The epitaph that was found on the grave of an Englishman near Udumalpet. | EPS
An epitaph dating back to 1801 has been discovered near Dhali Palayampattu, a village 14 km off Udumalpet, near Pollachi.
Dr S Ravi, a Kovai-based epigraphist, who traced the epitaph, claimed that the inscription was on a 19th century grave of an Englishman hanged by freedom fighters in Kongu region. “The instances of Indian rulers hanging foreigners are very few,” said Ravi, who traced the tomb with the epitaph.
The epitaph, written in Tamil, reads that an English messenger was hanged to death by Malayandi Ethalappa Naicken, who is believed to be a kin of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, who was hanged to death by British in 1799.
Ethalappa Naicken was the then chieftain of Dhali Palayapattu, which was under Panchalankurichi region ruled by Kattabomman. Ravi said that Dhali Palayapattu was formed after Vishwanath Naicker formed 72 Palayapattus in Kongu region for fighting against the British. “Ethalappa Naicken is believed to have participated in the first Panchalankurichi war along with Kattabomman against the British. After Kattabomman’s public hanging, several local chieftains in the region united under Ethalappa Naicken and fought against the British in the second Panchalankurichi war, which is believed to have happened in 1801.
British officials made a list of chieftains who led the war and found that Ethalappa Naicken was in the forefront. Later, they sent messengers to Ethalappa Naicken’s fort. Irked by Kattabomman’s hanging, Ethalappa Naicken caught the head of the messengers and hanged him to death,” Ravi said. As per the epitaph, the messenger leader buried in the tomb is ‘Andre Katie’. The date on the epitaph is April 23, 1801, a Thursday.
Ravi said that the name could be pronounced in two ways as it is written in old Tamil script.
“Senior archaeologist Y Subarayalu has also read the inscription and opined that the name can be read as Andre Katie,” Ravi said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Coimbatore / August 05th, 2013
Sneha Agarwal strikes a pose with her headset. EPS
I’m a DJ by choice,” says Sneha Agarwal. The 23-year-old comes across as fresh and inspired as any youngster, and is fiercely independent about her career space. Invited to be one of the judges for the recent War of the DJs competition that took place at High Time at GRT Grand, the Kolkata girl is all praise for what she has seen so far.
“Chennai has a lot of talent. I’m sure everybody is going to do great,” she smiles. Then adds nervously, “I’ve told the organisers I don’t want to judge,” she wrings her hands, “I love playing my music, but putting other people down is kind of difficult for me,” she confides seriously.
So what is Sneha’s kind of sound? “Oh! House every time,” she beams. “I started out with hip hop when I was learning how to work a console in college, but once I heard EDM, I just couldn’t get enough.”
Interestingly, this lady DJ is an accountancy graduate. “But DJ-ing is my passion,” she clarifies. “I mean this is what I choose to pursue as a career.”
For conservative parents, who think the idea is hogwash, Sneha has already proven that the profession can bring in some serious business.
“In two-and-a-half years, I’ve been to 10 cities — just to party,” the EDM-addict is radiant. This includes a few international trips as well. Asked about unpredictable crowds while travelling and Sneha thinks for a moment. “When I was playing at Kenya a few months ago,” she recalls, “I noticed that the resident DJ at the club was mixing in a lot of Bollywood tunes — that was a big surprise!”
The biggest perks of the job have to be the travel and that it can never quite get routine. Sneha states, “This is why I haven’t considered a regular club gig, I’d rather freelance and take each show as it comes.”
And when on the job, this DJ makes it a point to dress the part. “Hotpants,” she giggles. One has to admit, hotpants and headphones do make a lethal combination.
Also, the number of female DJ in the country being so few, it takes an easy guess to figure that Sneha has several lady proteges and others on the waiting list. She giggles in response, “Well a lot of people in general post me messages on Facebook, requesting lessons.” She goes on, “But I always refuse,” and smiles, “I just want to play my music.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Sonali Shenoy, ENS / July 18th, 2013
Lakshin received a certificate from ASSIST World Records Research Foundation for identifying 210 car brands and models in 6.45 minutes. | EPS
If you are wondering what a six-year-old boy can do in less than seven minutes, meet S Lakshin, who can identify brands of 210 cars in that brief span of time.
Lakshin, a class one student of a city school, received a certificate from ASSIST World Records Research Foundation for identifying 210 car brands and models in 6.45 minutes, in the city recently.
According to the organisers, Lakshin has set a new record by beating the previous record set by another child, who was able to identify 100 car models in Puducherry.
