Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Mongrel Jack from Madurai could be nominated the cutest Indian dog

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nature

Chennai:

Believe it or not, a mongrel from Madurai could well be crowned the cutest Indian dog. Jack, an Indian breed dog (aka mongrel) who was rescued and raised by a student in the temple city, is one of the ten finalists of PETA’s Cutest Indian Dog Alive Contest. Open only to rescued dogs, the criteria for selection was as simple as a photograph and a heart-warming story. Says Chani Singh, Campaign Co-ordinator, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), “We’ve been through hundreds of entries, both from street rescues and animal shelters.”

As it turns out, Jack from Madurai caught the attention of the PETA judges. With his floppy brown ears, Jack is the only nominee from Tamil Nadu and has no idea that his competition comes from as far as Lucknow, Ludhiana and Pune. His owner R Amirtham, an MSc Computer Science student, recalls how he found the now-famous dog, “Jack was a tiny puppy when I found him howling in the heat on a particularly hot summer day, near my house’s compound wall.”

His eyes wouldn’t open and he was too weak to stand, so he just howled for a long time. Amirtham already had a 5-year-old pomeranian at home, but his heart went out to the pup. “I gave him some milk and even found him a home with a neighbour,” Amirtham continues. But Jack and the pom Nemo were inseparable by then and staying apart was not an option. Now, who can argue wth incessant barks? So Jack was brought back, and has found happiness with an older woman (Nemo is now six), and couldn’t be any happier with his new family.

Jack may have no idea that he is in a contest, but hopefully his face will help change the trend of the ‘pedigree-only’ mentality that is the case with a large section of pet owners today. Chani elaborates, “We believe that it’s time to champion the Indian dog, so the contest makes the point that the kindest thing that a prospective dog guardian can do is rescue a dog from the streets or an animal shelter.”

So if you want ‘Madurai’ Jack to win, log on to PETA India’s website and vote. Famous or not – one thing’s for sure – Jack’s tail will be wagging vigorously.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / Home> South> Chennai / The New Indian Express, Indian Express / IBN Chennai, September 07th, 2012

Masala kapi, anyone?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

India has a coffee drinking culture that runs back several hundred years. During this period, people came up with a variety of coffee-based drinks and preparations that go beyond the standard south Indian filter coffee that you get in most Udipi restaurants.

I was introduced to a few at the recent South Indian Coffee festival at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. “We have several well-travelled guests who come to our hotel, and we wanted offer them something other than regular coffee on our menus,” says Aakanksha Rawal, restaurant manager, Atrium Lounge. “I started by asking our in-house south Indian chefs for ideas, and over three weeks we experimented with various coffees recipes.” In addition to this, the team brought in a large brass filter from Chennai. Coffee powder was sourced from a supplier in Tamil Nadu and for the Kumbakonam coffee, the powder was sourced specifically from the Kumbakonam region of Tamil Nadu.

At the festival, apart from Kumbakonam coffee, there was Iced Chukukapi, coffee-based infusion of spices, Karp Katti, coffee that’s flavoured with palm jaggery, Ingi Kapi, coffee infused with dry ginger, and Malli Coffee, which is made with sukku powder.

Chukukapi is the perfect drink to cure the most fearsome cold. Not a hot favourite, really. Hence, I was momentarily taken aback to find that the drink has worked up its way to the posh tables of Taj Lands End. “Chukukapi is made at my home to this day during winters or when somebody is down with cold,” says Chef Arathi who hails from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu.

Preparing chukukapi is a two-step process. You first boil water, turn the flame off and add ginger, cumin seeds, peppercorns and tulsi to it. The flavours infuse overnight. The next day, you strain the spices and use the water to prepare coffee in the usual way.
For the coffee festival, the team decided to give it a twist. The chukukapi that I had was a far cry from the ones served at home. Instead, what I had was a hipper version of the drink — iced, without milk and with very little sugar. It was like having a herbal coffee infusion, though I would have preferred some more coffee for that extra kick.

