Special: Arigato chennai

Chennai: The fear of a Japanese invasion of Chennai (then Madras) was so severe that the city was evacuated with women and children moving out, leaving mostly employed men behind. A single bomb dropped from a Mitsubishi Rufe, operating out of aircraft carrier Ryujo, had been sufficient for large scale panic to set in. The British even began making improvements to the Kodaikanal-Munnar ghat road so that evacuation could be facilitated via Kochi (then Cochin).

That was in 1942. Seven decades later, Chennai was invaded by a different Japanese phenomenon, this time in the form of Chrysanthemum Throne diplomacy as Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko honoured the city with their genteel presence in keeping with the noblest tradition of their country.

An Indophile Prime Minister in Shinzo Abe has made this visit possible with two great and ancient cultures meeting. Appropriately enough, the royals were treated to one of the city’s best known contributors to its culture as in dance forms practised and propagated by the dance and music school of Kalakshetra, founded by theosophist Rukmini Devi and her husband Dr George Arundale in 1936 and built around the principles of the ancient gurukula system.

A first ever visit to this part of the country by the Emperor, who came to India 53 years ago as the crown prince, signifies not only the new course of strategic India-Japan defence as well as business ties but also of the close connection this city has built with Japanese industry, particularly in the manufacture of automobiles and spare parts. The old cliche about Chennai being the Detroit of India may be considered an insult these days when that American city has just become the largest ever to qualify for bankruptcy protection through a judge’s order passed on Tuesday.

The Japanese association with about 350 industries here and the presence of about 700 expats, which makes them one of the biggest groups from outside India after the Koreans, reinforces the aptness of the royal visit to a city outside the national capital. Large doses of Tamil culture, from their arrival to their stay in a deluxe hotel, would have given the royals a perfect taste of what Tamil Nadu is all about.

The state must be particularly proud that the royals chose this as their stop outside New Delhi. Although the Emperor of Japan is only his country’s titular head, his overseas trips are carefully measured and made to be an integral part of Tokyo’s diplomatic initiatives.

Chennai: Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, who are on a two day visit to Chennai, were on Wednesday enchanted by the serene environment of Kalakshetra and its idealness as a setting for the pursuit of the arts.

Arriving at around 5 pm, they first visited the Bharatanatyam centre where they learnt about the ‘Gandharva astram’ in a chapter related to war in the epic, Ramayana.

“The Empress was particularly impressed by our campus and told us that she had heard about its rich cultural heritage,” said Nirmala Nagarajan, lecturer in dance.

After observing the class, Empress Michiko interacted with students, telling them how happy she was to be visiting them. She was keen to know what the students’ future plans were.

“The Empress asked us how long we were practising dance also asked about our future plans related to pursuing the art. We told her that we would be teaching dance once we had mastered the art,” said Kumari Devi, postgraduate student in dance form Tiruvanamalai.

The royal couple also listened to a veena recital presented by members of Kalakshetra faculty. Former West Bengal Governor and chairman of Kalakshetra Gopalk­rishna Gandhi accompanied the royal family on the visit to Kalakshetra, explaining to them about the various art forms being taught.

Chennai: Japanese art forms such as manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese cartoon) have had a profound influence on the current generation of children.

With the introduction of Animax, a channel dedicated to anime, people sat up and took notice. Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) exemplified the battle between good and evil and caught the fancy of all the boys.

According to Vishaal Ravikumar, who works in an ad agency, “DBZ and Pokemon inspired me to become a graphic designer.”

“I prefer reading manga online because the story is always ahead of what’s shown in the anime, like in the case of Naruto Shippuden which is my favourite after DBZ,” says Qhizar Shaik, a student of Saveetha medical college.

What started off as a niche segment for a few teens soon became a social phenomenon with the introduction of the Pokemon franchise. Pokemon cards set the gold standard on which coolness was calculated. Students had to find intricate methods of trading cards in schools while at the same time keeping them away from the watchful eyes of teachers, waiting to confiscate them.

Chennai: Japan’s royal couple – Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko - was given more than their share of traditional Tamil welcome at the luxury hotel, Taj Coromandel, in the city. A grand flower spectacle - Pookolam - was in the lobby to greet the special guests who then went on to do in Tamil Nadu what the Tamils do - light the traditional Kuthuvilakku.

Smiling and greeting everyone with hands in the famous Indian Namaste posture, the Emperor took it all in his stride as a vibrant symphony by a Talavaadya (percussion) ensemble showcasing instruments native to the South like the Ghatam, Mridangam and Kanjira, accompanied by the flute, made the astonishing aural greeting typical of Tamil culture.

The entire menu was translated into Japanese so that the Emperor and Empress would have no difficulty in understanding what they are likely to be partaking in the restaurants. The breakfast fare will offer fluffy idlis, hot vadas, mini dosas, lemon sevai, rava kesari and other specialties, paired with sambar and different kinds of chutneys.

Just in case they were feeling peckish after the flight out of the capital, the royals were welcomed in their Presidential suite with refreshments like seedai, murukku, thattai, banana chips and groundnut and sesame chikki in the hotel in which many celebrities have spent their days in Chennai - Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jackie Chan and so on.

The appam and scallop moilee, a specialty of the Southern Spice restaurant, might be a particular favourite of theirs for breakfast on Thursday, according to the hotel’s GM, N. Prakash.

For dinner, the South Indian meal experience would be paired with rasams including Mysore Rasam, Kozhi Kurmilagu Chaaru and Nenju Elumbu Saaru. The ‘Mahavirundhu’ (big feast) dinner on Thursday will be on gold-plated thalis, custom-designed for the restaurant, before the royal couple head out to Haneda airport in Tokyo from where they had embarked on this historic trip to New Delhi and Chennai.