Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

48.2-ft dosa for Guinness record

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

Madurai hoteliers on Sunday dished out a 48.2-feet-long dosa in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

“We have outdone the previous record for the longest dosa, which was 38.2-feet-long, made by Vijayawada Hotel Owners’ Association,” said a confident chef K. Damodaran under whose supervision the dosa was made.

The Temple City Group of Hotels had sponsored the event as part of Suvai Durbar, a three-day food festival organised by Madurai Round Table 14 to raise funds to improve infrastructure facilities in government schools. The food festival culminated with the sizzling dosa-making feat.

“We wanted to roll out a dosa measuring 64 feet in view of chief minister Jayalalithaa’s 64 birthday but we ended up at 48.2 feet as the dosa pan did not get the required heat from the 38 burners that were on. Yet, we have beaten the previous record,” said K.L. Kumar, proprietor of the Temple City Hotels.

While 24 kg of batter and 3 litres of oil were used, 18 masters were roped in to make the lengthy crispy brown dosa that was rolled carefully without damaging it or spoiling the colour. Later, it was sliced and served free to the crowd of visitors that flocked the festival venue.

“On the first day, we came out with 45 feet dosa and increased this to 48 feet on Saturday. On Sunday, we added an additional 0.2 feet. In all, we have used 200 kg of batter,” Kumar said.

Chef K. Damodaran and his team attempt to set a record by making a 48.2-feet long dosa at Suvai Durbar, a food festival held at Tamukkam grounds in Madurai on Sunday — DC

The event was videographed and the CDs would be sent to the adjudicators of Guinness and Limca books of records, Kumar said.Two giant monitors were placed to enable the visitors to watch the event that started at 5 pm and ended at 8 pm.

A sizeable number of foreigners were seen enjoying the south Indian delicacy along with the locals post the event.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Region> Madurai / February 20th, 2012

Young perspectives

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Artists, some of them still in school, display their work at Chitrakala Academy ‘s annual art exhbiiton

Two students from Coimbatore — Bhavika Dugar from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and A. Priyadarshini of SBOA School emerged as winners at the National Level Water Conservation Painting Competition 2011 in New Delhi. A total of 13 paintings from across the country were selected. The theme was ‘Role of Children in Water Conservation’. Mahak Khemka of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, came up with a unity in diversity doodle for ‘Doodle 4 Google’ competition on the theme ‘India’s gift to the world’. She was one of the four finalists from the city.

All these students learn art at the Chitrakala Academy, run by artist V. Jeevananthan. It grooms students, art teachers, graphic designers, house wives, and professionals, and motivates them to take up art full time. Some have become successful art directors in films. S. Maniraj, known from his works in films such as Osthe, Dhool and Gilli and T. Muthuraj, the art director ofNanban and Pazhassi Raja are from Chitrakala.

Colours and textures

Sixty three oil, acrylic, and water colour paintings of the students of Chitrakala Academy are on display at the ongoing 34 annul art exhibition at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery. Jeeva’s acrylic work on a meditative Buddha, the first painting at the entrance, sets the mood. A lady holds a lamp and Buddha’s face glows. “For any artist, the Buddha is an excellent subject. It lends an aura to the painting,” he says.

Every painting experiments with colours, textures, light and shade. They also have novel themes. Artist Muthuraj’s aerial view of a city is innovative. He uses an electronic circuit to convey urbanisation and how it eats up into the city’s green cover. Another mixed media work is on the disappearance of house sparrows.

K.S. Joseph’s water colour work captures a slice of Kerala’s greenery. Minimal colours — black, white and red, render a surrealist feel to Maniraj’s paintings while M.Rajesh Nelilagandan brings out a three-dimensional effect in his painting of the Perur sculptures.

Class XII student P. Santhosh recreates the scene at the Kashi temple. “Water colour is a difficult media. So, practice is important. I watch landscapes, study the anatomy of portraits and also observe movement of people by waiting at village bus stops for hours.”

Gautam, who is studying Fine Arts in Kumbakonam says that for any artist sketching and drawing forms the base. “Presentation is important. I pay attention to lighting, and dilution of colours to bring the desired effect. As an artist one should have the ability to view an object from a 3D angle,” he says. His painting is a view of Kumbakonam Street from the inside of a temple.

