All geared up for Tamil conference

A view of the Kongu FM Community Radio station.

COIMBATORE: Air waves are also abuzz with the World Classical Tamil Conference-related activity. Pioneering it in the city is PSG Community Radio from PSG College of Technology. It’s the only engineering college in the city to host a community radio station.

B. Chandrasekaran, Station Director, says the station has been airing ‘Semmozhi Neram’ for the past couple of months. “The programme began in March and is broadcast between 7 a.m. and 7.30 a.m.” Apart from a daily interview with well-known Tamil poets, writers, the station managers have been using the platform to also project upcoming litterateurs. “For instance, we interviewed a construction worker, Sivakumar, who has a few interesting works to his credit,” he says. The jockeys quiz the guests about their works, the reasons behind writing them and their struggle to publish the same.

Mr. Chandrasekaran says ‘Isai Tamil’ and ‘Nadaga Tamil’ segments also form part of the ‘Semmozhi Neram’. “There the listeners are told about non-film Tamil music and Tamil drama, both old and contemporary.” So far 100-plus people have been interviewed.

On the conference days – June 23 to 27 – the Community Radio is planning to provide live coverage to its listeners, who live within a 12-km radius.

In Erode, Kongu FM, a community radio initiative from Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, has been airing the Conference theme song and interviewing poets of the Kongu region. Programmes on Tamil development have also formed part of the special programme.

Faculty in-charge of the FM radio K. Thangaraj says it entered into an understanding with Kodai FM to air a few more programmes. Similarly, Erode Sengunthar Engineering College’s Mugil FM has also been airing awareness programmes on the conference.

Source : The Hindu

Hi-tech security for Tamil conference

Coimbatore: Over 10,000 police personnel would be deployed for the World Classical Tamil Conference, said Director General of Police, Letika Saran on Monday.

Ms. Letika Saran along with Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order), K. Radhakrishnan along with City Police Commissioner, C. Sylendra Babu and Inspector-General of Police, West Zone, P. Sivanandi addressed the officers drafted from various places on the nature of work, individual responsibilities.

Later talking to reporters, Ms. Letika Saran said that police personnel have been drafted from other districts except from Tirupur, Erode, the Nilgiris and Coimbatore Rural considering the work load in these districts.

In addition to police personnel, 1,000 Home Guards, 1,000 NCC cadets, 4,000 NSS volunteers and a number of traffic wardens would be deployed.

The city police have established “May I Help You” booths at bus stands, railway stations, airport and other public places.

The security measures has been drawn up in such a way that buses will ply as usual and there would be no disruption to normal life.

Traffic would be allowed on Avanashi Road on all days except on June 23 from afternoon to 10 p.m., the first day of the conference, when the floats procession commences from VOC Park Grounds to CODISSIA Trade fair complex.

Ms. Letika Saran and Mr. Radhakrishnan said that for the first time, the police have go in for hi-tech security gadgets as part of the arrangements.

Surveillance cameras

Surveillance cameras have been fitted on Avanashi Road, CODISSIA area and across the city.

These cameras are hooked to the police control room as well as the temporary arrangement functioning at CODISSIA from the planetarium building.

In addition, camera-fitted balloons to fly at 1,000 ft height would maintain vigil for a two to three km radius.

Similarly, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a glider type, battery and remote operated small aircraft fitted with cameras would be flying over Coimbatore maintaining vigil for 15 km to 20 km.

On threat perceptions for the meet, Ms. Letika Saran said that whatever intelligence inputs that come across are issued as alerts to the personnel and Intelligence sleuths are closely monitoring those who are opposing the conference.

About the announcement of the toddy movement planning to sell toddy at the conference venue, Ms. Letika Saran said that any action contrary to the law will be dealt with seriously.

Mischief on tracks

When asked about the blasting of a track near Tindivanam recently and mischief on tracks at Vijayamangalam in Erode district and at Pattabhiram in Tiruvallur district, Ms. Letika Saran said that Erode and Tiruvallur incidents are mischief acts while Tindivanam incident was being investigated.

source : The Hindu

Tamil has gravity of expression not found in any language

Ardent admirer:Tamil Scholar from Moscow State University Alexander Dubianskiy addressing the media in Chennai on Monday. Writer

CHENNAI: “Tamil has the gravity of expression that is not present in any other language. Coming to Tamil Nadu is like returning home” said Alexander Dubianskiy, a Tamil Scholar from Moscow State University.

Dr. Dubianskiy is part of the Russian delegation that will be participating in the World Classical Tamil Conference. He was addressing media persons at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture here on Monday.

