Fest Tee at Christmastime

The Hindu's senior cartoonist and celebrated artist Keshav has chosen five designs from among the 35 submitted  by kids for the Fest Tee.
So we chose two designs for the white and the black Tees that are now being produced at Tiruppur and will be on sale by Christmastime.

We are taking orders for packs of 5/10 or more now. Each Tee costs Rs.220.

T-shirt design event at park kicks off Fest 2014

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the Mylapore Festival, funded by Sundaram Finance and curated by Vincent D Souza and R Revathi.

On the eve of the first day of December we seem to have quickly drawn up the schedule rather easily.
Last night, dance guru Sheela Unnikrishnan, back from a wonderful tour of Taiwan confirmed her dancers' dance drama show for the Fest this year.

The first event, a small one unfolds on Sunday, December 1 at our fav nook - Nageswara Rao Park in Luz. Here, kids will colour a simple design that will be used as the motif for the Tee ( T-shirt) for the 2014 Fest.

This basic design is the work of one of India's famed cartoonists - Keshav of The Hindu.
Keshav, who also live in the area was more than willing to create the basic design and we are looking forward to the colours that teens will add on Sunday, 8 a.m. onwards.

Be part of the Mylapore Mosaic

Love knitting, fabric painting, crochet or applique work?
And does the image of peacock fascinate you?

Then, come along. Let's make a Mylapore Montage together through creative designs of peacock for 2014 edition of Mylapore Festival.

All that you need to do is to handcraft a design representing a peacock.You can use fabric and paint. Or crochet with colourful woolen yarn. Make your work in a square of 1 ft by 1 ft (12 inches by 12 inches). These squares will be stitched together and will be part of a decorative installation during the Mylapore Festival to be held from Jan 9 to 12, 2014.

All those interested in creating the huge mosaic are invited to be part of the briefing session.
On Dec. 1, 2013 at 8 a.m. at Nageswara Rao Park, Mylapore.
You will get to see a few sample works on that day.
For details, contact Revathi, Co-Director on 98405 44629.
If you cannot make it to the meet, and still interested in doing one, buzz anyway!

Design a T-Shirt for Mylapore

We invite school students to design a T-Shirt for this year's fest.
Check out the contest to be held on Dec. 1 (Sunday) at 8 a.m. Be there at the Nageaswara Rao Park.

Mylapore Festival 2014 edition. From Jan. 9 to 12.

The 12th edition of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival will be on from Jan. 9 to 12, 2014.

The team is planning for adding new features to the festival.
A Mylapore Food Walk along the popular eateries of the neighbourhood like the Rayar's Mess to Janal Bajji Kadai is planned for a Saturday evening.
A bicycle heritage tour and a few art installations are also part of the new features at this fest.
How about a Sound and Light show, asks an enthusiastic volunteer.
The team is putting together all these ideas, shows. Till the final schedule is drawn, you catch all the buzz at the festival FaceBook page here - http://www.facebook.com/mylaporefestival/
You can also share your ideas on the page.
Welcome to yet another edition of the festival!

Time to say Goodbye, but there's work to be done!

We took a small break and found that this isnt enough after a tight Festival.
And now it is time to settle the big bills from all the service providers.
Thankfully, with a cool sponsor like Sundaram Finance the process is smooth and fairly quick.

When you have a sponsor who also believes what you as Director of the Fest have in mind and on the  vision radar, it is a great partnership.

Reason to offer a special thank you to SF's Head, T T Srinivasaraghavan and his team.

It has been a hugely enjoyable Fest despite the hiccups that all such street and open space based Fests carry with them.

And with the jottings of the Fest's pluses and minuses, we will be back to the table in March 2013 to plan the 2014 Festival.

Your suggestions, ideas and hand up will be welcome too. Do write in - mymylaporefestival@gmail.com.

Till the next January, thank you for being with us.

Positives of this Fest

Some nice positives from this Fest.

One, that people do enjoy the traditional performing arts and will watch them as late as 10 p.m. The Bhagatava Mela experience this time was encouraging.

Two, that many people are so proud of the kolam carpet created by the Kolam Contests that they want traffic to be curtailed for a few hours after the contest so that tourists and others can take time and enjoy every art work in peace and quiet and that dirty wheels do not run over the works of art.

Three, that a good Carnatic music concert in the open air welcomes people who are not hardcore music rasikas and they stay on till late.

Four, that more and more people are proud that a Fest of this nature takes place in their midst.

Rickshaw Tour gets moving!

Asha Sridhar of The Hindu newspaper just could not wait to take the Cyclerickshaw tour on Friday evening.

We had requested City Editor, Bishwanath Ghosh ( Tamarind City author, the book based on our city) to consider some feature ideas that The Hindu could look at at the Fest and he responded.

Through fading light Asha and her colleague got the sights and sounds of inner Mylapore and not content with their experience, have told the rick men to expect friends on this weekend.

This tour is best done at daytime so if you or your friends want an experience please come by to the Fest office counter ( East Mada Street, Rasi store area) at 4.45 p.m. and book early!
Just now, there are just 2 ricks on the tour.

Exhibition of vintage Mylapore triggers contributions

Over 500 people must have seen the small Vintage Mylapore Photo Exhibition so far.

It is located along the western wall of the Lady Sivaswami Girls School, on East Mada Street through the evening and we now keep it open through the day at the thread ( ther shed).

Though there are only 35 odd pictures the show has now triggered donations from the community. Two people brought some old photos to share including some by the family of Prabhu , a  PR professional who also handles the PR for Sundaram Finance for the Fest.

The pictures were of the Malayalee Assn at the Madras High Court! many lawyers in this frame were Mylapore residents and the picture has been carefully preserved by Prabhu's neighbor.

We invite more such donations of old Mylapore photos. Mail us at - mymylaporefestival@gmail.com

Stalls, stalls, stalls!

Space for all - perhaps that is the underlining spirit of the Fest.
Because besides the events that we as the hosts present and the streets that we create, loads of other people also set up shop.

Stalls, stalls, stalls is the plea from men and women who want to tap into the popularity of the Fest.
Selling food and mosquito repellants, beads and chapati makers, the stalls of all kinds in all place make this a thiruvizha of sorts.

As hosts using a public space, we really cannot and may not be able to bar the hawkers and sundry stalls from the space. Live and let live is the policy!

Bhagavata Mela gets good audience. 2nd show tonight!

When the last word was said on the Main Stage last night the clock showed 10.25 p.m.
And there were at least 400 people in the audience to applaud the Bhagavata Mela team from Thanjavur.

Bhakta Prahlad on Day One of the Fest was good. More so when the show unfolded on a large, simple stage set against the lit multi-pillared mantap of the Sri Kapali Temple, a wonderful work of art that is sadly stoned in the dark.

Mali and his team will be back on Friday night to present the Andal story in Tamil and this should also be great. Starts from about 8.15 p.m today.

The streets came alive and the special lamps alongside the veedhis gave that quaint touch to the fest area.

Expect the crowds to be big Friday evening as the bzuz has now made the rounds of this neighborhood.

Kapali temple has space for more dance

Classical Bharathanatyam performances inside Sri Kapali temple has been a tradition in Mylapore Festival for years now.

This one-hour performance by young students of famed gurus is a colourful one that draws huge audience and make the temple goers sit  for a while and enjoy in a great ambiance.

When we were told that there is another dance event hosted by the Chairman of the temple, Mr. Vijay Kumar Reddy on one of the days of the festival, we needed work around the timings.

Mr. Reddy who is a great supporter of music and dance, sponsors many awards and events during the 'December season' in Madras. So it wasn't difficult for the Mylapore Festival team to convince him to have both the dance events in the temple on that day.

Dance guru Mathumathy Prakash too doesn't want to give up a chance to perform at the temple and has readily agreed to perform an hour earlier on the day.

Now, on Jan. 12, there will be a Bharathanatyam performance by the students of Mathumathy Prakash followed by a Odissi dance recital by the dancers of Nrityagram, Bangalore, Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy.

The Navarathri mandapam of Sri Kapali temple has space for all this and more

Mohan's docu film on margazhi mood on mada veedhis

A new docu-film has just landed on our table and it makes good viewing.

