Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

British era air raid shelter demolished

December 1, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

The World War II air-raid shelter near Kasimedu being demolished. | Photo Credit: R. Ragu

Historian V. Sriram says structure near Kasimedu should be protected

A piece of the city’s rich colonial past made of concrete and metal is being demolished to make way for development work along Ennore Expressway. On Thursday, a hydraulic breaker found it hard to dismantle the concrete behemoth constructed several decades ago.

The air-raid shelter constructed by the British to withstand bombs during World War II that usually stands neglected near Kasimedu, will soon become history.

Locals not bothered

Locals unaware of the history of the structure, do not seem to be bothered about the demolition.

While those at the site said it was being pulled down for widening Ennore Expressway’s service lane, another said it was being done for laying of the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s (CPCL) crude oil pipeline. However, both the National Highways Authority of India, which manages the road, and the CPCL denied that they had anything to do with the demolition.

Historian V. Sriram said the grey concrete structure was constructed by the British Government during the World War II as an air-raid shelter. He said several such air raid shelters were constructed in and around the city to house the local people in the event of an air attack.

Over the years the concrete building, which was not put to use for the purpose it was constructed, had remained neglected by government agencies and had gradually become a public convenience for the locals.

Dumping of garbage

The concrete structure resembling a water sump with no doors reeks of a bad smell and is filled with garbage going to show the way ‘historic’ building has been treated by the government authorities.

Mr. Sriram rues that when several buildings not of any historic value could be lifted and moved, this air raid shelter certainly deserves to be protected. He pointed out the concrete structure, though not converted into a museum, could have been preserved by moving it to the other side of the road so that it could serve as a reminder to a time when the city came close to be bombed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R. Srikanth / Chennai – December 01st, 2017

History faculty discovers hero stone in Anamalai

November 28, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, Alladmin

The hero stone discovered near Anadigambareswarar Temple in Anamalai shows two warriors’ valour. | Photo Credit: HANDOUT_E_MAIL

Dated around 16th century, it depicts an incident that could have taken place in the area

A hero stone depicting the valour of two warriors has been discovered in a bush behind the Anadigambareswarar Temple in Anamalai. Assistant Professor of History, Rajapalayam Raju’s College, B. Kandasamy, who spotted the stone, says it has two warriors, three women and child. Hero stones are carved in memory of warriors’ valour and worshipped.

In this case, it shows a warrior holding a jagged sword in his left hand. The portion depicting his right hand is damaged. The second warrior is seen holding a long sword in his right hand and a jagged sword in his left hand.

Garland

One of the women is seen holding a garland and the child is seen supporting a warrior. The second woman is also seen holding a garland. The third woman is seen holding a hand fan and taking them to heaven after martyrdom.

The stone, dated around 16th century, depicts an incident that could have taken place in the area.

The warriors’ head gear, lower garment and the women’s lower garment are also clearly visible.

The discovery of the stone assumes significance in the light of discovery of iron objects and another three-tier hero stone from near the Perumal Kovil Karadu in the area.

The three-tier hero stone is now in the Coimbatore Museum, Mr. Kandasamy adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Karthik Madhavan / Coimbatore – November 20th, 2017

‘Nadalahari’ features instrumentalists celebrating Chennai for UNESCO honour

November 26, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

About 50 instrumentalists shared the stage for this marathon programme | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

All the musical instruments came together to celebrate Chennai

‘Nadalahari’ was a grand musical celebration of instruments at the Narada Gana Sabha. They were celebrating the UNESCO’s inclusion of Chennai in the Creative Cities Network. It was organised by Avasarala Kanyakumari, known for such grand shows with violins.

Dedicated to the cause of instrumental music, Kanyakumari, in her welcome address, did mention the lack of opportunities for instrumentalists to perform solo and also the rasikas’ preference to vocal. Indeed, her grievance is genuine; listeners are not fully tuned to instrumental music unless they find something exotic in it.

