Chennai News 90

CHENNAI NEWS
(NEWS OF CHENNAI AND TAMILNADU BY ENVERNATHAN)
Volume 90 (June 2008)

Enver’s Rambling.

I was quite privileged to attend the opening of the Tamil classes at the Indian Consulate in Durban. The occasion was special to me as I was present at a KZN Tamil Federation (KZNTF) function last year when the then new Consulate General promised to look into ways of promoting the Tamil language. Well he certainly delivered. I have always advocated that the demographics of a country must be looked at to make decisions. While in most countries in the world the Tamils will account for a lower percentage of the Indian Diaspora countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and South Africa have a very large Tamil majority and the Indian Consulate must treat these countries differently. It looks like they now have it right.
It was quite an august gathering made more special by the presence of artistes from Tamilnadu. The violinist lives in my suburb of Chromepet.
Mr Bala Naidoo the President of the KZNTF gave a speech and highlighted the other needs of the Tamil community. He also said that the establishment of a Tamil Radio station was being looked at. I have previously gone on record to say that I would donate 100 CDs if this is done and I will certainly keep to my word.
I also spoke at the gathering and promised any logistical help from Chennai if needed by the teacher Ms Mala Lutchmanan. Mala told me that she had many queries from CN readers after I mentioned it in the last volume. I was quite touched by one of the ladies who spoke of the dedication of Mala in her quest to teach Tamil. I had gone to the graduation ceremony of Mala and the other students of the MTSS at the Thanjavur University many years ago so it is quite good to see how much she has progressed since then. According to some of her students the new classes are really going well.

I could cry when the Chennai Super Kings lost in the very last ball of the match. If only Rainer had held on to the catch. However it must be said that cricket and India were both winners. The BCCI especially Lalith Modi showed that India has the ability to be innovative. What was really great was that the two least hyped teams made it to the finals. We only got a glimpse of the Rajastan team owner just once in the finals. I still don’t know what the owner of the Chennai team looks like. Contrast it to the antics of some of the other owners. Shah Ruck Khan who is seen ad nauseam in TV adverts tried to dominate every match that the Kolkatta team played in. He was also the first to complain to the media whenever he felt slighted. However as soon as he realised that his team would not get into the semi-finals he stopped attending their matches.
What the tournament has done is to highlight a number of young players from India (and Australia) who we had not previously heard off. The older fat cats will now not be able to rest on their laurels. Although I was sceptical as to the success of the tournament I found myself like millions around the world really addicted to the matches. The 4.30 to 7.30 evening sloth will just not be the same again.


Internet

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.
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.
The latest addition is the Chennai Super Kings (IPL). This is off course for all supporters of the Chennai Super Kings 20/20 cricket team.
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

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.

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.
The Tamil Eisteddfods

This year I have tried to attend as many eisteddfods as possible. One of the reasons is that my sister Jayambal is now the Secretary of the KZNTVS Eisteddfod Movement so I accompanied her. I missed the Durban region eisteddfod as it was held very early in April before I arrived in Durban. I attended the South Coast eisteddfod held in the town of Umzinto. This has always been one of my favourite towns especially when I used to bring artistes from Tamilnadu to perform here in South Africa. I was happy to see an old friend, Mr SV Reddy, who used to host the artistes there. Also met many others who I have known over the years from the eisteddfod and also from the music and dance programs. I remember the South Coast as a fledgling group during my time and was very happy to see the progress that they have made and the high quality of their performances.

The next Eisteddfod that I attended was the Durban South in Merebank. This is no doubt one of the powerhouses of Tamil Culture led ably by the Merebank Tamil School Society. These people really have got it right and are a fine example of what Tamil organisations should aim at. The performances of all the groups taking part were of a very high standard and will take some beating at the finals.

I unfortunately missed the Lower North Eisteddfod in Phoenix as my son Mahesh was leaving the next day and I had some last minute chores to do before he left. However from experience I know that the Lower North has some very powerful groups and their standard is always very high.

We then drove to Ladysmith for the Northern Natal eisteddfod, which started just after lunch. This eisteddfod was quite nostalgic for me as I last attended their eisteddfod some 25 years ago when it was held in Newcastle. At that time I was one of the secretaries of the NTVS provincial body and had gone there with Mr MV Rajah who was the Chairman and Rama Pillay who was the other secretary. Children from Ladysmith and Newcastle took part. Many people told me that they desperately needed teachers and tutors and other logistic help such as CDs etc. I promise that I will try and help them next year. I was given an opportunity to address the audience and I told them about CN and also all that we were trying to do on the Internet and Facebook.

I unfortunately missed the Southern Region Eisteddfod in Chatsworth as I had made another appointment.

