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Showing posts from March, 2008

Cricket Series at Home

Another test series has begun at home, but the script does not change even after the tough tour we just completed overseas in Australia. We do not seem to learn from our mistakes in past, by either making square turners or absolute placid pitches. We will make life difficult for the visitor’s batsmen on square turners or graveyard for bowlers of both sides. We always on an overseas that we have not acclimatized to the conditions prevailing there and hence could not a good show in the overseas tour have been for a long time. Instead it should be the effort of the cricket board to ensure that more and more pitches are available of the international standards. On playing these kinds of lively pitches it would also benefit many youngsters who are being groomed to be at the international level in the future. Earlier in the 70’s, we did not have the pace attack and were dependant on the famous spin trio of – Bedi , Prasanna & Chandrasekhar to do good in home as wells as overseas, who ca

McDonald's in Chennai

Though it has been long wait for the chennaites, McDonalds has finally arrived in Chennai and are opening their restaurant in the Ascendas IT Park, Taramani in the first week of April. We did speak to their Mumbai Office to Ms Gowri Karnik & Ms. Kushboo on the same and have informed that they are planning for a Launch in Chennai the day ahead of the opening with a Press Conference which will be announced shortly. They are all set to launch in Chennai. It should be gala opening and we shall witness some great events in the future from them.

Roads for Kandasamy Nagar , Palavakkam

Kandasamy Nagar & Kamaraj Salai residents in Palavakkam are finally getting to the stage of new concrete roads in the area, which a large thanks to the Corporation for their efforts and the Kandasamy Residents Welfare Association. They have started the work of concrete roads in the outer roads so that when the road work is taken for Kamaraj Salai, the traffic can be routed through Periyar Salai for a period of 3-4 days when the concrete roads are taken up here. We were also speaking to the Association Mr Gopalakrishnan says that it has been great effort by both sides in getting the roads to the area. He also expressed his special thanks for the Local Corporation in this effort. It is expected that the roads in the area will be completed by April 22nd and it will make the travel more comfortable for the residents of the area.

Anokhiya Store

Are you a fascinated for the collection of the artifacts, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and visit this store which has collection of items like – Artifacts, Urn, Pots, Salwars, Bedsheets, Doormats, Curtains, Lamps, Cushion Covers. They are having unique collection of potteries, urns and lamps up to 20% off. The Bedsheets , Covers and other selected items are offering 5-10% off till stocks last. The store is located at New No.13, 4th Main Road, Besant Nagar, Chennai – 600 090.

Call Auto Scheme

This is a new concept that has come to city which is over an year old now and looks like is here to stay to give some stiff competition to the Call Taxi’s. This is run by Gates India which is located 104 Rajagopalan Street, Valasaravakkam , Chennai – 600 087. The auto can list themselves with them, and will have to pay a very nominal rate of Rs.65/- per day for the calls handles and routed them as service charges. They are already having 100+ Autos plying for them, and are looking to get more and more of them join the group. The best part of is that you can book and get the Auto at your doorstep, use them and pay at the prescribed government rates under the electronic meter as well. They also provide you the necessary bills as needed and also send you soft copy if needed. The rates are Rs14/- for the first 2 Kms and Rs.6/- for very additional Km, apart from which you will need pay Rs.20/- as service charges towards the usage of the Call Centers through which this is routed through to i

Story of Thiruvidanthai Temple

The third incarnation of Mahavishnu is in the form of a boar called Varaha. There are many shrines dedicated to Varaha and one such temple is Thiruvidanthai, near Mahabalipuram. The presiding deity is Lord Lakshmi Varaha and his divine consort is Komalavalli Thayar. The temple is rich in puranic lore. Sage Kalava, believed to have 360 daughters, lived at this place which was an agraharam those days (place where Brahmins live). To get his daughters married was a Herculean task and this he surrendered to the Lord Mahavishnu, known for his benevolence, assumed the form of a Brahmachari (bachelor) and visited. Kalava’s first daughter’s house and proposed to her and tied the nuptial knot. As it was customary, after the marriage , the couple went to Varahaswamy temple to seek his blessings. The couple vanished mysteriously once they entered the sanctum sanctorum. This was repeated to the rest of Kalava’s daughters day after day. Bewildered, the sage wanted to know the fate of his daughters

