november ’14
CULTURE | FOOD | TRAVEL | LIFESTYLE | ART | DESIGN | FILMS | DRAMA
“the”
beach of chennai A guide to Chennai’s most exotic and beautiful beach—Marina Beach
december music season The magical, musical annual December music season
Table of Contents food
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Reinventing Cuisines– Traditional food taking on a twist.
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Chennai for Foodies– A guide to South India’s finest dining scene
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Saravana Bhavan—What makes it tick
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“THE” Beach of Chennai— A look into the magnificent Marina Beach
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Sangeetha versus Saravana Bhavan—the rivarly continues
culture
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Reliving Chennai’s magical, musical season–In sight into the December music festival
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Cultural feast– A unique look into the wonderful extravaganza that is DakshinaChitra
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Bridging the cultural divide– Fusion of Bharatnatyam and Folk dance
Kalakshetra Festival–Analysis of the Kalakshetra dance festival and the plays
drama
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Reviving Agatha Christie– Crea Shakti revives a classic novel, “Murder on the Orient Express” Evam talks to 3C–Evam talks to our editor about their season
lifestyle
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Finding your inner self– Exploring sprituality and where to find it in Chennai
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Kamal Hassan speaks candidly about his childhood
art & design
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M. Muralidharan exhibits his latest work in Gallery Veda.
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Triumphant four– The four veterans from Cholamandal talk to 3C about the Artist’s village.
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CHENNAI
CITY FOR
FOODIES A definitive guide to South India’s finest dining scene. Food that ranked #2 on “National Geographic’s” food cities list. By Isabella Noble
3C | November: Chennai Diary
Food | Chennai for foodies
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Below: Idli and Vadai served with Chutney and Sambar Onion and tomato Uttappam A traditional South Indian Thali on a banana leaf
Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu is famous for its exclusive food culture and traditional range of cuisine, which is known as the South Indian food. Hotel Saravana Bhavan makes the perfect starting point for your Chennai food explorations, and deliveres all the goods on every one of these veggie specialities of the South. For the city’s best idlis, head to Triplicane’s Ratna Café, whose signature sambar recipe has long been one of the most jealously guarded secrets in Chennai.
THE PERFECT THALI
SPECTACULAR STREET FOOD
Known simply as ‘meals’ down south, thalis are the soul of the South Indian kitchen. The core ingredients are sambar, spicy gravies, chutneys, rasam(tamarind-flavoured broth),vegetarian(often spiced cauliflower or ladyfinger) and cool curd, traditionally laid out across a banana leaf. The sauces are first mopped up with bread (usually a chapatti) and then mixed in with rice, which will be replenished to your heart’s content from an enormous stainless steel pot. Flavours are rich, spice levels soar high, and rice is key, as its lightness and freshness is a strong marker for greater and better food quality.
Delhi might be king when it comes to street food, but there are some sensational South Indian flavors floating around Chennai’s crazy streets— if, of course, you know where to look. In the heart of jam-packed George Town, Seena Bhai Tiffin Centre (11/1 NSC Bose Road) prepares just idlis and uttappams, griddled to perfection with lashings of ghee and chutney, served between 6pm and midnight only.
Hunt down the ultimate Tamil thali at T Nagar’s Junior Kuppanna(4 Kannaiya Street, North Usman Road), which runs a roaring lunch-time trade with limitless meals piled high on banana leaves. The brilliantly clean kitchen is the stuff of dreams to travellers in India and you’re more than welcome to peek behind the scenes. For the slightly-less-spicy Keralan take on thalis, try packed-out Nair Mess(22 Mohammed Abdullah Sahib 2nd Street, Chepauk). It’s been a hit since 1961 and the queueing crowds will lunge for your table faster than you can say sambar.
Down south in Mylapore, Rayars Mess (on a narrow lane off Arundel Street) has been drawing the hungry crowds for 70 years with its crispy evening Street), where a cross-legged chap doles out piping-hot bondas, bajjis (vegetable fritters), dosas, and vadas to loyal local followers from a tiny hole-in-the-wall just south of the Kapaleeshwarar Temple. Take whatever he’s got going; it’s all fresh and fabulous. There is also distinct flavor of Burmese food in Chennai. The Tamilians from Burma set up street food stalls near the Burma Bazaar. Kauk Swe Thoke, a popular dish in Burma is basically round-thick noodles tossed with cabbage, gravy, fried onion and an assortment of condiments.
