Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Actor ‘Cheenu’ Mohan dies of cardiac arrest

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The 61-year-old actor-comedian started his career on stage with Crazy Mohan’s Crazy Creations

Theatre artiste and film actor ‘Cheenu’ Mohan, who was associated with Crazy Creations for over two decades, died here on Thursday due to cardiac arrest.

The 61-year-old actor-comedian started his career on stage with Crazy Mohan’s Crazy Creations. He appeared in nearly 4,000 shows since the troupe was started in 1979. Mohan shot to fame as he played the role of one of the comic duo ‘Maadhu-Cheenu’ in many dramas, including Maadhu +2 and Madhil Mel Maadhu.

Recalling his friendship with Mohan, ‘Maadhu’ Balaji, actor and brother of playwright Crazy Mohan, said, “We met in 1977-1978 during inter-collegiate competitions. He was impressed by my brother’s scripts and joined the troupe in 1979. He travelled with us throughout the world to enact in dramas for 25 years. He had a natural talent and was spontaneous on stage.”

The duo went on to enthral television audience in 1,000 episodes of serials such as Nil Gavani Crazy, Maadhu Cheenu, Siri Gama Padhani and Vidaathu Sirippu.

“He was my roommate for two decades wherever we stayed for performance and we shared great chemistry on stage. He was a good trouper. He could not join us regularly due to his ill-health. His last performance on stage was for Crazy Premier League in April and he got thunderous applause from the audience,” said Mr. Balaji.

In films

‘Cheenu’ Mohan has also acted in many films. He made his debut as an film actor in Varusham Padhinaaru and went on to act in several movies including Thalapathi and Anjali. Some of his recent movies were Iraivi, Aandavan Kattalaiand Kolamaavu Kokila.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – December 28th, 2018

Vishnupuram award presented

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Novelist and a researcher in Tamil literature Raj Gouthaman received the Vishunpuram Award for the year of 2018 here recently.

Since 2010, Vishnupuram Award is bestowed every year on senior Tamil writers. Coimbatore-based Vishnupuram Ilakkiya Vattam awards a trophy and a cash prize of ₹1 lakh to the recipient.

Apart from the award ceremony, a two-day literary event was held. It included discussions among writers from across the world and the screening of “Paattum Thogaiyum”, a documentary on Mr. Gouthaman that was directed by K.P. Vinoth.

Anita Agnihotri, an Indian Bengali writer and civil servant, Madhupal, Malayalam writer and filmmaker, Tamil writers Jeyamohan, Devibharathi, Stalin Rajangam, and Suneel Krishnan took part. A book on a collection of articles by various critics on Raj Gouthaman’s writings was also released on the function.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / Coimbatore – December 29th, 2018

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami releases coffee table book on India Cements and N Srinivasan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All

Speaking at the function, Palaniswamy said Srinivasan was successful because he has always seen himself first as a worker, then as a managing director.

CM Palaniswami along with N Srinivasan, cricketers MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid and Kapil Dev at the book release | D SAMPATH KUMAR
CM Palaniswami along with N Srinivasan, cricketers MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid and Kapil Dev at the book release | D SAMPATH KUMAR

Chennai :

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday released a coffee table book, which chronicled the 70-year journey of India Cements and N Srinivasan’s five-decade association with the company, in a glittering ceremony at Kalaivanar Arangam.

Former India captain MS Dhoni received the first copy of the book titled: “Defying the Paradigm N Srinivasan: Fifty years of an extraordinary journey” in the presence of several other stars.

Speaking at the function, Palaniswamy said Srinivasan was successful because he has always seen himself first as a worker, then as a managing director. “Srinivasan’s contribution to India’s cement business and other walks of life is well documented in this book. For any youngster who dreams of evolving as a successful entrepreneur, Srinivasan is a perfect example,” Palaniswami said.