M.S. Shanmugasundaram presents an aerial view of Mettupalayam — shades of greenery, waterfalls and match box houses, complete the picture. Abstract works of V. Chandrasekar, joint secretary of the academy, have a Picasso influence. In his painting, a lady with a bird signifies an expression of freedom. A number of paintings bring alive the greenery and the joys of village life.

Check out T. Chinnaraj’s pencil sketch, on a purple coloured paper, of a child drinking water from a tap. Every painting has a purpose, says C.V. Rajan, the art teacher at Air Force School. The greenery in his oil work, the Monkey Falls forest, gives a sense of hope.

The exhibition and sale is on till February 19, from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. To know about art classes at Chitrakala Academy, call: 93631 45521/ 98941-49275.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Arts> Art / by K. Jeshi / February 16th, 2012

Into a world of tiaras and glamour

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

Ever since she was a six-year-old, Rochelle Rao has been smitten by the modelling industry. And taking one firm step at a time, this young sassy babe is ensuring that she fulfills her dream of becoming a successful model.

     Rochelle Rao

Today, Rochelle is amongst the 20 most beautiful women in the country, and is all set to impress the judges in the final rounds of the Miss India pageant.

Rochelle, who has been undergoing rigorous training sessions with Ajith Sigamani, says, “I got a taste of what the pageant will be like when I participated in the Miss India South contest. So I was mentally prepared.”

From giving up all her favourite food to working out several hours in a day, Rochelle has taken it upon herself to sport a fab bod. “I am a foodie by nature,” she says. “But since December, I’ve had to give up all the food I really love. Though when someone looks at me and compliments me, I feel all this training is really worth it!”

Rochelle is no stranger to the profession. Be it TV shows or ramp walks, she’s a familiar face. “I’ve been in this profession for many years, but it was only in the first few rounds that I realised there were so many things I didn’t know. Unlike in Mumbai or Delhi, for models in Chennai the exposure is not up to the mark. <strong>I had to unlearn so many things. Prasad Bidappa and Marc Robinson were both extremely helpful in training m</strong>e!”

She adds, “Be it physically or even in the way I think, I can feel the development in myself. And I am loving this change!”

Considering all the challenges that she has faced in the profession, Rochelle has managed to learn from them and survive, despite all odds. “I am a Christian and being in this profession was looked down upon! But I knew that this was what I was born to do and I love my profession. I also realised that if people pass negative comments, it probably means they’re jealous and the best thing to do is to just ignore them!”

Rochelle explains that it is so easy to be carried away by all the glitz and attention — she’s had to mend several errors that she’d committed because of that.

“I used to be cocky. I had an attitude problem. But I soon realised that once you’re off the stage, you have to respect society. There are people who have seen it all and you owe them the credit.

Even if it’s a tea boy on the sets of a show, you must give him the respect he deserves. I’ve always had to go back to the people I misbehaved with and apologise. Being humble is one of the biggest lessons this profession has taught me!”

The pretty model is readying for the next round, which is likely to be in March. She says, “Rehane is already working on some of my clothes.

And I am lucky that some of the best in this profession including Sidney Sladen, Chaitanya Rao and Sunil Menon are helping me throughout!”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> TABLOID> Glam Sham / by Srinidhi Rajagopal / DC/ Chennai / February 14th, 2012

Holding a mirror to the soul

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

ELEMENTS OF NATURE: Kanyakumari is indeed God’s own country. Photo: Lakshmi Sharath / The Hindu

The salts of the sea lure me as I can smell it from a distance. Here, in the confluence of three oceans, lies buried several myths, legends and stories. Kanyakumari has always been a mystery to me. Maybe it has something to do with the sea or the tale of the virgin goddess by the sea shore, but the town has never stopped fascinating me. Looking out of the window, I am lost in the many rotating windmills, dancing to the tune of the sea breeze, when I am interrupted by the laughter in the bus.

