Monthly Archives: January 2018
Church Park’s centenary
Oh my god, I can’t believe you’ve actually come!” exclaimed a middle-aged woman as she hugged her friend. All around, there was non-stop chatter and raucous laughter. The excitement was palpable at the school auditorium as young and old merged to form a timeless mosaic. For long moments, the alumni who had gathered seemed to bring the past alive, looking every bit the giggly schoolgirls they once were. The occasion was the celebration of 100 years of their beloved alma mater, the Sacred Heart Matriculation School, Church Park.
As a significant part of the centenary celebrations, the alumni association brought out a coffee-table book, The School in the Park: 100 years of Church Park.’ The contributions of several past students were put together and edited by S Muthiah, Chennai chronicler.
The book traces the beginnings of the Church Park story that had its roots in County Cork, Ireland, where Nano Nagle founded the Presentation order of nuns in 1771. Some of the nuns came to India in 1842 to set up schools in Madras, Kodaikanal, Delhi and Rawalpindi.
Uma Narayanan, past pupil and principal writer of the book, said that they used old log books, archives from the Nehru Memorial museum and various interviews of alumni and Presentation nuns to gather information. “This was an exhilarating journey for all of us at Church Park and we are very proud of the outcome,” she said. Pointing out that he had to face many battles with “this incredible group of women,” Muthiah said tongue-in-cheek, “If I lost some of those battles, it was only because those were Church Park girls. By the end, we had formed a story of courage, a story of Irish nuns who came to India at a time when it was unthinkable.”
Kenneth Thompson, the Irish ambassador to India, received the first copy of The School in the Park: 100 years of Church Park.’ “Many of the nuns’ names are forgotten, but their sacrifices to further education in India will be cherished forever,” he said. He quoted the book and added, “It’s not the names that matter, but the school and its ethos.”
Copies of the book were presented to the school’s old teachers. In the audience were Pramila Ganapathy, the first Indian student of the school, and Chandok, one of the boys who passed out of the school in the eleventh standard. There were a few celebrities too – Dr Kamala Selvaraj and Lady Darshana Sridhar, special adviser to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. “It was here that I learnt to be confident,” said Sridhar, “the fact that I can deal with different situations with impartiality and integrity is something I owe to Church Park.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / by Lakshmi Kumarswami / TNN / January 11th, 2009
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Journalist Gnani passes away
The literary critic is survived by his wife and son
Journalist, playwright and literary critic Gnani died in Chennai in the early hours of Monday.
He was 64. He is survived by his wife Padmavathi, who is also a writer and son, Manush Nandan, cinematographer.
Gnani, whose original name was V. Sankaran, began his career at the Indian Express. Later, he edited a number of journals in Tamil. He ran a theatre group, Pareeksha. His column O Pakkangal in popular Tamil weeklies was a big hit.
He contested the Alandur by-poll unsuccessfully in April 2014 on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.
According to Jananee, journalist and who is close to Gnani’s family, it has been decided to donate the body to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital-Medical College.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by T Ramakrishnan / Chennai – January 15th, 2018
New amphitheatre facility at Rail Museum
If you are looking for a space to organise a long-overdue get-together during the Pongal holidays, here is an option for you.
Recently, a 14/10mt amphitheatre with a seating capacity of 150 to 200 persons, was inaugurated at the Regional Rail Museum, Chennai.
This is one of four facilities on the premises of the Museum that are open to the public to conduct events for a few. The other three facilities — two lawns, each of which has the capacity to accommodate 75 to 100 persons, and a roofed enclosure.
It is four months since the Regional Rail Museum has opened up its premises for events by members of the public.
According to a Museum official, this initiative is aimed at increasing the footfall at the museum during weekdays.
“The response to the new measure has been good. Since, around 20 get-togethers have been held. Many of these get-togethers have had to do with families and friends. Recently, a school and a women’s association organised get-togethers. The Museum also allows corporates to organise their events at these facilities,” says the official. Outside caterers and use of audio systems are allowed. Consumption of alcohol and smoking on the premises are strictly prohibited.
Chairs and wheelchairs will be provided, if sought.
A few months ago, the museum increased the number of rest-rooms, which include specially-designed ones for senior citizens and the differently-abled.