The next week I attended the Upper North Coast Eisteddfod in Stanger. As we had picked someone from Newlands West we drove via Kwa Mashu, Verulam, Tongaat to Stanger. We had a visitor from India and we took him through this very scenic route. There are quite a few people from Stanger who belong to the Tamil Eisteddfod group on Facebook and I met some of them. Here also the standard was quite good and it was pleasing to see how many little children took part. Here again I was allowed to address the audience.

Unfortunately I did not go to the Pmburg Eisteddfod. I will try and make up for these lapses next year.

Having travelled to all these Eisteddfods I could not help but admire the hard work that the officials, teachers and parents put in to make these Eisteddfods possible. We must not also forget the hours of practice put in by the candidates themselves. All these people are the real unsung heroes who don’t make the news or the photos that you see in most newspapers.

The KZN team ably led by Mrs Kogie Moorthi really put in a lot of time in the eisteddfod movement. The others are Sagren Padayachee (V/Chairman), Jayambal Govender (Secretary), Claude Dhrumlingam (Treasurer), Richard Govender (PRO) and Dr Ganas Murugan (Eisteddfod Administrator)

The adjucators, too many to mention, must also be complimented on their work. These people give up their weekends to do this very important task.

I am looking forward to the Finals to be held on June 14 and 15 at the Regional Hall in Merebank. I am not sure about the Saturday but will definitely be there on the Sunday. I hope to see as many of you who can make it. If you have not been to an Eisteddfod or have not been to one recently please try and make it so that you can see the talent of our children.

The Nationals will be held on July 5 and 6 at the same venue. I have heard that besides Gauteng both the Eastern and Western Cape will be taking part. I am looking forward to meeting some of my Internet friends from these areas.

People from Ladysmith and Newcastle have contacted me and asked for music teachers to go to their towns and teach them music. If any of you can do so or know people who can do so then please mail me and I will forward your mail to them.

The Sydenham Tamil Society is also looking for adults to join them in participating in the Tamil Eisteddfods. Singers, musicians and dancers are asked to join them as well as beginners. For further information mail me and I will connect you to them.

I will be attending the Tamil Festival held at the temple grounds at Mt Edgecombe. The program starts at 2 pm on Monday 16th June. I have been to everyone since the first that was held at the MTSS hall some years ago. I will be there from 1 pm. I will have lots of Cds and other goods which you can purchase.

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. With the falling rand it should land at about R200. I have a few left so contact me if you need one.

Many people felt that with all the hype of the 20/20 cricket that cinema would take a backseat. However when Gowri and Kamesh went to see the Vijay’s movie Kuravi they could not get tickets, as it was houseful even though the Chennai Super Kings were playing a match in Chennai.

My family have now seen the movie and contrary to what the critics had to say they did enjoy it.

I have been thinking about the Tamil Movie club and there seems to be a need to make it a more broad based Entertainment club that will look at other aspects like live shows etc with movies being one of the functions. If you have any thoughts and ideas on this subject please contact me.

I have 122 people who have expressed their desire to join the club. I would like you in turn to look at least 10 people who you believe will like to join this group. Please send me their names and Email address together with your name. If you know more than 10 people then please send all of them.

People in Chennai and around the world are anxiously waiting for the release of Kamal’s Dasavatharam where he is said to be playing 10 characters. This is slated to be the costliest movie ever made in India. The latest controversy is that a small religious group have gone to court to stop the film, as they believe it to hurt the sentiments of the Ayengar Brahmins. How they have deduced this without seeing the movie is a mystery.















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.

01/09 Leave for Mauritius and India
02/09 Arrive in Chennai. Rest
03/09 City tour and shopping
04/09 Kanchipuram/Tirupathi
05/09 Puttarpathi
06/09 Bangalore
07/09 Bangalore
08/09 Mysore
10/09 Ooty
11/09 Coimbature
12/09 Cochin
13/09 Cochin
14/09 Allepey/Kollam
15/09 Kanyakumari
16/09 Kanyakumari/Madurai
17/09 Madurai
18/09 Trichy
19/09 Thanjavur/Kumbakonam
20/09 Chidambaram/Mahabalipuram/Chennai
21/09 Chennai Free day
22/09 Chennai Free day
23/09 Leave for Mauritius. Night in Mauritius
24/09 Mauritius. Morning free. Afternoon. Leave for Durban.

Price: Cost of ticket + R7200. Working out to about R15,200 per person sharing. Includes all accommodation on Bed and breakfast in 3 star hotels and equivalent. All transport by Air Con vehicle. Includes all taxes, parking, tolls, entrance into temples, parks, and monuments and carrying of bags at Hotels. Price will change as the Rand fluctuates.
Mauritius: One night Hotel accommodation with transfers. Includes breakfast and dinner allowance.

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.