Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Harappa-like site surfaces in Tamil Nadu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All
The excavation trenches at Keeladi attracted many who wanted to have a glimpse of the ancient civilization (TOI photos by Anthony Xavier)
The excavation trenches at Keeladi attracted many who wanted to have a glimpse of the ancient civilization (TOI photos by Anthony Xavier)

Madurai :

With structure after structure surfacing from under the soil, the massive scale of an ancient urban centre that lies buried at Pallisanthai Thidal in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu is emerging.

The second phase of the work undertaken by excavation branch VI, Bangalore, of the Archaeological Survey of India suggests that the settlement at Keeladi village could be as large as the ones in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. The excavations reveal a well-built urban centre with many amenities.

After exploration works on the Vaigai riverbed in 2013-14, the office of the superintending archaeologist, excavation branch VI in Bangalore, shortlisted Keeladi village for excavation. The first phase of the study carried out in 2015 unearthed various antiquities, iron implements and earthenware, both foreign and locally made. The pot shreds of Arretine dating back to 3 BC proved foreign trade existed in the region during the period.

As t he phase I study concluded that this was an ancient urban habitation site, the ASI went for the next phase of excavation at Keeladi. According to archaeologists working at the site, the results of phase II in 53 excavation trenches are overwhelming. “, The mound where we are excavating is of 3.5 km circumference in 80 acres of private agricultural land. We are finding structure after structure of the habitation site, the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu. It could be a huge urban settlement of independent civilisation on the banks of the Vaigai,” said K Amarnath Ramakrishna, superintending archaeologist.

The semi-precious stone antiquities found at the excavation site.
The semi-precious stone antiquities found at the excavation site.

The current excavation works will go on till September this year. The excavation is lending much credence to the narrative in Sangam literature that throws light on the ancient Tamil way of life. The literature speaks volumes about the public and personal lives of rulers and the people of Tamil Nadu some 2000 or more years ago. However, there had been no solid evidence in archaeology to support the Sangam way of life.

Madurai Kanchi, Nedunalvadai and Paripadal in the literature speak about the Madurai and Pandya kingdoms in the region. “These books talk about the personal lives of kings and queens, their palaces and their way of life. But we could not know exactly where the city mentioned in these texts existed,” says Vedachalam.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / by Arockiaraj Johnson / TNN / May 29th, 2016

When nervous fumbles with consoles took a 91.1 turn

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
RJ Anjana Anand at her studio. | (Romani Agarwal | EPS)
RJ Anjana Anand at her studio. | (Romani Agarwal | EPS)

Chennai  :

If you are an avid radio listener, you eventually fall for a faceless voice that hosts the show and get all curious to know the person. Here is one.

Hailing from a conservative Tambram family from Palakkad, Anjana Anand, a Radio Jockey at Radio City 91.1 FM, has had quite a ride to live a dream that her mother wanted to live once.

Anjana had always wanted to try new things. When her friends were busy coaching for engineering and medical entrance exams, Anjana would spend her time applying for television channels until she was called for audition by D-Tv a local channel in Coimbatore.

She got selected. “I worked with D-tv for two years as a part time job. In the beginning it was scary, but after while, I got used to it and kind of got a hang of what I was doing.”

She was pursuing BA Journalism and while in her third year, she quit her job due to work pressure. Within a few months after she completed college, she met with a serious accident. But ver soon, she bounced back, and went on to work at Edelman for two years, which was her dream job initially.

A multi tasker, her passion was dancing. “I cannot stick to one thing. So I thought it was time to quit because I was all over the place ,” she explains

During her internships in college, where she learned a bit about how things worked in radio, she actually thought it was cool to wear headphones and fumble with consoles. Eager but the thought of doing it as a career took a backseat then.

Until an old colleague of hers from D-Tv, Munna, who works as a Breakfast jockey told her about the vacancy at Radio City and she considered it her ‘destiny’s call’. Even though she felt a little disconnected from cine world, she just wanted to go ahead and give it a try.

“I start my day by reading 10 to 15 newspapers, then going through the social media for information; anything that will interest my set of audience because I have a lot of segments in my show which is more about what’s happening in the city,” explains Anjana. She finds it amazing that a one-and-half minute link can hold a lot of news content.

