Monthly Archives: July 2016

Musician tunes 1,330 Thirukkural verses in 16 hours, creates record

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion
Consisting of 1,330 couplets, the Thirukkural is part of the Tamil sangam literature and was authored by famed poet Thiruvalluvar. (Representative image)
Consisting of 1,330 couplets, the Thirukkural is part of the Tamil sangam literature and was authored by famed poet Thiruvalluvar. (Representative image)

Chennai:

When Carnatic musician Chitravina N Ravikiran decided to set the 1,330 Thirukkural verses to tune, music just flowed through him. Notes and rhythmic structures effortlessly set themselves to suit the ancient couplets and history was made. A project that was to take 50 hours of work was miraculously finished in 16 (composing) hours, creating a world record.

The Historic Thirukkural Project, which was completed on January 14, was launched in India on Thursday at the Narada Gana Sabha by Potramarai president L Ganesan.

“The project is unique as the verses are secular, non-religious and non-regional. But the verses haven’t been brought on to a music or dance platform, except sporadically. The idea of the project is to enrich the classical repertoire by setting the couplets to tune. Also, it’s easier to remember something when it is presented in melodious tunes,” says Ravikiran, who was inspired by celebrated poet Sri Vedanta Desika who is believed to have composed over 1,000 verses overnight in praise of Lord Ranganatha.

The project was conceptualised on January 9 and Ravikiran got to work almost instantly, beginning as early as January 12, as he didn’t want to lose the momentum. Consisting of 1,330 couplets, the Thirukkural is part of the Tamil sangam literature and was authored by famed poet Thiruvalluvar.
And musically rendering one of the most revered works of Tamil language was quite challenging even for the Chitravina virtuoso.

“The couplets are unevenly sized and it was difficult to fit them in the existing talas. I had to come up with different rhythmic structures to make them fit lyrically,” says Ravikiran, explaining that he used his musical and lyrical experience to tune the verses as faithfully as possible.

The harmonious rendition of the ancient verses was launched on Thursday and is available on Ravikiran’s YouTube channel.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Cities> Chennai / TNN / July 05th, 2016

6 doctors honoured for distinguished service to society

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council awarded six of the most deserving doctors across the State on the occasion of Doctors Day in the city on Friday.

Governor K. Rosaiah graced the occasion and also gave away the awards who were selected after two months of detailed selection procedure.

One of the oldest doctors to receive the award was 80-year old Lakshminarayanan Janardhanan Poti, a pediatrician from Tiruchy. During the photo session at the end of the event, Poti seemed to have had the most number of supporters in the audience as his large family from babies to the elderly came onto the stage for a picture.

The other awardees were well known laparoscopic surgeon Ramesh Ardhanari from Madurai and M.A Mohamed Thamby, a pediatrician from Tirunelveli, who  was awarded for his teaching. V. Alamelu from Chennai was awarded for her work in taluk hospitals. A. Nagarajan, a surgeon from Nagercoil and C.S Palani from Vellore were also awarded for rural services.

Speaking at the event, J. A Jayalal, vice-president of the TNMC and K. Senthil, president of the TNMC, stressed the need for the State government to give these  awards, and not just the TNMC. Jayalal said that this year they had received 67 applicants, who had to fulfil various criteria to be eligible for the award like teaching, rural service, among others.

This award ceremony is usually held at the Raj Bhavan but was held at the TNMC office this year as renovation work was happening at the Raj Bhavan.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / July 02nd, 2016

Chennai’s ancient trade link with Rome unearthed

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
Deep connections:Students looking at an ancient ring found at Pattarai Perumbudhur.—Photo: B.Jothi Ramalingam
Deep connections:Students looking at an ancient ring found at Pattarai Perumbudhur.—Photo: B.Jothi Ramalingam

Romans used the city as a transit hub to trade with northern States

For ancient Romans, Chennai was not just another trading port town along the coastline. Instead, the city was a key transit hub for them to carry out their trade.

New findings have emerged after a team of archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department found broken pieces of roulette ware, a Roman royal household ware, at an excavation site in Pattarai Perambadur, a small village with around 600 farming families on the western outskirts of Chennai.

“Presence of roulette ware far away from the coastline is interesting because it indicates Romans traded beyond coastal towns,” R. Sivanantham, deputy director, Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department, told The Hindu.

Funded by the State government , the three-month-long excavation, which ended last Tuesday, was monitored by the Commissioner of the Department, D. Karthikeyan. The team comprised J. Baskar, archaeological officer (Chennai); J. Ranjith, Arcot curator; and P. Baskar, epigraphist, Poompuhar.

Three sites excavated

Archaeologists said this was the first time evidence has emerged on Roman presence in western parts of the city, indicating they travelled away from the coastline. The three ancient sites – Nathamedu, Aanaimedu and Irularthoppu – in Pattarai Perambadur village were excavated with 12 trenches.

The team found most of the 200 antiques, including stone tools, pot shreds, beads made of ivory, glass and terracotta, conical jars and a ring well from Irularthoppu hamlet in three small trenches.

