Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Yards to dream upon

January 30, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

From portraits to Christmas patterns, the recently-concluded International Quilt Show showcased creative works of various sizes, shades and nationalities

Jim Morrison strikes a pose with his guitar as disco lights twinkle overhead. Then there are glasses of martini — shaken not stirred — dancing peacocks, cobbled stone paths and landscapes… all on quilts. The recently-concluded International Quilt Show, part of India Quilt Festival 2019 (organised by India Quilt Foundation), displayed patterns that ranged from creative and dramatic to quirky.

“This is the first time this event is being organised in India,” says Tina Katwal, who started India Quilt Foundation along with Deepa Vasudevan and Varsha Sundararajan in January 2018. The event was divided into two sections: competition and exhibition. The competition featured around 290 quilts. With its dizzying colours, varied themes and intricate work, the displays made sure the attendees had their phone cameras out the whole time. The lure of the quilts also ensured heavy traffic outside Sri Sankara Hall, the venue, as people came in droves to witness works of art.

The exhibition section had around 70 quilts, some on loan from countries such as the US, Hungary, Guatemala, Korea, Kuwait, UAE and Scotland.

“India has a large number of talented quilters. While quilting festivals happen the world over, we wondered why it hadn’t been organised here before. We have an online community called Desi Quilters. They seemed excited about the idea of a quilt show. And that’s how it started,” says Tina, who owns a quilt store called The Square Inch.

All about talent

Chitra Mandanna can hardly stop smiling. Of her six exhibited works, four have won her awards. “These include Best of Show and Judges’ Choice in the Art category, and a first prize and an honorary mention in the Theme category,” says Chitra.

A striking portrait of her uncle, made using cheesecloth and denim, stands out. “It took me a month to create this. Working with cheesecloth can be challenging,” says the 42-year-old, adding, “It took me seven months to complete all six quilts. I’ve used techniques such as beading, fabric manipulation, upcycling, confetti quilting…” Only after she lists the different techniques do we realise that there is so much more to quilting than just stitching together layers of fabric, usually saris.

The show also had entries by children, their quilts brimming with things that occupy their thoughts — cupcakes, ice cream sundaes and ice lollies. Ten-year-old S Ritika’s quilt is just as petite as her. The 26X40 inch quilt features a patchwork of chubby yellow, green, orange, pink and brown birds against a black background. “My mother introduced me to quilting. We have two machines at home and sew together,” says Ritika, who took two weeks to complete her quilt.

What also stands out is a hot pink quilt, with rectangular bars in sea green, brown, tan and shades of pink, created using patchwork and machine quilting techniques. Something that would look great as a sari. People around fondly refer to it as the “muttai pink delight”.

“It’s actually a throw,” says Kamala Murali, its 29-year-old creator. “I am a textile designer and use a lot of quilts in my work,” she says, adding, “My grandmother has always collected quilts and since there is something so comforting about quilts, I gravitate towards it.” Kamala is also launching her own textile label titled Kambli, which means quilt in Tamil (nothing to do with Vinod Kambli, the cricketer!).

Quilting is no longer a hobby of the older generations. “I’ve noticed a lot of young people taking to it. I think it’s because they get a large surface to express what they want to say,” says Kamala.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Priyadarshini Paitandy / January 28th, 2019

The making of molam

January 15, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

Played on the night of Bhogi, the instrument is handcrafted by a small community in North Chennai

Its lifespan is just a few hours. Yet, molam, a hand-drum, lives and leaves gloriously. Says PR Munnaiyyan, who’s been making the instrument ever since he can remember: “Traditionally, we play it at midnight on Bhogi. Once we get rid of old things and clothes, we break the molam too. We believe that by doing so, we get rid of all negativity and start afresh from Pongal day.” The instrument, with its raw sound that’s fiery and melancholic at the same time, holds within it decades of history.

Behind the molam is a 2,500-strong community in Gurusamy Nagar, Pulianthope. “We are all shoe makers,” says Munnaiyyan. However, the 50-year-old adds that ever since bigger companies swallowed crafts such as theirs, most of his peers have taken to other jobs. He himself turned auto driver some five years ago. But his family continues to make the molam, a tradition since the days of his father C R Raj Kannu.