No room for giberrish at all! When asked about her first day in the studio she said she had ‘butterflies in her stomach’ thinking that the whole city is going to listen to her voice. She was very curious to know the response of her listeners which turned out to be really good and she was happy.

Lucky to have been given the freedom to do anything, she credits it to her mother. “During my mother’s time, media studies was not something that people would want their children to pursue. Opportunities were limited and not many knew how to go about it. She had always wanted to learn dance and be a part of the media. Times have changed and I am living her life, and perhaps my dream too.”

(Anjana hosts the 11 am to 2 pm segment in Radio City 91.1 FM )

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Vidya Krishnan / Express News Service / May 28th, 2016

A visual treat awaits tourists

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

PaintingsKoliHillsCF28may2016

Paintings on the 28 km Ghat Road from Karavalli in the foothills to Semmedu in Kolli Hills depicts notable incidents from the history.

Tourists have to pass through the 70-hairpin bends to reach atop the hills to enjoy the scenic beauty. Hence, in order not to make their journey tedious, the Highways Department of Senthamangalam Wing, decided to paint the walls along the Ghat Road at many places illustrating famous incidents in Tamil literature.On the 34th hairpin bend is a painting that depicts the archery skills of King Valvil Ori who ruled Kolli Hills in the second century. It shows how the king killed an elephant, a tiger, a deer, a boar and a monitor lizard with a single arrow.

“It helps us to know the history,” said P. Rithu Sri, a tourist from Hosur. The hectic journey along the Ghat Road turns joyous and informative as the paintings capture the interest of the tourists.

Other paintings include, one of the ‘Kadai Ezhu Vallalgal’ began offering shawl to a drenched peacock, Nalli giving a string of pearl chain to a poet and a scene from Silapathikaram where Kannagi demanding justice for the death of her husband Kovalan in the king’s court. These paintings were drawn at places where space is available for parking vehicles so that traffic is not disrupted.

Tourists also take photographs of the paintings and wanted more details to be displayed along with each paintings. S. Lakshmanan from Karnataka said that the details can be given in English also so that tourists from other States will understand them.

“Now, we have to seek the help of others to know what is written in Tamil,” he added.

Other tourists said that children learned to worship the nature and also learn history.

“No other Ghat Road carries messages like these,” said L.P. Jeyachandran from Chennai.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Dharmapuri – May 28th, 2016

Leaders garland Mutherayar statue

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
SALUTE:Leaders of various organisations garlanding the statue of Mutherayar in Tiruchi on Monday.— Photo: B.Velankanni Raj
SALUTE:Leaders of various organisations garlanding the statue of Mutherayar in Tiruchi on Monday.— Photo: B.Velankanni Raj

Tight security arrangements made to avert any untoward incident

Amid heightened security arrangements across the city, several people paid their respects to ‘Perasarar’ Perumpidugu’ Mutherayar on the occasion of his 1,341 birth anniversary on Monday.

Collector K.S. Palanisamy led the district administration officials in paying respects to ‘Perumpidugu’ Mutharayar by garlanding the statue at Othakadai Junction in the morning.

Representatives of political parties and various outfits garlanded the statue of Mutherayar with a posse of police personnel guarding the spot and its vicinity regulating crowd and vehicular movements.

The sudden outbreak of violent acts indulged by members of a particular outfit during the birth anniversary celebrations of ‘Perumpidugu’ Mutherayar in 2012 prompted the police to put in place detailed security arrangements this year too as a precautionary measure.

A meeting was organised recently by the district administration with members of various outfits for the smooth conduct of the birth anniversary celebrations of ‘Perumpidugu’ Mutherayar, police sources said.

As part of the security plan drafted for the event, barricades were installed around the statue with a team of police personnel guarding the spot and regulating those coming to garland the statue and vehicular movements.

Buses which were initially diverted without touching Othakadai were subsequently allowed to proceed via Bharathidasan road. Carrying their organisation flags, members of the Tamil Nadu Mutharayar Sangam, Mutharayar Munnetra Sangam and Veera Mutherayar Munnetra Sangam garlanded the statue.