I join in the laughter as Sri Charanya, my travel companion, shares her memories of Kanyakumari when she visited the coastal town as a twelve year old. “You know, I was told that I could see red, black and blue colours here. The red was the Indian Ocean, blue the Bay of Bengal and black the Arabian Sea. I believed every word of it then,” she says as echoes of laughter drown her story. Memories come flooding back as I remember my first visit here as a wide-eyed twelve-year-old.

I am on a Naanjil Naadu tour organised by INTACH, travelling through small towns and villages around Nagercoil and Kanyakumari, visiting many temples, rock cut shrines, mosques, palaces and forts. While we alternate between facts and folk lore, we learn from a team of professors and historians accompanying us about the various dynasties that rule the region. I am of course fascinated by the many landscapes painted in front of me — natural, social , historical, political, spiritual, as I realise that what is today considered God’s own country has its origins right here in Naanjil Naadu, long before Kerala came into being.

We visit an ancient Chola temple dedicated to Shiva. Dr V Vedachalam, a retired epigraphist from Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department explains the architecture and draws our attention to the inscriptions and various cults of gods and goddesses. It is really God’s own country. The temples in this region are built by various kings across different eras and each one of them has left his stamp behind. From the Ay dynasty, to early Pandyas to the Venad kings, the land is steeped in cults. And I discover another 19th century cult right on the shores of a small fishing hamlet called Chinna Muttom.

While most of my travel companions are lost in the beauty around, a few of us walk down to a small shrine located on the rocky shores. A man in a turban is officiating as a priest as we gaze inside the sanctum and look at our hazy reflection with the sea forming our backdrop. There is no deity or idol — just a mirror which reflects and represents the soul or the Vishnu inside you. A small board in Tamil explains the philosophy about worshipping your body as the temple, with your mind at peace and devotion and purity in your soul. The belief rests in equality; every devotee is a king. Even Vivekananda, he claims, was influenced by it. The underlying thought is that you keep your mind and thoughts pure and worship the God inside you.

I later learn that the cult is referred to as Ayyavazhi, founded by a revolutionary called Ayya Vaikundar, also believed by his followers as a reincarnation of Vishnu. However , speaking to Ahi Mohan, coordinator of the Nadar Family Welfare centre in Trivandrum, I learn that he was a 19th century social reformer who was born in Kanyakumari district with a strong belief in equality of all people. He had built five main pathis, what we refer to as temples, and the 200-year-old pathi at Chinna Muttom was called Muthapathi. The followers believe that a dip in the sea will sanctify them.

I stand and gaze at my hazy reflection in the mirror for a long time and realise that my mind is blank, bathed by the ocean and purged of all thoughts. Elsewhere in the haze of white foam and fury of the waves, I can see a distant form of Sri Charanya calling out my name, holding some wet sand in her hands. As she comes closer, we both laugh. In her hands are lumps of black and brownish soil and the colours seem to merge with the blue of the ocean.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Life & Style> MetroPlus / by Lakshmi Sharath / February 03rd, 2012

50 Most Desirable Men 2011 list

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

There’s something about physically desirable men that makes women go weak in the knees at their very mention.

Then there are those who are desirable on a cerebral level. This year, the Times 50 Most Desirable Men 2011 has a mix of several such names. You voted in numbers and rated the men on their DQ (Desirability Quotient). Based on these results, we have come up with a shortlist of drool-worthy hunks. Voting ended on January 15 and 3.74 lakh votes were polled on www.itimes.com/polls.Those who made the cut rank high on the Times 50 Most Desirable Men 2011, a list of the year’s sexiest and most successful men in the country. Should last year’s winner Hrithik Roshan be worried? Look out for the final 1-50 ratings to be announced shortly.

