Public art is to a city what a private collection is to a home. Shorthand for the owners’ cultural and political preferences. Chennai, whose public art has thus far been monopolised by the political and film posters, would lead to the assumption, not incorrect, that these are the city’s two primary pulses. This is set to change with Goethe-Institut Chennai launching its street art festival on a massive scale, roping in street artists from across the world and India to confer upon Chennai new art and imagination.
‘Conquer The Concrete’, the 18-day intervention — with support from Chennai corporation and Southern Railways among other collaborators — will create wall murals across pre-determined sites, including railway stations like Egmore, Greenways Road, Kastuibai MRTS and Park Town, cinemas like Casino Theatre and Satyam, five Corporation schools and YMCA College of Physical Education. The project will also coopt the community, via workshops at schools and colleges, and partnerships with painters of cinema hoardings, the original street artists of the city.
Introducing the project, Helmut Schippert, director of Goethe-Institut, pointed out that street art tends to be viewed by the city administration with some scepticism, seeing in public wall art more risk than reward. “But what harm can art do,” he questions. What it can do, he states, is animate a city, make it culturally and intellectually resonant, and newly interpret old spaces. “Artists can respond through art, to the challenges and questions that arrive on the back of rapid urbanization,” he adds.
Balchand Parayath, of Chennai City Connect, hopes that as people see more street art in Chennai, they’ll come to embrace it and participate in it. “Street art makes a city more livable,” he holds.
Street art, which goes back to graffiti, typically involves surreptitious paint jobs at night, usually without permission of local officials or property owners. This project has all the go-aheads. While officials did want to know what the artists would be painting, they were assured there would be no breach of social codes and nothing to give offence, although a mockup couldn’t possibly be handed to them.
Georg Zolchow, an artist from Berlin and the project’s curator, says the foreign artists (from America, Spain and Germany), aware of the scant street art culture here, are keen to take on India’s walls, to collaborate with Indian artists and create a visual discourse.
Among the seasoned street artists on the field, whose works compass comic art, abstraction and figuration, is M P Dhakshna, a hoarding painter who sees through this collaboration, his own art taking a new turn. “I used to think art was something you depicted literally; now I know it to be a personal expression that can even be abstract,” he says.
Shilo Shiv Suleman, another participant is a Bangalore-based artist associated with Fearless Collective, a troupe of artists, photographers, videographers and others who campaign for the reclamation of public spaces — by both women, and art. “I’ll be exploring the idea of gender and consent in Tamil cinema, questioning those narratives we see on the screen of the woman being chased by a man and ultimately caving in,” she says. The project, they all promise, will bring about a change of scene.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Joeanna Rebello, TNN / January 24th, 2014
J.P. Chandrababu with his wife. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
The biography tells the story of the actor with details hitherto unknown, including his differences with MGR, which ultimately led to his fall.
When the Tamil film world was dominated by two big heroes – Sivaji Ganesan and MG Ramachandran – a comedian commanded salary on a par with them and, on a few occasions, even received more. He had the distinction of singing in his first film Dhana Amaravathi (1947). He was a dancer and singing-actor, who introduced yodelling in playback singing. But J.P. Chandrababu’s life was a tragedy and he died a pauper in 1974, befitting the title of the film Maadi Veettu Yezhai that he directed.
‘Nagaichuvai Chakravarthi: J.P. Chandrababu’, a soon-to-be-released biography, tells the story of the actor with details hitherto unknown, including his differences with MGR, which ultimately led to his fall.
He led a royal lifestyle and bought a 20-ground plot on Greenways Road and began constructing a house. “He designed it in such a way that he could drive the car straight to the first floor. But Maadi Veettu Yezhai put paid to his hopes and he plunged neck-deep into crisis. The property was attached by the court,” says Sornarajan T. Victoria, the book’s author.
The shooting began, with MGR acting in a few scenes, but the film could not be completed. “During the intermission of the film Thattungal Thirakkapadum, it was announced that Maadi Veettu Yezhai would be released soon. But it never saw the light of the day,” says Mr. Sornarajan.
Chandrababu acted in 76 movies and his rise in the film industry was achieved through versatility. “He comprised in him the talents of the singing and dancing comedian Danny Kaye, the facial features of Jerry Louis and the body language of Bob Hope,” describes Mr Sornarajan.
