Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The Indo-Danish connect

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
The Danish Fort, also called ‘Dansborg Fort’ at Tranquebar, built in 1620 AD. / Photo: T. Singaravelou / The Hindu
The Danish Fort, also called ‘Dansborg Fort’ at Tranquebar, built in 1620 AD. / Photo: T. Singaravelou / The Hindu

The National Archives of Denmark records that a fisherman from Karaikal was responsible for the modern history of Tranquebar.

On a glorious day in April 1620 AD., a Danish jaght (a three-masted, lightly armed merchant vessel of the 17 century), Øresund, was freebooting around Karaikal on the south-east coast of India, when a fleet of six galleys sent by Andre Botelho da Costa, the Portuguese governor of Jaffna, attacked it. Its captain, Roeland Crappe, and twelve of his crew escaped thanks to the aid of a fisherman.

A list of salaries found in the Danish National Archives reveals a stunning secret: “Cuti’s mother, a woman whose husband (was he also Cuti’s father?), saved the life of General Crappe when he lost his ship, Øresund, outside Carical” was paid one pardou every month for 25 years in gratitude for saving Crappe’s life. The jaght was totally wrecked, and the rest of the crew captured and murdered by the Portuguese. Two of the heads were displayed on stakes to warn the enemies. Earlier the jaght had captured several small Portuguese junks laden with rice and areca nuts on the east coast and auctioning goods with the permission of the king of Kandy.

Roeland Crappe managed to reach the court of Raghunatha Nayak at Tanjore, whom he had known earlier. Crappe must have expressed the wishes of his employer, Christian IV of Denmark, to set up trade relations in south-east Asia to Raghunatha Nayak. A letter by Raghunatha Nayak on a gold-foil asserts: “We order the creation of a port named Tharangampadi here and allow the export of pepper to that country (Denmark) as it is rare there.” A fisherman from Karaikal was thus responsible for the modern history of Tranquebar! Raghunatha Nayak signed the official treaty in Portuguese on November 19, 1620. Ove Gedde, a barely 23-year-old Admiral appointed by Christian IV, as the leader of a Danish fleet concluded the formal treaty on behalf of the Danes.

The National Archives in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a treasure house of records, dealing with the history of Tanjore and Tranquebar of 17 to 19 centuries. The Royal Library and the National Museum in Copenhagen house more than 350 palm-leaf collections from India from old almanacs to the diaries of local catechists to Arunachala Kavirayar’s Rama Natakam. As is often said, history is usually written by the conquerors and thus becomes one-sided. When available, history needs to be studied from both sides — and here the records in Denmark come as a great help.

Most historians assume that Raghunatha Nayak ruled between 1600 and 1634. Vriddhagirisan, an authority on the Nayaks of Tanjore, writes: “Considering the duration of all the individual reigns of the Tanjore Nayaks, it becomes evident that Raghunatha, the most illustrious ruler of this family had but a relatively short reign and his death will have to be placed about AD 1634.” On the question of who succeeded Raghunatha Nayak, Indian historians disagree. On the successor to the throne, Vriddhagirisan assumes that it was Vijayaraghava Nayak. He writes: “Vijayaraghava’s accession must have taken place in the year 1633 and that it was celebrated sometime before the death of Raghunatha.” There are many claims and counter-claims. Vriddhagirisan mentions two sons of Raghunatha, namely Achyuta and Ramabhadra, and Vijayaraghava would appear to the eldest son according to the genealogy given in the Raghunathabhudayam of Vijayaraghava Nayak. At the same time, Vriddhagirisan also cites a Jesuit letter: “Two brothers of the (Vijayaraghava) Nayaka, whom he had shut up in prison, after pulling out their eyes to remove all possibility of succeeding him… Ramabhadra could not have been on the direct line of succession… it is not quite known for certain, that Achyuta Vijayaraghava was also called Achyuta Ramabhadra.”

Tranquebar (Tharangampadi) celebrated its 395th year of its Danish connections in April this year.
Tranquebar (Tharangampadi) celebrated its 395th year of its Danish connections in April this year.

