On Monday 16 Jul 2007 5:00 pm, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote: > Or maybe ask your parents [seriously - they'd probably be the best to > tell you what the authoritative works are]
If your parents can actually give you useful information in this regard - they probably are in a minority. Most parents and grandparents can take you only so far when it comes to documented history, because Indians do not document history. You will get plenty of philosophical discourses and discussions as well as stories. But very little history, and precious little insight or knowledge that can rationally explain absurd looking practices and rituals that are mindlessly carried on forever. However I must compliment Deepa here for the excellent little explanatory booklet that everyone got at her daughters's wedding. If there is one person on this list whom I know has an adequate knowledge of both an Indian language (Tamil) and English to be able to do a seriously good job of documenting some sort of narrative - it would be Deepa. Frankly - and sorry if my typed words sound like a "challenge", but I once again I urge many of you people on this list to change your qibla from being readers to writers. shiv
