It was a visual treat for all those who had gathered at the Kumaraguru College of Technology last weekend. Around 1,000 silambam practitioners from across the state congregated at the campus on Sunday for a synchronized performance of the traditional Dravidian warfare silambam and showcased the intricacies of the art.
The man behind the Silambam Sangamam, Shankar Vanavarayar, says that it’s time we considered the martial art as a sport and that the mass congregation of silambam practitioners was just a baby step toward the idea.” This was an effort to promote the ancient martial art, fitness and tradition among the youth. We had experts from across the state coming together for the event. However, the majority of the performers hailed from the city itself, who were trained well in the martial art form. Silambam is a martial form, where you discipline your mind through your body and this gathering was a platform to propagate the art and inspire young people to take it up.”
Interestingly, a lot of youngsters have started taking up silambam as a form of fitness activity in the city. “Earlier, silambam was performed predominantly in temple thiruvizhas in villages. But now, they have made inroads in the city as well. It’s heartening to see young girls showing interest in the form,” says trainer G Gunasekaran, who has been doing silambam for the last 50 years in Vysial Street.
“I started when I was just 15 years old. My master had trouble with his leg and I had to take over during some of the sessions. Eventually, I became the master. I teach around 500- 600 students in the city,” says the 65-year-old expert. Today, his students have become teachers themselves, who have taken many silambam enthusiasts under their wings.
Seconding him is silambam coach Mani Sathyamoorthy, who conducts classes at Lawley Road. “Out of the 50 students in my class, 25 are girls. That’s a very good sign. Some of them have been training for seven years. Though a majority of them join out of compulsion from their parents, they soon develop interest in the martial art. One needs to undergo training for two years to learn the basics of silambam. But there is always scope for coming up with new moves as you practice more. When I started teaching 8 years ago, I used to conduct free classes as there were very few participants. But now, silambam has become a popular workout form among youngsters.”
Mani adds that one can start doing silambam at the age of 4. “There is no upper age limit. In fact, some of the parents, who drop their children at the class, have also started spinning the kambu (stick). We always conduct a warmup session before silambam. Fitness and discipline improves over a period of time.” Gunasekaran too emphasizes it’s better to start young. “There is no age barrier to learn silambam. Since the body needs to be immensely flexible to spin the silambam, it’s ideal to start early so that body gets adapted to the moves. There are four basic stick rotations and seven moves. These in turn, are combined to come up with the other moves. Unlike karate, where one trainer can teach more than 100 people at a time, Silambam needs to be supervised carefully, because there is a high risk of hurting your opponent’s eye while you spin the kambu (stick). This martial art involves every muscle in the body.”
Maria Shanthi, physical director of a private school in the city, has been active in propagating the art among her students, so much so that her students have been undergoing regular training in the warfare art. “It was during a chance encounter with silambam performers at one of the school tournaments that I developed an interest in the art. Now, we have been teaching the form in the school and some of our students have excelled at the state level. We have also set aside an hour’s time every morning in school to practice the art.” Shankar Vanavarayar, on the other hand, wants to take the art to the next level in future. “We are planning to take this forward through seminars and silambam sessions; and explore the possibility of making this a national and international sport.”
Health Benefits 1. A good cardio workout; improves blood circulation and burns calories 2. Improves memory; mental strength & agility 3. Relieves stress and fatigue; improves body flexibility 4. Improves hand-muscle co-ordination & handwriting 5. Prevents practitioners from taking up smoking or drinking
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / P. Sangeetha / TNN / March 23rd, 2016
P. Selvam, a faculty member of the International Research Centre, Kalasalingam University, Krishnankoil, has been made a Fellow of International Society for Noni Sciences by International Society for Noni Sciences.
The fellowship is in recognition of Dr. Selvam’s contribution to research in medicinal plant Morinda Citrifolia L Noni and its ability to cure cancer.
Chancellor K. Sridharan, Director Sasi Anand and Vice- Chancellor S. Saravana Sankar congratulated him for the recognition, according to a release.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Virudhunagar – April 07th, 2016
Members of various political parties paid homage at the Perungamanallur memorial near Usilampatti in Madurai on Sunday, apparently with an eye on the Thevar vote bank. Later in the day, film director Bharathiraja performed a pooja for his next film in memory of the people who were designated as criminal tribes by the British, after paying homage at the memorial.