Mohan Das Vadakkara has captured the sounds, sights and music of the margazhi season on the mada veedhis of Mylapore. The 12minute film will be among the 3 short films we will screen at the Main Stage area of the Fest.

Titled Margazhi Moods on mada veedhis, the film has been uploaded on YouTube last night and we want you to see it and post your comments too!

Mohan Das had a terrible end to his first shoot on the veedhis in late December - his hard disk crashed and he lost great footage, including some great predawn shots of the Arudra procession out of Sri Kapali Temple.

But he doubled up last week and delivered in quick time. For the past few years, the Fest commissions very small films on Mylapore to be screened at the Fest. If you have ideas, buzz us for 2014.

The Team that builds the base for the Fest!

Five key men and their teams make this Fest happen. For they are ones who build the foundations and stages for the shows to roll and go on for four days.

Bhupalan has been with us for a decade. His team is small and it fixes all the basic electrical systems we need, replacing fused bulbs inside our lovely cloth lamps and the paper lamps from Pondy that decorate 5 streets / lanes.

Swamy has also been with us for some years and his Triplicane based team handles the sound and lights at the main stage - Swamy is the kind of person who always says 'yes' to requests - collar mikes in a jiffy, additional light on the small stage and stuff.

Shankar from Llyods Road joined us this year and will fix all the stalls. Big but quick infrastructure a Fest requires.

And the man who runs around and fixes things through 24 hours - Kathiravan from Mylapore Times. Kolam maavu, artists' stands, banners and posters . . and more. That is a lot he handles.

The Fest runs on this team in many ways.

Can we revive our Ricks?

The cyclerickshaw life is a sad story. We got closer to it this week as we put together the Cyclerickshaw Tour.

Krishnan and Murthy will be the two men who will pedal visitors on a 40minute journey through Mylapore streets and lanes, going as far east as the San Thome Cathedral.

The ricks are rickety simply because patronage is next to zilch for these men; Murthy has been a bit smart, with a few school safaris before he hits a job in the area. But Krishnan sounds so despondent. He is 70 and a tired man.

Krishnan belongs to the rick community which was an adjunct of the old Mylapore families - carting women to tenples, markets  and stores. Seniors to short distances. And earned well. In some ways, the Krishnans were part of the extended family of the 50s and 60s.

Mylapore still sports at least two dozen ricks. They are the links to the past.
If the tours can grow into a regular tourist circuit for some of these men and their eco machines, this Fest may have made a contribution.

If you have ideas to make this grow, share them. Join its

The Kolam Display on the mada veedhi . .

We started the Kolam Display last year. Letting the 100 plus kolams designed on North Mada Street, just off the temple zone to remain as a live exhibit on the road so that Festival visitors and passersby enjoy the spectacle.

Since it gets dark by 6 p.m. we even floodlit the street section and the kolams in that glow were a brilliant carpet. Thankfully, Mylapore Police also co operated and guided the traffic on one side of the veedhi.

We hope to let the Display remain on the weekend this season. If we could make it, we would like the Kolam Display to remain as such into the night. That would draw hundreds of people.

Need for temple heritage zone . . .

We are always looking at the open spaces on and off the mada veedhis.
And dreamily imagining the picture on the veedhis if we cut off the traffic for 3/5 hours on these roads, let the hawkers and stores open colourfully and host cultural and art events.

I believe this is an idea that is easily possible. All we need is a city council and city police and state tourism to back the idea.

The Sri Kapali Temple zone is a truly heritage zone which needs a special status and attention.
The Mylapore Festival tries to bring the focus on this idea.

Hopefully, the kolam display after the contest will be a showcase on the weekend.

Mylapore Quiz can be testy!

QFI, many thanks.
The Quiz Foundation of India (QFI), a body of hyper and champ quizzers has always been of help to the Fest.

So when we buzzed senior quizzer Gopal Kidao this time, he responded in a  jiffy and we now have Vijay Sai as Quiz Master for the Mylapore Quiz on Jan 13 at Lady Sivaswamy Girls School.

It is open to all, and for teams of 2. No regn. required. All questions will be on Mylapore.

Report at 2.45 pm. We have to close the event by 4 pm because other events follow at this hall!

Street for Artists

Hopefully, we will now have an Artists Lane at the Fest - an idea we have been working on for some time.

It is not easy to convert streets and lanes in Mylapore where life bubbles everyday into a Fest zone.
We need to respect the local people's lives but most have always been accommodating. They love tghe festival mela scene as long as people don't mess around.

So my artist friend Gita and past MFA students like JP and Siva, both regulars at the Fest have worked their contacts and will have at least 12 young artists to display small works of art on Pitchu Pillai Street, just off Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Portrait painting of guests will also be done - it is the most indemand thing at the Fest.

Dabras as souvenirs!

Getting dabras made as souvenirs was an idea that came from the community on FaceBook.
It is a nice one and we are happy we could source a pack of dabras at our fav store in China Bazaar and even get the MF logo engraved on each one.

They will go on sale as souvenirs at the Fest Office near the thread. But the dabras are in limited numbers.

T shirts, caps and framed Mylapore illustrations are all ready to go as souvenirs. Grab them!

T Shirt contest winner

The result of the 'Design a T Shirt' contest is just out.

Here is the prize winning design by Surendiren P.
The design will be on the festival T Shirt this. Grab one for you and you can gift it to your friends and family. The T shirt will be available for sale at the Festival Office (near Sri Kapali temple theradi) during the fest from Jan. 10 to 13, 2013

Prize winning entry by Surendiren P

The other two entries, that have won commendations are by Priya Natarajan and Divya Madhan.
These are their entries.

Commendation 1 : Design by
Priya Natarajan

Commendation 2: Design by Divya Madhan

Calling photographers to frame the best pictures

Photographers of all ages are invited to capture and submit their photographs of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival 2013. 

Register at the Sundaram Finance Counter (at the Chess Square, Nageswara Rao Park) to cover the morning events from 6.30 am and at the Sundaram Finance Counter (outside Rasi Silks) from 5.30 pm. Participants are welcome to cover all other events held in other venues.

Photographers may submit their CD with their collection of the Festival images to Sundaram Finance Limited, Corporate Communications Department, No. 21, Patullos Road , Chennai – 600 002 on or before Jan 15, 2012. 

The best images will be on display at an exhibition planned during the course of the year 2013. 

Jan.12 kolam contest will start only at 4 pm.

Holding a festival in public open spaces is never easy.
Challenges, hurdles, queries can fly in your face all the time!

This morn, the Hare Krishna movement folks called - they read the promos of the Fest and said that the annual Rath Yatra starts at the theradi on Jan.12, Sat at 3pm . . so would we take it into account.

Sure we need to!

So we are pushing the Saturday Kolam Contest on North Mada Street to 4pm instead of 3.30pm with the hope that the rath will make its way down the veedhi by that time . .

Heritage Walks: By V. Sriram, Chitra Madhavan

Two of our Festival allies are back with us for the 2013 Fest.

V Sriram and Chitra Madhavan will offer Heritage Walks at the Festival.

Sriram decided to have a Walk that takes  a look at a few well known lawyers of the area.  Starting from the gate of M Ct M School on Luz Church Road to Luz and ending at a spot on South Mada Street. About 90mins.

Chitra will talk about Less Known Features of Mylapore's Temples with a Walk from Sri Kapali Temple to the Chitrakulam area.

Both Walks are on Jan.13, Sunday. No registrations required - just land up!

There may be one more Walk. . keep logging in. . .

New Fest web site is up!

Our web site is up, about and abuzz.
The man who did a quick, simple and smart job of it is R. Prasanna.

He volunteered while waiting for a call for a doctoral program abroad and the collaboration worked.
Thanks Pras. And all the best in your research.

We hope you like this new look site - we added more visuals and kept it simple.
Mail us your comments - mymylaporefestival@gmail.com

Also, volunteerism is at the core of this Fest. Every year, 20 to 30 people of all ages take charge of the many events and run them.

For the 2013 Fest, we want freshers - college students and young working folks. Seniors who can be active are also welcome. But sign in fast -m we have a meeting lined up soon.

Elai Sapad; booked!!

The elai sapad idea seems to have worked.
30 people booked their spaces on Saturday morning and the Srikanths, the host on Devadi Street are happy. But this is a new challenge - to feed people who are first time guests!
Bookings had to be closed early - sorry if we disappointed others. There will be a next time.

