pioneer:K.V. Mathew started the now famous Chennai Book Fairin 1977 —Photo:V. Ganesan
K.V. Mathew, who died on Friday, leaves behind a vast library at his house and generations of book lovers.
The man who nurtured the Madras Book Fair from its initial days breathed his last at his house in Luz on Friday afternoon.
On February 4, Mr. Mathew had celebrated his 87th birthday, said his nephew George, a school headmaster.
“His passion for books was unimaginable and he would encourage youngsters to read,” he said. Mathew was responsible for starting the now famous Chennai Book Fair in 1977, and later the Student’s Book Fair.
Born in Mavelikkara in Alappuzha, Kerala, Mr. Mathew began his career in 1945 as a salesman with Christian Literature Society (CLS), and became its sales manager.
After 25 years at CLS, he joined BI Publications as its regional manager in Chennai. He retired from BI at the age of 83, after which, along with three other friends, he started the Ecumenical Book Services, a publishing house for nursing textbooks.
He was founder secretary of the Ecumenical Fellowship in Madras, which organised the Human Christmas Tree. His wife Mariamma Mathew was former nursing superintendent at CSI Kalyani Hospital.
He also penned an autobiography, You Turned My Wailing into Dancing , and a book on jokes, Chuckle Till You Buckle .
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – February 15th, 2015
Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre run by the Sri Narayani Peedam has received an award for community engagement for 2014 from the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI), an apex national body of hospitals.
According to Dr N Balaji, director of the hospital and trustee of the Sri Sakthi Amma Healthcare Trust, the award will be presented to the hospital by the union health minister at the Global Healthcare convention being organized by AHPI in Hyderabad on Feb 23, 2015. The AHPI director general, Dr Giridhar Gyani (former secretary general of Quality Council of India), has over ten thousand members.
The 250-bedded multi-specialty charity hospital conducted 128 outreach programmes in 2014 that benefited 23,062 people who would otherwise not have had access to timely medical help, Balaji said. The awareness and screening programmes conceived and implemented by the hospital has helped in the prevention of many diseases with early detection leading to timely intervention and cure, he added. The hospital focuses on the needy people of Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts besides the neighbouring Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
As part of the Sri Sakthi Amma Student Welfare programme, the hospital conducted health checkup programmes for the students, he added. The coveted recognition from the AHPI would further strengthen the resolve and dedication of the staff of this health care institution in working more for the welfare of the community, he further noted.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / February 15th, 2015
College of Engineering, Guindy’s, five-day cultural festival, Techofes, will begin on Wednesday with a concert and comedy show.
The 68th edition of the festival will be inaugurated by director Gautam Vasudev Menon and actors Arun Vijay and Vaibhav.
This will be followed by pianist Anil Srinivasan’s concert and a comedy show by Chinni Jayanth, a release said.
Techofes will host over 90 events over four days and feature shows by Naresh Iyer, Saindhavi, Gaana Bala and a concert by Delhi-based band Parikrama.
The competitions, which begin on Thursday, will include a battle of the bands, variety show and choreo night.The festival is organised by the Students Association and Arts Society of the college. Further details on the events, ticket sales and registration are available on www.techofes.in.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – February 11th, 2015
Officials standing near the vessel SSL Gujarat bound for Dubai at the VOC Port in Thoothukudi on Tuesday
Thoothukudi :
The first regular container service to Dubai from VOC Port was inaugurated on Tuesday by VOC Port Trust chairman S Anantha Chandra Bose.
The service, which would start from the wee hours of Wednesday, is expected to reduce shipment time by about four days from the port to Dubai as at present ships go via the Port of Colombo.
But now with the services of large container ships such as mv SSL Gujarat, which could carry 487 containers of 507 TEUs and is called in for the inauguration, the Port of Colombo could be avoided, hence saving both time and cost, sources said.
VOC Port will in a month run four container services, which would sail from berth 8 at the port run by Dakshin Barath Gateway Terminal Pvt Ltd (DBGT), to Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
Addressing the media, DBGT CEO Ramji S Krishnan said with the mainland container service, ships no more need to go to the Port of Colombo for transshipment. “Both time and transshipment tariff should greatly be reduced due to the service.”
