Krishna Ballesh of Tansen Academy was about 13 years old when I first performed in front of Ustad Bismillah Khan Saheb.
Shehnai maestro S Ballesh and his son Krishna. (File | EPS)
Chennai :
“I was about 13 years old when I first performed in front of Ustad Bismillah Khan Saheb. The memories are still fresh — I got his blessings and played the shehnai in Raag Madhuvanti for about 30 minutes. I even have a video recording of the moment. We at Tansen are extremely happy to celebrate his birth anniversary by doing what he loved — playing the shehnai and promoting Hindustani classical music,” says Krishna Ballesh of Tansen Academy, ahead of Guru Samarpan, a tribute concert to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna recipient Ustad Bismillah Khan. The concert is curated by Tansen Academy in association with Lasya — The Culture hub.
It will feature shehnai maestro S Ballesh and his son Krishna Ballesh. “My father was Ustad’s senior disciple. He accompanied him on several occasions and has received worldwide acclaim for his illustrious career. Eventually, I also became his disciple, ” says Krishna who trains about 500 students in his academy in Chennai.
The duo, along with a group of talented musicians will stage a Hindustani classical shehnai recital, laced with some of Khan’s hit Shehnai renditions in film music. They plan to take the celebrations to other cities.
(Guru Samarpan will take place today from 6.30 pm at Lasya’s Janaki Ammal Auditorium, APL Global School Campus, Okkiyam Thoraipakkam. For details, call 9787574158)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express Features / March 30th, 2019
Lakshmi Krishnamurthy tells us how Kalakshetra’s Visual Arts Department is coming out of the shadows
Visual appeal: Sringeri Amman (Tanjore painting)
For decades since its establishment in 1936, Kalakshetra in Chennai has been known as a premier institution for Bharatanatyam and applauded for its dance drama productions. The music department has been a close second. But the visual arts section, despite being a vibrant training ground led by eminent artists and an inexhaustible support for the institution’s stage craft requirements, never got the same exposure as the performing arts.
Things are changing though. This February, the institution’s visual arts students, staff and alumni put up an exhibition in Chennai’s Lalit Kala Akademi — “Kalanubhava”, featuring paintings and sculptures. Organised by the Kalakshetra Alumni Association along with Kalakshetra Foundation, this exhibition was, somewhat shockingly, the first ever such event to take place since the department started in 1942.
In early March, when the Kalakshetra Alumni Reunion was organised in North India to coincide with Rukmini Devi’s birth anniversary celebrations, the visual arts alumni once again exhibited. The event that travelled from New Delhi to Chandigarh and Kalka included illustrated talks by Lakshmi Krishnamurthy, currently heading Kalakshetra’s Visual Arts department.
Lakshmi Krishnamurthy
Lakshmi was honoured on a platform shared with Gurus N.S. Jayalakshmi, Shanta and V.P. Dhanajayan, C.V. Chandrasekhar, and C.K. Balagopal. “I was humbled to represent Visual Arts along with stalwart dance gurus,” says Lakshmi. The camaraderie, the presence of chief guest Yamini Krishnamurti and the praise showered on the exhibition by reunion organisers Swagata Sen Pillai and senior dancer Jayalakshmi Eshwar, she says, “brought tears to my eyes.”
She notes it was Kalakshetra’s current director Revathi Ramachandran who first addressed the visual and performing arts faculty on an equal footing and broached the idea of including an exhibition in Kalakshetra’s famous Art Festival, which for the past eight decades has featured only dance and music performances. These deliberations and alumni interest set the ball rolling.
The exhibitions paid homage not only to the aesthetics of Rukmini Devi (the topic of one of Lakshmi’s presentations) but also to the department’s first head, the late K. Sreenivasulu (1923-1995). A Fellow of the national Lalit Kala Akademi, Sreenivasulu is remembered alongside Jamini Roy for his love of rural art traditions and the ability to blend ancient techniques with modern sensibilities.
Lakshmi says, “Kalakshetra was/is synonymous only with dance. Now it is the genesis of the Visual Arts Department.”
