Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Dravidian language family is 4,500 years old: study

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The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, researchers said.

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The Dravidian language family, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has found.

This estimate is based on new linguistic analyses by an international team, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, and the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun.

The researchers used data collected first-hand from native speakers representing all previously reported Dravidian subgroups. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, match with earlier linguistic and archaeological studies.

South Asia, reaching from Afghanistan in the west and Bangladesh in the east, is home to at least six hundred languages belonging to six large language families, including Dravidian, Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan.

The Dravidian language family, consisting of about 80 language varieties (both languages and dialects) is today spoken by about 220 million people, mostly in southern and central India, and surrounding countries.

The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, researchers said.

Along with Sanskrit, Tamil is one of the world’s classical languages, but unlike Sanskrit, there is continuity between its classical and modern forms documented in inscriptions, poems, and secular and religious texts and songs, they said.

“The study of the Dravidian languages is crucial for understanding prehistory in Eurasia, as they played a significant role in influencing other language groups,” said Annemarie Verkerk of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

Neither the geographical origin of the Dravidian language nor its exact dispersal through time is known with certainty.

The consensus of the research community is that the Dravidians are natives of the Indian subcontinent and were present prior to the arrival of the Indo-Aryans (Indo-European speakers) in India around 3,500 years ago.

Researchers said that it is likely that the Dravidian languages were much more widespread to the west in the past than they are today.

In order to examine questions about when and where the Dravidian languages developed, they made a detailed investigation of the historical relationships of 20 Dravidian varieties.

Study author Vishnupriya Kolipakam of the Wildlife Institute of India collected contemporary first-hand data from native speakers of a diverse sample of Dravidian languages, representing all the previously reported subgroups of Dravidian.

The researchers used advanced statistical methods to infer the age and sub-grouping of the Dravidian language family at about 4,000-4,500 years old.

This estimate, while in line with suggestions from previous linguistic studies, is a more robust result because it was found consistently in the majority of the different statistical models of evolution tested in this study.

This age also matches well with inferences from archaeology, which have previously placed the diversification of Dravidian into North, Central, and South branches at exactly this age, coinciding with the beginnings of cultural developments evident in the archaeological record.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by PTI / Berlin – March 21st, 2018

Now, Sing Thyagaraja Kritis in Malayalam

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Retired principal translates 101 compositions of the saint-poet

The Telugu compositions of Sri Thyagaraja have reached God’s Own Country and are available to music connoisseurs in “His own language”.

This was made possible by the efforts of Latha Varma, retired Principal of Madurai-based Sri Sadguru Sangeetha Vidyalayam College of Music and Research Centre. Quite surprisingly, Tamil acted as the bridge in translating the Telugu compositions into Malayalam.

Ms. Varma, who belongs to the royal family of Ernakulam, joined the famed college in Madurai when she was 24 and retired a couple of years ago. As Malayalam is her mother tongue and she gained proficiency in Tamil with her prolonged stay in Madurai, she decided to go the extra mile to learn Telugu literature too. And she did master it with élan through a certificate and diploma course from Madurai Kamaraj University.

Though Thyagaraja kritis are sung world over by people of all languages, many are do not know Telugu and as such miss out on its literary beauty. The mellifluous note and rhythm come in for appreciation, but the ‘Bhava’ (substance) more often than not gets lost. It is this void that the musicologist wanted to fill, at least in Malayalam.

She hand-picked 101 most popular compositions of the saint-poet and gave a word-by-word translation (Prathipadartham) and also a gist (Thathparyam) of each verse. As senior Telugu professor T.S. Giriprakash Rao translated the Telugu verses into Tamil, she picked them up for translation into Malayalam.

An academician, performer cum researcher, Ms. Varma spoke to The Hindu on the sidelines of a seminar on “Group kritis of different vaggeyakaras,”organised by Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam’s (SPMVV) Department of Music and Fine Arts, where she was the key-note speaker.

The translation work, which she calls her “pet project”, lasted for two years. “The copies are now available at the Maharaja’s College for Women and Kerala University, both in Thiruvananthapuram, and the Chittur College in Palakkad. I will soon present some [copies] to the Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam,” Ms. Varma said.

