Gold Winner - SYMA Child Fest 2010 - 11 :: Sunday 6th Feb 2011

 "நாடெங்கும் வாழ - கேடு ஒன்றும் இல்லை" என அனைவரும் நன்கு வாழ்வதே நம் குறிக்கோள்.   தண்ணீர் நில நலத்தால், தக்கோர் குணம் கொடையால் என வைகறையாமம் துயில் எழுந்து நற்செயல்கள் செய்வாரோடு சேர்கிறோம்.

It was a very happy conclusion to the Gold Winner SYMA Child Fest 2010-2011 at the Mylapore Fine Arts Club on 6th Feb 2011.  We had a great day at Hindu Higher School where the Drawing Competitions went off very well.  Now, the final day function was to be held at a place away from our locality and we had to plan a great deal for its smooth flow.

On Saturday (5/2/11) the working group of SYMA was at the Venue, spent hours in studying the minutest details and planning the action on field.  On the day of Competition i.e., 6th Feb 2011 – SYMA volunteers and Soundarya Rathnamala were ferried to the venue in a van arranged by us. The venue looked colourful and the day started quite early.  At around 0900 am, the day’s events were inaugurated.  S. Sampathkumar welcomed audience explaining briefly the concept of Child Fest and TA Sampathkumar presided over.  Miss S. Saindhavi, playback singer inaugurated the Fete and lighted the kuthu vilakku alongwith the President and Soundarya Rathnamala.

Miss  S. Saindhavi is a young upcoming singer.  She shot to fame with the song 'randakka' in Anniyan.  She has more than 500 songs to her credit.  Has released more than 200 albums and has sung in 20 international albums with Grammy award winner Buono.  Her titles include : Yuva Kala Bharathi, Kural Isai Chelvi, Isai Chudar, Young Achiever award 2005 from Stansfield School of Business, Singapore and from Rotary Club.  Inagurating the function, she said that she was happy to be in such a function of a Social Organisation of prominence and with her Sociology background was keen to do social service.  She exuded confidene and was humble.  She impressed everyone with her humility and charming behaviour.  It was indeed a good start to the day's functions.

The First event was Singing of Carnatic songs.  The stage at Mylapore Fine Arts had been the podium for great singers and this time, it was young students of various schools who actively participated.  It was pleasant music to ears.  The singers were judged by Mylai Sisters Revathi & Priyashree who also rendered a good song. The next event was  Singing of Film songs which had enthusiastic participation.

Alongside, the Quiz preliminary which was a written round consisting of 20 Questions was held for Group A (6th to 9th] and Group B [10th to 12th] was held. Some of the questions were topical and tested the knowledge of the events that captured headlines in newspapers.  Here are some example [from both groups]

On 20th March 2011, which teams would play at Chennai in the last of WC group matches ?  [India Vs West Indies]

Name any one English word that starts with letter ‘dw’ [dwarf, dwell, dwindle – DWT for a marine insurer ?]

Name the Times Person of the Year 2010 {Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook]

Which famous newspaper group had its office on the land where you now shop at E.A. Mall (the new spanky mall near Royapettah clock tower] ?  - the Indian Express [Dinamani] group

Which major landmark at Chennai stands at the erstwhile Govt. Omandhurar Estate ?  -  Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat.

At 0100 noon – we had the finals of Quiz – first the A group, followed by B.  This time, there was good no.  of audience present and answered some of the questions thrown at them,  when the winning teams were not able to answer.  The PPT show was the brainchild of Brahma Associates [thanks to N Rajaram, Sridhar Joshi and Sundar].  The Quiz was conducted by Sundar and S. Sampathkumar. Qs on wide range of subjects were freely  interspersed with photos which kept everyone guessing.

Variety of instruments accompanied by performers started pouring in and at 02.30 pm we had the competition ‘Instrument Fusion’ which was a team event of 4 students per team.  It was indeed a great variety. Then came the most colourful performance of Group Dance – group of 6 forming a team @ 03.30 pm

The crowd was filling in large numbers – everywhere one can see painted children and anxious mothers.  There were snails, peacocks, tiger, Lord Ananjaneya, Budha, Gandhi, Barathiyar, science equipments and more – yes all beautiful children dressed and decorated capturing the attention and eyes of all.  Unlike competitions elsewhere, at SYMA Fancy dress competition, there would be no dialogues or recitation of verses nor individual parading. Since children come in huge numbers, after registration, they are given a token and would be on stage in batches of 10.  The Judges naturally had a tough time in deciding.

குழவி தளர்நடை  காண்தலும், அவர் மழலை கேட்டலும் மிக இனிது என ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றோரும் தமது குழந்தைகளை காண விழைவார்,  - so for capturing their nice moments,  Thirumazhisai Kannan assisted by Revathi were at hand in taking photos and ensured instant photo printing, much to the happiness of all parents.