Karp katti was interesting because it uses palm jaggery as a sweetner instead of sugar. The coffee had a richer flavour than the regular variant. But it was malli coffee that really stood out for me. The coffee is prepared with sukku powder, which is a combination of dry ginger, peppercorns, and coriander seeds. The spices are roasted and ground together, and mixed with the coffee decoction. Milk is then added to it, and after heating the mixture the powder is strained out. The flavours of ginger and coriander dominate the coffee aroma, with the pepper adding just that little zing to the taste.

Taste, of course, is subjective, and not everyone may like their coffee prepared in such a manner. But it certainly is revealing to know that spices that are freely available in the market, can make coffee taste so good.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / Daily News & Analysis / Home> LifeStyle> Report / by R. Krishna, Place:Mumbai, Agency:DNA / August 26th, 2012

A tale of two ancient temples in Kancheepuram village

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Kancheepuram:

A couple of years ago, Thandarai, a village near Uttaramerur in Kancheepuram district, witnessed two significant events. The ancient Perumal (Vishnu) temple was pulled down and replaced with an ugly concrete structure by villagers, who were ignorant about its heritage value. Nearby, the Kunteeswarar temple, which would have faced a similar fate, was spared due to the timely intervention of a taxi driver in the locality.

While one can only see the grand Nayak-style Perumal temple in some old photographs now, the good news for heritage lovers is the renovation work on the Chola-period Kunteeswarar temple.

No alterations would be made to the original structure. The demolished Perumal temple and the Kunteeswarar temple are managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department.

“It was a taxi driver, who alerted us that some people were going to demolish the Shiva temple too,” said J Chandrasekaran of REACH Foundation, an NGO working towards creating awareness about heritage and renovation of ancient structures. “When we visited Thandarai, the Perumal temple had been demolished and a new one had been constructed on the spot. We soon sent a letter to the state HR & CE department which gave us permission to renovate the Shiva temple using our own funds,” he said.

While heritage experts believe a lot of inscriptions and sculptures could have been lost with the demolition of the Perumal temple, they are happy that at least some rare inscriptions on the walls of the Kunteeswarar temple that belong to early Chola and Vijayanagar periods could be preserved.

“There are a few rare inscriptions in Tamil and Telugu on the walls of the Kunteeswarar temple. The later Chola inscriptions and those belonging to the period of Kampanna Udayar (a Vijayanagar king) and the Nayak reign show the transactions that took place in Kancheepuram during those days. The Nayak kings renamed the village Seetharama Puramu. The Telugu inscriptions on the lintel are testimony to this fact. We are taking maximum care to restore it,” said Chandrasekaran.

Even though the renovation work is on, it’s not easy as the vegetation had gone deep into the walls between the Arda Mandapa and Maha Mandapa. “The stones were removed and re-laid carefully. We are working on repairing the cracks on the wall and the ceiling. Since 70% of the temple has been ruined, it needs special care,” said S Murugan, a worker who is involved in the renovation.

Lack of funds, however, has slowed down the progress of the renovation work. “We lost the Perumal temple due to ignorance. We don’t want to see the same thing happening to the Shiva temple. We will constitute a team to generate funds for the renovation work. We will also appeal to the people to donate for this good initiative,” said M Subramaniam, a villager.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / August 19th, 2012

Revisiting the past on a cycle

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Madras Week is here. The event will let Chennaites understand and recollect the history of the city through various heritage tours. This time, thanks to Cycling Yogi, instead of walks, it’s going to be heritage cycle rides.

Ramanujar Moulana, the organiser of Madras Week, said, “We will start the trail from Marina Beach at 5 am and cover places in Triplicane and Mylapore.

From Gandhi statue we shall ride up to the DG office, followed by Chepauk Palace and Madras University or the Senate house.

Then we will take the cycle past the MA Chidambaram Stadium to the Parthasarathy Temple. We will then visit Bharathiyar’s house and Vivekananda Illam.