Importantly, Kalakshetra’s dance students were never led to believe their art could flourish without the allies of music and visual arts. An important aspect of their training was a perspective on the interconnectedness of the arts and their relation to everyday life. The students learnt about the importance of raga choices, colours and fabrics, sculpture traditions and the intricate craft of coconut frond decorations; shared the campus with the Kalamkari unit and the dairy, and saw the moods of the sea close-up. Their routine included drawing and painting classes under Sreenivasulu, as well as informal training as his assistants during the preparation of props and sets.
Lakshmi and her colleagues too have designed sets and headgear and helped in restoration. The symbiotic relationship between performers and visual artists was underlined by Lakshmi at the Delhi alumni meet where she told the gathering, largely comprising dancers, “Your aharya (costuming and set design) needs us!”
Rukmini Devi’s first performance of Bharatanatyam in the 1930s highlighted this “confluence of visual and performing arts,” remarks Lakshmi. “She used a temple in the backdrop, and the front curtain had Nandi – The vahana of Shiva Nataraja.”
Experiencing the aesthetics of a performance in Kalakshetra, she feels, “spoils” viewers who then cannot settle for less. “The stage is set in a semicircular format, with puja area one step down on the right of the stage and the accompanists’ area on the left, also one step down. Lighting leads you to the puja area where the lamp devoid of the stem is aglow with five wicks and placed on a floral plate, thus avoiding visual disturbance. Focus is generated from accompanists’ area to the puja to the performer. The triangle is effective and alluring, the (spectators’) eyes dance with the dancers. The symphony is so phenomenal that the performance reaches a crescendo. From the entrance, the simple thorans, kolam and other decorations declare that minimal is beautiful.”
“Elixir 2” from the series “The Quintessential Elixir” | Photo Credit: Thyagarajan. N
Symbiosis aside, dancers trained at Kalakshetra tend to carry a stamp — adhering to a recognised ‘gharana’ or bani of Bharatanatyam — while the visual artists display no such gharana allegiance. Perhaps, this came about because under Sreenivasulu, the training was individualised.
“With sir, it was one-to-one,” says Lakshmi, who enrolled in 1986. “He could turn a moth into a butterfly.” She did follow a syllabus, but when she asked for old techniques, “the floodgates opened.” She learnt various mural traditions, Thanjavur painting, glass painting and folk styles among others, bolstered by her penchant for academic research.
“When you are learning a new technique, copying is allowed — but not tracing — to focus on the nuances of the technique,” says the noted artist. But once the technique is acquired, “a little of one’s self should be there. It should come from within.”
Appointed as HOD in 2011, Lakshmi consolidated the syllabus as a tribute to her predecessor and guru. While artist Palaniappan helped her organise the other areas of study, explains Lakshmi, the Indian art component was completely designed by her. Topics include the shadangas (the six essential aspects of painting, including appearance, emotion, precision, etc.), human figure proportion based on the Shilpa shastras, miniature paintings, besides different mediums including glass and jewellery design, art direction and creative composition in pan-Indian techniques. In the fourth year, students choose a specialisation.
After the course, “they can pursue post-graduation in Madras University and post graduate diploma course in Santiniketan,” says Lakshmi, adding, “We are trying to open up to more universities.”
Pointing out that Kalakshetra is “the only college giving such a detailed Indian art programme,” Lakshmi states that students can enter teaching, art direction, advertising, logo designing, digital arts, and more.
Lakshmi submitted a proposal in 2013 to paint murals on the cottages along the path to the auditorium, featuring scenes from Rukmini Devi’s iconic Ramayana series of dramas, using various Indian painting traditions. “The idea was to invite artists, and students could help and learn at the same time.” She has discussed the scenes from each drama with Guru A. Janardhanan, among the handful of veteran dancers remaining, on whom Rukmini Devi choreographed the productions over 14 years starting 1955.