Guests of Honour K.N. Ramaswamy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Haricharan Das of Musee Musicals were in full appreciation of Kanyakumari’s endeavours with zeal in promoting instrumental music among the audience.

In this marathon programme, about 50 instrumentalists participated and performed in succession; so one can almost get to listen to all the popular instrumental artistes from Kadri Gopalnath’s saxophone to some very young learners performing veena, violin or mandolin.

Opened with saxophone

The programme started with Kadri playing the Bhairavi swarajati ‘Amba Kamakshi.’ Chitraveena Ravikiran and his students took over to present ‘Brochevarevarura’ (Khamas).

It was time for the flute and R. Thyagarajan with his disciples played ‘Ramakathasudha’ (Madhymavati). R.S. Jayalakshmi’s group (veena) presented ‘Jagadeeswari’ in Mohanam. Multifacedted Palghat Sriram in the company of young artistes played ‘Telisirama.’

Raju and Nagamani’s party impressed with ‘Thaye Tripurasundari’ (Suddha Saveri) followed by the majestic nagaswaram with a group presenting ‘Akhilandeswari’ (Dwijawanti). Notable inclusions were the solo presentation of raag Sindhubhairav by Pt. Janardhan Mitta on the sitar and raag Maru Behag by Balesh on the shehnai. The penultimate offering, Nadatanumanism (Siddha Ranajni) was by Kanyakumari with all the violinists and her students.

In the grand finale, all the artists joined to thank the audience with ‘Entaro Mahanubhavulu’ (Sri). A host of percussion artists supported the instrumentalists in different combinations.

What I have said may look like a report. But it was a celebration and celebrations are meant for sharing and enjoyment. The emcee Krishna Babu constantly talked about the enthusiasm of the artistes, who had gathered breaking all barriers — age, name and fame, etc. The aim was to participate and showcase their speciality. Nuggets on Chennai and its musical history were provided as interludes by Rasikapriya, during the change of artists. The glitches in the sound system — unavoidable perhaps, given the range of instruments and their frequencies — was overshadowed by the spirit of the artistes, who were in excellent form.

The final piece reminded me of AIR’s ‘Vadya Vrinda’ — several artistes playing kritis in perfect unison. Perhaps Kanyakumari can think on those lines — live joint ventures with different instrumentalists, where each enjoys his space.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by G. Swaminathan / November 23rd, 2017

Back to basics

November 24, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

Andrea Jeremiah’s original music takes centrestage in today’s live concert

The right to education is a cause that singer and actor Andrea Jeremiah is quite passionate about. “I strongly believe it is the single greatest weapon to fight poverty, ignorance and corruption. The primary purpose of education is to create awareness and a skill set. If you don’t have a skill, you can’t make a living,” she says.

So it’s no surprise that she’s lending her voice to support a fundraiser for a Skill Development Centre to be built by Y’s Men International. She will be live in concert today at Phoenix MarketCity. “I’m going to be performing only in English, taking a chance and doing more of my own music. The singer/songwriter side of me has been kept under wraps for too long,” says the singer, who grew up listening to country music. “When I was doing musical theatre and mainstream pop, my idols were Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Then in my late teens, I discovered Ella Fitzgerald and fell in love with jazz. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of eclectic EDM; so I basically listen to everything,” she says, when asked about her musical influences.

While she recently composed, wrote and sang an original number for her latest film, Taramani, she says, “Moving to music is not an option for me at the moment, simply because the independent music scene in India hasn’t fully evolved yet.” That being said, she has been spending a lot of time in the recording studio. “I have songs in various stages of development. I need to focus on releasing these.”

As for balancing cinema and music, Jeremiah says, “Cinema is a common platform for artists to create something together, from the art director to the actor. Being an actor is a different experience from being a singer, but they are both gratifying.”

Opening the show for Jeremiah is Sharanya Gopinath, who’s known for her songs in Uttama Villain, Valiyavan and Maragadha Naanayam. She will be performing with the Drop Squad Band, singing a mix of English, Hindi and Tamil numbers. “The set list includes upbeat songs from the 70s, like Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross et al. There’s going to be something for everyone,” she says.