At the competition held recently, Lakshin started identifying the car models as their pictures were flashed on the screen.
He was able to identify the brands without misspelling their model numbers as well. The car brands spanned from national to international ones including Hindustan Motors, Audi, BMW, Bajaj, Brusa, Bugatti, Caparo, Chevrolet, Chrysler, DC, DMC, Dodge, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Maruti, Mercedes, Nissan, Tata and Volvo.
Sreedaran, the boy’s father said Lakshin developed an interest for cars since the age of two.
“After we noticed his keen interest in cars, we encouraged him to identify the types. He is so fond of cars that our house is filled with toy cars,” he added.
“You show the models of 210 cars in any order, he would be able to identify them in no time,” he claimed.
Asked about his favourite car, Lakshin quipped “Rolls Royce”. “Of late, my son is curious about knowing the prices of these cars,” his mother said.
Earlier, V G Santhosam, Chairman, V G P Group of Companies, lauded the boy for his talent and wished him success in the automobile sector in future.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / July 29th, 2013
Students enjoy the shade under the trees while sitting on the philosopher ‘thrones’ at MCC in Tambaram on Saturday. — DC
Chennai:
MCCians from both hemispheres of the globe crossed several seas and lands to be present at the global alumni meet 2013 in Tambaram on Saturday-Sunday. A Sri Lankan settled in Australia, another in Canada and two Indians in the US did not mind sinking their money in the trip meant solely to be part of the global re-union.
“In those days, we had only one university and only sons of influential people got seats. So, I followed my brother and came to MCC to study,” said M. Karunananthan (74), who hails from Jaffna in Sri Lanka. After graduating with B.Sc. in Botany in 1962 at MCC, Karunananthan went to Brunei and worked as a principal in a school for 30 years.
“Politically things were not good in Sri Lanka and so I chose to settle down in Australia,” said Karunananthan who spent about Rs 1.25 lakh to attend this event. “I used my 30 years’ savings to return to my alma mater. I came because it is a global meet and I wanted to touch base with my friends and classmates,” he said, adding that he and his friends would continue the meeting with a separate party on Sunday night.
Ambi Harsha (66) couldn’t wait for the cricket match to start on Sunday, as the former MCC cricket captain made it to the alumni meet all the way from Santa Barbara, USA.
While the alumni cricketer who passed out with M.Phil in History in 1971 was keen to get back to the field, he was also a little upset because a few of his old friends had passed away. When asked about the absence of some big names like PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Harsha said all of them were equal till they left college.
“We don’t think about big shots. They made it big only after leaving this campus and so we are happy to meet the old bunch who made all efforts to join the re-union,” he added. For Saravanan Kannan (40) it was MCC that helped him develop in life.
As a sports convener and later college union secretary general, the 1995 M.Sc. Physics student dedicates the rise in his career at IBM Software in New Jersey to the planning and implementation that he learnt from organising sports events in his college.
Canadian T. Siva Yogathy, who graduated with B.Com. in 1973, said the re-union was something unique. “We met five years ago to celebrate our B.Com. class re-union. But this global re-union where all batches across departments were invited to one place is simply mind boggling,” he added.
A college visit that evokes nostalgia
Chennai: Where are the classrooms? For a newcomer, Madras Christian College (MCC) would be ideal ground for a treasure hunt, as the 365 acre scrub forest hides most of the buildings.
How much the students in those well concealed classrooms value their green cover became apparent when the cutting down of a few of those very trees occasioned a strike.
Students go on strike for a variety of reasons, including bad hostel food or water shortage, but here they were up in arms against the management for shearing a few of the trees in their midst.
“To reinstate the trees that were to be cut, we planted many new saplings. But, fortunately, the college decided against the planned felling of trees and it made us feel doubly happy,” said K. Chendilnathan, a B.Sc. Zoology alumnus of 1992.
The college has managed to maintain till date the beauty of its natural surroundings, be it the lake or the scrub forest, over a span of the last 76 years. Further, the college has also made sure that the students’ natural talent and interests were not diluted.
“There were no rigid divisions between departments. We used to discuss freely with all our teachers across disciplines,” recalled Dr C. Selvaraj, who passed out with an M.A. in Economics in 1973.
The main grooming ground for the boys were the three ‘Halls’ where the hostel students resided. Day scholars were also attached to one of the Halls. All sports and cultural events were conducted between the three Halls.
