Chennai News 88

CHENNAI NEWS
(NEWS OF CHENNAI AND TAMILNADU BY ENVERNATHAN)
Volume 88 (April 2008)

Enver’s Rambling.

We had one of those rare electrical storms in the Chennai a few weeks ago. The greatest intensity seemed to be over my house. The lightening blew off of the TV and it had to be replaced. Since I was working on the computer when it started I had wisely taken out the wall plug. However I soon found that we humans are no match to nature. A bolt of lightening struck my Internet cable and went via the modem and blew up the Ethernet card. I had a few months ago invested in a second broadband connection so that if any one server was down I could switch to the other. However most great plans, invariably has an Achilles heel. So even though both services were running I could not access it from my computer. Looks like I will have to get a wireless connection soon.

The South African cricket team were in town. I have just come back from the Taj Hotel were they were staying with a cricket shirt as a gift which I gave to my son.
By some chance or providence I became acquainted with Logan and Kogie Naidoo. Logan by the way is the manager of the SA team. They invited me to the function held by the BCCI to felicitate Anil Kumble on his 600 wickets. I just about made it to the venue on time and had to pass players like Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulker on my way to the table of the SA manager. The room was a “who’s who” of Indian cricket past and present and also the SA team. After the felicitation two dinners were served. One was in the main hall and another just for the Indian and South African teams and also the high ranked BCCI officials. Luckily for me I was in the latter. Imagine being in the same room as some of the most powerful men in Indian cricket. Robin Singh and Venketesh Persadh came and sat at our table as we had two spare seats. Both were friendly especially Robin who spoke non-stop. The two teams kept to themselves probably not wanting to tire themselves as they were playing the next day. However Makaya Ntini was an exception and could be seen moving around. He came to our table and Logan introduced him to me. He wanted to shake hands but I was tucking into a chicken drumstick so offered him my left hand apologising saying that I was eating with my fingers. He said don’t worry I also eat with my fingers. Although it was an experience of a lifetime I could not understand how the BCCI could organise a function involving players on the eve of the match.
The match itself was a bit of a bore except when Sewagh was at his devastating best.
I guess the 1-1 draw is a good reflection of the two teams and for my family as the younger son Mahesh is an ardent Proteas fan.
I am watching the IPL 20/20 tournament and it seems that cricket is surviving the hype. The Chennai team looks well balanced so I will be hoping they win.

I really enjoyed the Tamil New Year celebrations at the Chatsworth stadium. As I had promised the youth group we took two stalls at the celebrations. This allowed me to meet lots of my friends, relatives and acquaintances. I must also thank the Tamil Federation of KZN for allowing me to address the large crowd.
The program especially the dances were top class; this was followed by the Fireworks display and the Tamil Koothe. However not many danced I guess because people don’t want to stay out too late in South Africa.

Internet

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.

I have finally registered my website www.envernathan.com I am now in the process of developing this site.
Some of you who visited India a few years ago promised me space on your server. I did not follow it up at that time but now that I have a web domain I will need that promised space. Please mail me.


One of our groups in Facebook is called Learn and Teach Tamil. (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6084403897) 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.
This site is becoming very popular and is increasing daily.

For those of you who are interested in Tamil movies you can join the group Tamil Movie Club. (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6526801521) Not to be confused with the Movie club that you pay R100 as an investment. The one in Facebook is of course free. You can join in some lively discussions on all aspects of Tamil cinema.
The latest addition is the Tamil Eisteddfod group. (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7818284447) This is a place for all of you who ever took part in an eisteddfod whether as a participant, administrator, Adjudicator or the audience. The rule of the group is that you must introduce yourself. Hopefully we will have a collection of experiences that will inspire others to take part.
For those of you who are looking for a Tamil word processor then you should look at the Azhagi software. This is also excellent for transliterating Tamil songs etc.. You can get a free basic copy by downloading from the site www.azhagi.com If needed you can then opt for the more advance version. You don’t even have to know Tamil to use it.

Kamesh has taken it upon himself to help his school raise funds for their building expansion project. He has managed to get two ex students from the USA to make a donation. He has got his mum’s friend from Bangalore to do likewise. He has asked me to include this in Chennai news. If you would like to donate something for the building you can contact him at kwg2005@gmail.com

Tourism Scene

The next group tour will be in September this year. I am still working on the dates but it should be around September 1 or a week later. This tour will go via Mauritius so there is a possibility of staying a few days there. This is a three weeks long South tour. I have 10 people from the Phoenix area already booked. If you want to join in please do so. To make it easy I plan to include both breakfast and dinner and all the entrance fees. Thus all you will need to bring is your spending money.

