Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Sing your guts out to impress icons

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

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Sing your way to Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy | EPS

As part of the fifth edition of Idea Rocks India, a popular music contest, musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will perform in the city on March 31 at YMCA Grounds, Royapettah.

Conceptualised in 2005, Idea Rocks India is now in its 5th edition and gives music aficionados across the country an opportunity to showcase their singing talent and share the platform with some of the biggest music stars in India.

This year, the musical extravaganza comes in an all new avatar, with multiple new elements. For the first time, Idea has undertaken auditioning participants through four different media – digital, IVR, radio and in person — thereby reaching out to a much broader spectrum of audiences.

This season will witness the hunt for budding rockstars from across over 60 cities and give them an opportunity to perform with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Speaking about the initiative, Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, said, “Music is core to Idea’s brand building and customer connect strategy. The concept, reach and brand integration of Idea Rocks India (IRI) is unparalleled in India. We are now taking it a level higher to engage a wider audience and hunt for talent from deeper pockets of the country, utilising both modern and traditional media such as digital, IVR and on-ground. With over 60 events, over a period of two months, this year IRI will reach out to millions of Indians across the country.”

A team of four judges will filter the participants to 50 from each city, until the best five participants are chosen by a panel of local music academicians and popular music personalities.

The final winner chosen by the celebrity judges — the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio and Mika — will perform with them at key locations across the country.

Auditions for the talent-hunt has already begun and interested candidates can send their entries on www.idearocksindia.com.

Idea customers can also give their audition by calling 5545611 and recording their voice.

source:  http://www.newindianexpress.com / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / March 28th, 2013

Centuries-old artefacts lie unattended on Madurai museum campus

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

Madurai :

Centuries-old rare sculptures belonging to early and later Pandya period are left to the mercy of weather at the Government Museum in Madurai for want of adequate infrastructure and apathy of officials to provide at least temporary shield or security to them.

About 90 rare artifacts, inscriptions and burial  urns which were obtained by the museum after strenuous efforts are left in the open at the museum located at the Gandhi Museum campus. The relics, which were collected from various places including Madurai, Theni and Dindigul are lying unattended, exposing them to damage caused by weather. Experts say that it is rare to see such a wide collection of historic objects at one place.

The callous attitude of the museum authorities is shocking. Maxine Delrico, from France, who visited the Government Museum, said that he was surprised to see such disregard to heritage. “I thought that the relics are modern sculptures. When I asked a local person he said they belong to 7th and 8th century. Though, they are centuries old they are displayed poorly. No one would be curious to know about the sculptures if they are not displayed well,” he said. .

The priceless relics are now toyed with by children. “Due to lack of protection, school children who come from nearby areas play with the sculptures. They may damage the historic objects. Before something goes wrong they should be safeguarded,” said V Karupaiya of Palanganatham.

Talking about the importance of the sculpture V Vedachalam, a senior epigraphist, said that it is hard to come across such sculptures spanning from 7th century to recent times. “A Perumal statue which was found in Vaigai river belongs to the 7th century. Several such old sculptures, including rare early and later Pandya era ones, are also lying here. Similar sculptures could only be noticed in cave temples,” he said.

N Sulaiman, former top official in the department of art and culture, who was involved in the procuring the items have called for their protection. During his 18-year stint at the museum Sulaiman was instrumental in collecting more than 18 sculptures from Madurai and neighbouring districts. “Tremendous hard work has gone behind their collection. The relics should be safeguarded. The importance of such relics can be carried to the next generation only if they are displayed well,” he said.

When contacted, A Periyasamy, curator of the Government Museum, Madurai, said that a proposal for the construction of a building has been sent to the higher authorities. Soon the construction work is expected to be commenced. The sculptures will be shifted inside the building once the works are completed.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Madurai / by V. Devanathan, TNN / March 28th, 2013

A.R. Rahman attends Urs in Pedda Dargah

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

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Music Director A.R. Rahman offering a chaadhar at a mazhar in Pedda Dargah in Kadapa. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Sajjad-e-Nasheen of Ameer Peer Dargah Syed Sha Arifullah Hussaini offered sandal and performed pooja at the mazhars in the Dargah amidst drumbeats and feats by fakirs on Tuesday night.