There was a huge contingent of SYMA volunteers readily available to do all chores.  The group of Soundarya Rathnamala took care of the registration formalities and ensured distribution of certificates and gifts  to all participants.  Over all, it was a neatly organized colourful show.

At 0630 pm, we had the Prize Distribution Function.  It was a great occasion as our Chief Guest for the evening were:

Hon’ble Thiru. Justice V. Ramasubramanian.

Special Guests were Mrs Sudha Ragunathan and R. Ashwin.

Ms Sudha Ragunathan, Hon'ble Justice Thiru V Ramasubramanian & Self

Me, Mrs Sudha Ragunathan, Ashwin and TA Sampathkumar

The programme started with a prayer by Mrs Prema Krishna Mohan of Soundarya Rathinamala.  S. Sampathkumar compered the programme, welcoming everyone and introducing the Chief Guests.  T.A. Sampathkumar, President spoke on the various activities of SYMA and on the vision of SYMA.  The growth of the Organisation and the impact that Child Fest had made in city schools was also touched upon.  கற்றார் முன் கல்வி உரைத்தலும் மிக்காரை சேர்தலும் மிக இனிது என எப்போதும் உயர்ந்தவர்களோடு சேர விழைகிறோம்.

Here is some of what was spoken about our Chief Guest of the day : Hon’ble Thiru. Justice V. Ramasubramanian.

“ … The Supreme created the Universe and created matter out of nothing but when humanity developed there was need for certain principles.  In  the days of yore, the principal duty of King was to govern his subjects according to LAW.  One of the good legacies that British left us is the fine system of judiciary.   The Indian Judiciary has flourished in free India contributing to good governance and to the achievement of goal of equality enshrined in the Constitution.   The Nation is fortunate to have some great human beings standing tall in delivering Justice and interpreting law in the most appropriate manner.  A great person amongst them is in our midst .

Hon’ble Thiru Justice V Ramasubramanian, sir , was born in 1958 – studied in the famous Hindu High School (Triplicane) and then in Vivekananda College.  He enrolled as a member of Bar in 1983 and practiced  under Senior advocates.  He was appointed as Addl Judge of High Court of Madras on 31st July 2006.  He is known to be a master of the art of writing Judgments bringing out fragrance alongwith deliverance.  One of his great judgements in a case related to Internet (the first in India) he observed that  - --- ‘As a matter of fact, whether one leaves footprints on the sands of time or not, a web surfer, without even realising what is happening behind him, leaves a trail behind whenever he visits a site.’

Sir, you have already made indelible impression by your Judgments and there are thousands of followers to you.   He is also known for his knowledge in literature and philosophy. We consider it a great honour and privilege to have you as our Chief Guest and seek your kind blessings for continuing the service to Society in a big way.”

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Here is what was spoken about Mrs Sudha Ragunathan:

Her mellifluous voice has filled the air of many sabhas and today we are honoured to have the singing giant in our function.  She is a Master in Economics to add to her great singing achievements.   Born in Chennai, she did her schooling at Good Shepherd convent and her initial training from her mother, continued under BV Lakshmanan.  She rose to higher echelons, encouraged by the versatile Dr ML Vasantha KUmari.  She had the golden opportunity of providing support to MLV for a decade. ‘Music was only one of the few things she taught me.  She taught me how to live life to its fulest’ is what she vividly recalls of MLV

Lot many awards have been conferred on her which include : Bharat Jyoti by Bharatiya Vidya  Bhavan, New York in 1988; Kalaimamani in 1993; Sangeetha Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana sabha; Sangeetha Kalasaarathi from Sri Parthasarathi Swami Sabha from His Holiness Shri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Mutt, Sangeetha Saraswathi from the Mahasannidhanam of Sringeri, Gana Kuyil, Isai Peroli and more.

She also had the unique honour of rendering ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi on 27th Jan 2000 to mark the completion of 50 years of Indian Republic.

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There were loud cheers and clapping for the cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been chosen to represent India in the World Cup and here is what was spoken about him :

When history was created with India winning the WC on 25th June 1983, this tall intelligent off spinner was not even born.  Now he has become a household name. He has taken more than 100 wickets in Ranji and has a 100 to his credit in Ranji. In Dec 2006 he made his debut in Ranji, was the leading wicket taker in that year  and grown from strength to strength.  He was extremely impressive in IPL, was a revelation not only for miserly spells but also for opening the attack in a game dominated by batsmen.   In 2010 following his good performances he donned Indian colour and would from now on be a regular in the squad. He has so far played in 7 one dayers and has taken 14 wickets.  In T20s he has taken 3 in 3.