The Perungamanallur pillar with the burning torch was established in memory of 16 people from the region who were killed by the British on April 3, 1920 because they retaliated against the Criminal Tribes Act. The incident is referred to as the Jallianwala of south India.
Members of the Piramalai Kallar community were brought under the Criminal Tribes Act by the British and they had to submit their finger prints on a daily basis at the local police station so that the police could keep track of their movements. But they decided to fight against this Act and ended up being killed by the British. Many pay homage on this day at the memorial, but this year saw a bigger representation from the political parties as elections are round the corner, and the Kallar form a major portion of the vote bank of this region.
Minister Sellur K Raju, rural district secretary and Madurai mayor V V Rajan Chellappa, MLAs Muthuramalingam, Tamilarasan and Karuppiah, were among the first to visit the memorial at Sedapatti and pay homage.
DMK members led by former assembly speaker Sedapatti Muthiah paid tributes at the memorial.
MDMK leader Vaiko, who paid tributes at the memorial, said he always wanted to respect the acts of valour and people who fought social oppression.
Five members of the All India Forward Bloc (Vallarasu faction), led by their general secretary Ilaiyarasu, who had undertaken a 16-day fast, ended their fast by visiting the memorial on Sunday. Members of the Forward Bloc led by Usilampatti MLA Kathiravan also paid tributes.
The CPM’s urban district secretary Ramakrishnan, members Devaraj, Sellakannu, women’s wing member Muthurani and others visited the memorial. The Congress also had its local representatives, including Usilampatti town president Deepa Pandi, and Murugan paying tributes.
Bharathiraja performed the pooja for his movie ‘Kuttraparambarai’ (criminal tribe) in Usilampatti at a function that was attended by many from the film industry. Tight security arrangements had been made at the venue.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / TNN / April 04th, 2016
Pradeep Chakravarthy, a London School of Economics graduate, has been organising heritage tours in Tamil Nadu since 2014. | Ratheesh Sundaram
When President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) in February in Thrissur district’s Kodungaloor, he called it the largest conservation effort in the country. The project was initiated by Kerala Department of Tourism to conserve historical monuments and museums, and to boost tourism. In Chennai, Abhimanyu Prakashrao—representing eight generations of the Buchi Babu family, the first family of Madras cricket—upheld the legacy by restoring the colonial 250-year-old Luz House, owned by Buchi Babu’s father Moddaverapu Dera Venkataswami Naidu, dubash to Parry & Co in the 19th century. In neighbouring Puducherry, the state government joined hands with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in 2014 to restore 21 heritage buildings in the city. From February 5-7, the former French colony also witnessed the second edition of the Pondicherry Heritage Festival.
MHP was launched in 2006 as a heritage conservation initiative. Muziris Muziris, or Muchiri Pattanam, was one of the earliest ports in India, an entry point of varied cultures to India and finds mention in the Sangam literature. P J Cherian, chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), who led the excavation of the port, says it is time that historians studied Muziris as a Periyar Valley Civilisation. The Spice Route project is another heritage tourism initiative by the Kerala government.
Other stakeholders in the legacy pie are keeping the momentum going with heritage hotels in offbeat places such as Tranquebar aka Taramgambadi into Tamil Nadu. Heritage tours are tapping unexplored places that are teeming with history.
Heritage is slowly getting its due in south India, and leading from the front are Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the twin citadels of history, art and culture.
Sunaina Mandeen co-founded People for Pondicherry Heritage to preserve and protect the town’s architectural and cultural heritage. | G Pattabiraman
Last year, under the Ministry of Urban Development’s National Heritage Development Augmentation Yojana (Hriday), the Centre had sanctioned Rs.23 crore for Kancheepuram and Rs.22.3 crore for Velankanni for development and improvement of heritage sites over the next two years. In 2014, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had announced a subsidy of Rs.16.82 crore for 60 of the 64 heritage towns in the state.
In Puducherry, fondly called Pondy, which boasts of a unique Franco-Tamil heritage, attempts towards heritage conservation have been ongoing with some heritage homes being converted into cafés, restaurants and hotels. But it was the collapse of the 144-year-old Marie town hall building in 2014 that made the townspeople aware that all was not well with their famed heritage. “After the Marie building came down, people got together and a spontaneous movement was formed, called ‘People for Pondicherry Heritage’. A week after the collapse, a candle-lit tribute to Marie was organised,” says 63-year-old Sunaina Mandeen, co-founder of People for Pondicherry Heritage.
