‘Let’s Spread the Love....

‘Let’s Spread the Love....

'A community service project by Malaysian Students Association of India & Putera MIC India

Date: 22nd Feb 2009
Time: 2pm – 6pm
Venue: Bala Mandir Kids Home, T Nagar, Chennai


This event which was initially supposed to be held on Valentines Day had been brought forward to the 22nd of Feb due to the protests in the city. As the bulk of the crowd seemed to have problems locating the home and were delayed, those who were there on time started off with an ice breaker. We mingled with the kids and played a few games and got to know them. They opened up quickly and warmed up in no time.



The event then started off with the kids being divided into a few groups as there were 60 kids who were about 5 to 10 years of age. Each group had a few volunteers with at least one Tamil speaking volunteer. However, this could not last as the kids were getting agitated. So, all the groups were combined. A couple of games were played, including passing the parcel. The kids were really excited to see balloons and they all seemed to want more and more balloons so a game was played to see who could blow the biggest balloon. It continued with the paper dance game. The kids’ hidden talents really came out in this came and we saw many potential dancers in the crowd. The best part was trying to get the kids to grasp the concept of this game, as most of them seemed a tad bit preoccupied. However, with all our help, they managed to get the game moving.This was followed by a wonderful dance performance by the kids.



They danced for two songs and watching them perform for us really put a smile on everyone’s face. The songs they danced to were reflections of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. To watch these kids endure so much hardship and yet dance to the glory of God was quite a sight.



Then it was our turn. Devi from Saveetha University performed a traditional Indian dance, much to all the kids’ delight. This was followed by the souvenir presentation of a stationery set by Major Maniam, President of MASI & Mrs. We then took a group photograph of all the volunteers and the kids at the main compound of the home. We stumbled upon the younger kids who were out for the evening, and they simply melted everyone’s hearts!



We then retreated into the home once again where refreshments were being served. One of the kids was unaware that we were getting refreshments as well, and she offered what little food she had to one of the volunteers. That was a humbling moment. Despite the fact that these kids had so little, they were still willing to share. It’s funny how young adults can learn so much from a group of kids without roofs over their heads.



More food stuff was distributed to the kids, courtesy of a few of the volunteers and donors.. The kids were over the moon when they saw the pudding and nata de coco, biscuits, chocolates, and etc.They were also given crayons for them to bring out the van Gogh. This was followed by a treat by the kids for our birthday boy, Venkates Rao, who was coincidentally celebrating his birthday on that very day. Then it was time for the kids to leave the hall and return to their dorms. We gave them a good farewell and sent them off.



Among those who were kind enough to come were Major Maniam and his family, Mr Lim and students from various universities in Chennai such as Meenakshi , Saveetha & Ragas Dental College. The group from Sri Ramachandra Medical College formed the bulk of the crowd and they did an amazing job at organizing the events of the day. “The main objective of this project is to mold and engulf our Malaysian students on the spirit of serving the less fortunate kids as well as our community and nation in the upcoming future” said the student leader, E.Venkates Rao.



By the end of the day, all of us were dead tired, but the satisfaction of brightening someone’s day left a lasting impression on all of us. Sometimes we take things for granted and complain about the smallest setback we face. Knowing that these kids have almost nothing, and yet they are so carefree and grateful for something as simple as a sweet, really puts things into perspective. In a nutshell, this event was a success as we managed to achieve all the objectives we set out to accomplish. Most importantly, we managed to put smiles on 60 kids faces that day, and that feeling was beyond words.


Prepared by:
Sandiya Supramaniam


For more pictures, please visit www.evenkatesrao.blogspot.com

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2009 - Chennai

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2009 was held on the 7'th - 9th of January 2009 at the Chennai Trade Center. MIC have sent a delegation of 150 people leaded by the party President Dato Seri' S.Samy Vellu.