The Danish records are certain. Ove Gedde left three diaries after his strenuous voyage. He noted down everything. These diaries were then transcribed by Johann Heinrich Schlegel and are available as Google books. On November 4, 1620, Gedde notes, “I paid a visit to the eldest son of the Nayak and the throne follower, who requested me to visit him often.” On November 7: “the same day, the Nayak requested me to visit his middle son, who had complained that I had not paid him a visit.” It is obvious that Raghunatha Nayak had at least three sons. Citing a letter from Roeland Crappe written on September 17, 1628 from Masulipatnam (the original letter is in the Archives), Schlegel writes: “Ragnato Naiche died early on 25 November 1626 and cremated the same day with 119 of his wives. His eldest son Rambadra succeeded him to the throne, and came with 100 men to the fortification of Dansburg (in Tranquebar) (Johann Heinrich Schlegel, Samlung zur Dänischen Geschichte, Münzkenntniss, Oekonomie und Sprache, Erster band, Viertes Stück, pp. 162-163).”

Hidden in the National Archives in Copenhagen for almost 400 years, there is an innocuous letter from Christian IV written from his castle at Frederiksborg on April 11, 1631. The letter affirms the affection of the King to the Nayak of Tanjore, and expresses his wish for a continuation of the relationship between the two countries. The letter itself is not significant — the Addressee is: “The mighty, royal Prince Ramabadro Naico, King of Tanjore, our specially good friend!” Evidently, after the death of Raghunatha Nayak in 1626, Ramabhadra Nayak succeeded his father until he was gruesomely relieved of his post by his younger brother, Achutha Vijaya Raghava Nayak in 1634 AD.

P.S. Ramanujam is Professor Emeritus in the Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde, Denmark. psramanujam@gmail.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Magazine / by P.S. Ramanujam / May 02nd, 2015

Rare photographs of Jayakanthan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
An old photograph of singer Sirkazhi Govindarajan, film director C.V. Rajendran, poet Kannadasan, writer Jayakanthan and music composer M.S. Viswanathan exhibited at the Russian Cultural Centre. Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu
An old photograph of singer Sirkazhi Govindarajan, film director C.V. Rajendran, poet Kannadasan, writer Jayakanthan and music composer M.S. Viswanathan exhibited at the Russian Cultural Centre. Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu

Photographs of Jayakanthan preserved by the last librarian of Russian Cultural Centre on display.

A writer who transcended all literary genres; a fiery orator who spoke his mind; a film-maker who experimented with cinema, and a politician — a photo exhibition at the Russian Cultural Centre here offers glimpses into the life of Jayakanthan.

Seated with him in a photograph are poet and lyricist Kannadasan, music director M.S. Viswanathan, playback singer Sirkazhi Govindarajan and film director C.V. Rajendran. But, even those who moved closely with Jayakanthan for decades were not able to identify the occasion on which it was taken.

“Kannadasan wrote the title song for the film Yarukkaka Azhuthan and M.S. Viswanathan scored the music for Sila Nerangalil Sila Manitharkal and Oru Nadigai Nadagam Paarkiral. Kannadasan and Jayakanthan, who worked together in the Congress, planned to make a movie, Nyayam Ketkirom. However, it did not materialise,” said P.S. Kuppusamy, a friend of Jayakanthan since 1965 and who travelled with him the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu.

The exhibition got its collection from the library run by the Russian Cultural Centre.

When it was closed down in 1991 after the disintegration of Soviet Union, P. Thangappan, the last librarian, preserved the photographs.

“Though many pictures can be dated back to the 1960s, one of the important events was the release of his political memoirs, Oru Ilakkiyavathiyin Arasiyal Anubhavangal. It was attended by Kamaraj. We have used 54 pictures among the many in our possession for the exhibition,” said Mr. Thangappan, general secretary of the Indo-Russian Cultural and Friendship Society.

Even though he became a vociferous Congress supporter, Jayakanthan shared a dais with Communist leader and his mentor K. Baladhandayutham and a young D. Pandian, indicating his political roots.