“His contribution to the world of cricket is something all of us can be proud of, especially at a time when very few came forward to invest in the sport. He did so in other sports as well, which is laudable,” the Chief Minister added. The function was attended by a galaxy of cricketers including former captains Chandu Borde, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and other cricketers. Also in attendance were ministers from Tamil Nadu Cabinet and opposition leader MK Stalin.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / December 29th, 2018

Documenting the lives of fisherfolk via photographs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Through the lens: A photo exhibition on the fisherfolk, at Chetpet eco-park in Chennai on Sunday.
Through the lens: A photo exhibition on the fisherfolk, at Chetpet eco-park in Chennai on Sunday.

Exhibition captures essence of the State’s fishing community

The pictures tell the tales of Sita, a dry fish seller of Kasimedu, that of Rajakumari, the Irula fisherwoman of Cuddalore who lost her child in the tsunami, and of other fishers — the largest occupational group in the State.

Clicked by Rm.S. Somasundaram and Abha Muralidharan as part of ‘Ek Potlee Ret Ki / Kaani Nilam’, the photographs on display at the Chetpet eco-park capture the essence of the fishing community. ‘Kadalaadu Kaadai’ will be on display till December 25.

Radhika Ganesh, founder-member of ‘Ek Potlee Ret Ki / Kaani Nilam’, said the collective was working with cultural identities in five States in the country.

Along with photographs of the fishing community, narrating their lives and livelihoods from Ennore to Kanniyakumari, they have had also documented the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja, she said.

Mr. Somasundaram said the series began with their work in Cuddalore about children being involved in caste-based issues.

‘More of a family’

“Over a couple of months, we found that as a community, the fishers liked to identify themselves with their occupation rather than their caste. They work as a family irrespective of where they come from,” he explained.

Ms. Muralidharan, who quit her job with a lifestyle magazine to work among the common people, explained that a lot of stories came out of their documentation. “Some photos remain etched in my mind. For instance, there was something very sad about this one photo of a man. When we meet people, we talk to them and try and mingle with them, drawing them out,” she said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – December 24th, 2018

Musicians honoured by Tamil Isai Sangam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Ila Ganesan, former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, right, conferring the title ‘Isai Peraringnar’ on mridangam exponent Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, second from right, and ‘Pann Isai Peringnar’ on musician K. Venkatesan, third from right, at the 76th annual Tamil Isai Festival. Honorary secretary of Tamil Isai Sangam A.C. Muthiah and president of Tamil Isai Sangam P.R. Gokulakrishnan are in the photograph. | Photo Credit: M. Vedhan
Ila Ganesan, former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, right, conferring the title ‘Isai Peraringnar’ on mridangam exponent Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, second from right, and ‘Pann Isai Peringnar’ on musician K. Venkatesan, third from right, at the 76th annual Tamil Isai Festival. Honorary secretary of Tamil Isai Sangam A.C. Muthiah and president of Tamil Isai Sangam P.R. Gokulakrishnan are in the photograph. | Photo Credit: M. Vedhan

Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman given the title Isai Perarignar

Tamil Isai Sangam honoured two musicians — Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman and K. Venkatesan — at the 76th annual Tamil Isai Festival. Mridangam exponent Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman was given the title Isai Perarignar and musician K. Venkatesan the title Pann Isai Perarignar.

At an age where most people’s fingers and hands begin to shake, Mr. Sivaraman was deftly and beautifully playing the mridangam, said former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Ila Ganesan. He spoke about how important it was to pick an odhuvar like Mr. Venkatesan and greatly appreciated the Tamil Isai Sangam for honouring him. “There is a difference [in the way music is viewed] here and in the west,” he added.

Mr. Sivaraman, after accepting the award, said technology had blurred boundaries and with internet, students from across the world were able to learn music from artistes here.

President of Tamil Isai Sangam P.R. Gokulakrishnan and honorary secretary of Tamil Isai Sangam A.C. Muthiah were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 22nd, 2018

Palani student’s artwork to feature in NASA calendar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, World Opinion
Thenmukilan and his work
Thenmukilan and his work

Twelve-year-old’s drawing finds a spot in the American space agency’s Commercial Crew Calendar for 2019

A drawing by a 12-year-old from Palani has found a place in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) international Commercial Crew Calendar for 2019.

