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Rabindranath Tagore (aka Gurudev) was the first poet of the Indian literary canon to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1915 for the collection of his poems, GITANJALI- ( Prayerful Offering of Songs). Tagore, was an authentic Indian and patriot who sang proudly of his Motherland and of her spiritual heritage,…

SEEING GOD IN WOMAN. Vengrai Parthasaathy As someone said God cannot be everywhere; so he created woman as mother. Are we giving woman the respect that is due to her? Let us face it. This is a man’s world and Manu, the law giver, ( whom we like to quote at the drop of a…

Sri Mandayam Natampalli .(MN). Singalachar (Shamanna to his intimate friends and family) ,was born on June 13, 1912 in a village near Tumkur. He was the only son of Smt. and Sri.N.Venkatachar. and was married to his niece Smt. Sreerangoo in 1937. He was the beating heart of his family of two sons and a…

(I am including this article on Egmore because that was where I was born and bred –a srt of nostalgic trip, down memory lane–Author unknown)) Ezhhumoor/Egmore/Ezhumboor The second phase of Chola rule in the Madras region was under the imperial Cholas, from around A.D. 900 (Aditya Chola) until the end of the Chola empire in…

OLD MADRAS YIELDS PLACE TO NEW CHENNAI Vengrai Parthasarathy Madras ! The laid-back city of ancient traditions, orthodox people, old-world courtesies. Well, it is not there, not any more. The Cooum is there but not much water is flowing in it. Metaphorically speaking, much water has flown under the bridge, in the past decade. It…

Select Hymns from Divya Prabhandham Book-Review Sirpi Balasubramanyam, Pollachi Translation By Vengrai Parthasarathy The Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters) has been encouraging known and budding authors of books on different subjects in a number of languages, Their latest effort is a book of ‘Select Pasurams’ from the lode of four thousand pasurams. Known as…

At my age I am saddened to see a new phenomenon– the hand-held I-pad/ I-phone–Games menace. It keeps grown-ups and young ones alike in a thrall.—total addiction. Children/Adults have no time for sports or any intellectual or physical activity or for the parents who are themselves so addicted..Family life is on the brink of collapse,…

Sacred Tulasi Vengrai Parthasarathy “Patram Pushpam Phalam Toyam Yo Me Bhaktya Prayacchati; Tadaham Bhaktyupahritamasanami Prayatatmanah” ( I accept, even a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water if offered with sincere devotion ” says Sri KrishNa in the Bhagavath Gita). The inner message : It is not necessary to offer gold, silver and costly items.…

Harihi Aum! Sreer Asthu! ‘VAIṣṇAVA, JANATO’ To be a True Vaishnava is to be a Friend of all Creatures and Belong to God. (This song in Gujarati language was composed by Narsingh Mehta, a 15th century poet. A favourite of Mahathma Gandhi, it was sung at all his prayer meetings) An adherent/devotee of Viṣṇu is…

SRI RÂMÂNUJACHARYA Glimpses of His Life and Times BY VENGRAI PARTHASARATHY (Courtesy TamBrahm) INTRODUCTION: THE ACHARYAS To adapt Thomas Carlyle famous dictum, Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) can be termed as a chronicle of the biographies of India’s great religious teachers/Acharyas. The triumvirate of the most eminent Acharyas, Adhi Sankara, Râmânuja, and Madhva synthesized and formulated the…