During Pravasi
(Day 2)

Panel of Chief Ministers

His Excellency Narendra Modi, addressing about Gujarat

Arrival of the President of India, Excellency Pratibha Dewisingh Patel for the Valedictory

Governor of Tamil Nadu, His Excellency S.Barnala

The President of India Presenting the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Sam­­­­­man award to Tan Sri Vadiveloo

The President of India, adressing for clossing ceremony.

A picture with the Award winner (Tan Sri) & Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi

During Pravasi...

(Day 1)

Welcome note by the Prime Minister of India - His Excellency Manmohan Singh

MIC President, Dato Seri' S.Samy Vellu addressing during a session

Human Resources Minister, Datuk Dr.Subramaniam addressing about Education during a session.

Catching up with the MIC National team...

With the Party President

Putera Team with YB Dato' S.K.Devamany

Putera Chennai & MIC Youths with Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, His Excellency Vayalar Ravi
Press Coneference


Before Pravasi....

Welcoming the Party President from the airport

Welcoming the Deputy Minister in JPM, YB Dato S.K.Devamany from the airport

Welcoming YB Asojan & YB Vidyananthan from the airport

We Welcome all the delegates....

Deepavali Celebration in India - 2008

A SPARKLING START: Malaysians celebrate Diwali in the city on Thursday
Lakshmi Kumaraswami TNN Chennai:

Colourful rangolis and diyas adorn the entrance of the house. Children, dressed in their best clothes, run around waving sparklers in the air. Inside, everybody is all smiles, greeting each other with a cheerful ‘Happy Diwali’. The sound of crackers, laughter and the clink of glasses fill the air. The scene resembles a typical Diwali party. But this one’s a bit different. For 90% of the guest list isn’t even Indian. In fact, they are all Malaysian. The ‘Diwali Open House’ is an event Major S Manian, president of MASI (Malaysian Association of Southern India) has been hosting at his home in Chennai since 2002. “We have all the Malaysians living in the city over for dinner. They burst crackers and have a great time,” he says as he greets guests along with wife Leela. The festival, known only as Deepavali there, is celebrated in this manner even in Malaysia. “This festival is celebrated by everyone irrespective of race or religion,” says Anuar Kasman, consulgeneral of Malaysia in Chennai. Khairuddin, education consul for the Malaysian consulate adds that the festival coincides with other important festivals of the country. “Our country is a melting pot of cultures, so when Id and Deepavali coincide, we call it Deepa Raya,” he says. So how different is it celebrating the festival in India? “Well, people burst crackers, but that’s completely banned back home,” states Kasman. Khairuddin, who has been in the country only for two weeks, adds that celebrating the festival in India is more exotic. “And wet,” he adds with a laugh, indicating the weather. Wan Naimah Wan Daud, vice consul says the festival gives them a chance to dress up. “I’d love to wear a saree, but I need someone to tie it. So I’ll stick to this for now,” she says, showing off her pink salwar kameez. Noor Arif Mohammed Noor, director of tourism in the consulate says the festival is celebrated with pomp. “But in Malaysia, Malay, Chinese and Indian festivals are celebrated this way. And that makes us truly Asia,” he finishes.

Source: The Times of India - Chennai Edition, 24th Oct 2008

Hari Raya Celebration

On the 17th of October 2008, the Consulate General of Malaysia in Chennai hosted the Hari Raya Open house at the Consul General's residence. Diplomate officers, key Malaysians and students attended this open house.

Malaysian Students from Saveetha Dental College, Ramachandra Medical College & Anna University, Chennai.
Sitting, frm left: Vice Consul, Ms.Wan Naimah Wan Daud, Counsellor of Education - Mr.Khairudin, Mrs Anuar Kasman, Consul General - Mr.Anuar Kasman, Trade Commissioner - Mr.Zainuddin, Mrs Zainuddin, E.Venkates Rao

Malaysian Students from Manipal and Meenakshi Ammal Dental College, Chennai.
Sitting, frm left: Vice Consul, Ms.Wan Naimah Wan Daud, Counsellor of Education - Mr.Khairudin, Mrs Anuar Kasman, Consul General - Mr.Anuar Kasman, Trade Commissioner - Mr.Zainuddin, Mrs Zainuddin.

