Danielou and maNimEkalai

[Jean-Luc Chevillard]

Since too much has already been said
or alluded to, I believe I should say
what I know:

I personnaly know T.V.Gopal Iyer
(I have been his student).
He is an immense Tamil scholar.
He did an english translation of maNimEkalai
but he was cheated by Danielou.
I cannot give you the details of how it happened
(only T.V.Gopal Iyer could)
The translation which was published as
  Manimekhalaï
  (The Dancer with the Magic Bowl)
  by Merchant-Prince Shattan
  Translated by
  Alain Danielou
  with the collaboration of T.V.Gopala Iyer
  A New Direction Book
is mostly TVG's
although at places Daniélou has introduced errors.

This is a shame and a pity.

I do not how the matter stands
with Daniélou's "translation" of cilappatikAram
but it has to be the same
(somebody else doing the translation
and Daniélou doing some polishing and putting
his signature).

I won't give any more details.
All I have for a proof
is TVG's testimony
and my admiration for him.

-- Jean-Luc CHEVILLARD (Paris)