“At present, only a few families make the instrument in this locality,” explains Munnaiyyan. “Our work is similar to the firecracker-makers. We work through the year to keep the stock ready and sell them in January.” Every year, the artisans place orders for the base of the molam with potters in places such as Kanchipuram, Velur, and Arakkonam. They call this ‘kala odu’. It looks like the mouth of a clay pot, without the body.

Slaughter houses supply them with cow skin. “We clean it, and soak it in kilinjal sunnambu (limestone made from seashells) for two days,” says Munnaiyyan. The skin will now resemble thick cotton cloth. “We then dry it in the sun. It takes around three days on average, but if it’s sunny, a day will suffice,” he adds. Using a knife called ‘thagadu’, the artisans carve out the cured skin according to their requirement.

One of a kind

The final step, that of tying the skin to the clay base, is crucial. Munnaiyyan says that only two women from the community are trained to do it. “Only one of them is alive,” he says. She’s G Rajammal, whose age Munnaiyyan places around 70. She gives the finishing touch and can tie 150 molams a day. “This requires practice, since the skin has to be handled carefully. Otherwise, it can cut your hands,” observes Munnaiyyan.

Most of the work — apart from sourcing the raw material and selling it — is done by women. Munnaiyyan’s wife Gomathi, for instance, uses an annakoodai(wide-mouthed trough) to soak the skin in limestone. “She dries it on the terrace or any place where there’s good sunlight in our locality,” he says.

Gomathi is learning the art of tying the molam from Rajammal. She works from 9 am to 7 pm these days, since orders are high on days leading to Bhogi. “I don’t cook on such days; we mostly live on outside food,” she says. Also, Gomathi doesn’t touch food once she’s put on her gloves to work. “I start work after breakfast; my next meal is after 7 pm.”

Munnaiyyan sells the instrument at wholesale prices. “From ₹8 to ₹11 a piece, depending on size,” he says. With factory-made plastic molams from outside Tamil Nadu flooding the market, these artisans feared if this craft too will wither like shoe-making did. “But the plastic ban has given us hope,” says Munnaiyyan. “From next year, our business will increase manifold and people who previously gave up the craft, will take it up again.” People like him look down on the plastic copycats. “What’s the point when you can’t break them, as tradition demands?” he asks.

Is he sad that something he and his family work hard on through the year, is so short-lived? “No,” he says, “I see it as something that gives people positivity.” As an afterthought, he adds, “But yes, it lasts just a day.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Akila Kannadasan / January 14th, 2019

Ponnaiyan, poet Thiyaroo among nine to get Tamil Nadu state awards

January 15, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

Each award carries Rs 1 lakh, gold medal and a citation.

Chennai :

The State government on Monday announced the names of recipients of nine awards being presented to mark the Thiruvalluvar Day celebrations.

The awardees are: Pazha Nedumaran (Kamarajar award), C Ponnaiyan (Periyar award), Soolur Kalaipithan (KAP Viswanatham award), Poet Thiyaroo (Bharathidasan award), Dr K Ganesan (Thiru.Vi.Ka award), M Bharathi Sugumaran (Bharathiyar award), M Aikkan (Perarignar Anna award) C Ramaguru (Ambedkar award), and MG Anwar Batcha (Thiruvalluvar award).

Each award carries Rs 1 lakh, gold medal and a citation. It will be presented by the Chief Minister on January 21.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / January 15th, 2019

Transform old clothes, wedding saris into heirloom pieces

January 12, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environmentadmin

Wrapped in memories: Tina Katwal’s Memory Quilts transforms fabrics

Old baby clothes, wedding dresses or saris you bought for a particular event, all of these may have at least one thing in common: they are of no use anymore. Yet they are objects of such fond memories that one gets reluctant when it comes to disposing them.

Tina Katwal, founder of The Square Inch, has the perfect solution for you. Her new venture, The Memory Quilts, is all about preserving memories. Give her your baby clothes and she will transform them into a charming quilt, and even add a batting of cotton in between so you can snuggle with it.

Celebrating The Square Inch’s fifth anniversary, Tina talks about her early days as a quilt enthusiast. “For me it was a case of playing with scraps from clothes. When I was younger, I used to make my own clothes. Then I started playing around with scraps and turning them into a quilt,” says Tina. Eschewing the more traditional notions associated with the quilt, Tina has transformed it into a symbol of both beauty and utility, bringing out its latent artistic value.