N. Thenmukilan, a Class VIII student of Shri Vidhya Mandir, Palani, drew an image of an astronaut cultivating fruits and vegetables in space to boost nutrition. He said that it took two full days to put his concept on paper. His entry was chosen from among thousands of others vying for a spot in the calendar at an international level.

Thenmukilan said that he began taking an interest in art from the age of 6. He would spend hours drawing and colouring. “Our school has a club called ‘Image Minds’, which helps us explore ideas creatively. When I first heard about the topic ‘Space Food’, my mind went several places. I finally settled for the concept of cultivating food in space as fresh vegetables never last the journey,” he said.

‘Sense of being home’

The student added that he drew tomatoes, pumpkins, bottle guards, corn, onion, pineapples and paddy to ensure that the astronauts had enough nutrition in outer space. It would give them a sense of being at home, he said.

Thenmukilan’s artwork was chosen for the month of November. He said that he used oil pastels, colour pencils and acrylic paint to produce his artwork. His parents, M. Natarajan, headmaster of a government school, and P. Chandramani, Senior Revenue Inspector, said that they were overjoyed upon hearing the news. “We were pleasantly surprised. The credit goes to his school and his teachers for honing his artistic talent,” said Mr. Natarajan.

According to NASA’s website, the Commercial Crew Calendar would be transmitted to astronauts aboard the space station.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Madurai – December 25th, 2018

Curtains come down on Chennai International Film Festival

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Pariyerum Perumal wins award for best Tamil feature film

Pariyerum Perumal, directed by Mari Selvaraj, won the best Tamil feature film award at the 16th Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF), as part of the Tamil Film Competition section.

The awards were distributed at the closing ceremony on Thursday evening, and both Mari Selvaraj and Pa.Ranjith, who had produced the film, received the honour. Director duo Gayathri-Pushkar, part of the jury, said that 12 films had been short-listed for the awards and the decision to pick the film had been unanimous. The film 96, directed by Prem Kumar was adjudged the second best Tamil film and director Vetrimaaran received a special jury award for directing Vada Chennai and producing Annanukku Jai.

The film festival, which began on December 13, saw over 150 films being screened. “We had more than 3,500 registrations this year which was a record in itself and were very pleased with the response for the film festival,” said S. Kannan, President of the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation which is organising the festival.

Speaking on the occasion, Kadambur Raju, Minister for Information and Publicity, said the State government was working with the Tamil film industry and ensuring that they work in coordination. “Further, the Tamil Nadu government will be giving away the state awards for films in January close to the Pongal festival in 2019. The ceremony was to be held in November this year but had got postponed,” he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 21st, 2018

Tamil Nadu: Sculptors to bring back tales of unsung dalit activists

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Activists like Veerammal, Vanjinagaram Kandan and Cuddalore Pandian had fought for the rights of the oppressed at different periods of time from 1890 to 1990.

Chennai  :

An alumni group from various government fine arts colleges in Tamil Nadu is in the process of etching in stone portrait statues of unsung dalit activists who fought for the rights of the downtrodden.

Activists like Veerammal, Vanjinagaram Kandan and Cuddalore Pandian had fought for the rights of the oppressed at different periods of time from 1890 to 1990.

“I have compiled a list of 26 such activists for making their statues,” Dalit historian Stalin Rajangam told PTI. In the 1950s, Veerammal, belonging to Tiruchirapalli, constructed a school for dalit girls.

Hailing from Madurai, Vanjinagaram Kandan, during the 1980s, fought for the rights of dalits to access water.

While Tirunelveli’s Ponnusamy fought for temple entry, Pandian sought the right to refuse to play the Parai (drum) when demanded by dominant castes, Rajangam said.

“Kandan, Ponnusamy and Pandian – all were murdered for fighting for the cause.

There are a lot of others who contributed during the century, but these 26 names had enough documents and photographs available,” Rajangam said.

