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I thought of making it easier for visitors and subscribers to consume content on my blog. Let me know if the following navigation helps. Will add more to the list. Stay tuned.

Stamp Connect: Tamil Bible and Tranquebar

What’s New: Added a new picture postcard at the end.

Original Post – 2022:

‘The Hindu’ newspaper published on 02-Jul-2022 carried an article about a missing Tamil Bible from the Saraswathi Mahal Library at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. What’s interesting is that book happens or is considered to be the first Tamil translation of the Bible!

Malta’s Vanished Fashion

What’s new – 2023 December: Add a new stamp at the end.

“Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.”

– Mason Cooley, American aphorist

Interesting facts from Maestro Ilaiyaraaja

What’s New: According to WordPress statistics, this post has garnered the most number of views (2200+) in my blog till Dec 2023. I have added some more related postal materials.

Original Post – 2016

I recently read two books of Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. Having grown-up listening to his film music, I was all the more interested in his writings when I saw these books at the recent Chennai Book Fair.

The first book, “Ilaiyaraajavai Kelungal” (“Ask Ilaiyaraaja”), is a compilation of questions that were asked to him by readers of the Tamil weekly magazine, Kumudam. The second book, “Paal Nila Paathai” (“Milk Moon Path”), is another compilation of articles by him that were originally published in Kumudam. These articles are about his childhood, family, music career, and numerous interactions with various personalities in the world music and Indian film industry.

Watching an Immortal Epic

What’s New: Additional content and related postal materials have been added.

Original Post – 2014:

After so many years I went to the Music Academy to watch a play. Little did I realize that I will be immersed in the experience for days after watching it. My wife and I have never read the novel that the show was based on. We went to watch it with an open mind.

Visit SIPA AMRITPEX 2022 at Chennai

Stamp collecting is one of the few hobbies that is suitable for all ages. Stamp collecting integrates history, geography, science, arts, culture, and language. By exhibiting their collection, the hobbyists can develop their written communication, learn the aesthetics of display, and become better at storytelling. Here’s an opportunity to visit a stamp exhibition right here at Chennai.

Looking back at 2020

First and foremost, let me wish all my readers a very happy, healthy, and safe new year 2021.

Happy new year 2021 — **Happy new year stamp**

I am not going to delve into how 2020 was for me or my family. Rather, I will restrict this flashback post to the performance of my blog in 2020 and I will keep it short.

I had written just one post in 2020 and hence was not expecting much from the blog statistics. However, I was in for a big surprise. A decent number of visitors from several countries have visited the blog.

Another surprise was the large number of views to a post that I had published four years ago!

Based on these statistics, I have decided to update the popular posts with more information in addition to writing new posts.

I am looking forward to have more visitors and a better statistics for this year. Wish me good luck.

Watchtowers in the Fortress Island

“A fortress doesn’t fall unless its towers are weakened.”

– S. R. Crawford, Bloodstained Betrayal (Source: goodreads dot com)

The Man behind the City

“Here lies La Valette.

Worthy of eternal honour,

He who was once the scourge of Africa and Asia,

And the shield of Europe,

Whence he expelled the barbarians by his Holy Arms,

Is the first to be buried in this beloved city,

Whose founder he was.”

Exhibition of Capturing Light

“No place is boring, if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film.”
– Robert Adams

A reflection on the recently concluded Chennai Photo Biennale 2019 with photo-of-photos from the exhibits.

My Oscar Binge

It’s that time of the year when the much awaited Hollywood Academy Awards are going to be announced. I somehow managed to view five of the movies that are nominated in different award categories this time. Just thought of sharing my views on those movies.

My Malta Story

It was at my favourite book store in Chennai during my high school days that I first saw a stamp from Malta. Till then I never knew that such a country exists. I bought the stamp on impulse immediately. That was the only Malta stamp in my collection for several years.

Post Title	Post Brief
Interesting facts from Maestro Ilaiyaraja ^{(recently updated)}	Some facts from music composer Illayaraja’s books with suitable postal materials from my collection.
Stamp Connect: Tamil Bible and Tranquebar ^{(recently updated)}	About first printing of the Bible in Tamil language and related stamps.
Stamps on Madras (Chennai)	Started this post for the Madras Day (Aug 22) event that shows stamps and postal materials related to Madras city.
Mobile apps for Chennai Sub-urban and MRTS trains	Information about two mobile apps that I found useful while using the sub-urban and MRTS trains in Chennai.
The man behind the city	Information and stamps about the man behind the Valletta, the capital city of Malta.
Malta’s vanished fashion ^{(recently updated)}	About a traditional dress of Maltese women and its disappearance.
Watchtowers in the fortress island	About the watch towers in the forts of Malta and related postal materials.

Ravi Writes

Communicating Myself to the World