The purpose of the Kalakshetra Foundation Act of 1993, under which the Government declared Kalakshetra an institution of national importance, was to further the objectives for which Rukmini Devi founded it. With some artists who worked with Rukmini Devi still in the field, the time is more than ripe to build on the enthusiasm engendered by recent events and implement the mural painting proposal among others. Such projects, provided they are well thought through, would help clarify the significance of this institution to the current generation.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Anjana Rajan / March 29th, 2019
Kailash Babu shapes works of art out of pencil tips and is all set to teach the craft at a workshop in the city
“I have a fascination for pencils, I have collected some 800 of them so far,” says Tiruvallur artist Kailash Babu, currently in Chennaito hold a pencil carving workshop. Having just finished shopping for art supplies, he continues, “Wherever I go, I end up buying pencils.”
Creating miniature sculptures out of the leads of pencils is a niche he has developed over the years. The 25-year-old has created sculptures of farmers, birds, still life, and letters, on pencil leads with diameters ranging from 6 mm to as small as 0.7mm — his smallest, a chair, was on a mechanical pencil lead. He also makes miniatures out of graphite bars, clay, polymers, and even shapes letters out of rice.
However, this wasn’t always what he set out to do; Kailash had planned to be a macro photographer. “Maybe even wildlife photography,” he adds, “When I was 18, I was researching macro photography, and stumbled upon the works of Brazilian artist Dalton Ghetti. He was formerly a carpenter, who eventually got into pencil carvings.” Dalton left a big mark on Kailash’s creative bent of mind. Though he dropped pursuing photography, his interest in all things macro remained alive and well.
“I started experimenting with pencil carving using pocket knives, shaving blades… I’d even take out blades from sharpeners,” he says. “I was initially reluctant to sell my art. I didn’t like parting with my works. But after four years of BTech, I still had two arrears. Then I decided I might as well pursue art full time.” Today, he has 185 sculptures in pencil leads alone.
His latest work — a series of carvings based on the theme of sexual harassment and women safety — will be displayed next month at Lalit Kala Akademi. He has also made a carving of a bloodied sanitary napkin, in order to raise awareness about menstruation among men.
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Tools of the trade
Kailash first sketches the design on to paper, then transfers into a 3D model on clay. He then works on a cylindrical wooden bar, before finally working on the pencil lead.
He prefers using Jumbo pencils for work that needs more detailing. “Germany makes some of the best ones,” he says.
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It’s on his Instagram account that Kailash gets most of his orders. But along with that, “I also get a lot of DM requests to teach this craft,” he says, explaining why he started conducting workshops. In his upcoming Chennai workshop, he will be teaching lettering, and the basics of making sculptures. “When you work on letters, you get to practise all sorts of curves that will be useful in making sculptures,” he says.
But the most important skill of all is patience, he says. “It’s true of any art. There have been times I have had to make the same miniature 16 times in a row, before I got it right. You can finish the whole thing, but it will get messed up or break when you are putting the finishing touches,” he says. “You have to keep going despite repeated failures. It’s a useful life lesson as well!”
The workshop will be held at Studio Pepperfry, in Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery, on March 31, from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm. Call 8190808991, or follow Kailash @bk_pencil_sculptures_
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Sweta Akundi / March 28th, 2019
Tol Isai Kalanjiyam at Raja Annamalai Mandram in Chennai | Photo Credit: K_V_Srinivasan
Tamil Isai Sangam’s museum has on display rare and vintage musical instruments
Tamil Isai Sangam was founded in May 1943, with Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar as the president and R.K. Shanmugam Chettiar as the vice-president. Annamalai Chettiar’s three sons — Muthiah Chettiar, Mayor Ramanathan Chettiar and Chidambaram Chettiar — were also involved with the Sangam. Many are the milestones in the history of the Sangam, the latest being the inauguration of Tol Isai Kalanjiyam — a museum of musical instruments at the Raja Annamalai Manram premises in Chennai. This writer caught up with Valli Arun, the moving spirit behind the museum. She is the great granddaughter of Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar and granddaughter of M.A. Chidambaram Chettiar. Her father A.C. Muthiah has been honorary secretary of Tamil Isai Sangam since 1993. Valli became a member of the board of trustees in August 2016. Her suggestion that a museum of musical instruments should be established, was instantly approved by the board.