Putera Chennai Guys during Raya

1st of October 2008, Chennai. The Putera Main team visited the Consul General's house for Raya pertama and followed with the Vice Consul of MATRADE, En.Khaifil and Asst Vice Consul Immigration, En.Azam's house on the Raya kedua..

Next Raya open house will be held on the 11th, 12th and 18th of this month.

Further reports with pictures will be uploaded soon.

Thank you.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Putera Chennai Wishes
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI, MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN
to all Malaysians especially the Muslims.

Salam Aidilfitri & Salam Mesra!

daripada:
PuteraMIC Chennai.

Executive Council Members of Putera Chennai / South India

From left: Deputy Chief, I.S.Anandh, Head of Bureau's - Venisha, Rupinee, Amirtha,
Kiveena, Advisor, Major S.Maniam, Diong, Chief, E.Venkates Rao
Back row: Information Officer, C.Saravanan & Treasurer, P.Kuvilan
(not in picture: G.Chellappan, Ashvini, Ranganayaki Devi, Maheswaran (Manipal), Dr.Raja Soorian (Bangalore), Vigneswaran (Belgaum),

Dato G.Palanivel's visit to Salem

6th July 2008, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. The Vinayaka Mission University, Salem has conferred Honaris Causa Degree (doctorate) to the Deputy President of MIC, Dato' G.Palanivel and this occasion was also attended by the President of Indian Dental Association, Consul General of Malaysia, En.Anuar Kasman and other VVIP's.

Dato G.Palanivel also took this oportunity to met a couple of our Malaysian students who are studying in Penang International Dental College, Salem and also contributed some funds towards their future activities.

Chennai Council Meeting with National Chief & Secretary

20th May 2008, Singahsana Hotel, Petaling Jaya. The National Chief, Mr.Kalamalanathan PJK, National Secretary, Mr.Uvaraja & Asst Secretary Mr.Padma met the main council of Putera Chennai, Coordinator, E.Venkates Rao, Deputy Coordinator, Mr.I.S.Anandh, Secretary, Mr.G.Chellapan, Treasurer, Mr.Kuvilan for a discussion and briefing session.

A Dinner with En.Rabin - Officer from Prime Minister's Department

15th February 2008, Chennai. The main team Met Mr.Rabin - Officer from Prime Minister's office to exhange views of the student council and PuteraMIC in India, we also handed over a Memorandum requesting for more funds from the government to assist us in organising more events and youth development projects.

Chinese New Year gathering

10th February 2008, Chennai. We celebrated Chinese New Year at Mr.Lim's residence (Adyar) together with all our Malaysian students and, attended by Acting Consul General Ms.Wan Naimah Wan Daud, Trade Commissioner, Tourism Director, Vice Consul-Immigration, MASI President, Malaysian students & families. Besides being a gathering, it was also filled with various activities from the students which involved everyone to participate and being a normal tradition, the food was all prepared by our Malaysian aunties and even the Acting CG, a word of Thanks to them.

Pongal Sub-Committee Meeting

26th January 2008, Courtyard Marriot Hotel. We had our Sub-Committee meeting to discuss various issues especially a post-mortem session to know our field of improvement. This meeting was followed with a high-tea session as a token of appreciation to all our council members for all their cooperation and initiatives rendered towards making the pongal celebration such a grand success.

The Colors of Pongal Celebration from KL Tower @ Chennai City Centre

CHENNAI, 15th January 2008. PuteraMIC Chennai (Malaysian Student Council) has organized the Colors of Pongal Celebration from KL Tower at the Chennai City Centre which is a replica celebration from the KL Tower.

It is time for the harvest festival for fellow Indians and they gleefully celebrated with the Malaysians of multiracial and the public at the Chennai City Centre. This celebration was officially launched by the Vice Consul/Acting Consul General of Malaysia, Ms. Wan Naimah Wan Daud by lighting up the oil lamp and followed by boiling of the rice. This celebration is mainly conducted as a thanksgiving ceremony to the show gratitude to the hardworking harvesters and the soil that aids in the production of rice.

