Indian Newslink April 15, 2016 Digital Edition

28 ENTERTAINMENTLINK
April 15, 2016
Tamil playback singers for Sangam Anniversary
Venkat Raman
venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz
Two popular playback
singers of South
Indian cinema will be in
Auckland to celebrate the
15th Anniversary of Muthamil
Sangam in June.
They are married couple,
rare, among a handful of
husband-wife team.
MJ Shriram and Srilekha
Parthasarathy will be the star
attraction at the celebrations
scheduled to be held at Dorothy
Winstone Centre, Auckland
Girls Grammar School, 16
Howe Street, Freemans Bay in
Auckland on June 5, 2016.
The event is a major achievement
for Muthamil Sangam
which conducts a few regular
activities, although not on the
scale that it did a few years ago.
The Association has modest
financial resources and does not
enjoy overwhelming generosity
of sponsors and advertisers
but promotes programmes to
preserve Tamil culture and
values.
Tamil Nadu has a rich heritage
and Tamil-speaking people are
passionate about their language
and culture. Hence, programmes
that are well-organised to
promote these aspects of the
community would find public
patronage and interest.
Pride & Partnership
That said, the forthcoming
15th Anniversary celebrations
should instill a sense of pride
and spirit of partnership and
participation among the small
population of people from
Tamil Nadu in Auckland. The
Sangam will do well to persuade
the dissenting members and
former members to reunite
for the good of Tamilians and
their language and culture. The
time to forget the differences
of the past and become a part
Muthamil Sangam extols women and children
(Picture taken during Tenth Anniversary celebrations)
of the whole is now. On its
part, the Sangam should also
become more responsible and
responsive, apart from being
more inclusive.
The Tamilian community in
New Zealand is too small to
afford fragmentation.
That said, we look forward
with pleasure to the event on
June 5, 2016.
MJ Shriram
Shriram is a singer as well as
actor and interior designer.
He began his journey in
music when he was five years
old and has since participated
in a number of competitions,
cultural programmes and stage
shows in Tamil Nadu, other
parts of India and overseas.
“Singing is my passion and
any type of music energies my
mind, soul and body. Winning
the Best Singer Award at the
Chennai based Loyola College
in 1988-1989 was the biggest
motivation and inspiration. I
have never had an occasion to
look back since then,” he said.
The most impressionable
incident occurred in his career
in 1993 when Kamal Hassan,
one of the greatest stars of Tamil
Cinema gave him an opportunity
to perform with him at a
stage show in Singapore in 1993.
Thereafter, he began singing
with chorus in film songs and
soon grew to become a solo
singer.
In 1996, he established his
own group called ‘Shri Raham,’
and has more than 6500 stage
performances as a singer in
India, Singapore and Malaysia
and over 750 shows as a group.
His foray as an actor began
with a television serial jointly
produced by Television Corporation
Singapore and Vaishnavi
Films Chennai, for Singapore
Television.
Many others followed,
popular among them being,
‘Kanakanden Thozhi’ and
‘Krishna Cottage.’
His association with the film
industry has been eventful
with ‘Sivakaasi,’ starring ‘Ilaya
Thalapathi’ Vijay becoming a
major success at the box-office.
He has recorded two songs for
‘Paccha Kudhira.’
Srilekha Parthasarathy
Srilekha Parthasarathy
Born and raised in Delhi, Srilekha
Parthasarathy has been a
singer since her formative years.
She learnt Carnatic, Hindustani
and Western Classical Music
from renowned masters and
is proud of her multilingual
talent which accounts for 16
languages.
Her professional journey in
music began with jingles and
albums which included ‘Mehndi
Ki Raat’,‘Mehndi Ni Mehndi’,
‘Punjabi Non-stop’ in Punjabi
and others.
‘Dina Dhorum Vaanguven
Idhayam,’a commercial for
‘Idhayam Oil’ picturised on
Tamil actress ‘Jothika’introduced
her to the Tamil music industry.
