Latest news with #Thambi
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
A touch of drama to Madras
On the topic of Tamil theatre in Chennai, K. Thambi Parthasarathy is a voice to be reckoned with. He has been on its front line from the late 1960s, as performer and observer of trends. Seventy five years old, he has taken the foot off the pedal in recent years, but only slightly. The outings to the centre stage have dwindled. But he regularly faces the centre stage, being a presence in the audience at plays staged at the Sabhas of South Chennai, particularly those in Mylapore and Mandaveli, the latter his home turf. Over the decades, Thambi has seen acting heavyweights up close, their acting skills being shaped and crystallised by the stage and exported to the silver screen and the tellie. A typical example is that of Raja Venkatraman becoming actor Srikanth. Thambi himself has had dalliances with these electronic mediums, but never let them supplant his love for the stage. During much of his active theatre career, Thambi held a government job, being on the rolls of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). The stage is easier on the practitioner in terms of time. Convenient late-evening hours can be scooped out of the week for rehearsals. The weekend can be arm-twisted without any resistance into accommodating performances. In case that gives the impression that Thambi viewed theatre as something to be pursued on the sidelines, take this. He took home the Best Actor award by the Mylapore Academy in 1991. Long-time Tamil theatre aficionados would remember his standout performance in Komal Swaminathan's Thanneer Thanneer; as also the one as Azhvarkadiyar in Ponniyin Selvan, directed for the stage by Prakash Kutty. Not a surprise when you consider that his passion for theatre was born early and home-brewed. Thambi's father S. Kannan (a chartered accountant who had been engaged in the freedom struggle) co-founded Entertainers Group with his friends, Director Chellappa and Bala Subramaniam. A young Thambi started wearing greasepaint for the stage, encouraged by Director Chellappa, who helmed seven of Entertainers Group's stage productions. Thambi would emulate his father in as much he would keep his day job and passion for theatre in tightly-sealed compartments, ensuring justice is done to both. Rehearsals were almost always held at Thambi's Mandaveli home. For every play, the cast committed themselves to a minimum of 30 days' practice before facing the audience. The 1,500 house had a thatched-roof first floor, a space that became their cocoon of creativity and growth. Among memories not blurred by time is that of K. R. Vijaya's diligent commitment to rehearsals — yes, she was part of Entertainers Group before attaining celluloid fame. 'She would come for rehearsals every single day,' recalls Thambi. 'Though practice would start at six in the evening, she would arrive much earlier for some social banter with my mother and grandmother.' Rehearsals were never hurried run-throughs. The director and writer would take meaningful pauses and fine-tune scenes, recreating the play right till the time the stage is just a nervous step away. Sessions ran from 6–6:30 p.m. to 9–9:30 p.m., getting extended as the premiere loomed large. Since all members had day jobs, evenings were their only window for practice. Entertainers Group seemed to have consciously applied filters that narrowed down the focus to comedy. A signature production was Love in Madurai, written by K.K. Raman, a comedy-spinner par excellence with an expansive sphere of influence, one that touched stalwarts such as Crazy Mohan. Thambi takes a well-considered and balanced view of comedy. While acknowledging its place, he was clear about enforcing its limits. He points out: 'Comedy should come along with the story,' he says. 'Nowadays the aim is only at comedy. People say they come here only for relaxation.' He champions serious theatre, as borne out by his admiration for Fathima Babu's Un Kannil Neer Vazhindhal, which packed a punch without punchlines. When Parthasarathy later worked with other drama troupes, rehearsals shifted to new spaces. V. S. Raghavan's plays were practised at his Raja Annamalai home; the Prasanna troupe met at director Prasanna's Royapettah residence or at Venkateshwara School in Abhiramapuram; and Komal Swaminathan's plays were often kneaded together at a Kalyana mandapam in T. Nagar. Having a theatre career spanning decades and nearly half-a-dozen troupes and a wide variety of plays (including Major Sundarrajan's historical plays), one is bound to be at the coalface of changes overtaking the medium. He has seen the stage change in how it looked and sounded. He has heard plays move from live music to gramophone and then to pre-recorded tape and now to higher technology, where much is wired invisibly to the cloud. 'We brought in pre-recorded songs during dramas,' he says, recalling how he and his friend Suresh made that small tweak, one that helped change the backstage game. In those days, production costs were modest, but so were the returns. 'We never earned a profit,' Parthasarathy admitted. 'We even funded the plays ourselves. It was never about the money; it was about contributing to the art form.' The highlights Plays by Entertainers Group include Aravanudhan Aasai; Kavilum Thaalamum; Love in Madurai; Top Secret; Dhideer Manaivi; Suya Dharisanam; and Karaiyai Thodatha Alaigal Thambi Parthasarathy has acted in over 60 television serials. Notable serials include Kasalavu Nesam (directed by K. Balachander); Raghu Vamsam; Premi and Veetukku Veedu Looti. Lessons and associations Thambi Parathasarathy has earned friends and well-wishers across the performance arts, and has also got to hone his craft with lessons learnt from the stalwarts, including actor Nagesh. He has seen Nagesh essay roles on the stage and has also had the pleasure of discussing with him, the nuances of stage acting. Thambi had a long theatrical association with actor Srikanth, who personified an abiding love for the stage. Srikanth would not sever the umbilical cord he had with the stage even after celluloid success; he formed Sri Theatre.