Food | Chennai for foodies
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3C | November: Chennai Diary Right: Paper Masala Dosai
OUR TOP RESTAURANT PICKS FOR AUTHENTIC SOUTH INDIAN FOOD 1. Saravana Bhavan Dependably delish, lunchtime and evening South Indian thali ‘meals’ at the Saravana Bhavans usually run 80 to 100. This extraordinarily famous heritage Chennai vegetarian chain is also excellent for South Indian breakfasts, ice cream, filter coffee and other Indian vegetarian fare including biryanis and pilaus. Branches include George Town , Triplicane , Thousand Lights , Mylapore and T Nagar , not to mention London, Paris and New York!
2. Ratna Café Though often crowded and cramped, Ratna is renowned for its scrumptious idlis and the hearty doses of sambar that go with it—people sit down to this Rs. 26.50 dish at all times of day. Located in Triplicane, Ratna Cafe is known for their signature sambar recipe, which has long been one of the most jealously guarded secrets in all of Chennai.
3. Sangeetha Veg Known as the iconic go-to vegetarian restaurant, Sangeetha serves up delicious Idlis, Dosas and Thalis on a silver platter. Located in numerous places across the city Sangeetha never ceases to please their customers. Priced nominally, a typical meal for a single person costs anywhere between Rs 150-200.
southern fine dining There’s a whole lot more to Chennai than roadside grilling, newspaper ‘plates’ and overflowing fast food messes. As any local will tell you, Chennai is as cool and contemporary as it is rooted in tradition. It should come as no surprise that a growing collection of superb, high-end South Indian eateries (many in top hotels) are bringing age-old local flavors to the city’s thriving, modern-day dining scene—some adding creative flair, others keeping things quintessentially old-style. Top of the pack is Dakshin at the Sheraton Park Hotel, with its tantalizing mix of flavors from India’s four southernmost states—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The restaurant has been tempting palates since 1989 and recipes, like tangy Chettinad fish curry and coconut-infused Keralan stew, retain their authenticity. Every meal starts with a chutney tasting “There’s a whole lot more to and the live classical music, silver-plated Chennai than roadside grilling, crockery, temple-inspired décor, and generous drinks list make this a fine newspaper ‘plates’ and over- place to bring a date, but also bring a flowing fast food messes.” well-stocked wallet. If you visit a restaurant in South India for the first time, there are probably many items on the menu you have never even heard of. South Indian food is different from the North Indian cuisine that is usually served in Indian restaurants in the West. It is often vegetarian, although meat is available and fish is popular on the coastal side of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. South Indian food is generally served with rice while breads are more common in the North. Thalis are commonly served with a heap of rice alongside many other dishes in small cups, referred to as ‘katoris.’ The dishes include a variety of yogurt rice, vegetables and versions of lentil infused soup.
SOUTH INDIAN BREAKFAST SPECIALTY South India has its own specialties and many of them are breakfast foods. Dosas belong to the most popular South Indian breakfast dishes although they are also served at lunchtime and in the early evening. A dosa is a savory pancake and it is available in seemingly endless varieties. A plain dosa is a thin pancake that is fried in oil and served with sambar(a spicy vegetable/ tomato sauce) and sometimes coconut chutney. Another popular breakfast dish is Idli, a steamed spongy rice flour “cake.”
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FINDING YOUR
SPIRITUAL SELF A deeper side to India’s Southern gateway. Exploring the hidden depths of Chennai’s spirituality. By Joe Bindloss
Left: Entrance Archway to Theosophical Society, Adyar
Culture | Spirituality in Chennai
45 Left: Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane
Spirituality is not developed only in places such as a monastery, on the banks of a river, or in the wilderness. If we want to achieve spirituality, it can be achieved in any place. We can recognize in whatever culture, region or religion we are born and in whatever activities we are involved.
Known as Madras under the British, Chennai reverted to its Indian name in 1996, riding a surge of national pride that saw Bombay rebranded as Mumbai and Cochin rebranded as Kochi. However, hopes that the name change would propel Chennai up the rankings of Indian tourist destinations proved premature—with its lack of big name sights, new arrivals continued to move on quickly to other, more laid-back parts of the South. However, there are signs that things are beginning to change. The construction of the Chennai Metro Rail is set to take the discomfort out of traveling through the crowded streets.