German Teacher, Besant Nagar

If you are looking out for a German Teacher in and around thiruvanmiyur, you must meet Mrs.Thila Graebel R who not only takes classes for learning German Language but also explains the culture and lifestyle for those who travel for business reasons or otherwise. She is Malay and married to a German now settled in Chennai and had learnt the language. As they say that necessity is the mother of invention. She is now spreading the language among those who have linguistic taste. She conducts classes all days in the week preferable in the morning between 09:30 AM to 1 PM. She runs a batch of maximum 4 students as she would like individual attention to each one of them. She charges Rs.3000/- per 30 hours package and Rs.5000/- per 50 hours package. She also teaches Malay for fast track course. Thila says “She is proud in distributing the knowledge to the younger generation”. She resides at 9/20, 5th Avenue, Besant Nagar, Chennai – 600 090. Handphone : 98411 89710 Email : thila_raj@yahoo.com

Tanjore Painting Teacher

Are you looking for an Tanjore Painting teacher in and around thiruvanmiyur, you must meet Mrs.Uma Nagavelu who takes classes in Water color , oil color and with special focus on Tanjore Painting. BA graduate in History, her taste towards art painting made her undergo six months intensive training in the Chettinad School of Tanjore Painting. She conducts classes all days in the week preferable in the morning between 10 AM to 1 PM, for each student will have alternate day classes for 2 hours. She charges Rs.1000/- per picture size of 12 by 15 which is medium, that can be completed in 10-12 classes. The students will have to bring materials for the tanjore painting. Uma says “even though she focuses on Tanjore Painting, she also teaches general painting for the students as most of them needs to fine tune it learning the art”. She resides at 2/428 Karpagambal Nagar, 1st Street, Kottiwakkam, Chennai – 600 041. Contact: 24511958

Maria Tuition Center , Adyar

Do you want send your children to a good tuition center for Matriculation, CBSE or ICSE in all the subjects, which gives personal attention to them in around Adyar. You must meet Mr A Francis who had organized the tuition center with leading lecturers and Professors from prominent educational institutions that have excelled in the profession of teaching and also by way of the qualifications in their studies. Classes are conducted daily from 6:30 to 7:30 in the morning and evening 4:30 to 7:30 on all days. They run a batch of maximum 5-6 students so that can give individual attention to each one of them. They have been in operation from 1991 and have been well organized by Mr A Francis and you can reach over phone or meet him after 4:30 PM any weekday for any clarifications. The fees are decided upon based on the personal meeting with the student. Handphone : 99414 87987

Interview with Suryaprakash

How did you get into the Music field? It was an auspicious accident that happened when I was just 7 years old, as I was travelling with my uncle, a seasoned musician, on an outstation trip. The group was enjoying the trip by singing music, but the fact that I was able to repeat some to 10-15 phrases of my uncle’s raga alapana, without any basic knowledge of music or swara sthanas was the one that took everyone by surprise. This is actually made my uncle feel that I had a natural gift for music and advised me to learn music the formal way. Who was your guru? Initially I started to learn from my uncle V Rajamani , student of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and then later from Vidwan M A Venugopalan in Chromepet as we were residing there. Then the stage was set for learning music with the full stage exposure and gaining knowledge for the big stage – tutelage from Sangeetha Kalanidhi T V Sankarnarayanan in the typical Gurukulavasa format for nearly 12 years, which was to maximize my music knowle

Music Teacher in Thiruvanmiyur

"Padma Shri" Gayatri Sankaran, AIR ‘A’ grade artiste has done her Ph.D from the University of Madras , has given many a performance in India & Abroad. She takes music classes for all age groups on Saturdays / Sundays on flexible timings. She does as a service for those who are handicapped. She resides at A/G-4, Mahaveer Apartments, 4 East Coast Road, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai – 600 041, Contact : 98404 99879

French Teacher in Palavakkam

Do you want to learn French? Then what are waiting for jus talk to Mrs.Meenakshi who not only takes classes for learning French Language and teaches spoken English, good communication. She conducts classes in the weekend preferable in the morning between 10 AM to 1 PM. She runs a batch of maximum 4 students as she would like individual attention to each one of them. She charges Rs.5000/- per 50 hours package. She also teaches Communication Skills and effective speaking in English for fast track course. She says “Proud in sharing the knowledge like the candle of light to the younger generation”. Handphone : 99622 39771 Email : bkmthy@aol.com