Hopefully, this will goad more Mylaporeans to play hosts to sapad and tiffin for people and tourists.
If you are a Mylaporean family that is keen to join this project contact us.

Visual treats at Mylapore

Saturday. 10 am. Day 3 of the Fest.

We learn a lot on the Thursday of the Fest, day one. The glitches, the shortcomings, the mess-ups. A stree fest has its big challenges. So we had to revise our plans for Pitchu Pillai Street and ended up doing little. But the hiccup helped. We already have a plan for Fest 2013!

The feedback for the Vanna Mayil production is getting better. So we have decided to record the 60min production on video and have a visual document.

The three little docu films we have done also received positive feedback. So once we have rested fter the Fest, we hope to post those films on the Mylapore TV channel on YouTube.

This morn, it was nice to see members of a photography group, Photostrophy enjoy taking pictures of the 'mikeless' concert in the Park.
Mylapore always fascinates people. Come over with your cams.

Vanna Mayil; final reheasal at midnight!

Thats the way it is at Festivals.
Midnight rehearsals.

Vanna Mayil, the dance-music-visual production for MF 2012 is set for the act.
On January 4, the team waited patiently as workmen fixed the 2 stages at 10 pm and the rehearsal began soon after.
When the final call was given it was past midnight.

25 artistes will be featured, co ordinated by guru Revathi Ramachandran.
The production celebrates the less known communities - priests, acharis, potters, dancers and weavers who have enriched this area.

Elai Sapad; small start on Sunday on Devadi Theru

This Sunday, the Srikanth family will be ready to treat guests to a traditional sapad served on elai ( plantain leaves).

This is an idea floated by the people behind the annual MYLAPORE FESTIVAL.

The Srikanths live in their ancestral house off Devadi Street at the far end of Nadu Street. The house is over 100 years old.

On January 8, Sunday, Lakshmi will serve the lunch ( between 12 noon and 2 pm) to select guests who enjoy this experience, dining while seated on the floor.

Lakshmi can handle only four / five orders. Call 4201 1906 now.

The Fest organizers expect more Mylapore families to host the sapad this weekend. If you are also keen to reserve for the sapad ( when opportunities open) please email to - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com. We will revert if there is space to lunch!

Making the Kolam Show Bigger, Better

We have been excited with the attention and interest that the Kolam Contest and Shows evince.
2 professors from the USA and one French arts person are here to observe and enjoy the shows.

Plus, we are web casting the Sunday show, 3.30pm onwards IST.

On sale here will be India Post postage displays of kolam stamps, a book of freehand kolams and maybe a few Tees.

The Saturday Contest - Jan 7 - is packed with 102 contestants and registration closed yesterday.

The Mylapore Chase - Submit answers before Jan. 1, 2012

Every year, the festival encourages the young and the old to join hands and discover the naighbourhood. Mylapore is a treasure trove of history, culture, art, religion and social history.

The teams that participate in the physical Mylapore Chase always enjoyed going around the small and big streets of Mylapore and discover new things!

This time it is an online hunt.

Santhosh Subramanian, who runs Bambaram Toy Library has volunteered to link the clues to Google map and co-ordinate the online chase.

With two clues every alternate day, he has just put up the final set of clues today. The answers should be mailed on or before Jan. 1, midnight.

Here is the link to participate in the hunt.

http://themylaporechase.wordpress.com/

Follow the rules given on this blog. Go hunting online from wherever you are.

There are goodies to win as in the past years.

Theme song for Mylapore

Sing a song celebrating the communities of Mylapore!
Here comes the theme song for this year's festival.

A team of youngsters guided by the dance guru Revathi Ramachandran, who picked up verses exactly matching the theme of the audio-video-multimedia-dance narrative production planned for this year have created this.
The lyrics are set to tune by Ms. V. Nandini, a music teacher based in R.A. Puram.
Click on the play button to play the song.

Credits
Lyrics: Bharathiyaar’s composition - 'Thozhil'
Tunes: Smt. Nandini Venkatraman
Sound Direction: Sri Baba Prasad

Vocals:

1. N. Aishwarya
2. V.Srivaralakshmi
3. M. Hariganesh
4. S.Samanvitha
5. S.Sridharini

Accompaniments:

Violin:
1. B. Aravind
2. S.Sidharth

Keyboard: S.Sidharth

Mridangam:
1. M.Hariganesh
2. Baba Prasad

Fest in Open Spaces: the challenges

There are many challenges you face when you run an arts fest in public spaces, that too in one of Chennai's most famed spaces - the precincts of Sri Kapali Temple.

The idea that we have been driving is the need to create heritage zones in spaces like these, declare them as walk only zones and let people enjoy the sights and sounds, shop in peace and take home nice experiences.

Thankfully, the city police and the courts have seen our point and their responses have encouraged us.

Yet, we have to work with the traditions of this space. This year, the religious events at the temple will call for processions of the gods every day, morn and evening and so, we have had to redesign our stage and events to respect the processions.

Photo Exhibition; Mylapore

Photographer R. Saravanan who works for Mylapore Times has a collection of pictures of Mylapore of the past. One set of vocational studies that students in the 60s used to pursue in local schools.
Another set of social events in homes and around.

Saravanan is still looking for 'old Mylapore' pictures and would be happy if you wish to contribute too.
He just copied pictures of carol singers doing the rounds of the area in the early 70s.
You call Sara at 98410 22843.

The show will be on either North Mada or East Mada Street. Jan 5 to 8, 2012

Want to offer Elai Sapad?

We would like the elai sapad idea to catch on. And we have been spreading the word.
Four people have shown some interest in this concept for this year's Fest. Do spread the word.
You need to entertain one or two guests for starters. That should do!

Very Mylaporean to add to the Festival of 2012.
If you wish to have more info on this concept call 98405 44629 ( Revathi).

Kolams as Art Exhibit/ On North Mada Street, Mylapore

This was an idea that popped up at Fest 2011, In january this year.
Why cannot we make an attempt to create an exhibiot out of the two weekend Kolam Contests that we hold?
Like an Art Installation on the Mylapore Street. . on the eastern end of North Mada Street.

Barricade the 100 plus kolams once the contest is over ( 5 pm), floodlight the area and allow people to enjoy the carpet of 100 kolams from 5 pm to 10 pm.

We are taking this idea to the City Police Commissioner soon. And knowing that J K Tripathy has been warm to community projects, he mayl be a supporter.

If you have ideas on how we can make this wow, please do email us. And if you want to volunteer here to keep an eye on the exhibit on the two evenings, please sign up.

Elai Sapad on a Sunday in a Mylapore house

Elai Sapad on a gentle Sunday afternoon in margazhi January 2012.
That is the idea that we hope we can promote in a small way during this Festival.

The idea is simple - we are looking for people who love to cook a traditional elai sapad at their homes and serve it to guests on Jan.8, 2012.

We would prefer the household to have a Mylaporean setting at home - this will lend a special local feel to the guests.

The way it works is like this - we first sign up 4/5 Mylapore families willing to entertain guests on Jan 8, between 11 am and 2 pm for 2/3 rounds of elai sapad, then publicise the concept and offer to the world and allow you to sign up guests you can handle!

You do the booking, you plan the sapad and you fix the charge too. Don't make it a five star rate! But people will expect the very best!!

The idea of the Fest organisers is to promote the tradition of the Mylapore community at the Fest.
It is an idea that well wisher Sheela Rani Chunkath, IAS officer, now CMD of TN Handicrafts shared with us. Thank you Sheela Rani.

If you and your family want to be part of this, call Revathi at 98405 44629. Now.

New Audio Visual Production

A new production is rolling for MF 2012. Its focus will be on less known communities of Mylapore. Like the weavers, the potters and the goldsmiths.
The production will present dance, mime, acts, narrtion, music and visuals on and off the stage.
It will be staged on all the 4 evenings of the Fest.

Wellknown Bharatanatyam dancer and guru Revathi Ramachandran of Chennai will put the show together.
It should run for about 40minutes.
Hopefully, we should record this show and have it up on YouTube.

Calling young Mylapore musicians to contribute to a theme song!

A theme song for the Sundaram Finance MYLAPORE FESTIVAL 2012 is to be produced.

