The Tamil festival of lights known as Karthikai Deepam or Karthikai Villakkeedu was celebrated in the North-East this weekend.

The festival falls each year on the full moon night of the Tamil month of karthikai and celebrates the creation of the Tamil god Murugan, although the celebration of a festival of lights precedes Hindu canonisation.

It was observed this year on December 7th.

Tamil people observed the night by lighting lamps in houses, streets and temples.

Harrow Arts Centre, the prestigious heritage building in the London borough of Harrow will be hosting an exhibition to mark Tamil Heritage Month 2023.

For the exhibition which "aims to creatively explore the rich heritage of the Tamil community", the arts centre is calling on members of the Tamil community to submit artwork which creatively expresses their heritage and culture.

In it's callout the centre says:

We welcome all art forms including creative writing, poetry, textiles, illustration, painting, photography, and ornamental (small scale) sculpture.

Vijay Sethupathi films tend to be a 50:50 deal for me. He is either a part of some of the best Tamil films in recent history or run-of-the-mill, unoriginal template masala films. Unfortunately, DSP falls in the latter category.

As an Eelam Tamil artist, Christopher Kulendran Thomas experienced his homeland being eradicated, sparking his inspiration behind the exhibition. Christopher Kulendran Thomas’ exhibition, ‘Another World,’ featured in the Institute of Contemporary Arts London, explores the struggle for an independent Tamil homeland through the artistic perspective of blending contemporary art and technology.

Navaratri, meaning ‘nine nights’, is a Hindu festival paying tribute to various goddesses, with regional variations across South Asia. Tamils commonly refer to the festival as ‘Saraswathi Puja’, celebrating the period as a time for new educational and artistic endeavours, under the auspices of Saraswathi, the goddess of knowledge and the arts.

Life is a tragedy seen in closeup, but a comedy in long-shot. Ranganathan is aware of this, and the switches between comedy and tragedy are executed masterfully.

Horror, much like most other genres, elicits laughter when it fails. Failed comedy, on the other hand, leaves the viewer horrified. This was my experience of watching Anudeep KV’s Sivakarthikeyan starrer ‘Prince.’ 

Having seen the teaser for PS Mithran’s latest release ‘Sardar’, I had braced myself  for a repeat viewing of ‘Cobra’ released earlier this Summer. The film’s star Karthi appears in multiple disguises and costumes - which was also Cobra’s primary marketing point - and I was overcome with flashbacks to rolling my eyes and sighing with the Vikram starrer. Thankfully, ‘Sardar’ is a better feature in almost every aspect. 

The Mannar Volleyball Premier League was inaugurated this week, marking the first time that it is taking place in the district, with as many as 96 club players and international standard referees taking part.

The league will see eight teams playing matches throughout October, and aims to showcase and uplift the standard of volleyball in the region.

‘PS1’ is a screen adaptation of the Kalki Krishnamurthy epic serialised from 1950 to 1954, following the rise of the golden age of the Chozha dynasty in the 10th century AD – touted as the greatest empire in Indian history. We witness the events unfold following a prophecy told once a comet appears in the sky. The Chozha rulers are warned of the spilling of Chozha blood, which sets off a plot of treachery, treason and double crossing. The film travels with Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan, portrayed excellently by Karthi, a trusted friend of the heir to the throne, Vikram’s Aditha Karikalan, who assumes the role of a messenger. Vanthiyathevan is the glue holding together the multiple concurrent stories in ‘PS1’, and the casting decision for the part was crucial for the success of the film. Karthi breezes through this role, playing the part as if it had been written with him in mind.