Foamy Water in the Canal

In the Buckingham canal at a few places we have noticed the water released out is creating foams on the surface. We were checking with the local residents on the same, it is the untreated sewerage water. As per the norms any water that is released into an open canal must be treated with necessary chemicals to ensure that the released water is free from any hazards to the people living in the area. They were also saying that it will be stinky in the morning and due to which the mosquitoes would be high resulting in the spreading of the infection. The local authorities are also taking enough attention to look into the problem which is assuming dangerous in terms of the health problems. The authorities need to look into the treatment of the water being released and also frequent mosquito elimination treatment in the area on the Canal Road – Dr. Arignar Anna 1st Street. We hope that we have brought to the notice of the local authorities for the quick solution to the problem.
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This is the bridge connecting the OMR Road and ECR Road on the Pandian Salai, where we had reported in the earlier edition under the title “Risky Route in OMR” , which had in fact led to demolition of the bridge and have setup a wooden bridge by the side of the main bridge for the people to commute by walk. They also have undertaken the laying of the wooden planks and shall be completed in 2 days time. After which they shall start to laying of jelly concrete and may be will open for the service to all the residents by the week end.

Healthy Baby Contest 2008

Vidya Ratna PTS Matriculation School had organized a “Healthy Baby Contest 2008” in their campus on 17th February. The function was presided over by the Mrs. Revathy Shankaran, also other important guest of honour in the dais Dr. Malathi Sathyasekaran, other doctors to assist in the assessment of the healthy babies. The function was opened by inaugural address by the Mrs Subbulakshmi ,Sr Prinicpal of the school and then Chief Guest had come into the audience and started with nice peppy talk with a lot of focus towards working mothers with good informative speech with a mention towards children upbringing. The highlight of the speech was that “This is not a contest, but an occasion for the parents to be with their children and see them in their age group. Also that for every Mother their own kid is the healthiest of the one” This contest was organized for age groups of 0-1-2-3-4 yrs, each group prizes were given away by the chief guest. A magic show by the popular artiste Mr Chaplin Rav

Vitalife Clinic - Oseoporosis Camp

VitaLife Clinic conducted a free-camp on Osteoporosis (Bone Problems) for Women on 1st March 2008 from 10:00 AM to 04:00 PM at their premises. This was led by a team of Doctors – Dr. Manju – Gynaecology & Obstetrics and Dr. K Ramani – Orthopaedics. Initially you need fill up the registration form and followed by the testing of the bone density by the equipment. If the reading was in the safe zone, they are asked to meet the family physician to have insight to the Osteoporosis; else in the red zone then you are asked to meet the Orthopaedics for the remedial measure. The camp was very successful with over more then 80 people attending, and are looking at organizing, more and more of this kind in future. They also conducted a 15 minutes session on the Osteoporosis deliberating over the issue and how to take measures to prevent the same. They are planning to organize a similar camp on 6th April for Osteoporosis, Bone & Joint Problems. We also discussed about their activities in ot

Shiv Ratri in Palavakkam

Palavakkam Vijaysakthi Vinayagar Temple Trust conducted the Shiv Ratri function in the temple premises on 6th March 2008 from 6:30 PM till midnight. All the residents of the Palavakkam in the University of Madras Staff Residents attended the function. They also organized a Carnatic Music Programme by Vadakovanur Umamaheswari B, who a budding artiste who have learnt music from her Guru Leela Rajagopalan in Kolkata and had given many a performance of note. This was notable of the performances in Chennai, which was for about an hour and captivated the audience in the temple on the splendid occasion. After the performance we spoke to her “ she says that she also takes music classes for the age group of above 5 in the weekends and can be contacted at 99622 39771 for further information. This was followed by the abhishekam and Mrs. Latha Kathirvelu had rendered a religious discourse for an hour. We also took the chance to talk to the Temple Members, about the construction of the Rajagopuram