“We have made quilts out of a child’s first year clothes; we have also made quilts for a child graduating out of school with his or her school uniform and sports’ T-shirts. These memory quilts are a great way to preserve and cherish memories and also document events in a person’s life,” says Tina, adding that customers even request her to make quilts in memory of others.

Memory Quilts also uses a range of different materials and fabrics. She has turned ponnadai (shawls) and even wedding saris into quilts.

“We can make them in any style as per the client’s request. They can be whimsical and fun, minimalist, subtle and elegant, or even bold and graphic. We can make it to go with the décor of the room or even the general mood of the house. We try to capture the personality of the person it is meant for,” she adds.

Talking of what inspires her, she says, “A bulk of tailor produce and worn out clothes go to waste as scraps. By making quilts, we are also reducing the amount of waste that goes to a landfill and encouraging sustainable practices all across the textile community.” The financial savings don’t hurt too, and Tina laughs about this ulterior objective.

“Not a single scrap of cloth is wasted here. Everything is upcycled or reused. That is our little contribution,” says Tina.

Till date, Tina has converted about 30 saris and hundreds of baby clothes into memorable quilts, giving people an opportunity to go to bed cocooned in fond memories.

For details, call 9551655776 or visit The Square Inch’s Facebook page

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Pracarsh Rastogi / January 10th, 2019

Eighth edition of Muthiah’s Madras Rediscovered launched

January 11, 2019About Chennai(Madras) / TamilNadu, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

A city called home: S Muthiah’s Madras Rediscovered, recently launched in its eighth edition, is a leisurely read of Chennai, its people, places and history

City chronicler S Muthiah ferrets out a copy of Madras Discovered, first published in 1981. The book’s dust jacket has turned sepia — some of the stories in it are old, laced with nostalgia and fraying at the edges, while others have passed into the realm of memory. And yet, the tome, once priced at Rs.10 for 172 small pages that has now grown to 600 larger pages with a new title, continues to be considered a seminal work on this gracious southern city.

Raised and educated abroad, Muthiah chose Madras as his home in the late 1960s. One of his first assignments at his new job at TTK Maps was to write the text to accompany a street guide to the city. “The book was published by East West Books and most of the material was discovered in the course of a search that was part of a bigger project. Some of it, such as the ‘Tales of Old and New Madras’, were published in Aside magazine,” says Muthiah. “What fascinated me as I continued to read about the city was that, in a sense, Madras was the first city of Empire. It was here that Robert Clive, Warren Hastings, Wellington and Elihu Yale started their careers; here that the foundations for the school of Engineering and Survey was laid.”

Although the current edition travels back eons to dwell briefly on the city’s Megalithic and early Tamil history, its forte lies in showcasing the years when it was Britain’s colonial outpost.

As Britain moved from commerce to conquest, its scarlet stains spreading across the world map, marking the extent of its Empire, the book closely follows the story, holding its own amidst the glut of literature that has been written on the political, commercial, social and cultural equations that Britain and India have shared.

“The early editions were references to the initial years of the British in India, but in the eighth edition, we travelled back and looked at the city before the European period. This was a nod to the fact that parts of the city, in some way, existed before the establishment of Fort St George,” he says.

With the keen eye of an observer and without descending into the tidal shifts of coloniser and the colonised, Muthiah captures vignettes of Madras in his inimitable old-fashioned, witty prose.“There are two levels to the book — the history of buildings in Madras, and the stories connected with them,” he adds, flipping through the book that alternates between places and anecdotes. “If you are interested in the city, you’d read the first part but if you love the stories of the people who made the city then ‘Once Upon a City’ is for you.”

So, the reader is handheld through the building of the Fort overlooking the Bay’s sludgy waters topped with white foamy chevrons, while also reading on the scandalous romance of Hastings and Marian (a German baroness) that began here and culminated in marriage in Calcutta. The action then moves to the club and press institutions of Mount Road, the founding of The Hindu as a major opposition paper in imperial times and its contribution to the Indian Independence movement, the sport this city plays, its seat of Theosophy, mercantile giants such as Binny and Parry, its Indo-Saracenic architecture, its educational and cultural institutions and its changing face.

“Whatever has been filed on the city — whether it be by historians such as Sriram V or Chithra Madhavan or by others — is vetted and added to subsequent editions. It is a continuous process and work for the next edition has already begun,” says 88-year-old Muthiah.

