Category Archives: Historical Links, Pre-Independence

TESO conference on August 12

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, World Opinion

DMK chief M. Karunanidhi

The conference of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) will be held at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) grounds here on August 12, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi, who recently revived the organisation, said on Saturday.

Answering reporters’ queries on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa criticising him on the issue of training imparted to Sri Lankan Air Force personnel, Mr. Karunanidhi said: “It does not seem to be a Chief Minister’s statement. It is in bad taste. The statement contains attacks that are worse than those of a layman.”

It was made without exercising restraint on the limit to which those in the Opposition could be criticised, Mr. Karunanidhi added.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> States> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai, July 14th, 2012

Gandhi peace expedition starts from Kanyakumari

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

Collector S. Nagarajan flagging off the Gandhi peace expedition bus at Kanyakumari on Sunday.  Photo: A. Shaikmohideen / The Hindu

Mahatma Gandhi wanted to empower the poor and wanted to remove egotism among people, recalled Collector S. Nagarajan at Kanyakumari on Sunday.

He flagged off an inter-State ‘Gandhi peace bus youth expedition,’ under which places Gandhi visited in the south from Kanyakumari to Mangalore would be covered, from Gandhi Mandapam. The expedition is organised by Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi in association with the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, Government of India, and the Indian Council of Gandhian Studies, New Delhi.

A special prayer was also organised inside Gandhi Mandapam on the occasion. A photo exhibition portraying the life of Gandhi and comments made by world leaders about him in appreciation of his selfless service for the uplift of the poor and downtrodden, particularly Dalits, was held.

Later the Collector and Information and Public Relations Officer Hari Ram toured the mandapam to plan for more development to attract more visitors.

Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi chairman N. Radhakrishnan said that the main purpose of the expedition was to encourage the youth to follow the routes Gandhi travelled under a well-designed programme. Gandhi visited 394 places between Kanyakumari and Mangalore.

The expedition began from Kanyakumari where Gandhi was denied temple entry at Bhagavathy Amman Temple on the grounds of his having gone abroad and violated Hindu ethics. However ‘samudram’ (sea) showered her blessing by sprinkling water on his body while he touched the shore, said P. Gobinathan Nair, president al India Gandhi Memorial Nidhi.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> States> TamilNadu / by Staff Reporter / Nagercoil, June 18th, 2012

Urbanised Mint Street loses heritage sheen

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

The Government Central Press, where the mint had existed, is the oldest surviving heritage building on Mint Street. — DC

It is known as the hub for wholesales, retailers, importers and exporters of all kinds of goodies, naturally attracting people for the variety of commodities and affordable prices.

This highly congested Mint Street, which got its name in 1840s when the British East India Company established its coin making facility, nurtures multi-lingual and multi-ethnic groups now.

The din, the crisscrossing rickshaws and vehicles, the crush of people are the quintessential elements of this oldest major street in Chennai.

The street runs from north to south through George Town. Though it sports an ultra modern look, the rapid urbanisation is making the street gradually lose its heritage value.

Some of the old structures are being pulled down and are getting replaced with modern buildings. The street also accommodates residential apartments.

The Company’s mint, which later became the Government Press and is still functioning; is an endangered heritage building. Initially many Telugus dominated this stretch and gradually it became the home for Gujaratis.

People from the Saurashtra region, associated with the cloth trade moved in as early as in 1740s. As pawn brokers and money lenders, Marwaris too joined the list of settlers here.

It was here that the historic Tondaimandalam Tuluva Vellalar (TTV) School, (1854), which is the home to one of the earliest music sabhas – the Tondaimandalam Sabha and the Hindu Theological School (1889) were established.

It also saw the first performance of Harikatha by a woman when in 1909, C. Saraswathi Bai, gave the first public performance of Harikatha, much against the stiff opposition to her taking the stage.

The old Post Office, a combination of classical Greek and Indo Saracenic architecture, Ekambareshwarr temple, Sree Chandraprabhu Maharaj Juna Jain temple, Sri Chandra Prabhu Jain Naya Mandir, Sree Gujarati Swetamber Murti Pujak Jain Sangh, Kandhaswamy temple, Renuka Parameswari temple besides a mosque and a church are found here.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Chennai / by J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar / DC, Chennai / May 27th, 2012

Making a difference: Saving craft with craft

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

KALAMKARI CRAFTSPERSONS: E. Rhajhmohan and his father R. Emberumal. Photo: Special Arrangement

Like Shilpguru R. Emberumal and his son, E. Rhajhmohan, paint stories on fabrics with a purpose. They want to save kalamkari from dying

Kalamkari artist E. Rjajhmohan was a trifle upset the day I met him. He had missed the chance to showcase his exquisite products at the Madurai Vizha organized by the CII’s local chapter last month.

