Visible but invisible - Festivity, Fun and Frolic Season in Tamilnadu

Tamilnadu and Winter Season – festive mood around!
Some cynics will say, let the winter season actually come to Tamilnadu…ignore them, am referring to the generic time of Nov, Dec and Jan – when it houses the traditional winter month of “MARGAZHI”…Chennai and Tamilnadu wears a distinctive face and becomes a complete festive cauldron, which no other city in the world has.
You do have carnival in Rio De Janeiro, Glastonbury festival, Christmas season and celebrations in every city in the world, and the boat race season of Kerala…but not anywhere at the scale and variety as in Chennai and in Tamilnadu, and for catering to different aspects of people moods.
It is a pity the tourism ministry or cultural ministry or the tweeting ministry of internal 'external affairs ministry' affairs (ahem...) takes no care…maybe because of the usual biasness all has towards anything Tamil or Tamilnadu or Chennai! But it is sad even the culturals ambassadors, fiats, marutis and hyundais of Chennai fail to recognize, and promote this.
Anyway, laments apart, let me make a laundry list of camaraderie items…
GOLU
Actually, the camaraderie in Tamilnadu starts right in month of October with the GOLU season. It is in this Tamilnadu, where people are ok to live like they live on the earth …30% moving space, 70% water – except that here, instead of water, it is all Golu Padikkatu and Golu Bommai. While Dashara is celebrated, with Devi Pujas in all the other states of India, it is only here in Tamilnadu, where one gets sundal and gets to see the creativity at its best (and sometimes worst) in almost each and every household with decorated dolls
Deepavali
Of course, this is a national festival, and the festive mood prevails in TN as well. But what follows is…

Karthigai Deepam
The Deepam day dots almost every household with beautiful diyas; it is a sight to watch

All these serve as a prelude to the stream of cultural events to an otherwise boring, chilly Margazhi month (mostly mid-December to early-Jan)
Cutchery Season

Much has been written about the uniqueness of 25 day long carnatic music season, where a huge congregation of musical talent present their musical prowess to every nook and corner of Chennai. Can any other city, boast of any such unique musical event?
Chennai Open
Sports is not left far behind…Chennai Open Tennis happens during this time. Home to many Davis Cup players like Amritraj Family and Krishnan family, it is a unique event of Chennai where many foreign players participate. It is one of the reputed sporting events of India

Pongal Cricket
This used to be another traditional fare until about a decade back…no one knows why less and less International Cricket Matches, that too played by India, is being hosted at the Stadium, which has distinctly earned the laurels of many country players alike. Never one would see such a sporting crowd, who would applaud a true cricket game regardless of the country excelling in it. No trampoline pitches like KOTLA, nor unruly crowd like EDEN, where hooligans hide behind the name of fanatics...But no one knows why no more matches anymore, and no one seems to care too, including the “Mountroad Mahavishnu”, the BCCI Selector Chief and the IPL T20 team owner(also BCCI secretary, in a very powerful position)…but the tradition had it, Chepauk stadium will necessarily host a test cricket match during the Pongal season – mid January. It used to be as much a tradition as a Boxing Day match in Australia!!!
BAPASI Book Fair
This is another traditional fare of Chennai. After having the food for ears, with beautiful lilting carnatic music, it is time soothe your reading senses…the BAPASI Book Fair is an annual affair, with so many bookstalls. The crowd to this year’s bookfair is a proof of people’s love for books in Tamilnadu, which has always nurtured the literati. No TV, no internet could keep people away from books
Jallikattu
The bull-fighting feat of Tamilnadu is no less than the bull-fighting feat of Spain. In fact, the Jallikattu (bull-fighting) takes a very humane approach, and with care for animals (Thanks to Government intervention), this courageous sport happens during the Pongal season – early Jan to mid Jan timeframe – in Tamilnadu
Sangamam
Thanks to Kanimozhi….despite her political intonations and her political opposers’ chidings, she has managed to bring the folklore of Tamilnadu back into the hearts of Tamil people… all Tamil folk dances, theater (koothu, poikaalkuthirai) and traditional Tamil music in the form of 7-day event, staged at the public assembly points is a huge boost to otherwise disappearing Tamil culture
And for gluttons like me…
The other good side of Sangamam is to make available in street corners many specialty Tamil dishes….while the carnatic music festivals in sabhas, have canteens to present traditional Brahmin fare, otherwise available to you only in Marriages or other big functions.
So, there you go – feast for your eyes, ears and mouth. Add to this, stimulation to intellectual senses, and to the sporting buffs…everything culminates Post-Pongal with the...
Republic Day Parade and Tradefair
This is yet another feature of Tamilnadu, which is topped only by the Republic Day Parade at New Delhi. In Tamilnadu, the parade happens in the beach road. The various “alangaara oorthigal” – decorated vehicle floats – showcasing several schemes of Tamilnadu, go and get

parked at the Tradefair at Island Grounds. This tradefair continues almost till March-end.