Born Joseph Panimayadasan Rodriguez to freedom fighter J.P. Rodriguez in Tuticorin, it is still a mystery how he assumed the name Chandrababu, though people used to address him Babu.
His father, a friend of freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, was running a magazine ‘Sudhanthira Veeran’ at Mannadi in Chennai and was exiled to Sri Lanka for his campaign against British rule. Writer Jayakanthan has said it was Chandrababu who first addressed him as J.K.
There is an apocryphal story that on the night of his marriage, he allowed his wife to join her lover after she disclosed her love for another man. “There is no basis for the story. They lived together for six months and spent their honeymoon in Bangalore. But when he realised that she would be happy with her lover, he agreed for separation,” says Mr. Sornarajan.
He was known for his abundant generosity and the lines of the song Thannalam Maranthaal Perum Perinbam‘ sums up his character. It was Sivaji Ganesan who bore the cost of his funeral expenses. “Kingmaker Kamaraj, a family friend of Chandrababu, broke down even as he tried to console his father Rodriguez,” according to Mr. Sornarajan. He was laid to rest at the Quibble Island graveyard in Chennai
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – January 17th, 2015
Venu Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Motor Company, was appointed ‘Goodwill Envoy for Public Diplomacy’ of the Republic of Korea at an event Monday —Photo: Special Arrangement
The Republic of Korea is a shining example for India and Indians to learn from, in terms of development, said Venu Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Motor Company.
He was addressing a gathering after being appointed ‘Goodwill Envoy for Public Diplomacy’ of the Republic of Korea at an event held in the city on Monday.
Kyungsoo Kim, Consul General of Republic of Korea in Chennai, conferred the title on Mr. Srinivasan before lauding the entrepreneur’s dedication to the promotion of Korean culture among Indians.
The industrialist was feted with the recognition for his efforts towards strengthening the relationship between the East Asian nation and India for more than a decade.
Addressing the guests, who included foreign diplomats and Korean industrialists, Mr. Srinivasan reminisced on his 15-year-long association with Korean culture and its people. “Looking into history, Indians has had strong links with Korea, which is rich in arts and culture. Today, I respect what Korea, once a war-torn nation, has achieved mainly in terms of commerce, which is flourishing,” Mr. Srinivasan added.
N. Ravi, Editor-in-chief, The Hindu , said Korea has become a household name in the Indian electronics market.
Lauding Mr. Srinivasan on the title, Mr. Ravi added, “Apart from his entrepreneurial spirit and innovations in his field of work, he has touched the lives of over a million people with his rural development and temple restoration projects. This honour from Korea will have a special place in his heart.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – January 21st, 2015
Students, faculty and trustees of Sigaram Matriculation School in Vaniyambadi , on the eve of the 66th Republic Day celebrations, will be creating the world’s largest Indian national flag using plain salt scheduled to take place in the school premises on Sunday, January 25.
Students will be using around 40 tons of plain salt to create the largest national flag measuring 3,456 square meters (72 meters in length and 48 meters in breadth) on the ground. In addition 300 kgs each of Red and Green coloring powders and 90 kg of blue color power will be used.
The event will begin by 7.30 am on Sunday morning and the salt flag should be ready by 2.30 pm well within the 12 hour period the world record authorities have allowed for setting this particular record.
The world record will be judged by officials from various World Record agencies such as Asian Records Academy (Singapore), India Records Academy (Mumbai) and Tamilan Book of Records who will be present on the occasion. Each participant in the event will also receive a certificate after the acceptance of the record by the adjudicating agencies.
“We have conducted special classes and training to all the students and they have been practicing for the big day for two months,” said the college principal Kalpana.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / January 21st, 2015
Head constable G. Kanagaraj, who lost his life in July last while attempting to nab an individual involved in sand smuggling, has been chosen for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Police Medal for Gallantry.
An official release said the head constable was about to apprehend Suresh in Uriyurkuppam, near Thakkolam of Vellore district, who was seeking to take away sand illegally from the Kosthalaiyar river bed. The legal heir of the deceased head constable would be given a cash prize of Rs. five lakh.
Besides, 1,500 police and other uniformed services personnel, belonging to the rank of police constable, head constables and equivalent ranks would be given the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Constabulary Medals for Pongal.
One hundred and twenty Fire and Rescue Services personnel in the ranks of Leading Fireman, Driver Mechanic, Fireman Drivers and Firemen and 60 Prison Service personnel in the rank of Grade-I Warder would be given the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Medals.