Ms. Varma was felicitated by SPMVV Rector V. Uma, Dean (Social sciences) D.B. Krishnakumari, seminar coordinator K. Saraswathi Vasudev and academic Dwaram Lakshmi on the occasion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D. Rangarajan / Tirupati – March 21st, 2018

LR Eswari, the finest example of an unschooled genius

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

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LR Eswari dominated the South Indian film industry during the Sixties and Seventies. A phenomenal talent that she was, any kind of song just came to her

There’s something curiously common about several playback singers of yesteryear – most of them have had no formal training in music in their formative years. On listening to their singing, if one feels it is a phenomenon it is not an amplified statement. LR Eswari, the playback singer who was a rage in the South Indian film industry during the Sixties and Seventies, is the finest example of an unschooled genius. She was prodigious to say the least – her sophistication, versatility, effortlessness… would make one want to believe that there is something to music beyond the rigours of sadhana. Her exceptional voice range could manoeuvre complex ideas and a gamut of emotions at the speed of the mind – sensuous to spiritual, all at one go. The thought and its physical manifestation fused in Eswari’s music. In her, the song and the singer were not separate entities. Altering the very meaning of the creative process itself, in Eswari’s music, the melody began in the composer’s mind and ended in the singer’s articulation of it.

Let us take the song “Sityaako Sidkyaako” from the film, Veera Sankalpa (1962, music by Rajan-Nagendra). Operating within a folk framework, the song, in my opinion is among the most beautiful love songs. An extraordinary composition, the song has folk inflections and typical folk phrases; it is soft, breezy and melodious. What Eswari does to this song is fantastic – she doesn’t give it a monochromatic shade of love, but packs in all its shades so sensitively that you know that it is not an ordinary mind at work. A voice that has amazing throw and energy, becomes so tender in this song: there is the intensity of passionate love, an eternal promise and all this she conveys through intonations. There are two similar folk phrases in the song, “ha ha” at the end of the stanza and “oh hoi” at the end of the refrain “Sityaako Sidkyaako Nanna Jaana”. The former, she works on like a caress with a small silence, and the latter with a playful, folk abandon . With this Eswari unravels the drama of love like a seasoned actor. Next, when she sings the “Tandana tana” she heightens the energy in her voice celebrating the beauty of their feelings for each other. This one song can become a case study for the remarkable singer that she was. In fact, this folk abandon that was part of her sensibility, catapulted her into one of the finest singers of cabaret songs.

Lourde-Mary Rajeshwari, who later became LR Eswari, is a Roman Catholic from Tamil Nadu. Her mother Regina Mary Nirmala sang for chorus in films. As a child, she accompanied her mother to the studios, and soon became a chorus singer herself. But within no time, her potential was recognised and she became the main singer. As a 19-year-old, under KV Mahadevan’s direction, LR Eswari sang “Ivare Thaan Avarey”, and in no time became the favourite of all top music composers of her time.

Eswari sang plenty of songs for Kannada films, and each of them is a masterpiece, they were songs that nobody else could sing but her. “Suma Baaleye Premada Siriye” (Chandavalliya Thota, 1970) is in a way the opposite of “Sityaako Sidkyaako”. A waltz kind of song, it has a western approach (listen to the subtly jagged way in which “Bali saari begane baara” is composed). Eswari gives an authentic touch to the highs and lows in her sprightly demeanour. Each song that she has sung is distinct. “Rasika Rasika” (1970, Bhupathi Ranga) has a narrative that is entirely different from “Dooradinda Bandavare” (Taayi Karulu, 1962). “Dooradinda Bandantha”, rich and robust in its soundscape, was a typical R.D. Burman kind of song, “Bawaju Katti Nodu Baaro” (Sipayi Ramu,1972) was earthy folk, “Ayyayyo Halli Mukka” mocked the folk and had parts where it imitated the Japanese pentatonic, “Aasha Vilasi Ee roopa rashi” (Mallammana Pavada, 1969) was oozing sensuality… Eswari delivered each of these songs as is if she was native to them. Her high voltage, nasal rich voice had a sophisticated understanding which gave the songs a unique quality.

How does one explain Eshwari’s musical talent? Does one call it intuitive, a feeling-based perception? But can such feelings exist in the absence of observation of this world? So, observation and intuition are not necessarily counter to each other, and in her case, one was constantly informing the other, as also forming her music. They were not separate from each other, but supporting each other. Finally, whatever be the meaning of the song that Eswari renders, her notion of music is spiritual which is transferred to the experience of the listener.