He never missed an opportunity to take a snipe at the Dravidian movement and even bluntly told Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran that if he was keen on meeting him he could do so at his residence.

However, he changed with times —from Jayakanthan with an “I-don’t-care attitude and look to a soft spoken man —and became very close to DMK leader M. Karunanidhi.

It was Jayakanthan who first brought Mr. Karunanidhi to the Russian Cultural Centre to inaugurate the office of Indo-Russian Cultural and Friendship Society.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> TamilNadu / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – May 02nd, 2015

A get-together after 36 years

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Alumni of Government High School, Chithode, receive blessings from teachers of their days on Sunday.— PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN
Alumni of Government High School, Chithode, receive blessings from teachers of their days on Sunday.— PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

Incidences of teachers appreciating kind gestures of students may not be unusual. But, the situation was refreshingly different on Sunday when 80-year-old retired teachers were overwhelmed by the affection showered on them by their students of the Government High School, Chithode, who had organised a get-together after 36 years.

For, the ‘students’ had driven home the point that respect for teachers would remain all through life. According to the octogenarian speakers, the get-together would well serve as a pointer to the current generation of students on holding teachers in high esteem forever.

It was a family get-together most of the students of the 1977-78 batch kept date with high anticipation. Seventy seven of the 88 students of the SSLC batch turned up. Of them, Nalini, who is settled in the USA, flew down with her husband Shanmugam, a textile consultant. The meeting also had the presence of Deputy Mayor K.C. Palanichamy whose wife Nirmala was a batch mate.

There are certain niceties in life that would linger in the mind forever, and the get-together is one such, according to A. Velliangiri, a LAWYER in Erode district, who, along with his Karur-based batch mate Maheshwaran was instrumental in the success of the get-together.

They gathered the phone numbers of all their batch mates and even undertook personal visits to make the get-together happen. About half of the batch mates had grandchildren, but had no qualms reliving their student days in jovial mood for the few hours they were together. Five of their teachers had died due to old age. Nine of the eleven teachers turned up to bless their students collectively by showering flower petals.

To set an example worthy of emulation, the old batch of students has decided to make the get-together an annual affair.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by R. KrishnaMoorthy / Erode – May 04th, 2015

Renovated Gass Forest Museum opened

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All
The renovated Gass Forest Museum on the campus of Tamil Nadu Forest Academy which was opened on Friday.— Photo: M. Periasamy
The renovated Gass Forest Museum on the campus of Tamil Nadu Forest Academy which was opened on Friday.— Photo: M. Periasamy

Gass Forest Museum on the premises of the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy which had been closed for renovation work, was thrown open to the public on Saturday. Boasting of over 4,000 exhibits, the century-old museum was founded by H.A. Gass, a British Forest Officer, in 1903.

Initially housed in the residence of Gass, it moved to its present location in 1915. This is a one-of-a-kind institution that has an exquisite collections, says IFGTB Director (in-charge) R.S. Prashanth.

On entering the museum, one is greeted by a life-sized model of an intimidating Indian Gaur, which was presented by Sir Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, the last Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore.

The museum houses a rich collection that ranges from birds such as kingfishers, cormorant, egret, hawks and eagles, to more than 600 timber species including a 456-year-old cross section of a teak tree weighing 1.75 tonnes. A timber library is also displayed in the museum. Further, an entire range of useful non-timber forest products such as gums and resins, oils, tars, rubber and lacks are also on display.

A rich collection of fruits and seeds, barks, roots, leaves, fibres, bamboo and canes are also found. Forest engineering models such as timber stacking and seasoning, forest brides and timber houses are kept here besides a working model of ropeways used for timber extraction.

For those into entomology, a collection of useful and harmful insects associated with forests are kept on display alongside species of butterflies and moths.

More than 300 samples of rock, minerals and soil formation from all over the world are housed here. Notable among them are different kinds of mica found in nature. Articles manufactured from forest products including bobbins, shuttles, picker arms and diapers besides carved items are also on display.

