Kalki krishnamurthy: his life and times [volume 1] [hardcover] [rare books]

Kalki & Krishnamusky (1899-1954) was inspired by the tumultuous Indian nationalit movement to become an iconic novelive and giant of the Tanul press. This biography exhilarating chronicle of his multi-layered impact on Tamil self-fashioning, the power san pen, which he used to promote the freedom struggle, Gandhian ideas, reformisan Indian renaissance. It also shows him denouncing cant and superstition, creating inimitable and beloved works of historical fiction, and forming lasting friendships with exemplars in the fields of art, learning and nation-building.

"Sunda', MRM Sundaram, the late author of Ponniyin Pudalvar (as the biography is titled in Tamil), was a respected Tamil writer, who made his name as a broadcaster with All India Radio and the Tamil service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Serialised in Kalki magazine, the biography was a pioneering work of the genre, marked by painstaking research and objectivity of a kind hitherto unknown in Tamil writing.

SUNDA MRM SUNDARAM

Dr Gowri Ramnarayan, the translator, has authored the biography of the legendary musician MS Subbulakshmi whom she accompanied vocally in concerts. An all rounder who has carved a niche for herself as a journalist (The Hindu), award-winning playwright and director, she brings to her translation the rigour of her academic training and a lifetime of experience as an acclaimed writer in English.

Gowri, Kalki's granddaughter, revisits Sunda's magnum opus, equipped with an intimate knowledge of the protagonist's literary excellence, patriotism, and sacrifice. For all its rigorous fact-checking, the book proves to be a rivetting read, a veritable page-turner.