He first came to India in 1978, and had pursued research in Tamil at the University of Madras for nine months.

He has more than 100 publications to his credit which include a translation of classical Tamil poetry into Russian, and a book in Russian on Tamil poetry.

He has written essays on Tholkappiyam and Silapathikaram which he expects to publish soon.

On the need to foster better ties between India and Russia, Vladimir V. Mariy, Director of Russian Centre of Science and Culture, talked about reducing the barriers of language and culture by increasing interaction and exchange between both countries.

“Our great leaders were good friends with the Soviet Union, and our friendship with Russia symbolises the age-old relationship,” said D. Jayakanthan, writer and founder chairman, Indo-Russian Cultural and Friendship Society.

P. Thangappan, Secretary General, Indo-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industries, called for developing co-operation in arts and education between two countries by intensifying inter-university collaboration and promoting Russian language and culture.

He added that Russian would be taught in 10 colleges across Tamil Nadu this year. Video conferencing sessions would also be hosted at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture here to enable students of Tamil in Moscow to have access to the lectures of Tamil scholars.

V. M. Lakshminarayan, Chairman, Indo-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and Tatiana Perova, Director of Russian Language Institute were also present during the media interaction.

Source : The Hindu

For Tamil meet

Creating awareness:Students of Salem Periyar University carrying the torch in Salem

Badaga dance to enrich Tamil conference

Showcasing culture:Badagas rehearsing for the World Tamil Meet in Udhagamandalam on Friday.

Udhagamandalam: Long considered to be a prominent and unique feature of the Blue Mountains (the Nilgiris), the Badaga dance is set to enthral participants at the World Classical Tamil Conference scheduled to get underway at Coimbatore on June 23.

Rehearsals

Having been entrusted with the responsibility of showcasing the colourful and graceful dance at the prestigious meet, the Young Badagas Association (YBA) is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that its contribution to the success of the event is significant and memorable.

The rehearsals which began earlier this week gained momentum on Friday with the Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A.Raja spending some time with the members of the dance troupe within the premises of the YBA.

Arrangements

Speaking to The Hindu, the President, YBA T. Gundan said that 50 dancers including 20 women have been selected from various Badaga villages in the ‘Nakku seemai’ (four directions of the district). Stating that their cultural programe will last about seven minutes, he expressed the confidence that it will remain etched for long in the memory of the delegates from various parts of India and abroad.

He added that arrangements have also been made for the participation of Badagas in the meet.

Source: The Hindu

Adequate bus services arranged for Tamil meet: Minister

Coimbatore: Chairman of the Transport Arrangements Committee and Minister for Highways and Minor Ports M.P. Saminathan on Saturday said that adequate transport arrangements have been made for the visitors and delegates.

Mr.Saminathan said that allotment of vehicles for the visitors and participants, Volvo buses for the delegates, vehicles for the convoy of important persons, deployment of vehicles at Tiruchi and Madurai airports to pick up the delegates and bus and mini buses for cultural teams had been completed.

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation was arranging air-conditioned Volvo buses for the overseas delegates.

Mr.Saminathan told reporters that 15 special buses from Puducherry, 20 from Bangalore, five from Palakkad and five from Mysore would be operated. From other important places in Tamil Nadu, as many as 270 buses would be operated and in total 315 buses would be in operation every day.

In Coimbatore city, 50 buses would be operated connecting all the bus stands on a circular route. Nineteen buses would be plied from Gandhipuram to Singanallur via Hopes, 10 buses from Mettupalayam Road bus stand to Singanallur on the same route and 10 buses would be operated from Kalapatti parking to SITRA.

In addition, 50 special buses would be operated to Coimbatore from the neighbouring areas. There would be two special trains on Coimbatore – Chennai sector and one train from Kanyakumari to Coimbatore.

Efforts were on to have one more special train between Thanjavur and Coimbatore.

Source : The Hindu

8,064-page hand-written book to highlight richness of Tamil literature

Sleight of hand:P. Sakthivel (left) and G. Babu Charles with the 8000-page Tamil literary work produced by them.

A marvel on wheels to showcase the greatness of Tamil language

Eye-catchers:Floats portraying scenes from the Sangam classics reflecting Tamil culture getting ready for the pageantry to be organised on June 23, the day of inauguration of the World Classical Tamil Conference in Coimbatore.

COIMBATORE: While pageants are taken out for various reasons in countries abroad, in India there are only those rare occasions of Republic Day and Independence Day when people in the country’s capital and State capitals get to witness them.

