In a bid to strengthen bilateral ties with India and expand its programme in the south, the consulate general of republic of Korea held a traditional Korean performance here on Friday. The performance, which was carried out by a Korean music group called “Noreum Machi”, was held to commemorate the opening of consulate general of republic of Korea in Chennai. The office began functioning on February 7.
In Kook Kim, a member of the consulate general, commented that their agenda was to deepen bilateral ties with India and expand their ties with different places in India. These ties would be cultural as well as academic, he said. The group of four artists, wearing the traditional Korean dress consisting of a hat and a long ribbon, gave a dance performance called the “sangmo”, accompanied by Korean folk music. The group sang as they danced, and traditional instruments like the ‘janggu’, which looked like a drum, ‘jing’, a large metal gong and ‘teapyungso’, which is a double-reed wing instrument, were used to create the music, besides a double-barrel drum called the ‘buk’. tnn
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / November 22nd, 2014
Although the beautiful Thirumalai Nayak mahal, a palace built by the Nayak king Thirumalai Nayak (1623-1659) more than 400 years ago, is only one-fourth of its original structure now, it still attracts thousands of tourists every year. The road that hosts it does credit to the handsome structure, as British-era buildings, including a church, line the stretch.
The name Palace Road too is a British contribution, said V Vedachalam, an archeologist, explaining that the street came under the foreigners after they conquered Madurai by 1790. Many Nayak structures were converted to offices, and the district court was housed in Nayak mahal till the 1980s, assigning much prominence to the road, he said.
The east gate CSI church is another important structure here, established by American missionaries in 1845. T Chinnaraj, former principal of American college, said that it had been the first church of the American missionaries.
“It is believed that it was the most beautiful church at the time and British collectors had written back to England about this church coming up. The missionaries bought this piece of land outside palace entry and constructed a place of worship for themselves. Most of their constructions, like the mission hospital, came beyond this church,” he pointed out.
The palace, built in 1636, was dismantled by Thirumalai Nayak’s grandson, who shifted most of the materials to Thiruchirapalli to construct his own palace.
However, the hybrid Dravidian- Islamic style palace remains one of the prime attractions of city, drawing even foreign crowds.
Sixty-nine-year-old A K Venkatachalapathy, a resident of Palace Road, recalls it as one of the most beautiful streets he had ever seen. The road used to act a min-bus stand, and buses would start from here and go to the tail ends of the city.
The park in front of the palace used to be a hive of activity, he says, as people gathered there after their day’s work to listen to the radio. Televisions had not started to make an appearance, he recalls, and loud speakers used to blare out the radio for the residents. Over hot cups of coffee from the Saraswathy cafe opposite the palace, the residents used to meet and talk, and the memory of the good old days remains with Venkatachalapathy even as he admits that the face of the street has changed forever.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by J . Arockiaraj, TNN / November 23rd, 2014
To commemorate the 100 years of German language teaching in India, the Indo-German Teachers’ Association (InDaF) and the Goethe-Institut Chennai are organising a conference for German teachers. The two-day conference, which is to be held on November 24 and 25, will be inaugurated on November 23 at Hotel Ramada, Egmore.
More than 100 German teachers from South India are expected to participate in the conference. The conference will have lectures, workshops, presentations by publishers and a discussion. Experts from India, Germany and Austria will offer presentations that will touch a variety of topics relevant to German teachers engaged in schools, language institutes and universities.For details, e-mail Susanna.Magesh@chennai.goethe.org
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2014
Imagine hailing an auto-rickshaw through a smartphone app. While there are several apps that help one to book a taxi, a Chennai-based company has introduced a free mobile app that has the facility to book auto-rickshaw rides — a first of its kind in the city.
CallZila has tied up with Auto Raja and Namma Auto — two auto-rickshaw operators that have become popular among the city residents for offering rides at metre fare without having to haggle with the drivers. Apart from autos, the company has tied up with call taxi firms including Fast Track, NTL, Friends and a few others. In all, there will be about 2,000 cabs to chose from, said the company in a statement.
According to Magesh Kumar, the founder and managing director, CallZila gives an option to check out the availability of rides of multiple providers, which would ensure a ride round the clock.
The rides can be booked even when the person does not have data connectivity, he added.