Santhome Church and Kapalishwar temple are also on the itinerary. We will also stop at the Dabba Chetty shop and then cycle all the way to Sri Ramakrishna Math followed by Sanskrit College and then back to Marina Beach.”

The ride is expected to last for one-and-a-half hours. The groups will stop at each place for five minutes for Ramanujar to brief them.

“I have studied history in Loyola College and Delhi University, so I am well-versed with the culture of the place.

I am an active member of the Tamil Nadu Cycling Club and as a part of it I have visited a lot of places of historic and cultural relevance within the state and even outside. We hope that participants ask us questions and we turn it into an interactive session.”

Ramanujar believes that this could be the perfect platform to spread awareness. “From my personal experience I can say that you can enjoy and experience a place better when you slowly grasp the beauty of it. When travelling in a car, you can catch the sight of place only for a few seconds.

But when you are riding a cycle, you can take your own time to understand and enjoy the place,” Ramanujar said.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Chennai / by Vipasha Sinha, DC-Chennai / August 18th, 2012

Madurai is their only Sindh

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Madurai:

On Friday, a small gathering of 28 families met in the heart of Madurai to celebrate ‘janmashtami’ according to their tradition. It was an occasion for the small association of Sindhis living in Madurai for over half a century to meet each other and bond.

Hailing from Shikarpur, now in the Sindh province of Pakistan, these people started migrating from their native place after the partition, seeking refuge in many places in India. “We went looking for a livelihood, not settling in one place. Those days were never easy or comfortable,” said Vashdev Gopaldas Talreja, president of the Madurai Sindhi Shikarpur Association. But a few of them chose Madurai as home and settled here just after Independence. He said he had come here as a small boy in 1947, but now Madurai was his home.

They, however, speak Sindhi at home. “It is the only way in which our dialect is passed on to the next generation. But if you ask us, many of us including the middle agers are more fluent in Tamil than Sindhi,” say Naresh N Chugh and Suraj G Khatri, members of the association. To most of them, Madurai is their home and even the oldest among them, Nanda Lal, has never been to their native place.

According to the secretary of the community, Suresh B Raheja, their deity is Jhulelal Sai who is the community god of the Sindhis. They also celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanthi in an elaborate way and their temple, situated in Pappan Kinathu Street near the Meenakshi temple, was constructed in 1954. This shrine also serves as their meeting point. Their deities are decorated with flowers and jewels for festivals and they celebrate all Hindu festivals including Diwali and Holi.

Pandit Basudev Panday performed the rituals for the ‘janmashtami’ pooja, where the idol was decorated for the occasion. Everyone present had a chance to take part in the poojas, from the tiniest child to 75-year-old Nanda Lal. The parents ensure the small ones are brought here so that they can participate in the festivals without fail.

Being a small community, they go in search of brides and bridegrooms to north India and the marriage celebrations go on for three days.

Food for the Sindhis is a big affair. “Kadi chawal” and sweet rotis are some of their special dishes with ghee being the main ingredient in many of their delicacies.

“Thadri”, a festival which is celebrated by them, is one of difference as only food cooked the previous day is served to everyone on that day. “It is a way of giving rest to the god of fire Agni. Hence the fire is not lit for cooking and women also get a day off,” said Priya Chugh.

These people are diversified in their occupation, some tailors, some in real estate, finance, bankers, business and many others, according to Mahesh Chhabria. They have all contributed to Madurai’s development in their own small way.

Recently, the ladies joined hands to form the Ladies Chapter of their community, for the purpose of social service. Helping a poor girl with good scores enter engineering college was one of their recent achievements.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / August 14th, 2012

Ceramic mural of Field Marshal Manekshaw unveiled

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

Udhagamandalam (TN) Aug 15 (PTI)

A huge ceramic mural of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was unveiled at the premises of nearby Wellington Cantonment on the occasion of the 66th Independence Day celebrations.

Unveiling the mural, Brigadier S S Jadhav, Station Commander, Wellington, paid rich tributes to Manekshaw and described him as one of the country’s greatest generals and military leaders and a true soldier of the Armed forces.