The opening day of the World Classical Tamil Conference will give an opportunity for Coimbatoreans to witness a procession of 40 tableaux termed “Iniavai Naarpathu” based on the tradition, culture, and hospitality of Tamils. They will start at VOC Park and proceed to the conference venue at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex.

The three-hour-long procession that will traverse an eight-km stretch will include various dance forms of the State. Nearly 2,000 dancers in groups of 50 each will perform 40 dance forms in between two tableaux. People can get to see dances like Mayillatam, Karakattam, Poikaal Kuthirai aattam, etc., to name a few.

The eye-catching tableaux have been designed based on 40 themes. It will begin with the auspicious ‘Mangala Isai’ and end with a tableau carrying the most modern laser beam device that can throw up colourful creations in the air.

There will be tableaux on themes like Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neithel, Paalai, grameeya manam, grameeya nadanam, historical characters like Purananootru Thaai, Manuneethi Cholan, Manimekalai, Kannaki, Porkai Pandian, stories/anecdotes from literary works, the theme of the conference – “Pirappokum Ella Uyirukkum,” besides various others.

The design and execution of the pageant are being done under the supervision of art directors like Trotsky Maruthu, Thota Tharani, and Rajeevan, besides others like T. Muthuraj and J.P. Krishna.

Explaining the inception of the “Iniavai Naarpathu,” Mr. Maruthu says: “Initially 120 to 140 themes were put forth. From them, Chief Minister Karunanidhi selected 40 themes. The conception and design took one-and-a half months. The execution will also take the same time. There are nearly 1,000 people working on the project.”

Artists’ delight

Each design was deliberated upon and drawings along with the colours were made of the final product. Mr. Maruthu made the drawings manually. These were then scanned and the computerised drawings were coloured digitally.

Each tableau is mounted on 40X12 ft bus chassis and will measure up to a height of 18 ft. The common materials used are fibre, Plaster of Paris, wood, metal, iron, bamboo, and plywood. Various kinds of paints are used for the colour.

Artisans set each part of the tableau in a clay mould and it is cast in fibre. Then the cast is mounted and painted. The result is an artist’s delight and a viewer’s joy.

Once the tableau is ready, the theme and an explanatory note on the theme will also be painted on its side.

Most of the themes and their explanatory notes were provided by the students and faculty of the Tamil Department of Bharathiar University.

The pageant will make its stately journey on June 23 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For Tamil lovers who are unable to be there, there is a booklet being made ready. Also, the 40 tableaux will be on display for a week after the conference.

Mammoth set

If this is not enough to bring out the best in an artist, the mammoth sets erected at the conference venue have a different story to tell. The entrance set, the backdrop of the main pandal which will stage cultural programmes and the exhibition hall are other works of art. They will be a treat not only for Tamil lovers, but also for connoisseurs.

Temple architecture is beautifully interspersed with modern arches and domes in the fully air conditioned fabricated exhibition hall that will house nearly 700 exhibits in its 14-odd halls.

The conference promises to offer a feast not only to the intellect but also to the eyes. Appreciation of the art, colour, and beauty one will see is not only a tribute to the Tamil language, but an acknowledgement to the superb talent of the artisans who worked day and night to come up with such a repertoire.

Source : The Hindu

Evolve concrete steps at Tamil meet: CPI (M)

CHENNAI: The State unit of the CPI (M) has urged the State government to evolve concrete measures at the World Classical Tamil Conference, including a policy decision to give priority in employment to those who have studied in the Tamil medium.

In a statement here, the party’s State secretary G. Ramakrishnan said Tamils had witnessed a lot of conferences and festivals in the name of language in the past. What was required today was a constructive action plan. “It should break all hurdles in the path of development of the language.”

The CPI (M) leader said the conference should insist that all the 23 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule be made official languages of the Central government.

“Steps should be taken to ensure that Members of Parliament and Ministers speak in Tamil. Efforts should also be taken to translate their speech for others. It is possible in the era of science,” Mr. Ramakrishnan said.

He also urged the State Government to come out with cheaper editions of classics in Tamil literature for the benefit of younger generation.

Source : The Hindu

Six held for opposing Tamil meet

Pollachi: The police have arrested six persons, including advocate, on charges of affixing posters in Pollachi town campaigning against the World Classical Tamil Conference.

Inspector-General of Police, West Zone, P. Sivanandi said that the contents of the posters/handbills by Kovai Makkal Jananayaga Iyakkam were opposing the World Classical Tamil conference in the wake of the recent war claiming lives in the island nation Sri Lanka.

The six have been taken into custody.

Source : The Hindu