The app can be downloaded from google play.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2014
Economic thinker and social scientist Pulapre Balakrishnan has been handed the 2014 Malcolm Adiseshaiah award for contribution to development studies. The award was instituted by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshaiah Trust, which runs the Madras Institute of Development Studies in Adyar.
An alumnus of Madras Christian College, Balakrishnan also studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Oxford and Cambridge. With a formidable academic training followed by research at prestigious institutions across the world, he is now professor at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
Delivering the Malcolm Adiseshaiah memorial lecture on the topic ‘Macroeconomic reversal in India,’ Balakrishnan said that macroeconomics was in riotous disarray.
“Some of the triumph that had accompanied the rise of the New Classical Economics has dissipated after the global financial crisis,” he pointed out.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2014
Nikita S. Veejay, Proprietor of Urumi. Photo: S. James
Nikita S. Veejay has filled in the gap in the shopping experience of domestic tourists and foreign travellers in Madurai. People can now grab those perfect lightweight and inexpensive souvenirs before leaving the city.
Temple Town Madurai has several irresistible oddities that are pretty and witty, historic and enchanting, tasty and delicious, fragrant and elegant. Yet, one never – or rarely – found anything sporting the “I love Madurai” tag.
Now finally Madurai has arrived on the souvenir scene. Thanks to the INTACH local chapter that brought in youthful Nikita S.Veejay from Chennai to design and offer some simple and affordable items to tourists to take home the Madurai essence.
The Madurai souvenirs made by Urumi. / The Hindu
She unveiled the first batch of collectibles — key chains and fridge magnets – at a simple event organised by INTACH. “The major task,” says Nikita, “was to highlight the cultural aspects of the city besides the Meenakshi Temple it is so famous for.”
To keep the theme local has always been the crux of her every project. “There is a niche market for souvenirs and out-of-the-box merchandise as they invoke a sense of allegiance to the place you belong to,” says the 26-year-old founder of Urumi, a brand that boasts of a line of ethnic and eclectic products.
Though key chains and fridge magnets are very common souvenirs sold all over the world, Nikita’s products are different. While others sell these items mostly made in ceramic, Nikita does them in plastic and rubber given the better shelf life and printing quality. But more important is the theme chosen for the products and the narrative behind each of the design or the symbol, she asserts.
Knowing about why a thing has been highlighted or the story behind the symbol makes even a simple item unique, says Nikita. For Madurai, she carefully chose five themes besides the Meenakshi Temple.
The fragrant Madurai Malli unrivalled in allure and popularity, the city as Tamil Nadu’s food capital known for the ‘mess’ culture selling tasty and local dishes and Kannagi, the legendary character in Tamil epic ‘Silapathikaram’ offer a holistic view of the ancient city, she says.
She has also taken care of crafting every letter and packaging the items attractively. For instance, in the “I Love Madurai” theme, the letter ‘M’ has been designed like a temple gopuram. Nikita feels when you give these special touches to the item, it trends immediately. “You feel proud about your culture,” she adds.
Her first product launched two years ago, the “Iyer USB” – a 4GB pen drive in the shape of a Tamil Brahmin priest wearing pattai and veshti – was an instant hit. We released 200 pieces in the first batch and there was such a great demand to increase “Iyer’s memory space” that we did repeat batches with 8GB USB drives, says Nikita.
The Madurai-born, Chennai-raised MBA degree holder was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug early. “I always dreamt of having my own store of souvenirs and merchandise,” she gushes. Also extremely fond of travelling, she was taken in by the abundance of souvenirs the world over.
The kitschy, quirky, retro, funky products made her dream big enough to launch her own line –Urumi. Lot of thought went into it, says Nikita, because I wanted to put South India on India’s tourism map first with some desi creativity. Call it kitsch art or pop art, from kili josiyam and metal calendars to T-shirts, coffee mugs, quiz boxes, notepads, coasters, stickers, posters, hand bags and cushions, all having local themes with pan-India appeal have become fashion statements, according to Nikita.
It appeals to the buyers, majorly youngsters, for its Indianness or its intrinsic South-Indianness, she says. Following the coffee shop model for retailing, Nikita sells her products out of two dozen stores and kiosks in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and has also tied up with the Taj group of hotels in Coorg, Chennai and Bangalore. She also actively participates in the free markets in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.