The museum will remain open between 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on all days except Sundays and holidays. Further information could be obtained by contacting the museum, telephone no: (0422) 245 0307.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Staff Reporter / Coimbatore – May 02nd, 2015

Decades-old musical notes find life in new album

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Dr. K Sankaranarayanan
Dr. K Sankaranarayanan

Tiruvempavai and Tirupalliezhuchi sung by Saivite minstrel Manickavasagar can be the last religious works one will associate with Srivilliputhur, one of the 108 Vaishnavite shrines, and the birth place of Periyazhwar and his DAUGHTER, Andal.

But late K. Sankaranarayanan, a physician by training and who lived all his life in Srivilliputhur, effortlessly crossed the barrier between Saivite and Vaishnavite literature. A self-taught man when it came to Carnatic music, he set tunes to Tiruvempavai and Tirupalliezhuchi with the help of noted vocalist late T.M. Thyagarajan way back in 1957. Now, the hymns, rendered by vocalist Sangeetha Sivakumar, will be released as a new ALBUM on April 19.

“On the one hand, we see it as an opportunity to pay our respect to our FATHER and on the other we as Saivites would like to popularise Tiruvempavai and Tiruapalliezhuchi ,” said K.S. Subramanian, son of Sankaranarayanan, who died in 1974.

Sankaranarayanan, a close FRIEND of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and G.N.Balasubramaniam, kept T.M. Thyagarajan as a guest at his house-cum-clinic in Srivilliputhur and they together completed the task. “He embarked on the work as desired by late Chandrasekara Swamy of the Kanchi Sankara Mutt,” said Mr. Subramanian.

Even though late M.L. Vasanthakumari, who had rendered all the 30 Tiruppavai SONGS, set to music by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, had also released a disc containing Tiruvempavai and Tirupalliezhuchi , the Saivite hymns packed with highly metaphysical ideas could not gain popularity on a par with Andal’s bhakti -laden poetry on the concert platforms.

“Ramanuja Iyengar not only set tunes for Tiruppavai , but also performed as a main item in his concerts. He would sing raga varali , followed by a azhi mazhai kanna and swarams . His student Palghat Narayanasamy took it to the next level through his style of singing. When MLV cut the disc, it reached the masses and one IMPORTANT aspect is all of them stuck to the same raga pattern,” said Ms. Sivakumar.

Historian V. Sriram said unlike the Vaishnavite Brahmins, who attached enormous importance to Tiruppavai and renditions of other Azhwars , saivites did not take any special effort to promote their religious literature in concert platforms.

“Of COURSE Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, who learnt Thevaram and Thiruvachagam from M.M. Dhandapani Desikar, included some songs in his concerts, he said. It was he who set the tunes for MLV’s rendition of Tiruvempavai and Tirupalliezhuchi ,” and it was published by Tamil Nadu Sangeetha Nataka Sangam, now known as Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram, in 1965.

Thevaram and Thiruvachagam , which include Tiruvembavai and Tirupalliezhuchi , are traditionally rendered by Oduvars in a particular style and they stick to Tamil puns, an equivalent to Carnatic raga. Deviations are NORMALLY looked down and even M.S. Viswanathan who scored music for some of these saivite hymns and released them as Annamalai Kaithozha and Ilayaraja’s Thiurvachagam symphony failed to make the desired impact.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai –  April 18th, 2015

Poet-activist pens satire on jail

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai’ is likely to release on May 1 —Photo: Special Arrangement
Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai’ is likely to release on May 1 —Photo: Special Arrangement

A long-time activist friend of writer D. Jayakantan’s has been roped in by filmmaker S.P. Jhananathan to write a song set in jail for his yet-to-be released film, Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai .

The song — written by lyricist Parinamam — conceived as a mild dig on the Indian judicial system has been picturised on inmates celebrating their annual day inside the jail.

“It is satire. I was told by the filmmaker that the song has to be unique in reflecting life inside jail,” says Parinamam, who has written in earlier films made by the filmmaker.