We are looking for young, talented Mylaporean artistes who will give their talent freely to the song and for interludes to be used in a dance-visual production on a Mylapore theme.

We now need 2 violinists ( classical), 4 voices ( trained in classical), one mirdangam artiste, one tabla artiste . . We prefer youngsters who are training in music for 2/3 years and enjoy this collaboration.

The song will be posted on the Fest web site and used in a  dance production for the Fest.

Those selected will have to devote 2/3 hrs for 3/4 practise sessions in Nov and one/two recording sessions in the city. 

All of them will get certificates and acknowledgement on the screen.

Keen to be part of this creative team? 

Call Sridharini at 98412 33120.

Come. Design a Tee for Mylapore! Win!!

This is a contest for everybody - doodlers in school, kolam drawing experts, design/fashion students . . For creative people.

Show your creativity in designing a T-shirt for the annual MYLAPORE FESTIVAL ( to be held in Jan.2012). The design should reflect the spirit, uniqueness of Mylapore.

The design can be done using Adobe / CorelDraw design software.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY:

Submit your design as a jpeg file or a PDF file (700 x 700 pixels size of minimum 150 dpi.) You may submit your design as a jpeg file through email to - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com

Please retain the original hi-res design with you. We will need it if your design wins the contest.

Please state your full name, address, email ID and contact phone number and a statement saying the design is your own creation.

Last date to submit your entry - Nov.29, 2011

PRIZES: The BEST DESIGN will WIN Rs.2000 AND A CERTIFICATE

TWO OTHER ENTRIES of good quality with get Certificate and a Gift.

The BEST submission for this contest may be used on a T-shirt planned for the Sundaram Finance MYLAPORE FESTIVAL 2012. Or, the best designer will be invited to create a unique design for future use.

( You can locate the winning 2011 Fest T-shirt design on the web site - www.mylaporefestival.com to give you some inspiration!).

We are back! Fest dates are Jan 5 to 8, 2012

Yes, we are back for the 2012 edition of the Fest.

Things have been rolling for some time but I haven't made time to jot them down here.

The dates to mark in January 2012 are 5, 6, 7 and 8. The kolam contests will be on 7th and 8th.
And we are rolling our first event soon. The Fest T-shirt contest.

Thanks SF!

Time to say Thank You to our sponsors, Sundaram Finance.
Team SF was led personally by its chief exec, T T Srinivasaraghavan (TTS) and Vice President, Sivakumar.

It is that extra effort that SF puts into this Fest that we curate and host that makes things a tad easy.

Sunday's events ran smooth which enabled TTS to decorate the promoters of Dubba Chetty Store, Mylapore with the Pride of Mylapore award and hop across to the temple to take out the gold ther in a procession, a Fest idea that has been maintained all the years.

Thanks SF.

Calling Creative People - for 2012

Yes, You are welcome to send us creative ideas, your production details and the rest for Fest 2012.
Now. Because plans roll out 2 days after a Fest closes. And surely you don't want to be late.

We have already signed up 3 new volunteers who just came back from the USA. And 2 artists who have an idea to share along the way.

A production for kids will float in mid year.
On the cards is a video fest of films made by youths and kids. Shooting will start in June.

Our email - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com

Sold Out!

The cloth bags promoted by sponsors Sundaram Finance were a big hit.
So were the Tees.

Till late on Sunday night, visitors checked out for bags at the Info Booth but by then the bags had been packed.

The demand for black Tees, with the peacock motif was high. Bookings have been made and a lot of 100 has been ordered.
If you want to grab the peacock motif black Tee, reserve one now. Or drop into the Mylapore Times office ( 2498 2244) next week after your Pongal festivities and buy one here ( Alwarpet).

I think we should have had more souvenirs. People love them.
Give us your ideas!

Thank you kids!

The Kids Zone had a nice start this year.
On Sunday, about 60 children signed up for various art/craft learning sessions at Lady Sivaswamy School hall. Magician Baba Prasad treated them and their parents to a magic show, real close!

Time now to think of raising the level of this act, threading it to other events for children and getting dozens and dozens of them to sign up.
We have some nice ideas for 2012.
Do share yours too. Write to us!

A Kolam Art Show?

This is being posted after the curtains came down on the 2011 Fest.

The focus was again on a few areas.

1. Kolam. The quality of kolam are Day 2 were very high. Judging was tough and the best got the prizes.
A thought came up - plan for a Kolam Art Exhibition whereby the road is barricaded and floodlights set up so that the 100 plus kolams can be viewed by the public from 5 pm to 11 pm.
What do you think of this idea?

2. A Saturday Night Fest - on the cards. If the Kolam Show gathers pace then small shows will run from 9.30 pm to 11 pm and the art and food streets will remain open late. The idea is to get Madras to come over to Mylapore and soak in late!
Good idea?

Send us yours!

Drizzles do not dampen the spirit

The clouds gathered on day two of the fest.
Dancer Premnath and his 35 young artistes were engrossed in their dance drama 'Andal Kalyanam' when tiny droplets started falling from the sky. But the little Andal went on inviting her friends to see the Lord through Tiruppavai.
The audience looked for a shelter for a few seconds but were back to their seats within no time. The finale was wonderful.
These challenges are common in fests in the open. Artistes understand. Audience co-operate.
And that makes the festival more colourful and enjoyable.

Sober start

Day One was cool and sober. Perhaps its nice to start a Fest this way. People settle down, things fall in place.
Day one needs time to settle volunteers, artistes, craftspeople and participants so that the streets come alive.
They did as the buzz got around.
And there was a nice round of applause for the first big dance drama show on the main stage by Revathi Ramachandran and her dancers.
If you are at the Fest, do mail us pictures and words. Or send us links of your blogposts.

Long, long walk down Edward Elliots Road

Writer-historian V. Sriram says that he will need 21/2 hours to cover his Sunday Walk for the Mylapore Fest 2011.
That is because he has over 40 personalities to talk about on this Heriatge Walk ( Jan 9, starts 6 am at Gandhi statue on the Marina).

We've told him to keep going - if you are joining Sriram do carry some juice and biscuits!
No free breakfast here!
Or maybe we could have planned a breakfast sit-around.
What say you?

Thamizh please!

We heard this loud and clear and have responded.
Fest schedules were printed in English and that was not enough.
So we printed a set in Thamizh and imagine the feedback thats come the way of our young volunteers who are doing the rounds of the lanes from 6 a.m.

They have been inviting families who live in the inner colonies to come for the Fest and enjoy it. People loved the steps that the volunteers took to personally invite them.
Communicate in Thamizh too - we got the message Mylapore !

Good feedback on Discover Mylapore!

25 teams took part in this year's Discover Mylapore contest we held on Sunday.
And the  feedback is so strong that we feel good about hosting it.
School students said they enjoyed the trip and got to know a part of Mylapore better.

We plan to host this event in a different format for 2012. Families will have to sign up.
And there will be a picnic feel to it.
Thanks folks for making us feel good about this event.
Special thanks to Suri K J who lends a hand always.

Look for the Cloth Bags!

SF, the Fest sponsor will continue its 'lets go green' campaign through this Fest the way it did last year.
So all those who carry plastic bags in the Fest area will have to part with those for new cloth bags.
They look great in design. Ask for one, for free.

Stella Maris' PR Team is Out!

We are happy to have a team from the PR Studies Dept of Stella Maris College.
Their Head, Prof. Sundari was glad to let her girls work on this event.
A set of girls are doing the rounds of the mada veedhis distributing the Fest invites to all the stores and households. A personal touch here.

Another team will invite women who design great kolams but never get to read about the Fest, to sign up this year for the grand Kolam Contests (Jan 8 and ( afternoon).
A promo on a bullock cart and some nadaswaram would have made a huge impact this margazhi - we may think of this next year.

If there are other creative college groups who wish to work alongside this Fest, buzz us now.

Want to Volunteer?

The volunteers are having a meeting on Sunday, Jan.2.
We always get a cheery bunch of 60yearolds, 30yearolds and the odd teenager.

If you want to devote 3 hrs a day for four days at the Fest sign up at - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com
Revathi is the co ordinator.
You get a Tee and a cert. No big cash!

Two Contests on January 2. Come over!