Ashok Panda, co-convener of INTACH, Puducherry chapter, has helped convert homes and buildings into heritage hotels. | G Pattabiraman
Conserving the heritage of this beautiful sea-side town is high on the Puducherry government’s agenda. “Two years ago, the government, which owns 30 heritage buildings, agreed to partner with INTACH to restore 21 buildings. Five or six buildings have been restored, with two to be restored this year,” says Ashok Panda, co-convener of INTACH, Puducherry chapter. With its team of 10 architects and restoration experts, INTACH has converted homes and buildings into heritage hotels such as Hotel Orient, Hotel Gratitude, Maison Perumal and La Maison Tamoule, and has restored 25 Tamil homes on Vysial Street. Hotel Orient was restored at a cost of `60 lakh and Hotel Gratitude for Rs.1 crore. For Maison Perumal and La Maison Tamoule, INTACH suggested the design.
Private players, especially those who endorse heritage preservation, are making a beeline for Puducherry, with many of them taking over ancient places and converting them into heritage hotels. Palais de Mahe on Rue de Bussy, a shining example of French colonial architecture with high ceilings and a yellow-white facade, owes its existence as a heritage hotel since 2013 to CGH Earth. In 2009, the group had restored an old Tamil house, Maison Perumal, at a cost of `2 crore. “Each of our properties has its own special charm and character. Palais de Mahe in the French quarter is very French, while Maison Perumal has a distinct Tamil character,” says Sam John, manager of Maison Perumal.
A hundred km away from the former French enclave, pioneers in the heritage architectural-restoration-for-reuse Neemrana Hotels honed in on Tharangambadi, which housed a Danish colony from 1620 to 1845. In Tamil Nadu, Neemrana’s 2004 project was the Bungalow on the Beach, an 18th-century Danish colonial house that belonged to the governor of Danish India, followed by Naik House and Gate House. On the Neemrana cards is another heritage hotel, Thamgam House.
In the neighbouring capital, a bit of Chennai’s vast architectural heritage was saved when the 17th century Luz House opened its doors to the public in 2014. “Luz House was in ruins for 40 years, except when it functioned as a L’Oreal heritage spa. I suggested to my father that we could transform Luz House to earn revenue,” says Abhimanyu Prakashrao, whose family owns the Dutch colonial bungalow. With an investment of Rs.50 lakh for restoration, the risk paid off for this MBA graduate. They have been doing well by letting it out for events and weddings. “We plan to start a small café, an eight- or 10-roomed hotel next. So far, only a third of the house is open to the public,” says Prakashrao.
Abhimanyu Prakashrao upheld the family legacy by restoring the 17th century Luz House in one of Chennai’s oldest areas, Mylapore, in 2014. | R Satish Babu
Bengaluru has its share of old bungalows, with many remodelled to create a new entity. The late 19th century colonial structure in Basavanagudi houses an antique home-furnishing boutique, Basava Ambara. When Venkataram Reddy heard in 2009 that the outhouse and a section of the mansion owned by the M Mahadevan family was available for rent, he took it. The bungalow is home to the Mahadevan family, and houses The Rogue Elephant, a café integrated into the boutique.
What separates Karnataka’s capital from the capital of the Vijayanagara kings, Hampi, is 350 km. Known for its beautiful ruins, Hampi and its surrounding areas—such as Anegundi—get many tourists. Shama Pawar, founder of the Kishkinda Trust, has been restoring the ruins of Anegundi and promoting its art and culture for the last two decades. “We have done lot of documentation about the ruins and monuments that are not covered under the government agencies. There is a mantapa with 64 pillars in the Tungabhadra river, with each showing 64 kinds of skills. The mantapa surfaces only during summer when the river water is low,” she says.
That heritage is an invaluable asset has manifested in people getting together and working towards its preservation. Sharmila Ganesan, co-convener of INTACH, Tamil Nadu, started Friends of Heritage Sites (FOHS) in 2014. “We wanted to involve the local community for they are stakeholders too, and often resort to vandalising properties,” says Ganesan. For their pilot project in 2015, they honed in on Mamallapuram to revive the ancient Pallava art and train local sculptors. “We commissioned six garden sculptures adhering to Pallava art and conducted a heritage workshop for middle-school kids,” she says. The organisation also conducts heritage tours every year.
