The T-shirt design contest closed on the weekend. And we have had a good response.
52 entries - some creative, some average, some provocative, at first glance.
The entries are on their way to the judge - a young clothes designer - and we should announce the result next weekend.
The winner will in keeping with our tradition, get the opportunity to work on a series of designs that could be considered for the 2010 Tee!
So what does the 2009 Tee look like? Ah! We should know in a few days time!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Besh, besh, Meena...
I have known Meena Dadha for a while now. She is the founder of Mukti, an NGO which provides artificial limbs to amputees and polio victims, as well as hope to thousands of the less fortunate. The M. S. Dadha Foundation runs Mukti. Meena loves the arts and she also runs the Prakrit Arts Gallery in Kotturpuram. The gallery is seven years old. Mukti also promotes some excellent work by the physically challenged.
I met Meena a few weeks ago, eager to get her to participate in the Madras Week celebrations. Meena as usual wanted to play the good host and show me around, but a sudden power failure cut short all her plans. She was happy to be a part of Madras Week though and immediately noted all the details. The only condition she had was that Mr Muthiah (city historian) inaugurate the exhibition.
So, what we now have is a weeklong celebration at Prakrit Arts, starting August 15. Titled ‘Besh, Besh, Besh’ (the Bengali equivalent of ‘excellent’), the exhibits will provide a candid view of life in Chennai. The artists are all city-based – Asma Menon, Manohar Raja, Nelson, Rama Suresh, Elanchezian, Jkalaiselvan, Thyagarajan, ma Devi and Vinay.
Prakrit Arts is situated in a quiet avenue in Kotturpuram and you might like the ambience. So, do make a note of the dates in your diary.
I met Meena a few weeks ago, eager to get her to participate in the Madras Week celebrations. Meena as usual wanted to play the good host and show me around, but a sudden power failure cut short all her plans. She was happy to be a part of Madras Week though and immediately noted all the details. The only condition she had was that Mr Muthiah (city historian) inaugurate the exhibition.
So, what we now have is a weeklong celebration at Prakrit Arts, starting August 15. Titled ‘Besh, Besh, Besh’ (the Bengali equivalent of ‘excellent’), the exhibits will provide a candid view of life in Chennai. The artists are all city-based – Asma Menon, Manohar Raja, Nelson, Rama Suresh, Elanchezian, Jkalaiselvan, Thyagarajan, ma Devi and Vinay.
Prakrit Arts is situated in a quiet avenue in Kotturpuram and you might like the ambience. So, do make a note of the dates in your diary.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Poochi Venkat and his rail trail
Poochi Venkat is a man of many parts.
One part of him chases Indian trains.
He is part of a nationwide group of railway enthusiasts. You can get to know more about their work at http://www.irfca.org/
Venkat is planning a railway stations heritage tour for Madras Day 2009. Egmore, Central and Royapuram. We did this tour late last year and people have been keen to get their friends on it.
So if you love the trains and our stations, look out for info on this tour at the Madras Day web site - Venkat is the sort who wants to have a formal letter in his hand before he explores stations lest some pesky officer haul him and his guests to the cold room!
Groups in North Madras, please contact!
We are looking for hosts in places like Perambur and Royapuram and Kodungaiyur.
We want them because there are a few artistes and speakers who are ready to present an act or deliver a talk on Madras.
All you need to do is to perhaps pick up and drop the artistes / speakers and provide a nice space where the event can be held.
If you feel motivated, call 98410 49155. Now!
Reminisces of a Queen Marian
There's a huge swell of participation forming for Madras Week this year. The buzz is already on. Prema Kasturi, one of the coordinators, called me the other day to say how she was being flooded with calls from schools and colleges wanting to participate. I had put her on to Jailaxmi Ramamoorthy, principal, Vaels Vidyashram in Pallavaram, who was keen to have her school roped in. And now I understand that the school will also be conducting a city history project in September-October.