Many more advertisements
followed, including ‘Idhayam
Dots’‘Chennai Silks,’ Sakthi
Masala’s ‘Suvaya Manama’,
Saravana Stores’ ‘Vittaacchu
Shiram
Vittaacchu’, Mohe Bhool Gaye
Saavariya’ (Hindi)for Britannia,
Jeyyam Paruppu (Daal),
Jeyachandran Textiles, Shanti
Coconut Oil, Anbu Silks,and
‘Vidha Vidhamaai’ Khazaana
Jewellers.
Turning Point
Music Director ‘Harris
Jeyaraj’launched her as a
playback singer in films with
‘Yedho Onru’ for the movie
‘Laysa Laysa’.
“The swing kept moving with
various other hits like ‘Poo
Mugam Siricha’ (‘Junction’)
‘Kaadhalaagi’ with SP Balasubrahmanyam(‘Popcorn’),‘Don’t
worry be Happy’ (‘Whistle’)
and ‘Sutthi Sutthi Varuven’
(‘Sena’).The swing took a
leap with the Blockbuster hit
‘KalyanamDhaan Kattikkittu’
(‘Saamy’) which topped all the
music charts in the Tamil film
industry,” Srilekha said.
Indian Newslink will profile
Muthamil Sangam highlighting
its literary and cultural
programmes including Tamil
classes, Tamil Radio, Pongal,
Tamil New Year, Deepavali and
other festivals in the ensuing
issues. We will also bring you
more information on the 15th
Anniversary celebrations and
the visiting playback singers.
Entertainment, laughter and food to greet Raj Charan
Venkat Raman
venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz
Members of the
family of Raj Prabhash
Charan were
present at the Indian
Newslink Indian Business
Awards Presentation ceremony
held on Monday, November
23, 2015 where he won the
‘Business Excellence in Retail
Trade’ Award.
“You are the pride of our
family and you richly deserve
this honour,” they said.
In their comments, the
panel of judges, independent of
Indian Newslink had said, “We
commend Raj, a very committed
and enthusiastic owner of
Hunua General Store; he has
excelled at aligning his customer
needs with his business, and
promoted high levels of customer
care. It was exhilarating to
see the business model of this
Store and the way it has become
the pride of making a difference
in the community.”
The fact that Raj cares for his
friends was evident at the party
that he hosted at the Karaka
War Memorial Hall in the South
Auckland rural setting on Saturday,
March 12, 2016 with almost
200 men, women and children.
Some of them had travelled
Raj Charan with little Atinsha Kumar, Anmol, Priyanka, Vrinda, Ronita, little Tanush and
Prashant at his 45th Birthday Party
Raj Charan with (from left) Dr Nasser Sheik, Mohammed Iqbal, Chandu
Patel and Deepak Ratti
from Gisborne (his brother
Vikash and sister-in-law Ashika
Charan and others), Hamilton
and Wellington to greet their
favourite friend, brother, uncle
and most important of all a fine
human being.
Young at heart
No one believed that he was
45 years old. For in thought and
spirit, he is never a day more
than 21 years of age.
Friends and family from Fiji,
Australia and America had sent
their greetings in words and
gifts for the occasion, which also
marked the coming together of
Raj and Ronita Radesh. There
was goodwill and love all over
the place.
Raj’s mother Chanchala Charan
commenced the proceedings
with her blessings and words of
welcome, which was followed
by a Haka by Cathy Pryor and
other senior performers from
Pakuranga Marae.
Ratna Venkat presented a
‘Lord Shiva Dance’ in Kuchipudi
style, followed by a Hindi film
dance item by Kaur Singh and
belly dance. Drinks and dinner
continued as guests danced
late into the night to the music
played by DJ Vick Singh.
Reinka Ratti, Mawish Sheik, Reshma Ratti, Ishana Ratti, Sara Sheik, Henna Morice,
Priyanka Charan, Mustafa Sheik and Prashant Ratti at the Party