“My grandfather M.A. Chidambaram Chettiar had collected many musical instruments, which were kept in the Sangam, but not displayed as in a museum. Grandfather also had a fondness for art, and he got artist T.V. Ratnam, to paint portraits of vidwans. The gallery was then just a hall, with long cases containing the instruments. What I wanted was an aesthetically designed museum, with a proper display. While plans for the museum began in August 2017, site work started only in May last year. We were very lucky to have found an excellent architect in Katheeja Talha,” says Valli.
Valli acknowledges that Dr. Lakshmi Poduwal, former Principal of the Sangam’s college, has been a pillar of support. Dr. M. Thangarasu, former Vice-Chancellor of Periyar University came up with crisp write-ups about the Sangam. On display in the museum are two visitors’ books, one of which pertains to the gallery and has signatures of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of India, Bishnuram Medhi, Governor of Madras in the late 1950s, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan and His Highness Jayachamaraja Wodeyar of Mysore. One of the exhibits is a handwritten letter from Rajaji dated 1946, where he talks of a Tamil’s natural proclivity for music.
“Eighty instruments in the museum are from grandfather’s collection. I wanted to add ones that were used by well known musicians. My mother recalled that my father’s childhood friend’s sister Nalini was married to T.N. Rajaratnam Pillai’s grandson Sarabhoji. So, mother contacted Nalini, who gave us two of TNR’s nagaswarams. Dr. Poduwal procured Papanasam Sivan’s spectacles and two handwritten kritis of his, flautist N. Ramani’s tambura, and a ghatam from Vikku Vinayakram. Nityashree gave us DKP’s sruti box. We also added the veena of Shamnugavadivu (M. S. Subbulakshmi’s mother) to our collection,” says Valli.
Some of the instruments were repaired in situ, while some were taken to workshops to be fixed. Balaji of Sankar Musicals, Mylapore, and Ezhumalai of Puttur took care of the repairs. The portraits were restored by artist Manivelu, says A. R. Nachiappan, secretary of the Sangam. Of the 38 portraits painted by artist Ratnam, 12 are displayed in the museum, and the rest in the auditorium. Many photographs were sourced from the archives of The Hindu. The museum, with its hand carved pillars from Chettinad, looks stately. Justice Gokulakrishnan suggested that a Nataraja bronze would add to the appeal of the collection, and Valli had one made in Swamimalai.
The museum has rare instruments including nagara, Panchamukha vadyam, an antique sruti box, kolyazh — a yazh shaped like a boat — and mayil naga veenai — which has a peacock face carved near the resonator and a five hooded serpent in place of the yaazhi. There are two ekkalams, and one can see how the five-feet long instrument is collapsed into a more easily transportable one-foot instrument.
“The ekkalam is an aerophone, played during weddings, temple festivals and during hunting. Panchamukha vadyam is a five-faced resonating instrument. Each face represents one of Siva’s faces — Sadyojata, Tatpurusa, Isana, Aghora and Vamadeva. It is played in Tiruvarur and Thiruthuraippoondi temples. The performer stands on the side of Vamadeva and strikes one or two of the faces at a time. Nagara is a North Indian drum, which is mounted on a carriage, to follow the deity in temple processions. The Pradarshana Veena is unique. Prof. Sambamurthy used this kind of veena to prove the theory of 22 srutis,” explains Dr. Poduwal.
“My father suggested that we should screen video footage on how musical instruments are made. V. Nallathambi, retired Assistant Station Director of Doordarshan, told me that Doordarshan had aired a feature in 40 episodes, about the making of musical instruments. We’ve got the episode on tavil making for now. We will get more episodes from Doordarshan, so that the video will play continuously, even as visitors have a look at the exhibits,” says Valli.