Indian cricket has now stumbled upon a great player for the future.  In its annals only 13 Indian bowlers have taken more than 100 wickets  in One dayers and that list consists of only 4 spinners (Anil Kumble, Harbhajan, Shastri & Sachin). In Tests there are 16 who have scalped more than 100 and that long list has 11 spinners [Anil Kumble, Harbhajan, Bishan Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna, Vinoo Mankad, Venkat, Shastri, Subash Gupte, Dilip Doshi & Shivlal Yadav]

Sure that in the days to come Ashwin will become a permanent member representing India in all forms and  will be among those illustrious compatriots taking more than 400 wickets  

By wishing you all the success, we are also wishing our INDIAN TEAM CAPTURE THE WORLD CUP 2011.

Mrs Sudha Ragunathan spoke highly on the culture and recalled her receiving award in the hands of Justice on an earlier occasion and how she grew up thereafter.

Silence descended at the venue as Justice Ramasubramanian made measured steps to the mike. There was rapt attention as had message for every one including the numerous children who were waiting to collect their prizes.

He started praising the voice of Sudha Ragunathan and recalling his days at Hindu High School and the times when he resided in Thiruvallikkeni.  He had memories of the temple, great streets around, as also the good people of all walks of life.  He recalled RR Dalavai, a freedom fighter who pioneered public cause in courts also.  He said that ‘hands that serve are important than the lips that pray’.

He stated that though Swami Vivekananda was born in Bengal, it was Thiruvallikkeni which had sent him to Chicago for the Hindu conference after his brief stay here.  He also recalled Swami Vivekakanda’s letter to Alasinga urging upon his to go to the Lord at Triplicane and surrender.

He recalled the day when there was power cut in US and when all shoppers made big money treating it as an opportunity but 3 hoteliers of Indian origin who chose to supply food free of cost to their guests on that day highlight the difference in thinking of people of different culture.

For children, he narrated a wonderful story ‘on giving back’ – the story of Dr Howard Kelly.  The story was :-

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods was very hungry and decided to ask for a meal at a house.  He felt ashamed when a young woman opened the door.  He asked for a cup of water but the girl realizing the situation gave him a large glass of milk.  When he asked her how much should she pay for – she replied that she was taught not accept anything for providing food.

Kelly  became an eminent Doctor and years later a woman was critically ill.  Even specialists struggled and Dr Kelly fought for days to make her recuperate.   When the final fat bill was made, Dr Kelly asked it to be sent to him for approval, looked at it and wrote something on its edge.

The patient received the bill fearing that she would not be able to pay a big amount at that point of stage in life.  She read the words ‘paid in full with one glass of milk’.

It was a powerful message which surely made all realize that we get lot of things from others throughout our life and at some point we have a duty to give something back to the Society. This was  a real life instance of Dr Howard Atwood Kelly, a famous American gynecologist  who is credited with establishing gynecology as a true specialty. He ended with a strong message that ‘education and medicine’ should not be the avenues for making money though unfortunately they are becoming costlier year after year.

We at SYMA consider it extremely blessed to have such great Noble persons attending our function and providing us valuable advices.   SYMA continues to render social service with the blessings of all such good persons and with the assistance of many philanthropists.

Mrs Sudha rendition of ‘kurai ondrum illai’ was a great gift to ears and everyone was spell bound.  The tall suave R Ashwin is known for his spinning deliveries and ‘carom’ ball – here he spoke straight from his heart on the culture still being sustained in parts of the India with Tamilnadu leading its way.

சிறந்த குணங்களாக கூறப்பட்டவை :  நன்றியறிதல், பொறையுடைமை, இன்சொல், இன்னாத எவ்வுயிர்க்கும் செய்யாமை, கல்வி, ஒப்புரவு, அறிவுடைமை, நல்லினத்தொடு நட்டல்  என்பன.  நன்றி பயன் தூக்கி வாழ்தல் நனி இனிதே என நன்றி நவிலல் இங்கே:

SYMA owes its continuance to many good persons and besides the event sponsors Gold Winner and Media Associates CR Sridhar, we have the bounden duty to thank many of those without whose help conducting an event of this magnitude would not be possible.  Formal Vote of thanks was rendered by our young Secretary R. Sanjeevi.

The Prize Distribution was an mega event as there were close to 200 prizes and we are extremely to our Chief Guest and Special Guest in distributing them individually to all the winners  much to the satisfaction of parents of the winners.

Besides individual winners, the overall ‘School of the Event’ award was bagged by DAV Girls Sr Secondary School, Gopalapuram, who retained the award by virtue of strong performance by their wards.

The meeting ended with singing of “National Anthem” by all.

SYMA thanks you all

Regards - S. Sampathkumar

Secretary.