Nice to see confirmations from UDANX and PAVITHRA.
Pavithra is in our group almost from the beginning and has translated portions of Sivagamiyin Sabatham (SS) into English under Project Madurai.
Her travellogue re MUDHAL YATHIRAI is very famous ..
Kamalakannan, Ram (Founder), Gokul, Lavanya and Pavithra - among others - approached Trichy Dr. Kalaikkovan for some more details re PS story line - and they were directed to Writer Balakumaran (who is my close friend) - who in turn arranged a meeting with me. They have previously met Viswaksenan of KALKI who offered to accompany them and publish in Kalki the experience :: VANDHIYATHEVAN VAZHIYIL...
Parents of Balaji Venkiteswaran and his sister Lavanya Venkiteswaran - are well known to ME as well as Ram when he was in USA. I met Balaji in Chennai Komalavilas (near Parsn Gemini) and decided to launch a yahoo group. Balaji advised Ram to block " ponniyinselvan group " name in yahoo and that was the beginning....
Balaji wanted to present something different for his Parents - who themselves are ardent PS fans - on their Wedding Day that year. Upon his request, I took them around Veeranam, Kadambur, thirunaraiyur, Pazhayarai @ Patteeswaram, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Kodiyakkarai and then touched Thanjavur before returning to Chennai in our Car.
When met Balakumaran and others I shared this experience also. We all met Dr. Nagasamy and then again met Dr. Kalaikkovan / Dr, Nalini also.
Any how these meetings paved way for detailed working of MUDHAL YATHIRAI .. in which several group members participated. Dr. Sridhar from London could not participate but was keeping in touch throughout.
Pavithra has written a nice travellogue..
Viswaksenan published in Kalki.
There was an Interview by Kamalakkannan in Sun TV re our Group ..
We launched a Ponnyinselvan varalatru peravai in Chennai. In the first meeting Swetha and (anusha) Venkat participated along with Dr. Kalaikkovan - Dr. Nalini and Dr. S. Rajavelu ( then in ASI / now in Thanjai Tamil University) among several others.
www.varalaaru.com team was formed with Kamal - Gokul - Lavanya - Ram under the guidance of Dr. Kalaikkovan and Dr. Nalini..
At that time Swetha hinted me that one of our members is writing a Sequel to PS and later it was confirmed by Venkat he was completing the sequel KAVIRIMYNDHAN as sequel to PS..
He also wrote and published Kalki's biography.
Just prior to that we organised a meeting - thanks to Madam Seethalakshi (USA / Retd TN Govt Senion official) - at the residence of respected Madam Punithavathi Elangovan. Her demised husband Elagovan was brother of Dr. Kalaikkovan. They are Dr. Rasamanickanar's sons. Madam Punithavathi was Station Director of All India Radio, Trichy - airing Radio Dramas etc.
Her son Kumaravelu's ( Abhiyum Naanum fame ) MAGIC LANTERN Group staged PONNIYINSELVAN DRAMA in YMCA Grounds .. A joint meeting with all of them was very informative. We invited Writer VIKRAMAN to this meeting. He wrote Nandhipurathu Nayagi and Vandhiyathevan Vaal as sequels to PS..
It is in this meeting I met our dear Murugandham also.. Subsequently he wrote and published biography books on Dandiyathirai, Feroz Gandhi among others.
I recall Venkat's famous observation ::
" When I introduced myself to Vikraman that I am also a Writer and writing a Sequel, he quipped : WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR FOOD ? ( lively hood ? ) ""
Vikraman is acknowldgeably the FIRST ARDENT FAN of Kalki who also moved a resolution to name the West Mamabalam Lake View Road after KALKI.
Venkat, Swetha, Muruganandham, Venkatesan Kasirajan, Sathish Arun, Raj Pandian, APS Saravanan, among others - were instrumental in reorganising another Trip on Vandhiyathevan Vazhiyil in which Dr. Kudavaoil Balasubramanian guided at the Big Temple Thanjavur.
In 2009 August, we conducted a meeting in which Venkat, Muruganandham, Dhiwkar, Pavithra, Viswaksenan, PS Sriraman among other Writers of our Group was honoured by Kavingnar Vairamuthu in the forenoon. He donated 25000 to our Group !! Dr.Rajavelu, Dr. Selvakumar, our PS Sriraman presented power points. A written Compliment from respected Kalki Rajendran sir was read on the dias.
The programme was presided over by Madam Seetha Ravi of Kalki Group. Followed by this, in the afternoon, Gowri Narayanan, grand daughter of Kalki, Kumaravalu of Magic Lantern, Vikraman took part in the Open House programme.
I recall Madam Gowri Narayanan's observations ::
Even as family members, we do not remember so much of minutest details re Amarar Kalki. As a matter of fact, we fear to utter some thing which may be corrected by the enlightened members of this deciated group of Kalki's Fans !! "
Looks like a Thirumbiparkiren !!
yeah.. We are heading towards our Tenth Anniversary next year !!