Bank ATM in Chennai South

HDFC Bank ATM 's 24, Arunachal Apartments, M.G. Road, Shastri Nagar, Adyar, Chennai - 600 041 No. 13, Nehru Nagar, First Main Road, Indira Nagar, Chennai - 600 020 T-31, 7th Avenue, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Besant Nagar ,Chennai - 600 090 14, 3rd Avenue, Besant Nagar, Chennai - 600 090 26, East Coast Road, Kottivakkam, Chennai - 600 041 393, 1st Main Road, Srinivaspuram, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai - 600 041 ICICI Bank ATM 's Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School,IV Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar,Chennai – 20 57/ 2B, East Coast, Near Vitan Showroom, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai – 41 Infosys Technologies, No.138, Sholinganallur, Old mahabalipuram Road, CHENNAI , 600119 (Restricted Access) Ramco Systems, 5, Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai 600113 Ascendas IT Park Ltd, /01 / 7 / 8, Taramani Road, CHENNAI , 600113 First Floor, TDEL Park, 4 Canal Bank Road, Taramani, Chennai – 600 113. Wipro Technologies, Sholinganallur, Old Mahabalipuram Road, CHENNAI , 600119 (Restricted Access) E/36, II Avenue,

This Time in thise Years in History

March 15th 44 BC – On the “Ides of March,” Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the senate house by a group of conspirators led by Cimber, Casca, Cassius, and Marcus Junius Brutus. March 16th 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines March 17th 1762 – The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City . March 18th 1965 – Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov made the first spacewalk. March 19th 1953 – The Academy Awards were first televised. March 20th 1602 – The Dutch East India Company was established. During its 196-year history, it became one of the world's most powerful companies. March 21st 1965 – Martin Luther King, Jr., led the start of a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. March 22nd 1765 – The Stamp Act was enacted on the American colonies by Britain. March 23rd 1919 – Benito Mussolini founded his own party in Italy, the Fasci di Combattimento. March 24th 1882 – Robert Koch announced the discovery of the tuberculosis bacillu

St Anthony Shrin, Palavakkam Chennai

St Anthony Shrine’s humble origin dates back to the year 1997 when on 24th February, the Catholic residents of Palkalainagar, Palavakkam, enthusiastically erected a thatched shed in honour of St. Anthony with permission and blessings from the late Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, Most Rev. Dr. Arul Das James, and under the spiritual guidance of Rev. Fr. Vincent Chinnadurai, then Parish Priest of St. Joseph's Church, Erukanchery.From 27th February, 1997 onwards, Rev. Fr. P.M. George, then Parish Priest of Sts. Joachim and Anne Church, Vettuvankeni, began to conduct Holy Mass and Novena prayers in honour of this saint. St. Anthony, already renowned for his power of attracting the devotees, began to manifest his blessings and gathered people, irrespective of their caste and creed. It was witnessed that particularly on Tuesdays devotees thronged this humble abode of St. Anthony to receive his favours and blessings. St Anthony Shrine located near seaside of Palavakkam has conducted two da

Palm Sunday in Chennai South

Palm Sunday What a friend we have, in Jesus, All our sins and grief’s to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer Oh, what peace we often forfeit Oh, what needless we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer! (An old hymn) This event commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and is treated as beginning of the Holy week starting from Palm Sunday (March 16) through the Good Friday to Easter Sunday. The Palm Sunday is commemorated by all the churches throughout the world .Pope Benedict in the Vatican City on the Palm Day addressed the Christians to examine whether worldly desires had Corrupted the faith? Annai Velankanni in Besant Nagar commemorated the Palm Sunday by taking Palm fronds in hands starting from the Besant Nagar Bus stand to the Church by the Parishnors with the Fr Michael. Then after coming into the church premises, the Holy Mass started in English, Tamil & Malayalam throughout the day. This marked the beginning of the holy w

Maharashra Music Festival in Chennai

Dharma Paripalan Sabha of the Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Koil conducted the 19th Annual Cultural festival under The Maharashtra Association on 1st and 2nd March 2008 for the celebrations of Sri Samartha Ramdas Navami to promote the traditional music of Maharashtra in a bid to create more awareness as well spread the light of NadhaBrahm. It started with prayer and welcome address and list of participants were Cuddalore Sri Gopi Bhagavathar & Party , Kovai Sri Jayaraman & Party , Bhakthaswaraa Bhajan Mandali –Chennai , Geetanjali – Pune and with Aarthi & Mahaprasad concluded the first day of the event. The next day featured “Warkari Sampradayik Harikirthan” by G Raghunath Doss, Sro O S Sundar & Party, Bhakti Dhara. Following which the Chief Guest Smt Pratibha Paranjape, Pune honoured Cuddalore Sri Gopi Bhagavathar. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr S Devaji Rao and also had a magazine sponsored by Sri Krishna Sweets as regards to the Poojas and Festivals o