If one considers her huge body of work across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malyalam and Hindi, Eswari is perhaps among the most versatile singers India has produced. Her voice, her rendition, her range, equals the best. Yet, when we speak of versatility, why do we invariably speak only of Asha Bhosle and never of singers like Eswari? If S Janaki refused the Padmabhushan award conferred on her in 2013, she had a just case.

Inner Voice is a fortnightly column on film music

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by Deepa Ganesh / March 21st, 2018

What made D.K. Pattammal a trendsetter?

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D.K. Pattammal performing for Kalaniketan in 1959. Photo: Special Arrangement
D.K. Pattammal performing for Kalaniketan in 1959. Photo: Special Arrangement

Thanks to DKP, women musicians stand out not only in classical but cine field too, where she set a new path

How often do we get to celebrate the centenary of a musician who still shines as a singular phenomenon in the world of classical music? Rarer if that musician left deep imprint on all spheres of art and life and went around with an innocent smile and feet well grounded! D. K. Pattammal’s centenary gives us an opportunity to revisit traditional values, ethics and unflinching classicism. Her 99th birthday concludes and 100th begins on March 19. A function to mark this has been arranged at Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai, tomorrow, March 17. Among others, the Vice-President of India and the Governor of Tamil Nadu are expected to participate.

As T. S. Parthasarathy said, “Pattammal’s greatness in the field is neither an accident nor a fortuitous coincidence. Prodigious effort, supported by a whole set of gifts bestowed on her by God and combined with a mighty stream of musical and artistic elements, have gone into the making of her art. Wonderfully assimilating and adapting, she pressed them into service to fashion her unique style. The results are an incomparable melodic richness, clarity and assurance that have few equals in the realm of Indian music even today.”

How can one ever imagine today, a Brahmin woman opting for a singing career a hundred years ago, defying the restrictions imposed by the community? Rukmini Devi Arundale had already cut the Gordian knot to become the first Brahmin woman to enter the Bharatanatyam field as a dancer. Still, it was with misgivings that Pattammal’s father agreed to her music being recorded by the gramophone company, when she was just thirteen. Then began the journey of tussles and challenge and today, thanks to her fortitude and forbearance, millions of woman singers and instrumentalists stand out not only in classical but cine field too, where she set a new path.

Music Academy invited her to sing when she was seventeen and she sang there uninterrupted for over 50 years and the last many years without receiving any as remuneration. Pattammal, was already a national icon by then, with record makers and film music producers, AIR and music organisations employing her versatility. Thanks to her husband R. Iswaran, who let go his well-paid Government job just to administer her career, Pattammal emerged as the first full-time professional woman musician of India. Not just being the first, but being on par, if not better than her male counterparts in all facets of music, especially in singing Ragam, Thanam and Pallavi.

Appeals to all

Her sonorous voice, uncanny musical acumen and complete dedication were well channelled, with the help of her gurus, in producing music that would satisfy the highbrow critic and provide joy to the lay rasika. There was no tentative attempt at perfection and every new exercise was an effort to better the best. Ananth Vaidhyanathan, noted voice specialist, once mentioned to this writer that only two musicians in this country had voice culturing woven into their music and hence sang with ease and firmness through their long career — Kishori Amonkar in the North and D. K. Pattammal in the South. Pattammal’s rendition of ‘Sri Jalandharam Ashrayayamyaham’ with breathless chittaswaras, a few months after she turned 79, can leave a musician of any generation gasping.

Pattammal was strongly attracted by the music of Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar. Ariyakkudi in turn regarded her as worthy counterpart among women.

Pattammal’s own style in many ways smacked of Ariyakkudi in its solidity and right mix of madhyama and vilamba kalam. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer had no hesitation in openly proclaiming that what Ariyakkudi was to male singers, Pattammal was to women. It looks like only a handful of musicians in the last century won the acceptance of their seniors, peers and juniors, very rare for a musician however intelligent or popular. Amongst them were the invincible Tiger Varadhachariar and later D.K. Pattammal.

Now, what marked her music?

— Uncompromising adherence to tradition

— Dedication to the art, with no eye on returns or glamour.

— Judicious selection of what to offer in her concerts, with dignity and spark and

— A rare sense of depth and bhavam communicated with ease and without sentimentality.

