Madras Week at Vanilla Place, Mylapore August 18, 2008

PHOTOS, FOLKSONGS AND POETRY IN CELEBRATION OF MADRAS/CHENNAI CITY'S 369TH BIRTHDAY!

PHOTO EXHIBITION AND SALE
Opening night: August 18 2008
Time: 7pm

From August 18 to August 24 , organised by Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan and The Chennai Photowalk. Photos are of Chennai, as seen through the eyes of the photographers who participated in the first nine photowalks. All photos exhibited are available for purchase.

The Chennai Photowalk is a movement of the residents of Chennai to preserve the city's heritage in the form of photos. Young and old, professional and the hobbyist, photographers of all description meet, walk and capture a view of the city mostly overlooked.

“THE SEA STORY”: A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ON OPENING NIGHT
A special storytelling drama with folksongs by the Nochikuppam seafishing community, facilitated by the World Storytelling Institute and hosted by Eric Miller.

“The Sea Story” summary: One evening, a mother sings a lullaby to a child (Thalattu pattu). That night, some men go in a kuttumaram to fish in the sea (Rowing pattu). One man is lost in a storm, and some women on shore lament for the lost man (Oppari pattu). Finally, the lost man re-appears – he was rescued by a sea-turtle! – and the community members are filled with joy (Celebration pattu).

SPOKEN WORD READINGS AND OPEN MICS
From August 18 to August 24 at 8pm every night, hosted by Sharanya Manivannan.

August 18 – "Cities+Pride" (Opening Night)
August 19 – "Cities+Envy"
August 20 – "Cities+Wrath"
August 21 – "Cities+Sloth"
August 22 – "Cities+Greed"
August 23 – "Cities+Gluttony"
August 24 – "Cities+Lust"

Local poets both famous and soon-to-be-famous explore the idea of cities as hubs of sins from different angles. Debauchery or divine redemption? A bit of both is promised each night, along with poetry and prose both original and admired. Performers include Kuttirevathi, Vivek Narayanan, Deesh Mariwala and Sharanya Manivannan. Open mic readings are open to all. Please contact sharanya.manivannan@gmail.com.

For further details, please contact Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan – +919884467463.