It has been taking 10 days for ships to reach Dubai via Colombo, but the service would reduce this to just six days, he said.
Addressing the media after the inauguration, VOC Port Trust chairman S Anantha Chandra Bose said the port, ranked third among 12 major ports in the country, will submit the report on the outer harbour expansion project to the Centre for cabinet approval within a week.
When asked about the ferry service to Colombo, he claimed that two private parties had shown interest in the project and added that VOC Port Trust would offer every help to companies.
The port would also introduce the radio frequency identification (RFID) system for containers which would reduce time and paper work and enable online transactions, the chairman said
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / Express News Service / February 11th, 2015
Film director Bala, Ilayaraja and thavil player Haridwaramangalam A.K. Palanivel at the shooting of the film.
It is music maestro Ilayaraja’s 1000th film. And, it should come as no surprise that the film, Tharai Thappattai, seeks to capture the interaction and tension between the world of classical and folk music.
For, it was Ilayaraja who infused folk elements, in all its dimensions, into film music. The film also marks the coming together of some of the best talent in Tamil cinema.
And joining hands with director Bala, actor Sashi Kumar and Malayalam music director and singer Sharath in their venture is thavil player Haridwaramangalam A.K. Palanivel, who has played a solo for the film. Ilayaraja has already recorded the songs for the film and Sharath, a student of eminent vocalist Balamuralakrishna, has rendered a song based on a classical raga.
Given the storyline, Ilayaraja has roped in Palanivel to present authentic percussive elements. “Though I am not fully aware of the storyline, I am told that I am playing for the hero’s father, a classical musician. The son drifts towards folk music,” said Palanivel, who had earlier worked with A.R. Rahman for the song kannodu kaanbathellaam thalaiva in the film Jeans . “I have also toured the globe with Rahman,” he said.
Palanivel recently attended the shooting of Tharai Thappattai along with Bala, Ilayaraja and other members of the unit at Karanthai in Thanjavur. In the beginning, writer Jeyamohan wrote the script. But, the task was subsequently given to the lead actor Sashi Kumar.
“There is no good music or bad music. How one presents it is more important. You can play a korvai or sangathi elegantly, or in a perverse manner,” said Palanivel, the first thavil player to receive the Padma Shri award.
Palanivel, who learnt thavil from Tirucherai Muthukumarasamy Pillai, first played for Kaathoduthaan Naan Pesuven , a film by Girija Pakkirisamy, the mother of actor Sripriya, which did not see the light of the day.
Palanivel has teamed up with Saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath and tabla player Zakir Hussain apart from well-known nagaswaram players. Recalling his gurukulam days in Tirucherai, Palanivel, nicknamedvandu (beetle) for his diminutive figure, said the local people, frequently spotting him swimming in the Saranatha Perumal temple tank, used to warn his teacher that he might drown. “They advised him to send me home. But he said I would survive and earn a name. His words proved prophetic,” the thavilplayer recalls.
Tharai Thappattai to capture interaction and tension between the world of classical and folk music
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – February 09th, 2015
Saturday evening saw book lovers gathering at the more than 150-year-old Nilgiri Library at Ooty to celebrate two events—the opening of the refurbished Wardrop Room and the felicitation of member of the Atomic Energy Commission Dr M R Srinivasan. Srinivasan, a longtime resident of Ooty and a member of the library, was feted for recently receiving the Padma Vibhushan.
The Wardrop Room, which underwent a six-month restoration costing Rs 1 lakh, was inaugurated by Lt General S K Gadeock, AVSM, Commandant, Defence Service Staff College, Wellington. The restoration was partially funded by INTACH-Nilgiris chapter.
The Nilgiri Library, which celebrated its 150th anniversary a few years ago, is one of the oldest libraries in the country. The magnificent building on Commissioner’s Road in Ooty was designed by Robert Fellows Chisholm, who also designed Senate House at the University of Madras.
Geetha Srinivasan, president of the library as well as of INTACH-Nilgiris chapter, said, “Books impart knowledge, which builds self confidence. People who have inculcated the reading habit from a young age can never be lonely as books will always be their companions. This is what makes this library important apart from the heritage value of the building and the books within it.”
