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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59cKL8tlWaI Theodore Bhaskaran - Conversation with Members of Vishnupuram Literary Circle]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59cKL8tlWaI Theodore Bhaskaran - Conversation with Members of Vishnupuram Literary Circle]


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Revision as of 12:47, 22 July 2023

இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: தியடோர் பாஸ்கரன் ‎

Theodore-1.jpg
Theodore Bhaskaran 1979
Theodore Bhaskaran Iyal Award
Theodore Bhaskaran with his Wife
Theodore Bhaskaran as a child with his Parents
Theodore Bhaskaran with his Wife 1998
Theodore Bhaskaran with Rajiv Gandhi 1985
Theodar baskaran.jpg
Theodore.jpg
Theodore Bhaskaran with his Wife 1990

S. Theodore Bhaskaran (Born: April 1, 1940) is a Tamil writer and Tamil film historian. He is one of the pioneers who wrote on ecology and forestry. He also writes about Tamil Nadu’s art and archaeology. He has also been continuously writing in English as well.

Birth, Education

Theodore Bhaskaran was born on April 1, 1940 to Dhanalakshmi and Sundara Raj in Dharapuram. He completed his Intermediate studies at St.John's College, Palayamkottai and in 1960, he completed M.A. (History) from Madras Christian College.

Personal Life

Theodore Bhaskaran worked as a researcher at the Tamil Nadu Government Archives for two years after graduation. Later in 1964, he joined the Indian Postal Service. After working as Divisional Manager in Trichy for two years, he was transferred to Vellore and then to Meghalaya. The Bangladesh Liberation War broke out in 1971 while he was in Meghalaya. At the time, Bhaskaran was appointed as a Special Officer for War Efforts connecting the Post and Telegraph Department and the Defense Department. While working in the postal department, he was also involved in film history research. He retired as the Chief Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu in the dairy sector.

After retirement, Theodore Bhaskaran served as the Director of the Roja Muthiah Research Library, Chennai for three years (1998 – 2001). He also worked as a Counsellor in Kenya for two months on behalf of the U.N. council. He was a Trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), twice.

Theodore Baskaran married Thilaka and the couple have two children;  daughter Nithila and son Arul. Theodore Baskaran’s wife, Thilaka Baskaran, is an author who has written on nutrition and medicine. His younger brother S.K. Jayakaran is a geologist and writer.

Intellectual and Social contributions

Initial Works

Theodore Bhaskaran has written articles on art and history for English newspapers since 1967. He wrote about archeological traces in Tamil Nadu and Jain and Buddhist cultures. He got acquainted with the members of the Kasadathapara magazine, Kriya S. Ramakrishnan, S. Kandasamy and Gnanakoothan. After watching the movie DANCE OF SIVA directed by Sidhanandhadas Gupta about the life of Ananda Kumaraswamy, which was screened at the time in United States Information Service theatre, he wrote his first article 'Sivathaandavam Or Anjali' in the Kasadathapara magazine March, 1975 issue under the pen name Devapichai.

Archaeology, History

As a student, Theodore Bhaskaran met Mortimer Wheeler, one of the pioneers of Indian archaeology. He was acquainted with Historians Grace Marley, Mayilai Seeni, Venkatasamy, Suresh Pillai and Jeevabandhu Sripal, a Jain researcher. He has regularly written articles on History and Archeology in English magazines. Later he wrote research books in Tamil, on History and Archeology. Kal Mel Nadandha Kaalam is one of his notable books.

Cinema

Theodore Bhaskaran read Penelope Houston's ‘The Contemporary Cinema’ in 1970. Under its influence, he started writing English articles about movies. In 1974, he became a member of the advisory board of the National Film Archive, Pune. In 1974 he received a grant from the Indian Council of Historical Research. He utilised it to study the contribution of Tamil cinema in the Indian freedom struggle. In the Indian History Congress held in 1976, he submitted a paper on the use of film censorship as a tool of political control in British India. Later he published this paper as a book, titled “The Message Bearers: The nationalist politics and the entertainment media in South India, 1880–1945, Chennai”, in 1981 through Kriya Publishing House.

He wrote books in English on silent films such as “The Eye of the Serpent: An introduction to Tamil cinema (1996)”. In 1988, he wrote a Tamil article on film songs in Ini magazine, under the pen name Devapichai. He has regularly written research books in Tamil on Cinema.