We just finished fine tuning the clues for the Discover Mylapore contest.
Could we have made it a tad tough?
You tell us after the test on Sunday afternoon. Lets meet at 3.30 p.m. at Nageswarar Rao Park, Luz.

Three to a team. Come in with your friends - this can be fun when you bike around with a clue sheet to check out landmarks and pop spots in the area and find answers to our queries.

There is another contest at the Park. For kids who draw well with kolams.
A sit-design-think-colour kind of creative test.
We were astonished at the creative juices that came up last year.
Come over and watch this event.

A Green T-shirt. And another with a Peacock Motif!

There will be two Tees on sale at the Fest.

One created using the prize winning design, a orangy blue peacock.
And another that our sponsor, Sundaram Finance has created with a green, green theme.

Both should appeal to you. So when you are at the Fest buy both.
The peacock motif will be available in black and in white base colour.

We have not decided on the prices. But you can afford them. And your friends abroad would love them as gifts!

Walking with Kids! And GSLV goes up in flames

I didnt have a decent Christmas party!
I always celebrate it with Pongal or thereafter - well after the 'season' and the Mylapore Fest is done.

We had a Photowalk for Kids on Christmas Day.
Eleven kids came along - with their cameras.
We started off at the 16-pillared mantap outside Sri Kapali Temple, with Revathi as the team leader.
And the kids soon found that there was a lot to shoot.

Then suddenly, we caught up with a group on Ponnambala Vadyar Street which gazed at a huge spiral of smoke and fumes in the skies. Word came in that the GSLV launch from Sriharikota had been aborted and the launch vehicle destroyed. Some of the kids captured this on cam.

Whew! What a slow walk it was. And what a wonderful end at a heritage house on South Mada Street where Kalathi's rosemilk was served and the best pictures downloaded on to a Mac.

Look out for the photo exhibition at the 'theradi' during the Fest.

Please Note: The senior Chennai PhotoWalkers are offering some of their best photos (framed) as souvenirs at the Fest. Classic pictures taken in Mylapore. Check them out at the Info Booth.

Slow start on Blog

Now why did I neglect this blog when the Fest preparations had rolled 2 months ago?
I dont have an answer.
Perhaps we got swamped with the December season ( www.kutcheribuzz.com).
We pulled up the Fest dates because we felt margazhi is the best time to have such a Fest.
We hope we are right.
And we are harrdly a week away and cant think of a decent New Year celebration!

Feedback!

We enjoyed the cycle-rickshaw tour you organised for the ' Mylapore Festival'. Getting to know our city and it's history and culture is one way of appreciating it. The knowledge and experience empowers and motivates us for the conservation and protection. We intend to make our kids a part of this campaign / movement.
- Uma Naren, Chennai.

I am proud I am a Mylaporeian. I am regular visitor of the 'Mylapore Festival' from the year it started and have enjoyed the core events.
This year there was a human sea in the Food Street. I was also a part of it. On 22nd, I was having my snacks sitting near the Food Token Counter and could see the young girls efficiently handling the issue of tokens and handling cash simultaneously. I could see the plight of one girl who gamely did her work though she did not have five rupees in change.
I promised her that I would bring 5 rupee coins the next day and kept my promise - I gave her 40 such coins.
I am happy became part of this pretigious festival by doing this very, very, very little voluntary service.
- K. Renuja, Mylapore.

Congratulations to Vincent D' Souza and the team for the funtastic (pun intended) festival.
My list of things I enjoyed at the festival - All the talks at Lady Sivaswamy School, the variety of food, the first day show of the grand dance of 'Janani Jagat Karini' and the last day show of vintage film classics and the kolams in plain white maavu as usual tops all these!
Here are some cribbings - these may be of value to you.
-Pitchu Pillai Street is too narrow and the construction materials strewn all over adds to the congestion. You can think of alternate street.
-Lady Sivaswamy school hall is not suited for talks as it echos hugely.
- You can have volunteers posted on the southern side of the main stage to help temple goers head to the temple smoothly.
- A complete synopsis of what happened where at the festival in 'Mylapore Times' will be good reading pleasure as many events overlap each other. We could not visit the park in any of the four days.
- The contribution by your lieutenant Revathi needs a mention. Our family, myself, my wife and two grand children alone called 10 times and all the times we received correct and patient information. It is hard to find someone who works only with the identity of a phone number and not his or her name nowadays. Our sincere thanks and kudos to her.
- The festival team can also conduct more walks around this area under a banner 'Celebrating Mylapore' throughout the year and finally culminate in a grand walk during the Festival time. Residents of this locality can be invited to participate in the walk and share information.
- Brig. M. Gopalakrishnan, Mylapore.

The Cribs . . .

A Fest of this magnitude does have its share of cribs and critics.

Here are 2 early arrivals . . .

One person wanted the chess tourney to be held under a canopy since the morning sun hurts the kids. He also wanted more participants to be accommodated.

Another said pricing snacks at Rs25 was stiff. 2 iddlis and kostu at 25 bucks is costly, he said and wished snacks could be subsidised. Hmmm!

You too are welcome to add yours. Value cribbing helps us do better though.

Velachery Balu's Pictures

Velachery Balu is a regular at the Fest.

He belongs to a community which loves to take pictures and the Fest is happy shotting ground for Balu.

Here are some nice shots to share - on Flicker -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/balu/with/4303685245/

Thank you volunteers!

A festival of this magnitude definitely requires more than 2 dozen pairs of hands to make all the events and activities flow smooth.

The team of Priyanka, Sindhuja, Viswanath assisted by Priya in the evenings saw that the events at the Nageswara Rao park went on very well. The team had the bonus of enjoying their time with young kids painting on the spot and made colourful crafts in the evenings apart from the music kutcheris and plays.

The backstage team of Srividya, Rajeswari, Lakshmi and the emcee Janani received the artistes and their groups, helped stage the performances go on time all the days and saw the performers off with a warm smile.

The food and hospitality team of Rahul, Ganesh and Sharanya doubled up at the food counters and on the kolam contest areas. The team at the food counters selling the coupons to the visitors had to grow in numbers day by day. Gokul, Aishwarya, Varsha, Ganesh, Rahul, Sharanya, Prashanth, Raghav, Bhargavi, another Gokul joining the team on the weekend really enjoyed tearing the coupons and collecting monies, while the seniors Prabhakar and Saravanan couldn't believe their eyes seeing these young people smiling all through with heavy cash transactions at the counters!

The front desk lead by Jayaraman had Bhanumathy, Usha, Ragini and on the computer information was Saravanan.

The dance inside Sri Kapali temple was another event away from the buzzing streets. The groups of dancers each with more than a dozen kids, the guru and their orchestra were hosted by Sridevi.

Harikrishnan, a hosteler at Vivekananda College helped in organising chairs for the artistes on Pitchu Pillai Street, the handicrafts women and the Tamil book stalls and then hopped across to the talk show to assist Deepika there and then to the food counters. Harihara Sudhan, a student of class 11 also spared his time amidst his busy schedule of studies and classes.

The weekend shows are a challenge at the festival as they are all conducted one after the other and the major contests - kolam, pallankuzhi and dayakkatam attract more than 100 participants. The team of volunteers at the backstage, talk show, food counters, info desk multitasked to be at the kolam area and then moved on to their respective posts. Joining the team is Sundar who sees to the kolam event till the prize distribution. He has been doing this for six years now.

Kalavathy, another regular volunteer for the weekends, helps out at the traditional games contest every year and she did so this year too. Kamala, a young girl in class 9, registered with us to volunteer on weekends this year and she promptly reported at the traditional games event running about for chalk pieces for drawing dayakattam on the floor, spreading the mats and placing chairs for senior participants, distributing scoring sheets and collecting them back!

We thank you all, volunteers! Without you the festival wouldn't have been possible.

Three more videos. Watch and Spread the word!

Here are three more videos on YouTube - from the Navin-Vignesh duo who are working hard at the Fest. Please do watch them, viral promote them among family and friends and post comments - these encourage the artists at the job!

The three videos are of dances inside the temple, dance drama on the main stage and music recital by students on the main stage - all on Day One.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtjbYmDVCWk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H4v_nXfCwM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2DDnXA

Rickshaw Tour Booked, Temple tour open

We have closed registrations for the Rickshaw Tour. 15 people are in.