The restored Wardrop Room has a portrait of Queen Victoria in a gilded frame over the mantelpiece. While the skin tones are Rubenesque, the painting is in the style of the Dutch Masters, she said, adding that there are only three such paintings in the world.
On August 28, 1867, the foundation stone of the main library was laid by A J Arbuth. With its vast Gothic hall and Tudor windows, the Nilgiri Library is a symbol of how public places can be restored and put to modern use, said Srinivasan.
Gadeock said, “The Nilgiri Library is unique and must be preserved.” He donated Rs 10,000 towards maintenance of the library. He also honoured Srinivasan with a Toda shawl and said, “Dr Srinivasan is a great icon who played a pivotal role in the nuclear programme.”
Recollecting his days of working with Dr Homi J Bhabha and Dr Vikram Sarabai, Srinivasan said, “It was a great privilege to work with legends.”
Ramakrishnan Nambiar, secretary, Nilgiri Library, said, “Dr M R Srinivasan has made the Nilgiris district proud.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Shantha Thiagarajan, TNN / February 09th, 2015
As the new year gets underway, it’s time what is now rather unrecognisably being called Vivanta by Taj Connemara begins thinking of how to celebrate its 125th birthday on November 27th and to tell everyone that it is the oldest Western-style hotel in South India still-in-business. Its roots, however, go back to even before 1890.
On the Connemara’s site by what was once called the Neill statue junction there was one of Madras’s earliest Western-style hotels, The Imperial, dating to 1854 and long pre-dating the controversial statue to one of the hangmen of the Great Revolt, Gen. James Neill. An 1880 advertisement referring to the Neill Statue location and the date of establishment has its proprietor T. Ruthnavaloo Moodeliar stating that the “Premises consist of a large Upstair House, detached Bungalow, and Bachelor’s quarters” and urging the public to take a look at the hotel’s “Testimonial Books, which certify to the respectability, comfort and good management of the Establishment.” The buildings referred to were no longer those of John Binny, who sank the roots of Binny’s in 1799 after having been in the Nawab of Arcot’s service from 1797 and from whom he had acquired the property. He lived in this garden house till his death in 1821 after which Binny’s sold the property which eventually came into Ruthnavaloo Moodeliar’s hands.
Somewhere along the way, The Imperial became the Albany, no doubt the name given to it by a new lessee, and then became the Connemara, the name given to it in 1890 by the brothers P. Cumaraguru and Chokalinga Mudelly who took it on a three-year lease. On December 3, 1890, the brothers “solicited” in an advertisement a trial of their new establishment which was only “a minute’s walk to the Madras Club”. The advertisement (alongside) promised “nothing is wanting to constitute it a really first class hotel” and also “guaranteed” an “excellent table”. Its new name, however, is unexplained.
But The Madras Mail of November 27, 1890, reporting on the opening of the Connemara wrote, “In the dim and distant future when people as yet unborn will bend their steps to Chennaipatnam (a remarkably prophetic quote, your columnist thinks) and seek boarding and lodging at the ‘Connemara’, they may be induced by a laudable curiosity to enquire ‘why does this hotel bear the name of a district of the County Galway in Ireland’. Then will the phenomenally well informed, old inhabitant make reply, and enlarge on the halcyon days when my Lord Connemara ruled the land, lived his little span, and then passed away, neither unregretted nor unsung. Well may his Excellency exclaim with the bard, when he reads the legend in large characters that spans the chief entrance to the Hotel referred to:
‘Nor fame I slight, nor for her favours I call,
She comes unlooked for, if she comes at all.’ ”
Eugene Oakshott of Spencer’s, bent on expanding his empire, acquired the hotel on April 23, 1891 and let the lease to the Mudelly brothers run till its end in 1893 when he got his partner James Stiven to run the hotel. At the time garden houses were the spaces used for hotels. Stiven reconstructed the Connemara and in May 1901 it became Madras’s first hotel to be housed in a building specifically built to be a hotel. On July 1, 1913, Eugene Oakshott’s sons Percy and Roy sold the hotel to Spencer’s in whose hands it still remains a hundred years later, though it is managed by The Taj Group.