Andrea Jeremiah Live In Concert will take place at Phoenix MarketCity, today at 7 pm. Tickets at ₹2,000, ₹1,000 and ₹500 available on bookmyshow.com. 66513007

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Susanna Myrtle Lazarus / September 22nd, 2017

Trisha becomes UNICEF celebrity advocate

November 21, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

She will voice rights of children, address major issues such as anaemia, early marriage and child abuse

Actor Trisha Krishnan is all set to don a new role, but in real life this time. She is the first actor from South India to be bestowed with the UNICEF celebrity advocate status.

She will voice the rights of young people, especially girls. The actor will support the efforts to address problems faced by children in Tamil Nadu and Kerala such as anaemia, early marriage, labour and child abuse.

Speaking at the event here on Monday, Ms. Trisha said that she was honoured to get the recognition.

“I commit myself to creating more awareness on health, education, nutrition and protection of children, especially the adolescents and young people in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I would support the efforts of the government to make Tamil Nadu malnutrition-free and open defecation-free,” said the actor.

Interacting with over 50 children at the function, she said education for girls was a magic bullet that would eliminate social evils.

On child marriage

“If all girls attended school, we can eliminate child marriage and child labour. In the long run, [providing] education to girls will also contribute to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality and malnutrition,” she added. Making the announcement at a special function to mark the World Children’s Day, Job Zachariah, Chief of UNICEF office—Tamil Nadu and Kerala said Trisha was an icon for younger generation.

“She has the power to amplify the children’s issues and address violation of child rights in the family, community and in public spaces. She will also promote education and health of adolescents and the value of girl child in family and society.”

Ms. Trisha has acted in 64 films, including 38 in Tamil, 23 in Telugu and one each in Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam.

The programme was attended by M.P. Nirmala, Chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Sugata Roy, UNICEF communication specialist and representatives from child rights organisations and academic institutions.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities>Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – November 21st, 2017

Tributes paid to renowned neurologist

November 20, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Science & Technologiesadmin

Former Governor of West Bengal Gopalakrishna Gandhi paid rich tributes to the late neurologist Krishnamoorthy Srinivas at the Buddhi Immersion 2017, a workshop on the Brain, Mind and Integrative Medicine, held in the city on Friday. Mr. Gandhi said Dr. Srinivas had a microchip of a memory with a giga byte voltage containing everything in tight configuration and it could be unravelled at the slightest touch. Dr. Srinivas had the knack to describe an event, relate an episode or explain a phenomenon with sparkling clarity.

Mr. Gandhi said, “If you had to mention a name but were struggling, he (Dr. Srinivas) would complete the name, the background, ancestry, the signs of the zodiac, the traits of personality, the foils and foibles and it was only his highest professional rectitude which kept him from further going into the person’s medical history.”

Mr. Gandhi recalled a pertinent conversation with Dr. Srinivas about old age and the reasons for forgetfulness wherein he said the main reason for one to forget was not that they had forgotten but they did not choose to remember, which meant they did not register with due care what was being said to them.

Book released

“Dr. Srinivas said that if only they had registered it with due attention, they would not have experienced what seems to be the case of forgetfulness. So if you are interested in something, you are not likely to forget,” Mr. Gandhi recalled. He released the book ‘Autism: The Buddhi Book’ written by Ennapadam K. Krishnamoorthy and Subbulakshmy Natarajan on the occasion.

B.N. Gangadhar, director of NIMHANS, delivering the Dr. Krishnamoorthy Srinivas Lecture 2017, talked on the subject ‘Yoga for Integrative Mental Health: Neurobiological Evidence’.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – November 18th, 2017

Chennai is now part of UNESCO’s ‘creative cities network’

November 10, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

The world body recognises the city’s rich musical tradition.

