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-
Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C 

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Home > Tamil National Forum >  Selected Writings by Sachi Sri Kantha

Selected Writings by Sachi Sri Kantha

CONTENTS
OF THIS SECTION

10/10/09
Sachi Sri Kantha  is a biochemist and a historian of science. He holds two Ph.D degrees (University of Illinois, 1986; University of Tokyo, 1989) in food chemistry and marine biochemistry. A bilingual author-translator with an unusually wide range of interests, Sri Kantha has authored several books in Tamil and English, and also translated one neuroscience reference atlas from Japanese to English. His published books include Tamil Isai Theepam (vol.1, 1977, in Tamil),  Prostitutes in Medical Literature : An Annotated Bibliography, (Greenwood Press, 1991), MGR Movies Revisited and Other Essays (1995), An Einstein Dictionary  (Greenwood Press, 1996), Thamil Kavi Arasu Kannadasan (1997, in Tamil), Atlas of Neuroactive Substances and Their Receptors in the Rat (Oxford University Press, 1998), Tears and Cheers: Tale of a Tamil Scientist (2004) and Pirabhakaran Phenomenon (Lively COMET Imprint, 2005). He has over 100 research publications in 40 peer-reviewed biomedical journals. His publications during the period 1981 - 2009 are listed below.

In 1984, the Tamil Isai Theepam book was belatedly awarded the then suspended Sri Lanka government’s Sahitya Award for the “research book in Tamil language for 1977”. In Japan, Sri Kantha received the 1987 Kyoto International Cultural Association’s Essay Prize, and one of the five third place awards of Yomiuri Newspaper’s1988 International Essay Competition on Space. Since 1981, Sri Kantha also has published over 100 research papers in 40 biomedical journals.

Sachi Sri Kantha has written extensively on Tamil related matters for more than three decades. He has written with passion and clarity - and a profound regard for truth. He wrote for the Tamil Nation fortnightly in the early 1990s, under the pen name C.P. Goliard which name he explained at that time in these terms:

"Historically, goliards were the medieval poets who wandered from place to place, engaging in intellectual duels and bawdy bar room fights. The initials C.P. stand for the place from which this particular goliard comes from - Paruthi Thurai/Cotton Port in Tamil Eelam"

Though Sachi Sri Kantha no longer uses his earlier pen name, his writings reflect the enjoyment that he continues to derive from intellectual duels. They also reflect his deep love for his homeland.


2009
10 October 2009 S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Assassination - Revisited after 50 years:  Part 3: Theatrics and Economics
3 October 2009 S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Assassination - Revisited after 50 years: part 2: Forensics
26 September 2009 S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Assassination - Revisited after 50 years: part 1: Politics
23 September 2009 Anna’s Birth Centennial Anthology Part 4: Anna at Rajya Sabha on Dravidstan, Secession & Sovereignty
15 September 2009  Anna’s Birth Centennial Anthology: Part 3: Anna in the Dock
3 September 2009 The UN Unmasked; Humorist Dave Barry’s Revisionist History
15 August 2009 Foggy Bottom
28 July 2009 On-site Field Reporting during Black July 1983 by Anthony Mascarenhas
12 July 2009 On that Narasimhan Ram interview with Mahinda Rajapaksa
5 July 2009 LTTE’s Military Debacle - A Postmortem
18 June 2009 Mervyn de Silva on Prabhakaran - 19 Years Ago
18 June 2009 A Gift to King Mahinda
26 May 2009 Prabhakaran’s Soma and Prabhakaran’s Sense
20 May 2009 A Dedication to the heroes and heroines of Vanni Land
8 May 2009 Tamil Studies in Ceylon; a review essay of 1968 by S. Vithiananthan
1 May 2009 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology.  Part 14: President Premadasa’s double-crossing maneuver
17 April 2009 Protecting Sonia by Press Notice - an Indian Rope Trick
6 April 2009 Kasi Ananthan at 70 -  Poetry and Power
27 March 2009 An Allegorical Reading of Gogol’s story ‘The Nose’ (1836) - in Sri Lankan Context
20 March 2009 Karuna in Politics: From Brutus to Lepidus
11 March 2009 Lahore Shooting, Covert Operations & RAW Spinners
5 March 2009 Eelam Tamil Scientists: An Inventory of Their Productivity
23 February 2009 Anna’s Birth Centennial Anthology –  Part 2: Panruti Ramachandran’s Essay
18 February 2009 Human Rights Barkers and Me -  A Personal Note
7 February 2009 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology. Part 13: Ranasinghe Premadasa as the New Broom
4 February 2009  Anna’s Birth Centennial Anthology – Part 1: Poet Kannadasan’s Lament
28 January 2009 Mahinda Musings of a Mullaitivu Migrant Crane
17 January 2009 Remembering American humorist Art Buchwald
2008
30 December 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology. Part 12: Curtain Falls on Despot Jayewardene’s 12 Year Rule
24 December 2008 Professor K. Kailasapathy; Evaluated with his Peers
16 December 2008 Manifesto of a ‘Goody Two Shoes’ Sinhalese General
9 December 2008 Wiseacres with Snobismus Syndrome
29 November 2008 Kalaivanar N.S. Krishnan, the Tamil Comedian and Political Activist - A Birth Centenary Tribute
18 November 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology. Part 11: The Maldives Coup-plot by the PLOTE Mercenaries
11 November 2008 Sivaji Ganesan: Autobiography of An Actor - Book Review

2 November 2008

Naivete and Rascality of Narasimhan Ram together with Comments by tamilnation.org

15 October 2008 On Malini Parthasarathy’s Malodorous Malady
10 October 2008  Sexual Predations of a Morally Corrupt Sri Lankan Army
4 October 2008 El Presidente's  Bumbling Butch Cassidy Act at the UN Podium - படிக்கிறது தெவாரம், இடிக்கிறது சிவன் கொவில்
21 September 2008 Bertrand Russell, the Pig, the Donkey, the Sheep & the cacophonous 'Alternative' Tamil Leadership
9 September 2008 On Revisiting ‘Tarzan Lives!’ and its Relevance for Tamils
2 September 2008 Professor Susumu Ohno (1919-2008), the Japanese Linguist – An Appreciation 
31 August 2008 War Rhetoric and the Numbers Game
20 August 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology. Part 10: Jayewardene’s Exit and Premadasa’s Entry
12 August 2008 1982 Presidential Candidacy of G.G.(Kumar) Ponnambalam Jr. Revisited
23 July 2008 July 1983 Pogrom -  Victims and the Rascals
11 July 2008 The Sloths, The Snails and the Primates of the U.S. State Department
5 July 2008 On Tennyson, Subash Chandra Bose, Peter Schalk and the 1997 LTTE 'Do or Die' Campaign
1 July 2008  ‘Black July 1983’ & Pieter Keuneman
22 June 2008 Prelude to the ‘Black July 1983’- As gleaned from Mervyn De Silva’s Commentaries
11 June 2008 A Century of Tamil Poetry in Sri Lanka: An Introductory Note by K.Kailasabathy with Front Note & Postscript
22 May 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology: Part 9: Rajiv losing a Battle against the Defiant Press and JR Opts to ‘Retire Hurt’
1 May 2008 15th Anniversary of President Premadasa's Assassination  - The Puzzles Revisited
25 April 2008 The Three Crows by Jose Antonio Campos
22 April 2008 Lalith Athulathmudali and his Murderous ‘Scorched Earth Policy’: Revisited
15 April 2008 Arthur C. Clarke, Mrs. B and My Fan Letter
12 April 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology. Part 8: Stock taking after One Year of the 1987 Accord
31 March 2008 Remembering S.J.V.Chelvanayakam on his 110th Birth Anniversary
25 March 2008 Anura Bandaranaike - A Candid Contra View
20 March 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology.  Part 7: Acrobatic Leap and Fall of Athulathmudali
12 March 2008 Christie Jayaratnam Eliezer – A Leader with Class
4 March 2008 Sirithiran’ Sunthar: The Ace Cartoonist of Eelam Tamils
29 February 2008 Dissecting Dayan Jayatilleka’s Past and Present
28 February 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology Part 6: Persisting Headaches for Rajiv and Jayewardene
20 February 2008 On the Traditional Tamil Homeland: The Facts
15 February 2008 Reminiscing on the Two Old Letters from Raveendranath
9 February 2008 Sixty Years to Flop and Disintegrate
30 January 2008 Shell-shocked Generals
22 January 2008 On that FBI Report: ‘Taming the Tamil Tigers: From Here in the US’
8 January 2008 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology - Part 5: Brewing Discontent on Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi
2007
25 December 2007 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology Part 4 – MGR’s Death and Aftermath
18 December 2007 The Infamous 1997 ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization’ List Revisited
13 December 2007 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology. Part 3
1 December 2007 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology Part 2
25 November 2007 The Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology. Part 1
9 November 2007 Some Thoughts on the deaths of Dudayev and Thamilselvan
3 November 2007 Tribute to Thamilselvan
25 October 2007 Tears of a Kind to the Heroic Twenty One
20 October 2007 Sixty Cheers for the Central Intelligence Agency
12 October 2007 Is That All You Got, Karuna?
8 October 2007 Prelude to the Indo-LTTE War (1987-90): Part 5 The Rage of Sinhala Buddhist Monks
28 September 2007 Prelude to the Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - Part 4 The Deals of Indian Mandarins of Deception
21 September 2007 Prelude to the Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - Part 3 The Annoyance and Anger of the Sinhalese
15 September 2007 On Epic Poet Kambar and the Kamba Rasam polemic of polymath Anna
15 September 2007 Prelude to the Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) : Part 2 Broiling and Near-toppling of Rajiv Gandhi
31 August 2007 Foreign Ministers of Sri Lanka: The Begging and Bombast Brigade
24 August 2007 Edmund Samarakkody on the Events of July – August 1977
17 August 2007 A Tribute to G.G. (Kumar) Ponnambalam Jr on His 69th Birth Anniversary
9 August 2007 Prelude to the Indo-LTTE War (1987-90) - An Anthology
2 August 2007 On the Tightrope Acts of Neelan Tiruchelvam: Eight Critiques
25 July 2007 The Backstory of Black July 1983 and Its Aftermath: An Amirthalingam Interview to the Madras Hindu
19 July 2007  The Deals of Dr.Neelan - Revisiting the Views of G.G.(Kumar) Ponnambalam Jr
11 July 2007 Prancing of Political Horses for Pole Positions
6 July 2007 Ideology of Tamil Nadu Dravidian Parties on the Eelam Issue - the Views of Izeth Hussain 

