CHENNAI NEWS
(NEWS OF CHENNAI AND TAMILNADU BY ENVERNATHAN)
Volume 84 (November 2007)
Enver’s Rambling.
Thanks to all of you who sent me Deepavali greetings. I don’t know why people abbreviate such a beautiful word and change it to Diwali. Are people just too lazy to write long words? The same happens when they change Christmas to Xmas. The word Christmas just resonates with goodwill.
With India’s new found economic uplift Indian is now the favour of the world. Whether it is Indian food, movies, fashion it is now the in thing. I read an article about how Indians in the US and UK used to slink into cinemas showing Indian movies so that their non Indian friends could not see them. Now they walk into the cinemas with head held high and also taking their friends with them.
This also seems to have an affect now on Indians living in other countries as minorities. While Tamils in Srilanka took up arms to fight against discrimination Indians in Malaysia were very complacent and took all that the ruling class subjected them to. Malaysian Indians seemed to be content with their lot always favourably comparing themselves to their relatives in India. However things have changed and ethnic Indians of whom Tamils are the majority are fighting for their rights. The Malaysian government is one of the most repressive governments and do not tolerate any resistance. In fact in many ways they remind me of the old apartheid governments of South Africa. I have just read that they have charged some of the protestors with attempted murder for just going on a protest march. However worse is the treatment of the unskilled labour force from mainly Tamilnadu? This is not just from the government forces like the police but also from their employers who exploit them. Many of them come back after three years of slogging just even after paying of all the expenses of going there.
The other Indians that are fighting for their rights are those living in the UAE of which Dubai is one such place. Here again the workers especially those in the lower rungs are not taking things lying down. I guess they realise that they are actually in the majority and out number the residents there. I wonder if the next revolution will be the workers living in these countries.
My cousin Maynard Govender and his wife Unita who had come to Chennai a few days ago brought a copy of ‘Inside Indenture’. The book is also autographed by the authors Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed with a message for my wife Gowri so I am sure it will have a special place in her library. I have not yet been able to prise the book away from her but the few pages that I did read were excellent. I am waiting for my chance to read it.
Internet
I now have my skype connected so you can talk to me at your will. I have also joined the Facebook network. www.facebook.com Mail me if you want to join in. I have two groups in it Indo South African Tours (started by Kree Raman from New Zealand) and Tamil Movie Club. My code name in both envernathan. Having a unique name means, I can get on to any site just using my first name.
I must say that I am really enjoying Facebook. I have found so many people that I know but did not know that they are on the internet. Luckily I have a good memory for faces so I can recognise familiar people by their photos.
I have also started a blog site called www.envernathan.blogspot.com
I intend putting all my old volumes of Chennai news in this site and also news that cannot wait a whole month. Please visit it at least once. This will also give me some idea of the readership of Chennai News. Unfortunately I lost all the very early copies of Chennai News when my system crashed. Hopefully one of you may have it.
My son Kamesh has his own blog site which can be accessed at http://kameshgovender.blogspot.com/ . It is quite interesting and he loves putting pictures etc in it.
Our latest group in Facebook is called Learn and Teach Tamil. This was started on 1 December. This is an interactive site for people who want to learn Tamil and also for people who want to teach. As it is aimed at adults we are using the English font. Please join in to get involved. Kamesh has prepared some lessons which I will share with you. However to get really involved on a daily basis it will be better to join the group.
Tourism Scene
I have been promising a group tour in February. Please find the details. I am prepared to do the same in Late Feb/March. Cost of tour is R6000 per person sharing a double room. This is from Chennai to Chennai. This is without the flight tickets. It includes all hotels with breakfast, entrances into Temples, churches, parks, gardens etc, all transport and transfers (Air con vehicle), taxes, road tolls, porters in hotels and a boat cruise in Kerela. All you need is money for your other meals and personal expenses. The tour will be fully escorted. If you want an add-on to the north this can also be arranged. Contact me at insatours@gmail.com for all enquiries.
01 Feb leave SA via Dubai (or whichever airlines you want to travel with)
02 Feb Arrive in Chennai. I will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Rest of the day is free. Arrangement can be made for money exchange etc.
03 Feb After breakfast you will be taken on a City tour. Afternoon free for shopping etc
04 Feb After early breakfast you will be driven to Tirupathi. Visit the Venkateswara Temple for Darshan.
05 Feb After breakfast it is a beautiful drive to Puttarpathy and Sai Baba’s Ashram. Once you check into your Hotel you will be free to visit the Ashram.
06 Feb After Swami’s Darshan you will be driven to Bangalore the capital of Karnataka. Bangalore is also the software capital of India. Maybe you will want to visit the famous shops in Commercial Street in the evening. Night in Hotel
07 Feb Bangalore After breakfast you will be taken on a tour of Bangalore. This city is famous for its gardens. A visit to the famous Shiva statue and Hare Krishna temple among other places is a must.
08 Feb Drive to Mysore. Visit the City palace, Mysore Zoo and Brindhavan gardens.
09 Feb After breakfast drive to Ooty. On the way visit the Bandipur and Muthumalai game reserve. After checking into your hotel visit the sighseeing spots of Ooty.
10 Feb Full day Sightseeing in Ooty
11 Feb After breakfast start your drive to Cochin. On the way visit Coonoor and Coimbature. If you have time in the evening maybe you will want an ayuvedic massage or enjoy a kathakali dance performance. Night in Hotel
12 Feb Morning City tour visiting the Chinese fishing nets, Dutch Palace, Jewesh Synagogue and other sites.
13 Feb Drive to Allepey for boat cruise and drive to Kollam
14 Feb After breakfast drive to Kanyakumari the tip of India.
15 Feb Kanyakumari. Visit the Vivekanandha ashram and also visit the 133 ft statue of Thiruvalluvar the author of the Thirukural. See Sunset. Relax on the beautiful beaches of this town. This is also where the waters of the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea meet Night in Hotel
16 Feb After breakfast drive to Madurai. Visit the Madurai Meenatchi Temple the focal point of the City of Madurai. Night in Hotel
17 Feb Drive to Trichy. Visit the Pilliyar temple on Rock Fort and the Vishnu temple in Srirangam. Night in Hotel
18 Feb Drive to Thanjavur and visit the famous Shiva temple. Drive to Chidambaram famous for its Nataraja temple. On the way visit the brass industry of kumbakonam. Night in Hotel
19 Feb After breakfast drive to Mahabalipuram where you will visit the famous rock carvings. You can also see sculptors at work. Late afternoon drive to Chennai. Night in Chennai.
20 Feb Chennai. You are free to relax or do whatever you want. Maybe some last minute shopping or catch a movie. Night in Chennai.
21 Feb Free day for shopping etc. Night in Chennai
22 Feb Fly from Chennai.
Movie scene
I really enjoyed the movie Kannamoochi Ennada starring Satyraj, Radika, Pritiviraj and Sandiya. I took Devan and Indra Govender and Don and Baby Naicker as it was their last night in Chennai. They told me it was the best movie they had seen for a long time. It is an outright comedy and Satyraj is in his element. Devasena (Sandhya) falls in love with Harish (Prithviraj) in Malaysia and brings him home to Chennai. Police Commissioner father for who his daughter is the apple of his eye just does not like him. Harish endures himself to the rest of the family except Satyraj. Pritiviraj is fast making a name for himself in Tamil cinema. One of the few heros without heroics. The song megam will just capture your hearts.
I just got back from the movie Vel starring Surya in a dual role and Asin. Although the concept of twins being separated has been done many times in Tamil movie the modern touches given here makes it work. The screenplay is excellent and does no lag for even a moment. Vasu (Surya) is a private detective who is given assignments to follow girls to see if they are good enough for their prospective husbands to be. While on an assignment he meets Swapna (Asin) and really likes her. Swapna wants to be a famous TV interviewer. They eventually fall in love after a few hic-ups. The other twin is Vel who is the protector of the people in his village. Fate has it that they will meet. It is Swapna on an assignment who sees Vel and tells Vasu about him. Vasu knows that this could be his twin brother who his mother (Saranya) is always crying about. He goes to the village to find out the truth. Vel’s adoptive family don’t want him any where near them as they have not told him that he is not their own.
Eventually Vel and vasu change places. Vasu in the guise of Vel tries to bring peace among the two warring families. Many a time he uses his brain to overcome brawn..
The boys and I went to see the movie Azhagiya Tamil Magan staring Vijay (also in a dual role) and Shriya. Vijay plays a dual role as Guru a sprinter a good character and Prasad a bad character from Mumbai. However why they look alike is not explained. The movie has excellent music (by AR Rahman) and dance and the beautiful Shriya. Although the artistes perform well the director Bharathan does not do justice to them and has too many loose ends and unexplained situations. Vijay fans will love his new svelte and dashing looks and his prowess as a dancer. Shriya who is quite a dancer herself keeps up with him.
I was eagerly awaiting the release of the movie Rameswaran which stars Jeeva and Bhavana. This time I was not disappointed and it was worth the wait. Jeeva has decided to go for meaningful roles where the character is more important than the actor.