*****
Of shells and bombs
At a lunch the other day, my neighbour at the table wanted to know whether I learn something new from the readers who write to this column. I told her that I learn something new every day not only from all those who keep the postman and other means of communication busy but from the journals and other publications I receive as well as the places I visit.
The plaques at the Fort Museum
I mention this because of something I learnt from a picture of an exhibit in the Fort Museum that I found in a publication I received recently. For years I’ve been visiting the Fort Museum but till now had not really read the information on two brass plaques there. After reading the first few lines on the first plaque, I had skipped the rest thinking that all of it had to do with the shelling of Madras by the SMS Emden in 1914, a subject which I had read much about. But to my surprise the picture I looked at the other day showed the second plaque providing me a more positive answer to a question I’ve often been asked about whether Madras had been bombed by the Japanese during World War II and to which I always tended to give uncertain answers. And there the answer has been all these years in the Fort Museum. Yes, Madras was bombed — not in 1942, as all who’ve asked me the question tended to believe, but in 1943. That raises a mystery or two, which I’ll come to in a moment.
First the two plaques. One is titled ‘Bombardment of Madras’, the other ‘Bombing of Madras’. The first displays a fragment of a ‘shell’ fired by the Emden and presented to the Museum by V.K. Ratnasabapathy of Bangalore and the other displays a fragment of a ‘bomb’ — all the terminology, I note, is perfectly correct — “dropped by a Japanese fighter craft on Madras on 12th October 1943…” It was presented to the Museum by A.V. Patro, Commissioner of Police, Madras. And it can’t get more official than that.
But despite the official seal to the information there remains a mystery or two. Few fighter aircraft carried bombs during World War II. Fighters were also short range aircraft, particularly if it was a Mitsubishi Zero (or its seaplane version) as many surmise it was. So did it come from an aircraft carrier? But by 1943, the Japanese had virtually quit the Indian Ocean. So where was there a carrier? Answers from anyone?
******
The Boddam statue
Justice Hungerford Tudor Boddam, a Puisne Judge of the Madras High Court (1896-1908), is one of the few British High Court judges to have a statue of him raised in the city. And I have often wondered why, particularly as he was said to be a mediocre judge. I recently came across an account which might explain why he was so privileged. Apparently he took a considerable interest in the activities of the Madras Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). This included getting its handsome building on Vepery High Road built and inaugurated in 1900 and persuading leading local citizens like Raja Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar, Lodd Govindoss and G. Narayanaswami Chetty to get involved with the Society’s activities. The statue was first raised near the Willingdon (now Periyar) Bridge on Mount Road but was later moved to Napier Park from where it’s gone into seclusion till the Metro authorities keep their promise and return it to Napier Park once their work in finished.
The statue of Justice Boddam
A proposal for such a society was first discussed in 1877 by some of the leading Europeans of Madras, but it was established only in 1881, with the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos its first Patron and Bishop Frederick Gell its first President. It had in its first years an entirely European membership, Indians showing little interest in its activities which focused on preventing the ill-treatment of animals and improving the conditions under which they were maintained. It was Boddam’s efforts that led to Indians joining the Society from 1903. By then Boddam had got Raja Venugopala Mudaliar to fund the Hospital for Animals that stands in Vepery in the donor’s name.
The society had no plenary powers during the first years of its existence. In 1894, Government conferred on it plenary powers and the SPCA was granted police powers to charge persons ill-treating animals. Starting with action it took when, in 1936, 23 goats were slaughtered in a mutt in Kumbakonam to the chanting of mantras and the flesh offered to the deities, it did much to bring down animal sacrifice in the State.
Boddam was also responsible for persuading the local citizenry to found a pinjrapole. The same citizenry, mainly the Gujaratis of Madras, were possibly those whose “subscription” made possible the 1911 statue.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by S. Muthiah / February 08th, 2015
Western classical music maestro Zubin Mehta will perform with over 100 musicians of the Australian World Orchestra (AWO) in Chennai in October this year. This programme has been made possible in part thanks to funding support announced by the Australian Government.
The Australian Minister for the Arts George Brandis QC announced that the government will provide $2,50,000 (AUD) in funding to support the AWO’s tour to three Indian cities – Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi, said a press release here from the Australian Consulate General, Chennai.
