Venkat Raman Bharata Natyam teachers, enthusiasts and debut artistes choose at one item in a dance concert to extol the qualities of Lord Shiva, who is revered as ‘Lord Nataraja,’ or ‘The King of Dances.’ He constitutes the continuity of this ancient Classical Dance of South India, which is now gaining increasing popularity around the world. Extolling Lord Shiva in…
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Venkat Raman Reviewing a Bharata Natyam Arangetram is always a challenging and interesting exercise. Does one praise the debutante as a measure of encouragement or provide a critical review which may disillusion the artiste and enrage his or her guru, parents and supporters? However, teenager Akshaya Pushparajah won the hearts of the audience with an almost perfect performance at her…
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Michael Norris After a week-long controversy, New Zealand’s public broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ) has withdrawn a proposal to axe its classical music station RNZ Concert. But despite the sudden backtrack, RNZ Concert isn’t safe yet. Whatever the final outcome of RNZ’s rethink, it is clear that the board and management placed little value on the significant role the station plays in New Zealand…
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Tamil Association of New Zealand event on January 25 Venkat Raman Traditions of Tamil Nadu will come alive with the participation of men, women and children at a major event scheduled to be held later this month in Auckland. Kolam, Pallankuzhi, Kabaddi, various other sporting events, music, dance and cuisine of Tamil Nadu will be among the features of the…
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Venkat Raman We have long held the view that while there are professional organisations such as the New Zealand Carnatic Music Society, Sangeetha Bharathi School of Music and Rasikas New Zealand promoting Carnatic Music and budding singers and instrumentalists, and while there are parents encouraging them, the success of our young men and women depend on their own commitment and…
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Supplied Content (Edited) British actor and presenter Kiran Rai is a man with many hats. He is an international model, actor, comedian, broadcaster, agent, media coordinator and chat show host. His family lives in New Zealand, a good enough reason for Kiran Rai to visit the country often, but his global engagements and ambition to become an actor in Hindi…
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My Heart Goes Thadak Thadak at Q Theatre from November 21 Supplied Content In the lead up to the silly season, audiences will get a chance to become extras in a boisterous new play from visionary writer and director Ahi Karunaharan. Playing at Q Theatre from November 21 to December 14, 2019, ‘My Heart Goes Thadak Thadak’ channels the controlled…
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Staff Reporter Tamilians in the South Island city of Dunedin will get together to celebrate the Festival of Lights next fortnight. Organised by the Dunedin Tamil Society, the event will be held on November 16, 2019, at the University of Otago Union Hall, located at 640 Cumberland Street in North Dunedin. Tickets for the event, including entertainment and dinner, are…
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Venkat Raman Ramya Ramachandran, a Resident of Toronto, Canada won the ‘Tamil Karaoke Star 2019’ title at the finals of the contest held in Auckland on Saturday, October 12, 2019. Her winning songs (with $1000 cash prize and a Trophy) were ‘En Mel Vizhunthal’ and ‘Kaatre En Vaasal Vanthaai’ (composed by A R Rahman respectively for Tamil films ‘May Matham’…
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Staff Reporter The Auckland based Urdu Hindi Cultural Association of New Zealand launched its first book containing a collection of poems written by local bards. Association Patron and National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi released the Book, called, ‘Safed Badlon Ke Desh Mein,’ (‘Aotearoa’ or ‘In the Land of the Long White Cloud’) on Sunday, October 20, 2019 in West Auckland.…
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