The story revolves around a group of Tamil refugees from Eelam who escape the killings in Sri Lanka and land near Rameswaram on the Taminadu coast. Jeevan (Jeeva) an author is one of the refugees. Vasanthi (Bhuvana) the daughter of the local philanthropist (Lal) falls in love with Jeevan. After many rebuffs he finally also falls in love with her. They then fall to the wrath of an angry father and a jealous suitor. The plight of the Tamil refugees and their suffering is brought out in the movie. Except for one duet all the songs are situational and in the background. Jeeva is very impressive and Bhavana in typical south Indian outfits is bubbly and beautiful.
Tamil Movie Club
I now have 116 people who have shown interest in the Movie Club. I am still in phase 1 of my recruitment. This is for people who I know on a first hand basis. Once I have recruited all of you I will move onto phase 2. I will soon let you know what this is. Here are the names of the people who have joined the club. If your name is still not listed here and you have intimated that you have joined please let me know as I could have missed it. There are lots of people who have verbally told me that they want to join but I will only add your name once I have it in writing.
Enver Govender, Gowri Govender, Kamesh Govender, Mahesh Govender, Krishnambal Govender, Jayambal Govender, Ivan Reddy, Jayson Govender, Sivani Naidoo, Rudi C Pillay, Devi Reddy, Saras Ponnen, Kasturi Pillay, Tholsie Subramony, Vincent Fredericks, Jayshree Karan, Vasantha Govender, Asogen Moodley, Kogie Moonsami, Michael Lachimiah, Kogie Moorthi, Kogie Archery, Pauline Naidoo, Pravie Govender, Vassie Packree, Rani Naicker, Strini Moodey, Vis Goveder, Amudha Nardhamuni, Logan Govender, Patma Naidoo, Rani Govender, Namasundari Padayachee, Yogi Pillay, Venu Naicker, Yana Pillay, Magen (Gopie), MV Rajah, Sharmala Naidu, Robin Pillay (3 members), Steve Kandasamy, Olaga Naidoo, Kumaran Moodley, Selvan Moorthy, Gonnie Govender, Ronnie Govender, Nelson Govender, Selvan Velayudan, Savy Naidoo, Reggie Mariemuthu, Krish Govender, Murthi Sooboo, Preggy Govender, KN Moodley, Cliffy Muthu, Stanley Perumal, Teddy Sigamoney, Charles Reddy, Magen Moodley, Savy Perumaul, Renee Moodley, Sagie Doorsamy, Rani Nair, Mac Naidoo, Poovie Govender, Vasantha Govender, Ramanjulu Loganathan, Vas Moodley, Indren Pillay, Derrick Pillay, Puven Akkiah, Robert Moonsamy Gengan, Shalina Moodley, Pam Moodley, Yugeshan Naidoo, Karran Moodley, Saras Moodley, Vikesh Moodley, Tinesh Moodley, Kris Govender, Seelan Naidoo, Mogarasathavan Kistasamy, Siva Moodley, Benny Rasen, Devan Govender, Indran M Govender, Morgan Nadasen Odayar, Terrence Pillay, Nalini Naidoo , Indrani Palad, Shamilla Govender, Danny Mudaly, Kogie Govindsamy, Shireen Govender, Sinda Palani, Jayce Pillay, Venessa Pillay, Kessy Pillay, Nalaini, Satchie, Sharon, Nalene Reddy, Uban Chetty, Saras Chetty, Kreesan Naidoo, Losh Naidoo, Sonny Pillay, Vassie Pillay, Pam Moodley, Ashnee Reddy, Sue Reddy, Sugan Armugam. Joe Govender.
I am quite optimistic that the Movie Club’s first release will be for the Tamil New Year. I am positive that by then we would have at least a thousand members. However if the opportunity presents itself before the Tamil New Year then I would not hesitate in an earlier start.
From January I will start a separate newsletter for members of the Movie club. This will be a weekly one and will concentrate on movie news. I cannot start any earlier as I am just too busy with my tours, which reaches its peak in December.
Tamil Lessons
I am repeating the lessons that Kamesh has posted on Facebook.
Relation Terms in Tamil Culture.
Amma – mother, Appa – Father,
Anna – Elder brother,
Akka – Elder Sister
Thambi – Younger brother
Thangai – Younger sister
Patti / Aaya – Grand mother,
Thatha – Grand father
Athai – Father’s sister
Mama – Mother’s brother/ Athai’s husband
Chittappa – Father’s younger brother
Periyappa – Father’s elder brother / Periyamma’s husband
Periyamma – Mother’s Elder sister/ Periyappa’s wife
Chitti – Mother’s younger sister / Chittappa’s wife
Sagalai - Husbands of sisters call themselves Sagalai.
Machini – Sister of wifeMachaan – brother of wife
Naathanaar – sister of the husbandAnni – Anna’s wife.
Pangaali – Relatives who have rights to the ancestral property.
Marumagan – Son in law / Nephew
Marumagal – Daughter in law / Niece
Maamanaar – Father in law Maamiyaar – Mother in law.
Terms for Non – Relatives
Nanban – Friend
Ethiri - Enemy
Pakkathu Veetu-kaaran/ Kaari / kaarar / kaarargal - Next house neighbor
Male/ Female / with respect / Plural
Ethir Veetu-kaaran/ Kaari / kaarar / kaarargal - Opposite house neighbor
Male/ Female / with respect / Plural
Velai-karan / Kaari / Kaarar / Kaarargal - Servant
Male/ Female / with respect / Plural
Thotta-karan / Kaari / Kaarar / Kaarargal – Gardner
Male/ Female / with respect / Plural
Mudhalaali – Boss (Add Amma or Ayya to make it Female and male ) And Mudhalaaligal for Plural
Thirudan/ Thirudi/ Thirudargal - Thief
Male / Female / Plural
Samayal-karan / Kaari / Kaarar / Kaarargal – Cook Male/ Female / with respect / Plural
Varuthal – verb – to come
Naan varaen – I come
Nee varaai – You come
Avan varaan – He comes
Aval varaal – She come
Avargal varaargal – They come ( Plural and Respect)
Neenga Vaanga – You come ( With respect)
Naam Varom – We come .
Classified Section.
The shipment has finally arrived in Durban. I have lots of Music and religious atifects, Salangi (bells) for dancers, shawls, posters, stickers etc
Phone my mum at 031-2086929.
The Sydenham Tamil Society has re-started the Veena and harmonium classes after the eisteddfod. The teacher is Dr Deena Pillay a student of the late Mr GN Moodley. For more details contact my sister Jayambal Govender at 031-2086929 (h) or 031-2603106 (o).
Sri Saradha Institute of Arts and Culture (Free Tuition in Tamil, Music & Dance)
Saturday 9.00 - 11.00 at 39 Munn Road - Ottawa
Contact Suja or Kovilan Muthumanikam on 083 742 8508 for more details
Manormani Dance Academy. A school of Bharatha Natyam and Folk Dance.
Saturday 9.00 – 12.00 at Umgeni Road Temple. 13.30 – 16.30 ABH – Chathsworth.
Monday 18.00 – 20.00 at Woodview Primary.
Tuesday 15-30 – 17.00 Stanmore Regional Hall.
Wednesday 17.30 – 19.00 Mount View Civic Hall.
For further details contact Mrs Govender on 031-5053379
For all travel arrangements in India. Email Indo South African Tours at insatours@gmail.com or envernathan@gmail.com
Chennai: Contact Envernathan Govender, 21 South Street, Radhanagar, Chromepet, Chennai 600044, India. Tel. 0091-44-22654243/22654396. Cell 0091-9841248652.
South Africa: Contact Mrs. K. Govender, 30 Eskdale Road, Sydenham, Durban, 4091. Tel. 031-2086929.
Mauritius: Contact Mr. Balakrishna Tandrayan, 8 Sun Yat Sen Street, Port Louis, Tel. 2423404. Fax. 2413299. (Sorry this is for people from Mauritius who want to travel to India)
Friday, December 7, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Chennai News 83
CHENNAI NEWS
(NEWS OF CHENNAI AND TAMILNADU BY ENVERNATHAN)
Volume 83 (November 2007)
Enver’s Rambling.
After some complaints from some disgruntled viewers of Sun TV, Multi-choice may be looking for alternate Tamil Channels. I was asked by someone in multi choice to help.
My reply: I have some free time so I thought I would share a few thoughts on the South Indian Channels. For your information Sun TV is by far the best Tamil TV station and has also been voted the best regional language channel in India. Millions of Tamils all over the world are addicted to this channel as is my family who very rarely watch any other Tamil channel.
I also know many Tamils in SA who are hooked on this channel and watch nothing else. This includes my mum and many like her would be very upset with you if her soaps in Sun TV were dropped. One of the channels that you can look at adding is Sun Music which is a 24 hour music channel and has young vibrant VJs who speak in Tamil and English. I think this will go down well in SA. It is currently the second most popular Tamil channel and the most popular with the younger viewers.