The book, interspersed with rare black-and-white photographs and colour maps, ends with a chronological history of Madras and an extensive bibliography. It is a remarkable effort to understand the weft of a modern metropolis as much as it is a love song to a city we know so well.

(Madras Rediscovered, published by Westland is priced at ₹799)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Deepa Alexander / January 10th, 2019

Anglo Indians converge in city for a reunion

January 8, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Having a ball: Participants dancing at the 11th World Anglo Indian Reunion 2019 in Chennai on Monday. | Photo Credit: R. Ravindran

An opportunity to keep our culture and heritage alive, says vice-president of International Anglo Indian Federation

After nearly half a century, Norman Remedios of Canada has returned to India to celebrate his roots. He, along with other Anglo Indians from across the globe gathered in Chennai for a reunion on Monday.

It was a day of nostalgia at the 11th World Anglo Indian Reunion 2019 as people relived old memories and revelled in the the bond they shared despite being spread across the world.

Reflecting the jubilant mood at the event, Mr. Remedios said: “This is my first trip to Chennai. I am back in my home country after five decades. I came here to greet and share memories with the community that I lost touch with when I left for Canada from Kolkata.”

The St. George’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Poonamallee High Road, had over 600 people from the community recounting memories of their homeland.

Nostalgic trip

Withbert Payne from the U.S. has not missed a single reunion since it was started in 1989. He too, like many others, left India when he was a teenager. “I have read several books on the community. This is one way to trace my roots. I have taken my children to events in the past to introduce them to my culture,” he said.

Earlier, Governor Banwarilal Purohit recalled memories of his school days when he was tutored by Anglo Indian teachers. He elaborated on the contributions of the community in various fields, including railways, education and military services.

Harry MacLure, vice-president of International Anglo Indian Federation, said “We organise such events once in three years in various parts of the world. This year, we have people from places such as Canada, Australia and the Netherlands, as well as from across India. We strive to keep our culture and heritage alive through such events.”

The week-long reunion will also showcase the community’s glorious past to youngsters and discuss their future and career opportunities, according to Geoffrey Francis, president, Anglo Indian Association of South India. Participants will go on a city tour, visit a photo exhibition, take part in a literary event featuring books on the Anglo Indian community as part of the reunion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 08th, 2019

Hotel Saravana Bhavan to attempt Guinness record for longest dosa

January 8, 2019Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

This concept, envisioned by celebrity chef Vinodh Kumar, will be implemented by 50 chefs from Saravana Bhavan at IIT Madras.

Chennai :

Hotel Saravana Bhavan will attempt to break the Guinness World Record by making a 100 ft-long dosa on Friday. This concept, envisioned by celebrity chef Vinodh Kumar, will be implemented by 50 chefs from Saravana Bhavan at IIT Madras.Speaking at a press conference in the city on Monday, chef Vinodh Kumar said that around 20 kg of batter will be used to make the dosa. “We have gone to great lengths to plan this endeavour, and we will be successful,” he said.

Currently, Hotel Dasapalla in Hyderabad holds the record for making the longest dosa measuring 54-feet-8.69-inches. “We could have decided to make a 60-feet dosa to claim the record, but we are going all in by making a 100-feet-dosa,” he said.

The 105-feet dosa pan for the event is being made in coordination with Saravana Bhavan’s engineering team, and it is learned that the pan will be maintained at a temperature of 180-200 degrees celsius to ensure the dosa batter doesn’t set immediately.

“The temperature will be maintained, so all the batter can be transferred to the pan and then the chefs will work in tandem to roll up the dosa,” said Vinodh Kumar, replying to a question from a journalist at the press conference.

Actor Nakul’s wife Shruti Nakul, who also spoke at the press conference, welcomed the initiative and expressed confidence that it would be successful. Saravana Bhavan’s general manager Damodaran was also present at the event.

The current record holder

Currently, Hotel Dasapalla in Hyderabad holds the record for making the longest dosa measuring 54-feet-8.69-inches.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / January 08th, 2019

Aruna Sairam gets Sangita Kalanidhi title

January 2, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

92nd annual conference and concerts of the Music Academy comes to a close

The Music Academy on Tuesday conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi upon renowned Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam at its Sadas, concluding its 92nd annual conference and concerts. Presenting the award, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said Ms. Sairam, who has had an illustrious career spanning decades could be credited with taking the art to a wider audience both in India and abroad. She was also known for her collaborative exercises in music with artistes of other countries, he said.