In addition to city police, personnel from the Armed Reserve, Tamil Nadu Special Police, Quick Reaction Teams and Striking Forces were deployed at different spots. Pickets were posted at vantage spots in the city as a precautionary measure to ensure order on the day of the celebrations.

Representatives of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Tamil Maanila Congress and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam garlanded the statue.

Police said the celebrations went off peacefully amid heightened security measures to ensure its smooth conduct.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – May 24th, 2016

N Arunachalam, whose photocopiers empowered the masses

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders

Chennai :

Tamil enthusiast and founder-chairman of Adyar Students Xerox Centre N Arunachalam passed away on Monday evening at the age of 76.

Arunachalam, native of Thirukannapuram village in Nagapattinam district, started his career as a revenue official. Inspired by social activist Periyar’s ideologies, he later quit his job and led anti-Hindi and anti-Brahmin agitations in Nagapattinam along with other prominent leaders.

N Arunachalam (1940-2016)
N Arunachalam (1940-2016)

He shot to fame in 1986 after establishing the Students Xerox Centre at Adyar, at a time when photocopies were available only for the elite. Now the centre has more than 35 branches in the city and is a popular resource centre among student fraternity.

Indeed, Arunachalam and his crew were the first to coin the term ‘Nagalagam’, the Tamil equivalent for ‘Photocopy’.

“He was a pioneer in leading the struggle for introducing Tamil as a medium of instruction in State-run schools during 1998. He had organised a state-wide campaign through his Tamil Scholars Forum and sat on a hunger strike along with 102 Tamil scholars attracting the Centre’s attention”, said Tamil scholar Iraiyelilan.

Though the DMK government assured to implement this, the Government Order was quashed by the Madras High Court and the case was still pending in the Supreme Court.

He was popular among the literary circle for his magazine ‘Nandan’ which wrote extensively on Tamil language, music, atheism and nationalism in layman’s terms.

The family invested profits from the photocopy centres into the forum to conduct State-wide Tamil essay and elocution competitions for school students, recalled M Saravana Kumar who won an award in the early 1990s.

His final rites will take place at his native village on May 25. His body has been kept for public viewing at his residence at Kottivakkam till Tuesday 2 pm. He is survived by wife Santha, son Sowrirajan and daughters Thirumeni and Neelamegam. PMK leader S Ramadoss had condoled his death.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Ram M Sundaram / by Express News Service / May 24th, 2016

Pudukottai museum records better footfall

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
FROM THE LOST WORLD:The moving dinosaur is the cynosure of all eyes in the renovated government museum in Pudukottai.— PHOTO: A. MURALITHARAN
FROM THE LOST WORLD:The moving dinosaur is the cynosure of all eyes in the renovated government museum in Pudukottai.— PHOTO: A. MURALITHARAN

The moving dinosaur has been a huge attraction for visitors

The Government Museum here has been attracting a large number of visitors, children, history-lovers, and research scholars thanks to the facelift given to it by the State government.

New galleries, including a metal ware gallery and auditorium, are important facilities provided at this century-old museum, which is the second largest in the State, after the Chennai museum.

The ancient flooring has been replaced with tiled flooring all around the museum.

Exhibits of invertebrates, water birds, different types of fishes, butterflies, arthropods, and reptiles have been carefully displayed.

The main building has been renovated and converted into a modern gallery with diorama display cases, say museum authorities.

The metal ware gallery has a collection of south Indian toys, ancient bronze idols, ornamental plates, and trays and copper embossed plates . About 500 metallic exhibits of the ancient era brought from the Chennai museum are display at the metal ware gallery.

Meetings and training programmes can be organised at the auditorium.

With 200-seat capacity, the auditorium, on the rear side, will host various events, including inscription-related training for archaeology students.

The State government had sanctioned Rs. 80 lakh for the work. Paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, huge portraits of the Thondaiman rulers, and musical instruments used in the bygone era are the other prized items in the museum.

Post-renovation, the museum has been attracting a large number of visitors.

The moving dinosaur is yet another attraction for the visitors cutting across age-groups. With its tail wagging and a wide grin, the dinosaur has been a big hit with the visitors.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Pudukottai – May 23rd, 2016

Even at 84, he imparts Silambam lessons to thousands of kids in TN

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

Coimbatore:

At the age of 84, T A Angappan twists and spins the silambam (bamboo stick) with the flair and agility of a five-year-old child. Angappan was trained in Silambattam, a local martial artform, at the nascent age of seven by his father at Tiruchengode in Namakkal district.