"I am in agreement with one of Hussain’s inferences that the secularism practiced by DMK in 1950s,  “even led to a virtual excision of part of the Tamil past through an undervaluation of the Bhakthi literature of the Tamils and an overemphasis on the secular Sangam literature of 100 BC to AD 250.” One of the unfortunate literary victims of this campaign was Tamil epic poet Kambar of the 12th century. Kambar’s masterpiece Kamba-ramayanam was chastised by Annadurai via his powerful Tamil tracts, as unworthy for a Tamil literary masterpiece. This is a serious theme which deserves a separate scrutiny."

28 June 2007 Anointed Federalists and Anandasangaree
26 June 2007 Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu - the Views of Marguerite Ross Barnett
30 April 2007 Boris Yeltsin, LTTE and the Indian Gumshoes
22 April 2007 On Leadership: Emory Bogardus Revisited – part 2
14 April 2007 On Leadership: Emory Bogardus Revisited – part 1.
12 March 2007  Stalin’s Antipathy and a Missed Opportunity in 1950s: An Opinion
5 March 2007 On Tigers, China, Rajapakse & 'Development' - Deft Dancing on the ‘D’ Word
28 February 2007  On Waiting: Simple Lessons from Bogart, Bergman and Mandela
21 February 2007 Nuts and Bolts of Narayanan and Indian National Security
13 February 2007 On S.P.Amarasingam and My 1977 Valentine to Eelam
3 February 2007

President Mahinda: the Maestro Blue Dyer

30 January 2007 Art Buchwald: The Pen Slinger in Washington DC
21 January 2007

Edmund Samarakkody (1912-1992); The Sanest Sinhalese Voice

5 January 2007 Evolution of Eelam Tamil Diaspora; A Bibliography
4 January 2007 On Killinochchi constituency and Anandasangaree
2006
29 December 2006 Illiterates and Indian Music: a Kannadasan Memorial Paper
27 December 2006 Music and Memories: A Dedication to Prof.S.Raveendranath
26 December 2006 V.Navaratnam - Random Notes
15 December 2006  Anton Balasingham: the Articulate Bandmaster
6 December 2006 On Collaborators and Informers: A Cross Cultural Comparison
29 November 2006 Triumvir Rajas
20 November 2006 On Milton Friedman, MGR and Annaism
9 November 2006 A Tale of Two Tamil Vice Chancellors
1 November 2006 Cartoons on J.R.Jayewardene: A Birth Centenary Chuckle
27 October 2007 A Challenge to President Rajapakse: Be a True Buddhist for Real Peace
20 October 2006 International Association of Tamil Research (IATR) Conferences: Pre- lude and Post-lude
17 October 2006 On 40th anniversary of the First International Conference Seminar on Tamil Studies
9 October 2006 Extras in Film, Politics and Diplomacy
2 October 2006

A Sri Lankan Turkey Roast in New York

26 September 2006

Diplomatic Recognition for  Tamil  Eelam State

21 September 2006 The Mind of Mao and Its Relevance to Eelam
11 September 2006 On Reading ‘The Function of Military History’ by an American Colonel Arthur Conger Jr.
5 September 2006 Tamil Mind and Tiger Mind: A 1994 Debate between S.Sivanayagam and Ketheesh Loganathan
28 August 2006 Applauding Eric Margolis
23 August 2006 On Special Agent-in-Charge Leslie Wiser Jr’s Undercover Sting Operation
21 August 2006 Kethesh Loganathan: the loose cannon
18 August 2006 A Pit List for the President
12 August 2006

On Kadirgamar, Khlestakov and Kumar Ponnambalam

10 August 2006

Random Thoughts on K.Thurairatnam, the Point Pedro Federalist

29 July 2006 Botched JVP Hit on Rajiv Gandhi - Revisited
25 July 2006

On the First Magazine Cover Report Which Foretold the Sri Lankan Split

11 July 2006 What Narasimhan Ram Should Understand
30 June 2006  On Suicide Bombers & Educating Professor Robert Pape of University of Chicago
27 June 2006 Being an Eelam apologist in the Lanka Guardian magazine
18 June 2006 Remembering Nandhi (1928-2005) - the foremost physician-literateur of Eelam) with one of his classic short stories.
10 June 2006 Quo Vadis Karunanidhi?
5 June 2006 Perversity of Pyromaniacs Part 4: Thoughts of a Bibliophile
30 May 2006 Perversity of Pyromaniacs Part 3: V.Yogeswaran’s Speech on the Torching of Jaffna in May-June 1981
23 May 2006 Perversity of Pyromaniacs Part 2: Amirthalingam’s Speech on the Torching of Jaffna in May-June 1981
17 May 2006 Perversity of Pyromaniacs; part 1 – Revisiting the June 1981 Torching of Jaffna
5 May 2006 On the 30th Birth Anniversary of LTTE
16 April 2006 On Academic Politics and Religious Zealotry
11 April 2006 Concerning Three Mules and Sister Rajani - A Rejoinder
   
4 April 2006 Front Note to Images of Hindu Gods in Buddhist Temples by P.B.J.Hevawasam
15 March 2006 On the Performance of Police Chief Chandra Fernando & the Assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar
5 March 2006 Concerning Three Mules and Sister Rajani
2 February 2006 Attention Anandasangaree; A Valentine For You
28 January 2006 More on the Muslim Question:Two Published Records from the Past
27 January 2006  On the Mischievous Game of Muslims
21 January 2006 Concerning Dayan Jayatilleke, JVP and Pol Potism
2005
27 December 2005 A Low-Down on Narasimhan Ram
20 December 2005 A Lesson in Gratitude from the Movie Maestro Sivaji Ganesan
9 December 2005 Karuna and Kalkudah
6 December 2005 A Hole in the Head of Ms.Nirupama Subramanian
30 November 2005 A Flashback to LTTE Leader Pirabhakaran’s 1995 Interview
25 November 2005 A Book to Honor Pirabhakaran
23 November 2005 Alvapillai: A Silent Axle of the Colonial and post-colonial Ceylon Administration
16 November 2005 25th Anniversary of Sansoni Report - On Anandasangaree and a 1977 Assault on Amirthalingam
3 November 2005 On Checking the Pockets of Presidential Contenders
31October 2005 Expulsion of Jaffna Muslims
11 October 2005  A Chronicle of Consequence - Book Review: S.Sivanayagam: Sri Lanka: Witness to History – a Journalist’s Memoirs
3 October 2005 Revisiting the Two Masterpieces of Mahatma
19 September 2005 Democracy Dance in Diapers
14 September 2005 On the Notoriety and Nitty Gritty of Hit Lists
24 August 2005 An Anniversary, a Proverb and a Hypocrite
22 August 2005 The Spin and Swing of RAW Orchestra

" It doesn’t take even ten seconds for Tamil music fans, to identify the characteristic voices of star performers like M.S.Subbulakshmi, Madurai Mani Iyer, Chidambaram Jayaraman and Sirkali Govindarajan. The tonal markers of sweetness, swing and lilt of each such musician’s voice are too distinct, unless one is tone deaf. Similarly, for the past 15-20 years, it doesn’t take even a minute for Eelam watchers, to check out when the infamous Research and Analysis Wing of India [RAW] Orchestra sings...Now, within a span of two days[August 20-22], we notice, three singers providing a chorus line for the RAW-inspired performance. The message of their song is nothing but “Bring on Karuna to the Center”. .."