There you go…so much fodder and so much cultural, sports and intellectual extravaganza!

Unfortunately, not being promoted internationally, or even nationally…
I sure would feel proud to showcase my tamilnadu’s specialty through any ruling party, despite them stealing the credit for the entire season…the idea is the word should spread around!
And what a traditional season of stress-busting in Tamilnadu!

[Am posting the actual draft in my blog and as a guest post in my wife’s blog, and as a request post in a couple of blogs like idlyvadai, my friend chakra's blog, dubukku's blog etc...for people to read…and spread the word about Tamilnadu...as is being said by people it is not a "NOT HAPPENING PLACE" but the "most HAPPENING PLACE"]

Sivaji Ganesan - Not Stereotypical

This started as a response to a note from Saneram for my earlier post on Sivaji Ganesan's versatility
perhaps true...abt new age actors. But i wont agree to the fact hat sivaji was stereotypic...he wasnt. Take thiruvilayadal for example. May it be the innocent woodcutter, or the Paramsivan in playful mood, or the fisherman folk...very fine dfferentiation he had shown. You dont get to see the same Sivaji, nor do you get to see the same Sivaji as Lord Paramsivan in a different movie. Thats being emotive.Or, "Thirugnanasambandhar"...he would don Naradhar, old and worn out Thirugnanasambandahr or a royal king...the differentiation is very fine.
In his latter movies like "Muthal Mariyadhai", "Thevar Magan", he resorted to very subdued emotions for the new form of cinema. Think he adopted very well.
Sadly, the media outreach when he was acting wasnt that much, and the North-South divide was very much there, when he was in the prime of his acting career. Sad, the movies did not get much prominence, nor did he as a fine actor. It is but a different fact that many of the movies were remade in Hindi with North Indian actors.

Total admin collapse in Tamilnadu -> Moron, Stal(l)in(g) and CareNoNidhi

• Auto rickshaw fares in Tamilnadu have been revised, but am yet to board an auto rickshaw who agrees to charge the meter rate. And am yet to get through to the grievance cell number given by the Police. It is forever engaged.
• There is a huge pit right in the entry side of Royapettah Flyover. And, the road next to this flyover leading up to Royapettah signal is filled with potholes, very rough terrain. What's so special that it merits mention here? It is Mr. M. K. Stal(l)in(g)'s, High-profile Minister and the ruling party's Second-in-command's thoguthi!!!
• Name of Stal(l)in(g)'s consttuency is 1000 lights, and you can hardly see some 10 lights on the roads next to flyovers. With sheer luck, you can avid falling into the BRAD PITTs of 1000 lights
• Mr. Mu. CareNoNidhi's constituency(Chepauk) closely competes with Stal(l)in(g)s consituency in civic amenities (or the lack of it), rough shod, spoiled, potholed roads, rampant rowdyism and what not
• I wonder if this is a sample of TN administration, imagine other parts of Tamilnadu
• Lot of LTTE movement, Naxalite arms factory uncovered in Chennai - no where did Police make an arrest through their intelligence (ha ha ha), but the convicts got arrested for some petty offence, and on interrogation, other serious issues came out
• Tamizhan is given royal fucks by Karnataka (Kaveri), Kerala (Mulla periyar) and Andhra Pradesh (Paalar dam and Telugu Ganga). Carenonidhi will not even out up a decent fight with Central Govt, if he does his family's SonTV empire will not get enough support, and (Dayanidhi) Moron will not resign from his ministerial berth
• Leave Mu. Ka. Dr. Ramadoss, who criticises Mu. Ka. for handling the water problems with neighbouring states, will not let Dr. AnbuMONEY Ramadaze, as a mark of protest, even utter something to central government
• Mr. Moron who remarked some 1.5 years back to Bill Gates that he cannot take him down the IT Corridor, because the corridor is very worse as the then state administration was not doing anything for the people. Will he take Mr. Gates in the road now?...athuthaan around ayear aachay...still no great progress on OMR, nor on the Metro Rail Project
• When DMK assumed power after prev Tamilnadu General Elections, there was a murder attempt on M. K. Stal(l)in(g). The culprit is yet to be arrested. Shows the efficiency of Police, or exposes the stunts of our DMK = Dravida Makkalaukku pinnaadi etrum Kazhagam
• So, if they cannot take any of such admin tasks to completion, what are they forever busy with???
• Carenonidhi is busy with watching Namita and Rahasiya's kuthupaa(raa)ttu vizha organ(r)ised by Cine Artists; Moron is busy releasing stamps with Preity Zinta, and posing for photographs in any function happening anywhere in India.
• If not Namita dance, Mu. Ka. is catching up on his "aanmeegam"
• I am not an admirer of JJ either; dont get me wrong... And nor a fan of DMDK - Captain ha charisma and good heart; but that's not enough; we need some administration going on...sure his goons cant handle that
• Am stating this once again in this blog: It is very disappointing these days to be in Tamilnadu / Chennai.