 Hrithik Roshan

THE TIMES 50 MOST DESIRABLE MEN 2011 Aamir Khan Abhay Deol Abhishek Bachchan Ajay Devgn Ajith Akshay Kumar Ali Zafar Arjun Rampal Arunoday Singh Atif Aslam Dhanush Dino Morea Emraan Hashmi Farhan Akhtar Hrithik Roshan Imran KhanJackky Bhagnani John Abraham Karan Johar Karan Singh Grover Kunal Kapoor Mahesh Babu MS Dhoni Muzammil Ibrahim Neil Nitin Mukesh Prateik Babbar Rahul Gandhi Rahul Sharma Rajat Barmecha Rajeev Khandelwal Rana Daggubati Ranbir Kapoor Ranveer Singh Rannvijay Singh Riteish Deshmukh Salman Khan Saif Ali Khan Shahid Kapur Shah Rukh Khan Siddharth Siddharth Mallya Sonu Nigam Sonu Sood Suriya Vijender Singh Vidyut Jamwal Vikram Kennedy Virat Kohli Yuvraj Singh Zaheer Khan

New entrants in 2011 Arunoday Singh After playing a foul-mouthed, kiss-frenzied slacker in Yeh Saali Zindagi and a cool dude in Aisha, Arunoday’s stocks are on the rise.

Dhanush   With a National Award-winning performance in 2011’s Aadukalam and a ‘leaked’ video of the recording of Why This Kolaveri Di becoming an international sensation, it was Dhanush’s year.

Jackky Bhagnani With F.a.l.t.u., Jackky redeemed himself with a spirited performance and was rewarded with box office success.

Rana Daggubati One-film old Rana set female hearts aflutter in Dum Maaro Dum and won a certain Bongshell’s heart too, albeit briefly.

Rajat Barmecha A refreshing young actor, Rajat took flight with Udaan and showed the mettle he was made of.

Sonu Niigaam The singer-actor kept busy, most notably recording a song with one of the world’s youngest DJs, Avicii.

Sonu Sood Physically in great shape, Sonu showed that even a hunk can play down his physicality, play up his buffoonery and still come away smelling like a rose.

Virat Kohli A darling of ad filmmakers and brands alike, this young cricketer has bowled several maidens over. Is Bollywood on the horizon?

Vidyut Jamwal Touted as the next John Abraham, the newcomer got heads turning and many gals swooning.

2010 qualifiers who did not make it in 2011 Aditya Roy Kapoor, Akshay Oberoi, Ashmit Patel, Ayaan Ali Khan, Bobby Deol, Faruk Kabir, Freddy Daruwala, Gaurav Kapoor, Imtiaz Ali, Karan Kundra, Karun Chandok, Meiyang Chang, Nandish Sandhu, Purab Kohli, Randeep Hooda, Rahul Khanna, Sahil Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Shiv Pandit, Vir Das

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Bollywood> News & Interviews / TNN / January 30th, 2012

New ChennaiDosa Indian restaurant to open in Stretford Mall, Trafford

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Nri's / Pio's

TWENTY-FIVE new jobs will be created when Britain’s fastest growing chain of Indian restaurants opens in Stretford Mall.

The two floor, 125 cover restaurant, at the front of the mall on Chester Road will bring South Indian cuisine to the busy shopping centre.

Known as ChennaiDosa, the company opened its first restaurant in London in 2003 and this will be its 11th.

General Manager Suresh Baskar and Stretford Mall Operations Manager Mike Russell 

General Manager and chef, Suresh Baskar, said: “We looked at venues all over Manchester, including the city centre, but we felt the Stretford Mall had the right location for us because it has a good car park for our customers and it gives us the opportunity to bring something very new to Stretford with no other restaurants like us nearby. We liked the idea of being in with a community rather than in the very crowded environment of the city centre.

“We are already a very well established brand and people know and love our food so trust me when I say that people will visit from all over to come to our restaurant so it will be a great addition for Stretford.”

Colin McCrory, Stretford Mall manager, said the opening of ChennaiDosa was a very exciting new development and would offer a terrific new restaurant for the whole community.

He said: “ChennaiDosa is going to offer another very good reason to come to the Stretford Mall and offer the community a chance to sample some wonderful cultural cookery.

“It will create a substantial amount of new jobs for the area to add to more than 750 jobs which the mall and its retailers already provide.

“I think it will be a tremendous draw for new and existing customers and reflects the positive developments which are happening at Stretford Mall all as we move into 2012.”

The restaurant chain has a menu heavily influenced by the staple food and flavours of South India, where Suresh is from and learnt his skills as a chef.

One of the main dishes on the menu is dosa, a thin, spicy pancake made from fermented rice and lentils which can be served plain with chutneys or with different types of curry. Customers will also find idly which are small, round steamed rice cakes also particular to the Southern region of India.