15 August 2005 Farewell to Lakshman Kadirgamar
28 July 2005 Pigs are Flying in Batticaloa!

"...Jeyaraj is a master of ‘hide and seek’... Check again his ..sentence . “The espionage agency of at least one country has provided financial aid"…This is presented by Jeyaraj as a big finding, while every Tamil child in Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Vavuniya would name names. That espionage agency has an acronym RAW and its headquarters are in New Delhi.  ..the entire puppet show is being run by the Indians (UNP, SLFP, JVP- on the Sinhalese side; Karuna, Anandasangaree and other tamil paramilitaries, on the Tamil side). This is an open secret to all in Sri Lanka. So, now the only game in town is LTTE (Eelam Tamils) vs Indian tentacles, namely - the RAW. Now, RAW has access to any place or any facility in Sri Lanka, except in LTTE-controlled areas..."

27 July 2005 Candid Thoughts on ‘Black July 1983’- - Revisiting Mervyn de Silva's Writing of January 1984

"The horrendous events of July 1983 which scarred the bodies, minds and properties of Eelam Tamils deserve to be remembered annually. But, I felt that its better to re-read what one of the erudite Sinhalese journalists or our generation, Mervyn de Silva, contributed to the Far Eastern Economic Review (Hongkong) magazine six months later. In two a two-page commentary, he had contributed a history tutorial to those who like to learn, why Sinhalese and Tamils have never mingled in the blessed island. What Mervyn de Silva wrote then still has lot of relevance..."

15 July 2005 Caste in D.P.Sivaram’s ‘On Tamil Militarism’ Essay
8 July 2005 Remembering Poet Paddukoddai Kalyanasundaram on his 75th Birth Anniversary
4 June 2005 Birth Centennial Tribute to James Rutnam - The Leading Characters in the Political Turmoil of Sinhalese-Muslim Riots of 1915
27 May 2005 Sinhalese-Muslim Riots of 1915 -  A Synopsis
14 May 2005 Lessons from the Vietnam War for Tamils: An Overview and a Few Personal Thoughts

"If a few among the younger generation of Tamils living in affluent nations become interested in military science and pursue their research on the 20th century wars, it will be a good tribute to the memory of D.P.Sivaram who was a pioneer in this field for the past 15 years or so."

9 May 2005 Orrin Klapp and Kannadasan on Scholarship on Fools
4 April 2005 Scarecrow Song of Karuna
23 March 2005 Gossip-mining Gods of Mass Media  
4 February 2005 Kathiravelupillai's Eelam Statement, 1973 - Revisited on the 57th Anniversary of Sri Lankan Independence

"...The Sinhalese and Tamils as two peoples or nations have never mutually consented to become one people or one nation nor amalgamate the two territories into one state on any mutually agreed basis. The Sinhalese mind has not basically changed even today. Rather it has progressed from fear and exclusion to discrimination, aggression, genocide and the creation of a neo colonial empire over the Tamils and the Tamil country....  the Sinhala ideal of one country, one nation, one language etc. can only be realized in a restored and reconstituted Sinhala state. So also, by the restoration and reconstitution of the Tamil State alone will the Tamil nation survive and preserve its identity and the Tamils secure their ‘right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness’ and be masters of their own destiny. Pancha Sila or Co-existence is thus the only solution to the problem of the two nations in Ceylon. It recognises not merely the facts of two thousand five hundred years of Sinhalese and Tamil history; but also the fundamental right of the Tamil people to self determination; of Tamil Eelam to separate statehood. It unshackles the two nations and sets them both free..."

12 January 2005 Pirabhakaran Mystery; a Response to the Hindu Editorial

"I read with amusement your editorial [Jan.11] which had a caption, 'Where is Prabakaran?'. The simple answer is, he is in Eelam. He has been in Eelam since 1987, after returning from the "house arrest" in New Delhi arranged by the then Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his then prime advisor J.N.Dixit. Unlike typical Sri Lankan politicians [ such as President Chandrika Kumaratunga, foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and their ilk], Prabhakaran is not in the habit of flying off to other lands, at the drop of the hat. He is not even a politician. He is a visionary rebel, in the mould of Subhas Chandra Bose. Only run of the mill politicians salivate like dogs for camera attention and interviews from journalist hacks. Tamils in Eelam know well that Prabhakaran lives amongst themselves, and thus there is no urgent need for merely 'showing the face' to console the affected public. Tamils will never forget that since 1987, Prabhakaran has led the LTTE forces against the Sri Lankan army and Indian army, while living among them in Eelam. Eelam populace can distinguish well journalists from India [amongst whom the the House of Hindu counts as one], who show faked anguish and pseudo-sympathy in words to their plight and to their travails."

2004
30 December 2004 Desperately Seeking Intelligence

"Now that the rumors of LTTE leader Pirabhakaran’s death due to tsunami on December 26th have been shredded as whimsical hot air of intelligence-challenged individuals in Colombo, it is not irrelevant to delve a little into the mentality of pseudo-experts who gulped such hot air. The Tweedledum and Tweedledee of Chennai, sharing the same name [N.Ram and B.Raman] crosses one’s mind. The folly of Tweedledum N.Ram – the editor of the Hindu newspaper - has been aptly critiqued by the Oru Paper editorial of January 23. The Tweedledee B.Raman also deserves some scorn...Last year, in the aftermath of V.Muralitharan’s [aka Col.Karuna] sacking by the LTTE, I was informed by a Tamil Nadu-born reader of my commentaries that this same B.Raman was a top intelligence official serving the Research and Analysis Wing of Indian bureaucracy..."

17 December 2004 Book Review of  'Rendering Unto Caesar: Memoirs of a Sinhalese Bureaucrat by Bradman Weerakoon'

"...Of the millions of Sri Lankans born in the 20th century, Bradman Weerakoon is the only guy to be blessed uniquely. He was blessed for the first time in the year of his birth (1930), when his police officer father Edmund R.Weerakoon christened the name of legendary Australian cricket batsman Donald Bradman to him. ... Bradman Weerakoon was blessed again – the only Sri Lankan - to serve nine Sinhalese politicians who held the nominal executive power from 1954 to 2004...." more

14 December 2004 Tribute to M.S.Subbulakshmi  

"M.S.Subbulakshmi (the supreme musician of  20th century Tamil Nadu and known to millions simply by her initials M.S. ) bid farewell to us on December 11th at the age of 88...Since 12th of December I have been reading  the eulogies to M.S. in the internet, which she well deserved. In these days of word inflation, even correspondents and editorialists heap adjectives abundantly to show their appreciation. The music produced by M.S. doesn’t need all these adjectives. Couple of words would suffice, to describe her talent perfectly; ‘great’ and its superlative form ‘greatest’..." more

10 November 2004 General Pirabhakaran in the foot-steps of General Washington  On January 8 of this year, I contributed a commentary entitled  ‘George Washington and Prabhakaran’ to the Sangam site. The first two sentences of this commentary stated,

This year, in November, Velupillai Prabhakaran the leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) reaches 50 years. Come November, there will be cautious appraisals, left-handed compliments, snide editorials and even vapid curses from his political adversaries and critics who prostrate at the feet of these adversaries.”

What is presented below is a sequel to my January commentary.