“Once you scratch the surface you’ll soon discover that the selfproclaimed first city of South India has hidden depths of spirituality.”
rediscover silence at an ashram When the noise and chaos of the city all becomes too much, retreat to the calm confines of the Sri Ramakrishna Math in Mylapore. Founded in the honor of the 19th-century sage Sri Ramakrishna, this was the first ashram run by the Ramakrishna organization in South India, and the handsome Universal Temple, which combines elements of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist architecture, is a popular spot for silent meditation. Take a moment to exhale and put the revving car engines, honking lorry horns and jangling rickshaw bells out of your peripheral mind. The Math’s educational activities were initiated by Swami Ramakrishnananda even during the Ice House days. Moved by the pitiable condition of a few boys who had lost all their relatives in plague epidemic, Swami Ramakrishnananda felt that something must be done for the relief and rehabilitation of this type of orphans. With the meager means at his command he had already given shelter in the Math to two orphan students.
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Culture | Spirituality in Chennai
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3C | November: Chennai Diary
Must see places to discover your Inner Self
Kapaleeshwarar temple is a temple of Shiva located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The form of Shiva’s wife Parvati worshipped at this temple is called Karpagambal (from Tamil, “Goddess of the Wish-Yielding Tree”). The temple was built around the 7th century CE in Dravidian architecture. Lord Shiva is worshiped as Kapaleeshwarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as the goddess Karpagambal.
3. Did we mention that Chennai is awash with ashrams, temples and many philosophical retreats? St. Thomas Mount is a small hillock located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, near the neighborhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport. Ancient Syrian Christian community of India trace the origin of their Church to St. Thomas the Apostle, believed to have attained martyrdom in St. Thomas Mount. From the 17th century, this part of Chennai was populated predominantly by Anglo-Indians.
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Marina Beach provides some essential breathing space. If you join the sitting contingent, you can expect a visit from a wandering fortune teller, who will be happy to predict that you will find the perfect partner, come top in your class and secure the perfect job overseas, for a fee.
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A calm space for contemplation on the banks of the Adyar River, The Theosophical Society owes its existence to an eccentric Russian occultist, Helena Blavatsky, who became obsessed with the spiritualism of the east on a trip to India during the 1870s. She founded a new philosophical movement with the goal of forming a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity. It was a noble ambition, and the center she founded had a major influence on modern schools of Buddhist and Hindu thought. Visitors are free to browse the library, listen to debates and view the banyan tree in the grounds, said to be India’s largest.
3C | November: Chennai Diary
Culture| Spirituality in Chennai
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6. 5. Chennai might seem an unlikely destination for a Christian pilgrimage, but locals believe that the Santhome Cathedral, founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century, marks the final resting place of Thomas the Apostle, who traveled to India at the beginning of the Christian era on a mission to convert the Coromandel Coast. In fact, there are at least five other tombs of St Thomas dotted around the globe, but the Mylapore legend has a devoted following on the subcontinent. Out of interest, the current cathedral was rebuilt by the British in Neo-Gothic style in 1893.
Triplicane Temple is also the setting for Chennai’s biggest and busiest Hindu temple. Flanked by rainbow-colored gopurams(temple towers), the Triplicane Temple is founded on the spot where Shiva turned his wife into a peacock as a test of her devotion. Parvati meditated on the divinity of Shiva and was transformed back to her original form, inspiring a Hindu cult which constructed the first temple on this site in the 8th century. Triplicane is thronged by visitors for the annual Panguni Peruvizha festival in March or April, when the temple idols are paraded through the streets in a decorated wooden chariot.
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When Swami Vivekananda came to Chennai in the 1890s, he chose the perfect spot to chill out— the city’s former Ice House, to store ice chipped from frozen lakes in New England and shipped to India in insulated tea clippers. The guru passed beyond this mortal plane in 1902, but the ashram founded in his name still offers weekly meditation classes in the hall next to the guru’s previous quarters in Vivekananda House. Even if you don’t join the meditation sessions, it’s worth dropping in to see the building, which resembles something between a wedding cake and an English seaside pavilion.
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The
Magical
Musical season
A unique insight into the cultural extravaganza of the December music season. By T.M.Krishna
Left: “The Ranjini Sisters� in a carnatic concert.