Suresh has spent 25 years in the hotel and restaurant industry and trained as a chef while working for the Sheraton hotel group.

Originally from Chennai, the capital city of the Southern Indian state of Tamilnadu, Suresh has worked tirelessly over the last eight years to help build up the business and bring the culinary delights of his homeland to his customers.

He said: “People rely on us for our quality, the wonderful taste of our food and our service and that is why we have been successful and what we are seeking to bring to Stretford.

“For those who already know the type of food we cook, they say it is a chance to taste the flavours of home which makes them very happy.

“But it is also a chance for others to try a different type of Indian food and the feedback we get is amazing.”

source: http://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk / News / Monday, January 30th, 2012

Why Tamil New Year falls on 1st of ‘Thai’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

THIS is in response to Ariff Shah’s letter on Ponggal festival (“Ponggal is not Tamil New Year” — NST, Jan 17).

Ponggal is harvest festival celebrated by Tamilians

He had refuted my contention that Ponggal is the Tamil New Year.

Chitirai, which has a religious tag, cannot be a New Year for all Tamils, as there are Tamil Muslims, Tamil Christians, Tamil Buddhists and Tamil atheists who would not celebrate a festival with Hindu connections.

To overcome this problem, K. Sarangapani, a leader of Tamils in Malaysia and Singapore, a few decades ago advocated that the first of Thai  be  observed as the  Tamil New Year.

Ariff  questioned the credibility of the event at which 500 Tamil scholars in India discussed and decided that Ponggal should be the Tamil New Year.

There is ample evidence about that meeting and almost all prominent Tamil scholars attended it under the leadership of Maraimalai Adigal on Jan 18, 1935 at Pachaiappan College, Chennai.

At that meeting, Maraimalai Adigal proved through his research that Tiruvalluvar was born 30 years before Christ. Some of the illustrious Tamil scholars who were present at the conference were Professor Namachivayam, K.S. Pillai, Sachithanandam, N.M. Vengadesasamy, V. Kalyanasundaram, Somasundara Bharathiyar, U.V. Swaminatha Iyer, K.V.P. Visvanatham and poet Bharathithasan.

It should be noted that not all who participated had an affiliation to Periyar’s Dravidian Movement. In fact there were many staunch Hindu leaders and Brahmins among those who attended.

It was decided at that conference that the Tamil New Year should be based on the birth of Tiruvalluvar and that first of Thai  should be celebrated as Ponggal and the Tamil New Year.

Dr. M. Varatharajan, a well known Tamil research scholar, has said that in the early period the Tamils celebrated Thai as their New Year and not Chitirai and that is the reason why Ponggal is being celebrated not only in the villages but also in towns and cities.

There is also evidence that Chitirai was introduced only after the 14th century in Tamil Nadu.

The ancient Tamil astrologers studied the revolution of the earth around the sun and noted the movement of sunlight to the north and south of the equator for six months each. The movement of sunlight towards the north was named Uthraayanam and  that towards the south as Thatchana ayanam. This is pure scientific evidence and nothing to do with religious beliefs.

Hence it is beyond any doubt that the Ponggal festival is the Tamil New Year.

Dr G. Johnson, Masai, Johor

source: http://www.nst.com.my / New Straits Times / Letters to the Editor / January 27th, 2012

German orchestra jams to Rahman’s tunes

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Ektaa Malik attended the concert where the maestro sat and heard his own compositions played by The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg

The silence was almost eerie. The tension thick, like the Delhi fog. Pervading concentration levels of the 1500 people in attendance could alone have performed a telekinesis miracle.

Every creak of a chair, every cough and a sneeze was discretely suppressed.  There was a marked dearth of errant cell phones ringing and the resultant glares that would be directed at the one offender. The usual cranky audience of Delhi sat in spellbound silence, very akin to a group of well disciplined school children.

The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg could not have asked for a better atmosphere as they performed the compositions of AR Rahman, conducted and arranged by renowned orchestra conductor and music composer, Matt Dunkley. Delhi, in the august company of the Mozart of Madras, AR Rahman, sat and listened to AR Rahman.

