London Swaminathan as Saitji with Sivasankaran and Dr Ramdas
SaitjiLondon Swaminathan with Mrs Chitra Iyengar
Sixth Year Committee of SIS
Post No. 13,879
Date uploaded in London – 12 November 2024
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
xxxx
With Mrs Kalpana Murthy as Jil Jil Mataji
South Indian Society (SIS) was started in London in 1988. It organised a drama to celebrate its sixth anniversary on 5th of November 1994. Dr Iyengar who got it registered in that year organised a drama to raise funds for it. I (Swaminathan), Siva Sankaran and Dr Ramdas played the main roles. Mr Jagannathan, Mrs Chitra Iyengar, Mrs Mangalam Mathrubootham, Mrs Kalpana Murthy, playwright and London poet Giridhar and Ravichandra Rao did other roles brilliantly. To represent the cultural milieu of South India Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam dialogues were used in the play.
Our comedy drama was titled Humpty Dumpty (Dillu Mullu in Tamil)
சவுத் இந்தியன் சொஸைட்டி நாடகம் 5-11-1994
ஹம்டி டட்டி (தில்லுமுல்லு / கோல்மால்
சுவாமிநாதன் நடித்த பாத்திரம் – சேட்ஜி
கிரிதர் எழுதிய நாடகம்
Most of the rehearsals were held at Mrs Murthy’s residence. Mrs Latha Iyer of Eastham collected advertisements with Iyengar and prepared a brochure. The drama raised around £.1500 for the society.
My association with the SIS began in 1990 when Mrs Kalpana Murthy rang me about a SIS coach trip to Weymouth, Bournemouth via Stonehenge. Since my brother came from India in August 1990, we three (myself, my wife, my brother) took part in that memorable trip. Later when I was the chairman of SIS, we organised a trip to Brighton, which is also ever green in my mind.
Though thirty long years have passed since I acted, still we discuss about the plus and minus points of the day. The drama itself was a comedy, and the collapse of the dais made for Gill Gill Mataji (Mrs Kalpana Murthy) collapsed during the play, which added more comedy to the play.
I have attached a few pictures and the list of committee members during its sixth year. The brochure pages show the full cast of the play. The members who attended the play on that day are still coming to SIS events.
***
It is very sad that we lost Mrs Mathrubootham and Dr Ramdas during this period. They took part in it with great enthusiasm.
The success of this drama inspired me to take part in another drama titled Kidnap in Kelambakkam organised by Mrs Maithreyi Ganesan to raise funds for the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London. I and Mrs Jayashri Lakshmikanth took the main roles. That play was also a big success and raised a good amount for the Bhavan in London. All the rehearsals were held at Mr Manian’s house in Acton town.
Before us and later also, South Indians showed very keen interest in developing drama in London. I have mentioned those good old days in my old article titled “All Credits go to Sita Mami”. You may find in it who pioneered drama in London.
(If you have pictures of those dramas , please send them to me. I want to create a proper record. I have already posted the pictures given by Mrs Sita Venkatraman (Sita Mami).
Let us support SIS’ new actors and the drama in London
—Subham—-
Tags- SIS, drama, 1994, 30th Anniversary, Humpty Dumpty, Kidnap in Kelambakkam, Dr Iyengar, brochure, South Indian Society
Tamil and Vedas 