But Pradeep Chakravarthy, who heads the Infosys Leadership Center, writes extensively on temples and heritage and will soon release a book on Tanjore's Cultural History is open to take you around Sri Kapali Temple and share with your less known info based on inscriptions there.

Gather at the 16 pillar mantap outside the east gopuram of the tempe. Tour starts at 7.30 am Sunday. For about 60mins.

Free.

Parcel Service Irukku!

Yes, all the food stalls are offering to parcel snacks and food that you can take home for your folks who could not make it to the Fest.

The Chidambaram team, offering idlis and kostu and adai-kurma yesterday were flooded with offers and that gave us the lead. . .

Yes, parcel service is on. . . Be an early bird at the Food Street ( near Sivaswamy school). Open from 5 pm onwards.

Kids Writing Camp Cancelled

Sorry children.

We have to cancel the weekend writing camp because the editor who was to supervise it is bereaved.

Hopefully, we will have it at Fest 2011.

Creative Writing Camp;Jan 23 / 24

The Creative Writing Camp ( open to kids in class 4 to 12) is open for registration.

Rs.100 is the fee - to be paid at the Mylapore Times office ( 2498 2244 - ct Prema here).

Choose the Jan 23 camp ( 3 to 6 pm ) or the Sunday one ( 10 am to 1 pm). You think of a story idea, flesh it out, write it and illustrate it with your colleagues.

Editors will guide you. Your work of fiction will be printed as a book in 48 hrs.

This event is held in conjunction with Prodigy Books.

The venue - Lady Sivaswamy Girls School, Mylapore

Thamizh Writers Chat!

We have an exhibition of Thamizh Books. So writers too are welcome.

And so our friends at New Horizon Media are hosting 3 writers every evening at 6 pm at Lady Sivaswamy School hall for talks. Interaction is on the cards.

This event runs for an hour.

Jan 21 to 23. Open to all.

P. S. The Daily Talks are at 7 pm daily.

Rewind Mylapore Memories

Two evenings for all those who wish to narrate stories of the life and times of Mylaporeans in the 40s and 50s.

Jan 21 and 22, 6 pm daily. For an hour 3 Mylaporeans share their stories. We video record them for a Social History Project.

Want to tell your Mylapore story?

Can 98410 49155 now. Space for 3 people available.

Happens at a hall behind Bhuvaneswari Jewellery Shop on North Mada Street. Can seat 15 people. Please 'adjust' if late.

Grab a cloth bag

Sundaram Finance, through volunteers of CSS is circulating cloth bags in Mylapore as part of a eco drive and is timing it with the Fest.

Look out for the volunteers and ask for a bag.

Handy one for South Mada Street shoppers.

Kids! Work with French Artists!

Hey kids, we have two surprise visitors.

Two artists from France who are here as part of the Bonjour India Fest.

Antonio and Jose-Maria specialise in creating art in public spaces.

They use photos, paper, artworks and the written word in various forms to create works on public walls. And they have done this in many places outside Paris.

The two, who are now working with the College of Fine Arts, will also work on space around the ther at Sri Kapali Temple.

The action starts at 4 pm on Jan 23, Sat. if you like to draw/paint land up with pads and pencils and paint brushes and create a work of art that will go up on 2 walls on jan 24 evening.

You don't have to register but your creative designs must be local, Indian, traditional.

See you at the 'ther' corner on Sat!

This event has been made possible by the Alliance Francaise team in Chennai led by Ms Jean Marie.

Cycle Rickshaw Heritage Tour; Last Call

On Jan 24, Sunday. The Cycle Rickshaw Tour from Luz Church to Sri Kapali Temple is on.

We have space for a few couples.

Only 15 can be accommodated.

It is free and so we don't want those who register to back out even at the last minute ( you must be considerate to volunteers and the rickshawmen who are offering these services).

Register at - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com now. We will ack your reservation.

The other walking tour on the same day ( Jan 24, 7.30 am) is of Sri Kapali Temple. Pradeep Chakravarthy will run it. Assemble at the 16 pillar mantap. No advance regn for this.

Videos On YouTube

Two young men are covering the Fest closely.

Navin loves to take pictures, in black and white.

Vignesh works on his videocam.

The two covered the Fest's pre-events and here is their first co-production.

Check the link at -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcXi2kzICV8

You too can post pictures and videos wherever you wish to but do send us the links and we will post them here!

Calling School Students to Video Report

Here is an opportunity for senior school students to report the Fest on video.

This is the way it happens.

It is open on Jan 23 and 24, when the Fest buzzes with a dozen plus events.

You stop by at the INFO Booth next to the 'ther', opposite Rasi and register and tell us what you wish to cover/ have covered. The Art Street or Classical Dance or the Kolam Contest or the Food Street or the nadaswaram.

Go for the event, make small notes and come back to the booth at 8 p.m. Our videographer will be there and will open the camera for you for 45 secs for you to read your report!

This opportunity is open every day to 10 kids (you can report in Thamizh or in English).

The video will be posted on YouTube

Do some homework and come prepared!

Four Evenings of Cool Talks

TALKS

Jan 21 - ' Classical Dance Legacies of Mylapore' by S. Janaki

Jan 22 - '`Sculptures and Inscriptions of Mylapore Temples' - by Dr. Chithra Madhavan

Jan 23 - ' Papanasam Sivan and M K Thyagaraja Bhagvathar' - by D. V. Balakrishnan.

Jan 24 - ' Palathope - Lawyers' Enclave' - by Shobana Ramkumar

Each talk will be for 15/20 mins and will be illustrated with slides / photos / videos. This will be followed interaction for 20 mins.

Venue - Lady Sivaswamy Ayyar Girls School, Prayer Hall.

Open to all.

Pre Events Contests off to a Nice Start!

About 30 teams in the Discover Mylapore Contest and about 50 kids in the Kolam and Tee Design Contest made for a nice warm up to the Fest on Sunday.

The winners will be intimated in 10 days and they will receive their prizes at the Mylapore Quiz event on jan 24, 5 pm ish.

Vignesh is shooting the events and promises to have small videos up on YouTube. Look out for links!

Wanted: Community Media Volunteers

Volunteers make a Fest like ours.

We have 25 of them meeting at the Park on Sunday at about 8.15 a.m. (Jan 10).

SF called - w0ndering if the rain could dampen us. It would be fun cycling in the rain to discover Mylapore. (Revathi, the Fest Co Ordinator has promised great coffee. She is also co- ordinating the volunteers).

How will the kids draw and paint for the contests?

O! Under the canopy of tarpaulin and green leaves!

We have a need of the hour - to get a small band of people who can shoot pictures and post them on Flicker daily, create 2 minute videos and post on YouTube, stick mikes into enthusiastic visitors and record the comments . . .

Vignesh from Ashok Nagar promises to take his video cam around. The first volunteer. His friend has plans to do a photo-docu. Navin?!

Wonder if the smart VisComm Mylaporeans can band up.

Buzz us at 98405 44629. The first assignment is on Jan 10, 6.47 am.

Four evenings of Classical Dance

This is the schedule for the four days of classical dance recitals held inside Sri Kapali Temple.

Jan. 21 - Students of Kanagasabai School of Fine Arts, disciples of Sasirekha Raammohan

Jan. 22 - Students of R. S. Bharatha Natyalaya, disciples of Parvathy Mohan

Jan. 23 - Students of Bharatha Kalalayam, disciples of Hemalatha Ramachandran

Jan. 24 - Students of Kaladarshana, disciples of Jayanthi Subramaniam

Dancing in the temple precincts is unique and special. More so at this temple where the flow of devotees never stops and many stop by to enjoy the performances.

This year, the troupes are also from outside Mylapore which is good for the Fest.

MYLAPORE QUIZ 3; go for it!

(This is a teaser to prepare you for the Big One on jan 24 afternoon)

Three winners get T-shirts.
Mail answers to - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com.
Deadline - Jan 10, 9 p.m.

QUESTIONS
1. Two legendary Mylaporean restaurants exist today. One is Karpagambal Mess. Name the other.
2. What is an odd feature of the gopurams of Sri Kapali Temple?
3. Where would you find St. Rita's Church?
4. Name the famed artist-actor-classical musician who lives on Nadu Street?
5. What is 'Rain Tree'? A store, a club or a hotel in the neighbourhood?