KTV is basically a movie channel with also good interviews with the film personalities and is watched by people who know Tamil. The subject of subtitling is another issue altogether and has nothing to do with the quality of the programs.
The one thing I agree with is the very poor information about the programs being telecasted. Whenever I am in SA I get quite irritated when I see "Get ready for another riveting plot only available on the South Indian Bouquet". If you cannot get suitable information from Sun TV then maybe you should employ an independent consultancy from Chennai to provide you with the relevant information. I am willing to help you. With the time difference of 3.5 hours it will be easy to update your information site.
However I have not received any thing further except an acknowledgement of my mail.
I now have my skype connected so you can talk to me at your will. I have also joined the Facebook network. www.facebook.com Mail me if you want to join in. I have two groups in it Indo South African Tours (started by Kree Raman from New Zealand) and Tamil Movie Club. My code name in both envernathan. Having a unique name means, I can get on to any site just using my first name.
I must say that I am really enjoying Facebook. I have found so many people that I know but did not know that they are on the internet. Luckily I have a good memory for faces so I can recognise familiar people by their photos.
I have also started a blog site called www.envernathan.blogspot.com
I intend putting all my old volumes of Chennai news in this site and also news that cannot wait a whole month. Please visit it at least once. This will also give me some idea of the readership of Chennai News. Unfortunately I lost all the very early copies of Chennai News when my system crashed. Hopefully one of you may have it.
Nostalgia
I sometimes marvel as to how safe it was when I was growing up. On lots of Fridays I would visit my maternal granny’s home in Asherville. This entailed a bus journey from FOSA to quarry road. I used to get off at the then famous Balams shop. Cross the road and then take a Springtown bus to where David Landau hall is now situated and then a short walk to 14 Lantana Place where my granny lived. My parents used to send me alone from the time I was 5 years old and a little later even send my sister, who was four years younger, with me. Off course we almost always knew everyone on the Naicker’s Store bus and they would make sure that we got off at the right stop. Not that their help was needed. Although my mother used to give me money for the bus fares I don’t think I ever paid as someone in the bus would pay or the conductor would be so impressed with me travelling alone that he would not bother, especially when my sister Jayambal and I used to travel together. She used to like to sing and once she started she would not stop. I used to love visiting my grandparents as I had lots of young uncles and aunts and they would always pamper us. My mum and dad would come on Sundays and take us to my grandfather’s house which was in South Road. Here also I had lots of aunt’s and uncles and also many cousins who I knew well as they would always come to FOSA for holidays.
Remember how we used to go for holidays for our school vacations. For me the two favourite places were my aunt Parie’s house in Cottonlands. This was because she lived in a big joint family (the Moonsamys) and there were always cousins to play with. I used to love exploring the farm where they had a pond, orchards, cane-fields and cows and horses. My uncle Ganas was good hunter and would invariable bag a buck or at least a few rabbits for dinner. Sidney and I who were of the same age were good friends which we still maintain till now.
The other place was Tongaat. This was my second home. My favourite aunt Ruby lived here. In fact all the cousins loved her. She lived in Railway Street aptly named as it bordered the railway line. Behind the houses was a stream. Later the railway line was moved and a new row of houses came up in its place. My cousin’s Albert and Robert were much older than me and Ruben much younger. However I had lots of friends here. Apparently my mum had stayed here for a few months after I was born so everybody knew me. Some of my friends were Lenny, Kenneth, Bully, Gilly, Ram and others whose names I cannot remember. I remember we would get up a 6 am just so that we could have a longer day to play. One of the things the guys were good at was foraging. We would scour the country side looking for things that were re-saleable. Bottles, iron, steel, copper etc became very valuable. Once a week a man would come with a lorry and buy it from us. This would give us money to visit the cinemas during the weekends. I used to love when we would all go swimming in the little dams and ponds that abounded around there. Of course nothing beat raiding the fruit orchards and the sugarcane plantations. I remember on many occasions we would encounter wild pigs and we would scamper up trees to get away from them.
Deepavali and Guy Faulkes used to be special in FOSA. My father just loved fireworks and would buy a crate every year. Most of my younger uncles and aunts used to come over to spend the two days with us. Although I was never too keen on crackers (something my sister enjoys) I nevertheless enjoyed all the company and the eats.
Tourism Scene
I sometimes wonder why people cut things so fine. A few days ago I got a call from someone saying that his aged relatives were coming to Chennai on the 2nd. I thought the second of December and was quite shocked when he said no November. That was 2 days time. Luckily for him I was able to get the rooms booked. I tell you it is not easy to get bookings in Chennai these days as most hotel rooms are booked by the IT companies for their staff. So if you are coming in December please book early.
I was quite surprised when one of my best friends phoned me to say that he was in Chennai and wanted to see me. I was very busy but did go to meet him on the Saturday. He tried to explain to me that his daughter had booked the whole trip so that is why it was done by some other company. However contrary to what he may have thought I actually don’t mind if very close friends and relatives use other travel operators. This allows me to meet them socially without any pressure. I can laugh with them at any lapses on the part of their operator. The only problem I have is knowing that they could have paid less if they travelled with me. Anyway Raj is an avid collector of carnatic music and I knew exactly where to get it. So I took him to a music store where he bought some real gems. As is daughter commented “Papa now you look happy”
I am really busy working all the relevant quotes for December and January. However it seems that less people are travelling to India from South Africa compared to the last few years. Maybe it is because of the strong rupee and the week dollar. However over the last few weeks the rand value has increased fro about Rs 4.80 to Rs 5.60.
India however is still one of the few places where you get value for money. The Hotels are now relatively more expensive but food, transport and clothing is still quite cheap.
SUN TV and KTV (Deepavali program on 8 November) Program starts at 7 am till 10 pm.
1. Vakkakam Thamizhagan
2. Thala Deepavali – Srikanth and his wife.
3. Special interview with Actress Nadhiya
4. Small Screen Artistes
5. Interview with Vijay and AR Rahman
6. Special debate shot in Singapore with film artistes
7. Movie Chennai 600028 (11.30 am)
8. Interview with Surya
9. Movie Gilli (6.30 pm)
10. Interview with Jeeva and Bhavana
There will be programs in between as fillers that have not yet been announced.
There always seems to be a problem with the date of Deepavali in SA. When I was a young boy we celebrated on both days. No one worried about whether it was the North Indian or South Indian day. We divided our crackers in two halves and kept aside a little for Guy Faulkes day if it fell after Deepavali.
Here in Tamilnadu the people will celebrate Deepavali on November 8. On November 9 they will observe the amavasa nombhu during which they will fast. They do this on every amavasa nombu. Thus on Deepavali day (Nov 8) people who are not vegetarians will eat meat and generally celebrate. This was carried over to South Africa where the South Indians generally have a feast.
I read that some people are quite upset about some pact where the South Indians and North Indians will alternate every year as to the day of Deepavali. However I want to add that Deepaval is just once a year. What happened to the pact of Radio Lotus playing 50/50 ratio of North Indian and South Indian music. This pact is being broken every day. Why are these people silent on this topic?
With the advent of Sun and Ktv a new dimension has been added. If I have these two channels I would rather take the day off when all the Deepavali specials are being relayed. Unless off-course it is a weekend when the day does not matter.
Here the debate is about whether loud crackers should be burst. The crackers especially the cheap ones from China have a very high sulphur content. Apparently this chemical penetrates the body and acts as a poison. Also the loud crackers can affect your hearing. Many people here are making a pact where they will not burst crackers. They will donate this money to charity. It is estimated that people here will spend the equivalent of one thousand four hundred million Rand this Deepavali.
Wishing all of you a very joyous Deepavali. Remember Deepavali is a festival of lights and not of sound.
Movie scene
We were expecting 6 major releases this Deepavali. However it looks like Vickram’s Bheema is being delayed yet again.
Azhagiya Tamil Magan stars Vijay, Shriya and Namitha and is directed by Bharathan. Directors Note: this is a film for Vijay’s fans. He plays a dual role and there are plenty of twists and turns. It is a neat film with all the ingredients of a box office hit.
Vel stars Surya and Asin and is directed by Hari. It also stars Lakshmi, Nasser and Saranya. Directors Note: This is the second film with Surya and Asin and my second starring Surya after Aaru. It is a story of two families and Surya plays a dual role. Vadivel is sure to send the audience into splits throughout the film. It is an ensamble cast with over two dozen popular faces.
Polladhavan stars Dhanush, Divya and Bhanupriya and is directed by Vettrimaran. Directors Note: The film is a mixed bag of action, sentiment and comedy. Incidentally the car used by Rajnikanth in the original Polladhavan is also being used in this film. The film also features the remix version of yesteryear hit ‘Engaeyum Eppodhum’ from the film Ninaithalae Inikkum. The screenplay is entirely engrossing.