1 November 2004 Twenty Books on Eelam Tamils - for reference and research - "This list was originally prepared by me to aid one young reader of my writings in the sangam site. Early this year, he solicited my choices for study on the history and politics of Eelam Tamils. For convenience, I have arranged my selections chronologically rather than alphabetically by the author and provide annotations highlighting the merits and probable demerits in each of my selections..." [see also Books on Eelam at Tamil Nation Library]
14 October 2004 Tamil Genocide, as the Hindu reported – 20 years ago ‘The 100 percent Sinhala army behaving like an occupation army in a 100 percent Tamil country creates a situation motivating ethnic genocide – an ideal setting for a slow and noiseless genocide’.
2 October 2004 Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on the 135th anniversary of his Birth
17 September 2004 Is Uncle Sam’s ‘No Fly List’ a net to supress voice? Elicited Responses  "..Few years ago, actor Paul Newman was asked in a magazine interview about what he considered as his pinnacle of professional achievement. The guy who inimitably played the ‘Cool Hand Luke’ role delivered his cool and mocking answer; ‘To be number 19th in Nixon’s enemy list’ of 1971. Taking a cue from my movie idol Paul Newman – whose liberal political ideals I subscribe to  now I can also brag that ‘To be in Uncle Sam’s No Fly List’ is a badge of some sort. Lately, this No Fly List has become a headliner, that it has even gained the NFL abbreviation, to share the spotlight with the national football league, the original recipient of the NFL abbreviation..."
1 September 2004 I got trapped in the Secret ‘No Fly List’ of Transportation Security Administration  "..I neither have the charisma of a Kennedy nor the celebrity status of Massachusetts’ senior senator Edward Kennedy. But, for the past 25 years, I do subscribe to the liberal democratic ideals for which the youngest male of the Kennedy clan had stood for in the limelight. Thus, it is perhaps, nothing but my karma that I became a victim of the notorious ‘secret no-fly list’ maintained by the Transportation Security Administration of the American government... On August 19th, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senator Edward Kennedy brought to public attention, the existence of this notorious ‘no-fly list’. It has been reported in the news media that more than 350 Americans have suffered harassment by the execution of this ‘no-fly list’. I wonder whether I’m the only Sri Lankan Tamil (holding the Sri Lankan passport) who had to face this precarious dilemma in being named in this notorious ‘no-fly list’. I provide my harassment experience in the belief that it will be of some help to other Tamils, who may face such ordeal in the future..."
August 2004 First and Fibbing Biography of LTTE Leader - Book Review of the Elusive Mind
17 August 2004 Vignettes on Three Black Tiger Heroes in the Battlefield  "...That afternoon, Borg said farewell to his family members (father, elder brothers, younger brothers and loving sister). Finally, he went to his mother and said, "Mother, please place a pottu – blessing charm – on my forehead." Mother obliged accordingly. He smiled, and bid farewell to her. He took a last look of all, from the gate and he left.A few minutes later, his elder brother shrieked: ‘Thambi – has left his lungi and T-shirt.’ For that, his mother consoled, ‘Maybe, he left these, because they had worn out.’ Borg’s mother says sobbingly: ‘I couldn’t feel, why he behaved rather differently on that last day. Only after he died as a Black Tiger, I realized why he had asked me to come and sleep next to him, why he asked me to place the blessing charm, why left his clothing. Now, I know.’"
23 July 2004 On the 21st Anniversary of Black July 1983 -Revisiting the White Anglo Saxon Protestant (WASP) Editorials "...The old adage says, ‘It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness’. Thus the July 1983 anti-Tamil riots more or less forced me to write about Tamil issues, which I’m familiar with in English. Thereby, at least I could counter the errors of facts and interpretation, as well as educate a segment of readers who are interested in learning something about the exploding Tamil issue in Sri Lanka. Below I present a sample of ten editorials which appeared during July-August 1983, in the leading newspapers and magazines of the WASP [standing for, White Anglo Saxon Protestant] world; four from London, two from Toronto, two from Washington DC, one each from Boston and Montreal.."
17 July 2004 'Triumph of Truth – The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination'Book Review"...because of his lead role as the Chief of SIT, Kaarthikeyan would have been privy to much (as of now) unclassified information on the 1991 Sriperumbudur tragedy; thus I had greater expectations of being educated by this book. Sadly, this book was a disappointment. Like a professional strip-tease artist, Kaarthikeyan whets the curiosity of his audience in the cover blurb, but comes up short on in-depth revelations... Deliberate omissions [especially the activities relating to the infamous Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Eelam soil between 1987 and May 1991, which was one crucial precipitating factor in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination] and deceptions are replete in the book...These omissions and deceptions amply proves that Kaarthikeyan’s version of ‘truth’ is deformed by design, and strains credibility..."
14 July 2004 20 Years since Minister Douglas Devananda’s Major Dance in Terrorism  "Twenty years and two months ago - in May 1984 – there was a daring kidnapping episode in Jaffna involving two Americans. It was the first of its kind in Sri Lankan soil, and fortunately until now, has never recurred. A newly-wed American couple, the Allens from Ohio, were kidnapped from their residence... I haven’t heard about the two victims – the Allen couple - since then, and presume that they are still alive. But, one of the perpetrators of the kidnapping terrorism is still in political limelight. He was none other than Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devananda..."
5 July 2004 Karuna Quartered
22 June 2004 Homage to the Black Tigers: A Review of Sooriya Puthalvargal, June 2004 ‘We can wake up a sleeping person, but not one who is pretending to sleep’. I think that in the now fashionable field of ‘terrorism studies’, quite a number – Bruce Hoffmans, Rajan Hooles, B.Ramans, Rohan Gunaratnas and Yoram Schweitzers - belong to the pretender category. On the contrary, there are also academics who belong to the sleeping category. To increase the awareness of the latter category, I present the available basic information on the 240 Tamil Tigers who are celebrated as heroes for their altruistic deeds for Tamil nationalism..."
13 April 2004  Collapse of Col. Karuna's Chariot
12 April 2004 M.K.Eelaventhan - a Tribute to a Mentor "It is gladdening to read in the TamilNet news of April 9th that Mr.M.K.Eelaventhan has been officially nominated by the Tamil National Alliance as one of the two national list parliamentarians, through the Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK). What a turn of events for a bona fide Tamil activist who was an Eelam refugee in Tamil Nadu from 1983 until the end of 2000, when Indian Poo-Bahs deported him unceremoniously to Sri Lanka. I have not met Eelaventhan personally for the past 23 years, but he remains a mentor for me, since I saw him for the first time as a school boy in the early 1960s..."
1 April 2004 The RAW Factor in Col.Karuna's Revolt  “The Cabinet Secretariat Research and Analysis Wing [RAW], India's most powerful intelligence agency, is India’s external intelligence agency. RAW has become an effective instrument of India's national power, and has assumed a significant role in formulating India's domestic and foreign policies. RAW has engaged in disinformation campaigns, espionage and sabotage against Pakistan and other neighboring countries. RAW has enjoyed the backing of successive Indian governments in these efforts. Working directly under the Prime Minister, the structure, rank, pay and perks of the Research & Analysis Wing are kept secret from Parliament.”
 