Suggest Great Heritage Houses please

For the first time, the Festival organizers are to acknowledge the people who have maintained well houses which are over 50/75 years and sport a vintage architecture.

A short list of houses in the areas of Sri Kapali Temple, Chitrakulam zone, Nadu Street zone and North Mada - Kutchery Road is being drawn out.

Those families who own houses that deserve to be recognized can mail a short note on their names and addresses ( we prefer owners of houses to correspond) and a few lines on the age and special features of the house.
The organizers plan to honour the best with plaques during the Fest.

Send us your suggestions - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com

Pre Events Contests Info - on Jan 10

Next weekend, on January 10, Sunday your family is invited to three pre-events that set the tone for this year's fest.

A Discover Mylapore Contest, a Create a Kolam Contest and a Colour a T-shirt Design Contest.

While the first is open to adults and teens, the latter two are specifically for school children.

Later that day, the Open House will provide space and time for participants of the Kolam, Pallankuzhi and Dayakattam events to chat with the resource people and clarify doubts and make enquiries. (at P S School hall, 4 pm, for an hour)

The Discover Mylapore Contest should generate a great amount of excitement and steam as it did last year when 51 teams scurried around the neighbourhood with clue sheets.

At 7 a.m. at Nageswara Rao Park in Luz, there is a briefing session. Clue sheets will be given to teams (3 members). The clue sheets have two functions. First, it leads to various popular and less known destinations. Once you get there, the section also has a question and the answer of it can be got by looking around that very place.

So if the clue takes you to, say the Anjaneya Temple on Luz Church Road and that place is the right one, you look for the answer to a query related to the place. Perhaps you need to get the year in which this temple was built and jot it down.

There are 15 destinations, some easy some tough and the organizers do not want teams to use cars to zip around.

Teams get two hours to crack this contest. Registration is not required.

The aim of the event is to get Mylaporeans to know more about their local landmarks and people.

The Create a Kolam Contest and a Colour a T-shirt Design Contest will start at 8 am at the same park. Open to kids in Classes 6 to 12. 45mins. Which means you cant take part in both - so decide. Designs on chart board will be given to you - you need to bring art materials please.

Prizes will be awarded at the Mylapore Quiz Contest finale - Jan 24 afternoon at Lady Sivaswamy School hall.

Top Events at Main Stage

Here are the BIG EVENTS of the Fest. They are free, open to all and seating on first come first basis. Do invite your relatives and friends to attend.

Jan 21, 2010 - Thursday

Janani Jagat Karini - Dance Drama by 50-plus disciples of Sheela Unnikrishnan (Sri Devi Nrithyalaya) - In front of 16 Pillar Mandapam - starts 7.45pm

Jan 22, 2010 - Friday

- Audio - Video stage show on M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar - presented by Vintage Heritage - In front of 16 Pillar Mandapam - starts 7.45pm

- Theru Koothu by P. Renukambal Kattai Koothu Nataka Manram, Siruvanjipatti. Episodes: Arjunan Vilvalaippu, Draupadi Thirukkalyanam, Panjali Thuhil - In front of 16 Pillar Mandapam - starts 8.30pm

Jan 23, 2010. Saturday

- 'Vazhi Nadaichindu - The Ballad of Arubathumoovar' presented by dancers Gayathri Balagurunathan and P. T. Narendran - In front of 16 Pillar Mandapam - starts 7 .30pm

- Theru Koothu by P. Renukambal Kattai Koothu Nataka Manram, Siruvanjipatti. Episodes: Krishnan Thuthu, Karna Moksham, Padinettam Por & Darumar Pattabishekam - In front of 16 Pillar Mandapam - starts 8.45pm

Jan 24, 2010 Sunday

- Tamil Play - Vittilgal : Directed by Dev Anand - In front of 16 Pillar Mandapam - starts 6.30pm

- C. A. Rajah's Pranavam Orchestra - 'Mayakkum Malai Pozhuthu' - Vintage Film Music Concert - In front of 16 Pillar Mandapam - 7.15pm to 9.30 p.m.

Srivatsan's Take on the 1st PhotoWalk

The photowalkers assembled near the 16 pillared mandapam of Kapali kovil on Sunday morning (Dec.13).

By the time I arrived, I was shocked by the turnout - over 60 people wielding cameras were there. They had taken over the entire space, much to the amusement of those all around us.

The entire group, which was too big to visit all the houses at once, was split into three.

The first group visited Ramans house on Sannadhi Theru opposite Rasi, while a second group visited Nagaraj's house on Pichupillai Street and a third group visited Nataraj's house on East Mada Street.

Nagaraj house amazed the photographers with exquisite carvings on wooden lintels and its courtyard. Nataraj's house had carved metal grill staircase which was a mixture of wood and plaster.

After visiting these two houses, the groups one by one visited Ravi's house and finally visited the wonderful Kannambal's house.

The latter house was the arguably a photographers delight with its lighting and shadows. The house also had a huge open terrace and a open courtyard which was a photographers delight. At the end of the walk, most walkers were waiting for next week to visit another set of houses.

These street houses are truly a remarkable piece of heritage in Mylapore, which sadly is now vanishing.

Fest Pre-Events

There will be a few Pre-Events in early January.

For kids - creating the best kolam they can imagine on a sheet which has dots that will be given to them on the spot at Nageswara Rao Park, Luz.

Another event for senior school students is to Colour a Design meant for a T-shirt. We give you the outline on paper on the spot ( again at the park) and you colour it up. Or even add a few strokes too. Hopefully, the best design will be used on a Tee

The third event will be the Mylapore Treasure Hunt - open to all and for teams. A clue sheet is given to you on the spot and you use the clues to reach each destination and look for answers to the queries we have about these places.

Since the Hunt takes you to the lanes of the area we suggest you should keep your car at home. We can't keep an eye on all the teams so we will have to allow cycles / bikes and light-weight gliders!

There are prizes for the winners in all these events. They will be given at the Mylapore Quiz event on Jan 24 afternoon

More info here in a week!

PhotoWalk 2: ideas please

Please get this word around - share with us the addresses and contacts of some great houses that we should cover in the 2nd Mylapore PhotoWalk.

Street houses, Madras terrace ones, bungalows . . . the area to cover - Kutchery Road, Bazaar Road and Mundakakanni Amman Temple.

This walk is on Dec 20 morning.

So if you know of relatives you never visited, your classmate's uncle's house or a place you adored when you walked by earlier this year, tell us please.

Mylapore Quiz 2; go for it!

Here we go with Quiz 2 ( in preparation for the Mylapore Quiz - Jan 24, 2010 afternoon)

All correct stand to win - 3 T shirts ( lots drawn if more)

Deadline - Dec.17, 9 p.m. E-mail answers to - mylaporesfestival@yahoo.com

1. Who is the MLA of the area that also covers most parts of Mylapore?

2. What do 'R' and 'R' in R. R. Sabha stand for?

3. What is the link between Chennai Super Kings and Mylapore Club?

4. Name the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Mylapore zone?

5. What does 'Luz' mean?

Quiz 1 Answers!

Here are the answers to Quiz 1.

1. WHERE WOULD YOU FIND THE BUST OF

K. M. MUNSHI?

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

2. BRODIES ROAD WAS RENAMED

RECENTLY. WHAT IS THE NEW NAME?

Bro. D G S Dinakaran Road.

3. NAME THE SCHOOL WHICH CELEBRATED ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE RECENTLY?

Savitri Ammal Oriental School

4. WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN TAG CENTRE & THE MUSIC ACADEMY?

TAG joined hands with the Academy to set up the audio archives and listening post.

5. IN WHICH YEAR WAS MYLAPORE TIMES LAUNCHED?

1994.

P. S - Nobody got all this right. Try Quiz 2.

10 great houses to explore on PhotoWalk 1

Ten families said yes to our request to allow Photowalkers to shoot pictures on Sunday (Dec.13).

Ten more will be willing to open their doors too.

Now it is up to the group to document these places - architecture is the theme.

Next Sunday ( Dec.20), the Walk will explore the area on the northern side of Kutchery Road.

Lets see who posts some wow pics on flicker!

We welcome short experience notes on Walk 1 to be posted here. Or give us your web links.