Culture | The Magical, Musical Season 07
33 Right: Prominent Carnatic singer Bombay Jayashree in concert.
Come December and Chennai begins to hum with the start of the kutcheri(classical music concert) season, referred to in the city simply as the “season.” It’s one of the largest music festivals in the world, with more than 1,500 concerts over six weeks at various locations. The season attracts not just aficionados of South India’s traditional Carnatic music, but music lovers from all over the country, and overseas as well. For those who may not have heard of the Chennai December Marghazi Music season, for you here is a ‘serious’ one-liner: This is the largest festival of classical music and dance in the world; and the coming together for a whole month of musicians, dancers and various connoisseurs from all across the world. Okay, now for some fun. December is when Chennai awakens to its own artistic legacy. Chennai is India’s cultural hub and art happens through the year; yet December is special, very special. So special that many who have been in a state of ‘cultural coma’ over the preceding eleven months suddenly awaken to becoming official aficionados of art for and only December. For established artists, it is the time to bask in their glory, crowds milling around them, the media hounding them for one-liners, rasikas are desperate for a glimpse, a photo op. The ones trying to establish themselves want every available platform. Any one of their numerous
performances could be that ‘special one’ when the cognoscenti deliver their votes of acceptance. The singers dig out the mufflers, scarves and shawls from the deep reaches of their closets. Every throat specialist in Chennai is ready to face the onslaught, the frantic mid-day request for an express remedy. For dancers, painkillers are suddenly their best friends. Rehearsal after rehearsal and sandwiched somewhere in-between is the concert. The homes of artists turn into fortresses. ‘Beware, an artist lives here’. During the season there are at least 20 sabhas holding their ‘annual’ festival. Organizations come in different hues. These can be graded according to age. There are, of course, the ‘vintage’, ‘know-it seen-it, done-it-alls’. There, the committee member walks around with an air of
3C Chennai 3C| |November: November 2014 Diary
Food | Chennai for foodies
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THE BEST PLACES FOR THE CARNATIC MUSIC CONCERTS 1. Music Academy Music Academy is one of the oldest and most well-known sabhas in the city. People from not just India, but all over the world flock to watch artists perform in this magnificent auditorium that is Music Academy. Artists such as Sudha Raghunathan, T.M.Krishna and Bombay Jayashree have performed in this historical auditorium. The academy is well lit, with incredible acoustics and an air conditioned theater.
2. Narada Gana Sabha Much like the Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha is also another popular sabha during the December music season. People from not just India, but all over the world flock to watch artists perform in this magnificent auditorium that is Narada Gana Sabha. Eminent artists perform in this auditorium and it is considered second best to the Music Academy. Narada Gana Sabha is also well-known for their cafeteria food.
3. Brahma Gana Sabha Known as the iconic go-to sabha during the Margazhi music season, Brahma Gana Sabha offers an excellent stage from an acoustic point of view, and great quality of food at the same time. People from not just India, but all over the world flock to watch artists perform in this magnificent auditorium that is Brahma Gana Sabha. Brahma Gana Sabha also offers many free concerts for those who enjoy listening to concerts but are unable to pay for the tickets.
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3C | November: Chennai Diary
Culture | Cultural Feast
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Cultural feast After his 10-day visit to the city and stay at DakshinaChitra, Jens Scheller, director of the Open Air Museum in Hessenpark—which is a world famous landmark and heritage site in Germany—says that the work at DakshinaChitra has international standards. Some of the houses and permanent expositions are in a better shape than the museum at Hessenpark itself, he says. “Take for example, the Muslim house that is from Aldur, Chikmagalur, gives one an impression of how the translocation of the original buildings to the museum is done.” Besides his praise for
“DakshinaChitra gives wonderful insights into the heritage of all the four South Indian States.” Left: Entrance to DakshinaChitra Above: The Tanjavur and Andhra houses
DakshinChitra, the scholar, talks about the diverse craft traditions that he came across in Kalakshetra, the spicy food and chaotic
traffic. Here, I experienced the 30°C temperature difference, exotic plants and waterfowl, delicious spicy food and friendly smiles. Most likely, anyone coming from Germany will find the traffic in Chennai remarkably chaotic. Being a geographer, I found it sad to see that you are basically in the same predicament we were in a few decades ago, trying to answer increasing mobility demands mainly by expanding the road network and building a partly underground metro transport system. DakshinaChitra gives wonderful insights into the heritage of all the four South Indian States. In the federal state of Hesse, we still have about 15 per cent of all the houses built in the traditional timber-frame style; unlike 40 years ago. They are again highly valued and people love to live in them. I can only hope that a similar process will take place in Chennai.