Why do I love to read scientific books on Astrophysics?

I love reading these books because they are thought-provoking. Two of my favorite writers in this field are Michio Kaku and Brian Greene.

The problem lies in our limited perception of the universe. Even though we cannot comprehend how billions of transistors exist within a chip, their invisibility to our naked eyes does not negate their existence; they are real.

Mathematical models depict parallel universes and wormholes, and I believe in their potential existence. I also believe in teleportation, although it remains in its early stages.

The selection process for Ph.D. programs in Canadian universities seems like a joke.

I recently met a student who completed  their  bachelor's and master's degrees while maintaining a position on the dean's list. During the pandemic, this student applied for Ph.D. programs at the University of Toronto, McGill University, and Western University. The student received admission offers with entrance scholarships from all these universities. However, the irony lies in the fact that the student couldn't continue their  studies because they couldn't find a supervisor. Supervisors, who are professors employed at the universities, are funded by the government for their research.

In my opinion, all admitted students should be matched with suitable supervisors by the universities for their PhD programs. These students are highly capable; that's why they were admitted in the first place. I believe the current placement procedure, which requires admitted students to find their own supervisors, is not right. It violates their fundamental rights and grants unnecessary power to the professors, which some may misuse.

My Thoughts on Current Housing Affordability in Canada

This is my viewpoint on housing affordability in Canada. In my opinion, the primary reasons for the current housing situation are as follows:

    The Bank of Canada maintained the interest rate at very low levels for an extended period. This resulted in increased accessibility to housing for individuals with limited funds, thereby boosting demand.

    Concurrently, emerging technologies like Airbnb provide homeowners with a convenient tool to rent their properties, generating a reasonable income. This encourages property owners to retain their properties instead of selling when acquiring new ones.

    Increased immigration has also contributed to the unaffordability of housing, escalating demand from newcomers for both renting and owning properties.

Nallur Rajadhani’s city layout in the fifteenth century – A research paper written in Tamil by Navaratnam Giritharan (V.N.Giritharan) B.Sc (B.E) in Architecture. The English translation from Tamil is done by Latha Ramakrishnan.

Forward: Nallurt Rajadhani City Layout

None seems to have evinced any interest so far in the ancient city layout of Srilankan Tamil. It is unfortunate that those who are engaged in the research and investigation work about the historical facts pertaining to the kings and kingdoms have turned a blind eye to the architectural style and expertise of Tamil. Because of this indifference and black-out when research work about cities like Anuradhapuram, Yaappahuva that were capitals hundreds of years prior to the time when Nallur was Rajdhani, or, were to be, it proves a herculean task together information about Nallur Rajdhani city layout. In such a situation I have undertaken the research work on Nallur city layout to the best of my ability. My desire to study the city layout of Nallur Rajdhani was not something accidental. In my young age when I would be reading the novels of Kalki, Jagasirpian and such others I used to always wonder why it always remained a rarity to come across historical evidences about Nallur which was as famous a city as Tanjore, Madurai and Kanchipuram. When I grew in age and knowledge I could realize that the foreign rule and our people’s bent of mind which spends its time and energy in singing the past glory but remains indifferent to the need for preserving our rare historical symbols and monuments are reasons for this blackout.

The Dark Night of the Soul: A Study of the Existential Crisis of the Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees as depicted in the novel An Immigrant by the Canadian Tamil Writer V.N. Giritharan By Dr. R. Dharani M.A.,M.Phil., M.Ed., PGDCA., Ph.D. Assistant Professor in English, LRG Government Arts College for Women –

Abstract

Any journey in life is blissfully ever sought by human travelers across the globe. However, there are certain migrations by specific ethnic groups who are left with not much choice except for a disagreeable movement, sometimes hazardous ones too. Life and journey go hand in hand in a pleasant manner for any human being with comfortable existence. Crisis occurs only when life becomes uncertain in the homeland and to enter an alien land. Srilankan Tamil people is one such ethnic group who have been going through the crisis of existence for having born in a land that coerces cruelty upon them. The writer V.N. Giritharan was born as a blessed being like others in a Tamil family in Sri Lanka. He grew up as a writer as well as an Architecture graduate with great sensitivity towards the land and people around him. However, his state of affairs did not remain the same, as there were the chaos and brutalities of the ethnic conflict between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamil. The only way to survive was to leave the homeland with a heavy heart and to move towards an asylum. This journey is the most pathetic one in any man’s life. His sufferings have been portrayed vividly in the novel An immigrant in which the protagonist named Ilango lives as the replica of the writer V.N. Giritharan himself.