Oscar-winning music director A.R. Rahman and Tamil film actor Vivek visited the Pedda Dargah during the ongoing Urs and offered floral chaaddhar and prayers. The VIPs and a large number of devotees attended the ‘Gandham’ ceremony in the Dargah and took blessings of the Sajjad-e-Nasheen. A qawwali programme followed.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Kadapa, March 28th, 2013

Ramanujan museum in Erode proposed

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

House where math whiz was born identified

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The house at Azhagiya Singar street in Erode where Srinivasa Ramanujan was born. /  Photo: M. Govarthan / The Hindu

The Erode Corporation on Wednesday expressed its desire to convert into a mathematics museum the house where Srinivasa Ramanujan was born. The Corporation passed a resolution to this effect, moved by Mayor Mallika Paramasivam. A proposal to convert the house on Azhagiya Singar Street into a museum will be submitted to the State government.

Though it was known that Erode was the birthplace of the maths genius, the house where he was born remained untraceable until recently. It was located following the efforts made by Susumu Sakurai, professor and head, Department of Math, Tokyo University of Science and Technology, and Professor and President of Tamil Nadu Science Forum N. Mani.

“We had the information that Ramanujan was born in a house that was situated exactly between a Siva temple and its water tank. After extensive search, we found it and confirmed that Ramanujan was born in the house that had the door number 18 in Azhagiya Singar Street,” Mr. Mani said.

The house will be a huge inspiration to children if it is converted into a museum. “It should not be neglected. We should celebrate the math genius by making his birthplace a museum. We already adopted a resolution demanding the State government to convert the house into a museum. It is good to know that the civic body has now come forward to convert it into museum,” Mr. Mani told The Hindu.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> National> TamilNadu / by Staff Reporter / Erode, March 28th, 2013

Chinnalapatti still honours Cupid during annual festival

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Madurai :

Chinnalapatti in Dindigul district is one of the few places where the ancient festival for the god love , known as Kamayasamy (cupid), is celebrated with splendour for over 140 years and this year’s festival is currently underway with people from all communities joining the celebrations.

According to M Sivamurugesan, president of the festival committee, the festival coincides with Holi in North India. “Chinnalapatti is among the very few places where the festival is still celebrated. We have palm leaf manuscripts to prove that our forefathers have been celebrating it for 140 years,” he said.

The twelve-day festival begins at the end of Masi and continues till the fullmoon day on Panguni. A small shrine for Kamayan exists inside the ancient Muniappasamy temple at Chinnalapatti. A zamindar family, now headed by S Muthukumar, is the traditional trustees of the temple.

The festival commences with the temple priest, Palandi, carrying the deity’s replica made from sticks of peepal, mango and wildcane in a procession through the village streets. Then it is installed on a temporary pedestal and villagers take turns to decorate the deity with flowers of their choice, with each community vying with each other to deck up the deity the best possible way.

Each day, the villagers make offerings of a variety of food prepared at home. It is offered as ‘prasad’ to the other villages. Kamatchi, a villager, says that the important part of the festival is the recitations about the life of Kamayasamy. “According to mythology, Lord Shiva took a long penance and refused to even look at Goddess Sakthi, following which birth came to a standstill in the world. Worried, cupid sent his son-in-law to bring him out of that state. When Shiva opened his third eye, Cupid was burnt to death, though he was later resurrected,” she said.

This story is the base of this festival also. On the penultimate day of the festival, the deity is set on fire with people throwing salt and pepper into the fire. It is said that doing so keeps skin ailments that usually erupt in summer at bay. Dry field beans are boiled and offered to villagers. Then the most important ritual of getting a transsexual to mourn for the dead deity is held. Interestingly, the transsexual who has been performing the ritual for the villagers for the past 12 years is Xavier, a Christian from Mettupatti in Dindigul.

The festival helps to strengthen bonds between communities as communal barriers are given a go-by by the vilagers.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / March 23rd, 2013

Megamalai sanctuary is flourishing, points first census

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment

Theni :

The first wildlife census carried out in Megamalai wildlife sanctuary since its formation last year has revealed interesting aspects about the thriving wildlife in the 40,000 hectares of forest lands. The highlight of the findings is the spotting of a tigress with a cub. Signs spread across the sanctuary also point to the presence of leopards. The findings confirm that grizzled squirrels are no longer the monopoly of Srivilliputhur sanctuary, as they could be seen in good numbers in Megamalai.

Census volunteers found the tigress in Upper Manalaru region in Chinnamanaur range. The discovery cheered the wildlife lovers who were campaigning for the creation of the sanctuary. “The thriving wildlife and tigress with a cub is a sign of a healthy forest. It kindles hope for the revival of the River Vaigai since a healthy forest can ensure water supply to the river which is the lifeline of five districts down south,” said C P Rajkumar of Vaigai Association for Nature and Mountain  Ranges (VANAM), the partnering NGO for the census.