Named Classic Incantations its a unique project that has the German Orchestra playing select compositions of Rahman. Ranging from his early compositions from Roja, to the dated 127 Hours, they have the best of Rahman’s music on their repertoire. This venture is part of the ongoing programme series Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities, which celebrate the completion of 60 years of diplomatic relations of Germany with India.

The stage was bathed in the milky blue light. The musical instruments onstage sparkled, as they waited in defiant splendour. The musicians took their places dressed in resplendent black and we had a concert on our hands.

The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg with its 100 plus musicians was the perfect symphony orchestra to be playing the musical genius of Rahman. Established in the year 1993, the Orchestra is an institution in itself, having collaborated with the German metal band Rammstein, they also featured with the progressive rock band Karat. The Orchestra often performs and teams up with various artists on cross over projects in popular music and jazz.

The first piece played was the Warriors of Heaven and Earth Suite. The 2003 Chinese film had its music done by Rahman when Sony Pictures asked him to compose in the western classical tradition. The Suite was perfect beginning to an evening that had the choicest offerings from the expanse of music by Rahman.

The folk melody of the Theme from Lagaan was heralded by the sound of the horn. The rousing theme cast a spell, as it also had the solo rendition of Deepiga S, who gave the vocals for theTheme. Deepiga is the proud member of the KM Music Conservatory Chamber Choir which provided the background vocals for the musical compositions. The KM Musical conservatory had been started by Rahman in 2008, to train students in the techniques of western musical performance and composition, along side tutoring them in advance classical Indian music.

The concert in addition to just featuring Rahman also had The German Orchestra give a musical tribute to all the great composers of India. They played the choicest renditions and commemorated and acknowledged their contributions to the Indian music industry.

Featured prominently for this segment was soloist Navin Iyer, a flautist who on previous occasion had worked with Rahman on the score for Slumdog Millionaire. The Orchestra brought together the musical scores of Swades, Meenaxi, Passage, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Subhash Bose, Robot, The Rising, in conjunction with the hallmark of Rahman — Theme from Bombay and Cry of the Rose from Roja.

The conductor of the Orchestra, Matt Dunkley was a sight to behold, as he swayed and conducted the 100 plus musicians with panache. His energy was contagious, as the musicians responded to the charged up atmosphere, and played to the gallery.

The finale of the concert had the maestro himself take the stage with the Orchestra and together they geared up for the epic finale.  Rahman took his seat behind the piano and he was accompanied by Asad Ali Khan on the Sitar and the two played the Slumdog Millionaire Suite.

The German Orchestra too joined in and for few minutes the auditorium resounded with the musical harmony. The reverberations were all around. The resultant applause was thunderous to say the least. When the Rahman and the Orchestra came together to take the final bow, the resounding cheer could easily have brought the roof down.

As wave after wave of cheers and clapping greeted the performers as they were felicitated, the cry for an encore got louder.

The German Film Orchestra and the Km Music Conservatory gave a beautiful rendition of the song Aayo Re Sakhi from the movie Water. A fittin end to a flawless evening.

The German Film Orcshetra brought to the fore the vast variety that orchestral music can offer. Every instrument, be it percussion, or woodwinds, together they transport one to a different place. Rahman agreed, as he said when he came on stage to be felicitated, “I always go some place else when they play, leave alone the fact that they are playing my music, its just that they play it so beautifully.”

At the beginning of the concert some one said, “This will be an emotional night, to say the least,” and yes, it was.

source: http://www.DailyPioneer.com / Monday, January 23rd, 2012

‘Black Letters’ bang their way to become Rockstars

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Winning notes: Jithendra Vummidi, managing director, Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, Mahendra Shetty, senior area manager, Hero Motor Corporation and Gopalakrishnan, general manager, Green Trends, with ‘Black Letters,’ winners of The Hindu NXg Rockstar–2012 held at IIT- Madras on Saturday. Photo: S.S. Kumar

The ultimate college and high school music competition was back with a bang. The second edition of The Hindu NXg Rockstar in association with IIT-Madras’ Saarang 2012 saw eight teams rock the stage on Saturday with ‘Black Letters’ being adjudged the Rockstars of 2012. The ‘Terrorists’ was judged first runner up while ‘83 MPH’ came third.

