truth over beauty.”

By: ram2009

ram2009 — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:22:00 +0000

A human story, finding resonance with our own experiences.

By: Concerned Citizen

Concerned Citizen — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 14:35:00 +0000

Moving and beautiful writing Radhika with a sharp eye for that which lies below the surface. Thank you for sharing again. I wonder what would be different if this were written today, in the descriptions, the themes, the tones, characters, events and insights almost a quarter of a century on

By: M.C.M. Iqbal

M.C.M. Iqbal — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 09:28:00 +0000

Groundviews needs to be commended for having chosen the right moment to publish this article
written in 1991. The fact that traditions are fading away fast both within and outside the country, especially among the Tamils in the diaspora cannot be disputed. . Radhika has rightly pointed out that women have been the keepers of rituals and traditions of the community. Sadly the women of today mostly living abroad, many of whom constitute the elite in the community ‘have no patience with the symbolism of the ancient ways’ . How true !

Most of those in the diaspora today have not realized the importance of inculcating into the minds of their progeny, the importance of retaining emotional markers that have to be retained in proof of the roots of their identify. However, they spend a large amount of money running Tamil schools and sending their children, willingly or unwillingly to learn the Tamil language, learn Bharatha Natyam and oriental music. But only a few of them speak Tamil in their homes. Learning the language and speaking it at least in their homes is absolutely necessary if one is keen to preserve the traditions of the community. Many feel proud that their children can speak fluently the language of the country in which they reside, while they should in fact take pride in saying that even though they live in a foreign country, their children can speak their traditional language fluently. Recently, during a Tamil TV programme in Europe there was a discussion on this topic where parents and their school going children
participated. Most of them posed the question ‘what is the use of speaking Tamil or learning about the
traditions of the Tamils now that we are living away from Sri Lanka ?’ Sadly that is the mind set of many
Tamils in the diaspora. It is a sure indication that the next generation of most Tamils will not have anything in them that has even a semblance of that great language and remarkable traditions of their forefathers.

Be that as it may, the sentence in the conclusion of this article is worth repeating – “You intellectuals – the country is burning … and you continue to live in a world of your own, an ivory tower. How did we come to this ?” Those of us who know the answer to this question, need to act fast to save the country before it falls into an abyss towards which it is heading.