The epitaph that was found on the grave of an Englishman near Udumalpet. | EPS
An epitaph dating back to 1801 has been discovered near Dhali Palayampattu, a village 14 km off Udumalpet, near Pollachi.
Dr S Ravi, a Kovai-based epigraphist, who traced the epitaph, claimed that the inscription was on a 19th century grave of an Englishman hanged by freedom fighters in Kongu region. “The instances of Indian rulers hanging foreigners are very few,” said Ravi, who traced the tomb with the epitaph.
The epitaph, written in Tamil, reads that an English messenger was hanged to death by Malayandi Ethalappa Naicken, who is believed to be a kin of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, who was hanged to death by British in 1799.
Ethalappa Naicken was the then chieftain of Dhali Palayapattu, which was under Panchalankurichi region ruled by Kattabomman. Ravi said that Dhali Palayapattu was formed after Vishwanath Naicker formed 72 Palayapattus in Kongu region for fighting against the British. “Ethalappa Naicken is believed to have participated in the first Panchalankurichi war along with Kattabomman against the British. After Kattabomman’s public hanging, several local chieftains in the region united under Ethalappa Naicken and fought against the British in the second Panchalankurichi war, which is believed to have happened in 1801.
British officials made a list of chieftains who led the war and found that Ethalappa Naicken was in the forefront. Later, they sent messengers to Ethalappa Naicken’s fort. Irked by Kattabomman’s hanging, Ethalappa Naicken caught the head of the messengers and hanged him to death,” Ravi said. As per the epitaph, the messenger leader buried in the tomb is ‘Andre Katie’. The date on the epitaph is April 23, 1801, a Thursday.
Ravi said that the name could be pronounced in two ways as it is written in old Tamil script.
“Senior archaeologist Y Subarayalu has also read the inscription and opined that the name can be read as Andre Katie,” Ravi said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Coimbatore / August 05th, 2013
Katsuma Doi, Director, Japan Foundation, addressing the inaugural of a Japanese language school in Madurai on Friday. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
The debate continues three decades after it was raised at the fifth World Tamil Conference held in Madurai in 1981.
It is more than three decades since Japanese linguist Susumu Ohno stirred a controversy at the fifth World Tamil Conference held here in 1981 by raising the possibility that the Japanese language may have originated from classical Tamil. The debate rages to this day.
Vimala Solomon, head of the Madurai-Japan Cultural Foundation and Director of Surya Nihongo Gakko, a Japanese language school here, says:
“I agree with Mr. Ohno because we find many similarities between Tamil and Japanese. We can think in Tamil and speak in Japanese. The syntax is also very similar.” However, she points out that one must learn Japanese first to appreciate the connection.
On the need for more Indians to learn Japanese, Savitri Vishwanathan, former head of the Department of Chinese and Japanese Studies, University of Delhi, says learning Japanese has its advantages as it facilitates interaction with the native speakers and helps in understanding their culture better, especially because Japanese is the only language spoken in all regions of Japan.
Katsuma Doi, director of the Japan Foundation in New Delhi, told The Hindu he is not aware of Mr. Ohno’s theory as the subject is confined to linguistic circles. But he adds that people-to- people contact between Japan and India has been excellent.
Referring to a great wave of interest created by the dubbed version of the Rajinikant film ‘Muthu’ in Japan in 1998 and the consequent interest evinced by Japanese audiences in watching Tamil movies, he says: “Now there is a second wave with the Japanese exhibiting much enthusiasm in watching Bollywood movies such as Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots, Shahrukh Khan’s Om Shanthi Om and Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger.”
He points out that a survey conducted in 2012 has revealed that Japanese is being taught to 3.98 million learners in 136 countries. “India is in the fourteenth position among countries where Japanese is popular. The number of learners in India has increased by 2,000 over the figure of 18,000 recorded in a survey conducted in 2009,” he points out.
He believes that Madurai will make great strides in learning Japanese in the years to come. “I feel that there will be rapid growth in the number of Japanese learners here as Ms. Vimala, a native of Madurai, has the ability not only to teach Japanese but also nurture the next generation of Japanese language teachers here,” he adds. Mr.Doi was in the city on Friday to inaugurate the Japanese language school.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Mohamed Imranullah S / Madurai – July 20th, 2013
The Republic of Armenia is planning to organise a grand celebration in September this year in the presence of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, to commemorate 360 years of the Armenians’ existence in Chennai.