As someone who spent around 60 days in Madurai jail as a ‘political prisoner’, Parinamam says he has used his experiences to write the song.

“I went to jail after I participated in the ‘Land to the tiller’ protest in the 70s. The song is being sung by the inmates and as you know, some of the greatest of men have been in jail in history. Jails often offer much-needed space and time for reflection about the state of things,” he says.

Asked what kind of insights he had incorporated into the song, Parinamam says he wanted to focus on how the system incarcerates people on the basis of laws written by the British.

“There is a line about how all inmates are united because of the Indian Penal Code, which was written by Thomas Macaulay, an Englishman,” he says.

Parinamam, who is in his 60s, says though he is not into active party politics, he still sings songs about the ills of private property. The album has been composed by debut composer Varshan. The film is likely to release on May 1.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Udhav Naig / Chennai – April 16th, 2015

T’puram, Navi Mumbai Tamil Sangams Feted

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Chennai :

Tamil Sangams at Navi Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram have been chosen for the TN Government’s ‘Thamizh Thai’ award for the years 2014 and 2015 respectively. The awards carry a shield, certificate of appreciation and `5 lakh.

The announcement was made on Monday along with other awards instituted after Tamil scholars and poets as well as the Chief Minister’s Computer Tamil award.

For the year 2014, the following scholars have been chosen for the awards: A Lalithaa Sundaram (Kapilar award), Marudhu Azhagu Raja (U.Ve.Sa award), SV Shanmugam (Kambar award), Sudha Seshaiyyan (Sollin Selvar award), J Narayanasamy (GU Pope award) and SM Mohammed Ali (Umaruppulavar award).

2015 awardees : Poet Pirasoodan (Kapilar award), Kudavayil Subramanian ( U.Ve.Sa award), G Selvam (Kambar award), S Sathiyaseelan (Sollin Selvar award), Madurai Ilangavin (M Arokiasamy – GU Pope award), M Sayabu Maraikkayar (Umaruppulavar award) and Nirmala Mohan (Elangovadigal award). Prof.N Deivasundaram has been chosen for the Computer Tamil award for the year 2013 while Virubha Valartamil Nigandu T Kumaresan has bagged it for 2014. All these awardees will be presented with a GOLD medal, certificate of appreciation, a shawl and `1 lakh.

Jaya’s Greetings

AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Monday greeted the Tamils, living across the globe on the eve of Tamil New Year celebrations. Jayalalithaa said, “Let this New Year be a very prosperous one for the people of Tamil Nadu. Let this year bring health and wealth to you all.” She added, “In this new year, let us all vow to work unitedly to thwart all roadblocks and make Tamil Nadu a prosperous State.”

Governor K Rosaiah said “On the occasion of Tamil New Year, Vaisaki, Baisakhi and Vishu, I extend my best wishes to the people.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / April 14th, 2015

Sivaji’s film Santhi celebrates 50 years

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Chennai, 12/04/2015. For City: Shanti movie poster.Photo:Handout_E_Mail / The Hindu
Chennai, 12/04/2015. For City: Shanti movie poster.Photo:Handout_E_Mail / The Hindu

Fifty years ago, Sivaji Ganesan’s film, Santhi, marked the end of a popular combination in Tamil cinema.

It was the last film in which Sivaji and M.R. Radha shared space on the silver screen.

This snippet was shared by T. Murali of Nadikar Thilakam Films Appreciation Association which organised a function on Sunday to the mark the 50 year of Santhi.

The film that was to be released on April 10 in 1965 was delayed by 12 days as the makers wanted a ‘U’ certificate instead of an ‘A’.

“Earlier, the Central Board of Film Certification thought of giving it an ‘A’. The makers thought such a certificate for those times would deter people from bringing their families to the film. So, it took them a little while to get a ‘U’ certificate,” he said.

Jayanthi Kannappan, daughter-in-law of A.L. Srinivasan who produced Santhi, brought the camera using which the film was shot 50 years ago.