The AWO’s musicians have performed in leading world orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Arriving in Mumbai, then coming to Chennai and going to Delhi. The final details are being worked out.
Mr. Mehta has previously conducted the AWO for concerts in Sydney and Melbourne and was so impressed with them that he decided to invite the orchestra to perform in India.
Australian Consul-General to South India Sean Kelly said: “I am delighted that we can help bring the Australian World Orchestra and Maestro Zubin Mehta to Chennai this year.”
As part of the tour, orchestra will also deliver an education program to young Indian musicians and perform Haydn’s Toy Symphony in a series of concerts for underprivileged children, with the involvement of a number of Australian and Indian cricketers.
Australian High Commissioner to India, Patrick Suckling, said the concert tour would be a rare opportunity for Indian audiences to experience the finest talents in Western classical music from India and Australia.
“This is a wonderful example of the growing cultural engagement between Australia and India, which is a critical foundation of the relationship between our two countries,” Mr. Suckling said.
The press release also said that cultural engagement has been a key priority for both the Australian and India Governments and during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia in November 2014, Mr. Modi and Prime Minister Tony Abbott witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Arts and Culture.
Mr. Modi also announced a Festival of Indian Culture in Australia in 2015/16 to showcase the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Indian culture. Further information on the AWO can be found on their website www.australianworldorchestra.com.au
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Prasanth Radhakrishnan / Chennai – February 09th, 2015
Managing Director of TWAD Board, C Vijayraj Kumar (third from left) and Vellore Collector, R Nanthagopal reviewing the project | s dinesh
Vellore :
Velloreans can expect to get uninterrupted water supply for the next 30 years, thanks to the Rs. 1,295 crore water supply scheme, trial run of which is set to commence in the first week of April.
The trial run of the Combined Water Supply Scheme to Vellore Corporation, 11 municipalities, five town panchayats and 944 rural habitations in Vellore district using Cauvery as source will continue for six months.
If successful, Vellore district will begin receiving permanent water supply by the end of this year. The project aims at creating a permanent water supply designed to supply 215 million litres of water/day to Vellore Corporation, 11 municipalities, five town panchayats and 944 rural habitations in Vellore . “During the trial run we will check for reservoir tightness, hydraulic pressure, seepage in pipelines and storage of water in overhead tanks and sumps during the period, ” said a senior official of TWAD Board. Officials of the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) board said that around 90 percent of the work on the project, began in March 2012 and implemented in three stages, has been completed to date. Officials have been instructed to expedite the remaining work such as pipe main alignment and the inter-connection of overhead tanks and sumps. “The 36 month project was delayed for four months as permission from the National Highways Authorities and Southern Railways had to be obtained for laying pipelines,” said the official.
TWAD has deposited around `17 crore to the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to erect exclusive High Tension (HT) feeders to the booster stations at Komburankattu, Palakkaranur and Muthampettai and ridge point Kadhathur to pump water to the beneficiaries without any hindrance. “Erection of a feeder in Palakkaranur is nearing completion. Once it’s over, officials of TANGEDCO will inspect the facilities and give clearance for erecting the HT lines. We will obtain the power connection a week before the trial run begins,” said an official.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by J Shanmugham Sundaram / February 09th, 2015
Haven’t you had bubble tea yet? For people who haven’t relished the flavours of bubble tea, Cha Republic is offering a wide variety at its new outlet, which was opened recently at Thoraipakkam. One sip of bubble tea, which is a Thai concept, involves mixing tea base with fruits or milk. Cha Republic has outlets in Phoenix Market City, Besant Nagar and Express Avenue. The directors are Malaysian citizens Sundram, Vanitha and Kavitha, who were more that elated to prepare the concoction themselves and serve customers at the launch of the new outlet which was inaugurated by Sam Paul.
The drink is made with concentrated puree, milk and crushed ice to create a yummy milk shake. The organisers say that it can also be a mixed form of powdered flavouring, creamer and water. The different varieties available at the outlet include the chiller series, frui ‘tea’ series, shake or freeze series, milk tea series and oreo or snowcap series.
Cha Republic also has plans to open outlets on Harrington Road and Adyar.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express Features / February 07th, 2015