Jadhav also presented financial assistance to war widows.

source: http://www.ptinews.com / Home> National / by Staff Writer / August 15th, 2012

Perambalur school sets record for largest salt flag

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Students of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan matriculation higher secondary school create the largest Tricolour made of salt in Perambalur as part of Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday. — DC

What better way to usher in Independence Day as we, the Indians, take a step into the 66th year of freedom by entering record books.

The 19-year-old Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Perambalur on Tuesday set a record of sorts by creating the largest national flag.

The national flag measuring 45X30 metres was made using 20,500 kilograms of salt. Around 2,000 kg saffron colour powder, 2,000 kg green colour powder was also used to decorate the flag. About 500 kg of navy blue colour powder was used for the Ashoka Chakra.

The feat was accomplished in a matter of four-and-a-half hours. The event started by 7 am at Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan engineering college.

“The event happened in a magnificent way and exemplified that we Indians have yet not forgotten the salt march undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi and all the pains endured during the freedom struggle,” A Srinivasan, founder and correspondent, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Educational Institutions, said.

The record was adjudicated by Ms Catherine Boussard from London, UK and ambassador of Elite World Records, and Mr Simon Gerard, adjudicator of Asian Records Academy, Singapore. We have also applied to the Indian Records Academy, Mr Srinivasan said. Collector Dr Darez Ahamed of Perambalur district was the chief guest

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Others / DC, Perambalur, August 15th, 2012

Life in tea plantations

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Life in tea plantations

The audio and trailer of Bala’s next film, Paradesi, is expected to be launched in London on September 19.

Sources close to the director say he has tried to portray the sad lives of workers in tea plantations in the 1930s. Another reason the film has stepped up expectations is it is being produced by Bala himself.

Shot in Salur, Manamadurai and parts of Kerala, the film has Adharvaa, son of actor Murali, Vedhika and Dhansikaa playing the lead roles. Some sequences have been canned in the forests of Kannakarai in Theni District.

Ajith, a voracious reader too

While many know Ajith loves aeroplanes and racing, what’s not known is he’s also a voracious reader. The actor, who is slogging it out at the gym to lose weight for Vishnuvardhan’s film, says he was impressed with a book he recently read titled, The Teaching of Buddha (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai). He feels the book will help individuals realise the significance of the concept, ‘live and let live.’

Father-daughter bond

Close on the heels of Deivathirumagal, yet another movie showcasing the bond between a dad and his daughter is being made. Ram, director of Katradhu Tamizh, is directing and acting in the film, titled Thangameengal, being produced by Gautham Menon’s Photon Kathaas.

Yuvan, who composed the music for Katradhu Tamizh, will be composing the music for this film as well. The film will also feature Rohini and Padmapriya in important roles.

Sources close to the film unit say a team has been travelling across the State to create a special album featuring school children and Yuvan.

Come September, watch ‘Anaconda-5’ at crocodile bank

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nature

Chennai:

They were brought from the Czech Republic last October. And now having settled down and acclimatised, they are all set to meet visitors. The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) will unveil their anaconda display in the beginning of September and people will get an opportunity to view the huge reptiles that they have so far seen only in Hollywood movies.

“The enclosure that has been set up for the reptiles will replicate the south American rainforest habitat. It includes a waterbody and a land area which will allow the snakes to bask in the Chennai sunshine,” says MCBT director Colin James Stevenson. Anacondas require access to both land and water, even though they spend a lot of time in the water.

The MCBT will also put up a underwater viewing facility. Native to South America, they are the heaviest snakes.

The three yellow anacondas (Eunectes Notaeus) and two green anacondas (Eunectes murinus) were acquired as part of an exchange programme with the Protivin Crocodile Zoo in the Czech Republic. MCBT, which is the only zoo in India to house both the green and yellow anacondas, hopes that the iconic species will give a boost to their snake talks.

“People will want to see them, so we can use it to talk about snakes and dispel some of the myths surrounding them,” says Stevenson. “Our aim is to create awareness about snakes through our talks and interactions with visitors.”