21 January 2004  Tolstoy & Pirabhakaran Parallels
2003
17 September 2003 A Debate on the Ethnic Identity of Tamils
22 August 2003  A. Amirthalingam’s Historic Speech in the Sri Lankan Parliament
12 August 2003 On Rohan Gunaratna: the ‘Temple Drum’ of Terrorism Industry
3 July 2003 Chelvanayakam: The Man with a Sharp Mind and a Slow Tongue
10 June 2003 Song for Eelam from Kannadasan "..For millions of Tamils who are over 40, numerous movie lyrics of Tamil poet laureate Kannadasan (1927-1981) provided special delight in times of happiness and solace in times of sorrow..."
May 2001 to
March 2003
The Pirabaharan Phenomenon  "It's time that the Pirabaharan phenomenon be studied somewhat in depth. His adversaries from India and Sri Lanka have called him names - a Hitler, a Pol Pot, a megalomaniac and a mass murderer. The problem with these self-serving outbursts is that, the 20th century Indian subcontinent had not seen a leader like him. In ideals and action, the closest one who can be identified with Pirabaharan is Subhas Chandra Bose (1897-1945), though there are noticeable differences in the lives between both..."
2002
18 July 2002 The Bandaranaikes from the House of Nilaperumal by James T.Rutnam with Additional Notes
4 July 2002 Tamil Tigers and America’s Founding Fathers
18 June 2002 M.Sivasithamparam: Little Memories about a Big Man
2001
20 October 2001 My Heart was in Point Pedro but my vote was in Colombo West
16 May 2001 R.K.Narayan - a Tribute "..That Narayan is a trend-breaker not only in his personal life, but in the literature domain of Indian subcontinent as well, is worthy of admiration. Though being born as a Tamil, he wished to become internationally known by writing in English - the language of India's imperialists... Calling Narayan as a novelist is like pigeon-holing Chaplin as a circus clown. For Tamils, Narayan was more than a novelist. He became the foremost chronicler and story teller of Hindu life in the 20th century India. His characters were created in the milieu of Tamil Nadu and Dravidian culture..."
25 April 2001 On Suicide - My Best Essay & Socrates' Revenge "...Suicide has remained a puzzle for the humankind since the dawn of civilization. Nearly 2,400 summers have passed since Socrates made a political statement against his accusers, using the hemlock extract..."
18 April 2001 Of Martyrdom and Hope: Lessons from early Christian Struggle"Last Sunday was the Easter Sunday. American President George W. Bush had noted in his Easter message: "In this season of renewal, we remember that failures in life are never final, that hope leads us closer to the truth, that in the end, even death itself will be defeated. And that is the shared belief of many faiths, and that is the promise of Easter morning." (New York Times, April 16, 2001). Simple thoughts, worth repeating umpteen times, whether emanating from the lips of American President or from an Eelam Tamil refugee.What seems unappealing to me are the condescending tracts and analyses persistently presented by the critics of LTTE on the futility of martyrdom and suicide by the Tamil Tigers...."
10 April 2001 A Garland to My First Love "She is my first love. Today, she reaches 65. By current demographical yard-stick, she enters the senior citizen category from today. I will be 48 next month. There is a generational gap between us. It has to be, because she is my mother (Amma). Thus I write this ethnographical sketch about her - snippets of her moments of joy and anguish in her life. Thousands of Eelam Tamil women in the diaspora are in my mother's situation now. I write about Amma since I know her story best...
4 April 2001 Ethnophaulisms on (and of) Tamils
28 March 2001 A reading of 'The Destructors' by Graham Greene
21 March 2001 Snobs of a Singular Kind "...the recent pronouncements of (Sri Lanka) Presidential advisors Lakshman Kadirgamar (before demolition of the Bamiyan statue) and Lakshman Jayakody (after demolition) in trying to harvest some cheap publicity for them in the international media is nothing but snobbery of tallest proportions... thousands of Buddhist monasteries (in Tibet) have been defiled and demolished by the Chinese communist regime during the past five decades. But for reasons of convenience, the mouths of Sri Lankan snobs keep silent, demonstrating that these snobs are hypocrites as well. How can lowly snobs offend their patrons who provide armaments for their war against the Tamils?.."
March 2001 Professor Christie Jeyaratnam Eliezer "Reporter: Are you an agent for the LTTE?
Prof. C.J.Eliezer: Certainly not.
Reporter: How would you describe, then, your relationship with the LTTE?
Prof.C.J.Eliezer: As an admirer, as an emotional admirer of the LTTE.
Reporter: A sympathizer?
Prof.C.J.Eliezer: Sympathiser, yes.
Reporter: Somebody who gives the LTTE advice?
Prof.C.J.Eliezer: I have not given them any advice.
Reporter: Somebody who provides the LTTE with support when asked?
Prof.C.J.Eliezer: Well, they haven't asked me for anything, but irrespective of that, they'll find my pronouncements at meetings and things, they'll find them useful.
Reporter: Useful in terms of furthering their cause?
Prof.C.J.Eliezer: Yes, because they're all committed to the idea of liberation, and as they are, I am, and we do it in different ways."
7 March 2001 Somarama Legacy "By Churchillian wit, Chandrika Kumaratunga is a good politician. Why? Churchill once quipped that the politician should have, 'the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen'..."
28 February 2001 Memories of an Anguished 1971 and My Lessons in Journalism
"Time goes, you say? Ah no!
Alas, Time stays, we go;
Or else, were this not so,
What need to chain the hours,
For youth were always ours?"
21 February 2001 Valor of Dr.K.Visvaranjan
14 February 2001 American Ambassadors in Eelam: Daniel Poor
7 February 2001 On Interpol and Intelligence
31 January 2001 Fuel from a Freedom Fighter "..January 30th marked the 53rd anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi. Since his death he has been elevated to the ranks of Hindu saints of the 20th century. But one should not forget that first and foremost he was a freedom fighter..."
24 January 2001 Bob Dylan Stares at Sri Lankans, 24 January 2001
17 January 2001 Memories of MGR's Madurai Thamil Thiruvizah (1981)
10 January 2001 American Ambassadors in Ceylon - Dr. Samuel Fiske Green
3 January 2001 American Ambassadors in Eelam - W. Robert Holmes
2000
27 December 2000 American Ambassadors in Eelam
20 December 2000 Eelam in 2000: A Nation in the Making  "It is an ancient custom of the Roman Catholic Church to assign an advocatus diaboli (devil's advocate) for assessing the worth of a person in the sanctification procedure. This devil's advocate would present the negative evidence on the candidate in question. The belief is that, the extremist negative position taken by the devil's advocate will somehow aid in proper assessment and elicit the emergence of truth.The Eelam campaign also has its quota of devil's advocates. I feel that the Eelam activists can learn much about the strengths and deficiencies of their position, by reading the views of these devil's advocates..."
13 December 2000 M.K.Eelaventhan - A Man with a Mission
6 December 2000 Hans Christian Andersen's Tale 'The Swineherd' "Danish story-teller Hans Christian Andersen (1805-875) is internationally known for his delightful stories such as 'Thumbelina'(1835), 'The Emperor's New Suit' (1837) and 'The Ugly Duckling' (1844). One of his lesser-known stories was 'The Swineherd' (1842). The reappointment of Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte as the Deputy Minister of Defence by President Chandrika Kumaratunga on November 30, prompts me to present this story to the readers..."
29 November 2000 Random Thoughts on Two Eelam Scientists
22 November 2000 Tales of Two Ambassadors
15 November 2000 Kadirgamar's Snake Oil  "...Bridge is a word used prominently as a metaphor by politicians. In the 1996 presidential election campaign, Bill Clinton used the phrase 'bridge to the 21st century' eloquently. Even before that, former Soviet Union leader Nikita Khruschev is credited with a humorous quip, "Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even when there is no river". Well, Sri Lankan politicians are no exception. They will promise to build a bridge even without knowing what a bridge is. Thus I wish to comment on Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar's spurious bridge-building exercise, which is nothing but snake oil..."
8 November 2000 Resurrection of Tolstoy's Count Rostopchin "...In the novel War and Peace, Vereshchagin met an untimely death in Moscow due to Rostopchin's machinations in the early 19th century. Tolstoy's story received a painful resurrection in Sri Lanka [Bindunuwewa-Bandarawela] on October 25, where 29 Tamil Vereshchagins were murdered. Incidentally, it is a coincidence that the title of Tolstoy's last major novel, Voskreseniye, written in 1899, is nothing but 'Resurrection'..."
1 November 2000 A Millennial Anniversary in Eelam "In two months time, we will be bidding good bye to the year A.D. 2000. Thus, it is apt to remember a millenial event which has not received due attention among the Eelam Tamils. This was a remarkable event in the political history of Eelam Tamils....The Time Tables of History [Simon and Schuster, New York, 1982] compiled by Bernard Grun (1901-1972) lists the following the nine events in its History and Politics column, for the year 1000... the event listed as number 5 is 'King Rajaraja of the Chola dynasty conquers Ceylon'..."
25 October 2000 Chandrika's Three Ring Circus "That irreverent wit George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) once wrote, "Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few." 50 years have passed since Shaw left us. If only he is amongst us now, one wonders how much he would have relished to comment on this month's exercise of 'stage-managed democracy' in Sri Lanka..."
18 October 2000 Punishment of a Prime Minister
11 October 2000 Dear Astronomer Halley ... A Futuristic Year 2050 letter "Dr. Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam's autobiographical reminiscences of his childhood entitled, 'Ode to My Village' was a heart-warming piece of writing. Not many  Eelam professionals are blessed with the skill of penning what they experienced with self-deprecatory humor and humility. Stimulated by Ethir's lead, I have presented to the readers, something of my own..."
4 October 2000 Sin-eaters and Snollygosters "According to Brewster's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sin-eaters were the poor persons hired at funerals in Medieval Times, to eat beside the corpse and so take upon themselves the sins of the diseased, that the soul might be delivered from Purgatory... (and) According to William Safire, the noted New York Times columnist and word maven, a snollygoster is a fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles - in brief, an unprincipled politician..."
26 September 2000 UTHR - the Pharisees of Eelam "...Whenever I read the scribbling of the pompously named, University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) which appear regularly in the paper print and electronic print, I visualise the Pharisees mentioned in the Holy Bible. The New Testament (chapter Matthew) has  some choice words on Pharisees, which I reproduce below: "Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice."
19 September 2000 Anna's Legacy "...If C.N.Annadurai (known to millions of Tamils by the diminutive, endearing word 'Anna') was alive, he would have celebrated his 91st birthday on Sept.15. His death in Feb.3, 1969 at a relatively young 59 years, has even entered the Guinness Book of World Records, as the funeral with the largest attendance of humans, counted at approximately 15 million. Undoubtedly, this is a record which will be difficult to break by any internationally-renowned politician in the near future..."
12 September 2000 Jaffna Invictus "...'Invictus' is one of the most popular English poems. 125 years have passed since it was penned by the British poet, critic and editor William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) in 1875. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word 'invict' as 'unconquered; never vanquished or subdued'.In the aftermath of recent aggression of the Sri Lankan army in the Jaffna soil, I say thanks to the more than hundred foot soldiers of Eelam who gave their lives to keep Jaffna, an Invictus land..."
5 September 2000 An Embarassing Woman of Paris
29 August 2000 Tamil Tigers and America's Founding Fathers
22 August 2000 Exit of an emaciated turkey "...As a Tamil student who was at the receiving end of Sirimavo's discriminatory standardization scheme for entry into university (introduced in 1970), I cannot excuse her hypocrisy in sending her own children to universities beyond the borders of Sri Lanka (They all were probably academically-challenged to enter the universities in Colombo and Peradeniya competitively), while strangling the necks of ordinary students like me to enter a university in Sri Lanka through the hurdles. Thus, she contributed significantly to the origin of Thamil Maanavar Peravai [Tamil Student Assembly], the fore-runner to the Eelam nationalism of the 1980s..."
17 August 2000 A Page from Aesop's Fables
7 August 2000 Chandrika's Credit Card War "...Chandrika Kumaratunga's treasury coffers are empty. And now, she is pursuing a credit card war on Tamils, while parading the international scene as a peace-seeker..."
2 August 2000 Quacks in Yellow Garb
21 July 2000 Six Blind Men of Indostan,"...The manner in which the Eelam Tamil nationalism is now portrayed by the international mass media (especially that of the Madras Hindu group) is akin to John Saxe's description of six blind men..."
18 July 2000 Devotion of Black Tigers, "...For the past decade, the LTTE's campaign has provided many academics enough source material to pollute the academic and popular literature with half-baked commentaries, research papers, reviews, book chapters and media interviews. Even those who cannot read and write Tamil have dug ancient Sangam Tamil literature (in English translation of course!) to seek the roots of LTTE's Black Tigers..."
12 July 2000 Peace Queen & Pigmy Professors
4 July 2000 The American Revolution & Eelam Tamils
29 June 2000 Open Letter to President Kumaratunga on her Birthday
12 June 2000 Pirabaharan's Shadow & Democracy, Sri Lanka Style
12 June 2000 The Letters that Time & Asia Week were Reluctant to Publish
1999
August 1999 CIA agents in Sri Lanka and UN
  By Way of Deception - Book Review
  Maha Bharatha  & Tamil Eelam "...When you are aiming for one thing, concentrate only on your aim and do not be concerned by the surrounding objects and distractions. Then, and then only, you will succeed in your aim..."
1992
15 December 1992 Premadasa's Predicament
15 November 1992 Eelam in the year 2000
  Role Models for Heroism among Tamils  ""Your son has died'', the messenger spilled the sad news. "Is that so? How did he die? Where did he receive the fatal wound?", the mother asked..."
  Tamil Writers of Eelam
15 November 1992 Tamil Language & Cerebral Power
15 November 1992 Mahatma Gandhi's "Crime" in 1922
15 September 1992 Desk Top Dreamers!
15 August 1992 Tamil Names "What's in a name? -  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" wrote Shakespeare, in his play Romeo and Juliet. But that play was written almost 400 years ago by the Bard. Now, even the Bard will agree that "there's a lot in a name", especially if it happens to be a Tamil name in Britain (or anywhere else other than perhaps Tamilnadu or Eelam)..."
15 May 1992 Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram & Poetic Advice from an old MGR movie
15 April 1992 Gandhi, Madras Hindu and the Brahmin Establishment
15 March 1992 The Assassinations of John F Kennedy and Rajiv Gandhi
15 February 1992 40 Years after Kaa Kaa Ka
15 February 1992 MGR: The Man and the Myth - Book Review
15 January 1992 The Man from Marathur and Malai Nadu  "...Eighty two years ago, a baby boy was born to a migrant couple, Gopala Menon and Sathyabama, in a ‘line-room’ of a tea estate in Kandy. Later, this baby boy would grow into a leader with the name Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (popularly adored by Tamils all over the world with the acronym MGR)...."
1991
15 October 1991 Remembering Kavi Arasu Kannadasan"...His given name at birth was Muthiah. But when he made his exit from this world, ten years ago at the age of 54, on October 16, 1981, millions of Tamils remembered him only by the name Kannadasan. For Tamils all over the world, he epitomised Tamil poetry. Even the illiterates, who couldn't read and memorise the poetry of Kamban or the maxims of Valluvan, could hum the compositions of poet Kannadasan..."
15 November 1991 Jesus Christ - The Rebel of Rebels
15 November 1991 Elephant Pass - Revolution - Nehru
15 August 1991 Bernard Shaw & Tamils
21 July 1991  A Center for Dravidian Archives in Eelam
21 July 1991 Plan for Establishment of a Center for Dravidian Archives in Eelam
15 June 1991 Mahatma Gandhi and Tamils
1 April 1991 Categorising Sinhala Politicians
   