The Museum’s closing time has been extended from 6 p.m to 10 p.m. on weekends. Regional Rail Museum, Chennai is located on the premises of Integral Coach Factory on New Avadi Road near Villivakkam. Those interested in booking any of the venues, may call V. Venkataraman, the Museum guide, on his mobile at 98418 68402.
Photos: V. Ganesan
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by L. Kanthimathi / January 12th, 2018
Award conferred on veteran singer
SPB praises violinist L. Vaidyanathan
Singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam was conferred the Lifetime Achievement award by Nandi Fine Arts and KAPRI, in association with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at an event titled ‘Violin maestro Kalaimamani L. Vaidyanathan – 75 – a celebration of his life and music’.
Addressing the audience, Mr. Balasubrahmanyam said that though he was not properly trained in Carnatic music, he had been singing for over 50 years and considered it to be a great blessing. “I am not a learned singer, but I learnt so much by travelling along with eminent people,” he said.
He said he had sung over 40,000 songs till date, but he was more concerned about the songs that pleased the audience than mere numbers.
The singer shared his memories of violin maestro L. Vaidyanathan and spoke in detail about his humility and spiritual inclination.
Earlier, speaking at the event, L. Ganesan, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, said: “In most countries, music is just a form of entertainment, but in India, it is closely entwined with devotion too.”
Singer Vani Jayaram, musician V. Rajkumar Bharathi and other eminent personalities took part in the event.
s0urce: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – January 13th, 2018
Website on Kangayam cattle
At Kuttapalayam, located about 100 km from Coimbatore, is a research foundation that focuses on in situ conservation and breeding of native breed of cattle (Kangayam cattle).
At an event held here on Sunday at K’ sirs, the Seenapathy Kangayam Cattle Research Foundation (SKCRF), which is involved in the work at Tirupur district for several decades now, launched an updated website of its activities (kangayambull.com), released brochures, and sought more support from the public to improve infrastructure and awareness on the Kangayam cattle. The website was hosted in 2009.
A release said that the school organises Pongal festival annually and this year was a platform to create better awareness on Kangayam cattle.
The foundation also has a resource and research centre for conservation of Kangayam cattle and Korangadu, a Silvi pasture grazing system in the western districts of the State.
“An awareness for the protection of indigenous breeds of cattle has been created because of the jallikattu protest last year by the people and students of Tamil Nadu. I would like to thank them all on behalf of the cattle grazers,” says Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, managing trustee of the foundation.
Protection of indigenous varieties of cattle is now becoming prevalent in India because of last year’s protest. The public have understood the need to conserve the native cattle breeds, said R. Radhakrishan, MP.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / b A. Kishore / Coimbatore – January 08th, 2018
100 years of the Tamil short story
The Hindu Lit for Life is going to have an exclusive Tamil lit fest for the first time this year. It could not have come at a more appropriate time as 2018 marks the completion of the centenary of the Tamil short story. The event will honour senior writer Indira Parthasarathy with a lifetime achievement award and five short story writers with awards and cash prizes.
“Though we have been giving space to all languages in our annual literary festival, this year we have decided to have an exclusive event for Tamil because The Hindu (Tamil) completes five years and the paper is located in Chennai,” said Nirmala Lakshman, director and curator of The Hindu Lit for Life.
The prelude
The short story ‘Kulathankarai Arasmaram’, by freedom fighter V.V.S. Iyer, published in 1917, was a trendsetter in Tamil fiction. The narrator of this story — which captures the plight of a victim of child marriage, Rukmini — is, quite exceptionally, a Peepal tree. Rukmini’s husband, who had reluctantly considered marrying another girl under pressure from his parents, becomes a sannyasin when Rukmini dies. After ‘Kulathankarai Arasmaram’, there was no stopping the Tamil short story, which reached great heights in the hands of subsequent writers.
Lakshman said that in previous editions of the The Hindu Lit for Life, Tamil literature has jostled for space with literature in other languages, especially English. “This year’s event will showcase every facet of Tamil short stories,” she said.
To be inaugurated by noted theatre personality Na. Muthusamy on January 7 at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall in the Lady Andal School premises in Chetpet, the one-day festival will be a prelude to the-three day Lit for Life celebrations. The Tamil festival will have discussions on regional literature, Dalit writings, politics of Tamil short stories, films based on them, impact of world literature on Tamil short stories, feminist writings and short stories in popular magazines.