Former Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, Principal, G Chandrasekaran, who is leading the team of sculptors said Mahatma Gandhi is an icon.

However, there were also a lot of people who worked on the ground but were not as recognised as him, he said.

“This is an attempt to appreciate the contributions made by such unsung heroes,” Chandrasekaran said.

An initiative of director Pa Ranjith’s ‘Neelam Panbaattu Maiam’ (Neelam Cultural Centre), the 26 statues would be displayed at a three-day event – Vaanam Arts Festival – to be held in Chennai from December 29 to 31.

Neelam Cultural Centre coordinator Udaya said the festival would display various dalit art forms.

Rajangam said while 25 of them were natives of Tamil Nadu, a foreigner who made it to the list is James H A Tremenheere.

Tremenheere was the Chengalpattu collector in the 1890s. He assigned 12 lakh acres to the oppressed classes of the Madras Presidency, Rajangam said.

The sculptors are from Government College of Architecture and Sculpture, Mahabalipuram and Government College of Fine Arts at Kumbakonam, Puducherry and Chennai.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by PTI / December 13th, 2018

The golden touch

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

MinistrelsCF12dec2018

The 50-year-old Minstrels will perform its annual Christmas concert tomorrow

There’s a wonderfully still moment at the start of every carol concert when you are visited by ghosts of Christmases past. Among the memories of good times, for the Minstrels, it is a throwback to singing of joy and hope in the leafy bylanes of Purasaiwalkam half a century ago. Founded in 1968, by school friends who loved a game of cricket as much as they loved pitching their voices together, the Minstrels have been singing at special services in and around Chennai  since then.

“We were all students of Madras Christian College School and lived in the same neighbourhood. We had a lot of time and our parents thought we could put our fledging guitar skills and voices to use. We first sang at the CSI Missionary Chapel, Mookathal Street, in 1978 and since have been singing at special services in churches,” says John Manikam, choir director and one of the founding members of the Minstrels.

The all-male choir that initially had 10 members and swelled to 30, is now a 16-voice, four-part harmony ensemble. “Members are scattered across age groups — the youngest is 18, the oldest 64 — and we don’t strictly audition for it. We welcome anyone who can carry a tune,” says John, who took over from Donald Madhavaraj.

The choir that sings hymns and gospel songs in both English and Tamil, counts the music of the Seekers as one of their early favourites. “For the upcoming concert we will be singing Don Moen’s ‘Emmanuel has come’ and our all-time favourite, ‘Devan nammaku adaikalam’.

Two concerts a year by the Minstrels — a Christmas worship service and a Lenten song service — raise funds for families from disadvantaged backgrounds. The choir has also recorded and released DVDs.

Have they considered opening the choir to women? “We stuck with what our parents asked us to do,” laughs John.

This year’s edition of Echoes of Christmas Day, will be held on December 13 at the Emmanuel Methodist Church, Jeremiah Road, Vepery, at 6.15 pm. The event is free and open to all.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home>News> Chennai / by Deepa Alexander / December 12th, 2018

Activist Kausalya gets married to a ‘parai’ player

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Newly wed Kausalya and Sakthi. | Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan
Newly wed Kausalya and Sakthi. | Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan

Kausalya, who took to activism after her husband Shankar’s murder in Udumalpet in March 2016, married a parai player here on Sunday.

Her marriage to Sakthi (27), a Vellalore resident and visual communication graduate, took place at the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam around 10 a.m., in the presence of TPDK Secretary Ku. Ramakrishnan, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam leader Kolathur Mani and a few other leaders of other like-minded outfits.

Kausalya, who learnt to play the parai drum, had known Sakthi because of various programmes she attended to create awareness on caste-based violence under the Shankar Samooga Needhi Arakkatalai, she established. She took to activism after her parents, along with a few others, murdered her husband Shankar as they were opposed to the inter-caste marriage.

Sakthi runs ‘Nimirvu’ a band that plays parai.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / Coimbatore – December 09th, 2018