Unfinished Night, with Unfinished Love, Tormenting Human Hearts!

-  Poet Kannathasan -

 "In an unfinished night, I wither…
You speak of an unending story…
A soul unites in secret, unseen by kin…
A taste of something new arises…

Though you stand far away—
if only your eyes come alone…
Those eyes that arrive, they bring a gift…
A gift that gives a bliss untold…"  — Poet Kannadasan

In such simple expressions, Kannadasan excelled at revealing the profound emotions of human love, steeped in experience.

The phrase “Unfinished Night” is a striking poetic  image. In Tamil, the word “mūṟṟāt(a)” (unfinished/unripe) carries two senses:

• Something that has not reached its end.

• Something unripe, like an unripe fruit.

The night stretches on endlessly, lying incomplete, like a fruit that has yet to ripen. In this night, his feelings of love have neither resolution nor end. How beautifully Kannadasan, through the phrase “unfinished night”, reveals his tormented heart—his love that remains both unripe and incomplete. His unripe, unresolved feelings of love gnaw at him, just like the endless night.

Ottawa Scenes – The Longest-Serving Canadian Prime Minister

William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874–1950) served as Prime Minister of Canada for a long period, 21 years in total (1921–1926, 1926–1930, 1935–1948). He was the one who introduced old-age pensions (Old Age Security) and unemployment insurance. The statue here is of him. This statue of his is located outdoors, near the Canadian Senate building in Ottawa. 

Ottawa Scenes – A Jazz Pianist on the Street!

I spent this past weekend in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. While wandering around the Parliament area, this eye-catching statue drew my attention. At the intersection of Albert Street and Elgin Street, right outside the National Arts Centre, stood the elegant statue of none other than one of the world’s most renowned pianists—not only famous in Canada but across the globe—Oscar Peterson (1925–2007), the son of Caribbean immigrant parents who had settled in Montreal.

He is regarded as one of the greatest Canadian jazz pianists, celebrated for his extraordinary speed and precision at the piano.

The bronze sculpture was created by Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernethy. The design captures the feeling that Oscar Peterson is actually sitting there at the corner playing the piano, and one can even enjoy listening to his music while standing near the statue.

It was truly an unforgettable and deeply memorable experience—etched in my mind as a lasting impression.

Ottawa Scenes – Soldiers’ Monument (1812–1815) - "Triumph Through Diversity!"

This monument, which includes seven figures, is of great importance in Canadian history. It was built to commemorate the war that took place between the United States and Canada, then under the British Empire. The statue, titled Triumph Through Diversity, symbolizes the victory achieved through the unity of diverse peoples. The war lasted from 1812 until 1815.

Canadian soldiers, British soldiers, Canada’s Indigenous warriors (Métis, First Nations), French Canadian soldiers, Scottish volunteer settlers, and members of the Royal Navy all fought together against the American invasion. To honor these seven groups, this monument—located near the Canadian Senate building—features seven figures, each representing one of these groups.

Shadow!

Yesterday, for a wedding, I went to Casa Loma in Toronto. By the time the event ended, dusk had settled and darkness had deepened. While returning, at the parking lot, under the glow of a nearby lamp, I happened to notice my shadow stretched across the ground where I was standing. When I saw the slightly elongated shadow at an angle, I suddenly felt as if I were looking at a painting. Without delay, I captured that moment with my phone camera.

My dearest companion, who never parts from me—
Seeing you today,
for a fleeting moment I was spellbound.

Like an artist’s brushstroke
casting imagination and creativity
upon the stillness of reality,
you stretched out across the ground
as a painting.

O Shadow, you made my heart tremble.
For a moment, I stood enchanted, staring at you.

Could be, I am the only writer in this world
who has lost himself
upon seeing his own shadow.

Casa Loma!

Yesterday, I went to Casa Loma, one of Toronto’s most famous landmarks, to attend a wedding. It was a wedding with a limited number of invited guests. These are some of the photos I took at Casa Loma on that occasion.

A few words about Casa Loma…

Casaloma in Night 

Casa Loma is a must-see landmark for anyone visiting the city of Toronto. It is a large mansion resembling a castle, originally built to be a castle by wealthy businessman Sir Henry Pellatt between 1911 and 1914. Constructed in the Gothic Revival architectural style, this mansion stands as one of Toronto’s most iconic architectural landmarks. The architect was E.J.Lennox.

The mansion, which contains 98 rooms, features a 61-foot-high Great Hall, secret passageways, a bowling alley, underground tunnels for servants, and areas for maintaining horses.

Following the First World War, Henry Pellatt fell into financial difficulties and was unable to pay his property taxes to the government. As a result, the property was seized by the city.

In the years that followed, this castle-like mansion was used in various ways—as a hotel, club, and research facility—before coming under the care of the Liberty Entertainment Group in 2014.

Today, it functions as a tourist attraction, museum, and venue for events. Notably, more than 650,000 visitors come to see Casa Loma each year.

Casa Loma – https://casaloma.ca/

Writer V. N. Giritharan’s Tamil novel Kudivaravalan (An Immigrant) was already translated into English by writer Latha Ramakrishnan. Its English version was published earlier as a Kindle e-book on Amazon.

The First Tamil Novel from Canada to Appear in English Translation (e-book) is V. N. Giritharan’s An Immigrant. The first Canadian Tamil novel to appear in print in English translation is Devakanthan’s Prison of Dreams. – 
The English translation of writer Devakanthan’s novel Prison of Dreams has been published by Mawenzi House, translated by Nedra Rodrigo. The launch of this translated work will take place on September 6, 2025, in Scarborough. This announcement was made by the Tamil Arts Collective. Their invitation states: “The publication of the Prison of Dreams quintet marks a historic moment in Canadian Tamil literature, as it is the first book-length translation of a Tamil novelist published in Canada.”

In other words: the publication of the Prison of Dreams quintet in Canada is considered a historic moment in Canadian Tamil literary history, as it is the first full-length Tamil novel to be translated into English and published in Canada.

There is no doubt that Devakanthan’s Prison of Dreams is a monumental novel—a major contribution to Tamil literature. But is it truly the first Canadian Tamil novel to appear in English translation? The answer is no.

Writer V. N. Giritharan’s Tamil novel Kudivaravalan (An Immigrant) was already translated into English by writer Latha Ramakrishnan. Its English version was published earlier as a Kindle e-book on Amazon.

Even before that, the complete English translation of the novel was published on one of V. N. Giritharan’s blogs, Canadian Tamil Literature: Writer V. N. Giritharan’s Corner. Tamil Nadu scholar Dr. Tharani Akhil also published an English critical essay on this novel, titled “An Immigrant: A poignant autobiographical sketch of V. N. Giritharan”, which was likewise featured on the above-mentioned blog. These writings were also published in online journals.

Citing this novel, research papers on refugee literature have been published in English and French. A podcast episode about the novel has also appeared on the V. N. Giritharan Podcast channel on YouTube.