Machakkaran stars Jeevan, Kamna and Malavika and directed by Thamizhvavan.. Directors Note: it is a winning horse. It is an out and out commercial film with a story tailor-made for Jeevan. The hero is a simple guy caught in complicated situations.
Kannamoochi Yenada stars Satyaraj, Radhika, Pritiviraj and Sandhya and is directed by Priya V. Directors Note: It is a big star cast. The film is backed by a racy script. I am sure it will win the hearts of cinema goers. Such films bound to win at the box office. The story revolves around a mature couple coming to the aid of young lovers. The nuances in relationships are brought out with sensitivity.
Agra has Vikas, Emi Mohan, Nasser and YG Mahendra in the cast. It is a romance movie directed by P Chithraselvan. The thing that caught my eye was the kissing scene on the cover of the audio CD.
Palaniyappa Kalluri showcases some new talent, including director pradeep. It is a campus story full of entertainment.
Hopefully by the next volume of CN I would have seen most if not all the Deepavali releases.
Tamil Movie Club
I had some irate mail from people who I had not put on the list. I am really sorry about that. It is just that I have thousands of mails in my various inboxes so I sometimes miss some. I now have 115 people who have shown interest in the Movie Club. I am still in phase 1 of my recruitment. This is for people who I know on a first hand basis. Once I have recruited all of you I will move onto phase 2. I will soon let you know what this is. Here are the names of the people who have joined the club. If your name is still not listed here and you have intimated that you have joined please let me know as I could have missed it. There are lots of people who have verbally told me that they want to join but I will only add your name once I have it in writing. I don’t want to be presumptuous.
Enver Govender, Gowri Govender, Kamesh Govender, Mahesh Govender, Krishnambal Govender, Jayambal Govender, Ivan Reddy, Jayson Govender, Sivani Naidoo, Rudi C Pillay, Devi Reddy, Saras Ponnen, Kasturi Pillay, Tholsie Subramony, Vincent Fredericks, Jayshree Karan, Vasantha Govender, Asogen Moodley, Kogie Moonsami, Michael Lachimiah, Kogie Moorthi, Kogie Archery, Pauline Naidoo, Pravie Govender, Vassie Packree, Rani Naicker, Strini Moodey, Vis Goveder, Amudha Nardhamuni, Logan Govender, Patma Naidoo, Rani Govender, Namasundari Padayachee, Yogi Pillay, Venu Naicker, Yana Pillay, Magen (Gopie), MV Rajah, Sharmala Naidu, Robin Pillay (3 members), Steve Kandasamy, Olaga Naidoo, Kumaran Moodley, Selvan Moorthy, Gonnie Govender, Ronnie Govender, Nelson Govender, Selvan Velayudan, Savy Naidoo, Reggie Mariemuthu, Krish Govender, Murthi Sooboo, Preggy Govender, KN Moodley, Cliffy Muthu, Stanley Perumal, Teddy Sigamoney, Charles Reddy, Magen Moodley, Savy Perumaul, Renee Moodley, Sagie Doorsamy, Rani Nair, Mac Naidoo, Poovie Govender, Vasantha Govender, Ramanjulu Loganathan, Vas Moodley, Indren Pillay, Derrick Pillay, Puven Akkiah, Robert Moonsamy Gengan, Shalina Moodley, Pam Moodley, Yugeshan Naidoo, Karran Moodley, Saras Moodley, Vikesh Moodley, Tinesh Moodley, Kris Govender, Seelan Naidoo, Mogarasathavan Kistasamy, Siva Moodley, Benny Rasen, Devan Govender, Indran M Govender, Morgan Nadasen Odayar, Terrence Pillay, Nalini Naidoo , Indrani Palad, Shamilla Govender, Danny Mudaly, Kogie Govindsamy, Shireen Govender, Sinda Palani, Jayce Pillay, Venessa Pillay, Kessy Pillay, Nalaini, Satchie, Sharon, Nalene Reddy, Uban Chetty, Saras Chetty, Kreesan Naidoo, Losh Naidoo, Sonny Pillay, Vassie Pillay, Pam Moodley, Ashnee Reddy, Sue Reddy, Sugan Armugam
I am quite optimistic that the Movie Club’s first release will be for the Tamil New Year. I am positive that by then we would have at least a thousand members. However if the opportunity presents itself before the Tamil New Year then I would not hesitate in an earlier start.
From January I will start a separate newsletter for members of the Movie club. This will be a weekly one and will concentrate on movie news. I cannot start any earlier as I am just too busy with my tours, which reaches its peak in December.
Music scene
Hey I just got the CD of Vijay’s Azhagiya Tamilmagan and the music rocks. AR Rahman has really surpassed himself. There are six songs and all six are excellent. The first is Ellapugazhum sung by AR Rahman. This is a fast paced song. The second is Ponmagal Vandal which is a remix song with rap included in it. It is sung by Aslam and Embar Rap. A very interesting song. The third is Nee Marilyn Monroe a slow rap kind of song. This is sung by Benny Dayal and Ujjayinee. Should do well with the younger crowd. The next song is called Valayapatti and is a mixture of folk song, ballad with carnatic notations. This song is sung by Naresh Iyer, Ujjayinee and Madhumitha. The next song is Kelamal Kaiyile is a ballad sung by Sriram Parthasarthy and Saidhavi. If I had to be partial this one would be my favourite. The last song is Maduraikku Pogathadee and is a beautiful peppy folk koothu song and sung by Benny Dayal, Archith and Dharshana.
Vel is the movie of Surya and Asin with music of Yuvan Shankar Raja. The first song is Intha Ooril Epothum sung by Shankar Mahadevan. This is fast paced song. Ottrai Kannal sung by Haricharan. This is a beautiful ballad. Kovakkara Killiye is sung by Tippu and Sujatha. This is a beautiful ballad. Thoppul Kodi Sondhamonnu sung by Sriram. This is a really beautiful song. Onnappole sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Srilekha Parthasarathy. This is another beautiful duet.
Kannaamoochi Enaada stars Satyaraj, Radika, Pritiviraj and Sandiya. The music is by Yuvan Shanker Raja. Megam Megam is a beautiful duet by Haricharan and Swetha. Kannaamoochi Attam is a beautiful fusion of carnatic and pop and would make for a beautiful fusion dance. This song is song by Paghat Sriram, Sainthavi, Prasanna and Dr Narayanan. The third song is Sanjaram sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Madhushree. This is a beautiful duet. Andru Vandhadhum is a remix however done in a slow pace. The music interludes here are really beautiful and fits in so well with the song. Putham Pudhu Kaathu is also sung by Shankar Mahadevan and with Vijay Yesudas. A beautiful male duet. This pair rocks.
Classified Section.
The shipment has finally arrived in Durban. I have lots of Music and religious atifects, Salangi (bells) for dancers, shawls, posters, stickers etc
Phone my mum at 031-2086929.
The Sydenham Tamil Society has re-started the Veena and harmonium classes after the eisteddfod. The teacher is Dr Deena Pillay a student of the late Mr GN Moodley. For more details contact my sister Jayambal Govender at 031-2086929 (h) or 031-2603106 (o).
Sri Saradha Institute of Arts and Culture (Free Tuition in Tamil, Music & Dance)
Saturday 9.00 - 11.00 at 39 Munn Road - Ottawa
Contact Suja or Kovilan Muthumanikam on 083 742 8508 for more details
Manormani Dance Academy. A school of Bharatha Natyam and Folk Dance.
Saturday 9.00 – 12.00 at Umgeni Road Temple. 13.30 – 16.30 ABH – Chathsworth.
Monday 18.00 – 20.00 at Woodview Primary.
Tuesday 15-30 – 17.00 Stanmore Regional Hall.
Wednesday 17.30 – 19.00 Mount View Civic Hall.
For further details contact Mrs Govender on 031-5053379
For all travel arrangements in India. Email Indo South African Tours at insatours@gmail.com or envernathan@gmail.com
Chennai: Contact Envernathan Govender, 21 South Street, Radhanagar, Chromepet, Chennai 600044, India. Tel. 0091-44-22654243/22654396. Cell 0091-9841248652.
South Africa: Contact Mrs. K. Govender, 30 Eskdale Road, Sydenham, Durban, 4091. Tel. 031-2086929.
Mauritius: Contact Mr. Balakrishna Tandrayan, 8 Sun Yat Sen Street, Port Louis, Tel. 2423404. Fax. 2413299. (Sorry this is for people from Mauritius who want to travel to India)
(NEWS OF CHENNAI AND TAMILNADU BY ENVERNATHAN)
Volume 83 (November 2007)
Enver’s Rambling.
After some complaints from some disgruntled viewers of Sun TV, Multi-choice may be looking for alternate Tamil Channels. I was asked by someone in multi choice to help.
My reply: I have some free time so I thought I would share a few thoughts on the South Indian Channels. For your information Sun TV is by far the best Tamil TV station and has also been voted the best regional language channel in India. Millions of Tamils all over the world are addicted to this channel as is my family who very rarely watch any other Tamil channel.