Medal allowance
The monthly medal allowance to the recipients of the medals would be Rs.200/- with effect from February 1, irrespective of their rank. The medals would be presented to the recipients at their respective district headquarters.
In addition, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Medal for excellence in technical and specialised services would be given to five personnel — two each from the Police Radio Branch and the Dog Squad and one police photographer. The officers in the rank of constable and head constable would get Rs.3,000; those in the levels of sub-inspectors and inspectors – Rs. 4,000 and deputy superintendents of police – Rs. 6,000. The medal would be presented by Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam later, the release said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 15th, 2015
The long wait to read rare palm leaves and paper manuscripts at the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Centre will soon be over. In a rare initiative, the state archaeology department on Tuesday launched e-publishing of manuscripts, beginning with Saptarishi Nadi, an astrology-based palm leaf manuscript in its portal, www.tnarch.gov.in
The 145-year-old treasure house was a result of laborious efforts of British linguists and historians, Col Colin Mackenzie, C P Brown, Rev T Foulkes and Prof Pickford and later conserved by the state. The priceless manuscripts give deep insight into literature, astronomy, siddha, Ayurveda, unani, veda, agama, architecture and fine arts, written in Sanskrit, South Indian and Oriental languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, Persian, Sinhalese, and Burmese and Kaifiyats (historical accounts) of various periods. The bundles of manuscripts stocked in the library have been great resource material for scholars pursing research on ancient works.
While the manuscripts are 300 to 400 years old, many are in a state of decay. “We have taken 23 lakh pages of these manuscripts for digitization and completed 10% of the work so far. In another 18 months, the entire process will come to an end benefitting global researchers,” Archeology commissioner D Karthikeyan told TOI. The library has some rare manuscripts of classical literature, Tholkappiyam, a work on Tamil grammar, with Nachinarkiniyar commentary, Nakkeerar’s Tirumurukatrupadai, the Sangam literature in praise of Lord Subramaniya and the two-century-old Kari-Naal, a smallest palm-leaf manuscript about inauspicious days. “It’s a treasure house that needs to be preserved and disseminated. Digitization is a welcome move,” said Roja Muthiah Research Library director G Sundar. The library has chipped in with expertise to digitize the leaves with clarity.
“The manuscripts are digitized 300 to 600 dpi or pixel resolution and converted to pdf or tiff format. Before the manuscripts are taken up for scanning, the old leaves are cleaned with brush followed by a rectified spirit,” Library curator S Vasanthi said. The 5% of solution of citronella oil or lemon grass oil in rectified spirit is applied and allowed to dry. This not only gives flexibility to the leaves, but also provides insecticidal and fungicidal property to the palm-leaf manuscripts.
The manuscripts are digitized 300 to 600 dpi or pixel resolution and converted to portable document format or tiff format.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Julie Mariappan, TNN / January 14th, 2014
Speakers paid tributes to film-maker K. Balachander and drama artist Koothapiran at a condolence meeting organised by the Tamil Stage Drama Producers Association in the city on Sunday.
They spoke about the duos’ passion for theatre and kindness to drama artists.
Actor Y.Gee. Mahendra said that for those who believe that drama is a fading art, it has to be reminded that the drama industry is alive and kicking because “we are following the path laid by the legends — K. Balachander and Koothapiran.”
Referring to Koothapiran’s cricket commentary in the All India Radio, he said though he knew little about the sport among the group of commentators, the commentary was good. Also Koothapiran was a good human being who never spoke ill of anybody, he added.
Mr. Mahendra said the very mention of the name Balachander reminded him of the English film title ‘A Man for All Seasons’ as he ruled the film industry with a midas touch for several decades.
Senior actor A.R. Srinivasan recalling Balachander participating in a meeting convened to pay homage to ‘Gemini’ Ganesan at the same venue some years ago, said it is not time to grieve but to follow the path shown by the two drama personalities who achieved greatness in their own rights. While Koothapiran’s dramas would teach morals for children, Balachander’s plays would be a learning lesson for drama artists and producers in all aspects, including stage decoration, sound effect and acting.
Artists Kathadi Ramamurthy, Bombay Gnanam and senior journalist H. Ramakrishnan spoke.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – January 12th, 2015
Arikapudi Ramana Rao is a rarity in Indian volleyball.
Not only did he excel for his native state (Andhra Pradesh), Rao also shone in Tamil Nadu, his `second home’.Rao carved a niche for himself as a coach too, becoming in 1986 an FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball) instructor, the first Indian to do so.