Since their arrival, the anacondas have been quarantined. “They have been kept in an internal, room-sized enclosure and their health was monitored regularly ,” says Stevenson, who wanted to ensure that the reptiles were well cared for and calm enough to handle visitors viewing them before putting them on display.

The settling-in period has also helped the keepers get used to the snakes’ behaviour — eating patterns, basking behaviour and shedding cycles. “Being reptiles, they do not eat everyday. We normally feed them once a week,” says Stevenson.

Two-full time snake keepers have also been trained in anaconda husbandry. Detailed observations of the snakes are made everyday and the position of each anaconda is also recorded throughout the day. “We have to ensure that we have got their enclosure habitat right,” he says.

At the moment, the green anacondas are around five feet tall (1.5 metres). While the females can grow up to 16ft, the males get to be eight or nine feet. Stevenson is hopeful that the anacondas will be a major draw. “They have quite attractive markings and are a pretty species. They will be very popular with he visitors,” he says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Chennai / by Priya M Menon, TNN / August 07th, 2012

Development races with time without a course

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

PLEASANT SHADES: A green canopy on the Race Course Road. / Photo: M. Periasamy / The Hindu

Wide road, trees on either side and the quiet neighbourhood are rapidly giving way to multi-storeyed apartments, offices, and retail outlets in Race Course, writes M. Soundariya Preetha

Valankulam, a vast water body that was away from the hustles of daily activities, birds that came to it from far, and the thick green cover around the tank were among the attractions for the British to develop a neighbourhood in what is now the Coimbatore Race Course Road.

About 150 years ago, apart from the Collector’s house, three major firms were present on Race Course Road – T. Stanes, Peirce Leslie and the Tea Estates of India. In the early 1870s came the CSI All Souls Church and the Coimbatore Club.

When young Robert Stanes came down to Coimbatore from Coonoor for treatment of an injured eye, he stayed at the Collector’s bungalow on Race Course Road. He then purchased land from the Madras Railway company (later to become the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway and after independence the Southern Railway), which had erected temporary workshops in Coimbatore in the Race Course area, says K.S. Hegde, managing director of T. Stanes and Company.

The premises of T. Stanes and Peirce Leslie had coffee curing yards. “The Den” where Sir Robert Stanes lived, which is a small house on the Stanes premises with entrance on Tiruchi Road, the Collector’s Bungalow, and the bungalow that was part of the Peirce Leslie premises are some of the existing historical structures in the area.

“Before independence, the area had an English flavour,” says Vijay Venkataswamy, who is a Race Course resident for more than two decades and is the former president of the Race Course and Residents’ Association.

Gradually the area developed, mainly with residences for the officials. Though it is known as Race Course Road, it is believed to have never been used for competitive horse racing. Some of the elders recall how Race Course road was used by cyclists, walkers and horse riders. It was said that there were days when actor M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar would ride horse on the road as part of his daily exercise, says one of them.

After independence, the locality started developing with more houses, Government offices and residences for officials coming up.

The sprawling houses, wide road, trees on either side of the road, and the quiet neighbourhood are rapidly giving way to multi-storeyed apartments, offices, and retail outlets in many parts of Race Course. Yet, it continues to be a paradise for walkers. People from across the city come to the Race Course now for their daily walk.

What is, however, worrying is that infrastructure development is inadequate. Can you believe that many houses and apartments are not connected to underground drainage system?, asks Mr. Venkataswamy.

Even 25 years ago, garbage was cleared regularly, the roads were not so polluted and vehicles were not eating into the driving space on the road.

Almost 50 per cent of the area is under commercial development now. Commercialisation started in the late 1990s and has accelerated in the last 10 years, says Mr. Venkataswamy. Initially it was corporate offices. However, there is no planned development now. Certain parts of Race Course should be zoned as only residential areas and parking and traffic flow should be regulated, he says.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by M. Soundariya Preetha / August 03rd, 2012