Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Together, they fly Guinness flag

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
An aerial view of the national flag formed by volunteers who created a Guinness record in Chennai on Sunday / PTI
An aerial view of the national flag formed by volunteers who created a Guinness record in Chennai on Sunday / PTI

30,000 Chennaiites break record with ‘human Tricolour’

At 4 a.m. on Sunday, Chennaiites started gathering at the YMCA grounds here; a few hours later, a Guinness World Record was broken. Over 30,000 people came together to create the world’s largest human formation of a national flag, surpassing Pakistan in this feat.

Nine months ago, a sports club in Lahore made the first attempt to create a human national flag of Pakistan with 28,957 people and held the record for the largest formation till Sunday.

Seyda Subasi-Gemici, adjudicator of Guinness World Records Ltd., said, “It is a big historical day for India. I was very touched when I saw people gather around 5 a.m. and wait till noon in this heat to be a part of this event. They have truly showed their unity today.”

India is prepared to create such huge records and they can recreate this at any point in time, she added.

She recollected how she visited Chennai last year for “Parle Golu Galatta 2011,” the largest doll collection.

Isak Nazar, Governor of Rotary Club International 3230 that organised the event, said, “This achievement that people of Chennai have made is special. We organised this event to instil patriotism among the people and let future generations know about the importance of national flag.”

Planning for the event started 10 months ago.

“We mobilised people from colleges and corporate firms over a period of time. We had a set of architects who planned this,” Mr. Nazar said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 08th, 2014

Centurian Freedom Fighter Paints Bleak Picture of Country

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

Virudhunagar :

A freedom fighter, who turned 100 on Sunday, has  said he was not happy with the way the country has been progressing and painted a bleak future for the nation. He also rued  that even another movement like the freedom struggle has had have no impact.

The freedom fighter B Ramasamy, a resident of Ayan Reddiapatti village near Kariapatti Taluk in Virudhunagar district, had fought for independence, along with Congress leader Kamaraj.

“Even if we launch another freedom struggle, it will be difficult to set right the course,” he said.

B Ramasamy
B Ramasamy

He recalled he had taken part in several freedom movement-related activities  since the age of 15. “We fought for the freedom, but the country is not  where we expect it to be. The youngsters should imbibe only good things from society, leave out the bad, and should work to steer the country to the right path,” he said.

On Sunday, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, his family and people from his village celebrated his birthday as if it were a village festival. They arranged for folk music and dance shows. In one spot near the dais,where the programmes were on, the villagers cooked food in huge vessels.

Ramasamy was born on December 7, 1916. He worked as a teacher in a primary school. In 1939, he was booked for giving shelter to a freedom fighter, Nedunkadu Ramachandran of Kerala in the Nellai conspiracy case, against the British and was sent to  Alipuri jail. He worked also as the editor of a journal called Veerapandian. From 1966, Ramasamy was given a freedom fighter’s pension of `150.

“Ramasamy, who followed the footsteps of the father of our  nation Mahatma Gandhi, struggled for freedom of the country. He was given five acres of land by the government but he donated the land to the Bhoodan Movement. Ramasamy is a selfless person, he still doesn’t have a house he could call his own,” a villager said. There are many youngsters who have been inspired by him, they added.

Former Education Minister and Thiruchuli MLA Thangam Thennarasu attended the celebrations.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com /  The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Kaushik Kannan / December 08th, 2014

Stampex coin exhibition begins in Coimbatore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Coimbatore :

All roads led to the Stampex coin exhibition in Kamalam Duraisamy Hall at Ramnagar here on Friday morning.

Coin collectors, auctioneers, sellers and members of the public thronged the hall to get a glimpse and bargain for coins as old as 800 years and a few rare stamps too.

Coin collectors came from many districts and cities like Kochi, Salem, Ooty, Madurai, Bangalore and even Vijayawada to see if they can strike a good bargain.

Vineeth K, from Salem, who has been collecting coins since 2009, prefers picking expensive coins from exhibitions at Kolkata and Delhi but came to just look for “good grade coins.”

“These are coins which have not been in circulation and so their metal and engraving is still in good shape,” he said as he was looking closely at Re 1 coins from the pre-Independence era.

Another medical student, Ashwin Ramkumar from Kozhikode, who has been collecting coins since he was aged three, came to look for coins and stamps based on medical themes.

“I wanted to create a portion of my collection on medical themed coins and I found them in the custody of a seller from Kottayam,” he said with a satisfied smile.

Though the focus of the exhibition was coins and old currencies, what drew the visitors’ attention were a couple of old postcards and new stamps which told a story of their own.