I also know many Tamils in SA who are hooked on this channel and watch nothing else. This includes my mum and many like her would be very upset with you if her soaps in Sun TV were dropped. One of the channels that you can look at adding is Sun Music which is a 24 hour music channel and has young vibrant VJs who speak in Tamil and English. I think this will go down well in SA. It is currently the second most popular Tamil channel and the most popular with the younger viewers.
KTV is basically a movie channel with also good interviews with the film personalities and is watched by people who know Tamil. The subject of subtitling is another issue altogether and has nothing to do with the quality of the programs.
The one thing I agree with is the very poor information about the programs being telecasted. Whenever I am in SA I get quite irritated when I see "Get ready for another riveting plot only available on the South Indian Bouquet". If you cannot get suitable information from Sun TV then maybe you should employ an independent consultancy from Chennai to provide you with the relevant information. I am willing to help you. With the time difference of 3.5 hours it will be easy to update your information site.
However I have not received any thing further except an acknowledgement of my mail.
I now have my skype connected so you can talk to me at your will. I have also joined the Facebook network. www.facebook.com Mail me if you want to join in. I have two groups in it Indo South African Tours (started by Kree Raman from New Zealand) and Tamil Movie Club. My code name in both envernathan. Having a unique name means, I can get on to any site just using my first name.
I must say that I am really enjoying Facebook. I have found so many people that I know but did not know that they are on the internet. Luckily I have a good memory for faces so I can recognise familiar people by their photos.
I have also started a blog site called www.envernathan.blogspot.com
I intend putting all my old volumes of Chennai news in this site and also news that cannot wait a whole month. Please visit it at least once. This will also give me some idea of the readership of Chennai News. Unfortunately I lost all the very early copies of Chennai News when my system crashed. Hopefully one of you may have it.
Nostalgia
I sometimes marvel as to how safe it was when I was growing up. On lots of Fridays I would visit my maternal granny’s home in Asherville. This entailed a bus journey from FOSA to quarry road. I used to get off at the then famous Balams shop. Cross the road and then take a Springtown bus to where David Landau hall is now situated and then a short walk to 14 Lantana Place where my granny lived. My parents used to send me alone from the time I was 5 years old and a little later even send my sister, who was four years younger, with me. Off course we almost always knew everyone on the Naicker’s Store bus and they would make sure that we got off at the right stop. Not that their help was needed. Although my mother used to give me money for the bus fares I don’t think I ever paid as someone in the bus would pay or the conductor would be so impressed with me travelling alone that he would not bother, especially when my sister Jayambal and I used to travel together. She used to like to sing and once she started she would not stop. I used to love visiting my grandparents as I had lots of young uncles and aunts and they would always pamper us. My mum and dad would come on Sundays and take us to my grandfather’s house which was in South Road. Here also I had lots of aunt’s and uncles and also many cousins who I knew well as they would always come to FOSA for holidays.
Remember how we used to go for holidays for our school vacations. For me the two favourite places were my aunt Parie’s house in Cottonlands. This was because she lived in a big joint family (the Moonsamys) and there were always cousins to play with. I used to love exploring the farm where they had a pond, orchards, cane-fields and cows and horses. My uncle Ganas was good hunter and would invariable bag a buck or at least a few rabbits for dinner. Sidney and I who were of the same age were good friends which we still maintain till now.
The other place was Tongaat. This was my second home. My favourite aunt Ruby lived here. In fact all the cousins loved her. She lived in Railway Street aptly named as it bordered the railway line. Behind the houses was a stream. Later the railway line was moved and a new row of houses came up in its place. My cousin’s Albert and Robert were much older than me and Ruben much younger. However I had lots of friends here. Apparently my mum had stayed here for a few months after I was born so everybody knew me. Some of my friends were Lenny, Kenneth, Bully, Gilly, Ram and others whose names I cannot remember. I remember we would get up a 6 am just so that we could have a longer day to play. One of the things the guys were good at was foraging. We would scour the country side looking for things that were re-saleable. Bottles, iron, steel, copper etc became very valuable. Once a week a man would come with a lorry and buy it from us. This would give us money to visit the cinemas during the weekends. I used to love when we would all go swimming in the little dams and ponds that abounded around there. Of course nothing beat raiding the fruit orchards and the sugarcane plantations. I remember on many occasions we would encounter wild pigs and we would scamper up trees to get away from them.
Deepavali and Guy Faulkes used to be special in FOSA. My father just loved fireworks and would buy a crate every year. Most of my younger uncles and aunts used to come over to spend the two days with us. Although I was never too keen on crackers (something my sister enjoys) I nevertheless enjoyed all the company and the eats.
Tourism Scene
I sometimes wonder why people cut things so fine. A few days ago I got a call from someone saying that his aged relatives were coming to Chennai on the 2nd. I thought the second of December and was quite shocked when he said no November. That was 2 days time. Luckily for him I was able to get the rooms booked. I tell you it is not easy to get bookings in Chennai these days as most hotel rooms are booked by the IT companies for their staff. So if you are coming in December please book early.
I was quite surprised when one of my best friends phoned me to say that he was in Chennai and wanted to see me. I was very busy but did go to meet him on the Saturday. He tried to explain to me that his daughter had booked the whole trip so that is why it was done by some other company. However contrary to what he may have thought I actually don’t mind if very close friends and relatives use other travel operators. This allows me to meet them socially without any pressure. I can laugh with them at any lapses on the part of their operator. The only problem I have is knowing that they could have paid less if they travelled with me. Anyway Raj is an avid collector of carnatic music and I knew exactly where to get it. So I took him to a music store where he bought some real gems. As is daughter commented “Papa now you look happy”
I am really busy working all the relevant quotes for December and January. However it seems that less people are travelling to India from South Africa compared to the last few years. Maybe it is because of the strong rupee and the week dollar. However over the last few weeks the rand value has increased fro about Rs 4.80 to Rs 5.60.
India however is still one of the few places where you get value for money. The Hotels are now relatively more expensive but food, transport and clothing is still quite cheap.
SUN TV and KTV (Deepavali program on 8 November) Program starts at 7 am till 10 pm.
1. Vakkakam Thamizhagan
2. Thala Deepavali – Srikanth and his wife.
3. Special interview with Actress Nadhiya
4. Small Screen Artistes
5. Interview with Vijay and AR Rahman
6. Special debate shot in Singapore with film artistes
7. Movie Chennai 600028 (11.30 am)
8. Interview with Surya
9. Movie Gilli (6.30 pm)
10. Interview with Jeeva and Bhavana
There will be programs in between as fillers that have not yet been announced.
There always seems to be a problem with the date of Deepavali in SA. When I was a young boy we celebrated on both days. No one worried about whether it was the North Indian or South Indian day. We divided our crackers in two halves and kept aside a little for Guy Faulkes day if it fell after Deepavali.
Here in Tamilnadu the people will celebrate Deepavali on November 8. On November 9 they will observe the amavasa nombhu during which they will fast. They do this on every amavasa nombu. Thus on Deepavali day (Nov 8) people who are not vegetarians will eat meat and generally celebrate. This was carried over to South Africa where the South Indians generally have a feast.
I read that some people are quite upset about some pact where the South Indians and North Indians will alternate every year as to the day of Deepavali. However I want to add that Deepaval is just once a year. What happened to the pact of Radio Lotus playing 50/50 ratio of North Indian and South Indian music. This pact is being broken every day. Why are these people silent on this topic?
With the advent of Sun and Ktv a new dimension has been added. If I have these two channels I would rather take the day off when all the Deepavali specials are being relayed. Unless off-course it is a weekend when the day does not matter.
Here the debate is about whether loud crackers should be burst. The crackers especially the cheap ones from China have a very high sulphur content. Apparently this chemical penetrates the body and acts as a poison. Also the loud crackers can affect your hearing. Many people here are making a pact where they will not burst crackers. They will donate this money to charity. It is estimated that people here will spend the equivalent of one thousand four hundred million Rand this Deepavali.
Wishing all of you a very joyous Deepavali. Remember Deepavali is a festival of lights and not of sound.
Movie scene
We were expecting 6 major releases this Deepavali. However it looks like Vickram’s Bheema is being delayed yet again.
Azhagiya Tamil Magan stars Vijay, Shriya and Namitha and is directed by Bharathan. Directors Note: this is a film for Vijay’s fans. He plays a dual role and there are plenty of twists and turns. It is a neat film with all the ingredients of a box office hit.
Vel stars Surya and Asin and is directed by Hari. It also stars Lakshmi, Nasser and Saranya. Directors Note: This is the second film with Surya and Asin and my second starring Surya after Aaru. It is a story of two families and Surya plays a dual role. Vadivel is sure to send the audience into splits throughout the film. It is an ensamble cast with over two dozen popular faces.
Polladhavan stars Dhanush, Divya and Bhanupriya and is directed by Vettrimaran. Directors Note: The film is a mixed bag of action, sentiment and comedy. Incidentally the car used by Rajnikanth in the original Polladhavan is also being used in this film. The film also features the remix version of yesteryear hit ‘Engaeyum Eppodhum’ from the film Ninaithalae Inikkum. The screenplay is entirely engrossing.