The boiling of the rice was started by all the ladies and students of different races where they setup the pot and waited around till the whole process completed. While waiting for the rice to be cooked, The celebration is carried on with activities such as Pongal Setup & Kolam Competition participated by Malaysian Students from various colleges in Chennai / South India to show their creativity of their setup in different ways such as Pongal year 2020, Pongal Muhibah ‘Multiracial’ and various more.

This event was continued with the Best Dressed Kid section for the day where we had 12 kids participated in this competition which consist a dressing of traditional and modern attire. During this celebration, they distributed ketupat which is a Malaysian culture with a ladoo inside to the public to mainly promote the Malaysian Culture to the Indians. At the end of the event, the pongal was distributed to everyone around.

‘This celebration was mainly organized to celebrate pongal with the public and different races as Malaysia being a Multiracial country and this year’s celebration was themed “Preserving Unity through Traditional values” as well as to promote our Culture and Tradition to the Indians’ said E.Venkates Rao, Chief of PuteraMIC Chennai / South India.

This was indeed a wonderful event where the public had an opportunity to see how Malaysians celebrate their festivals with different races together, this shows how Malaysians do accept other cultures as well. This event was attended by all the Malaysian Government Officials in Chennai such as,. Trade Commissioner, Tourism Director, MASI President, Vice Consul of Immigration and all Malaysian families & students in Chennai / South India.

Global Ambassador - Mr.V.Vighneswaran

January 2008, Chennai. The Putera Team of Chennai Welcomed Mr.Vignesh to Chennai (India) which was his 1st country to visit out of 69 countries.

Mr.Vignesh visited all the Malaysian Government officials in Chennai includes the Acting Consul General, Director of Tourism Malaysia, MATRADE & Vice Consul of Immigration.

He also visited a few Universities such as Ramachandra Medical College, Anna University & etc.

Mr.Vighneswaran Vithiatharan have begin a journey that will make him the most traveled
Malaysian. The first Putera MIC Malaysian Global ambassador will go on a 12-month tour that will take him to 93 universities in 69 countries. This works out to an average of eight universities in six countries a month for the 28-year-old, who is working on a doctorate in economics at
University Malaya

(source: ESAMRAJYAM1)

New Year Day 2008

1st of January 2008, Chennai. It was a good start for PuteraMIC Chennai / South India as we had a briefing session with the party President, Dato Seri’ S.Samy Vellu and Dato’ Veerasingam, Vice President of MIC at Taj Coromandel Hotel, Chennai. This briefing was attended by our Chief Mr.E.Venkates Rao, Deputy Chief, Mr.I.S.Anandh, Information Chief, Mr.C.Saravanan. We also took this opportunity to brief Dato Seri on our achievements in Chennai as well as invited him to attend The Colors of Pongal Celebration from KL Tower in Chenai.

Outing – to Bangalore

24th -29th December 2007, Bangalore. The Executive Council of PuteraMIC South India went to Bangalore for a vacation / outing since we had our Christmas break. We took this opportunity to visit our members in Bangalore and officially formed the Bangalore Chapter, consist of 22 members and they are part of PuteraMIC South India.

Executive Council Meeting – 2007

21st December, Courtyard Marriot Hotel, Chennai. We had our last council meeting for the year 2007 ended to discuss our achievements, participations, membership, post-mortem, field of improvements and to also draw a yearly agenda for 2008. This meeting was attended by most of our council members and it took place from 2.30pm to 6.45pm.

Supported the Malaysian Team in the World Squash Championship, Chennai

6th-12th December 2007, Chennai. Putera members supported the Malaysian team in 21st ICL Men’s Team Squash Championship and also sent 2 of our members as a volunteer to assist in the championship.

Asian College of Journalism - Forum

8th December 2007,Chennai. Putera was invited to represent Malaysian students and participate in a forum organised by the Asian College of Journalism with the topic 'Dillemma of Indians Overseas' . Putera Chennai Coordinator, E.Venkates Rao attended the forum to explain the exact dillemma of Indians in Malaysia and also justified that we are not marginalised.