Prema tells me that two of the colleges participating this year include Queen Mary's and the Madras Christian College. Her mention of Queen Mary's led me to find Anna Varki's reminisces of the institution. This is also a tribute to people like Anna who are all for heritage conservation and value things of the past. Over to Anna:
A couple of weeks ago, there was an account of what was going to happen to dear old Capper House where Queen Mary’s College was born – the first women’s college in the erstwhile Madras Presidency (closely followed by Women’s Christian College). QMC produced the first women graduates. QMC is my Alma mater. I am narrating the sight I saw when I took my son, my daughter in law and grandchildren to show them the prestigious institution I had studied in once upon a time…
We entered the portals and I was appalled at the condition of the buildings. Capper House was not a surprise as you (Mr S Muthiah, city historian, possibly) had warned me it was going to be demolished. The rest of the blocks – Pentland, Jeypore Stone, plus the central block housing the principal’s domain, was unkempt and wild - no broom has moved over it for some time. It was an appalling sight – the condition of the building was such that it hadn’t seen paint for years and it was covered with patches of moss. The front garden was covered with shrubs and very unkempt. To my grandchildren and to all of us, it looked like a haunted building. My architect son’s comment was: “This is what they do when they want to demolish a building …ruin it so that the verdict is that it has to be pulled down.”
I didn’t explore the rest of the premises… and as for the swimming pool (imagine a college in very early 1900s with a swimming pool!) I had been warned it was a garbage dump. Sadly, we left to look at Presidency College, where I studied, my husband studied, and which produced stalwarts like Sir C. V. Raman and Chandrasekher, many outstanding doctors, parliamentarians and politicians. We drove in, before being stopped at the gate to look around. The dear old Fyson clock had patches of moss. The red-brick outer structure was dull. Each window and door was painted in different colours - some white, some blue, some green. These were really grotesque: window shades - most of them dilapidated.
My children were taking photographs - the window shades were broken. Two watchmen came running - they were out drinking tea. “Sir..Sir, are you from the media - please don’t report us!” I told him I had once upon a time studied here. His reply was, “Andha kalam elam poche (All those days are gone).” I asked him why the place was not painted.
Apparently tenders are called, but the money perhaps goes into somebody’s pocket.
We had a ditty: “Queen Marians never die, never die, they only fade away…”
Prema tells me that two of the colleges participating this year include Queen Mary's and the Madras Christian College. Her mention of Queen Mary's led me to find Anna Varki's reminisces of the institution. This is also a tribute to people like Anna who are all for heritage conservation and value things of the past. Over to Anna:
A couple of weeks ago, there was an account of what was going to happen to dear old Capper House where Queen Mary’s College was born – the first women’s college in the erstwhile Madras Presidency (closely followed by Women’s Christian College). QMC produced the first women graduates. QMC is my Alma mater. I am narrating the sight I saw when I took my son, my daughter in law and grandchildren to show them the prestigious institution I had studied in once upon a time…
We entered the portals and I was appalled at the condition of the buildings. Capper House was not a surprise as you (Mr S Muthiah, city historian, possibly) had warned me it was going to be demolished. The rest of the blocks – Pentland, Jeypore Stone, plus the central block housing the principal’s domain, was unkempt and wild - no broom has moved over it for some time. It was an appalling sight – the condition of the building was such that it hadn’t seen paint for years and it was covered with patches of moss. The front garden was covered with shrubs and very unkempt. To my grandchildren and to all of us, it looked like a haunted building. My architect son’s comment was: “This is what they do when they want to demolish a building …ruin it so that the verdict is that it has to be pulled down.”
I didn’t explore the rest of the premises… and as for the swimming pool (imagine a college in very early 1900s with a swimming pool!) I had been warned it was a garbage dump. Sadly, we left to look at Presidency College, where I studied, my husband studied, and which produced stalwarts like Sir C. V. Raman and Chandrasekher, many outstanding doctors, parliamentarians and politicians. We drove in, before being stopped at the gate to look around. The dear old Fyson clock had patches of moss. The red-brick outer structure was dull. Each window and door was painted in different colours - some white, some blue, some green. These were really grotesque: window shades - most of them dilapidated.
My children were taking photographs - the window shades were broken. Two watchmen came running - they were out drinking tea. “Sir..Sir, are you from the media - please don’t report us!” I told him I had once upon a time studied here. His reply was, “Andha kalam elam poche (All those days are gone).” I asked him why the place was not painted.
Apparently tenders are called, but the money perhaps goes into somebody’s pocket.
We had a ditty: “Queen Marians never die, never die, they only fade away…”
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