It is no surprise then that Rao, the national team’s head coach during the Asian volleyball championships in Perth, Australia, in 1991, is among the chosen few to have won both the Arjuna award (in 1977-78) and the prestigious Dronacharya award (in 1990-91).
Born in Chamallapudi village near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, volleyball caught Rao’s attention relatively late, at college.”While studying at Hindu College in Guntur, I used to play both basketball and volleyball regularly since both courts were side-by-side,” recalls Rao.He did well for the college in both disciplines. “There came a point when I had to choose between the two, and I went with volleyball,” says Rao. It was a master-stroke because soon after his graduation, Rao got an offer to join the Southern Central Railway (SCR) team in Hyderabad. “At SCR, I had an opportunity to play in various nationallevel tournaments which gave me the exposure. Soon, I featured in the Indian team which was a huge high,” he says.
In 1970, Rao shifted base to the erstwhile Madras, courtesy an offer from State Bank of India (SBI) “They (SBI) had to wait for about six months before I joined, since Railways were reluctant to relieve me. I had to report on April 30, 1970, and I got my relieving order only a day prior to that,” says Rao. But that didn’t affect Rao’s performance and he soon made his mark with his new employers in his new home. “SBI had a great side, and most of the members were part of the state side.”
He may have been a part of numerous victorious squads throughout his glittering career, but winning the maiden national title for his adopted state remains close to Rao’s heart. “The 1975-76 nationals in Trichy where we won the title were special. We were two sets down in the final, and the crowd, which had gathered in large numbers, left the stadium disappointed. By the time we pulled things back, there were very few left to cheer us,” says Rao.
However, many fans came to congratulate Rao the next day after learning about Tamil Nadu’s spectacularwin through the newspapers. “Be it during a practice session or during a game -we were always cheered by the spectators in Madras.
If not for the crowd, I don’t think there will be volleyball or the players,” he says.
It is thanks to the efforts of the likes of Rao and G E Sridharan, another stalwart from the state that Tamil Nadu remains a force to reckon with in volleyball in the country .
(A weekly column on famous sport spersons whose first playing field was Chennai and its neighbourhood)
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Prasad RS, TNN / January 10th, 2014
A PROFOUND ENGAGEMENT: “Perumal Murugan is a scholar with a rich sense of history.” A file photo of the novelist. / by Special Arrangement
It would be tragic if Perumal Murugan is silenced in his prime
In 1983, a 17-year-old student of Chikkaiah Naicker College, Erode, inspired by a dictionary of the Karisal (black cotton soil) region of southern Tamil Nadu, resolved to prepare a similar lexicon for the Kongu region. He collected dialect words from friends and relatives, and from oral traditions. The historical Kongu region, covering the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, Salem and Karur, with its hostile agricultural environment and hardy peasants, would hold an undying fascination for this young man.
The Kongu region’s achievements in modern literature are about as low as its water table. But for R. Shanmugasundaram, the author of the classic novel, “Nagammal” (1942), few had fathomed the rich life in the Kongu region. From 1991, a stream of novels and short stories would flow from his pen. Almost single-handedly he would put the Kongu region on to the literary map of Tamil Nadu.
Modern Tamil fiction had for long been obsessed with village life in Thanjavur and Tirunelveli, and urban middle class life in Chennai. In the fiction of this young man, the hardy peasants of the Kongu region came into their own. Who can forget the Marimutthu of “Kanganam” or Muthu of “Alandapatchi”? Literarily rich ethnographic portraits of non-sedentary and lower caste life would animate his work.
A scholar with a rich sense of history, he unearthed writings on the region by earlier authors and published two volumes of their writings. The early attempt at lexicography would come to fruition 17 years later, in 2000. He would retrieve and republish a long-lost book on the history of the Kongu region (by T.A. Muthusamy Konar). In sum, his over 35 books provide a veritable cultural map of the Kongu region.
Threats and protests
It is this great literary chronicler who is now virtually banished from his beloved Kongu region. On the night of January 8, on the pointed advice of the police, Perumal Murugan fled his hometown with his family. A day later, Tiruchengode town observed a total shutdown protesting his novel, “Mathorubhagan.” This came after weeks of abusive and threatening phone calls. Earlier, on December 26, an illegal assembly of people burnt copies of his book, demanded a ban on the book and the arrest of its author and its publisher.