The three-day event kicked off with the ‘Acoustyx’ and ‘Acapella’ competitions on January 19. The second day saw teams rock it out in the preliminary round of Power Chords to make it to the finals the next day. The student activity centre witnessed some high octane music as teams continued to enthral the audience and judges alike. The teams that made it to the finals were 83 MPH, Black Letters (Kochi), Ghost Note, Totem, The Terrorists, Monkey Skulls (Manipal), Eclipse Alchemy (Thiruvananthapuram) and Iterate.

With suffuse of talent, the judges Noble Luke, vocalist, Blind Image; Madhav Ravindranath, bassist, Grey Shack and Wayne, Manager, Media and Content Advancement at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, were trusted with the unenviable job of choosing the best. In keeping with the tag line of Rockstar “If you think you are already one, here is the platform to showcase the musician in you” the teams did just that!

Prizes

The winners of the Acapella round were the 10-member Western Music Club from Women’s Christian College.

The winners in the Best Band category for Acoustyx were The Twelfth from Madras Christian College. The winners in the Best Band category for The Best Acapella Vocal Group were The Western Music Club. The prize for Best Own Composition was given to the band Under The Influence comprising members from SRM University and St. Michael’s Academy.

Prizes for best male and female vocals in the Acoustics category was given to Siddharth Kotwal of Paperkraft, BITS Pilani, Goa campus and Shreya Sarah of Synchronize, Womens’ Christian College, Chennai.

Anuj Shah of October Rush from the Vellore Institute of Technology was adjudged as the Best Guitarist, while prizes for the Best Keyboardist and the Best Percussionist and Best Bass Percussionist went to John Kirubai and David Joseph and John Jonathan from the band The Terrorists.

In Power Chords, the Metal and Rock category, the Best Vocalist went to Black Letters, Best lead guitarist went to The Terrorists. 83 MPH won the awards for the Best Drummer and Best Bass Guitarist. The Best Keyboard award went to Totem.

The event was followed by performances by 10-year-old drummer Aditya Sunder and Hong Kong-based band T-Bone.

The title sponsor for the event was Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers. The associate partner was Hero Motors, style partner was Green Trends-Hair and Salon, television partner SS Music, radio partner 92.7 BIG FM, multiplex partner AGS Cinemas, event partner iads and events. The prize sponsors were Landmark, Universal Kingdom, Globus, Donut House, Witco and Fitness One.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Chennai / by Archana Subramanian / Chennai, January 22nd, 2012

Kalam pays tributes at IPKF memorial

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

For the first time since a memorial for the Indian Peace Keeping Force was established on the outskirts of Colombo, a former Commander-in-Chief of the Indian armed forces visited it on Sunday.

“Oh defenders of my nation, you cross seas to defend nations. You are great sons of my land. We pray for you, brave hearts,” the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, wrote in the visitors’ book at the memorial.

Mr. Kalam arrived at the memorial at 9.20 a.m. with Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha. He paid floral tributes and spent some time going around the memorial, reading the names of the 1,200 soldiers who laid down their lives fighting a war to enforce the India-Sri Lanka accord of 1987. The forces were inducted in July 1987 and the last troops left Sri Lanka in March 1990.

Mr. Kalamth President in office between 2002 and 2007, is on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka. He witnessed the unveiling of the Tri-lingual year on Saturday and delivered a lecture on ‘Ignited Minds of the Youth is the Greatest Resource for the Nation.’

Mr. Kalam later addressed students and scientists at the University of Moratuwa on the topic, ‘Unique You.’ Across all his meetings on Saturday and Sunday, Mr. Kalam drew huge audiences.

Mr. Kalam and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader and Justice Minister in the Sri Lankan Cabinet Rauf Hakeem had a meeting.

TNA leader R. Sampanthan and Mr. Kalam are scheduled to meet here on Monday. Ahead of this, the former President will meet students in Jaffna, talk to the Northern Province governor, and other officials that day.

Mr. Kalam will meet Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne on Tuesday before his departure

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> International / by R.K. RadhaKrishnan / Colombo, January 22nd, 2012