An alumnus pointed out that the Halls had their own nicknames, the students of Heber Hall being called ‘barbarians’, Selaiyur Hall students were known as ‘kataans’, and Thomas Hall men were reduced to ‘thaiyer vadais’.
“We used to go for night walks and also ride through the entire circumference of the campus, which extends to 6 km, as part of cross-country events,” recollected Raj Mohanan, who passed out with an M.A. in History in 1997.
One place that always attracted young boys, and now girls, inside the campus were the philosophy ‘thrones’. “We enjoy sitting on these stones under the shade of the trees and discuss things,” said R. Nikitha, a first-year, B.Com student.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / by DC / S. Sujatha / July 29th, 2013
Katsuma Doi, Director, Japan Foundation, addressing the inaugural of a Japanese language school in Madurai on Friday. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
The debate continues three decades after it was raised at the fifth World Tamil Conference held in Madurai in 1981.
It is more than three decades since Japanese linguist Susumu Ohno stirred a controversy at the fifth World Tamil Conference held here in 1981 by raising the possibility that the Japanese language may have originated from classical Tamil. The debate rages to this day.
Vimala Solomon, head of the Madurai-Japan Cultural Foundation and Director of Surya Nihongo Gakko, a Japanese language school here, says:
“I agree with Mr. Ohno because we find many similarities between Tamil and Japanese. We can think in Tamil and speak in Japanese. The syntax is also very similar.” However, she points out that one must learn Japanese first to appreciate the connection.
On the need for more Indians to learn Japanese, Savitri Vishwanathan, former head of the Department of Chinese and Japanese Studies, University of Delhi, says learning Japanese has its advantages as it facilitates interaction with the native speakers and helps in understanding their culture better, especially because Japanese is the only language spoken in all regions of Japan.
Katsuma Doi, director of the Japan Foundation in New Delhi, told The Hindu he is not aware of Mr. Ohno’s theory as the subject is confined to linguistic circles. But he adds that people-to- people contact between Japan and India has been excellent.
Referring to a great wave of interest created by the dubbed version of the Rajinikant film ‘Muthu’ in Japan in 1998 and the consequent interest evinced by Japanese audiences in watching Tamil movies, he says: “Now there is a second wave with the Japanese exhibiting much enthusiasm in watching Bollywood movies such as Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots, Shahrukh Khan’s Om Shanthi Om and Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger.”
He points out that a survey conducted in 2012 has revealed that Japanese is being taught to 3.98 million learners in 136 countries. “India is in the fourteenth position among countries where Japanese is popular. The number of learners in India has increased by 2,000 over the figure of 18,000 recorded in a survey conducted in 2009,” he points out.
He believes that Madurai will make great strides in learning Japanese in the years to come. “I feel that there will be rapid growth in the number of Japanese learners here as Ms. Vimala, a native of Madurai, has the ability not only to teach Japanese but also nurture the next generation of Japanese language teachers here,” he adds. Mr.Doi was in the city on Friday to inaugurate the Japanese language school.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Mohamed Imranullah S / Madurai – July 20th, 2013
Urdu books on wheels at New College in Royapettah / .Photo: K. V. Srinivasan / The Hindu
The Department of Urdu and e-Centre of The New College, Royapettah, in association with National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Ministry of Human Resource Development, organised ‘Exhibition of Urdu Books on Wheels,’ recently at the college premises.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Downtown / July 14th, 2013
Veteran Tamil film lyricist Vaali died at a private hospital here today. He was 82.
Vaali was undergoing treatment at a private hospital for respiratory problems for a month and was on ventilator support.
Born as T S Rangarajan in the temple town of Srirangam, Vaali penned lyrics for stars across generations, from the veteran M G Ramachandra (MGR), Kamal Haasan to present day heroes like Dhanush. He worked with star composers of Tamil cinema like M S Viswanthan and AR Rahman.
Having started in the mid-60s, Vaali went on to pen nearly 10,000 songs in his five-decade-long career.
Vaali also acted in a few movies including veteran K Balachander-directed ‘Poikal Kuthirai’ and Kamal Haasan’s ‘Hey Ram’.
He wrote two songs in Bharat Bala directed film ‘Mariyan’, starring Dhanush, which is scheduled for release tomorrow.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / Chennai – July 18th, 2013
The Ethiraj College for Women celebrated its Founder’s Day on the birth anniversary of V L Ethiraj.
This was the 65th anniversary of the college. Justice Hariparanthaman of the Madras High Court was the chief guest.