“My father-in-law had the privilege of paying salaries to four Chief Ministers, including M. Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, M.G. Ramachandran and N.T. Rama Rao, for various films. Not just that, he also introduced five directors, including A. Bhim Singh and K.S. Gopalakrishnan,” she said.

The programme was followed by the screening of the film. The film’s cast included Sivaji, C.R. Vijayakumari, Devika and S.S. Rajendran, and was directed by Bhim Singh.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – April 13th, 2015

Rare Architectural Symbols Discovered in Temple Near Srirangam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
The symbols discovered at the Shiva temple in Alundur | Express
The symbols discovered at the Shiva temple in Alundur | Express

Tiruchy : 

Rare symbols have been discovered at the Lord Shiva temple at Alundur in Srirangam taluk in the district recently denoting the Brahmadarshana symbol, Manduka Diagram and Sulastone with plinth.

According to research team scholars headed by T L Subash Chandra Bose, the symbols were found at Shiva temple in Alundur as well as in some of the surrounding areas.

The scholars claimed they also found a trident with a base with the Tamil letter ‘Ka’ inscribed on the right side of one of the pillars in the temple. The symbols could date back to the 16th century BC, they said. Elaborating the significance of the Tamil letter ‘Ka,’ Subash Chandra Bose said that the alphabet refers the first true letter and also the first numerical number ‘one’. The root of letter ‘Ka’ is a cross between vertical and horizontal lines referred to as the ‘causation’.

“Ka represents Lord Param or Brahman (not Brahma). Lord Param is also symbolically indicated as an oblong with a cross at the center. It is a four square matrix (Pecaka diagram) which you can see in the Sulastone at Keezhakuruchi village stating about the Siva Temple — Jambukeswarar Akhilandeswari — in Thiruvanaikoil near Srirangam where the tree, the spider and an elephent attained moksha,” he said.

The Mayamata — the temple architectural manual — says the centermost four square in the 64 square matrix is the heart zone, where the Ka — Lord Param or Brahmam dwells. An interesting reference found in Chaandogya Upanishad (verses 4.10.4-5). Ka and Kha is Brahman. Below is the explanation or interpretation of it, he  said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / April 04th, 2015

Language teacher attempts Guinness record

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

Coimbatore :

Amidst the many camera flashes, clicking noises and constant whispers from on-lookers, city-based language teacher, P Aravind, was trying his best to recall the 270 binary numbers being flashed before him from a computer. He finally managed to recall all the 270 digits shown to him in the fifth attempt in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records at the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Trust on Friday morning.

Aravind, 36, who teaches Italian, Spanish and French and has a passion for languages, had been dabbling in memory techniques for more than 15 years to help make learning of languages easier. “Every time I learnt a new language there was always a long list of words, verbs, vowels, nouns, phrases and sentences to learn,” said Aravind. “I initially found it tough and monotonous. I noticed that my students began losing interest when the going got tough,” he said.

That was when Aravind began researching memory techniques which he used to test his memory power from time to time.

I began training a year ago with just 40 numbers, and slowly kept increasing it by 20 every two months,” he said. “The earlier record was set in 2011 by a Mr Jayasimha with 264 digits. I decided to use the memory palace technique developed by Greek Poet Simonedes in 2500 BC which involves imagining a palace where you place numbers in various corners, place the rest in any way, leave the palace and continue your journey. When you return and start looking at the palace you start finding the numbers as you walk through it,” he said. He practiced at least three hours a day.

He managed to memorize 270 numbers in a minute and repeat it within eight minutes, practicing in front of many locations. “I did it in a crowded bus stop, Brookefields Mall and at the location on Thursday evening to get used to distractions,” he said.

While he looked nervous during the first attempt on Thursday evening, he looked more confident during the second attempt and was close to reaching the target before failing at the 240th digit. After a five minute break, he began all over again and succeeded in his fifth attempt.

Aravind dedicated the achievement to all his students. “I want this to be an example to all students who think they can’t memorize anything. They just need to zero in on the right technique,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / April 04th, 2015