15 April 1989 Mudaliyar Rasanayagam’s Ancient Jaffna: A Critical Reading
 

Sachi Sri Kantha Publications List (1981 – 2009)

Academic Reference Books 03
Peer reviewed Research Papers, Reviews and Book Chapters 77
Letters, Commentaries and Correspondences    30
 

Academic Reference Books

01. Sri Kantha S. Atlas of Neuroactive Substances and Their Receptors in the Rat, edited by Masaya Tohyama and Koichi Takatsuji, translated from Japanese to English. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1998, 337pp, ISBN: 0 19 852372 6.
 
02. Sri Kantha S. An Einstein Dictionary, foreword by Kenichi Fukui. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, 1996, 298pp + xxvi pp. ISBN: 0-313-28350-8. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 95-6485.
 
03. Sri Kantha S. Prostitutes in Medical Literature: An Annotated Bibliography. Greenwood Press, CT, 1991, 245pp + xi pp. ISBN: 0-313-27491-6. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 91-3211.

Research Papers, Reviews and Book Chapters

 01. Sri Kantha S and Suzuki J. Primate species in Darwin’s major books on evolution. Current Science (Bangalore), 2009; 97(5): 715-718. 

02. Sri Kantha S, Koda H, and Suzuki J. Vocalization behavior of captive owl monkeys bred at the Primate Research Institute, Inuyama, Japan. Neotropical Primates, 2008; 15(3): (in press).

03. Sri Kantha S, Suzuki J, Hirai Y and Hirai H. Sleep parameters in captive female owl monkey (Aotus) hybrids. Neotropical Primates, 2007; 14(3): 141-144.
 
04. Sri Kantha S and Suzuki J. Sleep quantitation in common marmoset, cotton top tamarin and squirrel monkey by non-invasive actigraphy. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology, part A 2006; 144(2): 203-210.
 
05. Suzuki J and Sri Kantha S. Longitudinal sleep quantitation in a longevous owl monkey (Aotus azarae) by actigraphy. Journal of Medical Primatology 2006; 35(6): 321-330..
 
06. Sri Kantha S and Suzuki J. Sleep profile and longevity in three generations of a family of captive Bolivian Aotus. International
Journal of Primatology, 2006; 27(3): 779-790.
 
07. Sri Kantha S. Is somnambulism a distinct disorder of humans and not seen in non-human primates? Medical Hypotheses, 2003; 61(5-6): 517-518.
 
08. Sri Kantha S. Parkinson disease of ranking lawyer and legislator S.J.V.Chelvanayakam. Ceylon Medical Journal, 2003; 48(4): 133-135.

09. Sri Kantha S. Literature Nobel prize winners as palliative for scientific English. Croatian Medical Journal, 2003
44(1): 20-23.

10. Wada S, Sri Kantha S, Yamashita T, Matsunaga S, Fusetani N and Watabe S. Accumulation of H+ in the vacuoles induced by a marine peptide toxin, theonellamide F, in rat embryonic 3Y1 fibroblasts. Marine Biotechnology, 2002; 4(6): 571-582.
 
11. Sri Kantha S. Centenarian scientists: an unusual cluster newly formed in the 20th century. Medical Hypotheses, Dec. 2001; 57(6): 750-753.
 
12. Sri Kantha S. Total Immediate Ancestral Longevity (TIAL) score as a longevity indicator; an analysis on Einstein and three of his scientist peers. Medical Hypotheses, April 2001; 56(4): 519-522.
 
13. Ochi H, Cheng RZ, Kantha SS, Takeuchi M and Ramarathnam N. The JaICA-Genox oxidative stress profile – an overview on the profiling technique in the oxidative stress assessment and management. Biofactors, 2000; 13(1-4): 195-203.
 
14. Sri Kantha S, Takeuchi M, Watabe S and Ochi H. HPLC determination of carnosine in commercial can soups and natural meat extracts. Lebensmittel Wissenschaft und Technologie, 2000; 33: 60-62.
 