Speaking at the event, the judge said that he had initially been reluctant to take part in the celebrations as he wanted to steer clear of partaking in an event which could prospectively involve litigants whose cases he might one day be called upon to judge. He, however, added that after reading the biography of V L Ethiraj and after understanding the ethos of the college, he could not desist from attending the event. Hariparanthaman spoke of the need for the continued education of women in order to usher in a more egalitarian society. He also spoke highly of the founder of the college, and shared several anecdotes involving V L Ethiraj that he had read and heard about, demonstrating Ethiraj’s integrity, honesty as well as his legal and moral acumen.
A M Swaminathan, the chairman of the board of trustees, Ethiraj College for Women, praised the chief guest for his representation of the poor and the working class when he was a practising lawyer.
The chairman also said that the day was celebrated to ‘plug the gaps in the historical record’. The history of the college titled ‘Soaring High at Sixty Five’ and a booklet on the life of V L Ethiraj were released at the function.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / July 20th, 2013
There are many who say that it is impossible to keep India clean, but N Panchampatti panchayat in Athoor union has set an example by bagging the cleanest village award of Dindigul district from the Tamil Nadu government.
The man behind this cleanliness drive in the village is the panchayat president K Karuppiah, who has been elected for the second consecutive term. One thing that helped him in this endeavour is his experience with the engineering department of the Indian Army. Earlier, he helped the village bag the ‘Nirmal Puraskar’ award for the best panchayat in the year 2008.
Karuppiah, who belongs to the AIADMK, makes it a point to go around the streets of the 12 wards in the panchayat almost every day. At first, the people were educated on the importance of depositing the garbage in the dustbins placed near the street corners. When some residents refused to comply, the panchayat put up sign boards warning them of being fined Rs 100 if they continued to dump the waste in open places.
Then, steps were taken to prevent open defecation by ensuring toilets for almost all the 2,000 houses in the village. This has more or less been achieved. The green cover was enhanced by planting and nurturing about 300 to 400 trees on the roadsides.
Villagers and shopkeepers are asked to say no to plastics, but Karuppiah says that he found it to be a tough task. Now, the four sweepers in the village segregate the plastic in the garbage and it is sold for Rs five a kg. The sweepers are very regular in their duty and play an important role in keeping the place clean. Self-help groups in the region shred the plastic, which can be sold for Rs 25 a kg. The material can be used to lay roads, says Karuppiah.
The panchayat president says that they are planning to set up a garbage recycling unit where the perishable and non-perishable waste would be segregated and used for the development of the village with the Rs 5 lakh they have received through the cleanliness award. “The cost would be higher than Rs 5 lakh but we believe that only a recycling unit would ensure the permanent cleanliness of the village so the panchayat administration is working towards it,” he added.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madras> Cleanliness / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / July 01st, 2013
Music and fusion are an integral part of the city and have always summed up the spirit of what Madras has always stood for| Martin Louis
What is it that inspires artists to make Chennai the centre of their art? Is it the culture — a mix of the various genres of music that resonates in every inch of the city or is it the religious fervour that it incessantly palpitates with? Making an attempt to portray all the elements that make the Southern city that embrace modernity without sacrificing traditions, Madras Musings, an exhibition inaugurated at Gallery Veda recently, combines art works by both established and upcoming artists.
The exhibition opened on Friday on a musical note. Featuring musicians like violinist Padma Shankar and percussionist Akshay Ananthapadmanabhan, nothing could have been more appropriate to symbolise Madras through music. The artistes engaged in an hour-long collaboration, Sounds of Chennai, picking up compositions that included Carnatic music, film-based classical songs and popular film numbers.
The art work encompassed a wide variety of mediums – acrylic, water colours, fibre glass and other mix of materials that highlighted the diversity of Chennai. Referring to the city as Madras, the focus was on the imprints of erstwhile Madras that is today – a far cry from its past glory. Yet, there were a few elements that remain intact and have been woven into the fabric of the modern city.
Madras Musings features works of artists like Anamika Veeraraghavan, Aneesh K R, Aparajithan Aadimoolam, Gukan Raj, Guranathan, Jacob Jebaraj, Janarthanan, Kasa Vinay Kumar, Krishnapriya C P, Kumaresan Selvaraj, Manisha Raju, Suresh S, Vennimalai, Vijay Pichumani, Vijayakumar, Yuvan Bothi and Yuvaraj among others.
The show is on till July 17 at Gallery Veda, Nungambakkam. Phone: 4309 0422
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express Feature – Chennai / July 03rd, 2013