Theodore Bhaskaran worked as a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. He has given speeches on Indian cinema at many institutions including Princeton University, Australian National University, and University of Chicago. In 2001, he taught Indian films as a visiting professor at the University of Michigan. Theodore Bhaskaran has served as a judge for the Indian Film Awards. He has also acted in the movie Aval Peyar Tamilarasi.

Ecology

M. Krishnan, who has written articles related to the environment in English, was the role model of Theodore Bhaskaran. He wrote ecological travelogues and walkthroughs in English magazines. In 2002, he started writing ecology-related articles in Tamil as well, as requested by Manushyaputran, the editor of Uyirmai Literary magazine. Theodore Bhaskaran's opinion is that if a language is to sustain in an Intellectual field, it needs apt terminologies in that language. So he searched for those words that were already existing in Tamil but were not in regular usage and used them in his articles. He also coined new words. He also translated books on ecology.

Theodore Bhaskaran's notable books on ecology are  'Innum Pirakaadha Thalaimuraikkaaga’ (2006), 'Thamarai Pootha Thadaagam' (2008) and 'Vaanil Parakkum Pullelam' (2011). He has translated Ullas Karanth's ‘The Way of the Tiger’ titled 'Kaanurai Vengai' (Kalachuvadu 2006) in tamil. The Dance of the Sarus (Oxford University Press) by Theodore Bhaskaran, was published in 1996. Theodore Baskaran was the editor of ‘The Sprint of the Blackbuck’ published by Penguin Publishing in 2009.

Theodore Bhaskaran has worked as the South Indian Wildlife Warden of the International Primate Protection League. He is a Trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Awards

  • Swarna Kamal Award -National Award (1997), for ‘The Eye of the Serpent’, his book on Tamil cinema.
  • Iyal Award (2013), Canada Literary Circle.
  • Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020 by the Sanctuary Nature Trust.
  • Theodore Bhaskaran Special Issue was published by Kurugu Online Magazine in March.

Intellectual and Social Significance

Theodore Bhaskaran is a pioneer among Tamil film historians. He is also considered a pioneer in Tamil environmental writing. Theodore Bhaskaran's writing style is considered to be a significant literary contribution to Tamil literature due to its natural description of nuanced messages and cultural references from Sangam literature and archaeology.

Archaeologist Job Thomas estimates him as follows:

'His contribution to the Tamil language and its culture in refining the Tamil vocabulary and instilling ecological awareness in the younger generation is enormous and has lasting effects.'

Books:

Tamil:

Ecology
  • Mazhaikaalamum Kuyilosaiyum (M. Krishnan) (Editor) (2003)
  • InnumPirakaadha Thalaimuraikkaaga (2006)
  • Thamarai Pootha Thadaagam (2005)
  • Nammai Chutri Kaanuyir 2014
  • Indhiya Nayinangal 2017
  • Kaiyil Irukum Boomi, Sooliyal Katturaigalin Motha Thoguppu(2018)
  • Vinnalandha Siragu 2021
  • Yaanaigalum Arasargalum Thomas R. Trautmann (Translation: P. Jagannathan, Theodore Bhaskaran)
Cinema
  • Em Thamizhar Seidha Padam (2004)
  • Chithiram Pesudhadi, Kaalachuvadu (Editor)
  • Thamizh Cinemavin Mugangal (2004)
  • Paambin Kan ( Translation, The Eye of the Serpent) 2011
  • Raja Santo - T.V. Ramnath (Editor Theodore Bhaskaran) 2012
  • Soppana Vaazhvil Magizhndhe, Cinema Articles (2014)
  • Thandorakaarargal (translation The Message Bearers) 2020
Archeology
  • Kal Mel Nadandha Kaalam (2016)
  • Chozhar Kaala Cheppu Padimangal - I. Job Thomas 2021 (Tamil: Theodore Bhaskaran)

English

  • The Message Bearers: The nationalist politics and the entertainment media in South India, 1880-1945, Chennai: Cre-A (1981).
  • The Eye of the Serpent: An introduction to Tamil cinema, Chennai: East West Books (1996)
  • The Dance of the Sarus: Essays of a Wandering Naturalist, Oxford University Press (1999)
  • History through the Lens - Perspectives on South Indian Cinema, Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan (2009)
  • Sivaji Ganesan: Profile of an Icon, Wisdom Tree, Delhi (2009)
  • The Spirit of the Black Buck, Penguin (2010)
  • The Book of Indian Dogs - Articles on Indian Dog Species

References

Video


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