Chennai soaks in German ideas on a rainy day

[1]

The Indo-German urban mela promised to be a glittering field of ‘Infinite opportunities’— and on the last day, the 50,000-odd Chennaiites who visited the 10- day travelling fair would vouch that it was that, and much more.

Signing off with a grand concert by the Madras Musical Association, the choir that was invited to perform at the London Olympics, the mela was a delightful blend of art and innovation that will leave back a set of useful lessons that could make Chennai a much-better city.

Blown away by the interactive exhibits on innovations like porous concrete to allow water to leech into the earth and bio-degradable plastic, young blogger Rajesh K says, “We, living in cities, are rapidly consuming energy and resources in the name of comfortable living.

There are ways to harness technology to live comfortably without polluting the earth and without harming the environment. We should be aware of them and try to adopt them as we progress as a city. That’s sustainable living.”

While the mela was a goldmine of ideas for the eco-conscious, it had something for everybody—fun-filled workshops and story-telling for children, rock concerts, graffiti workshops, hip-hop and break dance sessions for the urban youth, theatre, Bavarian folk dances, puppetry and of course—sport.

In tune with Chennai’s cricket-craze and Germany’s love for soccer, the mela also hosted a tournament combining the two sports — ‘FuBket’.

There were plenty of prizes to be won with all the competitions held—the photography contest seemed to be the highlight, as the mela venue after sunset was certainly a feast for the eye, and the lens.

Installation artiste Markus Heinsdorff was seen taking groups of camera-happy youngsters on tours through the YMCA grounds, explaining his works of art—the gem-shaped pavilions in stunning colours—gold, copper, ruby red and sapphire blue, vivid reflections of the architectural genius that went into making them multi-functional and air-conditioned to boot!

The finale on Sunday was well attended despite the drizzle. The MMA choir had the audience jiving to their retro numbers, hits by the Beatles, Abba and Queen among others with several impressive solo performances thrown in.

The organisers of the fair, the teams at Goesthe-Institute and Max Meuller Bhavan have outdone themselves and in the process, tattooed a love for Germans and their culture in the heart of every visitor.