He said, “The sales are not so good these days. I am trying to customize my products and was hoping to create awareness in Madurai market.”

As the son of traditional master craftsman Dr. R. Emberumal, he was struck by the beauty of kalamkari from childhood but was not so keen to join the same profession. Theirs had come to be the only family left in Sickkalnayakenpet in Thanjavur district struggling to live off this art. Younger family members were lured by more lucrative jobs. The buyers, too, were dwindling. “That was a decade ago when I started working with my father and other craftsmen,” he says.

Karupur Kalamkari

Kalamkari, the art of hand-painting and printing on fabric, is native to Andhra Pradesh as temple art, and there are two main centres for it today — Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti. But there is a third style, called the Karupur Kalamkari, which originated in Thanjavur during the Maratha rule. Essentially using vegetable dyes and depicting scenes from Hindu mythology on cotton, this kalamkari was further embellished with gold brocade work in hand-woven fabric mostly worn as saris and dhotis by the royal family during the period of Raja Serfoji and later Raja Shivaji.

In Sickkalnayakenpet, there were 300 families involved in these complex but exquisite creations. Now only Emberumal is left with his 38-year-old son, a late entrant with a natural flair for the art and full of innovative ideas. Father and son have now hired and trained half-a-dozen individuals to carry on the art.

Craft and commerce

Emberumal, the National Award winner for Karupur Kalamkari, retains his passion for traditional panels bursting with mythological figures, and the typical “tree of life” depicting peace, prosperity and vibrancy, but he is not always able to sell his works. They cost anywhere from Rs.1,000 to Rs.100,000 depending on the size. Rhajhmohan has gone commercial.

“We have to survive,” he says, “practically selling our products door to door and occasionally getting noticed at some exhibitions.” He has now ventured into customized clothing like saris, stoles, salwar-kurtas, shirts, and home décor items like tablecloths and mats, bed spreads, cushion and pillow covers, curtains and wall hangings.

“I also need to ensure that my artisans have a roof to live under.”

Kalamkari is an elaborate process and each item takes days to finish. The artists prepare the ink from fermented rusted iron, jaggery and fruit powder, then treat the fabric in varying temperatures of water before and after filling in the colours with vegetable dyes. The work needs ample time and concentration. “Our work is rich and pucca and no buyer will ever complain,” he says, displaying one of his paintings.

Painting outside the box

Considering the time and effort that goes into making a large wall panel, says Rhajhmohan, it has to be priced accordingly. “But ordinary people find our items costly and we lose out to the modern-day processes of block-printing, machine-printing and even digital printing.”

KALAMKARI CRAFTSPERSON: E.Rhajhmohan. Photo: S. James

“However,” he is quick to add, “the charm of our hand-painted craft appeals to connoisseurs of art. The love, hard work and passion we put into it shows in the fabric and that is what makes it attractive. We may be selling less today but our work is worth the cost, labour and appreciation.”

Emberumal’s work is displayed in museums and art galleries throughout the world and his work is not entirely constrained to the classical motifs. His reproduction of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games mascot is displayed at the Olympic Memorabilia Museum in Seoul and he has created the emblem for a couple of American universities. He also experiments freely with tantric and geometrical designs.

At 71, Emberumal continues to celebrate tradition. He has not abandoned hope for his art. “The canvas of our lives may be tattered, but we believe our skills hold the promise of a better tomorrow.”

(Making a difference is a fortnightly column about ordinary people and events that leave an extraordinary impact on us. Email to somabasu@thehindu.co.in to tell about someone you know who is making a difference)

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Arts> Crafts / by Soma Basu / March 28th, 2012

Thirunageswaram temple wears new look

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

Sri Naganathaswamy temple in Thirunageswaram.  Photo:B. Velankanni Raj / The Hindu

FACELIFT The floors of the prakaras now have rough granite.

