About Tulika

events 2004

Translation in performance

release of Parthiban's Dream
on 14th November 2004 at Goodbooks Bookstore, Chennai

It was an evening of readings, reminiscences and performance, of times past brought to the present, when classic met contemporary. Tulika launched the latest in its series Classics in Translation — the Tamil popular classic, Parthiban Kanavu, by the versatile and prolific writer, Kalki Krishnamurthy, translated by 15-year-old Nirupama Raghavan with lucidity, spirit and astonishing maturity.

It was a day for celebrating grandparents. Special guest of the evening was Gowri Ramnarayan (on left of pics), journalist and writer, who shared interesting anecdotes about her grandfather — Kalki Krishnamurthy. Later she released the book by presenting the first copy to Nirupama's (on right of pics) grandparents — Nirupama's mother's mother first gave her Parthiban Kanavu and read it out to her.


Left: Chakravarti Narasimha Varman puts the scheming Marappa Bhupati in his place, while Valli interrupts with saucy asides. A court scene performed with stick puppets carrying illustrations from the book. Right: Nirupama gives a background to the next scene . . .

. . . which sees Vikraman charging on horseback to Uraiyur, only to be swallowed by a flooding river. Who saves him? A tense episode from the story depicted in dramatic shadow play by Bindhu, who also illustrated the book.

more . . .

picture books - bilingual picture books - wordbird books - in verse - under the banyan
paperback fiction - classics in translation - think about - gandhi books - fact + fiction - read + colour green books - where I live - looking at art - in focus - your companion - resource books