Monthly Archives: January 2019
Records set quickly and healthily
Did you know that you can make South Indian delicacies like idly, kolukkatai or puttu without using fire at all? Chennai just bagged a world record for it on Wednesday.
Chennai :
Did you know that you can make South Indian delicacies like idly, kolukkatai or puttu without using fire at all? Chennai just bagged a world record for it on Wednesday.
The Geo India Foundation in association with the Airports Authority of India, created a world record in the city on Wednesday. Led by chef Padayal Sivakumar, 300 airport staff prepared 300 different dishes without using oil or fire, all in a span of five minutes.
The main attraction was that the chefs did not use oil or heat to prepare the dishes. P Shreyas, one of the visitors of the event said, “Though none of the items were boiled, no item smelled raw. They were equally tasty and some vegetables like pumpkin and ridge gourd taste even better when they are not cooked.”
The 300 dishes were a mix of fusion and innovation — pearl millet laddu, pumpkin kozhukattai, fig juice, lotus idly, coriander idly, pomegranate rice, oragne rice, and sapota payasam.
“We trained around 1,000 people comprising airport staff and students and selected 300 of them for the record. All the ingredients used in the dishes today are used on a daily basis in every household in Tamil Nadu. One might wonder how idly is made without heat, we did it by using flattened rice that doesn’t require to be cooked, said chef Siva Kumar.
The items were all made from organic fruits and vegetables and served in eco-friendly bowls and plates. The record was part of the Healthy Lifestyle Festival held at the Chennai Airport Marriage Hall to educate the public on how to follow a healthy lifestyle.
Innovate and create
The 300 dishes included pearl millet laddu, pumpkin kozhukattai, lotus idly, coriander idly, hibiscus kheer, mango pasumporiyal, navadhaniya sprout milk, pomegranate rice, orange rice, badam pisin jam, tender coconut jam, java plum kesari and sapota payasam.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / January 31st, 2019
34
Meet ‘Vyasarpadi’ Muniammal, one of the few women gaana singers in Chennai
She sings at home, for family, at funerals… ‘Vyasarpadi’ Muniammal is among the few women gaana singers in the city
‘Vyasarpadi’ Muniammal sings about her dead husband in a deep voice. “Nee irandha podhum unai marakka mudiyuma… (How can I forget you once you’re gone?)”
She emphasises each word, sounding matter-of-fact and pained at the same time. Listening to her is like eavesdropping on a conversation she’s having with her husband. But the melancholic tune reminds us that it’s a song, after all. Gaana is like that: deeply personal, and yet, universal.
Muniammal recently performed at Raga Sudha Hall, Mylapore, as part of Chennai Kalai Theru Vizha. She is upbeat that she got a platform to perform — it was her first stage. But little has changed in her life.
She has now gone back to her world, eking out a living from the little she makes by singing at funerals. The 52-year-old lives in a Housing Board tenement at Udhaya Suriya Nagar, Vyasarpadi. “I’ve been singing since I was eight years old,” says Muniammal. “My father Kanthayyan and my brothers kept singing at our home in Chetty Thottam, Royapuram, all the time,” she says. “He played the jamuki, a string instrument fashioned out of a molam and sang at happy and sad events.”
Muniammal learned to sing by simply listening to the men sing. She was neither trained nor encouraged. “During her time, it was taboo for women to sing gaana at public events,” explains her nephew ‘Gaana’ Muthu, who’s part of The Casteless Collective band. “But there are so many women who sing gaana in North Chennai. They sing at home, at family events… it’s only recently, after the exposure filmmaker Pa Ranjith gave to the art form, that more and more women are coming forward,” he adds.
A day in her life
Muniammal spends her free time sitting outside her building with women from the neighbourhood. She’s known to be tough, especially during arguments that come her way. And her booming voice flies beyond several streets; it’s among her biggest assets. “I often sing while I’m at home by myself,” she says. She has three children, who sometimes contribute to her financial needs. Mostly, though, she struggles. “Since most funerals I sing at are for people I know, I cannot expect to be paid. Sometimes I am, but it’s not a lot,” she says. Her music transforms her into a completely different person. “I never sang gaana for my husband,” she says, “He liked romantic film songs.” Muniammal’s husband died four years ago; he worked at the Koyambedu vegetable market.