Sri Naganathaswamy temple at Thirunageswaram, kshetra for Raaghu in Kumbakonam, attracts thousands of devotees throughout the year. Legend has it that Raaghu worshipped Naganathaswamy and got rid of his curse. Occupying the south-west corner of the temple, the planet god in the company of his consorts Nagavalli and Nagakanni, is seen with a human face instead of the serpent visage one finds in other shrines. The transition of Raaghu (Peyarchi) is celebrated in a grand manner, when the deity is taken in a procession on Sesha Vahanam.

The sprawling temple has two prakaras, one of them around the principal deity Naganathaswamy. Being an ancient temple, built by Kandaraditha Cholan and renovated by Achuthappa Nayak, the prakaras were laid with bricks. Devotees found it difficult to walk, particularly on rainy days. Thanks to a munificent donor from Bangalore, granite slabs have been laid around both prakaras.

NEW PATHWAYS

The eight-month work has been completed and the prakaras measuring 36,000 sq.ft. were dedicated to the Lord at a function held at the temple on Monday last. S. Mohana Sundaram, assistant commissioner and executive officer, said that the newly laid pathways are sure enhance the look of the temple and give it a new lease of life. Jayaram Sarma, architect, said that the scientific aspect had been taken care of to avoid stagnation of water. Rain water harvesting facility and channels have been provided for the abishekam water to drain. Rough granite has been fixed on sand bed to a height of four inches.

“Granite is a natural material and will last long,” Mr. Sarma said. Dr. K. Venkatesan, Founder and Chief Patron, Vaastu Foundation, Haresh Vaswani, Vice-chairman, Platinum Corporation, Dubai, and Varun Manian, Managing Director, NAPC Properties participated in the function.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Arts> History & Culture / by G. Srinivasan / March 15th, 2012

Dam maker could bat and bowl too

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Science & Technologies, Sports

The first we heard of his name was when as students we played inter-collegiate cricket in Chennai. The competition that pitted colleges from all over the state was always played for the Pennycuick trophy. As a PUC student of Loyola College I was a member of the team that won the trophy in 1968. Our trip to Coimbatore to play the final was the highlight of college life then. The name itself did not drop a penny until we learnt the reason why the trophy was named after him was because the Colonel in the Royal Engineers himself had instituted the cup long before leaving for home after a long stay in India. It was later, as members of the historical Madras Cricket Club, were we to learn of the association of a very competent cricketer in the making of a great dam across the Periyar River at considerable personal risk and expense.

As one of the early secretaries of MCC, the Colonel had been instrumental in moving the club from its original location on The Island between Mount Road and Beach Road to its present home in Chepauk on land that originally belonged to the Nawab of Carnatic. This was in 1865 and the ground has remained virtually the same save for a concrete stadium built in the late ’60s that was later to be replaced in part by modern stands.

The Colonel was also heading the Public Works department in Madras in 1890 when a cyclone damaged the ancient clubhouse and he was generous in sanctioning the funds for repair work. A princely Rs 10,000 was the grant then and the club spent it lovingly on a new clubhouse that was in red brick to be in consonance with much of the Indo-Saracenic architecture that distinguishes the city.

Historians record that the Colonel was a decent batsman, often opening the innings and also bowled (underarm?) well enough to have actually picked up nine wickets in the first Madras-Bangalore Test match in 1862. He also represented Madras against Ceylon in 1886. The MCC placed on record his services to the club in 1896 when he retired from the game — “For over thirty years this gentleman has been associated with and has encouraged Cricket in the Madras Presidency, while his services to the Club, both as an official and in the field (he was a fine underarm bowler), will long be remembered.” He reciprocated with that first cricket trophy to be competed for by Indians in the Madras Presidency. No wonder a commentator described it as “his last, lasting and most important contribution to Madras Cricket.”

His work as an irrigation engineer may have gone on to far outstrip his cricketing talent. His masterstroke at engineering a dam to bring its wet-flowing water through a tunnel back to parched lands in Tamil Nadu (Madras Presidency then) is something he will be remembered for long even though his name now gets posthumously into controversies as two states wrangle over the state and status of the dam he built against all odds.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Chennai / DC, Chennai / January 09th, 2012

Let’s build on Mauryan inspiration, says Kalam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nri's / Pio's

“Chandragupta built an empire based on a strong central government and a large, powerful army. Ours is akin to it.”