The Armenian presence in Chennai began to increase since 1688. The first known house of an Armenian at Fort St George is called Admirality House today.
The Marmalong Bridge now called ‘Maraimalai Adilagar Bridge’ was originally built in 1726-28 by theArmenian Merchant Mr. Cogia Petrius Uscan at his own expense.
The Armenian Church, constructed in 1712 and reconstructed in 1772, is one of the oldest churches of the Indian subcontinent.
In addition to all the works done by them, The Armenian constitution project for the Armenians named Vorogait Paratz was written in Chennai by Hakob Shah Amirian and the Madras Group.
The Armenians settled here not only for trade, but also built several historical artifacts which are famous worldwide.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / June 29th, 2013
In a first, the makers of Saraswati Veena get recognition for identity, sound, technique and form. (Photos: Alock Mohanty)
The ancient Thanjavur Veena has got a fresh lease of life. Recently, the veena was accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) status by a High Court. The status recognises the musical instrument as having special characteristics unique to the region and techniques employed by artisans who live in and around Thanjavur, a historic pocket of traditional music. In Thanjavur, the birthplace of the inimitable Saraswathi Veena (Thanjavur Veena), revered as one of the three celestial musical instruments which continues to enthral music lovers, makers of the musical instrument are rejoicing at this announcement.
The GI status provides better legal protection for action of infringement, offering a respite for the few families who are still devoted to this deeply satisfying but complex craft.
Just as Carnatic music is incomplete without this Vedic instrument, the veena-makers of yore enjoyed royal patronage and high respect in the community. With traditional instruments gradually falling out of favour, the living conditions and social standing of the veena craftsmen are, sadly, on the decline. The Thanjavur Veena, unique with its functional resonator and 24 fixed-frets enabling ragas to be played on it, is crafted by master craftsmen who possess immense knowledge of music and understand the nuances of sound and tonal quality. The very instrument exudes grace and elegance.
Having been a home-based cottage industry for generations, the art does not thrive on hereditary knowledge any more. “My two sons have taken up corporate jobs after MBA. I could not press them into veena making knowing the meagre income it would fetch,” says M Narayanan, a fourth-generation veena maker from Thanjavur.
Srinivasan, a state-award winning veena-maker’s son works for a software company. But, not everyone in the younger generation wants to part ways with the art of making the veena. Craftsman Raman’s son Krishnamoorthy returned after a short stint at a private company to help his father. “There was a compelling urge within me to continue making veenas,” says the 25-year-old who started Sri Sai Musicals. Besides crafting, he exports veenas to other countries and markets them online.
Procuring wood has become a challenge. Jackfruit wood is predominantly used for veena crafting as it’s perfect for all weathers. “Earlier, Thanjavur used to house large clusters of jackfruit trees. Nowadays we buy wood from places like Panruti and Cuddalore,” says Narayanan. They used to work with stag horns, which is now legally banned.
The Thanjavur Veena is undergoing a lot of structural changes.
Srinivasan, who is familiar with modern crafting techniques aided by new tools and machines says that the motifs and symbols etched on the instrument have changed. “Earlier, it used to be figurines of Gods and motifs like the swan and peacock. Now it’s all modern designs and patterns,” he says.
Another pressing issue is the involvement of intricate workmanship and labour shortage. “We used to make the veena from scratch, including chopping the wood, carving, fixing the frets and waxing. These days, with only a few trained hands assisting us, we outsource parts from carpenters, and pay a large chunk to middlemen,” rues Narayanan. The Government-run ITIs offer training in veena craftsmanship, but there are no concessions or assistance to help artisans. The dearth of craftsmen may have a threatening impact on the quality, says a concerned Krishnamoorthy.
“Unfortunately, today’s focus is predominantly vocals; the instrument comes secondary. It’s also undergoing lots of structural changes. Anything that can be dismantled can’t be called a veena,” points out ‘Veenai’ E Gayathri, popular veena exponent and principal-director of the Tamil Nadu Government Music Colleges in Chennai, Thiruvaiyaru, Madurai and Coimbatore.
