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)