A Dinner with Dr.Viswanathan - Former Vice Chansellor of Anna University

20th November 2007. The main committee met Dr.Viswanathan, former Vice Chansellor of Anna University to mainly exchange ideas as well as to seek opportunities and privileges for members.

Deepavali 2007 Celebration with Makkal TV

27th October 2007, Chennai. Putera & MASI jointly organised a Deepavali gathering at Red Hills with an open house concept inviting all the other races to attend, our Malaysian food was the main priority to be displayed which was all prepared by the families, a words of Thanks to them. This recording by Makkal Tv almost took place for the whole day eventhough it was rainy day but it was successful. This programme was mainly done to show the local Indians how Malaysians celebrate Deepavali which is different compared to India. This gathering was filled with some entertainment such as group dance, Indian dance, Chinese dance and at last a combined Malaysian tradition dance(Malay, Chinese, Indian). This programme was telecasted on Deepavali day (8th of November 2007) on Makkal TV at 5.30pm and 8.00pm over ASTRO channel 208.

Jumble Sale & Tambola

20th October 2007, Chennai. PuteraMIC and The Malaysian Association of South India (MASI) jointly organized a Jumble Sale & Tambola mainly to raise funds to conduct more activities in future (DeepaRaya). Besides being a fund raising activity, it was also an ice breaking event for our new members. We also invited Sify online Tv to cover this event and it created an opportunity for our members to convey their birthday wishes to actress Asin who's birthday is on the 26th of October.

Visit to the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board, Chennai

8th October 2007, Chennai. We visited the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board in Chennai mainly to exchange ideas and seek for partnership to organise more events pertaining to promote Malaysia in South India.
Tourism director, Mr.Noor Arif responded very positively and also agried to assist Putera in Chennai.

World Heart Day - Bicycle Rally

30th September 2007, Chennai. The 02 Health Studio and Hotel Savera organized a Bicycle rally in conjunction with the World Heart day and they invited PuteraMIC to participate. Our coordinator, deputy coordinator and other members participated in this event. The bicycle rally took off from the Savera Hotel, Mylapore and headed towards the Marina Beach. Our members was interviewed by JayaTv & The Deccan Chronicle to deliver our message & wishes on behalf of the Malaysians in Chennai.

Malaysian Hockey Team - Asian Cup

8th & 9th September 2007, Chennai. PuteraMIC members supported the Malaysian Hockey Team participating in the Asean Cup which they grabbed the 3rd Placing organized by BSNL India which was held in Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium. The chief guest of this match was Sultan Azlan Shah, Sultan of Perak. The match took place for a week where our Malaysian team had progressed well and managed to qualify for the semi-finals. Our PuteraMIC team couldn’t wait to watch our team in action. However it was a good match, but we were defeated by the South Koreans in the semi finals.

(we appologise, the picture is not clear as we were not allowed to take in a camera into the stadium and had to use the camera on our mobile phones)

Merdeka Celebration with Consulate General of Malaysia

3rd September 2007, Park Sheraton Hotel, Chennai. PuteraMIC Celebrated The 50th Hari MERDEKA with the Consulate Office and the High Commission of Malaysia to India. This event was organized by the Consulate General of Malaysia in Chennai. All the Exco members of PuteraMIC Chennai attended this official event and it was an opportunity to inform PuteraMIC’s existence in Chennai to the Acting High Commission of Malaysia, Pn.Noraini.

Merdeka Gathering

Chennai, 26 August 2007. The Malaysian Association of South India (MASI) and PuteraMIC Chennai organized a Merdeka gathering in a community hall at the President of MASI, Major Maniam’s residence.

The Vice Consul of Malaysia to Chennai, Ms.Wan Naimah Wan Daud was the chief guest and followed by the Head of Immigration, Mr.Makhan Singh and Asst Trade Commissioner Mr.Mohd Imran. This gathering was participated by Malaysian families and students residing in Chennai. There are number of Malaysians working in the private sectors such as AZRB Construction, TDM Infrastructure, BMW, Nokia, Hyundai and etc. This gathering was also participated by all of them and the members of PuteraMIC.