The Tamil Nadu Government has announced the setting up of a university exclusively for music. Efforts will be made to academise the craft of veena-making and providing a better platform to artisans. A good sign: the demand for the veena has not dwindled despite the popularity and influence of Western instruments. The veena’s sound has been preserved forever.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Sundari Sivasubbu / July 07th, 2013
Many people believed that Kodanad was a sleepy and isolated village overshadowed by Ooty till chief minister J Jayalalithaa made it as her second home. However, a two-part book titled ‘Blue Haven Ootty’ introduces it as the princes among hill stations as identified by Lord Erskine, then British governor of Madras presidency, about 80 years ago. To be released on Sunday, according to the authors, it would be the first and authentic travel guide on Nilgiris with detailed accounts about many hither to unknown facts about the hill station.
A product of years-long work by creative artist and writer DevarajRanganPorore and SuseelaDevaraj, the two parts book fills the void of a ready reference on the Blue Mountains and its past, present and future. “It is not just a description on places and buildings in the queen of hills. It talks about its people, their life styles, struggles, livelihood, culture and even environmental issues. There is a special section on tribes of the Nilgiris. It is not a conventional guide for routine tourists. Our aim was to give a comprehensive picture of the Nilgiris to the visitors,” said Devaraj.
What makes the book stand out is its display of more than 300 rare photographs reflecting the vibrancy of the Nilgiris. Birds, animals and even honey hunting and rock art have found place in the book. “It is a unique work. Those who write about tribes of the Nilgiris mention only the todas and badagas. The book contains information after an extensive research on the traditions of other tribes like kurumbas, kattunaikas and paniyas as well. There is a striking balance between nature, tourism and people’s struggle for survival,” said N Sadiq Ali, managing trustee of Ootty-based Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust.
“The Nilgiris is much more than Ooty but writers and photographers focus exclusively on Ooty. Upper Bhavani, Kodanad, Kothagiri, Avelanche, Glenmorgan, Pykara, Gudalur etc are also promising a lot for the visitors. The book provides a glimpse of all these places as well. The Nilgiri’s world famous home made chocolates and even the Nilgiri tea are being detailed in it with historical background. It also contains a travel map detailing places to see and accommodations available. The book has also included a list of eateries serving unique Nilgiri food.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / July 30th, 2013
BIBLIOPHILE: Margaret Sekhran. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
Margaret Sekhran says that people do not notice a good library because it is always there, like the KMU Library in Kodaikanal since 1890.
“Kodi was like a health resort then,” says Margaret Sekhran about Kodaikanal of 1965.
She remembers the peace and mist all around, the pleasure she derived walking around the lake where a handful of people sat and played the flute.
“That charm of the hill station is gone today”, she rues. Now, there are more people, more buildings, more vehicles, more noise, more garbage and pollution.
But there is one nook in the hill town that still brightens up the 77-year-old’s face. It is the Kodaikanal Missionaries Union (KMU) Library housed inside the Kodaikanal International School (KIS) campus.
The library is 123 years old and Margaret’s association with the heritage hotspot is 46 years old. She first visited and used the library in 1967. In 1978 she became its honorary member and ever since has been “helping the library in every possible way.”
Life for Margaret has come full circle. When she was a child, her father built a library in a van and took it around Derbyshire. “It was a storehouse of classics,” she recalls.
Today, Margaret as a Trustee of the KMU library takes care of its priceless collection of 7,000-plus books.
“We still have some old valuable books from 1890,” Margaret finds it hard to contain her excitement as she shows me around the tiny little room neatly stacked with rows of shelves filled with books.
“A good library,” she smiles, “will never be neat” and pulls out copies of The Bible in French, Spanish and Hebrew, a beautifully illustrated book on Paris…all from the previous century.
“Most of our books have been donated by missionaries, past and present members, visitors and the KIS. We buy them occasionally, our collection includes a wide genre of books,” she says.
Fond of reading, Margaret has added the “India section” with lots of books on leaders of freedom movement and biographies of several unusual people. She also introduced the “talking” concept where members assemble for two hours twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) to discuss old and new books and for a friendly exchange of opinions.
Library members interact. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
“Our members are spread across the country,” says Margaret, “and many times even if they are on a holiday or official visit to Kodi, they drop in for these chat sessions.” Many people also bring along friends who become members. “I also want all the new people coming and settling in Kodi to join us,” she says. Margaret is also particular about encouraging reading habit among children and always requests her members to come with their families to the library.
For Margaret it has been an enjoyable experience to see the group of library members develop into a core group of ‘regulars’ with others dropping in and out from time to time. The annual fee of Rs.100 remains static to make it affordable.