CNA
01-08-2025
- Business
- CNA
Dying or thriving? The curious case of Holland Village and One Holland Village's contrasting fortunes
Much has been made of the slow and painful loss of Holland Village's identity over the past year, following the closures of several longstanding establishments. These include the magazine stand Thambi, party shop Khiam Teck, soft-serve ice cream parlour Sunday Folks and furniture store Lim's Holland Village. More recently, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao shut its doors in June after two decades; and Wala Wala Cafe Bar, open since 1993, is expected to close before its lease ends this year. Whereas the end of a heritage business anywhere else in Singapore might evoke a general sense of sadness, the string of notable closures in Holland Village throughout 2024 to date means outrage and nostalgia are now practically synonymous with the neighbourhood's identity. And it would appear this identity is dying, at least judging by news headlines. In reality, the vibe shift is less clear-cut – the once-bustling expatriate enclave has not entirely faded into the background. ARE PARTS OF HOLLAND VILLAGE 'THRIVING'? Since breaking the news on the departures of Thambi, Khiam Teck and Lim's Holland Village in 2024, CNA Lifestyle has been a regular visitor to the neighbourhood. Over the past two months in particular, we have spent a couple of days each week observing foot traffic across various parts of Holland Village. Admittedly, the older pockets – particularly along Lorong Mambong and Lorong Liput – lack the vibrancy that once made the neighbourhood a cool hangout, even in mid-day. On weekday afternoons, most food and beverage (F&B) outlets see only a handful of patrons. Pre-pandemic, these stretches would've been teeming with office workers out for lunch – the lower footfall now could be related to the persistence of hybrid work arrangements. Still, the area hasn't grown completely quiet. Come evening, bars and restaurants see a noticeable uptick in activity, although the crowds no longer pack the streets as they once did. Amid the neighbourhood's supposed decline, casual dining restaurant Chip Bee Bistro – the brainchild of PS Cafe co-founder Peter Teo – opened on Jul 24 in the heart of Chip Bee Gardens in Holland Village. And then, there is One Holland Village, the mixed-use development under Far East Organization whose outdoor concept mall opened in December 2023. The lifestyle destination – which replaced the large open-air car park adjacent to Lorong Mambong and Lorong Liput – has successfully drawn crowds since its opening, including during weekdays. And it's particularly popular among pet owners for its pet-friendly approach. It is hardly the ghost town that many seem to associate with its surrounding vicinity. For Professor Chang Tou Chuang, who teaches social and cultural geography at the National University of Singapore (NUS), One Holland Village is 'thriving to the point where (sometimes) you cannot go there for a meal without a reservation'. But even outside the neighbourhood's newest lifestyle hub, he's had to wait 45 minutes on a Monday afternoon for a foot massage in Holland Road Shopping Centre – despite some floors of the place having gotten 'very, very quiet' thanks to vacant shop lots. 'So although we say some places are dying, the manicure and massage and foot reflexology places are still taking a huge chunk of units on the third floor there. They're not F&B (so) they provide something totally different,' he told CNA Lifestyle. "When we say the whole of Holland Village is going to decline, (we have to) be very precise which parts we mean," he cautioned. The area cannot be treated as a 'homogenous whole'. ONE HOLLAND VILLAGE AS CASE STUDY Despite nostalgia-driven narratives, the urge to save what's left of the Holland Village many of us remember feels counterproductive at this stage with change well underway. With the last two vestiges of its 'architectural identity' – party shop Khiam Teck and magazine stand Thambi – now gone, there is scant physical structure remaining that would be considered central to Holland Village's soul, Prof Chang believes. Rather, the neighbourhood's iconic identity has always been tied to its buzzing atmosphere created by crowds 'milling around'. And there's still hope that it can return. As such, what matters more now is how Holland Village – and in particular the emergence of One Holland Village – can offer lessons on what meaningful urban evolution might look like in Singapore. A survey of 2,000 people in Singapore aged 16 and above, conducted in 2021 by DesignSingapore Council and various government agencies, found that the top reason people love places in their neighbourhoods is that they can spend time with their loved ones there. The second most common reason was that these places granted them a space to take a breather and escape everyday life. And as far as some who spoke to CNA Lifestyle were concerned, One Holland Village has been able to tick these boxes through its 'placemaking' – the process of designing public spaces into places that foster community connection, identity and liveability. Office worker Raynaldo Pagsinohin shared that he enjoys visiting the mall