It’s a feature Chennai has always flaunted with pride. And now, it has got international recognition. The city has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, congratulating the city: “Chennai’s contribution to our rich culture is precious. This is a proud moment for India.”

A total of 64 cities from 44 countries have joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the organisation’s website said.

“They join a network at the frontline of UNESCO’s efforts to foster innovation and creativity as key drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development,” it stated.

Gastronomy, music, crafts and folk art, media arts, design, film and literature are the seven fields of creativity highlighted by the network, which now has a total of 180 cities in 72 countries.

Jaipur and Varanasi are the other Indian cities that feature on the list.

Chief Minister thanks PM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, in a statement, said “the people of Chennai love their music and it is a part of their culture and tradition”. He thanked Mr. Modi for “congratulating the people of Chennai for this unique distinction.”

Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri said, “This truly is a moment to remember each and every artiste of the varied forms who have laid the bricks to build this musical empire. A haven for the classical music, popular music, music for dance and theatre and folk, we revel in the arts.”

Ghatam vidwan ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram said the city and its sabhas had played a very important role in bringing together Carnatic musicians from all over the country and abroad. “In the beginning, there were very few sabhas, but now, there are many. And even the very small ones help in propagating Carnatic music. The December music season is something very unique to this city and even for persons from other countries; it is a matter of pride to perform during it,” he said.

Tamil Development Minister Ma Foi K. Pandiarajan said, “Chennai, as a cultural capital of India, is built on its music and dance culture. We are delighted that UNESCO has recognised it.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – November 09th, 2017

M Nannan, famous Tamil teacher, dies aged 94

November 7, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

Chennai :

M Nannan, who kindled an interest among people to learn Tamil through his famous ‘Tamil Karpom’ programme on Doordarshan in the 1980s and 1990s, died at his residence in Chennai on Tuesday due to aged-related illnesses. He was 94.

Nannan, who was a Tamil professor at Presidency College in Chennai, had written several Tamil textbooks. He was the recipient of Tamil Nadu government’s Periyar, Thiru Vika and Anna awards.

Born in 1924 in Cuddalore district, he started following Periyar and later joined the DMK. He participated in the anti-Hindi protests in 1965.

Political party leaders condoled the death of Nannan. “Nannan’s death is a great loss for the Dravidian movement. Apart from being a Tamil teacher, he was also involved in propagating Periyar’s teachings,” said DMK working president M K Stalin in a statement.

Stalin said DMK chief M Karunanidhi had entrusted him the responsibility of propagating the Tamil language and Periyar’s teachings in the party.

PMK chief S Ramadoss said, “Nannan was a famous Tamil professor and a good friend of mine. He started his career as a primary teacher and later he became the chief of Tamil department in college. He also created a separate type of teaching called Nannan Murai.”

AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran tweeted: “We have lost a Tamil expert in the death of Prof Nannan. His death cannot be replaced.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Chennai News / by Abdullah Nurullah / TNN / November 07th, 2017

Pennycuick hardly known in England

November 5, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Film-maker traces British engineer’s roots in the country

The famed British civil engineer John Pennycuick, who built the Mullaperiyar dam, may be extremely popular in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu for building the dam and his life may have inspired actor Rajinikanth’s Lingaa, but he is reportedly practically unknown in England.

Having grown up listening to stories about John Pennycuick in Uthamapalayam in Theni district, Santhana Beeroli, a documentary filmmaker, wants to change it by making a film about the illustrious British engineer who constructed what is generally called an engineering marvel.

“In my home town, Pennycuick is a massive hero. Ever since I was a kid, I grew up listening to his story and was interested in knowing more about him. This is one of the reasons why I came to the U.K. to study. My wish is that Mullaiperiyar dam should become a famous tourist spot in his memory,” he says.

Despite John Pennycuick’s popularity in Tamil Nadu, finding Pennycuick’s family roots proved to be difficult, confesses Santhana Beeroli, who currently lives in Croydon, London.

