If there’s one aspect of our country that the world has always looked up to, it’s the strength that it derives from its diversity — in all spheres of life — with many ethnicities and ever-dynamic cultures. As we mark the day that celebrates the spirit of Indian Constitution, here are some of those contributing to a diverse namma ooru.
Fashion with an inclusive outlook
With her view to include the differently-abled in conversation, when it comes to fashion, Chennai-based designer Shalini Visakan, who has brought in adaptive clothing, has been receiving national acclaim. “When one thinks of fashion, the aspect of clothing for the differently-abled is quite out of focus. There are barely any designers who specifically cater to the needs of the physically-challenged and we need to find ways to diversify our approach to fashion, in a way that it includes all sections of the society,” says Shalini. The designer, who has been creating designs for the differently-abled in Chennai through her label, will soon be taking it across the country.
The city has also had designers and artistes from across the world bringing in different perspectives. Kiran Rao, who started Amethyst, has been providing space for ideas and cultures to come together. “With all the exchanges that are happening today, people understand that fashion is a way to express themselves. It is about making a fashion statement than a beauty statement,” she says.
Shattering the language barriers
Over the years, the Tamil film industry has become varied with an amalgamation of multiple cultures and ergo, colourful. With Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun gearing up to explore K’town with Tamil-Telugu bilinguals, Nivin Pauly making a mark here, and Rana Daggubati venturing into Tamil films, the industry is becoming more and more inclusive lately. Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is another new talent from Hindi filmdom, who is foraying into Tamil cinema with the film Imaikkaa Nodigal.
Ajay Gnanamuthu, the director of Imaikkaa Nodigal, says the change is for good. “It is really a good sign. Vijay sir’s films are getting released in Telugu states across theatres, actors from here are going to Bollywood, like Dhanush in Shamitabh. We are getting to see more diversified content and talents now.”
Expansive entertainment
Standup comedy has also been witnessing voices from diverse backgrounds across the country. Standup comedian, Aravind SA, says, “Chennai has been having views from people across communities, talking about issues that matter. When we look back to around eight months ago, there is a great diversity in standup comedy now. Comics from other cities are increasingly coming forth to perform in Chennai and they are amazed that 1,200-seater shows are sold out — which doesn’t happen even in cities like Mumbai or Bengaluru.”
Pushing the boundaries
Srinath Srinivasan, founder of Gameday, an app that enables sports enthusiasts to organise sport events and tournaments, says cricket is not the only sport with fans anymore. “There is more love for less-popular games like futsal. It also has a lot to do with the infrastructure. There are around 10 futsal turfs right now in the city, while there were none a year back. Also, many girls are coming forward to play badminton and tennis post Olympics, thanks to the silver won by PV Sindhu. We’re also seeing the same support for futsal and other sporting events, just as it used to be for cricket.”
Expanding palates
Culinary space is undoubtedly one of the most expanding fields in the city — with some of the least known communities being introduced to the food lovers. Uday Balaji of VM Hospitality has brought to the city the country’s first ever Ethiopian restaurant — a culture one barely knows of. “Chennai, in the past few years, has seen an explosion of new restaurants. What has happened more recently is that several new cuisines have entered the city. We ourselves have brought in Parsi, Maharashtrian and Ethiopian cuisine to Chennai. The city has been showing tremendous curiosity in knowing about the various cultures,” Uday elaborates.
(with inputs from Kirubhakar Purushothaman)