While the museum is a dream come true for Valli, there were many anxious moments before the inauguration. A few days before the inaugural, Valli found that the mount for the rare rectangular flute was intact, but the instrument was missing. It was discovered after two days of frantic searching. Valli was briefing some students who were to be volunteers during the inaugural, when Nachiappan entered, ‘lost’ flute in hand, and the students cheered heartily. “I don’t think any instrument would have had the kind of welcome our ‘lost and found’ flute had!” laughs Valli. While the glass display cases were being made, rats had a go at the skin on the just repaired percussion instruments. And so back they went to the repair shop, returning in time for the inaugural.
Tol Isai Kalanjiyam was inaugurated by Governor Banwarilal Purohit on February 17. The museum is open, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on all days, except Monday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Suganthy Krishnamachari / March 14th, 2019
Artist Vignesh Raj R hopes his brand new Artrendz Art Gallery will nurture art and allow it to reach more people
A colourful peacock draws my attention as I enter the Artrendz Art Gallery at Saravanampatti. This work by S Sujatha is a part of Women Artists’ Art Exhibition 2019, the inaugural show of the gallery. The place is well lit and either hung or leaning on the walls are 160 art works by 80 women artists from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Assam. “We received 545 entries from all over the country. These were selected by a panel of artists,” says Vignesh Raj R, proprietor of the gallery. The paintings are on oil, watercolour, oil pastels and pen on paper.
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Info you can use
Timing: 10:00 am to
7:00 pm
At Artrendz Art Gallery, Near Prozone Mall, Sathy Road, Saravanampatti
8148407465 for detail
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Vignesh himself is a contemporary artist and it was his dream to open a gallery since he was a college student. “I did not want to depend on my family for the finance. I participated in art shows and sold my paintings to fund this project. It took me four years.”
Artrendz has two halls, one bigger than the other. “The small hall can accommodate up to 25 paintings, while the bigger hall can have around 120. The total hanging space of the entire gallery is about 200 running feet. We are yet to do more lighting work in the bigger hall,” he says. “I visited the Hermitage Museum in Russia in 2018. It is spacious and has huge art works. I enjoyed the ambience as an art lover. I hope my gallery will also provide such an experience to the people in the city.” He also plans to set up an art museum with paintings of well-known artists from the city at Thondamuthur by 2020.
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Prize winners in the exhibition
Sudha Rajendran
Abhinaya Ramadhurai
Yazhini L.M
Sujatha S
Tamizh Selvi
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Vignesh wants to expose more people to art. “I want people to get a better understanding of the varied styles. I also hope to invite eminent artists to hold demonstrations here.”
One thing Vignesh says he will definitely do is provide the gallery space free for artists who cannot afford to hire space.
“Being an artist myself, I know how difficult it is for beginners. This is my way of giving back to art.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Susan Joe Philip / March 12th, 2019
The Tamil Nadu government has announced Kalaichemmal awards for painters and sculptors for 2013-2018.
The award consists of a citation and ₹50,000 cash, a government press release said.
The list of awardees for the Kalaichemmal awards are P.S. Nanthan, S. Ganapathy Sthapathi, P. Gopinath, Ramajeyam, Anathanarayanan Nagarajan, M. Thamizharasi, C. Douglas, S. Keerthivarman, Jeyakumar and A. Gopalan Sthapathi, the government press release added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – March 09th, 2019
WeBe design won the international competition to design the National War Memorial of India hosted by the Ministry of Defence in 2016.
National War Memorial in New Delhi
Chennai :
“It was an overwhelming moment when the sketch on my notepad stood magnificent in front of my eyes. It’s a privilege to work for the nation,” reminisces Yogesh Chandrahasan, the principal architect of the National War Memorial inaugrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on February 25. Yogesh is a part of WeBe Design Lab, an architecture practice based in Chennai and Coimbatore. The firm was established a decade ago by a vibrant team of eight partners from the School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University, in 2010.