Mr. Purohit also spoke of how the people of Chennai had nurtured Carnatic music, classical dance and their traditions for several centuries. “This city now is ample testimony to the mix of tradition and modernity. It is a city where Sabhas, software and puttus and popcorn co-exist, to hold aloft music and culture. May this tradition continue,” he said.

Other awards

The Governor also gave away other awards, including Sangita Kala Acharya awards to mridangam vidwan Thanjavur R. Ramadas and Carnatic vocalist and guru K. Omana Kutty. The T.T. Krishnamachari awards were presented to veena vidhushi Kalyani Ganesan and veteran nagaswaram vidwan Sembannarkoil S.R.G. Rajanna. Premeela Gurumurthy, Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University, received the Musicologist Award.

N. Murali, president, the Music Academy, acknowledged contributions of all who had worked to make the 18-day-long 92nd conference and concerts wholesome and complete, including the rasikas, members, sponsors, musicians, musicologists, artists and the caterers.

Danceuse and guru Leela Samson said Ms. Sairam was one of 12 women artists who had been conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi by the Music Academy. Recalling that her guru Rukmani Devi Arundale had asked her to sing when she danced, Ms. Samson said perhaps vocalists too could dance when they sang. Musicologist Ritha Rajan, who offered felicitations to the other awardees, recalled how Mr. Ramadas would appreciate other artistes after concerts.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 02nd, 2019

Up and down and round and round

January 1, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sportsadmin

Forty-five cyclists savoured the sights, sounds and taste of Northwest Tamil Nadu as they visited four waterfalls in seven days

In an age of bullet trains, express ways, and long haul flights, choosing a bicycle as a means of touring still presents a challenge. While there have been people who have toured the world on a bicycle since it was invented, it is still difficult to navigate even familiar cities today thanks to issues like safety, weather, road conditions, traffic, on-road support, and so on.

In 2010, to give more cyclists an opportunity to cycle in properly organised tours, Tamil Nadu Cycling Club (TCC), a Chennai-based not-for-profit organisation, began organising an annual cycling tour in partnership with The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. Vasanth Ramaswamy, Secretary TCC and curator of the tour, outlines the objective of the tour as “to promote eco-tourism in the state of Tamil Nadu and provide a platform for touring on cycles”.

The group poses together | Photo Credit: unknown

Given the vastness and diversity of Tamil Nadu, TCC has come out with different themes each year. In the first edition, the tour started in Coimbatore with the theme ‘Mountains’ and offered riders a chance to explore Ooty, Yercaud, and Kodaikanal. The subsequent editions explored themes like heritage sites, cuisines, the Eastern Ghats, Western ghats, the Nilgiris and wildlife. The focus was on visiting places that are intricately linked to these themes. The theme this year was ‘Waterfalls’ and the ride covered four waterfalls in Northwest Tamil Nadu. The tours typically start and end at one of the major towns in Tamil Nadu; this time, it was Erode. The intermediate halts over the next seven days were at Hogenekkal, Yercaud, Kallakuruchi and Kolli Hills. Forty five riders, including five women, participated.

The route for different days were designed to provide a variety of experiences; flat sections, uphill rides that test one’s determination, downhill rides that require good control, frustrating headwinds and tailwinds that provided much-wanted relief. “We avoid National Highways as much as possible as they offer very limited scenic beauty and most are all about speed,” says Venkat Venkatadri, one of the key organisers.

The first day from Erode to Hogenekkal passed through some beautiful roads that had stiff headwinds and the second day had steep inclines. After a more relaxed third at Yercaud that was all about scenery, the fourth and fifth day offered gentle climbs in the Kalrayan Hills. The toughest one was reserved for the sixth day when riders ascended the Kolli hills. The last day was a ceremonial easy ride back to Erode.

When asked how this tour compared to the prestigious Tour de France, Rajaram Pattabiraman, the tour director, quickly dismisses the inevitable comparisons, “This is not a race; it is a tour. It is immaterial whether someone rides fast or slow, the entire distance or partially, all days or some days… We want each participant to enjoy the tour and will offer support and recognition to all riders in the best possible manner.” The participants came from all over the country including a few international riders. They were from all walks of life and of all ages. For many, especially those from other parts of India, it was a new experience to ride through Tamil Nadu in places that they had rarely heard about.

