Sundararaj Theodore Baskaran (born 1940) is a

film historian The history of film chronicles the development of a visual art form created using film technologies that began in the late 19th century. The advent of film as an artistic medium is not clearly defined. However, the commercial, public scree ...

and wildlife conservationist from

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Early life and education

Theodore Baskaran was born in

Dharapuram Dharapuram (;) is a town situated along the banks of Amaravati River in Tiruppur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Dharapuram is one of the oldest towns in South India and was the capital of Kongu Nadu under the Cheras, Western ...

, (in present-day

Tiruppur district Tiruppur District is one of the 38 districts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, formed in 22 February 2009. Dharapuram was the largest taluk by area in the district. The district is well-developed and industrialized. The Tiruppur banian indu ...

) in 1940. He completed his Intermediate at St.Johns College,

Palayamkottai Palayamkottai (also Palayankottai) is a neighbourhood in Tirunelveli City, incorporated within the Tirunelveli City Municipal Corporation. It is situated on the east bank of the Thamirabarani river, with the exception of its downtown area, wh ...

and obtained a BA (Hons) Degree in History from

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous insti ...

in 1960.

Career

Baskaran worked as Researcher in Tamil Nadu State Archives for two years. He joined the

Indian Postal Service India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ...

in 1964 as Divisional Superintendent at

Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

. He served as the "Special Officer For War Efforts" in

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a ...

during the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

. He took study leave in 1974 to research Tamil film history on a fellowship from Council of Historical Research. He eventually retired as the Chief Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu. Baskaran published his first article on film in 1972 about Chidananda Dasgupta's documentary ''The Dance of Shiva''. Encouraged by his friend Charles A. Ryerson, he decided to do research about Tamil Cinema. He joined a Film Appreciation course in 1974. He became a member of the Advisory Board of National Film Archives, Pune.Muthukumaraswamy, p. 314-5 In 1976 he joined the

Calcutta Film Society Calcutta Film Society was India’s second film society in the city of Kolkata (then Calcutta), West Bengal, India. It was founded in 1947, just after independence, by Satyajit Ray, Chidananda Dasgupta, RP Gupta, Bansi Chandragupta, Harisadh ...

. The same year, he presented his first research article titled ''Film Censorship as an Instrument of Political Control in British India'' in the Indian History Congress at the Aligarh. This and other articles formed the core of his first book ''The Message Bearers'' published in 1981. His second book ''The Eye of the Serpent'' (1996) won the Golden Lotus (Best Book on Cinema) Award in 1997. He has also written several books and articles on film history in Tamil. He was a Senior Associate in

National Institute of Advanced Studies National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) is a premier institute in India engaged in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research in natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. It was founded by J. R. D. Tata for providing an ...

, Bangalore. He has lectured on cinema in many universities including

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, The Australian National University and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. In 2000, he won the Ki Va Ja prize awarded by the ''Kamban Kazhagam''. He was a Hughes Visiting Scholar in the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 2001 and taught a course on Film Studies. He was a jury member at the 2003

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

. During 1998–2001, he was the Director of the Roja Muthiah Research Library. He is a member of the library's Board of Trustees. He has also acted in a supporting role in the 2010 Tamil film ''

Aval Peyar Thamizharasi ''Aval Peyar Thamizharasi'' () is a 2010 Tamil romantic drama film directed and written by Meera Kathiravan and starring Jai, Nandhagi, Dhiyana, S. Theodore Baskaran and Ganja Karuppu in lead roles. The film failed commercially. Plot Siva R ...

''. Baskaran is a keen bird watcher and a naturalist. He is a former honorary wild life warden and the South India Representative of the

International Primate Protection League The International Primate Protection League (IPPL) is a not-for-profit animal welfare organization founded in 1973 in Thailand by Shirley McGreal. IPPL's main focus is to promote the conservation and protection around the world of all non-huma ...

. He is a trustee of WWF-India. His collection of essays on nature and wild life conservation has been published as ''The Dance of the Sarus'' (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

) in 1999. He edited a book of articles on nature titled "The Sprint of The Black Buck" ; Penguin (2009)

Personal life

He is married to Thilaka Baskaran and lives in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Bibliography

Books in English

* The Message Bearers: The nationalist politics and the entertainment media in South India, 1880–1945, Chennai: Cre-A (1981). Second edition by New Horizon Media.(2009) * 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) * (ed.) The Sprint of the Black Buck, Penguin (2010) * The Book of Indian Dogs, Aleph Book Company (2017)

Books in Tamil

* (ed.) ''Mazhaikalamum Kuyilosaiyum'', Kalachuvadu (2003) * ''Em Thamizhar Seidha padam'', Uyirmmai Padippagam (2004) * (ed.) ''Chitthiram Pesuthadi'', Kalachuvadu (2004) * ''Tamil Cinemavin Mugangal'', Kanmani Veliyeedu (2004) * ''Innum Pirakkadha Thalaimuraikkaga'',Uyirmmai Padippagam (2006) * ''Thamarai Pootha Thadagam'',Uyirmmai Padippagam (2005) * (trans.) ''Kaanurai Vengai'' (The way of the Tiger by

K. Ullas Karanth Kota Ullas Karanth is a conservation zoologist and a leading tiger expert based in Karnataka, India. He was the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's India Programme. He is notable for pioneering the scientific use of camera trap ...

), Kalachuvadu (2006) * ''Vaanil Parakkum Pullelam'', Uyirmmai Padippagam (2012) * ''Soppana Vaazhvil Magizhndhe'', Kalachuvadu (2014)

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baskaran, S. T. Madras Christian College alumni Tamil cinema Tamil history 1940 births Living people People from Tiruppur district Indian film historians