Tamil Nadu’s heritage lies in its 36,000 temples. Chennai-based author and historian Pradeep Chakravarthy, says, “As a seven-year-old I used to visit temples and that impacted me.” Chakravarthy began organising heritage tours in 2014 on a friend’s suggestion. “We picked Tirunelveli as I knew the lay of the land. During the trip, we visited the house of an old zamindar family,” says the London School of Economics graduate. Trips to Vellore and Pudukottai have been planned for this year. “I am looking for a Tamil Jain family in Vellore to host us for an ‘ahimsa’ lunch,” he adds.
Sabita Radhakrishna revived the 1,000-year-old Kodalli Karuppur sari worn by the ranis of Thanjavur up to the 19th century. | R Satish Babu
Not just architectural heritage, the revival of textile and arts heritage has come in for scrutiny. Writer, columnist, foodie and playwright Sabita Radhakrishna, who has worked with textiles for the last 30 years, says, “I wanted to revive the Kodalli Karuppur sari, which has 1,000 years of history. It was made exclusively for the ranis of Thanjavur up to the 19th century. With government support and help of a master weaver and a painter from Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, we spearheaded the revival campaign last year.” In June 2015, Radhakrishna started the 60 handloom sari pact in which one wore only handloom sarees 60 times.
Sambaji Rajah Bhonsale, a royal descendant of the Maratha rulers and a Thanjavur painting expert, imparted training to 100 women in the art. | Ratheesh Sundaram
Heritage art such as the Tanjore (Thanjavur) paintings has also got a shot in the arm. Last year, along with a few other painting experts, B Sambaji Rajah Bhonsale, a royal descendant of the Maratha rulers and a Thanjavur painting expert, imparted training to 100 women on an initiative by CM Jayalalithaa. The women were paid Rs.2,000 each as stipend.
Thanjavur’s rich cultural past is also being revived by Prakriti Foundation, an organisation started by Chennai-based businessman-turned-culture czar Ranvir Shah.
Meera Krishnan of Prakriti Foundation has restored 50 panels at Devashriya Mandapam in the Thyagarajaswamy temple in Thiruvarur. | R Satish Babu
“We are looking to restore the Kalyana Mahal Chhatram at Thiruvaiyaru into a heritage centre,” says Meera Krishnan, programme coordinator for Prakriti Foundation. Its first project in 2008 was to restore 50 panels at the Devashriya Mandapam in the Thyagarajaswamy temple in Thiruvarur. Each year in March, Prakriti organises the Sacred Music Festival on the banks of the Cauvery river at Thiruvaiyaru, 12 km away from Thanjavur and the birth place of the legendary poet-saint Thyagaraja. Next on their agenda is to build a hostel for students of the music college there.
Tombs are as much part of the southern heritage as temples, and the Qutb Shahi tombs in Hyderabad representing a blend of Persian, Pashtun and Hindi architecture, are the only necropolis in the world where the members of seven generations of one royal dynasty are buried. They are also Hyderabad’s oldest heritage structures. In 2013, Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) took up the task of their restoration at a cost of `100 crore over a 10-year period. Conservationist architect and project director of AKTC Ratish Nanda says, “Our ambition is long-term preservation of this 450-year-old heritage structure.”
Chennai celebrates its heritage and 377-year-old history with the Madras Day celebration since 2004. Journalist and historian Vincent D’souza, who ideated the festival, keeps it pithy when it comes to heritage conservation. “If you are proud of your heritage, you will treat it with respect, not vandalise or spit on it,” he says.
With inputs from Saumesh Thimbath,Chetana Divya Vasudev, Amit S Upadhye and Saima Afreen
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Sunita Raghu / April 02nd, 2016
The women weave about two baskets a day; everything from cutting to colouring is done by hand.
Chennai :
What do a handwoven palm-leaf basket and issues of deep-seated negligence and heritage have in common? In this case, it is the small hamlet of Pulicat, where these baskets are made. The baskets are woven by local women and marketed in the city by organisations like AARDE Foundation, an NGO working towards the conservation of natural and built heritage in Pulicat.
What’s interesting is the two-fold purpose of these colourful handicrafts: besides being an important form of livelihood for the town, AARDE founder Xavier Benedict’s goal is to draw attention to the issues facing Pulicat through these handicrafts.