Getting integrated
To add to the attraction, there will be screenings of films based on Tamil short stories directed by late Balumahendra. They were serialised for television as Kathaineram in the early 1990s.
Noted film director and National Film Award winner Vetrimaaran will initiate a debate on the subject.
Indira Parthasarathy will be given the lifetime achievement award. He will also honour the other awardees.
“Parthasarathy will be conferred the award in The Hindu Lit for Life to stress the importance of Tamil language,” said Lakshman. “We are giving the award during the main festival as it is the first time we are conferring the lifetime achievement award on a Tamil writer and we want to honour him within a wider literary context. The other awards are for specific categories. This is also a way of integrating the Tamil festival into the larger one,” said Lakshman.
Some of the speakers at the Tamil Lit Fest include Prapanchan, Imayam, Pattukkottai Prabakar, A Vennila, Chandra, Azhagiya Periyavan, Kalanthai Peermohamed and film directors Suseenthiran and Sasi.
source: http://ww.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Lit for life> Tamil Lit Fest / by B. Kolappan / January 07th, 2018
Tracing their roots from Reunion Island
Out of the 8.5 lakh population in the island, 3 lakh people are Tamils
It was a trip Bernard Goulamoussen (50), a French citizen of Tamil origin settled in Reunion Island, had been longing for since his childhood.
Eagerness writ large on his face, Goulamoussen tells how he was able to see traces of his roots wherever he went during his current trip in Tamil Nadu.
For, he had no idea to which part his ancestors who had migrated more than 200 years ago belonged.
Goulamoussen was among a group of 10 such visitors to Tamil Nadu from Reunion Island, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, who have come to the State to understand their forefathers’ culture, tradition, civilisation, ancient history, educational system, rituals and practices.
After visiting several parts of the State including Chennai, Madurai, Dindigul and Thanjavur, they landed in Tiruchi on Sunday to explore its cultural heritage.
Led by Yogacharya Nilamegame, a native of Puducherry who had settled in Reunion Island about 30 years ago, they visited Cauvery College of Engineering and Technology at Perur near here and interacted with the students to understand the Indian educational system.
Like Goulamoussen, most of the group members also have no knowledge of their mother tongue Tamil.
But, they still practice Tamil culture reflecting in the way they dress and religious practices.
“We do not know where our forefathers lived in Tamil Nadu. We feel ecstatic to be in the land of our origin. We may have forgotten Tamil. But we have not given up our tradition yet,” says Goulamoussen, a temple priest, in French.
Out of 8.5 lakh population of Reunion Island, 3 lakh people were Tamils. Except one-third among them, the rest had poor knowledge about their roots in Tamil Nadu.
“But then, it is because of our deep understanding of festivals of Tamils and religious practices that we regularly recite Devaram and Thiruvasagam in temples,” said Nilamegame, who has penned a book on rituals of Tamils in Tamil and French.
After the interaction, N. Nallusamy, former Minister and Chairman of Cauvery College of Engineering and Technology felt that the State government should set up an exclusive Department to teach Tamil language to the diaspora, particularly in Reunion Island, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by C. Jaisankar / Tiruchi – January 08th, 2018
Workshop showcases variety in architectural themes
Exhibition, discussions held as part of Portfolio18
Deft handwork, good imagination and perfect pictorial finish were the highlights of Portfolio18, an architectural workshop organised at the Lalit Kala Akademi in the city. The exhibition of the works of students pursuing architecture was organised by the Chennai Architecture Foundation.
The three-day event, which was inaugurated on Friday, showcased the works of students from 11 architecture colleges from across the State. The displays, some of which were thesis works by students, included representations of the topography of villages, architectural works of real estate layouts in 2D formats and printed T-shirts. Hundreds of enthusiastic visitors took a keen interest in the displays.
A spokesperson of CAF said the exhibition, which was not a competition, would be an annual event. Apart from the exhibition, the event also had open house discussions where speakers talked about architecture and architectural education, the ground reality in academic institutions and the nature of work produced, and experiments undertaken in academic studios across the State.
In the open house session, students spoke on the theme ‘If I were to learn design, how would I learn?’.
Another segment was ‘College in Focus’, where representatives of institutions shared their ideas and approaches to education.
The event had a variety of events of value to students of architecture, as well as aspiring students and their parents.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – January 09th, 2018