during lunch, often by himself. The 58-year-old, who has been working at Buona Vista for 16 years, used to head to One-north or Clementi for lunch. Now, he's at One Holland Village around twice a week, largely drawn to the area by its open concept, green architecture and many seats available for people-watching. The relaxing ambiance is 'friendly to my eyes', he said, highlighting its similarity to another of his favourite spots, HillV2 at Hillview. The mixed-use development in Bukit Batok is also part of Far East Organization's slate of malls, and adopts a similar design. Meanwhile, 51-year-old Ruby Huang frequents One Holland Village once a week, because most of the restaurants are pet-friendly. Even if they don't allow pets inside, there is plenty of outdoor seating, the owner of a corgi said. She's not alone. The mall can feel 'a bit overwhelming' with even more pet-owners and their pets on weekends, she added, but noted that the crowd is a good sign. 'It's thriving to the point that Holland Road Shopping Centre now says pets are welcome too, not just in the (CS Fresh) supermarket, although you must still put them into a stroller (when you're inside the building). That change only happened after One Holland Village opened, I believe.' WHAT MAKES A PLACE When it comes to placemaking, the key lies less in applying novel concepts and more in understanding how the community will use the space. According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) 2021 report, How To Make A Great Place, 'the small details matter'. For example, the way seating is arranged can influence the way people enjoy use and enjoy the space. The design of spaces should create opportunities for 'chance encounters and social interactions', the report said. At One Holland Village, for instance, the Village Square is a 530sqm open-air public space sheltered by a canopy. It creates a 'central focal point' for gatherings, events and performances by offering a shared space that invites community participation, said Far East Organization's executive director for property services Marc Boey. The chairs and tables in the Village Square are available for anyone to arrange to their liking at any time, added NUS' Prof Chang. It's an example of how an urban space 'provides the resources and lets people use them' however they wish, giving them a sense of responsibility to the wider community. It aligns with one of the elements that make a great place, as stated in the URA report. Such a place "allows for flexible use of space, and inspires spontaneity and creativity, for people to make the place feel like their own.' Consider also the staple busking act in One Holland Village. Prof Chang noted that while such performers require a permit, their presence and constant music makes the place feel welcoming. 'It doesn't seem very obvious that this person has been approved by any licensing unit. It feels organic; it doesn't feel thought-out even though it is,' he said, and added that it takes a 'very skilled planner' to curate a place that patrons can connect with effortlessly. The URA report also identified elements such as reflecting local identity and ensuring easy accessibility as key to making a great place. For One Holland Village, the need to complement and respect the neighbourhood's existing 'low-rise, shopping-street character' was a 'deliberate and central tenet' of the planning process, said Boey. Key considerations included the thoughtful integration of building forms and materials, as well as enhancing public connectivity, he added. 'We considered the terrain, climate and character of the surrounding shophouses and homes.' The team also worked with authorities to create a 'seamless flow' between the mall and the adjacent hawker centre – and some have taken notice. Dr Felicity Chan from the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) was initially sad to see Holland Village's 'low-rise feel' start to fade, but was happy with how the neighbourhood's new entrant adapted. 'I feel like One Holland Village didn't try too hard to blend, but they did try not to create something that's outlandishly different. They understood that the street should continue into the mall, and those are very beautiful, subtle gestures,' said the deputy director for the Master of Science in Urban Science, Policy and Planning. 'This is probably the result of post-COVID space design which is more open – but this is also the feel of Holland Village. It's never been a closed-up space. So I'm glad that when they developed the mall, they respected the vibes.' WILL ONE HOLLAND VILLAGE'S SUCCESS BRING CROWDS BACK? For now, the success of One Holland Village doesn't appear to have spilt over to the surrounding areas. This could be due to factors like weather and parking convenience among others. 'When you have a huge parking lot underneath (One Holland Village) and in this kind of (hot and wet) weather – where you don't want to be walking so much – you'll stay in the shade,' said Dr Chan. 