“By doing this work,” says she, “I feel I am offering a service.” “It is my endeavour to ensure that every book, old or new, damaged or voluminous, is of use and is not destroyed,” she adds.
At present Margaret is busy cataloguing the library. “It’s a hands-on work and I do it with whoever is willing to volunteer.” She feels it is necessary to make the historic KMU library representative of what it is, who the members are and what are the benefits. “We have three well known novelists as members,” she gushes, “and it is the wonderful individuals who provide the personality of our group.”
The KMU was formed in 1890 to enable missionaries of the various denominations to come together for recreation and to develop mission strategy and outreach in cooperation with each other.
The library building./ Photo: S. James / The Hindu
In 1923 an Edwardian style clubhouse was built with a large central hall for social events and afternoon teas, tennis courts, a reading and other meeting rooms. With the decline of missionary activity in India, the KMU was wound up in the 1980s, and the property was turned over to KIS. The KMU library, maintained by the KIS, continued to function from the single room and has become something of a social venue over the years. “It is perhaps the most influential club throughout Kodai’s history,” beams Margaret, a social worker who came to India post-marriage in 1962. Before the KMU Library grabbed her, Margaret started the Ladies Circle in Chennai in 1970 and did lot of voluntary work with refugees and children of slum dwellers. After coming to Kodaikanal, she launched herself on a self-assigned mission of planting shoal trees.
To know the past through books kept returning her to the library. “A library just has to provide,” she says, “it need not be big or beautiful, with more staff or users.”
It is Margaret’s desire to keep adding books to the library’s present volumes. Aware of technology taking over and more people reading online, she says, “I hope physical books will continue to stay for a long time.”
“Library is more than a repository of books,” Margaret describes, “it is a gathering place for people because they interact with each other.” Whether she is interacting with the young or old, regular or new visitors in the library or her pet Dalmatians and the hundreds of birds, trees, butterflies and flowers at home, it is them who make her life interesting.
“If you have a library and a garden, what else you need in life?” she asks. In her opinion both are wondrous places with the power to change lives and help you to look forward.
“They are the future,” she smiles, praying that the KMU library remains one such indispensable spots in Kodi always having what people need.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Soma Basu / Madurai – July 04th, 2013
Temple jewellery / Special Arrangement / The Hindu
It was designed for the deities at the temples. And devadasis adorned them when they danced in these temples. Their hair ornaments — sun- and moon-shaped forming a part of the nethichutti; the big jimikkis sparkling with red stones and twirling along with the dancers’ moves; ornate but delicately carved maatalsclinging to their long thick hair; necklaces glowing with precious stones in red and green, with pearls dangling in the pendants; odiyaanams clasping their slender waists… the jewellery created here was both unique and bold.
Designed for gods and goddesses, and worn by these dancers, temple jewellery is hand-crafted by a talented lot of acharys or goldsmiths in a small region called Vadassery in Nagercoil. I journey to this town near Kanyakumari to meet the craftsmen.
Temple Jewellery / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
As I enter the main market in Nagercoil, the lure of the yellow metal is everywhere. A young bride beams from a tacky hoarding, sparkling in gold from head to toe. It is a beautiful sunny morning, and I am in the mood to buy jewellery. But I am unable to find even a single piece of temple jewellery. Finally, an owner of a jewellery store scribbles a name on a piece of paper and gives me the directions to a small locality, which is the hub of the craft.
The streets get narrower and narrower. We decide to explore the place by foot and I get a close look at the cramped row houses lining the streets. Finally, we knock on the doors of Manickam Achary whose family has been crafting temple jewellery for several generations now. His son Muthu Sivam welcomes us warmly inside .
It is a humble home with plenty of sunlight streaming in. Sitting next to a window are two craftsmen, carefully placing red stones on a raakodi, a hair ornament typical of this form of jewellery, worn by dancers and brides, and a favourite of children with long braided hair.
Muthu Sivam unwraps a silk cloth and unveils the gems and jewels. A prized possession of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancers, temple jewellery comes with bold designs and large motifs inspired by traditional and mythological symbols. You will find a dazzling peacock or a swan studded with stones or a bejewelled snake with its hood up as a pendant.
Muthu Sivam tells me that his father won a National Award for the craft, but today there are barely 50 goldsmiths in the locality who practise the art. They largely work on orders, with some of the pieces sold in Chennai and some orders, as his website shows, come from abroad as well. I learn a little more about the craft from him.