Nikita is well aware of the many players in this segment now. Bengaluru-based Chumbak was among the first to enter into the relatively unknown market space, whose owl and elephant-themed bags, purses and Tees were a big hit among the young crowd. Later brands like Masala Chai, Urumi, Arty Souk, Pink Jalebi, Happily Unmarried and Goli Soda, to name a few, flooded the market with their off-the-wall products and drawing the hep young crowd.
Realising that hobbies are becoming a big business, Nikita launches a fresh collection of items with new themes and designs twice or thrice a year. “It is exciting to be competitive,” she smiles. Nikita feels Madurai missed offering good souvenirs for long even though there is a huge market. There is abundance of civilisation here but very little conservation, she points out, adding, “all that the city needs is a doable USP.”
Dr Uma Kannan, Convener INTACH-Madurai, launched the souvenirs. Photo: S. James / The Hindu
Dr Uma Kannan, Convener INTACH-Madurai, launched the souvenirs:
“Souvenirs are an important aspect of the tourist experience. They are symbolic reminders of fond memories during vacations. They serve as mobile ambassadors of the city and have traditional and cultural value as they capture the feel of the city. They are also educative — when memories fade they serve as reminders and bring back memories.”
Mr. M. D. VEL, Executive Committee member and past Co-convener was instrumental in roping in Urumi. Photo: S. James / The Hindu
Mr. M. D. VEL, Executive Committee member and past Co-convener was instrumental in roping in Urumi:
“It is a shame that an ancient city like Madurai had no souvenirs designed, produced and sold in an organised manner whereas abroad cities less than 100 years old market themselves so well with a range of appealing souvenirs. Now, Urumi with the ‘Marvel@Madurai’ collection will enable tourists from all over to take a slice of Madurai back. This would also strengthen the pride for the city. INTACH will facilitate in keeping this small but significant initiative going.”
Pick up the ‘Marvel@Madurai’ souvenirs from:
Chola Arts shop at Hotel Fortune Pandiyan and Hotel GRT Regency; The Malli Poo shop at Madurai Airport; The Temple Book Shop at Meenakshi Amman Temple; The Gandhi Museum;
Hotel Germanus; Factory Fresh Shop on Madurai-Rameswaram Highway; Hotel J.C.Residency;
The Gateway Hotel, Pasumalai; Heritage Hotel, Hotel Sangam; Hotel Supreme; DHAN Foundation
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Soma Basu / Madurai – November 21st, 2014
The new stock of books readying for distribution to other libraries in the district at the Thanthai Periyar E.V.R. District Central Library, in Vellore, Tamilnadu. Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy / The Hindu
Infantry Road in Vellore is home to a treasure trove of knowledge. It is here that the District Central Library has been functioning since the late 1950s.
Keeping in tune with the growing needs of the day, the library has recently started a separate section for persons with disabilities and expanded its facility adding a section with books for civil services aspirants, officials said.
Named after Thanthai Periyar E.V.R, the library was started in a small building in 1951. In 1956, the then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj laid the foundation stone for the present building, which was inaugurated in 1959. Today, the library boasts of 1.57 lakh books. It has 26,622 members and 286 patrons.
Every day, People visit the Thanthai Periyar E.V.R. District Central Library, Vellore, to read newspapers and periodicals. Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy / The Hindu
“ We have books in Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Hindu and English across different subjects. We get 186 periodicals and 18 newspapers,” said J. Ravi, district central librarian, Thanthai Periyar EVR District Central Library.
Every day, nearly 850 readers visit the library, while a total of 225 books are lent and 2,450 books are referred. The library also stores bulletins and gazettes from 1983.
The library follows the Colon Classification method that is based on alphabets and certain sub-classes. “This is an easy method of classification. Every year, we add at least 15,000 books to the library that is both through purchase and donation,” he added.
For civil services
In June this year, a new section was opened on the first floor for civil services and reference books at a cost of Rs. 64 lakh were added. The separate section for persons with disabilities has five to six wheelchairs. Television, DVD facility and computers are also available. “We have Braille books for the visually challenged and plans are in the offing to obtain a Braille software,” Mr. Ravi said.