15. Sri Kantha S. Suicide: a Socratic revenge. Ceylon Medical Journal, March 2000; 45(1): 25-28.
 
16. Sezaki K, Begum RA, Wongrat P, Srivastava MP, Sri Kantha S, Kikuchi K, Ishihara H, Tanaka S, Taniuchi T and Watabe S.The molecular phylogeny of Asian freshwater and marine stingrays based on the DNA nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the cytochrome b gene. Fisheries Science, 1999; 65: 563-570.
 
17. Sri Kantha S. Alfred Nobel’s unusual creativity: an analysis. Medical Hypotheses, Oct.1999; 53(4): 338-344.
 
18. Sri Kantha S. Sexual humor on Freud as expressed in limericks. Humor, 1999; 12: 289-299.
 
19. Sri Kantha S. biographical entries on Kenichi Fukui, Shibasaburo Kitasato, Karl Landsteiner, Shinichiro Tomonaga and Hideki Yukawa. In: Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists, ed. by R. Olson, Marshall Cavendish Corp., New York, 1998, 5 vols, pp.456-458, 748-751, 780-782, 1277-1280, 1387-1391.
 
20. Sri Kantha S, Wada S, Takeuchi M, Watabe S and Ochi H.Use of Cu(II) Ascorbate system in the screening for hydroxyl radical scavenging activity in food extracts via an ELISA for 8-hydroxy deoxyguanosine. In: Functional Foods for Disease Prevention II: Medicinal Plants and other Foods, eds. Shibamoto T, Terao J and Osawa T. American Chemical Society Symposium No.702, ACS Books, Washington DC, 1998, pp.244-250.
 
21. Sri Kantha S, Wada S, Tanaka H, Takeuchi M, Watabe S and Ochi H. Effect of L-Carnosine on 8-OH deoxyguanosine release by H2O2 in 3Y1 rat embryo fibroblasts. In: Food Factors for Cancer Prevention, eds. Ohigashi H, Osawa T, Terao J, Watanabe S and Yoshikawa T, Springer-Verlag, Tokyo, 1997, pp.635-638.
 
22. Sri Kantha S. Could nitroglycerine poisoning be the cause of Alfred Nobel’s anginal pains and premature death? Medical Hypotheses, Oct.1997; 49(4): 303-306.
 
23. Sri Kantha S. Prostaglandin D synthase (b-trace protein): a molecular clock to trace the origin of REM sleep? Medical Hypotheses, May 1997; 48(5): 411-412.
 
24. Sri Kantha S, Wada S, Takeuchi M, Watabe S and Ochi H. A sensitive method to screen for hydroxy radical scavenging activity in natural food extracts using competitive inhibition ELISA for 8-hydroxy deoxyguanosine. Biotechnology Techniques, 1996;
10: 933-936.
 
25. Sri Kantha S, Wada S, Tanaka H, Takeuchi M, Watabe S and Ochi H. Carnosine sustains the retention of cell morphology in continuous fibroblast culture subjected to nutritional insult. Biochemical Biophysical Research Communications, 1996; 223: 278-282.
 
26. Takahata R, Matsumura H, Eguchi N, Sri Kantha S, Satoh S, Sakai T, Kondo N and Hayaishi O. Seasonal variation in levels of prostaglandins D2, E2 and F2a in the brain of a mammalian hibernator, the Asian chipmunk. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 1996; 54: 77-81.
 
27. Sri Kantha S. Scientific productivity of Einstein, Freud and Landsteiner. Medical Hypotheses, May 1996; 46(5): 467-470.
 
28. Sri Kantha S. Einstein’s medical friends and their influence on his life. Medical Hypotheses, March 1996; 46(3): 257-260.
 
29. Sri Kantha S. Pros and cons in the search of Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Medical Hypotheses, March 1996; 46(3): 183-187.
 
30. Sri Kantha S. The blood revolution initiated by the famous foot-note of Karl Landsteiner’s 1900 paper. Ceylon Medical Journal, Sept 1995; 40(3): 123-125.
 
31. Sri Kantha S. Is Karl Landsteiner, the Einstein of the biomedical sciences? Medical Hypotheses, April 1995; 44(4): 254-256.
 
32. Ross AC, Zhao Z, Arora D, Pasatiempo AMG, Kinoshita M, Gardner EM, Sri Kantha S and Taylor CE. Retinoids in specific and non-specific immunity; studies on antibody production and natural killer cells. In: Retinoids – From Basic Science to Clinical Application, eds. Livera MA and Vidali G, Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, 1994, pp.197-213.
 
33. Sri Kantha S. Challenges for space medicine. Ceylon Medical Journal, March 1994; 39(1): 40-42.
 
34. Matsumura H, Nakajima T, Osaka T, Satoh S, Kawase K, Kubo E, Sri Kantha S, Kasahara K and Hayaishi O. Prostaglandin D2-sensitive, sleep promoting zone defined in the ventral surface of the rostral basal forebrain. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA, 1994; 91: 11998-12002.
 
35. Sri Kantha S, Matsumura H, Kubo E, Kawase K, Takahata R, Serhan CN and Hayaishi O. Effects of prostaglandin D2, lipoxins and leukotrienes on sleep and brain temperature of rats. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 1994; 51: 87-93.
 
36. Sri Kantha S. An appraisal of Albert Einstein’s chronic illness. Medical Hypotheses, May 1994; 42(5): 340-346.
 
37. Sri Kantha S. Histamine-Interleukin-Prostaglandin pathway; a hypothesis for a biochemical cycle regulating sleep and wakefulness. Medical Hypotheses, May 1994; 42(5): 335-339.
 
38. Sri Kantha S. Challenges for space medicine. Ceylon Medical Journal, March 1994; 39(1): 40-42.
 
39. Takahata R, Matsumura H, Sri Kantha S, Kubo E, Kawase K, Sakai T and Hayaishi O. Intravenous administration of inorganic selenium compounds, inhibitors of prostaglandin D synthase, inhibits sleep in freely moving rats. Brain Research, 1993; 623: 65-71.
 
40. Sri Kantha S, Kinoshita M, Pasatiempo AMG and Ross AC. Effect of retinal and b-carotene repletion on antibody production in vitamin A-deficient rats immunized with pneumococcal polysaccharide. Nutrition Research, 1992; 12: 1009-1024.
 
41. Sri Kantha S, Taylor CE and Ross AC. The impact of vitamin A deficiency and repletion with retinal and b-carotene on concanavalin A-induced lymphocyte proliferation. Nutrition Research, 1992; 12: 1527-1539.
 
42. Sri Kantha S. Charles Darwin’s anthropological observations on Ceylonese. Ceylon Medical Journal, 1992; 37: 97-98.
 
43. Sri Kantha S. Clues to prolific productivity among prominent scientists. Medical Hypotheses, 1992; 39: 159-163.
 
44. Sri Kantha S. Albert Einstein’s dyslexia and the significance of Brodmann Area 39 of his left cerebral cortex. Medical Hypotheses, 1992; 37: 119-122.
 
45. Sri Kantha S. The question of nepotism in the award of Nobel prizes; a critique of the view of Hans Krebs. Medical Hypotheses, 1991; 34: 28-32.
 
46. Sri Kantha S. A centennial review: the 1890 tetanus antitoxin paper of von Behring and Kitasato and the related developments. Keio Journal of Medicine (Japan), 1991; 40: 35-39.
 
47. Sri Kantha S. Nutrition and health in China, 1949 to 1989. Progress in Food & Nutrition Science, 1990; 11(2-3): 93-137.
 
48. Sri Kantha S, Watabe S and Hashimoto K. Comparative biochemistry of paramyosin – a review. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 1990; 14: 61-88.
 
49. Sri Kantha S, Watabe S and Hashimoto K. Immunological comparison between the paramyosins from adductor muscle of bivalves and from foot muscle of a gastropod. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology, 1990; B 96(1): 89-92.
 
50. Watabe S, Sri Kantha S, Hashimoto K and Kagawa H. Phosphorylation and immunological cross reactivity of paramyosin; a comparative study. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology, 1990; B 96(1): 81-88.
 
51. Sri Kantha S. Hideyo Noguchi’s research on yellow fever (1918-1928) in the pre-electron microscopic era. Kitasato Archives of Experimental Medicine (Japan), 1989; 62: 1-9.
 
52. Sri Kantha S and Hashimoto K. Processing and utilization of fishes, marine mammals and their oils in Japan, with comparison to USSR, USA and Canada. In: Health Effects of Fish and Fish Oils, ed. by R.K.Chandra, ARTS Biomedical Publishers, St. Johns, Canada, 1989, pp.349-371.
 