One of them was a postcard sent by Tin Can Mail to Tonga from Australia. “Tonga is an island on the Pacific Ocean. So people who wrote to friends and relatives in Tonga had to put their letters into tins with names, which would in turn be put into a barrel. The barrel would be dropped into the ocean by the postal ships. The Tonga residents used to collect by going into the sea in a canoe,” says Balu Vasudev, a Malayalee filmmaker and avid coin collector.

“The zeppelin mail postcards are one that used to be sent through zeppelin flights and they were stopped after 1931,” says Vasudev. The two popular stamps were part of a limited edition released by the Republic of Niger in 2011 to celebrate bilateral relations with India. It had Indian gods and goddesses—Ganesha and Saraswati– with parts made of real gold and Swarovski stones.

The exhibition also saw parents bringing their children to the exhibition hoping they will take to coin collecting in the future.

“I think it can teach them a lot of history, geography, biology and politics in a more interesting manner,” said Aravindhan K, who had brought his 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter to the exhibition.

The exhibition which will go on till Saturday evening.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Pratiksha Ramkumar, TNN / November 28th, 2014

‘Sthala Vriksham’ to be preserved through cloning

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has asked the executive officers of temples and departmental inspectors to adopt cloning to preserve Sthala Vriksham or tree unique to each temple.

Describing every Sthala Vriksham as a unique germplasm, a recent communication of the department urges the officials to take the help of experts from the Agriculture Department or the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) for the task.

Among the prominent examples of Sthala Vriksham are the Kadamba at the Meenkashi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai; the Vanni at the Magudeshwara Temple at Kodumudi and the mango tree at the Ekambershwara Temple at Kancheepuram, the last two being 3,000-3,500 years old.

The communication, issued by Additional Chief Secretary R. Kannan to HR&CE Commissioner P. Dhanapal, also asks the executive officers to ensure that enough clones are kept in carefully quarantined, separate places in nandavanam or flower garden. Even in private temples, the HR&CE inspectors should take steps to preserve Sthala Vriksham. The operation should be certified by an international body for its quality.

A notice board, giving the Tamil, English, Sanskrit and botanical names of each species with details of the legend, should be put up prominently. It should also give the details of the cloning operation, such as the method used and the persons involved, the letter says, citing the case studies of cloning carried out in the past 10 years, including those of the Vanni of Kodumudi and the mango tree of Kancheepuram.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by T Ramakrishnan / Chennai – December 03rd, 2014

Tourist spots in district cry for attention

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Coimbatore :

While the state government frequently announces plans to promote tourism in lesser known places, it has done very little to develop Valparai and Pollachi, years after recognizing them as potential tourist spots in Coimbatore district.

The government had announced its plans to develop Valparai as a tourist hub way back in 2007 while Pollachi was declared as a lesser known tourist spot in 2011. The idea was to attract tourists from popular places like Ooty so that the ecological balance of the hill stations is maintained. The government came up with various subsidies and grants for entrepreneurs to develop the infrastructure in this region but the tourist and resort owners say, the plans remain only on paper.

K Krishnaraj, a resort owner in Pollachi, had approached the government for the said grants in 2011 but was told that the funds had been diverted for other projects. He had no choice but to apply for a commercial loan.

The government has done very little to develop basic infrastructure, say resort owners. “In 2011, Kandasamy Park area was renovated at a cost of Rs 50 lakh but is closed for the past five months,” said T Sethupathi, managing director, Coco Lagoon. Without government contribution, private owners have tried to make the best use of existing infrastructure, to promote the place, he added.

In Valparai, the situation is worse. “Even after seven years, not a single park has been constructed by the tourism department. There are no parking facilities. It is not lack of funds, but rather negligence on the part of the government to promote these locations,” said M J P Shaju, secretary of Valparai Merchant Association.

“All their grants and loans are reserved for star hotels but we don’t have that kind of space. When we applied for a grant, we were told we were not eligible,” said Pradeep Kumar, treasurer, Valaparai Cottage Owners’ Association. The taluk does not even have an information centre. “As most of the land belongs to the forest or the municipality, no developmental work is allowed,” said another private home stay owner.

Many home stays had applied for a license from the tourism department but even that has been denied to them. Out of the 250 home stays only 15 have the necessary licenses, said M J P Shaju. One home stay, Yatri Nivas, that was constructed by the department several years ago has not yet been opened to the public.