Traditional temple jewellery was made with silver and finished with gold leaf, while some jewellers used copper as well. With the demand for the yellow metal going up, the basic frame is crafted in gold and the stones are then placed and finished with gold leaf. From rubies and jade to garnets and coloured glass stones, several precious stones are used as well.
Watching the men working on the raakodi, I lose myself in the intricate design, remembering the rounded jimikkis and the ornate maatal my mother bought for me as a 10-year-old. And while it may be true that all that glitters is not always gold, it hardly matters here, for it is the craftsmanship that is most precious.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Travel / by Lakshmi Sharath / June 14th, 2013
Kannerimukku is where John Sullivan fell in love with the hills and discovered Ooty, writes SUBHA J RAO
Sullivan Memorial./ Photo: Subha J Rao / The Hindu
January 8, 1819, Dimbatty Valley. Sitting in a valley kissed by the clouds, Collector of Coimbatore, John Sullivan, 31, wrote to Sir Thomas Munro, Governor of Madras: “My dear Colonel, I have been in the Highlands for the last week. This is the finest country… it resembles I suppose Switzerland more than any other part of Europe… it freezes here every night, this morning we found ice in our Water chatties (clay pots).”
Sullivan’s first letter from Nilgiris. Photo: Subha J Rao
Nearly two centuries later, the valley still retains part of the charm that captivated Sullivan, who went on to found Ooty, the first hill station in India. On a wet June afternoon, the tea plantations and vegetable patches shimmer a bright green. In a way, they are a tribute to Sullivan. For, it was he who introduced European fruit trees, vegetables and flowers to the hills and suggested that the British cultivate tea there.
John Sullivan./ Photo: Special Arrangement
When he first trekked up the Neilgherry (as the Nilgiris were then known) with a contingent of soldiers, elephants and ponies (who were disbanded halfway), it was through dense shola-filled forests and steep cliffs. During his second visit to Dimbatty (which means soft, pillow like) valley, Sullivan set up a camp. Later, it became a two-storey structure called Pethakal bungalow, named after a sacred stone that existed there. Sullivan lived there till 1823. In the five-acre property, he experimented with cultivation of potato and other English vegetables such as cabbage, beetroot and carrot. In the 1820s, the spud finally made its appearance in Ooty.
Today, the area is called Kannerimukku. You drive past winding roads, mist-soaked mountains, tea factories and tiled houses to reach the memorial, resplendent in brick red against a sea of green. When Dharmalingam Venugopal, director of the John Sullivan Memorial and Nilgiri History Museum (now housed in the Memorial), first saw it, it was crumbling, a pale shadow of the edifice it once was. In the years leading to its ruin, it was ironically used to store hay and the very potato that Sullivan introduced!
Today, with Government funds (the Hill Area Development Programme) and private donations, it stands two-storeys tall; the rooms hold a treasure trove of material about Sullivan and his family, the role of the British in the Nilgiris and the traditions of the local tribes.
There’s an original pencil sketch of John Sullivan, drawn when he was a lad of 15, before he set out for India. It was donated by historian and writer, David Sullivan, his great great-grandson.
There are also some exhibits collected by Venugopal that show you what life in the hills used to be like. A Badaga wooden food plate polished with use, hunting tools of local tribes, the bugiri, a cane flute used by communities in the Nilgiris, photographs of the local tribes by the self-taught Philo Hiruthayanath….
The section on the modes of communication and transportation in the hills is an eye-opener. The Nilgiris had six entry points (Sispara Ghat, Mulli, Gudalur, Sigur, Coonoor and Kotagiri) at a time when most hill stations had two. Today, five remain open; the original Sispara Ghat that connected it to Calicut has been closed. And, how did people travel? By foot, horseback, palanquin and tonga.
The Sullivan Memorial in Konnerimukku / Photo: Subha J Rao
Though the Memorial is located just two km off Kotagiri, this is not a road regular tourists tread. But, there’s every reason why they should. Because, this is where it all began, years ago on a cold January day.
(June 15 marks John Sullivan’s 225th birth anniversary. The Nilgiri Documentation Centre, which works out of Sullivan Memorial, organises a two-day trek on June 15 and 16 to retrace the Sullivan trail.)
Getting there
Drive up to Kotagiri, about 75 km from Coimbatore. Take the road leading to Ooty. The memorial is two km from Kotagiri, past Ramchand Square and Kotagiri Medical Fellowship.