Thinking musician

Every composition she took up was studied in its structure, analysed in its scope and finally patterned into her own style as its most defined version. That is why whatever she sang still stands as a guiding light.

Think of a young Pattammal, who with the full support of her father Krishnaswamy Dikshitar, sang patriotic songs to hundreds and thousands braving the oppressive British Raj. The songs had strong words. She didn’t fear arrest. Luckily, she escaped it! She considered singing Bharatiar’s ‘Aaduvome’ over AIR at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, as a cherished occasion in her life.

As many as 55 film hits from ‘Tyaga Bhoomi’ to ‘Hey Ram,’ several patriotic songs, a classical repertoire that ranged from Tamil hymns to Bhajans of composers including her contemporaries such as Spencer Venugopal and Thanjavur Sankar Iyer — all these make Pattammal the musician beyond compare, of modern India.

Pattammal was no liberal as we comprehend the word today. Freedom, to her, meant being obedient to lofty traditional values and obedience was not a bad word! Independence, to her, meant non-interference in upholding dignity. With this faith and belief, she singularly brought about women’s liberation without ever mentioning that word.

Honours and awards came to her unsought. Even while being a busy performer, she continued to be a successful teacher and even trained a Chinese, Chong Chiu Sen, to be a Carnatic performer. But she remained a student and a typical Indian housewife, taking care of her husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her extended family included several students of all ages.

The entire 90 years of her life and music teaches us just one mantra — Simplicity.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by N Vijay Siva / March 15th, 2018

Prayer meeting held for Sridevi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Paying homage: Friends and family members of Sridevi at the meeting on Sunday.
Paying homage: Friends and family members of Sridevi at the meeting on Sunday.

A prayer meeting was organised for actor Sridevi, who died recently, by her family in the city on Sunday evening.

The private meeting saw several members of the Tamil film fraternity attend and offer their condolences. Actors Suriya, Arun Vijay, Prabhu Deva, Jyotika, Meena, Raadika Sarath Kumar and Suhasini Mani Ratnam, fashion designer Manish Malhotra and Lata Rajinikanth were among those who attended the meeting.

Sridevi’s husband Boney Kapoor and their daughters Jhanvi and Khushi had come for the meeting from Mumbai.

Earlier in the day, actor Ajith and his wife Shalini met the family.

The South Indian Artists Association (SIAA) organised a condolence meeting on Sunday morning in which several office-bearers and members, including actors Bhagyaraj, Sivakumar, Sripriya and Ambika were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – March 12th, 2018

Noted historian passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Madurai :

Noted historian and retired history professor of MKU R Venkataraman, who used to guide heritage walks and is well known for his lectures on history of Madurai, passed away on Tuesday night due to a heart ailment. He was 85-years-old.

Madurai Chapter of INTACH mourning his death observed that he was highly knowledgeable historian who discovered many ancient Jain sites around Madurai. Though born in Hindu family, he was touched and inspired by the philosophies of Jainism. It is indeed a huge loss not only for Madurai, but for the field of studies, archaeology & history, the forum observed.

“It is a great loss and the history sessions will never be same without him”, commented K P Bharathi, consultant of DHAN’s tourism for development. At 85, Venkataraman was hale and hearty guiding the heritage walk in January but he started falling ill due to high creatinine level. He was admitted in a private hospital twenty days ago and suffered two heart attacks in the ICU. He passed away late Tuesday night and his mortal remains were cremated on Wednesday afternoon.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Madurai News / TNN / March 08th, 2018

Planning to visit the Chettinad region? For the heritage enthusiast, there are loads to see!

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The pillared hall at the Periya Veedu in Athangudi
The pillared hall at the Periya Veedu in Athangudi

Despite its popularity, the Chettinad region, known for its architecturally distinct mansions and temples, still throws up surprises for the heritage lover

Chettinad, which gets its name from the cluster of 75-odd villages occupied by the Nattukottai Chettiar community, is known for its splendid mansions and temples.

Visiting Chettinad, also well-known for its antiques, makes for a different kind of outing. Then there are the stories of crumbling yet vibrant mansions, forgotten traditions, and of younger generations that have moved away to other parts of the world.