Bagging the project
WeBe design won the international competition to design the National War Memorial of India hosted by the Ministry of Defence in 2016. The team was commissioned to build the same in 2017. The competition hosted by the Ministry of Defence was on a global level in two stages. From around 450 entries, 75 entries were shortlisted. They were then narrowed down to nine based on conceptual designs
A team of six architects flew from Chennai to New Delhi
These nine teams further developed the designs and competed in stage two. Each of the team had to present the final design to a 20-member jury comprising renowned architects and eminent professors in the field, and to the Ministry of Defence.
“We were not in a great circumstance when we took up the project. Especially, after demonetisation and floods, things had taken a hit for us financially. Taking up a humongous project like this was a big deal that demanded great responsibility. The time given to complete the project was two years,” said Yogesh, who will be in New Delhi for another month.
Capturing emotions
The selected team had eight consultants from Chennai and New Delhi to assist the project in different areas. “The whole idea was a collaborative effort. The intent of our design was to look at the memorial as a place where soldiers were reborn,” he says.
Drafts and details
Revisiting his initial days of the project, Yogesh says, “A partner and I travelled to New Delhi to sign the final agreement before the project commenced. We had to present the detailed project report and the work demanded two whole months of stay in New Delhi. A team of six architects flew from Chennai and we stayed in a hotel there.” “Instructions from the Ministry came as orders and not requests. Here, the clients are particular about individual tasks completed in scheduled time. The deadline was the only factor that kept us going. The team was a big motivational force. Each of us used to lift one another up in times of crises,” shares Yogesh.
Grand opening
Yogesh will always cherish the inaugural day. “The Prime Minister shook hands with me and walked away. However, Defence Minister Nirmala Si-tharaman introduced me to him for a short private chat. His words still ring in my ears — ‘You’ve justified my dreams by doing a satisfactory job with the project’,” he shares.
Memorial architecture
Spread across 42 acres, the design of the `176-crore project is interpreted as four concentric circles of varied elements. The outermost — The Circle of Protection — personifies the territorial control of the armed forces of the borders, The Circle of Sacrifice metaphorically represents the formation of soldiers in the war. The Circle of Bravery has been conceived as subterranean colonnaded semi-open corridor holding the brave stories, and the focal point of the memorial is the innermost circle — The Circle of Rebirth — symbolising the immortality of jawans who lost their lives, through the external fire. The Param Yodha Sthal is a unique space dedicated for the Param Vir Chakra awardees, India’s highest military decoration.
The park is designed with the existing trees, accommodating bronze statues of 21 awardees. “As directed by the Central Vista Committee, New Delhi, the design of the war memorial is subterranean with the built form not exceeding 1.5 metres above the ground level. The design was conceived carefully to retain the character of the existing open space and the aesthetics sanctity of the Lutyens planning. Above all, the success is because of team effort and amalgamation of creative thoughts. That aside, my family and friends were a huge support. Some of my clients pooled in resources to support me financially,” says Yogesh.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities>Chennai / by Vaishali Vijaykumar / Express News Service / March 07th, 2019
We often read and hear of the history of Chennai’s Senate House — but what of its present and future?
I am delighted to see that some use has at last been made of the University of Madras’ Senate House as was promised, when this magnificent “Work of Genius” was restored in 2008 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the founding of that premier educational institution.
Parts of the Chennai Photo Biennale exhibition were mounted here recently and had visitors once again admiring the interior of this bit of architectural splendour.
The story of this building goes back to July 1864. It was suggested at the time that the first office buildings of the University, then located in Presidency College, be established in a building called Senate House to be raised on Marshall’s Road. However, Governor Lord Napier, in his Minute dated November 28, 1867, stated his views categorically. He wrote:
“The site on Marshall’s Road stands at a great distance from the Presidency College, the College of Civil Engineers, the Medical College, the principal schools and the quarters which supply the greatest number of students and persons concerned in literary pursuits. But it is hoped that the University buildings will not be circumscribed to a mere hall or Senate House for the offering of Degrees and other rare solemnities. We expect that, eventually, University Professorships will be established and that University lectures will be delivered (emphasis mine). Even at the present moment it is most desirable that a University library should be founded, which would serve as the General Public library for the studious classes in the capital, a library in which the valuable Manuscripts belonging to the Government may be lodged and in which the past and current publications of the Presidency (which we are now directed to register and preserve) may be deposited and, as I trust, united with an ample collection of works useful to the general student and particularly interesting to the educated inhabitants of Southern India. If such should be the eventual character of the University buildings, it is obvious that nothing is more desirable than to place them in some degree of juxtaposition with the principal haunts of education and to provide them with cheerful attractive aspects as well as a good supply of air… (emphasis mine).