Tourism department officials said they have visited the tourist spots to inspect the basic infrastructure and facilities. “We are trying to promote tourism in every way we can. There may have been some technical issues behind refusal of funds to some applicants,” said a state tourism officer. The Yatri nivas in Valparai will be inaugurated very soon, he said citing land acquisition for the delay in getting it ready.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Komal Gautham, TNN / December 03rd, 2014

A Trip down history lane for school students

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

Coimbatore :

R Rajeshwari, a Class 9 student from Selvapuram had never been on any trip, not even to VOC Park in the city. But all that changed on Wednesday, when she was taken to six places of historical importance in the city.

She was not alone. Sixty other children from various schools run by the city corporation also went on the trip. But what made the trip more memorable was the fact that Archana Patnaik, district collector, A K Vishwananath, commissioner of city police and K Vijayakarthikeyan, corporation commissioner accompanied them on the bus.

“We are not taken on trips like other private schools. I was surprised that Coimbatore had so many heritage buildings,” said Pandi Selvi, a Class 9 student. The trip was organised as part of the Coimbatore Day celebrations by the city corporation.

Students visited the Athar Jama Masjid that was built in 1904, Durglal Pickles which is an 80 year old shop, the clock tower built in 1928 on the big bazaar street, the residence of Rao bahadur and A T Venkataswamy Mudaliar which is now the Tamil Nadu Merchantile Bank on Big Bazaar Street, Delite Theatre on Variety Hall road and Coimbatore cloth merchants association training school on Raja street.

The bureaucrats seemed to have as much fun as the children as they interacted with them, cracked jokes and got to know more about the city. Many were surprised to know that south India’s first movie theatre was the variety hall theatre in the city. “It is now called the Delite theatre,” said C R Elangovan, city based historian and a writer, who was their tour guide.

For Madhan of Class 11, it was an experience of his life time, travelling with the top officials of the city and learning about its heritage and culture. “These officials are my inspiration. I have got their autographs and will definitely frame them,” said Madhan.

A photo exhibition aimed at recalling the city’s vivid 200 year history was also inaugurated at the corporation office. Industrialists, members of non-governmental organisations, government officials and the children visited the exhibition. The exhibition showcased pictures of Swamikannu Vincent who brought electricity to the city. He also built the Delite theatre.

Pictures of Rao Bahadur ATT Mudaliar, member of the first family of Coimbatore and municipaality chairman, M G Arogayaswamy Pillai, Coimbatore chairman from 1830 till 1891 and Moses Gnanabaranam Pillai, who built the first eye hospital in the city, were also displayed at the exhibition.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore /  TNN / November 27th, 2014

An author, yet again, at the age of 91

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
S. Venkatraman travelled across the country over the past two years to collect material and photographs for his book — Photo: V. Ganesan / The Hindu
S. Venkatraman travelled across the country over the past two years to collect material and photographs for his book — Photo: V. Ganesan
/ The Hindu

After his first train ride in the 1920s, Venkatraman went on to work with the Railways and has now authored his second book on the Indian rail network

In the late 1920s, five-year-old S. Venkatraman boarded a train for the first time from Madras to Vijayawada, along with his father. He was smitten.

In 1942, he joined the Railways. As a culmination of his love for trains, 91-year-old Venkatraman travelled across the country and has come out with a book on the Indian Railways.

Indian Railways – The Beginning up to 1900 is a reminder of the glorious past of the world’s largest rail network.

The book comprises 534 pages and 600 pictures, including some rare ones in black-and-white.

But launching the book was not an easy task for this retired railway employee.

Over the past two years, he has travelled to Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to collect details and take pictures of railways stations and trains.

“I also went to Bombay from where the first train chugged out. I travelled on nearly 350 trains and spent many lakhs compiling the book,” he says.

Mr. Venkatraman joined the Railways as a materials manager (stores) in Hubli and retired in 1982.

“I began writing the book more than three decades after retiring. My wife Lalitha, who was a lecturer of political science at Banaras Hindu University, was my inspiration. She passed away four years ago,” he says.

His first book Indian Railways at a Glance was a success. “The British had a separate coach for women, refreshment bars in stations and compartments with seating capacity of 200, way back in the 1880s. There were no toilets in trains then,” says Mr. Venkatraman, who feels that privatisation is the only way ahead for the Railways.

He says he is bringing out books on Railways out of sheer interest and not for profit. “My book should be a wake-up call to the railway administration that is now facing infrastructural deficiencies,” says Mr. Venkatraman, a member of the Indian Railway Fan Club.

He feels his efforts will be rewarded when more youngsters, especially in the Railways, learn about the heritage of our trains.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Vivek Narayanan / November 28th, 2014

Plans afoot to regain Vaigai’s historical value

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

Madurai :

City mayor V V Rajan Chellappa on Wednesday undertook an inspection of the Vaigai river where cleaning operation is being carried. Meanwhile, the Vaigai River Restoration Pageant has planned to recover the grand waterway by restoring its historic value.