Most of the families including the Vice Consul prepared delicious Malaysian food where we had a chance of trying various kuih-muih in Chennai, a word of thanks to them. The day was followed by a brain storm session where the participants were divided in groups of 8 consisting of various age. Besides brain storming, the session created a great opportunity of ice breaking as well as cooperation was given a priority in order to grab the prizes.

Besides all that, PuteraMIC Chennai had a wonderful opportunity to promote and spread around the new existence of Putera in Chennai. We made sure all our members and associate members participate as well as help in organising the event. PuteraMIC Chennai Coordinator, E.Venkates Rao took this opportunity to speak personally to all the Government officials including the Vice Consul, and other individuals as well to explain the main objectives and mission of the Putera in Chennai. Everyone were very supportive where most of them have even offered to spare some time personally with him in order to discuss more on the upcoming projects pertaining the students and their contribution. Speaking about PuteraMIC to the General Manager of Taj Hotel, he also offered part time job opportunities for the students which can help them to gain experience as well as being an extra income for them.

This gathering was a real joyous event with all the Malaysian families in Chennai where வி

brand ourself as Keluarga Malaysia.

PuteraMIC Chennai / South India was Activated on 27th July 2008

PuteraMIC Chennai / South India was officially activated on the 27th of July 2008 by the former National Secretary Mr.Mahaganapathy Dass PJK at The Residency Towers Hotel, T.Nagar, Chennai, India. We initially had 3 guys working to setup the ground level of Putera in Chennai.

Membership Drive – August

The first activity of Putera in Chennai was the membership drive where we recruited Malaysians from Ramachandra Dental College, Saveetha Dental College, Anna University, Ragas Dental College, SRM College & etc. Months later we expanded our membership drive to other regions in South India such as Salem, Bangalore, Manipal, Belgaum, Mangalore and Hyderabad.
Initially the membership was only to Malaysian Indians but the Consulate General of Malaysia did advise us to cater for other races as well. Then we amended and recruited the non-indians as an associate member and the local Indians, foreigners as friends of Putera. This have made us to have more people to work within the system since we are limited in Chennai.

The Beginning days....

Forming PuteraMIC in Chennai / South India....

When i got back to Chennai after my summer break in 2007 and my appointment to form Putera wing by the National Chief, I did make a point to meet a couple of people (Malaysians) to speak about PuteraMIC and of cource intially people do ask me why form a political organization here and it takes me hours to sit and explain to them wht is PuteraMIC all about and we do concerntrate more on youth development projects and student welfare instead of politics.


Besides students, i needed an elderly person's guidance and i did meet and explain about PuteraMIC to Major Maniam who is the President of the Malaysian Association and South India and he sounded very positive towards forming PuteraMIC and agried to be our advisor.

The Next step, I had identify the guys which can really work with me to form PuteraMIC such as Mr.Anandh who is my current deputy and a few more. That was the first team of people which i had to really mould them to stand for PuteraMIC Chennai and start getting the other Malaysians to join.


Once i had couple of guys assisting me and the others are OK with the idea of PuteraMIC, we did approach the he former Consul General of Malaysia Mr.Rosli to officially inform him on the formation of PuteraMIC Chennai, he sounded very positive as well guided us to create a better system and networking for all the students and advised us to cater for all Malaysian students instead of just a group of guys which he would be able to assist us better. Therefore we did add another clause under our objective to recruit all Malaysian students to work with us with the motive of 'Malaysianism'. We do recruit foreigners as friends of PuteraMIC to work with us.

In Chennai, PuteraMIC is succesfully organising various events and projects with the help of everyone around us who understands and supports our missions.

Once we have got an approval from the Consulate General's Office, we started with our membership drive and followed with organising a few events together with The Malaysian Association of South India (MASI).

by: E.Venkates Rao