The paper attempts to explore the existential predicament of the protagonist of the novel An Immigrant whose personal experiences demonstrate the physical, psychological multicultural, ethnic, political and socio-economic issues of such immigrants across the globe.

Void Within – The Migration of an Albatross into an Unsolicited Province – A Study on the Writings of the Canadian Tamil Writer V.N. Giritharan By Dr. R. Dharani M.A.,M.Phil., M.Ed., PGDCA., Ph.D. Assistant Professor in English, LRG Government Arts College for Women –

[March 1, 2013- Recently, a conference on canadian writing was held in the National college , Trichy. Called ‘Canada:A Multitude of Spaces’, the conference was spearheaded by the Indian Association of Canadian Studies. The following paper on V.N.Giritharan’s writings was submitted to the conference by Dr R Dharani.]

Literature, in a way, is a manifestation of an individual’s or a community’s elusive experiences. A grand procession of happy episodes alone in a life is highly impracticable and astonishing, as life itself is, and in most cases, akin to the tragi-comedies of Shakespeare. However, in the history of literature across the globe, catastrophe gained more attention than romance, chivalry and happy endings. The misfortunes of African- American writers have ever earned them the proper justice. The sorrow-stricken lives of a community who had been intimidated simply because of their ethnic background have been the cause of many social changes in western countries. Of all the complexities of life, the crisis of a survival stands first in the life of any human being. This is not the case with any other living creature in any part of the world. In any piece of literature, it is not uncommon to unearth such a theme intertwined with many other themes. Man struggles to locate a place of his own on this planet to ascertain a sense of identity of his life. Nationality, nativity, society, family, tradition, culture, language are such things endorsing the survival impulse of a man. Depending on the needs, man sets the priority for concepts like nationality, family and other matters.

Literature, being the replica of reality, has been communicating the indispensable impulse of human survival in various forms for ages. The predominant theme of many writings is of life and how to live it. There always appears to be an empty space in the psychic sphere of human beings, specifically in the modern ages. Waging war made the ancients lose their stability in the earlier times. There are no explicit wars today. Nevertheless, the same kind of callousness makes modern men desperate with the loss of their identity. In the name of Globalization, the entire world shrinks into the palm of a human. However, there is a giant void within the human heart. Such a void shall be discussed here.

Poem: A message for Stallion-Stealers! – V.N. Giritharan – Translation in English by Latha Ramakrishnan

Hey you, the Stallion-Stealers!
Here is a message for you.
I am a caretaker of horses.
Not a trader.
A genuine, straightforward caretaker.
I have so many sturdy stallions with me.
Indeed all of them are real good.
They are not lame ones.
I have great affection for
all the horses in my possession
I treat them with no discrimination.
I am not one to rear or sell crippled horses
Still – Hei you, the Stallion-Stealers!
You’ve become more troublesome.

Hey you, the Stallion-Stealers!
You have great expertise in stealthily jumbling
the stolen stallions, into the herd.
The horses that you’ve stolen from me
or out to steal from me
are not at all crippled.
They are real good ones;
strong and sturdy also.
But they’re real frenzied ones
which won’t falter but fight to the finish.

Poem: Liberated Bird of the Secluded Empire by V.N.Giritharan | Translation in English by By Dr. R. Dharani

I was bound in the empire of seclusion
Neither as a slave nor as an emperor …. Never
As the completely liberated bird that
Incessantly renders the musical note of joy

In the unfettered world, is there any phantom of distress?
In the world with no laws, is there any dejection possible?
The luminous companions hid themselves sheepishly behind my soaring
In the avenues of the Cosmos, it’s highly condescending
To hang on to the drifting flutter.

In the purpose-manifest life,
No repercussions nor yearning

I was bound in the empire of seclusion
Neither as a slave nor as an emperor …. Never
As the completely liberated bird that
Incessantly renders the musical note of joy

Poem- Oh, Super Human! Where have you concealed yourself? - In Tamil: V.N.Giritharan; Translation in English Dr. R. Dharani –

Concrete! Concrete and Concrete
Walls! Ingesting the rays to radiate flames
Blameless, pellucid white surface,
Chuckling Cement-clad pathway.
In the embrace of the audacious columns,
lies enraptured spaces
heat rays cut through the layers of air.
In the pleasure of delusion over
The grass being excited
by the smiles of dew drops,
There is a gloomy cloud of thought over
The cool Lady Earth under her blue canopy.

