(Pic: Dr TP Naidoo)Book on 1860 Settlers, Heritage Series and Swami Thyagaraja Music Festival
This year the Indian Academy of South Africa celebrates three milestones – the 50th year of the Indian Academy and its glossy publication The Indian Annual. 2010 also marks the 150th anniversary of the coming of the indentured Indian to South Africa and celebrations have been taking place on a wide scale around the country.
Dr TP Naidoo, director of the Indian Academy is a respected member of the Indian community and was recently honoured by becoming a recipient of the prestigious President of India Award. He has written a richly illustrated book titled The Settlers to commemorate the 1860 settlers.
“The book traces what was supposed to be an indentured contract monitored by three governments and yet it was a story of broken promises, loss of faith and the inhumanity of man upon man,” he says. “All their ideals, all their ambitions were literally dashed to the rocks in the first five years of indenture. But they struggled against all odds and left India because they dreamed they would make a better land and a better future for the South Africans.”
The Settlers traces the early life of Indian labourers on the sugar cane fields and in the mines and, to a lesser extent, the railways. “It covers the early hawkers, farmers, landowners and the small merchant class, going on to acknowledge the emancipation of Indian women and their entry into the educational strata with the forming of the first Indian college, Sastri College,” adds Dr Naidoo. “As the opportunities afforded by a better education began to take effect, Indians became masters at trades – engineers and architects – as well as lawyers, accountants and doctors. There is also an overview of the political struggle from the 1950’s which dominated every other endeavour in South African society.”
Among The Indian Academy’s major achievements over the years is The Heritage Series, a touring production taking classical music and dance on tour to venues around Durban and further afield to Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. Now in its 35th consecutive year, The Heritage Series features top classical musicians and dancers from India, giving local audiences the benefit of seeing their culture from source, as it were.
The highlight of The Heritage Series is the popular Swami Thyagaraja Music Festival which will be held on May 16 in the Durban City Hall at 14h30. Tickets R50, R40 and R30. The programme features seven visiting artistes from Chennai including vocalists R Suryaprakash and Smt Usha Raj. Dancers will be presented by Shri Balagurunathan and Smt Gayathri Vaiyathianathan. Musicians include Anantha Krishnan (violin), KR Venkat (mrindhingam) and M Karthikeyan (keyboards).
More information from Vasantha Naidoo on 012 663 9645 or 082 839 8312 or email: naidoovsm@telkomsa.net
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