Angappan not only learnt the martial art, but also took an oath to promote the ancient artform and trained youngsters to take it up professionally.

Today, Anagappan, at 84, still continues to teach Silambattam and has thousands of students across the state. He visits Coimbatore once in two months to train his students and also holds a free summer camp at R S Puram during the summer vacation where hundreds of students take part and learn the martial art for 15 days.

“I want more girls than boys to learn this art,” he says. In 1964, he demonstrated the artform at the Mariamman Kovil temple festivities. In a bid to pursue parents to send their daughters to train in the martial art, he dressed one of his male students as a girl in one of the performance.

“Even after my persuasion, none of the families were willing to send their daughters. So I made a boy dress like a girl and perform. After watching that, I got one student from Salem who was acting in films and theatre. It’s only after she stepped up, did other girls also start joining the classes,” said Angappan.

Angappan was born to a weaver and said his father taught him the martial art daily after he got back from work. “From 9pm till midnight, me and my father would practice Silambattam. But there was no compromise with my education and I finished my SSLC and then got a job in a co-operative society,” Angappan said. It’s only after a friend recommended him to become a physical education teacher at a school, is when Angappan decided to teach Silambattam professionally.

“None of the schools then wanted Silambattam to be taught in schools, even government schools were not interested. I had to insist, a chief education officer of Tiruchengode to let me demonstrate the martial art. I trained a batch of children for an hour and after the demonstration, the officer agreed to allow Silambattam to be taught in government schools,” he said.

Angappan said the main reason for the martial art not being taken up as a professional sport is because of lack of qualified teachers.

“There should be at least one well-known teacher for the art to grow internationally. Though Silambattam associations have been set up in Malaysia, it is still only a state-level sport there,” said Angappan.

He was part of an Indian delegation to Russia in September 1987, where 11 of his students demonstrated their Silambattam skills. “The tour opened the gates for the martial artform to be recognised internationally and be given more consideration in India,” he said.

Angappan, who has been a true ambassador of Silambattam, said the art needs to grow among people in its true form. “I have hundreds of students who promote others to take to the sport. I do not wish for it to be commercialized and lose its essence. Many think the of it is as just a tool for fighting, but Silambattam is an art and helps one grow as a person, just like Kung-fu, Kalari or Karate,” he said.

Many cinema stuntmen have been trained by Angappan in the art. “They taught me sword fights and I taught Silambattam in return,” he says

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / by Komal Gauthami, TNN / May 23rd, 2016

Experts stress the need to preserve Arni’s architechtural heritage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

For the common man, Arni, a small town in neighbouring Tiruvannamalai district, is best known for its world-renowned silk sarees — Arni pattu, as the saris are called. But there is more to the town.

A talk by noted architect Mohan Hariharan on the history and architecture of Arni, organised by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Chennai Chapter, at Amethyst in Royapettah on Friday, threw more light on its rich past.

“The origin of the word Arni can be traced to Tamil literature where ‘Aaru’ means river and ‘Ani’ refers to ornament,” said Mr. Hariharan, who is from the town. He said that initially, the Pallavas ruled the Arni town followed by Rashtrakutas in 968 A.D. The Chola period including the reigns of Kulathunga Chola-II (1070 A.D – 1122 A.D) and Rajathi Raja Chola-II (1166 A.D – 1178 A.D) witnessed more developments in administration including formation of feudatories. Inscriptions also reveal several grants and donations made by Cholas to temples in the form of villages.

In 1640 A.D., the jagaridari system, a form of land tenancy established during Mughals, was introduced in Arni by the Maratha king, Shahaji Raje Bhosale (father of famous Maratha King Chhatrapathi Shivaji). “The first jagir was introduced during that time and existed till 1948 when the erstwhile jagir became part of the country after Independence,” he said.

The highlights of the town include two palaces built in early 19th century. The first palace, a two-storey building known as Diwan Khane, was originally meant as a guest house for women and children of the royal family.

Spread over 35 acres, the palace had circular brick pillars, Indian motifs, arches, gothic columns and Madras terrace built with the lime and mortar method.