A large number of herbivores like sambar deer, spotted deer, mouse deer and barking deer were found across the entire sanctuary during the census. Elephants, including a single tusker, are also among the finds. Sloth bears and wild dogs were also spotted directly by the volunteers.

Altogether, 43 transects were created in the sanctuary which is divided into six ranges like Varusanadu, Chinnamanur, Kandamanur, Megamalai, Cumbum and Kudalur. As many as 56 volunteers, along with forest officials, had combed the sanctuary to enumerate the wildlife between March 23 and 24. R Venkatasamy, wildlife warden said that they had used range finder, compass and GPS to find out the angle and spot of the sightings and to record the findings. “The census was very satisfactory and the data classification is in process and after that the exact number of animals can be ascertained,” he said.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) assisted the wildlife officers and volunteers to make the census operations more scientific. WWF members were involved in studying the topography of the sanctuary and mapping the transects for the census. D Boominathan, landscape coordinator of Western Ghats – Nilgiris Programme said that they used various techniques as the census was being done for the first time. “To be on the safer side, we studied carnivores’ signs like pug marks, rake and scratch marks and carcasses for kill signs. Dung count was used to study elephant distribution and one day was dedicated for beat survey to study the distribution of species and abundance of them, especially with herbivores. The modern gadgets used in census were helpful to make accurate measurements of wildlife,” he said.

“Spotting a tiger with her cub is a very positive sign that the breeding is happening in the forest,” he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / by J. Arockiaraj / March 20th, 2013

From Black to brilliant hues

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

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COLOURS AND CONTRASTS: Ayesha Kapur at her store in Phoenix Market City. /  Photo: R. Shivaji Rao / The Hindu

In Chennai to launch her eponymous brand of accessories, Ayesha Kapur, a familiar face after her Bollywood debut film Black, talks about her passion for acting and love of all things Indian

She’s dressed in black. That’s predictable, given that Black (the movie) introduced her to the world. But talk to Ayesha Kapur and you realise she loves vibrant colours. It’s all the more apparent when you look at ‘Ayesha’ her eponymous accessory brand which is all about rainbow hues — electric blue rings, headgear with vibrant animal prints, virulent pink bracelets, and bright, trendy hats. “Black highlights many colours which explains why I am teaming these colourful chains, bangles and accessories with a black outfit,” says Ayesha who was in the city to launch her new showroom at Phoenix Market City, Velachery.

GREAT TEAM

Ayesha, the brand, was established in 2010 with the first store coming up in Ahmedabad followed by Chennai and Bengaluru. Today, there are 39 stores across 16 cities. “My mother and I came up with the idea. She owns a shop called Casablanca in Puducherry and even at the age of five I used to give my opinion about the merchandise. We soon realised we made a good team,” she says. Of course, they do have arguments or a “healthy exchange of views” as they prefer to call it. The mother-daughter duo believes that because of the two different perspectives they bring in, every customer who comes to the store finds something that appeals to them. One of the specialities of Ayesha is that most of their collections give traditional Indian designs a modern twist.

“Our pricing is great too. When you are young, you want to buy a lot of things the minute you enter a shop. You don’t want to spend all your money on one thing. I have been to stores where I have liked the earrings on display but did not want to spend all of thousand bucks only on a single pair. At Ayesha, you can pick up a lot of stuff without having to worry about burning a hole in your pocket,” says the 18-year-old.

Though she’s just finishing her high school at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, she finds the time to research trends and come up with themes and ideas. “There’s a team in India that works on production. My job is to understand what young people like,” she says pointing to a range of kitschy laptop sleeves that are a hit with the younger crowd. “It’s cool to carry one of these to school/college. I carry one with pink hearts and my friends love it.” After a hard day at school, designing for Ayesha is her idea of fun. Besides this, her hobbies include writing poems and short stories, and riding horses, something she misses when she is away from home.

After school, the young actor plans to take a year-long break and focus on her brand and her Bollywood career and this includes learning Hindi. “In my first movie, I worked with two of the best in the industry — Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Amitabh Bachchan — maybe that’s why I loved it so much. I was completely at ease and this helped bring out the best in me. I love acting; it’s a passion,” she says. In school, she takes part in theatre productions and has the habit of mumbling her lines to herself no matter where she is when she’s preparing for a role, something that freaks out her friends. And is there any particular role she would love to play? “I’d love it if they made an Indian version of Harry Potter. I’d like to play Hermione Granger. I would also enjoy a role involving horses.”

