Tulsi
Badrinath

Meeting Lives

Meeting Lives telescopes the time and space of myths, history, and reality to recreate Aditi's experience of life. The meaning of life is not immediately grasped by Aditi even as it unfolds before her. However, when she looks back into her past, happenings arrange themselves to suggest a story, the story of her life that exists simultaneously with other narratives, other lives. •   Shortlisted for Man Asian Literary Prize 2007

Man of a Thousand Chances

Harihar Arora: second-generation north Indian in Madras, museum curator, indifferent husband, indulgent father, and a thief. Desperate to meet his beloved daughter's wedding expenses, the otherwise honest Harihar steals a rare gold coin minted by Mughal Emperor Jahangir and pawns it. But when he finds himself in a position to redeem it, he learns that it has been melted by the pawnbroker. Beneath the deceptively simple surface of a story about an ordinary man in a rather extraordinary fix, are questions about the workings of karma and the power of art. •   Shortlisted for Man Asian Literary Prize 2007

Master of Arts: A Life in Dance

Creating a space where none existed, V.P. Dhananjayan was one of the first men to make a successful career as a Bharata Natyam dancer. Weaving her life-long passion for Bharata Natyam with Dhananjayan’s remarkable story, and that of six other dancers, Tulsi Badrinath brings to light the difficulties faced by a male dancer.

Madras, Chennai and the Self

Tulsi Badrinath creates a layered image of Chennai by sifting through her memories, and by narrating the stories of those who call it home — the current Prince of Arcot, Dalit writer and activist P Sivakami, superstar Vikram and karate-expert K Seshadri, among others. In their words come alive key aspects of the city — the fine beaches along the Bay of Bengal, Fort St. George, coconut and mango trees, jasmine stalls, cricket fever, classical music and dance, the twin temptations of idli and dosai, temple crowds and radical political movements.