Machakkaran stars Jeevan, Kamna and Malavika and directed by Thamizhvavan.. Directors Note: it is a winning horse. It is an out and out commercial film with a story tailor-made for Jeevan. The hero is a simple guy caught in complicated situations.
Kannamoochi Yenada stars Satyaraj, Radhika, Pritiviraj and Sandhya and is directed by Priya V. Directors Note: It is a big star cast. The film is backed by a racy script. I am sure it will win the hearts of cinema goers. Such films bound to win at the box office. The story revolves around a mature couple coming to the aid of young lovers. The nuances in relationships are brought out with sensitivity.
Agra has Vikas, Emi Mohan, Nasser and YG Mahendra in the cast. It is a romance movie directed by P Chithraselvan. The thing that caught my eye was the kissing scene on the cover of the audio CD.
Palaniyappa Kalluri showcases some new talent, including director pradeep. It is a campus story full of entertainment.
Hopefully by the next volume of CN I would have seen most if not all the Deepavali releases.
Tamil Movie Club
I had some irate mail from people who I had not put on the list. I am really sorry about that. It is just that I have thousands of mails in my various inboxes so I sometimes miss some. I now have 115 people who have shown interest in the Movie Club. I am still in phase 1 of my recruitment. This is for people who I know on a first hand basis. Once I have recruited all of you I will move onto phase 2. I will soon let you know what this is. Here are the names of the people who have joined the club. If your name is still not listed here and you have intimated that you have joined please let me know as I could have missed it. There are lots of people who have verbally told me that they want to join but I will only add your name once I have it in writing. I don’t want to be presumptuous.
Enver Govender, Gowri Govender, Kamesh Govender, Mahesh Govender, Krishnambal Govender, Jayambal Govender, Ivan Reddy, Jayson Govender, Sivani Naidoo, Rudi C Pillay, Devi Reddy, Saras Ponnen, Kasturi Pillay, Tholsie Subramony, Vincent Fredericks, Jayshree Karan, Vasantha Govender, Asogen Moodley, Kogie Moonsami, Michael Lachimiah, Kogie Moorthi, Kogie Archery, Pauline Naidoo, Pravie Govender, Vassie Packree, Rani Naicker, Strini Moodey, Vis Goveder, Amudha Nardhamuni, Logan Govender, Patma Naidoo, Rani Govender, Namasundari Padayachee, Yogi Pillay, Venu Naicker, Yana Pillay, Magen (Gopie), MV Rajah, Sharmala Naidu, Robin Pillay (3 members), Steve Kandasamy, Olaga Naidoo, Kumaran Moodley, Selvan Moorthy, Gonnie Govender, Ronnie Govender, Nelson Govender, Selvan Velayudan, Savy Naidoo, Reggie Mariemuthu, Krish Govender, Murthi Sooboo, Preggy Govender, KN Moodley, Cliffy Muthu, Stanley Perumal, Teddy Sigamoney, Charles Reddy, Magen Moodley, Savy Perumaul, Renee Moodley, Sagie Doorsamy, Rani Nair, Mac Naidoo, Poovie Govender, Vasantha Govender, Ramanjulu Loganathan, Vas Moodley, Indren Pillay, Derrick Pillay, Puven Akkiah, Robert Moonsamy Gengan, Shalina Moodley, Pam Moodley, Yugeshan Naidoo, Karran Moodley, Saras Moodley, Vikesh Moodley, Tinesh Moodley, Kris Govender, Seelan Naidoo, Mogarasathavan Kistasamy, Siva Moodley, Benny Rasen, Devan Govender, Indran M Govender, Morgan Nadasen Odayar, Terrence Pillay, Nalini Naidoo , Indrani Palad, Shamilla Govender, Danny Mudaly, Kogie Govindsamy, Shireen Govender, Sinda Palani, Jayce Pillay, Venessa Pillay, Kessy Pillay, Nalaini, Satchie, Sharon, Nalene Reddy, Uban Chetty, Saras Chetty, Kreesan Naidoo, Losh Naidoo, Sonny Pillay, Vassie Pillay, Pam Moodley, Ashnee Reddy, Sue Reddy, Sugan Armugam
I am quite optimistic that the Movie Club’s first release will be for the Tamil New Year. I am positive that by then we would have at least a thousand members. However if the opportunity presents itself before the Tamil New Year then I would not hesitate in an earlier start.
From January I will start a separate newsletter for members of the Movie club. This will be a weekly one and will concentrate on movie news. I cannot start any earlier as I am just too busy with my tours, which reaches its peak in December.
Music scene
Hey I just got the CD of Vijay’s Azhagiya Tamilmagan and the music rocks. AR Rahman has really surpassed himself. There are six songs and all six are excellent. The first is Ellapugazhum sung by AR Rahman. This is a fast paced song. The second is Ponmagal Vandal which is a remix song with rap included in it. It is sung by Aslam and Embar Rap. A very interesting song. The third is Nee Marilyn Monroe a slow rap kind of song. This is sung by Benny Dayal and Ujjayinee. Should do well with the younger crowd. The next song is called Valayapatti and is a mixture of folk song, ballad with carnatic notations. This song is sung by Naresh Iyer, Ujjayinee and Madhumitha. The next song is Kelamal Kaiyile is a ballad sung by Sriram Parthasarthy and Saidhavi. If I had to be partial this one would be my favourite. The last song is Maduraikku Pogathadee and is a beautiful peppy folk koothu song and sung by Benny Dayal, Archith and Dharshana.
Vel is the movie of Surya and Asin with music of Yuvan Shankar Raja. The first song is Intha Ooril Epothum sung by Shankar Mahadevan. This is fast paced song. Ottrai Kannal sung by Haricharan. This is a beautiful ballad. Kovakkara Killiye is sung by Tippu and Sujatha. This is a beautiful ballad. Thoppul Kodi Sondhamonnu sung by Sriram. This is a really beautiful song. Onnappole sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Srilekha Parthasarathy. This is another beautiful duet.
Kannaamoochi Enaada stars Satyaraj, Radika, Pritiviraj and Sandiya. The music is by Yuvan Shanker Raja. Megam Megam is a beautiful duet by Haricharan and Swetha. Kannaamoochi Attam is a beautiful fusion of carnatic and pop and would make for a beautiful fusion dance. This song is song by Paghat Sriram, Sainthavi, Prasanna and Dr Narayanan. The third song is Sanjaram sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Madhushree. This is a beautiful duet. Andru Vandhadhum is a remix however done in a slow pace. The music interludes here are really beautiful and fits in so well with the song. Putham Pudhu Kaathu is also sung by Shankar Mahadevan and with Vijay Yesudas. A beautiful male duet. This pair rocks.
Classified Section.
The shipment has finally arrived in Durban. I have lots of Music and religious atifects, Salangi (bells) for dancers, shawls, posters, stickers etc
Phone my mum at 031-2086929.
The Sydenham Tamil Society has re-started the Veena and harmonium classes after the eisteddfod. The teacher is Dr Deena Pillay a student of the late Mr GN Moodley. For more details contact my sister Jayambal Govender at 031-2086929 (h) or 031-2603106 (o).
Sri Saradha Institute of Arts and Culture (Free Tuition in Tamil, Music & Dance)
Saturday 9.00 - 11.00 at 39 Munn Road - Ottawa
Contact Suja or Kovilan Muthumanikam on 083 742 8508 for more details
Manormani Dance Academy. A school of Bharatha Natyam and Folk Dance.
Saturday 9.00 – 12.00 at Umgeni Road Temple. 13.30 – 16.30 ABH – Chathsworth.
Monday 18.00 – 20.00 at Woodview Primary.
Tuesday 15-30 – 17.00 Stanmore Regional Hall.
Wednesday 17.30 – 19.00 Mount View Civic Hall.
For further details contact Mrs Govender on 031-5053379
For all travel arrangements in India. Email Indo South African Tours at insatours@gmail.com or envernathan@gmail.com
Chennai: Contact Envernathan Govender, 21 South Street, Radhanagar, Chromepet, Chennai 600044, India. Tel. 0091-44-22654243/22654396. Cell 0091-9841248652.
South Africa: Contact Mrs. K. Govender, 30 Eskdale Road, Sydenham, Durban, 4091. Tel. 031-2086929.
Mauritius: Contact Mr. Balakrishna Tandrayan, 8 Sun Yat Sen Street, Port Louis, Tel. 2423404. Fax. 2413299. (Sorry this is for people from Mauritius who want to travel to India)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Chennai News 82
CHENNAI NEWS
(NEWS OF CHENNAI AND TAMILNADU BY ENVERNATHAN)
Volume 82 (October 2007)
Volume 82 (October 2007)
Enver’s Rambling.
It looks like the bit of nostalgia really hit the sweet spot. I had lots of people writing to me about their childhood which was quite interesting to read.