Peacock pattern glass panels on the doors, door handles and engravings with flora and fauna — characteristic of the Mughal style of architecture — were also introduced.

The palace had fish-typed door stoppers and floors that were made of lime but resembled tiled flooring. The last two features were unique to the architecture followed by Arni rulers of those times. At present, the palace is in ruins.

The second palace, known as Poosi Malai Kuppam, was built as a guest house for the rulers.

The single-storey structure had several interesting features including a separate loft for pigeons, four chimneys (despite the town experiencing generally hot climate) of the main palace in typical British style.

Most of the structure now remains intact but needs immediate conservation. In fact, Mr. Hariharan said, the forest palace was the earliest structure in the region to use steel rafters instead of traditional wooden rafters for its roof. Such steel rafters added strength to the structure.

Two palaces built in the 19th century are the highlight of the town and need conservation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by D. Madhavan / Chennai – May 23rd, 2016

Nine ordinary tales of extraordinary children

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

AnjanaCF19may2016

Chennai :

The stories are simple but the protagonists are extraordinary. They are children battling various disabilities like cerebral palsy, colour blindness and autism. Their tales of courage, grit and determination are recorded in `Evolving Angels -A collection of nine stories with a disability theme’ by V S Anjana, a former student of Vidya Sagar who has cerebral palsy.
Each tale in the book revolves around the experiences of Anjana and the people she came across in her life. “I graduated in BA Communicative English from a city college. But I found it difficult to find a job. That was when my mentor Shashank suggested the idea of coming out with a book that will connect to children with disabilities and also spark off an entrepreneurial journey for me,” said the 30-year-old.
“The nine tales are told in a playful manner to boost the confidence of children. The stories also have a moral – to create a more inclusive society,” said Anjana, who wrote the book using speech text software. “I was rejected many times when I tried to find a job. I hope the stories will serve as an eye-opener for those who do not give opportunities to people with disabilities,” she said.
In the book, a chapter titled `Football’ talks about how a group of children master sign language to help out a peer who is hearing and speech impaired and loves to play football.
‘Puzzle’ is a story about a teacher who finds fun activities for a disabled child so that he doesn’t feel left out.
‘Evolving Angels’ is available as an ebook and costs Rs 200. Due to financial constraints, a print edition has been put off on hold for the time being, said Anjana.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / by Shilpa Vasudevan / May 19th, 2016

Retired IRPS officer translates speeches of famous personalities

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders
G. Marimuthu Photo : K. Pichumani
G. Marimuthu Photo : K. Pichumani

Former IRPS officer G. Marimuthu has launched his third book Great Speeches of Great Men that saved Humanity (Manuda Amaidhikku Vazhivagutha Perarigyarin Peruraigal). The book is a translation of famous speeches delivered by well-known personalities.

“The book is aimed at instilling values in students and I have chosen speeches that have changed the destiny of the world,” says 63-year-old Marimuthu, who worked on the translation for close to a year.

A total of 41 speeches of international leaders and heads of nations, from the 1600s, find a place in the book.

The book begins with Michelle Obama’s speech and ends with that of Barrack Obama, as an appreciation of their oratorical skills. Queen Elizabeth’s statesmanship and Pope John Paul’s approach to religion are some of the messages the author has conveyed.

Seven women speakers are also celebrated in the book. Gandhi’s ‘The Great Trial’ speech and Kevin Rudd’s apology to ‘aborigines’ in Australia are the other highlights.

The author has previously written two books – Silappathigarathil Sirappana Vazhviyal Sinthanaigaland Arivupasikku Arumaiyana Sinthanaigal. With an educational background in history and law, Marimuttu’s aim to become a professor and educate the younger generation was unfulfilled. To fulfil this dream and to channelise his love for literature, he started writing.

“I am inspired by the speeches of Thamizharuvi Maniyan, Suki Sivam and Sudha Seshayyan,” says the resident of Arumbakkam, who plans to recite these speeches in government colleges and at training programmes.

The book is priced at Rs.169. “Proceeds from sales will be utilised to help students from poor and rural communities,” he says. For further details, call 9444628276.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Down Town / by Roshni Raman / Chennai – May 14th, 2016