There is a branch library for women, a separate section for children with internet facility. K. Anandan, district library officer, said, “The District Central Library is located at the heart of the town and hence, has a good reach among people. It is very spacious unlike most of the central libraries in other districts.”
Vellore has a total of 67 branch libraries, 69 village libraries and 42 part-time libraries. “We are tying up with the School Education department to encourage students to become members. We will be visiting schools to enrol students personally,” he added.
R. Dayalan, an artist, has been visiting the central library for 10 years. “I spend an entire day every week at the library reading short stories, periodicals and literature. There are many others who spend more time here,” he said.
Mr. Ravi noted that they have visitors from Chittoor and Bangalore too.
National Library Week
As part of the National Library Week celebrations (Nov 14 to 20), several programmes have been held at the central library, including competitions for students.
The library functions from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Persons interested in becoming patrons, can pay Rs. 1,000, while it is Rs. 5,000 for big patrons and 10,000 for donors.
The money goes into a fixed deposit and the interest is used for development of libraries, Mr. Anandan said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Puducherry / by Serene Josephine M / Vellore – November 21st, 2014
Kamal Haasan, in this first person account, recounts his experiences with Rudhraiya, director of Aval Appadithan, who passed away earlier this week.
“I first heard of director Rudhraiya from my mentor and writer Ananthu as this ‘brilliant student from the film institute.’ Of course, back then, we all knew him by his real name — Arumugam. He was this dashing young gold medallist from the Chennai film institute. He was also the students’ union leader and had the reputation of being a rebel. He made it quickly into our inner circle, a group of people driven by the passion to transform the world of Tamil cinema, such as myself, R. C. Shakthi, and Ananthu. In fact, there was a time when people would dread our meeting, as they knew that we’d be busy talking for hours together. One of my earliest memories of Arumugam has him helping me settle into the role of Prasanna, the protagonist with leftist views, in Apoorva Raagangal. A man with similar beliefs, he offered me invaluable advice.
I remember the conversations we would have back then. Films by directors such as Godard, Polanski, Rossellini, and Bresson featured regularly in our afternoon conversations. His connections with the Chennai film institute ensured that we were able to procure foreign films from there and send them a day later to the Pune film institute after watching them. It was like a Woodstock festival at Eldam’s Road. We were driven to make a film that we could be proud of, a film that would elevate our industry. The result: Aval Appadithaan.
I remember him as a man driven by a lot of anger. That’s perhaps why he rechristened himself Rudhraiya. His debut film was a pet project of our gang. That differentiated all of us from being just talkers. We were also doers. For a film that was shot mainly during my spare time (it was a year when I was acting in more than 20 films), we managed to give it great touches. The opening scene when I look into the camera and say “Konjam left-la ukaarunga” was meant as an encouragement to the audience to have leftist leanings. For a project born out of anger against the mainstream content of Tamil cinema, it could have easily turned out to be a whiny film, but it didn’t. Of course, the lack of finance meant it wasn’t a technically great film. Ilaiyaraaja was busy, and yet, we managed to arm-twist him into composing music.
It was amazing that during such a time, Rudhraiya, as he would have liked to be called in this piece, brought all of us together. He got us shooting with whatever camera we could lay our hands on. The good intention of the project meant that people like Rajini and Sripriya agreed to work, even though there was very little money in it. Ananthu and he wrote about women’s liberation at that time. Even when shooting, we would discuss so much about foreign cinema. Before a shot, for example, we could be heard asking each other how Godard would probably shoot that scene, how much exposure would he have used… We shot the film in two-hour sessions over four-five months, and when it came out, the result was amazing.
I was supposed to have acted in his second film, Raja Ennai Mannithuvidu, which unfortunately didn’t take off. It was a great story, but my work in films such as Sagalakalavallavan thwarted our coming together again. The industry had also humbled me a bit after Raja Paarvai. He didn’t take kindly to my acting in Sagalakalavallavan. And I remember patiently trying to calm his outburst by explaining that we needed money to make good films, and the commercial films I had taken to acting in, were only a means to that end. In its place, he made Gramathu Athiyayam and I had a few disagreements with him over it. I liked the idea, but felt that Aval Appadithaan’s synergy wasn’t there.