“Pulicat is a unique place and has three kinds of heritage — cultural, manmade and the natural heritage. Though all are important, cultural heritage, including crafts, is the only factor that can easily be made attractive to visitors and marketed to improve the economy, ” explains Xavier. “Most of them rely on fishing and boat-making. Boating for tourists used to be an additional source but it was banned after a boat capsized. Alcoholism is also a problem. So women are the crucial link to improving livelihood.”
The journey began with post-tsunami relief work at Pulicat. Performing arts like kattaikoothu and textiles like kalamkari, muslin and palm-leaf weaving were a part of the vanishing cultural heritage. Besides, this is the built heritage. “There are lakhs of monuments that are not protected by the Archeological Survey of India. When we went to Pulicat, we saw the numerous abandoned structures that are dilapidated. So we began working on documenting and raising awareness,” says Benedict.
Sadly, even as such attempts were going on, one of the structures, Our Lady of Glory Church, built in 1515 AD by the Portugese, was demolished in 2009 to be replaced by a new church. A few years later, another beautiful temple, the Adi Narayanana Perumal Temple was also demolished to make way for a new temple. “The temple had a unique construction style that was uncommon in South India. Today, it is gone,” he says. “The protection is often arbitrary — some structures are protected under the ASI but some are being destroyed. We are asking for the entire town to be made into a heritage site.”
Natural heritage is equally important, with the Pulicat Lake being the second largest brackish water lake in India, supporting lakhs of migratory birds and also crucial for draining of excess water during rains.
The lake is under threat from pollution and development, and activists like Benedict are trying to petition to protect it under an inter-governmental treaty for wetlands called Ramsar. Since such concepts of conservation are not easy to convey, he believes that tapping a craft like palm-leaf weaving, can help especially when you add colours and make new designs, and market the product.
Around 85 women between ages 25 to 60 years are employed by AARDE, and work every day at a workshop in the town. “Initially, some of the women, most of them Muslims, were hesitant to come out. But now, many come. Last week, we even had our first set of products woven by a man,” says Sophie, Benedict’s wife, who handles the marketing.
The women are paid a monthly wage, and all proceeds go to the women except overheads like transport and raw material. Usually, the women make one or two baskets a day depending on the complexity. Everything is done by hand, from cutting to colouring. “One woman is now 70 and says she will not reveal her special technique even to her daughter until she retires. The women have also taken to technology, and send me pictures from their children’s phones every night through WhatsApp,” she smiles.
Baskets, boxes and trays
Palm-leaf weaving is a part of cultural heritage in Pulicat. It is marketed by AARDE and the profits go directly to the women. The range includes baskets, boxes, pouches and trays. Bulk orders for functions are also taken. For details, visit www.aarde.in
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Archita Suryanarayanan / April 02nd, 2016
Six neurologists in the city have come together to launch the Tamil Nadu chapter of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society. The society, launched on Wednesday, will offer supportive medical care and free counselling to patients suffering from the disorder. The society which will be located in Ramnagar is expected to be operational in three months. Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu was present at the inaugural programme.
Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects the nerve cells in the brain that produces dopamine, an organic chemical that controls the body’s movement. The disease’s symptoms include muscle rigidity, tremors and change in speech and gait.
The chapter will be called Park-in Nest and will provide Parkinson’s patients with the best of facilities and neurologists, philanthropists and social workers. “We aim to create a society to serve people suffering from the disease,” said Dr V Arulselvan, one of the founders of the society and neurosurgeon at the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital. “The centre will provide physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological counselling, try to spread awareness about the disease and keep families updated with newer treatment options,” he said.
Neurologists say such centre’s are necessary as on many occasions neurologists don’t have enough time to talk freely about the disease and give them a more holistic treatment. “Many patients have a lot of doubts about their nutrition and food intake and even exercises, but on many occasions we don’t get enough time to sit them down and explain it to them,” said Dr Arulselvan.
“Physiotherapy is also a very important aspect of the treatment, as it helps them maintain balance, walk better and raises their confidence levels,” said Dr M B Pranesh, neurology professor at PSG Hospitals.
Doctors say they each see around 100 to 200 Parkinson’s patients. “There has been no survey to check on the exact number of patients suffering from the disorder or its incidence in the district or region,” said Dr Pranesh. “Our patients come from a huge geographic range which spreads from Nilgiris right up to Erode and even Salem,” he said. “But we will start collecting details in the centre,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / March 31st, 2016