After failing to find any leads, Mr. Beeroli says that he had to approach a professor at the History Department, University of Chester, where the film-maker was pursuing his Masters in Business Administration.

“I only knew that he died in Camberly, where he had his family home, which he reportedly sold to fund the dam. The professor recommended that I look for leads in the British Library in Euston. Luckily, I found valuable information about the Mullaiperiyar dam, the designs, financial aspects [balance sheets], his own appointment letter, which gave me an idea about the kind of engineering marvel that it is,” said Mr. Beeroli.

He adds, “Over nine years’ time, during which he built the dam, he didn’t take a single day’s leave so as to ensure that people who worked on the dam were not going off track. It was a complex engineering feat – to divert a westward flowing river towards the east to irrigate the plains. Apart from these information, I also documented the oral history about how the dam was built by speaking to people whose grandfathers and fathers worked to build the dam.”

While the library had documented important information, Mr. Beeroli says that it proved almost impossible to trace his family members. “The British lifestyle values privacy and since almost 100 years had passed, it was very difficult to find his family. But through a website that helps find family trees, I was able to gather that he had at least four daughters and a son. I was able to figure out that his great grandson was John Hope.”

Asked about how Pennycuick’s descendants reacted, Mr. Beeroli said that most of them were surprised and inspired by the story of their illustrious ancestor.

“The people in the church where he was laid to rest didn’t realise how important and revered Pennycuick is in Tamil Nadu. My wish is to take his family to the dam. The film is 70% complete already and soon will be ready,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Udhav Naig / Chennai – November 02nd, 2017

In a first in Tamil Nadu, Srirangam temple bags Unesco award

November 2, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Trichy :

The Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam has bagged an award of merit from Unesco for protecting and conserving cultural heritage, thus becoming the first temple from Tamil Nadu to grab the prestigious honour from the UN body. The traditional method of renovating temple premises as well as re-establishment of rainwater harvesting and the historic drainage system in preventing flooding are the two key parameters that earned the temple the award.

Launched in 2000, Unesco-Asia Pacific awards for cultural heritage conservation programme is aimed at acknowledging the efforts taken to restore and conserve historical structures without affecting their heritage value in the region comprising 48 countries. Unesco had invited applications earlier this year to submit conservation projects either taken up by individuals or in public-private partnership model in the last 10 years for the awards. Subsequently, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department of Srirangam temple applied for the awards in May. As the results of the awards given under four categories were disclosed by Unesco Asia-Pacific on Wednesday, Srirangam temple was the only religious centre from south India to find a mention under ‘Award of Merit’ category.

HR&CE sources said that the temple had received the international recognition for the Rs 20 crore (from HR&CE and donors) renovation project taken up prior to a consecration ceremony in November 2015, especially without affecting its centuries’ old architectural design. “The communique received by us cited the traditional construction method involved in reworks and re-establishment of the historical sewage system as parameters for receiving the international award,” P Jayaraman, joint commissioner of the temple, told TOI. In 2015, restoration work was carried out in the entire temple complex by craftsmen who had in-depth knowledge in traditional architecture involving the usage of limestone and chemical-free construction practices.

Similarly, the flooding problem in the temple was overcome by re-establishing historical water harvesting and drainage system, and the waste water after re-treatment was used for watering the garden within the temple.

There were 43 applications from 10 countries for the 2017 Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Mumbai’s Christ Church and Royal Bombay Opera House were the other monuments in India that received the Award of Merit this year.

The awards are classified under four categories — Award of Excellence, Awards of Distinction, Awards of Merit and Award for New Design in Heritage Context. They are being given to encourage the efforts of all stakeholders and the public in conserving and promoting monuments and religious institutes with rich heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. A jury comprising nine international heritage conservation experts reviewed the documentation of the conservation project taken up by Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple management.

In Video: In a first in Tamil Nadu, Srirangam temple bags Unesco award

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Tamil Nadu / TNN / November 02nd, 2017

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