53. Sri Kantha S. Carotenoids in edible molluscs – a review. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 1989; 13: 429-442.
 
54. Sri Kantha S. A review of Nobel prizes in medicine or physiology, 1901-1987. Keio Journal of Medicine (Japan), 1989; 38: 1-12.
 
55. Dietz JM, Sri Kantha S and Erdman JW. Reversed phase HPLC analysis of a and b-carotene from selected raw and cooked vegetables. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 1988; 38(4): 333-341.
 
56. Sri Kantha S and Erdman JW. Effect of different heat treatments of winged bean seed flour on nutritional status of rats. Nutrition Reports International, 1988; 38(2): 423-435.
 
57. Sri Kantha S. Japan’s image as whale killers. In: Essays on Japan II, 1983-1987, Kyoto International Cultural Association, Kyoto, 1988, pp.105-116 (English), 227-236 (Japanese).
 
58. Sri Kantha S. Japanese contributions to the development of Space in the 21st century. In: 21 Seiki Forum 88 Uchu Eno Count Down II Dai Nikkai Rombun Contest Sakuhin chu, Yomiuri Shimbun sha, Tokyo, 1988, pp.17-20 (Japanese).
 
59. Sri Kantha S. The discovery of Raman effect and its impact in biological sciences. European Spectroscopy News, 1988; no.80: 20-26.
 
60. Sri Kantha S. Dietary effects of fish oils on human health; a review of recent studies. Yale Journal of Biology & Medicine, 1987; 60: 37-44.
 
61. Sri Kantha S. Ichthyotoxins and their implications to human health. Asian Medical Journal (Japan), 1987; 30: 458-470.
 
62. Sri Kantha S and Erdman JW. Legume carotenoids. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1987; 26(2): 137-155.
 
63. Sri Kantha S, Hettiarachchy J and Hettiarachchy NS. A report on the sexual aspects of hazing at a university residence in Sri Lanka. Asian Medical Journal (Japan), 1986; 29: 590-596.
 
64. Sri Kantha S and Mark N. Health problems of foreign students studying at the American universities – an overview. Asian Medical Journal (Japan), 1986; 29: 527-537.
 
65. Kariya Y, Watabe S, Ochiai Y, Sri Kantha S, Hashimoto K and Murata K. Changes in toughness and ultrastructure of the body wall from sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus in association with acidic glycosaminoglycan. Connective Tissue (Japan), 1986; 18: 312-313.
 
66. Sri Kantha S. Portuguese role in spread of HTLV-1 virus. Nature, June 19, 1986; 321: 733.
 
67. Sri Kantha S, Hettiarachchy NS and Erdman JW. Nutrient, anti-nutrient contents and solubility profile of nitrogen, phytic acid and selected minerals in winged bean meal. Cereal Chemistry, 1986; 63: 9-13.
 
68. Sri Kantha S and Erdman JW. Winged bean as a source of protein – recent advances. In: Plant Proteins – Chemistry, Applications and Biological Effects, ed. Ory, RL, American Chemical Society Symposium No.312, American Chemical Society, Washington DC 1986, pp.206-219.
 
69. Sri Kantha S and Erdman JW. The role of fish protein concentrates (FPC) in human nutrition for the Third World population – a survey of problems and future prospects. Proceedings of 11th Annual Third World Conference, Chicago, April 4-6, 1985, vol.1, 131-144.
 
70. Sri Kantha S and Erdman JW. Winged bean as an oil and protein source; a review. Journal of American Oil Chemists Society, 1984; 61: 215-225.
 
71. Sri Kantha S, Hettiarachchy NS and Erdman JW. Laboratory scale production of winged bean curd. Journal of Food Science, 1983; 48(2): 441-444 & 447.
 
72. Hettiarachchy NS, Sri Kantha S and Corea SMX. The effect of oral contraceptive therapy and of pregnancy on serum folate levels of rural Sri Lankan women. British Journal of Nutrition, 1983; 50: 495-501.
 
73. Hettiarachchy NS, Corea SMX and Sri Kantha S. Effect of oral contraceptives on riboflavin and pyridoxine nutrition status in fecund women. Nutrisyon (Philippines), Jan-Jun1983; 8(1): 79-86.
 
74. Sri Kantha S and Hettiarachchy NS. Studies on the nutritive value of winged bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus. Nutrisyon (Philippines), 1982; 7: 40-51.
 
75. Hettiarachchy NS and Sri Kantha S. Trypsin inhibitor and phytohemagglutinin content of six legumes commonly consumed by Sri Lankans. Journal of National Science Council of Sri Lanka, Dec.1981; 9(2): 269-272.
 
76. Sri Kantha S and Hettiarachchy NS. Phytohemagglutinins in the winged bean Psophocarpus tetragonolobus. Journal of National Science Council of Sri Lanka, Dec.1981; 9(2): 223-228.
 
77. Hettiarachchy NS, Thaha SZ, Sri Kantha S, Jeyasooriya R and Deen KJ. Nutrition in a rural Sri Lankan village; Bambarabedda (Kandy district), Jaffna Medical Journal (Sri Lanka), 1981; 16: 64-75.

Letters, Comments and Debate

01. Sri Kantha S. Tribute to John Maddox. Current Science (Bangalore), July 25, 2009; 97(2): 131. 

02. Sri Kantha S. Centenarian scientists. Lancet, June 26, 1999; 353: 2250.
 
03. Sri Kantha S. Beyond the language barrier. Nature, Feb.27, 1997; 385: 764.
 
04. Sri Kantha S. One Nobel prize winner left out [on John Boyd-Orr]. Food Technology, Oct.1995; 49(10): 57.
 
05. Sri Kantha S. Einstein and Lorentz. Nature, Jul.13, 1995; 376: 111.
 
06. Hayaishi O and Sri Kantha S. Sleep substance; Fact and not Fantasy. World Federation of Sleep Research Society Newsletter, 1994; 3(2): 7-8.
 
07. Sri Kantha S. What lingua franca? Nature, Jan.14, 1993; 361: 107.
 
08. Sri Kantha S. The legacy of von Behring and Kitasato. Immunology Today, 1992; 13: 374.
 
09. Sri Kantha S. Productivity drive [of prolific scientists]. Nature, Apr.30, 1992; 356: 738.
 
10. Sri Kantha S. Paramyosin as helminth vaccine candidate. Lancet, Aug.4,1990; 344: 582.
 
11. Sri Kantha S. Alfred Nobel’s three loves. Chemical & Engineering News, Apr.16,1990; 68(16): 41-42.
 
12. Sri Kantha S. Women winners of Nobel prize. Nature, Apr.12, 1990; 344: 582.
 
13. Sri Kantha S. Oesophageal carcinoma in Sri Lanka. Gut, Feb 1990; 31: 242.
 
14. Sri Kantha S. Food sanitation and immigrant culture. Food Technolgy, Oct.1989; 43(10): 40.
 
15. Sri Kantha S. No more Hiroshimas. Lancet, 1989; 2: 1457.
 
16. Sri Kantha S. Avery’s non-recognition in Nobel awards. BioEssays, April 1989; 10(4): 131.
 
17. Sri Kantha S. Raman’s prize. Nature, Aug.31, 1989; 340: 672.
 
18. Sri Kantha S. Einstein in Zurich. Nature, Jan.12, 1989; 337: 110.
 
19. Sri Kantha S. Science fellowship. Nature, Nov.24, 1988; 336: 302.
 
20. Sri Kantha S. Insect eating in Japan. Nature, Nov.24, 1988; 336: 316-317.
 
21. Sri Kantha S. Uniformity in units. Food Technology, Oct.1988; 42(10): 46 & 48.
 
22. Sri Kantha S. Arms go south. Nature, May 19, 1988; 333: 202.
 
23. Sri Kantha S. Pauling’s book, How to Live Longer and Feel Better. Food Technology, Aug.1987; 41(8): 60 & 62.
 
24. Sri Kantha S. Japanese whaling. Nature, Aug.20, 1987; 328: 662.
 
25. Sri Kantha S. Science in Iberia. Nature, Mar.5, 1987; 326: 10.
 
26. Sri Kantha S. Comments on the quantification of major carotenoids in raw fruits and vegetables by HPLC. Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, 1987; 35(5): 849.
 
27. Sri Kantha S. Fish oils. Food Technology, Nov.1986; 40(11): 46 & 49
 
28. Sri Kantha S. Fish-eating Eskimos? Nature, Sept.4, 1986; 323: 10.
 
29. Sri Kantha S and Erdman JW. Is winged bean really a flop? Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1986; 18: 339-341.
 
30. Sri Kantha S and Hettiarachchy NS. Studies on winged bean in Sri Lanka. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1983; 13: 197.

 



 

 

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