'Now people can just go straight up from the car park. They don't have a need to venture out (into the older parts of Holland Village) anymore.' As a result, one part of Holland Village ends up 'cannibalising the other', added Prof Chang. Still, even within One Holland Village, F&B outlets appear to be less packed compared to months after the mall's opening. The restaurant manager at Extra Virgin Pizza, who declined to be named, told CNA Lifestyle the weekday lunch crowd isn't 'too much' – there were a handful of customers on the couple of days we passed by – but it picks up at dinner time and on weekends as expected. He noted that the footfall used to be higher when the outlet first opened. Japanese cafe Tsujiri's owner Andrew Goh shared similar concerns, despite the F&B outlet being at a prominent spot on Level 2 near the escalator. Over the past nine months, his sales have fallen by at least 40 per cent – a decline that he pegged to more people travelling to Malaysia during the weekends and the death of novelty over the mall's pet-friendly concept. 'We are expecting a better crowd than what it is now (around 700 customers per month), but we have to (carry) on and hopefully the whole market situation will be better as soon as possible,' he said. In other words, it might take much more to rejuvenate Holland Village as a whole and for the long term. This goes beyond ensuring tenants find it financially sustainable to stick around. Dr Chan pointed to introducing a Business Improvement District (BID) as a possible starting point. The business-led and funded initiative encourages businesses and local communities to take greater ownership in developing projects that enhance their precincts. 'There will always be the tension of having to leave something behind, but it's not that you cannot enjoy One Holland Village as it is,' she said. 'I think more effort could be made (for) Holland Village (to become) a business improvement district, so it doesn't need to be the case where one part thrives and the other dies. It's about the whole neighbourhood. Because One Holland Village, if not for Holland Village, would be really out of place.'
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Man loses over Rs 50 lakh in online trading scam
Kochi: A Muvattupuzha resident lost over Rs 50 lakh in an online scam. According to the police, the victim came across an advertisement about online trading on social media and clicked on a link attached with it. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He was then added to a WhatsApp group. The accused then contacted him and convinced him to invest in the stock market with promises of high returns. He subsequently deposited Rs 52.85 lakh into various accounts. However, the accused then ended all contact with him. The victim approached police soon after. Two held for taking bribe: Vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB) on Monday arrested a village field assistant and a retired village assistant for taking a bribe for allotting a title deed (patta). Police identified the arrested persons as Thambi, retired village assistant of Chowara, and Navas, a village field assistant. According to VACB, the complainant, a Kakkanad native, submitted an application before the Chowara village office to obtain a title deed for his 1.24-acre land. Subsequently, Thambi and Navas inspected his property on April 24. They then demanded Rs 10,000 as a bribe. The complainant then told the officials that he did not have that much money with him and they returned. When the application was not processed, the complainant contacted the officials and they repeated the demand for a bribe. However, Thambi had retired from service by then and the complainant was unaware of this when he called to enquire about the issue. He then approached Ernakulam vigilance DSP with a complaint. Thambi was arrested red-handed when he accepted the money from the complainant near Chowara village office. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Navas, who was in the area, was soon arrested. The accused were presented in court and remanded in judicial custody. Odisha native held with ganja: A migrant worker was caught with 2kg of ganja on Tuesday. Police identified the arrested person as Rajesh Deegal, 23, a native of Ganjam, Odisha. He was captured while attempting to hand over the ganja near the Perumbavoor bus stand after arriving in Aluva by train from Odisha. The ganja, purchased for Rs 3,000 from Odisha, was being sold here for Rs 20,000, police said.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
NTR Collector sanctions tricycle to physically challenged person in one hour
NTR district Collector G. Lakshmisha sanctioned a tricycle to a physically challenged person, Gadde Thambi, who came to the Collectorate, here on Monday. Mr. Lakshmisha, who was about to proceed to Tiruvuru, observed Thambi, crawling on the Collectorate premises. 'As both my legs are paralysed, I was unable to do any work. Please sanction a tricycle for me, Mr. Thambi told the Collector and showed his Aadhaar Card and Physically Handicapped certificate issued by the government. Immediately, Mr. Lakshmisha directed the District Revenue Officer (DRO) Lakshmi Narasimha Reddy and Disabled Welfare Department Assistant Director Kamaraju to respond to the application submitted by Mr. Thambi in the Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS). The officers sanctioned the tricycle to Thambi in just an hour.
