Call it a passion, love, dedication or belonging...anything and everything in Chennai you should experience and yeah, few need to change too!

This post is a part of the Tablog titled CBC TABLOG-2. CBC is the Chennai Blogging Club which is the most happening Bloggers community. We the members of CBC bring out the Voice of Chennai .This Tablog  is a relay of post about “One aspect of Chennai that I would like to change” where 30 members from the group shell out that aspect which we would want to change and make this beautiful city even wonderful .

Dear Friends,

It was during the Indiblogger Meet held at Hotel Hyatt, that I pulled myself after a long stint in hospital due to prolonged illness to meet my co-bloggers.  I sat quietly at the first few tables and started to watch...suddenly I hear a roaring sound behind me..just few tables away...within few minutes I realized that they are all from CBC...the most loved blogger community in the city.  I quietly admired them, loved watching them having fun and wished one day I would be part of them.  Very soon, I was one amongst them and attending to the bloggers meet in CCD, Nungambakam.  That's it.  I met so many like minded friends, with millions of thoughts and thousands of topics to discuss, write and criticize, appreciate and admire all around me.  

One thing that bonded us all together-  CBC- Chennai Bloggers Club. Yes, today I am proudly a part of this beautiful group of people.  And I found a naughty young girl S(T)ri....Srilakhmi Indrasenan who blogs at http://iamstri.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/chennai-oops-i-mean-madras-my-love/

When we first met at Chandini Chowk for dinner, I did not think I would come across a beautiful little weirdo who is just like me...many things, talks and crazy stuff.  If one day can make someone strong friends, we are just an example for that.  We ate so much, had fun and partied till we got dropped tired..yet, we loved being in touch, following each other and amazingly getting closer with each passing day.  Love you Sri and Happy Birthday Girl.

As part of the CBC Tablog, I would love to be part of this amazing thread of blogs

There are million things that I love in Chennai..being a proud resident who fell head over heals in love with the city.   However, painfully there are many things that make our city crying for change.  As Sri said, we can write a thesis, a serial, a book and one full volume about this.

One thing I would personally want to bring in a change would be stop beggars in the city.  As children and destitute women knock on our car window panes, my heart bleeds.  For I know the wounds are greed inflicted. The women are abused and drugged.  Morning they are sent for begging and evenings they end up as prey to the predating brokers who control them.  Infants sleeping all the time as the rented mothers make them hang in the half torn sacks around the necks, I feel liking taking the child away from her arms to a rehab center and rescue both the woman and the child.  But how many signal stops will I be doing this?.

There were several government initiatives to curb this menace from the city.  The tragic part is that these women and children run away the second day from the rehab centers.  They don't stick on to the schools and micro employment units where they are sent to revive their lives.  The drugs, the easy money, the left over food, getting habituated to sleep on roads and to the sex and liquor take them back to their routine lives very easily.  Unless and until each one of us resolve to stop supporting them, and push them back to lives away from this menace, this tragedy on roads will never come to an end.

Being a social activist,  I am sure I have hit on a tough topic..though I want to capture the fun parts of the city like letting the dance floors open till 4 am, round the clock biryani centers,  spreading the fragrance of jasmine, and asking the devotees to keep the temple surroundings clean after eating never ending prasadams., especially in Nanganallur....and so on.  Anyway, there is always a day to rant about what I feel...for my train of thoughts never end.  

This tread would continue....the love for the city would go on ..as we celebrate the Madras Week starting next week and would have more choices to feel proud of and equally vent our anger on things we want to change....and now its time for my friend and co-blogger Kalaivani to take this forward.   A good food blogger whose posts make you feel yummy and would fall in love with  food and the easy tips she gives in her blog.  Its a pleasure knowing her and going through her blog.

You can find Kalai blog at http://kalainiha.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/one-aspect-i-would-like-to-change-in.html

Kalai's Samaiyal: One Aspect I Would Like To Change In Chennai

kalainiha.blogspot.co.uk

Love you CBC and Love you Chennai!

Love,

Umasree

Macbeth comes to life with Mummers from MacTrics celebrating 60th year of the Mighty Pen from Vietnam House

A review from a passionate theater lover!

Macbeth -  presented by MacTrics (a Mime and Body Theater Group)  for Vietnam House celebrating  60^th year of the mighty pen – dramatization and narration by Legend Vietnam Veedu Sundaram and presented by Prince Educational Trust.   Inaugurated on 5^th of August 2014 at Smt. Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium, Mylpore. Chennai. 