“The proposals which I accordingly submit to Council are comprised under the following heads:-
(i) To affirm that the proper site for a University building is the ground between the Marine Villa and the Revenue Board office” (off the beach).
Work then began 150 years ago, in 1869, at a site where the Nawab’s Artillery Park fired gun salutes to greet visiting dignitaries, and in the style of The Nawab’s Octagon, Nawab Wallajah’s bathing pavilion. The University offices moved into Senate House in 1879.
The design of the building was by Robert Fellowes Chisholm. The designs of Chisholm, a young engineer who had joined the Bengal PWD in 1859, were chosen the winners of two competitions in 1864. A 21-year-old Chisholm arrived in Madras in 1865 to supervise the building of both sites. In 1872, he was appointed Consulting Architect to the Government of Madras, an appointment pushed through by Governor Lord Napier who virtually became his patron. In 1877, he was also appointed the Superintendent of the Government School of Industrial Arts (now the College of Arts and Crafts). He retired in 1889 to take up similar positions with the Gaekwad of Baroda. He left India in 1902 to practice in London. Apart from his work in Madras he was responsible for designing some of the finest 19th Century buildings in India. Amongst them are the Lakshmi Vilas Palace and the Museum in Baroda, the Napier Museum, Trivandrum, the Lawrence (Asylum) School and Town Library in Ootacamund, and the Rangoon Cathedral. He was also responsible for the restoration of the Tirumala Nayak’s Palace in Madurai. During his twenty years in Madras, he not only changed the city skyline, but he spread the Indo-Sarcenic architectural style he was considered master of throughout India. Senate House was planned to integrate with Chepauk Palace, to which he made several additions and amendments.
In 2006 a committee was formed at the University to celebrate in 2008 the 150th anniversary of the Institution. This committee, together with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Chennai chapter, as well as several corporates raised around ₹7,00,00,000 to restore Senate House and ready it for the sesquicentenary celebrations. Restoration completed, promise was made that the building would, as in the past, be put to good public use.
This never really happened and Senate House became virtually a godown. Fortunately the Chennai Photo Biennale has lit a candle that may yet prove the lamp to lead the way to regular public use of this magnificent building.
The forgotten plaque
It was a fairly prominent story the other day and its headline read “Facelift for Saidapet Bridge”. A fresh coat of paint and new grills at a cost of ₹43 lakh were promised. Not a word about heritage significance here.
The Saidapet Bridge is officially called the Maraimalai Adigal Bridge and connects Saidapet with Guindy. But from ancient times it has been called the Marmalong Bridge, though those with a sense of history remember it as Coja Petrus Uscan’s Bridge, recalling that that legendary Armenian, “John Company’s most loyal friend”, developed a causeway here into a bridge linking Saidapet with St. Thomas’ Mount. He also endowed its maintenance as well as that of the steps to the Mount.
A stone plaque at the northern end of the bridge remembers the munificence of the Armenian who left a fortune for the public good, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. For years, heritage enthusiasts have campaigned to save this historic memorial stone and it is only good fortune that has still kept it in sight despite all the Metro work around it. What is surprising is that in the most recent news story no mention has been made of the Uscan memorial and saving this listed heritage monument for posterity.
My picture today shows the plaque in position during the last week of February 2019. Surely a facelift to Saidapet Bridge must include giving prominence to this plaque and narrating the story of the city’s benefactor who died in 1757.
I hope that during the facelift for the Marmalong / Saidapet / Maraimalai Adigal / Petrus Uscan Bridge, more attention will be paid to the plaque than there is in the news story or in real life.
