Courtesy : The new Indian Express 13/01/2015
Elise Hanna and Ed Malcik came to Chennai in 2013, after their spouses were deputed to work for the US Consulate General here. They, however, had little idea about the city. Now, after over a year of exploring the city through their lenses, they have come to a few interesting conclusions — the city has the friendliest people in India, MGR is the most popular name here, given the number of statues and posters around, and Chennai is one of the safest places in the world.
“I can’t tell you how many times we have been asked by people here to take their pictures. I have been to over 100 countries so far, and I have never seen people as friendly as those in this city,” says Ed, who was a photojournalist. “In other cities, they ask for money in return for a picture that we click of theirs, but here, if I am clicking a picture of a stack of mangoes, the fruit-seller would arrange it in a way that the best ones face the lens,” says Elise, who is from an arts background. “The other day, Ed took his ladder to shoot the rush of people coming out of shops in T Nagar, on Ranganathan Street. A person actually came forward to help Ed set up the ladder. We have never seen anyone doing that in other cities,” adds Elise.
During their walks along the temple-dotted streets of Mylapore, the sandy stretch of Marina, Santhome Church, Little Mount, busy roads of T Nagar, winding lanes of George Town or Mint Street, the duo observed that politics and cinema form a big part of people’s lifestyle here. “We have seen that people who live on the streets, no matter how small their houses are, have a TV set,” says Elise.
Adding to the point, Ed talks about the innumerable statues and posters of MGR he has come across during his walks. “I am a big fan of MGR because his pictures are everywhere. A few told me that he was a film star, and a few others that he was the chief minister. I concluded that he was a very popular guy. So, I read his biography, and what impressed me the most was the fact that on the day he died, 35 people had committed suicide. We have never seen anything like this in America. I have also been to MGR’s house in T Nagar. He had a real television set on the dashboard of his Ambassador car in the 60s. Did you know that?” he asks. While MGR’s statues are the most in number, according to him those of Annadurai, Kamaraj and Periyar follow close. “I have been all around India. I have not seen any other city like Chennai which reveres its leaders so much, in the form of statues and memorials,” he adds.
While Ed is fascinated by the way street art reflects the happenings in the city — walls being painted with new set of pictures with every election — for Elise, the shadows, colours and letters painted by the artists hold her interest the most. “I have seen so much of art decor hidden in the buildings here. Also, little things like women wearing flowers, and the colours people use for the walls of their houses and clothes are amazing,” she says.
All the vibrant art and culture apart, most importantly, according to Elise, Chennai is one of the safest places to live in. “Be it any time of the day, there are 10 other woman on the road, unlike in other cities like Delhi,” says Elise.
“In Chennai, one can never be scared as there are always people around. I remember when I was in Paris, I had to look over my shoulder to see if there was anyone following me on the streets. It was so empty and quiet,” says Ed.
Ed has plans of coming out with a book before he leaves in September, and Elise, who has over 35,000 followers on Instagram checking out her posts, is working on a web lifestyle platform, with the innumerable pictures clicked of the city. “I feel that Chennai has not been discovered by big photographers, like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru or even Puducherry. It deserves to get its due,” says Ed.
“It is true that there are no big tourist attractions, and it is difficult for tourists to be overwhelmed by a Memorial or the Marina, unlike the Taj Mahal. But walk around, and the city will unveil itself in the form of a million little things like a girl walking on the tied rope with a pole in hand, an emu bird wandering on the streets, a man shampooing his cow, or the buzz before the Republic Day celebrations,” he adds
Originally Posted by kaliaperumal vinayagam
புதுவை அஜந்தா திரையரங்கில் தாய்க்குப்பின் தாரம் திரைக்காவியம் 1988ம் ஆண்டு ஜூன் மாதம் வெளியிடப்பட்டு மூன்று வாரங்கள் அரங்கு நிறைந்த காட்சிகளாக ஓடி லட்சக்கணக்காக வசூல் குவித்த நிலையில் 4வது இணைந்த வாரமாக நவீனா திரையரங்கில் வெளியிட்டபோது. பேனரில் 01.07.1988 முதல் இணைந்த 4வது வாரம் என்று எழுதப்பட்டுள்ளது. இந்த சாதனை இதற்கு முன்னரும் ஏற்படுத்தப்படவில்லை இதுவரையும் முறியடிக்கப்படவில்லை என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது
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