The one time that we do observe fasting here is for the Navarathri festival. Most homes set up shelves with all kinds of dolls and figurines. People mostly ladies and children usually visit each others homes and admire the Navarathri dolls. They also get little symbolic presents. Gowri usually gives cards of the latest dots. The little girls just love this. We also have a lot of dolls from Africa which makes our display a little different.
When the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project was first mentioned it was welcomed by all. This project would result in the dredging of the Palk straits which lies between Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka. This would have meant a saving of 480 nautical miles by ships going from eastern India to the west with the resultant saving in time and fuel. Industry and exporters welcomed this move.
However now with one eye on the next elections the BJP (which was in power when it was sanctioned) and other Hindu pressure groups are now asking for the project to be stopped because it would mean dredging across the Ram Sethu ‘bridge’ said to have been built by Rama the hero of the Rayamana. The fact that there is no proof that the bridge is man made and not a natural phenomenon is being ignored. Also the bridge is on the sea bed and underwater and is of no use to anyone. In fact it has only been seen by NASA using sophisticated equipment from space. The Chief Minister of Tamilnadu who is a rationalist further raised the ire of the Hindu lobby by saying that Rama of the Ramayana is a fictional character and the book is just to justify Aryan Imperialism. Not surprisingly I have heard this theory from many Tamil scholars in South Africa. In fact the state government went on a 24 hour strike to highlight the project. This meant that the Moodley family who had arrived a day earlier had to take a day off and cool their heels in their hotel. The same thing happened to Umavathy and her sister in Kanykumari. However there was a lot for them to see walking around.
For you your information I have three gmail accounts. I use the egovender@gmail.com account for all mail concerning Chennai News and the Movie Club, the insatours@gmail.com for all mail concerning the tours etc and envernathan@gmail.com for my personal mail. However I don’t seem to get a lot of personal mail anymore. All the ladies including my sister now seem to sending mail to my son Kamesh. I am not complaining just making an observation.
I now have my skype connected so you can talk to me at your will. I have also joined the Facebook network. www.facebook.com Mail me if you want to join in. It is really fun and I have found so many long lost friends. I have two groups in it Indo South African Tours (started by Kree Raman from New Zealand) and Tamil Movie Club. My code name in both envernathan. Having a unique name means, I can get on to any site just using my first name.
Nostalgia
When I said that I was the leader of our group it was not because of brawn but rather because of brain. Since I started school at 5 years I found that I was the youngest in the class. Most of my friends were actually a few standards below me while many of their elder brothers and sisters were in my class. While Roy was my best friend in class it was actually his younger brother Bully who I played with. Some of the others that I remember were Ellapin, Ganas, Nanda (whose sister Devigi was my classmate), Lallu, Harris, Ganas, Dennis (whose father was a pro golfer and had played with the great Papwa – His sisters were Mitharee and I think Shakun), Dass and Raymond (who was younger and only joined us if Dass was not around). The reason I am mentioning the names as I want people to contact me if they are reading this.
There were times however when the younger and older boys would get together. Mostly to play sports as we were needed to make up the numbers. We normally played football, rounders, gilly gandha, three tins and some other games that I have forgotten the names and have not seen since. I don’t ever remember playing cricket. The one game that we played really well was tennis since we had a tennis court in FOSA. My father was the tennis champ of the settlement. He had also played the game at Sastri College.
The other time was when we would perform as a band. The unquestionable leader of the band was Billy who was one mean guitarist. I was one of their singers. My forte was singing the songs of Elvis Presely (the king) the greatest singer ever to walk the planet. He was my idol. Remember the song “I’m all shook up” well that was my favourite. We performed at lots of birthday parties and other small gigs mostly in the settlement.
Our big break came when Billy excitedly told us that we had been booked to perform at a big party that Saturday night. We practised like hell to be perfect for the night. However one thought kept nagging me. How was I going to tell my father and would he give me permission. Now don’t get me wrong, my father was a great guy but he was also a stickler when it came to time and house rules. After 6pm I had to be at home. Remember I must have been about 7 or 8 years old at the most. However as they say fortune favours the brave. I was really over the moon when I heard my father tell my mother that they were going out on Saturday night.
So as soon as they went out I left my sister Jayambal in the care of Cuppamma (the lady who looked after us) and joined the rest of the band. We were made to sit in the back room until it was time for the music. Billy asked me to sing the first song. We were all set and when the lights came on I belted out my song and shook my hips and danced like no more. The song ended and there was great applause. I then glanced at the audience and froze. There seated in the front row was my mother and father. Both were quiet. My father who was so stunned at seeing me and my mother probably wondering what was going to happen when we got home. However I was a favourite of most of the staff and patients and with their encouragements sang a few more songs. Maybe my father enjoyed my singing because I did not hear anything more from him. I forgot all about the incident until the next issue of the Fosalink was published. This was an in-house magazine of the settlement. There was a photograph of me and an article on the performance. The editor had written “And Peter’s son Enver stole the show – He sang like Elvis and danced like Presely” obviously someone with a good sense of humour.
Tourism Scene
It is not often that the family has time to go on a holiday. However when I realised that I had no tourists in the city during the boys school holidays we decided to go on a small holiday down south, risking the ire of all my clients waiting for their quotes and itineraries.
On the first day (Saturday) we headed towards Chidambaram. We had made a late start as I wanted to send of all my emails before I left. We reached Chidambaram at 4pm just before the temple could open. Gowri and the boys went to the Nataraja temple and Yogi (my driver) and I went to visit the Hotels. We then drove to the town of Vaitheeswaran which is also famous for the Shiva temple of the same name. This is my in-law’s family deity (Koladevam). The town has a beautiful resort called Sadha Abhishegam and I was quite impressed with it. However they were full so we drove to Kumbakonam were we spent the night at Kasi International. I had booked an Air Con room but found we just could not sleep as it was too cold. Food is very cheap down south and biriyanis for all of us came to about R60 in total. Spending the night in the same hotel was all the participants of the Sun TVs program Asaita Poovadhu Yaaro. My boys knew all of them.
The next day we drove to Thanjavur where I inspected the Hotel Gnaanam and Oriental Towers and I was impressed with both of them. We then drove to Madurai via Trichy were we had stopped for lunch. By consensus we had decided to eat vegetarian breaksfast and lunch and non vegetarian dinner. Yes I know it is Puratassi but almost no one here fasts. However it must be remembered that here non vegetarians eat an almost 90% vegetarian diet.
While the four of them visited the famous Meenatchi temple I visited a few hotels and also caught up with all my Emails. Madurai is famous for it numerous little bistros and we decided to eat here rather than in the Hotel. We stayed in the new Hotel Golden Park. Once again we used an AC room but switched it off halfway through the night.
On Monday we drove down to Kanyakumari stopping for lunch in Tirunavelli. We made it to Kanyakumari by 3.30 pm which gave the four enough time to take a ferry to Vivekanandha Rock and the 133 ft high Thiruvalluvar statue. You are now allowed to step of at the rock. Gowri and the boys were very impressed with the statue.
We stayed in the Siva Murugan Hotel which was very good. However this time I was clever and used a non AC room which came at half the cost. Siva Murugan has 2, 3 and 4 bedded rooms. I also visited the Melody Park Hotel which I also use for my guests.
For our supper we visited one of the fast food stalls. I was surprised that I could buy a whole fish for just Rs 40 (about R7). You get a chance to select the fish and it is fried to your specification. While the others ate parotas I looked around and bought a loaf of salt bread from the British Bakeries.
We were woken up to see the sunrise and we went up to the roof of the building to catch this beautiful sight. Kamesh who is now the official family photographer took some stunning photos.
The next morning after breakfast we drove to Kuttralam. The drive was really beautiful and also very peaceful. The road skirts the western ghats, a range of low mountains. Our first stop was Papanasam were we all visited the impressive Shiva temple. We were in time to witness an abhishegam and the singing of the beautiful Thevaram hyms. We then drove to the Papanasam falls. Here one is allowed to bathe at the bottom of the falls. The cascading water falling on you is an experience of a life time.
My boys are very sceptical to try anything new however once they dared to step in they did not want to come out. We then went up to the Agisthiar dam. Yogi told us that we could take a boat ride and visit the much bigger Agasthiar falls. However as this would have taken a few hours we gave it a miss and drove on to Kuttralam. We checked into the Kuttralam Resorts where I discovered that the manager James was an old boy of the Madras Christian College which I and almost Gowri’s whole family had studied in.
After changing to suitable attire we made it to the Five falls, one of the many waterfalls were bathing is allowed. By then the boys had already had a dip in the resort’s pool. I was persuaded to have an oil massage which the boys had also gone for. If I thought that the Papanasam falls was the ultimate then this made it look like a baby falls. Imagine standing under water falling from a height of about 20 metre. The effect is mind blowing. In no time all the oil is washed off your body by the force of the water. I had made sure that I had tied a belt over my shorts. Quite a few guys lost their shorts and lungis. Since the bathing areas are separate for males and females it did not really matter. Yogi tells me that we were only the second lot of South Africans that he had brought to Kuttralam. The other group was Asogan Moodley and his family earlier this year. However I did remind him that my auntie Lutchmee from London had also gone to Kuttralam late last year. Gowri said that it was over 25 years since she had last visited Kuttralam. Right through our marriage she has been telling me about this wonderful place. For me it was better late than never. I will now make sure that I try and send all my clients here time permitting.