This is the first ever production of presenting Macebeth in amazing medium of silence and only in action.  Life of Brad and Brad of Avon coming live on stage and talking to his wife of his next play in making…introduces to us a new Shakespeare in true sense.  The powerful lines of ‘We know what we are and we do not of what we may be’  resounds loudly awakening our inner selves.  Human aspirations and dreams have no end.  Macbeth is no different from this ardent urge of human beings towards power and glory. 

The introduction of the play in the voice of Brad gives the audience a sense of involvement.  The lights and sounds take us to the world of Greeks reliving the mythology.  Amazing formations on stage by the mime artists makes a visual treat.  The quick movements on the screen in flash of seconds, recreating the scenes brings Macbeth to life.  The astrouding sounds take us to the mythological warfare with ease.  Crowning of the  king after victory for a moment makes you feel like standing and giving due respects to the crown and its glory.  The amazing expression on the artists makes you feel out of place and takes you to Scotland with ease.  The chamber of Lady Macbeth and crucification of Christ scenes gives you a feel of reality and splendor.  The bonus are the dance and the war scenes where the artists play with grace and act with swiftness keeping their expressions in tact and the purpose of the play in tune. 

Vikas as Macbeth is a sure replication of the king in the Brad’s original story.  Lady Macbeth acting by Rani makes you have the feel of pride, happiness, glory and villainess all mixed and quickly shown to match the scenes makes her a proving actor.  Madhuvanthi Arun as Anne Hathaway and Sundar Subramanian as Brad himself adds more glory to the play

Amazing direction by Sravanth  and aptly done music by Giri and lights by Charles Baby makes the play completely a visual treat.  Mummers were amazingly talented and expressions were a delight to watch…Hemanth, Vairamuthu (who also did the stunts), Rajesh, Athiv, Karthik, Abishek,run, Gandaprakash, Senthil,Sandhya, Dipali kesh, Mahesh, Mukesh, Shiva, Sandhya, Dipali , Jayashree, Shankar, Satya, Prithiv, Karthick, Abhisehk, Hari, Prashanth, Sridhar and Naresh and Siddharth.

Dancers Lavnya, Sneha, Dhwani, Sakshi, Ananya and Marian were very graceful and full of life on the stage

There are many who contributed to the success of this play in the most innovative way.  As the world is moving towards 4D and animation,  the animation on the stage through the oldest form of human expression of mime is a real bold venture and they have done the best.  When the audience cheered at end of every scene, it means that the objective of the stage and performers is achieved.   Stage is nothing but the lap of godess of arts and when the audience cheers , it is the best thing any artist can ask for.  Having performance this same play my school days,  this opportunity to see this Macbeth ringed the bells of childhood and glory.   Yes, manin audience would ve travelled to the memory of waching the plays and dramas of Brad of Avon.   I am no different than being an obedient viewer who loved every moment watching the young breed of talents perform with ease and grandenuer on the stage.  It is a true treat to all theatre lovers.  Long live the aspirations and success coupled with happiness of contented performances from MacTrics team.   Well Done!

----------------About Macbeth-------------------------from Wikipedia

Macbeth (Original Title; The Tragedy of Macbeth) is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, and is considered one of his darkest and most powerful works. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil is chosen as a way to fulfil the ambition for power.

Macbeth is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of arrogance, madness, and death.

•           Duncan – King of Scotland

•           Malcolm – Duncan's elder son

•           Donalbain – Duncan's younger son

•           Macbeth – a general in the army of King Duncan; originallyThane of Glamis, then Thane of Cawdor, and later King of Scotland

•           Lady Macbeth – Macbeth's wife, and later Queen of Scotland

•           Banquo – Macbeth's friend and a general in the army of King Duncan

•           Fleance – Banquo's son

•           Macduff – Thane of Fife

•           Lady Macduff – Macduff's wife

•           Macduff's son

•           Ross, Lennox, Angus, Menteith, Caithness – Scottish Thanes

•           Siward – General of the English forces

•           Young Siward – Siward's son

•           Seyton – Macbeth's servant and attendant

•           Hecate – Queen of the witches

•           Three Witches

•           Three Murderers

•           Porter – gatekeeper at Macbeth's home

•           Doctor – Lady Macbeth's doctor

•           Gentlewoman – Lady Macbeth's caretaker