The chronicler of Madras that is Chennai tells stories of people, places, and events from the years gone by, and sometimes, from today
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by S. Muthiah / March 04th, 2019
The first-level screening of teas for the 15th edition of ‘TGLIA’ was held at UPASI headquartered in Coonoor.
Tea tasters at First level screening test for TGLIA southern tea competition on at Coonoor. —DC
Coonoor :
For this year’s ‘Golden Leaf India Awards: Southern Tea Competition (TGLIA)’, the first-level screening of teas began here in Coonoor on Saturday, as tea manufacturers showed keen interest in the competition.
The TGLIA conceived by United Planters’ Association of South India (UPASI) in collaboration with Tea Board of India is an annual feature eagerly looked forward to by the tea fraternity in South India.
This competition over the last 14 years helped immensely to showcase the quality teas of various regions of South India all over the world, said Mr. Arun Kumar, convener, Organising Committee of TGLIA.
He further added that there was considerable enthusiasm amongst the producers to participate in this year’s TGLIA competition, 15th edition this year, which showed the success and popularity of this competition.
As many as 152 entries were received from 44 tea estates/companies for this year’s competition from different agro-climatic regions of Nilgiris, Wayanad, Anamallais, Travancore, High Ranges, other minor tea growing regions, and from ‘Bought Leaf’ factories. This unique event generated an intense competition among the six growing regions to produce quality teas, he disclosed.
The first-level screening of teas for the 15th edition of ‘TGLIA’ was held at UPASI headquartered in Coonoor. A five -member panel representing leading tea brokers and packagers evaluated the teas that have entered the competition.
The process of selecting the best teas’ from various agro-climatic regions is based on a multilayer screening process using a scoring system that capture the various quality attributes of tea such as dry leaf appearance, infused or spent leaf appearance, liquor attributes such as colour, taste/flavour, briskness and strength in an objective manner.
The teas qualifying the first level of screening will also be screened for pesticide residue parameters and heavy metals. The final tasting session is likely to be held in Ahmedabad, Mr. Kumar added.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by B. RaviChandran , Deccan Chronicle / March 03rd, 2019
Inspiring people: Arunachalam Muruganantham in Coimbatore on Monday.
Arunachalam Muruganantham, a 56-year-old social entrepreneur in Coimbatore, had his handset ringing with congratulatory calls and messages on Monday morning. Period. End of Sentence, a documentary that reflects his work, had won an Oscar in the Best Short Documentary category.
“I am very happy. We never expected an Oscar. The subject (menstrual hygiene) has reached a global audience. Not just in India, but, women in Kenya, Uganda, or Bangladesh can learn about menstrual hygiene through the documentary,” he says.
Pad Man, the Akshay Kumar-starrer inspired by the life of Mr. Muruganantham had created a huge impact in India. The Oscar for Period. End of Sentence will take the subject to more people in different countries, he adds. “I have received several calls from women who have seen the movie and not only started using the napkins but are educating other women too. That is the real award.”
After nearly seven years of research, Mr. Muruganantham started manufacturing machines in 2004 to produce affordable sanitary napkins. The machines are set up mainly in rural areas where women make the napkins and sell them. “I have installed 5,300 machines in India. More than one lakh women are employed and they produce 1,500 different brands of sanitary pads,” he says.
The aim is to achieve 100% use of sanitary napkins among women and provide self-employment opportunities to 10 lakh women. He has also enabled installation of the machines in 24 countries, including six machines in Pakistan and 10 in Bangladesh. He has trained a group of women in Afghanistan. One machine will be commissioned in Chennai on March 8 this year to be operated by 20 hearing and speech impaired women.
According to him, the challenge is not in installing the machinery but in breaking the taboo against use of sanitary napkins. “Several communities have beliefs against use of the pads. Such beliefs exist in many other countries too.” “The Government should include menstrual hygiene in the curriculum,” he says. The Delhi government plans to incorporate a summary of important events in his life in the school curriculum.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by M. Soundariya Preetha / Coimbatore – February 25th, 2019