“Mathorubhagan” was published four years ago. The novel marks the second phase of Mr. Murugan’s fictional explorations. It poignantly tells the story of a childless peasant couple set in a time about a century ago. Ponna and Kali rejoice in their conjugal love but their pain of being childless is accentuated by the taunts of neighbours and insults on religious functions. Tiruchengode, the abode of Siva in the form of half-woman half-man, is the sacred temple to which childless couple flock to this day hoping to extend their lineage. Over 125 years ago, Chinnathayammal and Venkata Naicker of Erode circumambulated the “varadi kal” at Tiruchengode resulting in the birth of the great rationalist, Periyar.
After exhausting all means, childless couples seek what is, from a modern perspective, an exotic, even ‘immoral,’ solution. Every year, at the Vaikasi Visakam car festival, childless women indulge in consensual sex in a carnivalesque atmosphere. The lucky are able to conceive. Children born of this socially sanctioned ritual are referred to as sami kodutha pillai (god-given children). Any anthropologist would attest to similar practices existing in many pre-modern societies with no access to assisted conceptions. Classical Hindu traditions refer to this practice as niyoga or niyoga dharma — an indication of its religious sanction. It is this section of the novel that has provoked the ire of Hindu fundamentalists and caste purists. Portrayed as a slur on Hindu women, Mr. Murugan is being pilloried for denigrating the whole town. The Sangh Parivar, seeking a toehold in Tamil Nadu, sensed an opportunity. A local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary was in the forefront of the assembly that burnt the book. After the state leadership disowned responsibility, Hindu outfits are now working from behind the scenes. Over the last few weeks, thousands of the supposedly offending pages, ripped out of context, have been reprinted and distributed to devotees. One would have thought revering books rather than burning them was Hindu tradition.
Provocative posters have been plastered all over the town. Reports indicate that violent views have been expressed in unauthorised meetings. In a desperate bid to avert disturbance to everyday life, Mr. Murugan issued a pained clarification, even offering to delete all references to the town in subsequent editions. But to no avail. A complete bandh was enforced.
For four years nobody was offended. In fact, discerning readers identified themselves with Ponna and Kali. The novel has a fuzzy end and readers badgered Mr. Murugan with questions on Kali’s fate. He responded creatively — with one, no, two sequels following different trajectories — “Alavayan” and “Ardhanari.”
Evidently the advocates of burning books do not understand literature. And in a worrying scenario they have been joined by other sinister interests. Mr. Murugan is not only a novelist; he has been teaching in government colleges for two decades now. Over the years he has written scathing essays on the business of education. Namakkal specialises in two forms of poultry farming: hatcheries produce chicken and eggs while schools churn out high-scoring students. Mr. Murugan has pulled no punches in exposing the many unethical, even illegal, practices of such factory-schools. He has written in support of U. Sahayam, the crusading bureaucrat, who brought many environmental culprits to book during his term as Salem collector. The whole gamut of local vested interests has joined hands and, at least temporarily, succeeded in making him a fugitive.
Expressing solidarity
But all is not bleak. In a notoriously fractious Tamil literary, culture writers and intellectuals have joined hands in solidarity. In a context where publishers are buckling under pressure, Mr. Murugan’s publisher, Kannan Sundaram, is unconditionally backing the author and is ready to battle it out in the courts.
Perumal Murugan is at the height of his creative powers; his name was tipped for this year’s Sahitya Akademi award; “One Part Woman,” the English translation of “Mathorubhagan,” was published to rave reviews last year. Ironically, this author who shuns the limelight is now in public glare. It would be tragic if this chronicler of Kongu is silenced in his prime.
(A.R. Venkatachalapathy is a historian and Tamil writer. E-mail: chalapathy@mids.ac.in)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Opinion> Comment / by A.R. Venkatachalapathy / January 12th, 2014
The German owned Kramski Stamping and Moulding Private Limited (KSMPL) based in Pallikonda has, for the first time, been awarded the Star Performer Award for their outstanding export performance for the year 2012-13 from the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) under the ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Kramski manufactures high precision miniaturized stampings and plastic injection moldings (such as insert and outsert moldings, Reel-to-Reel moldings and Robot integrated Moldings) that are exported to Japan, Korea, Germany, China, Turkey and Brazil besides catering to the domestic market.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by V. NarayanaMurthy / January 08th, 2015