Palaeolithic age

They found an entire sequence of habitations since the early Palaeolithic age (10,000 years ago) to early Christian era.

Presence of rouletted ware, conical jars, hopscotch, lid knob of various sizes and a deer horn indicated that the site acted as transit route to the Romans for trading.

For instance, a two-feet-high conical jar with holes was among the findings. As per the Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology, such jars with holes were found mainly in ancient towns such as Bairat and Sambar in Rajasthan and in Vaishali (Bihar). Such jars were used to hold incense sticks.

First time in T.N.

Interestingly, the jar with holes has been found for the first time in Tamil Nadu, the team members said.

They believe that as it was an ancient town located along the Kosasthalaiyar, the site might have been a key link connecting the Romans with northern States via Andhra Pradesh. Pot shreds with boat graffiti found at the site also support this theory because transporting goods by boats was common during the ancient times, the team members said.

“As the site was located en-route Kancheepuram, a trading and cultural capital during the ancient times, the Romans, before proceeding northwards, might have halted there. Northern traders might have done the same before going to Kancheepuram,” said D. Thulasiraman, regional assistant director (retired) of the Archaeology Department.

Archaeologists have found rouletted ware, conical jars, lid knobs of various sizes and deer horn

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / D Madhavan / Chennai – July 04th, 2016

HIDDEN HISTORIES – The Raja who became Chief Minister

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies
The Raja of Panagal / Photo: Special Arrangement
The Raja of Panagal / Photo: Special Arrangement

The statue of the Raja of Panagal (actually Paanagal) stands inside the park in T. Nagar that is named after him. It is usually the starting point for my T. Nagar Heritage Walk. It was during one of these that I happened to meet MVS Appa Rao, one of the great grandsons of the Raja. And it was through him that I came to know that July 9 this year will mark the 150th birth anniversary of the king who became Chief Minister.

Panaganti Ramarayaningar was born into an aristocratic family of Kalahasti. A polyglot, he completed his matriculation from the Hindu High School, Triplicane, in 1886. He then did his BA at the Presidency College, Madras, and obtained his MA from the University of Madras in 1899. In between, he also acquired a BL degree from the Law College, Madras.

His life of public service began with his being selected as Member, North Arcot District Board. In 1912, he became a member of the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi, where his debating skills and intellect came to the notice of the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge of Penshurst. In 1918, he was awarded the title of Dewan Bahadur. He was also made a member of the Imperial War Council the same year.

Back in Madras meanwhile, the non-Brahmin movement had gained momentum, with the formation of the Justice Party. Ramarayaningar joined it and was soon recognised as one of its leading lights. He was sent to England to depose before a Parliamentary Committee on the condition of the non-Brahmins in South India. In 1920, Madras Presidency saw its first democratic Government, albeit on a limited franchise. The First Minister, equivalent to today’s Chief Minister, was A. Subbarayalu Reddiar, who stepped down six months later, citing ill health.

Ramarayaningar succeeded him. His Government was returned to office in 1923, with a comfortable majority. He was given the honorific of the Raja of Panagal the same year. However, the Justice Party lost in 1926 and the Raja became the leader of the Opposition. He was knighted that year.

The Panagal administration was known for some far-reaching reforms. Reservation in Government jobs was brought in, thereby putting Madras on the route to inclusivity. The administration of temples and mutts came under a newly-formed Hindu Religious Endowments Board. A School for Indian Medicine was set up, the Raja giving his property, Hyde Park Gardens, Kilpauk, for it. The Kilpauk Medical College is now in that campus. Work also began on the laying out of Thyagaraya Nagar as a residential area.

Panagal passed away on December 16, 1928, at Madras. His statue in the park, by M.S. Nagappa, used to be relegated to a corner till a decade back, with a mutilated bust of King George V occupying centre stage. Happily, the bust has since been removed and the Raja placed in a prominent position. Unfortunately, whoever did that also gave the wonderful bronze a coat of gilt.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Metroplus> Society / by Sriram V / Chennai – July 01st, 2016

101 bots by school kids to set a world record on Sunday

Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai  :

You don’t need to wait for the next installment of Transformers to go crazy over robots. Just head over to Elliot’s Beach this Sunday. Attempting to set a world record, 101 robots will be assembled from scratch by school-goers from the city in, get this, one hour!

Planned to be driven across the beach, these creations have taken over a year of after-school hours and weekends to bring to life, say the organisers at Kidobotikz, a robotics training institute for youngsters.

And each has been designed with a unique purpose by its young maker, think everything from surveillance to race bots, that will be hitting the sand this weekend. “The kids spent the last couple of months actually modifying their robots to make sure they were all-terrain friendly once we decided that the venue for the event was going to be the beach,” says a proud Sneha Priya, one of the founders of Kidobotikz.

SnehaPriyaCF02jul2016

“That means they run on sand, gravel, marble, cement and a tar road,” she beams. Sneha and friend S Pranavan, who both studied robotics at Anna University set up this institute at KK Nagar three years ago, when they thought ‘’why not take this knowledge to kids at the school level itself?’ And evidently mission accomplished despite their course being open to students aged 12 to 17, the youngest robot maker to be showcasing is ‘wireless’ bot on the beach will be seven!