And do her friends in the U.S know of her exploits in India. “When I enrolled in school there, some of them had heard that a “Bollywood actor” had joined them. But most of my schoolmates don’t know this; neither do I go around telling people about it. I dated a guy for three months and only towards the end did he find out,” she laughs. Having been in the limelight at the age of nine and among the youngest film award winners, she feels she was lucky to have grown up in Auroville where she was protected from the public eye. “When I went back to Auroville after two weeks in Mumbai I was confused. That’s because in Mumbai I had to meet over a hundred journalists and suddenly Auroville seemed so quiet and serene. It’s not easy to adapt,” she says.

At a time when most youngsters are keen on studying and settling abroad, Ayesha is certain she wants to come back to India. “There is something about the chaos, the colours and the smell of India. My family is here, my career, my horses are here…I love India,” she signs off.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Fashion / by Priyadarshini Paitandy / March 25th, 2013

Luring adventurers with water scooters

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Sports
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Picture for representation only
Chennai:
This summer you can literally cool off by surfing on the placid estuary on the ECR riding on the water scooters. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) hopes to lure the adventurers youth to its two boathouses near here by additionally deploying the water scooters.
Though the TTDC could not induct these Yamaha make ‘wave runners’ as scheduled, it hopes to add four more to its fleet of water scooters by this month end.
“Steps have been initiated to procure the water scooters for the Muttukadu and Mudal­iyarkuppam boathouses, as an added attraction,” a senior Tamil Nadu Tourism Dev­elopment Corpora­tion official said.
Located about 36 km from here, the Muttukkadu boathouse, offers rowing and speedboat riding. It presently has 15 row boats, 27 speedboats and 9 pedal boats besides two high-speed aqua scooters. Mudaliarkuppam boat house, which is another water sport facility on the East Coast Road, has water scooting and kayaking facilities, in addition.
Meanwhile, the e-initiatives of the TTDC, which is operating a chain of 55 hotels with a fleet of 23 coaches, has yielded “satisfactory” results.
It is the first state-run corporation to have launched on-line booking for tours and hotels and has notched up  Rs 2.80 crore through on-line bookings during 2011-12 fiscal as against Rs 2.15 crore  during the previous year. Its turnover was Rs 101.60 crores in 2011-12 – 10 per cent increase
over the previous year.
source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs /DC / by J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar / March 25th, 2013

Rotary Club Award for Irai Anbu

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

V Irai Anbu, Principal Secretary, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, has received the ‘For the sake of honour’ award from the Rotary Club of Madras Vadapalani.

Shanthi Selvam, president of the club, presented the award to Irai Anbu for his noble contribution to the student community, at a function here on Thursday. “The cause is more important than the goal,’’ said Irai Anbu, in his acceptance speech.

At the same event, Dr Jothi Clara J Michael and Shurthi Jauhari were honoured with the ‘rotary vocational excellence awards’ for their exemplary services in the field of nursing and Hindustani music, respectively.

Sarada Venkatraman, a Carnatic musician of Ashok Nagar was also awarded with ‘Rotary Appreciation Award’ for her excellent service to the women and kids. “Music and art enrich every person, so every child has to be trained in any one of the fine arts,’’ observed Sarada.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / March 23rd, 2013

New locomotive a treat for NMR’s travel enthusiasts

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Science & Technologies

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The third indigenously built locomotive for Nilgiri Mountain Railway arrives at Mettupalayam. —DC

Ooty:

The third indigenous steam locomotive desig­ned for the Nilgiris Moun­tain Railway (NMR) and manufactured at Gold­enrock in Tiruchy arrived at  the Mettupalyam railway station at the foothills of the Nilgiris Friday afternoon.

It will be subjected to trial runs on the NMR track before being commissioned for regular service. The  railways decided to manufacture indigenous steam locomotives in 2010 for the NMR that has been accorded world heritage status on account of its long innings in the hills,  to replace  in a phased manner its four old steam locomotives that often developed technical snags and made the train journey up the mountain unreliable in the past.

The first indigenous locomotive manufactured at Goldenrock was  inducted into the NMR in March 2011 and the second, in March 2012.  While the first initially developed technical problems, the railways were able to resolve them.

The second in the series has been trouble-free so far.The third indigenous steam locomotive for the NMR , built at a cost of `4 crore, is oil-fired like the other two.  It will be taken on a trial run in the racked NMR sector between Mettupalayam and Coonoor next week before being inducted.

K.Natarajan, president of the Heritage Steam Chariot Trust, an organisation of NMR aficionados, hailed the railways for making the effort to upgrade it and and hoped the new locomotives would help the NMR make more trips up the hill.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs /  DC / by B. Ravichandran / March 23rd, 2013