Many of the mansions are unoccupied but far from crumbling, and left in charge of caretakers, who charge a nominal fee to let tourists explore them. Those families that do not wish to throw open their doors to the public, keep their premises under lock and key. But because these mansions tower over the compound walls, it offers the visitor a chance to soak in the exterior beauty of these grand homes. The Chettinad Palace’s exterior, with its stark white walls that contrast with accents in vivid primary colours, is arresting and worth a visit.

The inside world

There are many features that are common to most of these stately structures. The use of coloured glass in the door and window panes, stucco work on the roof fashioned like gods, goddesses, elephants and other mythical beings (colour painted in detail), iron gates painted bright silver, decorative railings and awnings, all contribute to the grand stature of these buildings.

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Some of the most opulent mansions in this area are in and around Karaikudi, Kanadukathan, Athangudi and Devakottai. The Periya Veedu at Athangudi is among the most well preserved homes open to the public. From the black-and-white Athangudi tiled flooring to the exquisite ceiling covered in embossed craftsmanship, the place leaves you lost for words. Bevelled glass mirrors from Murano, teak and lacquerware from Burma, vie for attention, as one walks through the mansion. Here and there, there are columns and window frames brightened with flower motifs inspired from Baroque paintings.

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CVRM and CVCT house are twin homes belonging to different members of the same family. Only one of them is open for viewing, and the lady who looks after the place points out the various objets d’art and shows the view of the village from the terrace. The large homes belonging to Meenakshi Meyappan and her parents always welcome visitors. The colours of these homes range from the natural brick and weather-aged brown, to those that are gaily painted to include pinks, lilacs and mint.

Temple trail

The temple gopurams too carry this sort of vibrancy. The Chettiar families continue to maintain and patronise a large number of temples in the region. The insides of these temples are clean and there is no one demanding alms. The thepakulams beside the temple are well constructed and add to their beauty.

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The Pillayarpatti rock temple, home to the famous Karpagavinayagar, attracts a steady stream of people through the day. The Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple (Shiva temple) is being restored, yet is open to visitors. Both temples stand as a proud testament to the stone work done by artisans. The Kundrakudi Murugan temple is another place of worship worth visiting.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Travel / by Shanthini Rajkumar / March 07th, 2018

The holy men of Varanasi through a lens

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Radhakrishna Ganeshan
Radhakrishna Ganeshan

Photo exhibition highlights the life and practices of the sadhus living in the oldest city of the country

For three generations, Radhakrishna Ganeshan’s family, after moving from Tirunelveli, has lived in the holy city of Varanasi. Pursuing his passion for art and music, he graduated from the Banaras Hindu University in Applied Arts from the Faculty of Visual Arts in 1984 and later completed Masters degree in 1986.

Holding several diplomas in disciplines including painting, music, interior decoration, photography and computer designing from the oldest city, Mr. Ganeshan brings to the former French enclave the share of his world through ‘Sadhus of Banaras – Hidden Discovery of the City,’ a photo exhibition at Aurobindo Ashram Gallery on the beach road.

Growing up on the banks of Ganga river in Varanasi, which he calls ‘the city of subjects’, Mr. Ganeshan would be out every Sunday before dawn with his camera, walking through the lanes across 84 ghats in Varanasi to document the lives of sadhus. “In all these ghats, there are different sadhus. Their personalities, practices differ from each other and I am concerned that this heritage would be lost in the fast urbanisation of Varanasi. With industrialisation and tourism attracting thousands, I felt the need to preserve this heritage through photographs,” he says.

This exhibition is the first of his thematic exhibitions where he has tried to capture different moods of the sadhus whose lives are always shrouded in mystery and represents a world of detachment.

The exhibition gives a closer look at the mundane activities of sadhus, capturing the differences in their practices, identifying every sadhu including an aghori, a sanyasi marvadi, a shaiva sadhu, a vaishnava sadhu or a young sadhu with their uniqueness.

There are more than 60 portraits and photographs of sadhus at the photo exhibition organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. The exhibition will be held for a week beginning from March 5.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Puducherry / by S. Senthalir / Puducherry – March 07th, 2018

This musical innovation plays Indian classical and Western music at the same time

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Twenty-one-year-old guitarist Vishnu on his latest musical innovation that plays Indian classical and harmonic Western music at the same time

“Let me play something for you,” says Vishnu R, as he picks up his latest ‘innovation’, that he’s carefully placed nearby, and proceeds to deliver a neat rendition in Reetigowla raga.

