CM Fiction--Read This!

[arasi]

Came across this in Sanjay Subrahmanyan's blog.
Thinking that I will give a link here, I tried it, but it wouldn't work (for a computer whiz that's me, of course).
Anyway, it's from Sruti magazine, a story by M.V. Swaroop called Apt Support.Truly, a humorous narrative! Loved it and want to share it with others. I'm hoping someone will give the link here.

Swaroop,
R.K.Narayan is watching you! Loved the flow of dialog (like a sarvalaghu veteran playing) and the humor. My guess is that you are young--like our own Srinivsaraghavan (who's busy with his studies). Even your names resemble--with the S and R.

'Apt (Adequate?!) Support' Kuttan was 'super play' in the story and your tale made me chuckle all along. Bring us more...

[mahavishnu]

Thanks for that link, Arasi. It was a very enjoyable read. Entertaining to say the least!

The author is a young law professional based in Chennai named Swaroop Mamidipudi. He is a flautist (disciple of Sri N. Ramani) and also an occasional writer for the Hindu. I believe he also writes for various Indi-blogs such as Sulekha etc...

The original link is here: http://srutimag.blogspot.com/

[arasi]

Thank you Ramesh for all the info!
Will start looking up the Sruti blog every now and then!

[Nick H]

Superb story. A lovely, romantic delight

[rajeshnat]

I liked swaroop's flow , thank you. There are also interesting links in sruthi in general , if you have time also catch few posts of vidwan TNS - his early day anecdotes was very interesting .

[rshankar]

Arasi - great find! I have finally got a few minutes to go over the blog. I like Swaroop's story, but I have to say that I am consumed by curiosity about "Poonthottam Bhavani"! Hope Smt. Gowri indulges my curiosity sooner rather than later...

[mahavishnu]

Ravi, I am quite taken too by Kalki's powerful narrative and storytelling and Smt Gowri's wonderful translation of "Poonthottam Bhavani". Runs in their family. I am told that her mother Smt Anandi Ramachandran completed some of Kalki's unfinished pieces.

Perhaps we can use this thread to sustain a discussion on literature closely associated with CM, both in English and in the vernacular.

Rajesh: I hope they stop with the re-publication of just the anecdotes from the early days of Seshu from the 1983 issue. He got into a hotbed of controversy following his comments in the subsequent issue.

[venkatakailasam]

read the story by kalki...Arunachathin Aluval...at ...

http://www.chennailibrary.com/kalki/mis ... luval.html


In addition, if you click on 'Amarar kalkiyin padaipugal', you can have 75 of his short stories and also his novels...

link... http://www.chennailibrary.com/kalki/kalki.html

The stories do not have a link to cm, but brings out the powerful way of his writing...

If, MODs feel the it has no relevance to this thread, these may be removed to Members' Stuff & Lounge

[rshankar]

Perhaps we can use this thread to sustain a discussion on literature closely associated with CM, both in English and in the vernacular.

Ramesh - great idea. I am game! I can chime in on the quality of the audio book-versions of ponniyin selvan and sivakAmiyin sabadam that I have been listening to.

[mahavishnu]

Please do, Ravi. Would love to hear more about them. I read "Ponniyin Selvan" translated to English a couple of years ago, although I remember reading the tamizh version decades ago.

My niece (who is all of 10 years old) introduced me to an excellent book by an author named Sheela Chari about a Veena, a family heirloom and its complex history. The protagonist is a young carnatic music student who discovers the history of the art form through the story of this Veenai. Very nicely written story, has been nominated for several awards. I really enjoyed this book, makes for good reading even for grown-ups.

Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Sheela-C ... 1423131630

[vasanthakokilam]

I only had time to skm through the CM fiction. Quite enjoyable already.

Mahavishnu: You just gave me an idea. I should probably get that Veena book as a birthday present for a couple of my nieces who are into CM. From your niece to mine through us!!

