A. R. Venkatachalapathy
A.R. Venkatachalapathy is an Indian historian, author and translator who writes and publishes in Tamil and English. Currently he is a professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies. He is noted for collecting and publishing the works of Tamil writer Pudhumaipithan.
Early life
Venkatachalapathy was born on 30 September 1967.Education
Venkatachalapathy obtained his B.Com degree from University of Madras in 1987 and his MA in History from Madurai Kamaraj University in 1989. He received his PhD in history from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1995. His dissertation was titled "A Social History of Tamil Publishing, ".Career
Venkatachalapathy worked in the History Department of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University from 1995 to 2000 and that of University of Madras from 2000 to 2001. Since June 2001, he has been a faculty member of the Madras Institute of Development Studies. His main areas of research are social and cultural history of colonial Tamil Nadu. He is best known for collecting and publishing the works of Tamil writer Pudhumaipithan in 2000. In 2000, he published his most noted work Andha kaalathil kaapi illai in Tamil. Later he published an English Version – In Those Days There Was No Coffee,. He currently serves in the advisory board of the Tamil iyal virudhu, an annual award given by Tamil Literary Garden, a Canada-based organisation. He is regularly involved in 'The Hindu Literary Festival' annual events as a speaker, interviewer, resource person etc. He also reviews books in The Hindu. In 2007, he was awarded the V. K. R. V. Rao prize in Social Science Research. He also writes columns for The Hindu, Frontline, Outlook, India Today, Dinamalar and Kalachuvadu magazine.Awards and fellowships
- Sahitya Akademi Award, 2024
- Visiting Fellow,, Paris.
- Visiting Fellow, Indo-French Cultural Exchange Programme,, Paris.
- Visiting assistant professor, Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago.
- UPE Visiting Fellow, University of Hyderabad.
- Charles Wallace Visiting Fellow, Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge.
- V. K. R. V. Rao prize in Social Science Research
Books in English
- Sundara Ramaswamy's J.J : Some Jottings, New Delhi : Katha
- A. K. Chettiar, In the Tracks of the Mahatma: The Making of a Documentary, Hyderabad: Orient Longman
- In Those Days There Was No Coffee: Writings in Cultural History, New Delhi: Yoda Press
- Chennai, Not Madras: Perspectives on the city, Mumbai: Marg
- Kalaikkalanjiyam: the making of the Tamil encyclopaedia, 1947–1968, Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge
- Love Stands Alone: Selections from Tamil Sangam Poetry, New Delhi: Penguin Books
- Who Owns That Song: The Battle for Subramania Bharati's Copyright
Books in Tamil
திருநெல்வேலி எழுச்சியும், வ.உ.சி.யும் 1908Pudumaippithan Kathaigal, Nagercoil Andha Kalathil Kappi Illai Muthalana Aaivu Katturaigal, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathippagam Pudumaippithan Katturaigal, Nagercoil Novelum Vasippum: Oru Varalattru Parvai, Nagercoil.A.K.Chettiar, Annal Adichuvattil, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathippagam.Mullai: Oar Arimugam, Chennai: Mullai Pathippagam Pudumaippithan Mozhipeyarppukal, Nagercoil Mucchanthi Ilakkiyam, Nagercoil- , Bharatiyin 'Vijaya' Katturaigal, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathippagam.Thuyarmiku Varikalai Indriravu Nan Ezhutalam, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathippagam Varalaarum Karuthiyalum, Delhi: National Book Trust Bharati Karuvoolam: Hindu Nalithalil Bharatiyin Eluthukal, Nagercoil: Kalachuvadu Pathippagam