The notes linger, the gamakas sound profound. He’s playing it in an instrument that he can truly call his own. He calls it the Navtar (“it’s been trademarked and is awaiting patent”) and believes that it allows him to play the best of microtonal Indian classical and harmonic Western music at the same time.

The prototype

The seed of this thought was planted in his mind three years back, when he got an opportunity to do a prototype — while working with guitar maker Erisa Neogy, who lives in Auroville. “I got an electric guitar made from him, in which he took the frets off,” he recalls, “The sound was quite different.”

It was at that point that he was travelling around and playing contemporary world music with an Indian classical outlook with Vishnu R Collective, his band. “At that stage, I had to travel with both guitars to play my music.”

One such day, when he was thinking about the direction in which his music was headed, Vishnu’s Eureka moment happened. “I wanted one instrument that could do it all, that could give me the best of both worlds.”

And so, he got in touch with his guitar maker again, and bounced off this idea. “He thought it was crazy,” laughs Vishnu, “But he was willing to work on it.” Together, they worked on ideas for this new instrument, drawing from what modern-day guitarists were up to across the globe. They added three strings. They extended the fretboard, making it look like a fan. “That way, each string gets its space to give its optimum sound.”

First song

Soon, he had a brand new hybrid fret and fretless instrument on hand, which he later named the Navtar. The first song he played in it was ‘Moksha’ — his own composition that draws from Carnatic and Western harmonic elements.

It took him time to get his head around it. But it helped that the feedback from his musician friends was overwhelmingly positive. “Everyone, especially from the Carnatic community, feels that it has a pathbreaking sound,” says Vishnu, whose parents TV Ramprasadh and Indira Kadambi are established names in the classical music and dance circuit respectively.

Vishnu has been associated with the film industry too — but it has been selective. He’s worked on films, including Sonna Puriyadhu and Maan Karate, and more recently, with singers Srinivas, Karthik on a concept celebrating 25 years of AR Rahman. Does he plan to unleash his innovation on filmdom? “If it has a place in the industry, why not,” asks the 21-year-old, who also plays the kanjira.

Navtar: Vishnu’s latest ‘innovation’

 

 

 

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Srinivasa Ramanujum / March 05th, 2018

A glimpse of Chennai’s essence at Chintadripet MRTS station

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Exciting canvas: A student at the Hometown photography exhibition at Chinthadripet station on Thursday.
Exciting canvas: A student at the Hometown photography exhibition at Chinthadripet station on Thursday.

Amateur photographers capture what they love about city

Commuters rushing up and down the long staircases of the Chintadripet MRTS station stopped by for a few minutes to gaze at the walls. For, colourful photographs adorned the usually boring and stained walls of the station.

A team of nine aspiring and amateur photographers who were trained at a photography workshop showcased their works that reflected the city’s varied flavours at the railway station.

Organised by Ueberall, an online photography platform, Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation (CPB) and Goethe Institut, ‘Hometown’, the photography exhibition speaks volumes of the photographers’ connect with Chennai and the vibrant nature of the city.

While the kitchens of Chennai fascinated Vivek Mariappan, who tried to capture the personality of people through them, bright sunlight excited Varsha Narayanan, who was away in London with gloomy weather for sometime.

Her photograph series showed hues of sunlight falling beautifully on various corners of her apartment.

Every photographer had attempted to present themes that affected or touched them be it their memories of the city, migrant workers, threat of encroachment or the relationship between horses and their caretakers at Guindy race course, and affection shared by elderly persons.

Mallika Rajkumar who had a brief stint as a wedding photographer was fascinated by Bharatanatyam dancers.

‘Classic, timeless’

“I wanted to bring out the classic and timeless nature of dance, and Triplicane through black and white portrait of dancers who learn art form at Saraswathi Gana Nilayam that was started in 1939,” she said.

These photographers were trained by Berlin-based photographers — Yana Wernicke and Jonas Feige — who aim to gather essence of the cities from around the world as seen through the eyes of local photographers.

Gayathri Nair, founding trustee of CPB, said, “We wanted to promote photography as an art form in the city that has imbibed music and dance in its culture. We encouraged photographers to look into their homes and neighbourhood for good pictures. The Southern Railway has always been supportive in hosting such events in public space.”

The exhibition will be on till March 17.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – March 02nd, 2018