The next morning it was back to the falls for a last dip. The overnight rain had increased the flow of the water so that it was even more powerful. Weaklings had to hold on to the iron poles so that they did not get swept off their feet. However it is completely safe as the water flows into a shallow pool before making its way to the plains.
We had built up a healthy appetite and were shocked when the bill for a really sumptuous breakfast for all five of us came to less than R20.
We had decided to drive till evening and stay over for the night at whichever town we happened to stop at. However when Yogi said that Chennai was just 550 km away we decided to forgo the night halt. We arrive in Chennai at 10.30 pm, a journey that had taken us some 11 hours with stops for lunch and refreshments. I would not recommend this for my clients. I don’t like them to travel at night.
Most of the roads are being widened and are still under construction. I guess in a few years time once all the roads and bridges are completed driving time will be cut by half.
The September tour is over and from what I heard all of them enjoyed themselves. I have thus decided to arrange tours for the months February and March. I am also planning a trip in July to coincide with the holidays there. In this one I will hit all the cool spots. At the moment I am busy liaising with travel agents to book the flights. I will give you all the details in the next Chennai news or maybe in the weekend news.
One of my readers Pravin phoned me a few days ago. Apparently for the last few months he has been trying to get his father-in-law to contact me to plan his trip to India. However the gentleman did not take much notice of him. A few days ago his father-in-law had gone fishing and he causally mentioned to those fishing around him that he was thinking of going to India. He says in unison all of them told him “Don’t waste your time - Contact Enver in Chennai”. So his son-in-law smugly told him ‘but I have been telling you this for many months.
Movie scene
I have 96 people who have shown interest in the Movie Club. I am still in phase 1 of my recruitment. This is for people who I know on a first hand basis. Once I have recruited all of you I will move onto phase 2. I will soon let you know what this is. Here are the names of the people who have joined the club. If your name is not listed here and you have intimated that you have joined please let me know as I could have missed it. There are lots of people who have verbally told me that they want to join but I will only add your name once I have it in writing. I don’t want to be presumptuous.
Enver Govender, Gowri Govender, Kamesh Govender, Mahesh Govender, Krishnambal Govender, Jayambal Govender, Ivan Reddy, Jayson Govender, Sivani Naidoo,
Devi Reddy, Saras Ponnen, Kasturi Pillay, Tholsie Subramony, Vincent Fredericks, Jayshree Karan, Vasantha Govender, Asogen Moodley, Kogie Moonsami, Michael Lachimiah, Kogie Moorthi, Kogie Archery, Pauline Naidoo, Pravie Govender, Vassie Packree, Rani Naicker, Strini Moodey, Vis Goveder, Amudha Nardhamuni, Logan Govender, Patma Naidoo, Rani Govender, Namasundari Padayachee, Yogi Pillay, Venu Naicker, Yana Pillay, Magen (Gopie), MV Rajah, Sharmala Naidu, Robin Pillay (3 members), Steve Kandasamy, Olaga Naidoo, Kumaran Moodley, Selvan Moorthy, Gonnie Govender, Ronnie Govender, Nelson Govender, Selvan Velayudan, Savy Naidoo, Reggie Mariemuthu, Krish Govender, Murthi Sooboo, Preggy Govender, KN Moodley, Cliffy Muthu, Stanley Perumal, Teddy Sigamoney, Charles Reddy, Magen Moodley, Savy Perumaul, Renee Moodley, SAGIE DOORSAMY, Rani Nair, Mac Naidoo, Poovie Govender, Vasantha Govender, Ramanjulu Loganathan, Vas Moodley, Indren Pillay, Derrick Pillay, Puven Akkiah, Robert Moonsamy Gengan, Shalina Moodley, Pam Moodley, Yugeshan Naidoo, Karran Moodley, Saras Moodley, Vikesh Moodley, Tinesh Moodley, Kris Govender, Seelan Naidoo, Mogarasathavan Kistasamy, Siva Moodley, Benny Rasen, Devan Govender, Indran M Govender, Morgan Nadasen Odayar, Terrence Pillay, Nalini Naidoo , Indrani Palad, Shamilla Govender, Danny Mudaly, Kogie Govindsamy.
I wonder who will be the 100th member.
After a long wait the movie Katradhu Tamil (aka Tamil MA) was released. The promos had the story of a student who insists on studying Tamil and the consequent problems that he faces. The story line really intruiged me. However it was not what I expected. The acting by Jeeva, Karunas and debutant Anjali was just brilliant. Anjali plays his childhood friend who he meets again years later. The frustrations of the hero is much more than because of his studies in Tamil. The problem starts when he is a little boy and he witnesses the death of his mother and grandparents. His father abandons him in a boarding school and he grows up as a loner. However the movie becomes too intense and at times had me wincing. The killing spree that Jeeva indulges in just seems to have no justification. However the one-liners where he complains about the difference of the haves and the have-nots seemed to have touched a nerve in the audience as there was much applause for this.
Music scene
The music of Bheema is finally out. The movie stars Vickram and Trisha. The CD has six songs by music director Harris Jayaraj. All six are good but the songs Mudhal Mazhai sung by R Prananna, Hariharan and Mahathi and the song Enadhuyirae sung by Chinmayi, Sadhana Sargam, Sowmya Rao and Nikhil Matthew are excellent and the pick of the album.
Pollaadhavan is the latest movie of the Boss’s son-in-law Dhanush.
The first song is composed by Yogi B and is a combination of rap and a remix.
The second song Minnaigal Koothaadum is a beautiful ballad sung by Karthik and Bombay Jayashree. Alibaba Thangam sung by Suchitra and Yugabharathi is an upbeat song that will keep you foot tapping. Neeya Sol by Benny and Sunitha Sarathi is another beautiful upbeat ballad with touches of jazz. Padichi Pathen composed by Dhina and sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Kabilen is an upbeat song that is out and out dance music. All the songs are good as one would expect in a Dhanush movie.
Vinayagar Arul is a collection of nine songs on Vinayager sung by Krishnaraj. The lyrics are by V Sriram Sharmaa and the music by Aravind. All songs are beautifully sung and makes for really good listening.
Narthana Vinayagaa is also a collection of songs dedicated to lord vinayaga. Seven of the songs is sung by TL Maharajen (son of Trichy Loganathan) who has also composed the music. One sung is sung by Sakthidaasan and here the music is composed by L Krishnan. All eight songs are just divine. I could not stop listening.
My consignment of music has finally arrived in Durban. I have a collection of devotional and film mucis on CD and MP3. Also lots of songs on VCD and DVD. Lots of comedy tracks and dances also. Prices range from R20 to R60 for the MP3s.
Classified Section.
The shipment has finally arrived in Durban. I have lots of Music and religious atifects, Salangi (bells) for dancers, shawls, posters, stickers etc
Phone my mum at 031-2086929.
The Sydenham Tamil Society has re-started the Veena and harmonium classes after the eisteddfod. The teacher is Dr Deena Pillay a student of the late Mr GN Moodley. For more details contact my sister Jayambal Govender at 031-2086929 (h) or 031-2603106 (o).
Sri Saradha Institute of Arts and Culture (Free Tuition in Tamil, Music & Dance)
Saturday 9.00 - 11.00 at 39 Munn Road - Ottawa
Thursdays 18.00 - 20.00 at Woodview Hindu Temple Hall
Contact Suja or Kovilan Muthumanikam on 083 742 8508 for more details
Manormani Dance Academy. A school of Bharatha Natyam and Folk Dance.
Saturday 9.00 – 12.00 at Umgeni Road Temple. 13.30 – 16.30 ABH – Chathsworth.
Monday 18.00 – 20.00 at Woodview Primary.
Tuesday 15-30 – 17.00 Stanmore Regional Hall.
Wednesday 17.30 – 19.00 Mount View Civic Hall.
For further details contact Mrs Govender on 031-5053379
For all travel arrangements in India. Email Indo South African Tours at insatours@gmail.com or envernathan@gmail.com
Chennai: Contact Envernathan Govender, 21 South Street, Radhanagar, Chromepet, Chennai 600044, India. Tel. 0091-44-22654243/22654396. Cell 0091-9841248652.
South Africa: Contact Mrs. K. Govender, 30 Eskdale Road, Sydenham, Durban, 4091. Tel. 031-2086929.
Mauritius: Contact Mr. Balakrishna Tandrayan, 8 Sun Yat Sen Street, Port Louis, Tel. 2423404. Fax. 2413299. (Sorry this is for people from Mauritius who want to travel to India)
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