He was a different man in a way. It’s a pity that we mainly remember and herald the commercial successes more than the critical ones. He had so many more films in him, but could only make those two. This is why the West has festivals like Sundance that ensure such people aren’t left frustrated. Perhaps the strong revival of films like Aval Appadithaan will force people to consider bringing in an alternative movement, an alternative platform for parallel films.
He was also a man who took fierce pride in his work. He wouldn’t settle for working under somebody else. He knew so much about cinema and expected to take control. The camaraderie that was part of Aval Appadithaan, I think, he expected from other films. But it was not to be.
I met him again a year ago. Even during his last years, it was clear he hadn’t given up hopes of making another movie. Moviemaking, as many of us know, is an addiction. Some have stepped away, and some others keep trying. He belonged to the second category and I respect him for it. He needed more help from the industry. Just like Bharati will forever be remembered for his poetry, Rudhraiya will forever be remembered for the great film he made.
A still from the movie Aval Appadithan starring Kamal Hassan and Sri Priya / The Hindu Archive
The world will remember him for Aval Appadithaan, a film that shook the foundations of the Tamil film industry and still does. College students still watch it and generations are scratching their heads over how we managed to bring it out. I will remember him for his passion for cinema. He was one of those directors who wouldn’t mind holding a reflector aloft, if it meant that a scene would look better.”
As told to Sudhir Srinivasan
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Cinema Plus / November 19th, 2014
Plan to extend model to Puliyampatti where people throng St. Antony’s Church
Treatment of mental illness has witnessed a paradigm shift with community involvement in the southern districts in a big way. The ‘Sivakasi model,’ experimented since 2002, has inspired psychiatrists to replicate it in other districts.
This model is the most viable to treat psychiatric illness as it involves the community, a service organisation and the government. It has also successfully got rid of the stigma associated with mental illness by taking treatment away from medical institutions to the doorstep of patients, says C. Ramasubramanian, State Nodal Officer, District Mental Health Programme.
It all began in 2002 when a group of psychiatrists, led by Dr. Ramasubramanian, began the free mental health camp, with the involvement of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations (SSSSO), Tamil Nadu, M. S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation, Madurai, and local philanthropists. It is organised on the fourth Sunday of every month.
In the beginning, patients from Virudhunagar district attended the camp where free consultation, medicines for one month and food are provided. Now, patients from seven southern districts benefit from it. The added feature is the presence of District Differently Abled Rehabilitation Officer to sanction maintenance grant, identity card and bus pass to persons with mental illness. The all-India president of SSSSO, V. Srinivasan, said at the 150th camp that similar camps would be organised in all districts of Tamil Nadu. The M. S. Chellamuthu Trust will train volunteers for the camps.
Problems of follow up, absence of local psychiatrists, after-effects of medicine and expenditure are addressed in the Sivakasi model. Volunteers of the service organisation are trained as lay counsellors by exposing them to causes, symptoms and myths of mental illness; medicines and their side-effects and how to identify relapse, says K. S. P. Janardhan Babu of M. S. Chellamuthu Trust. A reliable monitoring mechanism has been put in place by entrusting 10 families of mentally ill persons to each of the trained volunteers, who make periodic home visits. Efforts are on to provide vocational rehabilitation locally for those cured of their illness.
An amalgam of the Sivakasi model and the ‘Dava Duva’ model of Mira Datar Dargah of Ahmedabad is the ‘Margamum Maruthuvamum’ model, a marriage of faith and medicine.
The trust plans to extend this model to Puliyampatti in Tuticorin district where people throng the St. Antony’s Church to get their mental illness cured, says Mr. Babu.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by S. Annamalai / Madurai – November 13th, 2014
An engineering heritage centre has been established at Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Thandalam near Sriperumbudur to showcase the growth of various branches of engineering. The centre was inaugurated by A. Sivathanu Pillai, managing director of BrahMos Aerospace recently. Dr. Pillai, distinguished scientist, Defence Research and Development Organisation, traced the development of space and missile technology in India under the leadership of Vikram Sarabhai and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
He appreciated students’ effort in fabricating and displaying various engineering gadgets and emphasised that creative and innovative thinking was the need of the hour. “A strong industry-institute interaction and joint patents should be part of core activity in any technical institution” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – November 15th, 2014