It is not always the destination that counts but also the journey. One may not find a small town like Kallakuruchi very romantic but, when reached through the Kalrayan Hills and breathtaking views of Gomukhi dam, it is a place worth visiting.

Riding up to the hill stations helps one enjoy every bit of the view from the top and a sense of accomplishment. Modern highways bye-pass most small towns and link only the major cities. Cycling through small towns helps us connect with many wonderful people and institutions. The friendly cheers from children make each rider feel like a celebrity. It also offers us a chance to try local cuisine and get a closer look at local customs and traditions.

It is an opportunity to pay heed to what songwriter and entertainer Eddie Cantor said, “Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going to fast; you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”

Pedal winners

The tour covered four waterfalls: Hogenekkal, Kiliyur in Yercaud, Periyar in Kalrayan Hils and Agaiya Gangai in Kolli Hills

There were 45 riders including five women

The distance covered was 852 km

The total elevation was 11,111m

The total trip took seven days

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by S. Balaji / January 01st, 2019

A calendar that pays homage to the unsung

December 31, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

Parivadini helps chronicle hitherto undocumented nagaswaram, thavil players

They enlivened the Carnatic music world. To commemorate them and their music, Parivadini, a charitable organisation promoting music, has decided to make a calendar showcasing six nagaswaram and six thavil players.

“We have selected artists who have not been documented by musicologist B.M. Sundaram in his book. There will be a brief note about every artist, explaining their achievements,” said Lalitharam, founder, Parivadini, who has collected the pictures with the help of music enthusiast Swamimalai Saravanan.

Dharmapuram Govindaraja Pillai was an artist as well as a composer. His compositions are unique, often bringing out rare facets of ragas with intricate laya patterns inter-weaved. He published 25 of his Tamil Varnams in a book, ‘Abirami Isai Vanna Malai’.

Pandanallur T.R. Dakshinamoorthi Pillai was the favourite nagaswaram player of the legendary thavil player Yazhpandam Dakshinamurthi. He was famous for raga elaboration and the ability to continuously bring out fresh phrases while playing a raga for several hours.

While musicians are known by the town they lived, Vandikaratheru brothers R. Mani and Mamundiya Pillai chose to attach the street they lived — Vandikkaara Theru — in Mayiladuthurai. They often played an apparently small raga with limited scope for exploration for hours.

The first woman nagaswaram player Madurai M.S. Ponnuthayi made her mark when the likes of T.N.Rajaratnam Pillai, Thiruveezimizalai brothers were at their peak. She remained one of the most sought after artists — especially during temple festivals — for several decades until her husband’s death abruptly halted her career.

Known as one of the greatest teachers, Thirumagalam Somaskanda Pillai taught at the Nagaswaram school in Pazhani. His students include Thirupampuram T.K.S. Swaminathan, Injikudi E.M. Subramaniam, Injikudi E.M. Mariyappan and Mannarkudi Sankaranarayanan.

Semponnarkoil is known for Rakthi melam and S.R.D.Muthukumaraswami and S.R.D. Vaidhyanathan carried the weight of their legacy with ease.

Distinctive style

After spending his initial years in Sri Lanka, Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram Pillai, on his return, had the honour of being the first disciple of thavil legend Nachiarkoil Raghava Pillai. He dominated the field for five decades and his distinctive style is a unique blend of freshness and aptness. Stock accompanist for Karaikuruchi Arunachalam, Perumpallam Venkatesa Pillai was known for his unique representation of even the well-known ‘sollus’. His popularity reached a peak when his playing in the movie‘Konjum Salangai’ became a mega hit.

Thiucherai Muthukumaraswami Pillai carved a niche for himself through pleasant playing that made even a novice nagaswaram artist feel at ease, resulting in complete enhancement of the concert.

Self-designated thavil engineer Poraiyar R. Venugopal Pillai replaced the leather belts and bamboo rings with steel strips and pipes. His innovation came handy for artists who could ready the instrument in a jiffy.

Swamimalai S. Govindaraja Pillai started his concert career playing for the legendary T.N.Rajaratnam Pillai and later became the mainstay for TNR’s nephew “Kakkayi” Nataraja Sundaram Pillai.

A great thavil teacher, Kivalur K.Sinagaravelu Pillai’s ability to instil the basics in a student was unparalleled.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – December 28th, 2018

Chennai First

a Celebration. Positive News, Facts & Achievements about Chennai, Tamilians and all the People of TamilNadu – here at Home and Overseas