The embracing dreams of the
Drooping tree belles’ cuddle.

The impact of artificiality
Spreading over Nature’s repository.

In trees, on grass, in herds, in caves,
In the dreadful hours of darkness,
Panicked by the lightning storm, under the torrential shower,
Coiled up in the times of bewilderment,
Continued the ancient journey

In the gyres of Nature’s Effect,
Lies the life captivated.
Are the gyres blissful dawns?
Are they the fascinating Arcadia?

A WALK THROUGH CORONA-WRAPPED NIGHT By V.N.GIRITHARAN – | Translation By Dr.K.S.Subramanian

- This poem is in the poetry book 'LOCKDOWN LYRICS,' a collection of poems translated and compiled by Dr. K.S. Dubramaniyan.-

I came out
in a midnight.
The city was immersed in slumber.
The impact of virus.
The city remained curled up.
Why not a spin on the bicycle.
Yes, I did.
My city sojourn continues.
At a distance in majestic response
Lake Ontario.
On the bank cuddling its young one
a mother fox.
Darting across the street
and disappearing in a trice
a few deer.
It seems
Ozone hole has shrunk.
The flowing Ganges turned clean.
In a life ruled by essentials
the fancy purchases of non-essentials
have shrunk.
While returning
after the city round
my heart seized by a mild grief.
The rivers going to lose their
limpidity.

POEM BY V.N.GIRITHARAN Translated into English by Latha Ramakrishnan

Camels don’t get disheartened by the deserts
They don’t become disconsolate.
They are not frightened by the blowing wind.
Willingly seek and undertake long journeys
with water stored _
They love it all the more.
Whenever there is tornado within
swimming in the tumultuous sea inside
With the boats lost
I invariably think of camels.
Should remain stoic like a camel
I would resolve.
At those times
the camels enduring all adversities
would occupy my mind.

About V.N.Giritharan

V.N. Giritharan, a Canadian Tamil writer,  began writing at the age of ten and has contributed numerous articles, stories, and poems to various Tamil magazines in print and online. He has published 10 books, including 'Mannin Kural' (The Voice of Soil), 'AMERICA' (a collection of short stories and a novella), 'Eluga Athimanuda' (a collection of Tamil poems), 'Nallur Rajadhnani City Layout' (a research paper on the city planning of Nallur during the 16th century),  'Mannin Kural' (a collection of four short novels), 'Kattak Kaattuk Kaadukal ( A collection of short stories), America ( A novella), V.N.Giritharan Katturaikal (A collection of articles), 'Oru Nagaraththu Manithanin Pulamapal' ( A collection of Poems) and Naveena Vikkramaathiththan' ( Novel).

His stories have earned awards, and scholars in Tamilnadu, India, have submitted several research papers on his writing.

Novella: America By -V.N.Giritharan; English Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan; Edited By Thamayanthi Giritharan

1.
                            
This narrative unfolds in a corner of Brooklyn, situated on the fifth floor of a building whose total number of floors remains unknown to me. My perception of this fifth floor represents a distinctive realm within America. Amidst the allure of fashionable hairdos and fragrant flowers lies an underbelly riddled with lice, an analogy for my American journey.

America, touted as the pinnacle of democracy and affluence, initially stood as a beacon of human rights until my first-hand encounter contradicted this ideal. I often pondered whether my American experience was an aberration, juxtaposed against the successful lives led by fellow Americans of my background.

The American society seemingly offers boundless opportunities for financial gain, yet the same society was the stage for the unsettling encounters I faced. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes justice, freedom, and equality, while the Constitution emphasizes fundamental rights. However, the reality I encountered was quite different, akin to a verdant pasture on one side and the harsh truth on the other—idealism prevails until one steps foot inside.

As I pen these words, I am a young and aspiring writer, earnestly striving to carve a niche in the world of literature, while also identifying as a Tamil Canadian. Reflecting on my experiences in America, especially the three months spent in Brooklyn's Detention Camp and the subsequent year in New York City, has offered profound insights into life's truths. Despite the bitterness of these encounters, the lessons gleaned are invaluable. I dedicate these experiences to all those languishing in various American detention camps, yearning for freedom and release.

Ah, even my name slipped my mind momentarily—Ilango, a name bestowed upon me by my father, an ardent lover of the epic Silapadhikaram. Perhaps it is this literary significance embedded in my name that nurtured my inclination toward creative writing.