JTS cultural event wows the crowd

JEDDAH — A two-in-one combo cultural event by Jeddah Tamil Sangam (JTS) recently had the goodly Tamil crowd rooted by the fare as from a very jolly and light start to the evening seamlessly ended on a somber and thoughtful note. JTS conducted a Youth Awareness Function at the Indian Consulate premises, to commemorate the birthday celebration of the beloved, late Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam that was interspersed with revealing light moments of the state’s culture before the Dr. K. Sivaraman, the distinguished Siddha consultant from India, held the audience spellbound with his informative discourse. Siddha Medicine is a system of traditional medicine that provides natural health remedies from the oldest medical system originating in Tamil Nadu in South India. Sivaraman, the guest celebrity, delivered a talk about health awareness on the topic ‘prevention is better than cure.’ It was the super use of the medium of song, dance and poetry to highlight the life and times of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, including an informative presentation of the great man’s journey from ‘Rameswaram to Rashtrapati Bhavan’, and the timely tips to sustain one’s health in this increasingly challenging world that proved heady. Jeddah Tamil Sangam, KSA, is perhaps the only association in the world, where in there are no honorary posts and they believed in the paradigm of ‘Together Everyone Achieves More.’ The executive members shoulder the accountability, to cater to the varied needs of Tamil fraternity in Jeddah and its surrounding areas. JTS assists, helps and cooperates in personnel, social and cultural activity. The cultural event started on time with the recitation of Qirath by Ms. Hilmi Noorul Ameen, followed by the welcome speech of Mrs. Mythili Murali. The enthusiastic anchors Dr. Jerald Wilson and Dr. Revathy Balu, conducted the event in a lively and interesting manner, which was appreciated by one and all. Srividhya Murali’s, KKK dance by the Octals Angels, kick started the momentum, as it proved to be a blend of fast and vibrating number. The Prabhu Deva of Jeddah, Shintoy Anthony, in his maiden appearance for JTS with his team, fascinated the audience with a breathtaking performance. Then, Mrs. Shanthi Subramanian rendered a poem on the Dr. Abdul Kalam, followed by the dance and drama sequel choreographed by herself and Mrs. Shanthi Parthiban. The team with maximum kids captured the audience’s hearts with their outstanding dance performance portraying Dr. Kalam’s pet projects of tree plantation, lightweight prosthetics and rocket launching. The ‘Tamizhan endru sollada Thalai nimirndhu nillada’ dance performance by Rithik’s team was vibrant and awesome with an inspiring introductory talk and blessing by the missile man Dr. Kalam. Niyanthirini’s team clad in whites gave a super, duper performance, depicting Dr. Kalam’s love for children. Kovai Ganesh boys then gave a power-packed performance. Abdul Lateeff and Mohammed Sheriff sang popular numbers in between the performances and mesmerized the audience with their melodious voice. Chanju Guru too sang a soothing and pleasant melody. And interesting cultural turn to the proceedings came when the JTS ladies performed the amazing Villu Paattu — an ancient form of Tamil musical story-telling where narration is interspersed with music — on the biography of Dr. Kalam. The gathering was wonderstruck and many had the pleasure of listening to this Tamil traditional folk song for the first time. Ganesh shared the ‘Go Green’ dream project of Dr. Abdul Kalam and the JTS group’s progress of tree plantation in 10 schools in Tamil Nadu. JTS is highly ambitious to implement this project in many more schools soon. The cultural event concluded by Kovai Ganesh’s interesting and informative documentary on Dr. Kalam’s journey from Rameswaram to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The sponsors and the choreographers were honored and Dr. Shehanaz Sultana Siraj delivered the vote of thanks. Consul General B.S. Mubarak, chief guest, gave an inspiring speech while introducing the Siddha medical practitioner to the audience. He asked Dr. Sivaraman how parents can inculcate healthy habits in their children at a young age such that they carry on to become healthy citizen. Dr. Sivraman’s health awareness speech enthralled the audience and kept them spell bound. Most importantly he called on people to become aware of what they are eating, and not to succumb to the modern marketing techniques that lure us to food that are actually harmful to us. His mantra to stay healthy was to be aware of what the food contains, check if the food is necessary, and eat natural products as much as possible. He shared many useful tips to keep fit and also answered medical queries in an interactive session that rung the curtain down on the event. The think tank of JTS had done meticulous planning from selecting the dignitary, arranging and entertaining his visit, decorating the stage, arrangement of lighting and sound systems and securing the sponsors. It was yet another memorable event in the annals of JTS history, that was not only a feast for the eyes and ears but also for the stomach with a sumptuous and delicious dinner. Siraj coordinated the function.