That modern India has been inspired by the Mauryan concepts of statecraft and governance is one of the significant insights provided in “The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India,” by Balaji Sadasivan (1955-2010), a neurosurgeon and Singapore’s former Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

 

 

 

 

 

“The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India,” a book by Balaji Sadasivan, former Singapore Minister, was released at a function organised by The Hindu and SRM University in Chennai on Wednesday. On the occasion, the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, presents a cheque for Rs. 5 lakh to V. Shanta, Chairperson, Adyar Cancer Institute. The former Singapore President, S.R. Nathan (second from left), and SRM University Chancellor T.R. Pachamuthu are in the picture. In the second photograph Ma Swan Hoo, wife of Balaji Sadasivan, displays a copy of the book. At far right, is a section of the audience at the function.  Photos S.R. Raghunathan 

Capturing this facet of the author’s findings, the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who launched the book at a function organised by The Hindu and SRM University here on Wednesday, said Chandragupta Maurya had built an empire based on a strong central government and a large, powerful army. “This model is virtually akin to the model being followed after our Independence.”

Another contribution of the Mauryas during the reign of Asoka, the former President noted, was the provision of moral and ethical dimension. “He defined that the primary purpose of the government was to provide peace, prosperity and welfare to all the citizens. The author rightly brings out that modern India looks to the Mauryan Empire for inspiration and has taken Mauryan Lion as the state emblem.”

Attributing the attainment of Independence to the phase of the freedom struggle which was led by Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Kalam said people had to cherish and nurture Independence with the ethics and value system of the era of Chandragupta Maurya.

Quoting the author, Mr. Kalam said the Bhakti movement in India developed from Tamil-speaking south to Sanskrit-speaking north. The spiritual development of Hinduism was based on devotional songs, expressing ecstatic love for God. The compositions were mainly in Tamil, though the numbers of popular hymns were in Sanskrit. The Bhakti movement, encompassing Saivites and Vaishnavites, made Hinduism accessible to Indians of all States in both Sanskrit and regional languages, the former President pointed out.

S.R. Nathan, former President of Singapore, who presented copies of the book to donors, said it was labour of love written by an author who was captivated by the history of his ancestral homeland.

Pointing out that the rise of South Asia, like East Asia, was a civilisational one — though attention has been focussed on the economic potential — and the history of civilisations provided profound insights into their contemporary standing and the possible road ahead, Mr. Nathan said that from this perspective, the book offers much not only for the Diaspora but also for those who are in India itself.

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Ma Swan Hoo, wife of Balaji Sadasivan, who accompanied him on numerous visits to historic sites across India, provided the rationale for naming the book ‘The Dancing Girl’, which refers to a bronze statuette excavated from Mohenjodaro and a showpiece in the National Museum in Delhi. This 10.8-cm statue, a symbol of an advanced civilisation that existed about 4,500 years ago, was important to the history of India, she said.

Balaji Sadasivan, whose roots were in Arcot of Tamil Nadu, was a great lover of the history and civilisation of many countries. He chose to write on the history of India, a country he was so much in love with. He had originally planned to cover the history from ancient times to the present period over five volumes. This book is a combination of the first two volumes of 30 chapters and covers the ancient period up to the start of the decline of the Mughal reign in the 17 {+t} {+h} century.

Addressing the gathering, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , praised Balaji Sadasivan’s approach to history, and said the author regarded himself as an amateur but he was a gifted amateur. He instinctively realised that history was not an “unending catalogue of dull facts.”

By reading “The Dancing Girl,” one could learn a good deal about the mind and interests of the neurosurgeon and professional politician-turned historian. “He selects; draws out facts of significance, ignoring the dross and the trivial, and invests them with meaning. He provides interpretation. All interpretation is disputable but the historian must venture out to recreate, even trans-create, the historical picture. This is what this gifted amateur does in an engaging, accessible, enjoyable manner,” Mr. Ram added.

He appealed to Mr. Kalam to provide a push and use his moral influence for the Nalanda University revival project as there were reports of slow release of funds by the Union government to the project although the Bihar government had been very supportive.

Dr. V. Shanta, Chairperson, Adyar Cancer Institute, received a cheque for Rs. 5 lakh for the Institute from Mr. Kalam and Mr. Nathan. K. Kesavapany, Singapore’s Ambassador to Jordan and Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and T. R. Pachamuthu, SRM University Chancellor, spoke.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / National / by Special Correspondent / Chennai, December 15th, 2011