With the mushrooming of  ‘chenda melam’  groups from neighbouring Kerala, the nadaswaram and thavil players in Thanjavur are getting a raw deal these days. Many temples where nadaswaram and thavil used to be played regularly, have now started hiring these chenda  melam groups for functions and rituals. At many functions including weddings, thavil is overtaken by chenda. Even though culture enthusiasts don’t make a comparison between traditional musical instruments, what worries them is the attitude shown towards the traditional folk instruments of Tamil Nadu.

“The chenda melam groups from Kerala are settled in many big towns in southern Tamil Nadu. There are many such groups doing aggressive business in Thanjavur. Many thavil and nadaswaram players are jobless due to this. If things go like this, our traditional music instruments like thavil and nadaswaram will soon become museum pieces,” says Sada Sivakumar, a social and cultural activist in Thanjavur.

Senior nadaswaram artist Kalaimamani Pattukottai Veerasamy says he is disappointed with the trend. “I am not against any musical instruments. I hate the attitude of the people towards our traditional musical instruments. We should never forget our thavil and nadaswaram. It’s our tradition,” he said.

Being a barrel-shaped percussion instrument, thavil was used widely in folk and carnatic music, accompanied by nadaswaram. Both thavil and nadaswaram were essential during marriages. “We have great thavil and nadaswaram players in Thanjavur. But they are not able to find a stage or function these days. The main reason is that they don’t have groups. So chanda melam groups from other places make use of this,” says Sada Sivakumar, adding that there are at least 20 such groups in Thanjavur.

Even though people don’t take this as a serious issue, many elders believe that soon the chenda melam groups would dominate the thavil-nadaswaram players. “I don’t think these groups have dominated our traditional thavil-nagaswaram players. Our artists are still active. But what worries me is the popularity of the chenda melam groups. They are now seen at every function and rituals,” said S Arumugham, a retired history professor in Pattukottai.

The ready-made style of functioning, according to him, is the main reason why chenda melam groups are being invited to more and more functions. “They are easily accessible unlike our artists. They work on a fast and ready-made style. Today, people want such ‘fast’ artists only. It’s our problem. We should not forget our traditional art,” said Arumugham.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Madurai / by M T Saju, TNN / November 27th, 2012

New Town — Coffee House. / The Hindu

The New Town — Coffee House scores with a variety of Malaysian street food and Continental fare

There are two things that most of us like doing while driving down the East Coast Road. One is wading into the warm frothy waters of the Bay of Bengal and two, snacking on what the numerous restaurants along the road have to offer. And thankfully, there are quite a few mushrooming en route giving us enough to choose from. The New Town — Coffee House is the fairly new kid on the block. Located opposite VGP Golden Beach, this cafe doesn’t give you the view of the sea, but the pretty wooden interiors with tempting photographs of food, and the dreamy al fresco seating area ensure you don’t miss the azure blue sea.

New Town follows a concept that originated in Malaysia. It’s street food that’s been popularised by the Tamil Muslims who sold them at their food stalls commonly known as mamak stalls.

The menu here therefore largely consists of popular Malaysian street food, Continental cuisine and a fair bit of Indian food too. Nasi goreng, nasi lemak, kaya toast, bangers and mash, kathi rolls, steaks, crispy noodles, biriyani, bruschetta, pasta … The accompanying friend who is on a gluten-free diet makes a big production of the decision making process. “No wraps, no sandwiches, no pasta…,” she lists out a whole lot of food items that’s off her diet list. As a result we decide… un-decide… ask the waiter to come back in 10 minutes and finally make our decision. Tenderloin teriyaki skewers and nasi lemak for her. Murtabak and cheese-stuffed drumstick for me.

The teriyaki skewer has succulent chunks of lamb wedged between capsicum and tomato. This has the potential to taste better. No wonder the friend generously pushes the plate towards me and buries herself into the nasi lemak that comes as a full plate of steamed rice, a piece of fried chicken, chicken gravy and a boiled egg. It’s among the most authentic lemak you will find in Chennai.

New Town Cafe is laidback; so is the service. But then nobody seems to be in a hurry. The neighbouring tables comprising a sullen couple, who don’t talk to each other but keep eating off each others’ plates, and a gang of college kids have been here for a while now and looks like they plan to stay longer.

It takes a while before the rest of our orders get to our table. The mughlai-styled drumstick is the perfect fusion of cheese and keema. Deboned tandoori chicken leg stuffed with mildly flavoured minced chicken, nuts and cheese is served on a bed of badam and cream-emulsified sauce. Easy to cut, great to eat; need I say more. The murtabak, which is basically parantha stuffed with minced chicken and carrots, is quite authentic too. Except that there’s an excess of grated carrot and we could barely taste the meat. Maybe all the meat we ordered had emptied out their cold cuts freezer.

The food is rather filling and the quantity is comfortable for two. We technically shouldn’t even be thinking of desserts. But when there are wafts of roti bom in the air you just have to give in. Strips of fluffy maida parota doused in condensed milk and honey is a challenge that one with a sweet tooth can barely resist. The dieting friend shows steely resolve… for a couple of minutes, and gives in. And, doesn’t stop with just one!

On a scale of 10, New Town scores a well-deserved eight. Their catch phrase says ‘The destination is truly worth the journey’, and we couldn’t agree more.

(New Town — Coffee House is located at No. 363, East Coast Road, Injambakkam. For details, call 91760-66866)

source: http://www.TheHindu.com  / Home> Life & Style> MetroPlus / by Priyadarshini Paitandy / November 25th, 2012