Mylapore Quiz 1

Here is a teaser Quiz. In preparation for the Sundaram Finance - Mylapore Festival 2010 when the MYLAPORE QUIZ will be held on Jan. 24 afternoon.
Email answers to mylaporefestival@yahoo.com
Three winners get a T-SHIRT each.

1. Where would you find the bust of K.M. Munshi?

2. Brodies Road was renamed recently. What is the new name?

3. Name the school which celebrated its Golden Jubilee recently?

4. What is the link between TAG Centre and The Music Academy?

5. In which year was Mylapore Times launched?

Join the Fest Photo Walks

You need to love Mylapore to go on this walk. And you need a camera.

The theme - architecture of Mylapore.

Visits to heritage houses are included.

More info at -

http://chennaiphotowalk.wordpress.com/

The SF role in 2010 . . .

Sundaram Finance, the only and long standing sponsor of the 'Mylapore Festival' that we run have lined up a few interesting things for 2010.

As the Copenhagen Climate Meet rolls out, SF wants to do its bit. It is sponsoring a few thousand cloth bags to be given to shoppers in places where plastic bags are being used.

Aiding this effort is the Chennai Social Service group.

The campaign will take place in January in the Mada Streets area.

SF has also designed the 2010 Fest Tees. An in-house effort again. We will post the design and product here shortly and start sales in early Jan. Will also try to have an online sale for Mylaporeans living abroad.

The base design for posters are also an in-house effort and posters will help create the buzz soon. If you love collecting posters and want this one, let us know in advance.

A few more acts are also planned. More in a while. . .

Inviting Groups of Singing Teenagers

We are looking for groups of children who can swing people from the main stage with their music.

Classical-folksy music, a medley of 6 songs perhaps. . .

Every evening, we feature a group on the main stage.

If you are keen, contact now.

mylaporefestival@yahoo.com

The Mylapore Song: Be inspired by A R Rahman

The Mylapore Anthem we produced for last year's fest became quite popular. It is still playing on the desk of some NRIs, I am told. ( you can listen to it/ watch the simple video) on the Fest web site - www.mylaporefestival.com

This year, we want to invite musicians to do their own thing.

Write the lyrics, compose the music and prepare for a 30min. studio recording.

So if you are ready with the creative, we will find a studio for you. The best studio.

Guideline - the song should capture the Mylapore spirit.

Everybody, at least every AR Rahman fan knows the Mozart of Madras spun the Mylapore Blues song 2 years ago ( you can catch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLdOlI-k2zk.

Surely, there are dozens of musicians of all streams - Carnatic, rock, pop, light, film, rap, jazz . . who can go out, sit on the steps of the temple tank and write a song.

Buzz your ideas at - mylaporefestival@yahoo.com

Talks: What subjects interest you?

For 2010, we have planned a package of talks.

On all 4 evenings at the hall at Sir Sivaswami Girls Hr Sec School on Sundareswarar Street.

We plan to have 4 different speakers to speak on 4 diverse topics.

Illustrated talks should be more attractive.

We have sounded out a few people.

One has suggested the theme to focus on the classical dance heritage of Mylapore.

Another may want to present the social history of Palathope, the colony of advocates.

A third theme on our mind was - Role of Studios in Mylaporeans' Life.

We want you to also suggest themes that we can explore. You can even suggest good speakers.

These are NOT academic talks. Keep this in mind when you suggest.

You can post your ideas here. A discussion is also welcome.

After all the Sundaram Finance-MYLAPORE FESTIVAL is all about involving the community.

Treasure Hunt & Mylapore Quiz Confirmed

These 2 events are confirmed for 2010.

The Mylapore Treasure Hunt. The Mylapore Quiz.

The first requires teams to trace a route using the clue sheet and finding answers to the questions related to the ques. The answers are of course found at each location!

Since some smarties used new tech devices to make life easy on the hunt, we will allow teams to use Twitters and Google Maps or any other gadget that may arrive in Jan.2010.

You can also drive around in cars - but this time, the clues will end in lanes and bylanes!

After all, we want you to know Mylapore well!

The Mylapore Quiz is a popular event. It brings families to the contest since the questions are a mix of local history and heritage and current news and info.

But the questions can be tough.

Like this one - How many religions are represented in the arch at the entrance of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan? Name them all.

More info on date and venue fill follow . . .

P.S. - Mylapore Times, the neighbourhood newspaper ( published every Sat. will carry a teaser Mylapore Quiz every week in December. That should warm you up. Look out for it. Should we reproduce it here?You tell us!

The 21 dots Challenge!

How big a space would a '21 dots to 1 dot' kolam occupy?
How many designs can come out in those specified number of dots?
Can small kolam patterns be combined to make it to a big 21 dots kolam?
A little research and expert opinions had to be gathered before drawing up a grid for 2010 fest kolam contest.
A set pattern starting with 21 dots in the centre line ending with 1 dot on either side will be the base for the contest.
This means all the participants would be keeping same number and pattern of 'pullis' and make designs on them.
This may be simple for women who draw kolams everyday in their front yards.
This may also interest math lovers and students as to how Fibonacci numbers play a role in kolam patterns!
Here is the basic grid and two simple patterns to make a start. Go ahead, and research. There are a numberof patterns waiting to sit on these dots and make a beautiful kolam of your own creation!

How do we make Mada Streets Bright?

Each year tests us.

We have done little things to add to the colour of the Fest. Designer Kuberan created the simple cloth lamps that lined the East Madas and Sannithi Streets in 2008 and 2009.

Sundaram Finance's MD, T T Srinivasaraghavan wanted the streets to be colourful at daytime. And that has set us thinking.

It isnt easy trying to colour the facades in a hugely busy shopping and religious destination - dozens of boards, dozens of lights, dozens of poles, wires and windows.

One trial is on - two artists are working on cloth that will be strung across walls in the Fest zone. Do you think this will make the place a tad colourful? We want your ideas too. And if you are a Fine Arts / Design student lend a hand. (Mail us your contact).

Kolam Contest will be a challenge

The 2010 Kolam Contests are going to be a challenge.

All contestants will have to start on a pre-set grid of dots ( how many? Wait for a few days to know all this).

That means you will need to plan, prepare and then design the kolam. You cant land up and design what you have in mind.

Log on - details will be out in a week's time. Then, grab all the kolam design books and practice. Prizes for the creative best.

Do you think this will bring out the best? Share your views here. Now!

Shoot Mylapore!

This is the idea. For Fest 2010.

And we are sharing it with the Madras Photowalkers.

In early December 2009, we will be organising a walk that will take people through a few streets and lanes of Mylapore. You need to have a camera ( any make, any size, any function) and you need to focus on the theme - Local Architecture.

We hope to exhibit the pictures at an exhibition to be held during the Fest.

Details will be posted here soon. Prelim work is on.

Want to suggest streets near the temple and Chitrakulam zone which are 'must see' places. Remember we are shooting local architecture - street and tiled houses, unique doors and locks, Madras terraces, thinnai and thalvarams. . .

We welcome suggestions.

And walkers!

Mylapore festival 2010

The organizers of the Mylapore Festival invite creative people who wish to participate in the many events of the fest to send us their applications. This invitation is open to individuals, institutions and groups. Submissions close on Nov.30, 2009.

1. CRAFTS EXHIBITION & SALE - We invite men and women of Mylapore who have specialised in traditional craftswork and wish to set up stalls on a streetspace on four evenings to display and sell small pieces. Tell us what you do and what your skills are.

2. PERFORMING ARTISTES - We invite teachers of classical and folk dance who also have students to present semi-classical and folk dance productions on stage for about 30/40 minutes. Mail us the story line and production details. Be prepared for an audition.

3. CRAFTS TEACHERS - We invite men / women who can hold creative workshops for children during the festival for an hour. Tell us what you can offer to share and resources required for the same.

4. CREATIVE MODEL MAKERS - We are looking for people who can create miniature models on themes related to cultural events / rural life / historical themes / religious or heritage places on an area of 3 x 4 ft. which can be used as part of an exhibition. Write and tell us the themes you are good at creating, materials you use and unique features you wish to present.

All those who wish to submit proposals may do so by Nov.30, 2009. You can e-mail them to mylaporefestival@yahoo.com or post to The Director, Mylapore Festival, c/o Mylapore Times, Alwarpet, Chennai 18.