Places that will be visited are Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Trichy, Palani, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Kovelam beach, Trivandrum, Kollam, Allepey, Cochin, Coimbature, Ooty, Mysore, Bangalore, Puttarpathi and Tirupathi. For those that want an add-on to the North this can be arranged.

I will have the full program and price by the time I send out the next Chennai News hopefully May 1. However please contact me if you need and information on 031-2086929 or 0762832273.

As a new service I have now added accommodation and tours in Mauritius as an extra service on to the holiday. I find that it can be done quite cheaply when booked directly with the owners in Mauritius. I am now looking at a similar service in Dubai.

If you are thinking of coming to India then please contact me so that I can plan an enjoyable trip for you at the most economical prices. All tours are tailored made for your individual tastes and needs.

Film scene


The Name is Rajnikanth is a book written by an ardent Rajni fan Dr Gayathri Sreekanth. The book that was written with the aid of the superstar and his family is 384 pages with over 100 pictures. It traces his life from a humble bus conductor to his status as a superstar. However the book is heavy and I will have to send it by courier. With the falling rand it should land at about R200. I have brought a limited stock so contact me immediately if you want a copy.

The last movie that I saw before I left Chennai was Dhanush’s Yaaradi nee Mohini. He is paired with Nayanthara. I must say I really enjoyed the movie. Nayanthara is the urban sophisticated hi tech professional and Dhanush as the middleclass local makes quite a match. Dhanush is an out of work job seeker who seems to fail at every interview much to the disgust of his father played by the late Raghuvaran. Here the irritation between the father and son and vice versa is excellent. Dhanush sees Nayanthara and is fascinated by her. He finds out where she works and as luck will have it he applies to the same company for an IT position. With her encouragement and lots of hard work he makes it at the interview and the tests and obtains a job also sending his father into shock at his success. However he is quite dismayed to find that Nayanthara is a workaholic and always seems to be angry. He even tells her to smile as it is good for her health. Dhanush then by mistake brings down the system and lots of important data is lost. He becomes quite upset when Nayanthara as his senior is scolded reducing her to tears. He stays up the whole night and manages to bring up the system and all the lost information. Some sort of feelings develops between the two especially when they go to Australia on a project. When they come back to Chennai he declares his love only to be rebuked. She tells him that although she dresses and acts like a modern girl she is really from a very conservative family and that in a month's time she will have to marry her relative in their village. Dhanush’s dad goes to talk to her but she insults him and the poor man dies in his sleep the same night.
The second half is set in the village, which lends itself to much humour of the city boy visiting a village. Dhanush is taken to the village by his best friend and is surprised to find that it is also Nayanthara’s village and that she is going to marry his friend. Nayanthara also has a cute little sister who develops a crush on Dhanush. This finally makes Nayanthara jealous and she admits that she loves him. However Dhanush says that he really likes her family and he will not do anything to disrupt the family. However the groom hears all this and at the weddings says that he will not marry her as he is already married.
I really liked Dhanush’s acting especially in the comedy parts. Nayanthara is very efficient as the strong willed professional woman but it is really the younger sister that makes an impact in the second half. The songs and dances are very good.

If you were listening to Mala on Radio Lotus on Sunday then it was me that was her guest.

Classified Section.

I have lots of CDs, Dvd’s and Vcds ranging from R10 onwards.

The Sydenham Tamil Society has started singing and harmonium classes under the tutorage of Mr Kumaresan Chetty. For more details contact Mr Rudy Pillay at 031-2086929.

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

HINDU CULTURAL LEAGUE - MUSIC AND DANCE ACADEMY
Offers the following classes on Saturdays in the disciplines of Music, Dance and Language: Bharata Natyam, Tabla, Harmonium, Tamil, Karnatic Vocal Classes & Folk & Contemporary Dance
Children and adults, from beginners to advanced are welcome.
Classes are held at the H. A. Jack Primary School, Cnr Jauncey & Preston Roads, Abbottsford (close to Melrose Temple). Johannesburg. For more information in respect of times, cost and other information, contact
Rueben 072 709 5991, Thirumala 082 563 4439, Don 082 787 2056 or Inbam 083 262 6511 or email info@hcl.co.za Visit our website www.hcl.co.za

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)