What to do
Read the well-documented panels at the memorial (http://www.sullivanmemorial.org/) that throw the spotlight on the making of a hill station.
Browse through the books on the Nilgiris that Venugopal has collected.
Visit the Ooty lake, created by Sullivan, and Stonehouse, where he lived. It now houses the Government Arts College. Plan a trip to St. Stephen’s Church, Ooty, where Sullivan’s wife Henrietta and eldest daughter Harriet are buried.
Where to stay
Kotagiri has many good hotels and homestays. Else, stay in Ooty (32 km) and drive down to the Memorial on your way back to the plains.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Feature> MetroPlus> Travel / by Subha J Rao / June 13th, 2013
Some of the children having Kuttiyan as a prefix or a suffix to their names at Valayapatti village.
Customs followed in India’s villages range from the mundane to the strange to the bizarre but one village in Virudhunagar district has been following a unique practice, which even applies to both genders. For nearly 10 generations, residents of Valayapatti village have been naming their firstborn child, irrespective of gender, ‘Kuttiyan’ or giving any name that starts with ‘Kutti’ in honour of their ancestral deity Sakthi.
Currently, there are around 50 people whose name starts with Kutti living in Valayapatti. While earlier there used to be many Kuttiyans in the village, in recent times, the need to avoid confusion and complications associated with certificates, villagers have preferred to use Kutti as a prefix. There are currently around eight children at the Kannappar Hindu Primary School, a government-aided institution at Valayapatti, who are named Kutti Priya, Chinna Kutiyan and so on, while the school’s headmaster is, you guessed it- Kuttiyan!
One among the many other Kuttiyans says that there are about 60 houses in the village. Kuttiyan explained that their ancestors, who were cowherds, had migrated from a village called Mavoothu near the Mahalingam temple in Virudhunagar. Another Kuttiyan said that the people carried over the worship of Sakthi from their ancestral village, where there is a temple to the deity as well.
“About 10 generations ago, three of our ancestors- Periyasamy, Ponmalan and Podukalam- went hunting and caught a deer. It is believed that when they were cooking its venison in three different vessels, they found elephant calves in one vessel, baby snakes in the second and baby deer in the third vessel,” Kuttiyan explained adding that his ancestors attributed this as a miracle by Sakthi. He claimed that the custom of naming the firstborn child Kuttiyan began since then.
T Dharmaraj, the head of the folklore department at Madurai Kamaraj University said that the residents of Valayapatti belong to the Moopar community, a tribal group.
“It appears that the custom of naming children as Kuttiyan started as some ancestor of the villagers may have killed a cub or pregnant animal and named their first child as Kuttiyan out of a guilty conscience,” said Dharmaraj.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Kaushik Kannan – Virudhunagar / June 27th, 2013
Toda embroidery dress displayed at a function in Udhagamandalam on Thursday. / Photo:.M.Sathyamoorthy / The Hindu
Toda tribal representatives on Thursday formally received a Geographical Indication certificate for their unique embroidery, which is known for its striking colours. District Collector Archana Patnaik handed over the certificate to the representatives at a function held here. The GI status was given in March by Chaitanya Prasad, Registrar of Geographical Indications. The recognition came after five years of effort by Toda Nalavaazhvu Sangham, Key Stone Foundation and Poompuhar (Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation).
The status not only ensures uniform pricing for Toda embroidery products but also insulates the art from being duplicated.
Of the nearly 1,600 tribal people in nearly 69 hamlets, a little more than 400 are said to be actively involved in embroidery. The product range has now widened from Pootkhulu (shawl) to wall hangings, table mat, shoulder bags and gents and ladies shopping bag.
GI is a name or a sign used on prized goods to indicate their specific geographical location or origin, says Mathew John, trustee, Keystone Foundation. The three organisations are the Registered Proprietors of the GI.
The art of Toda embroidery, known as ‘pukhoor,’ has been passed on to generations. Organisations such as the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India have been facilitating training programmes.
The function was attended by Pratim Roy – director of Key Stone Foundation, Jailani of Win Lexis that supported the initiative for GI status, Prasanth from the Registry of Geographical Indications, Prem Kumar – Marketing Manager of Poompuhar, Geetha Srinivasan of INTACH, Dr. Tarun Chabra, patron of tribal community, and Kottradu Kuttan – Head of Toda Nalavaazhvu Sangham.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Udhagamandalam – June 14th, 2013