While seven-year-old Raghu Ram is just getting started, 16-year-old Chitresh Tiwari has gone so far as to be part of the only group of school students to win a competition at IIT! He recalls, “I remember it all started because I would enjoy opening the gadgets to see how they worked, like the remote controlled car my parents bought for me when I was 11.”

If you think this may be a distraction to academics, Sneha says that robotics classes actually do quite the opposite. “Robotics is a mix of mechanics, electronics, programming and algorithms. So starting early helps school students understand what they are good at and what to concentrate later,” she explains.

A team from ASSIST World Records Research Foundation (AWRRF) will be present to witness the feat and declare the world record. The event at Elliot’s Beach is expected to kick off at 6 am and go on till 8 am. (To know more, contact Kidobotikz at 90031 45154)

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express/ Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / July 02nd, 2016

Symbol of a royal era

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence
HISTORIC AND CULTURAL EDIFICE: Testing the digitised 'Sound and Light' show underway at King Tirumalai Naick Palace in Madurai. Photo: S. James / The Hindu
HISTORIC AND CULTURAL EDIFICE: Testing the digitised ‘Sound and Light’ show underway at King Tirumalai Naick Palace in Madurai. Photo: S. James / The Hindu

Built by an Italian architect, Madurai’s Tirumalai Naick Palace is a graceful fusion of the East and West. T. SARAVANAN investigates its past with some help from a Canadian historian, the British Library and a local archaeologist

I first notice the massive glossy columns, all linked by pointed scalloped arches. For a 17th Century Palace, Tirumalai Naick is surprisingly cosmopolitan. But then, it was built at a time when the Kingdom of Madurai had a steady stream of Portuguese, Dutch and other European visitors who came as traders and travellers. This probably explains why King Tirumalai Naick hired an Italian architect to build his palace.

Today, the impressive structure still standing is just one-fourth of the original palace, which consisted of a flurry of domes and turrets. There were arcades and open courts, all punctuated by gardens. Over the years, these were all systematically demolished or encroached upon. They also went through various phases of restoration and renovation. The British Library in London has a surprisingly comprehensive collection of old maps and documents relating to this palace, which is why Canadian Art Historian, Jennifer Howes, first headed there to piece together its past.

Howes says she was intrigued by the palace because it “serves as an architectural conduit towards the understanding of South Indian courtly architecture.” After stumbling upon a sound-and-light show during her first visit to the palace, she was determined to return as a research scholar. She finally included it in her doctoral thesis, which was later published as a book, The Courts of Pre-Colonial South India, in 2003. In it, she discusses how it is possible to reconstruct the lost and demolished part of the palace, with the help of paintings and drawings of the site available in the British Library.

I meet C. Santhalingam, retired archaeological officer and secretary of the Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research, to see if I can find stories the Library doesn’t tell. “Even before people encroached on the land, Chokkanatha Naick (grandson of Tirumalai Naick) brought down most of the residential building complex of the palace as part of his attempt to shift the capital to Tiruchi,” he says. He adds that Naick’s rule was an era noted for cultural and architectural brilliance. Also for the renovation of temples that had been ransacked. By synthesising Dravidian, Islamic and European styles, Tirumalai Naick evolved a unique architectural style, which this palace stands testimony to. The Italian architect created two big building complexes. One was Swarga Vilasam, the administrative block. The other was Ranga Vilasam, the residential quarters, which was completely demolished. All that remains of it today are just the 10 granite pillars. However, a portion of Swarga Vilasam, which includes the central court and the entertainment hall, is still intact. “Tiruchi was the capital of the Madurai Naicks,” says Santhalingam. He adds that since he was a staunch devotee of goddess Meenakshi, Tirumalai Naick shifted the capital from Tiruchi to Madurai, just so it would be easier for him to visit the temple everyday. “Then Chokkanatha Naick decided to move back to stop the Gingee Naicks and Thanjavur Naicks from invading Madurai… When the king vacated the palace, it became a deserted area, and people living in and around the palace found it easy to encroach and occupy the land.” He adds, “Even today, you can find mini pillars from the palace in local houses that are built around it.”

The first major renovation was carried out by Lord Napier in the 19th Century. He employed a British engineer to restore the palace to its original glory. At that time, the defaced surface of all the 248 giant pillars was given a smooth, glossy texture, with chunnambu (lime stone) and stucco plastering mixed with egg white.

While the Archaeological Survey of India has taken over the maintenance of several Jain monuments around Madurai, the majestic Tirumalai Naick Palace has been left out. The Srivilliputtur Palace, built by Tirumalai Naick in similar style for his brother Muthialu Naick, is now under the control of the ASI.

The palace even housed the composite Madurai-Ramanathapuram district court complex. The court was later shifted to a new building, and the palace was brought under the protection of the State Archaeological Department during 1970s. However, with poor funding, the department is finding it hard to maintain the Tirumalai Naick Palace. Perhaps, with more publicity, people will realise how important it is to save this unique piece of our collective past.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / by T. Saravanan / Chennai – July 01st, 2016