The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : DakshinaChitra founder honoured

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

DakshinaChitra founder honoured

Staff Reporter

Institution ‘a fulfilment of Deborah Thiagarajan’s dream’

award: Kalakshetra Foundation director Leela Samson (right), presenting the Rotary Club of Ambattur’s ‘For the Sake of Honour Award’ to DakshinaChitra founder Deborah Thiagarajan.

Chennai: “DakshinaChitra was the fulfilment of one person’s dream to preserve and protect the heritage of her adopted country,” Arun Bewoor, Managing Director, International Flavors and Fragrances, said here on Tuesday.

That person, an American, Deborah Thiagarajan, the founder of DakshinaChitra, a centre for arts, craft and architecture, was presented with the ‘For the sake of Honour Award’ of the Rotary club of Ambattur at a function here.

“When you are dealing with arts, crafts and people, your work becomes an extension of who you are,” said Leela Samson, Director, Kalakshetra Foundation after presenting Deborah Thiagarajan with the award.

“DakshinaChitra represents the transition between tradition and modernity,” said Jegath Gaspar Raj, Managing Director, Goodwill Communications Ltd, while felicitating Ms. Thiagarajan. It has also given a democratic space to forms of subaltern and marginalized art, he said.

Ashoke Chatterjee, outgoing President of the Crafts Council of India said that it was a visionary institution at a time when crafts in India, such as the Varanasi brocade weaving were going through a crisis. DakshinaChitra also documented art forms and had done extraordinarily innovative work in traditional south Indian architecture, giving Tamil Nadu one of its finest tourist attractions, he said. “DakshinaChitra is much more than a heritage, it is a living organism that grows and diversifies,” he added.

Ms. Thiagarajan said there was much more awareness about arts and culture now than before. At a time when culture was being buffeted by various influences, people were beginning to realise that culture added texture and richness to our lives. She added that the award had presented her with a challenge to achieve more in the future.

Presidents of various Rotary Clubs in Chennai were present at the function.

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