The mayor has ordered cleaning operations of the Vaigai river after appointing 200 corporation workers. An initiative was also being taken to plant trees along the Vaigai to add beauty to its existence.

Chellappa said, “We have also planned for an eviction drive to remove all the encroachments along the Vaigai river and expand the roads along it to make it useful for commuters.”

Moreover, the Vaigai River Restoration Pageant in collaboration with Dhan Foundation, an NGO plans to recover the grand waterway by introducing various ideas like social credit to the public and assuring to keep the river clean.

The social credits shall help the public redeem them in the form of health insurance and enrolling themselves for English speaking classes. A Gurunathan, chief executive officer of Dhan Vayalagam (tank) Foundation said, “We are trying to restore the forgotten history of Vaigai river by introducing mythological aspects like that of Lord Shiva so that the people residing in Madurai understand the significance of the river.”

The project is more about making the people understand the importance of river for the farmers and potters. In its bid to sensitise the issue, the project also plans for a walk through the Vaigai river starting from Fathima College to Albert Victor Bridge.

Ahead of Chithirai festival, Dhan Foundation in collaboration with Earths Celebration, an US-based NGO has also planned for a series of 20 to 25 artisans who will be placed along the Vaigai river wearing kavadi dresses and people wearing paper masks showcasing the cultural aspects of the city. The preparations for the restoration pageant will start in the month of December ahead of Chithirai festival.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / November 27th, 2014

Philately, not just a hobby but also an investment

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Students at ‘Kovaipex 2014’, a district-level philatelic exhibition at Techno Park, TNAU, in Coimbatore on Thursday. Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu
Students at ‘Kovaipex 2014’, a district-level philatelic exhibition at Techno Park, TNAU, in Coimbatore on Thursday. Photo: S. Siva Saravanan / The Hindu

P.R. Krishnan, who is into export business, considers some of his most profitable investments to be those made outside that business. For, his best returns have come from philately.

Mr. Krishnan, a senior philatelist in the city, says, gold purchased for Rs. 100 in 1949 will be worth around Rs. 79,000 now. However, stamps bought for the same amount in the same period will now be valued in excess of Rs. 3.25 lakh, more than four times that of the gold’s value. “Today, stamp collection is the best investment avenue for youngsters,” he adds.

Mr. Krishnan is the secretary of Philatelist Club of Coimbatore, playing its role with India Posts in organising a three-day philatelic expo “Kovaipex” that began here on Thursday.

Manju P. Pillai, Post Master General of Western region, says the expo is a quadrennial event that is being given a fresh impetus this time around. All the schools in the district have been invited to send their students for the expo. It features 144 frames holding thousands of stamps collected by many young and senior philatelists in the city.

Rare stamps such as the ‘Scinde Dawk’, the first Indian stamp released in 1852, ‘Sandalwood Scented Stamp of India’ released in 2006 and ‘Kurinji stamp’ released later in the same year to celebrate the legendary blossoms of Western Ghats also find a place of prominence.

U. Srinithish, Class VIII student of PSG Public School, says, “I have a personal collection of around 500 stamps that is something of a generational inheritance. They were passed down from my grandmother to my father and now, to me. Its value struck me only after visiting this expo.”

Competitions are also being held for the best collection. Students from various schools in the city visited the exhibition, which is being held at the Techno Park II and III on TNAU premises on Marudamalai Road. Entry is free for the expo, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It concludes this Saturday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Srinithi Mahendran / Coimbatore – November 28th, 2014

Chennai sees first dusk-to-dawn marathon

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports
Photos: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Photos: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Island grounds on Saturday night found a crowd of thousands gathered to run for a cause as part of the city’s very first dusk-to-dawn marathon.

The initiative, conceived to increase awareness about liver diseases, liver wellness and the need to donate organs, was flagged off at 10 p.m. by actor Suriya, who has pledged to donate his organs.

The event saw a massive turn-out, with as many as 6,000 individuals participating.  While some ran a daunting 21 km, others did a course of 3 km. Transplant patients too took part in the event and were to cover a distance of 1.5 km.

Presented by Apollo Hospitals Chennai – Centre for Liver Disease and Transplantation, along with Love your Liver Foundation, and supported by Chennai Runners, Dream Runners, Cool Runners, Tamil Nadu Cycling Club and Neville Endeavours, the marathon was expected to extend to the early hours of Sunday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – November 23rd, 2014