[venkatakailasam]

Kalki Krishnamurthy -- Kalkiyin - Parthiban Kanavu - Tamil -- Audio Book - Mp3 - Vol-1,2&3...available at...

http://www.gaanam.net/forums/showthread ... -Vol-1-2-3

you may have to log in...

Parthiban Kanavu Mp3 Audio Book by Sri ........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfP6RCtgWpk

[rshankar]

I have to try out Vanished.
I have been listening to ponniyin selvan (PS) recorded by Sri(kanth) of itsdiff.com - the first couple of volumes/parts were uploaded for free, and the rest are being sold via amazon.
sivakAmiyin sabadam (SS) was a commercially released album I bought from Giri Trading - recorded with what appears like professional radio artists.

Of the two, I love PS way more than SS, all the professional production of the latter notwithstanding. Sri has some quaintly quirky pronunciation of some words, but overall, his love and passion for the story comes through, and the impact is way more powerful than what I experienced with the English version that you (Ramesh) mention.
SS, for want of a better word, is what I call 'filmy' (not a complimentary term).

[mahavishnu]

I should probably get that Veena book as a birthday present for a couple of my nieces who are into CM. From your niece to mine through us!!

VK the book makes for a perfect summer reading gift.

Ravi: I am sure the tamil version is much more powerful. I have to re-read it someday. I like your distinction between PS and SS. It also shows the distinct streams of writing that can come from the same author, one that is an epic novel and other that is more like a screenplay.

Talking about CM-Fiction in general, there are very few south Indian authors that write CM themed novels or screenplays. This is unfortunate, given the proliferation of Indian writing (especially in English) in recent years. Perhaps Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam do better in this regard?

On a related note, there are even fewer musicians that have engaged in some fiction writing on the side. The most prominent one that comes to mind is Geetha Ramanathan Bennett. I remember reading and enjoying a tamizh novella of hers called AdhAra sruti. She has written several short stories as well. Not sure if she is still writing...

Venkatakailasam avl: thank you for the links to Kalki's works.

[arasi]

Mahavishnu, Vkailasam, Ravi and Spring cuckoo,
Thanks all. This is getting to be a lively thread!

I read several pages of Geetha Chari's Teen lit book and I'm very impressed with it.
Close to home, forumite Srinivasraghavan kept us waiting each week with such a heaping helping of the serial about young Shreya and Hari and all other contestants in music competitions, even before the contests on TV caught on .For such a young man (but in his music, very mature), he wrote so well. Studies are keeping him very occupied.Hope he starts wriing again soon...

Thi Janakiraman and ellArvi are among well-known writers who wrote works with music resonating in them. Sujatha Vijayaraghavan wrote the novel 'arangam' , published by Vanathi. I love her characters--all sounding so life-like, what with Sujatha's life-long association with music. I'm sure there are some more music-based stories, but I can't think of them all at the moment.

Back to Kalki, Ponniyin Selvan is his masterpiece.

[rshankar]

I like your distinction between PS and SS. It also shows the distinct streams of writing that can come from the same author, one that is an epic novel and other that is more like a screenplay.

Ramesh, I am not sure if the issue is that SS is more like a screenplay. I think that treating SS as a screenplay did not get well with me. I think PS could also have been done with several people reading the various parts, like a screenplay, but it is Sri's very involved reading and wonderful modulation that makes it so enjoyable! I beleive that he has read SS; I should try and get it and do the formal comparison! (It will be open-label, but if we get enough people to make this side-by-side comparison, we may even have a study here! )

Having said all that, pArthiban kanavu (PK) for me will always invoke images of Gemini Ganesan and the ethereally beautiful Vyayantimala (and the song, pazhagum tamizhE, pArthiban maganE...) and the scinitillating dances of Kumari Kamala.

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with either Sri or itsdiff.com!

And also Lakshmi Subramaniam (kukudam, idayam pESugiradu etc) once wrote a serial play involving a CM singer, IIRC.

[venkatakailasam]

Poniyin selvan...
Try at this link...

http://www.myspace.com/sristars/music