On nights he was drunk, he requested that she sing for him. “I sang the kind of songs he liked,” recalls Muniammal. He too, like her father, didn’t encourage her to sing outside. And so she only did so in groups, at funerals of relatives, letting her voice mingle with many others.
Her songs are from her life — she sings about the mosquito menace in her area, about her children… at funerals, she notes down the name of the deceased and incorporates it in her gaana. Muthu says that by singing at funerals, the singers aid in mourning. “It helps people cry away their sorrow,” he adds.
But in doing so, the singer too, ends up grieving. In her mind, she believes that she’s lost someone close to her. This is an unwritten rule in gaana. Says Muniammal, “I cry all the time when I sing at funerals.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> Faith> History & Culture / by Akila Kannandasan / January 30th, 2019
32
T.N. bags Best State Award for Swasth Bharat Yatra
Madurai and Sivakasi the best performing districts
Tamil Nadu has bagged the Best State Award for its active participation in the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a pan-India cyclothon aimed at promoting the concept of ‘eating right for a healthy life’.
Madurai and Sivakasi won the awards for the best performing districts, while the State also bagged 17 awards in various other categories.
Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar received the award from Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Tuesday. Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan was present on the occasion.
The State also received awards in six special categories, for six organisations and for the best cyclist, Menakadevi of Salem. Under the ‘eat right creativity challenge’, three schools were awarded in the poster competition and one in the wall art competition.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had organised the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a key element of the ‘Eat Right India Movement’, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi from October 2018 to January 2019. The objective was to promote the message of ‘Eat Healthy’ to prevent non-communicable diseases, ‘Eat Safe’ to prevent food-borne diseases and ‘Eat Fortified’ to prevent micro-nutrient deficiencies.
During the rally, cyclists visited villages, towns and cities across the country to spread awareness. Two of the six teams visited various districts in Tamil Nadu. They camped in each district for three days and organised awareness programmes.
The Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department made the arrangements to organise the events to create awareness.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – January 30th, 2019
30
A new initiative is here to create awareness on cancer
ESOINDIA conducts fundraiser music programme
Vizhithezhu, an initiative to create awareness about stomach and food pipe cancer and suicide prevention at the district, taluk and village-levels was launched on Sunday by Chennai-based ESOINDIA.
Launching the project at a fundraiser music programme for ESOINDIA at Kalaivanar Arangam, N. Ram, Chairman, THG Publishing Private Limited said when one wanted to achieve a social objective , creating awareness was the key. The media had an important role in creating awareness on the two issues, he said.
Appreciating the work of ESOINDIA founder S.M. Chandramohan, he said he was a humanist and his was evidence-based medicine.
Dr. Chandramohan said the organisation aimed at helping those with gastroesophagal disorders, especially cancers and those who had consumed acid.
“For a doctor, the happiest thing is to see his patients hale and hearty. We see patients who have ingested acid and are unable to eat or swallow even their own saliva,” he said.
Tears of joy
Cancer survivor Roopavani said she had gone to Dr. Chandramohan after she had lost all hope. Now, she leads a normal life with her grandchildren. Mukilan, who had consumed acid, said he shed tears of joy when he had the first morsel of food after 13 long months. Film director Agathiyan said: “There is no life without failure.” M. Kanagavel, secretary ESOINDIA said in February 2020, the organisation would conduct the Asia Pacific Gastro Esophagal Cancer Congress. Prizes were distributed to students who took part in an essay contest as part of World Cancer Day. Doctors Rema Chandramohan and Nalini Krishnan, who is also Co-Chairperson of Kasturi & Sons, Mohan Rajan, Sujatha Mohan, and Poongothai; and actors Varalakshmi and Sathish were present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 28th, 2019
28
Yards to dream upon
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