5th Annual HR Symposuim of MSSW

It was a grand gala opening to the 5th Biennial Symposium on the Technology as a enabler in HR (Human resources) which was organized by the students of Madras School of Social Work and has been sponsored by Nuveda Learning Pvt Ltd and Co-sponsored by the GRT Grand Hotel for the hospitality, at GRT Grand Hotel in Southern Crown Hall from 0900 to 1800 Hrs on 20th March 2008. The symposium was chaired on the Dias by Mr. Bhaskar Das – Vice President (HR) in Cognizant Technology Solutions , Dr Fatima Vasanth – Principal of Madras School of Social Work , Professor Jayanthi Peter – Head of the Department MA –HRM program in Madras School of Social Work , Dr Balasubramanian Krishnan – CEO of Nuveda Learning and Mr Manish Benedict President HR Symphony. The symposium started with the inaugural welcome to chief guest and other important dignitaries by Dr Fatima Vasanth. This was followed by the key note address by Mr Bhaskar Das which drew the attention of the meet towards the Technology as an en

Education for the Poor

Brotherhood Community College was founded in the year 2001 and has been operation for the last seven years and was engaged in running institutions in Thanjavur, Vellore , Trichy ,Madurai as private tuition centers for lesser privileged ones. They have been primarily targeting to provide for the education for the poor section of the people. This is institution has been recognized by the Bharat Seva Sangh and is accredited for the certificate completion course. Nearly more than 10000 of them studying at their various centers for the 10th and 12th std. They have now opened in Palavakkam to extend their service in the field of education in two sectors – Teacher training and Paramedical Courses. They are providing many courses for those who have passed their 10th Std for nominal fees with the exception that for really deserving candidates they are sponsored by the institute and enabling them progress in life. They also provide hostel facility at very nominal fees of Rs.500/- per month. The

Bridges – Connecting Places or Death Trap?

After the rain in Chennai, we are all aware that the roads are in pathetic condition and lot of them is re-laid as well as patched for the emergency on the main area. In the ECR road there are some roads which only the local users will be aware of which are connecting roads between the ECR and OMR. We were just a taking a look at some of these roads and bridges which are narrow and connects these roads and bridges over the Buckingham canal which is heart of the road connecting them. It would be pathetic to be called so; they are built of wooden planks which are surviving traffic of nearly 3000 people on an average and lot of vehicular traffic like the Share Autorickshaw, Private Auto and Minidors on a regular basis. They are a source of instant danger to anyone who does not travel in broad daylight. Also in the morning as onlooker we were watching the extent of the traffic on this and you will notice that we will have to wait to cross the so-called bridge. The bridge we are deliberatin

Hummus Recipe

Hummus Hummus is one of the more popular Middle Eastern dips. Served with fresh or toasted pita, hummus makes for a great snack or appetizer. Tahini is an important part of the hummus recipe and cannot be substituted. However, it can be omitted INGREDIENTS: 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste) 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil PREPARATION: Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Tahini Recipe

Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) Tahini is a Middle Eastern pantry essential. It is the foundation for amny Middle Eastern recipes like hummus and baba ghanoush. Tahini can be prepared homemade or purchased at a Middle Eastern grocer in a can. It is called tahini or tahina, depending on the region. INGREDIENTS: 5 cups sesame seeds 1 1/2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 350. Toast sesame seeds for 5-10 minutes, shaking the seeds frequently with a spatula. Do not allow to brown. Cool for 20 minutes. Pour sesame seeds into food processor and add oil.

Here the flavour is pure Arabic

Al-Reef on East Coast Road in Kottivakkam has in a short time begun to attract large crowds, especially of people who have returned from a stint in the Middle East and have had exposure to the region’s exclusive cuisine. They know that if you are looking for Arabic food this is a cosy place to hang out with friends. The hotel opened on Feb 27 and is part of a chain, with nearly a dozen operating in the metro under different names. It plans three more outlets on ECR and Old Mahabalipuram Road. It has been operating in Bahrain and Dubai for quite some time. The two partners managing Al-Reef can be mistaken for being part of the gen next that has begun to frequent the hotel. Both are young and energetic and have had exposure in Dubai and Bahrain from where have come quite a few of the delicacies and preparations on offer at Al-Reef. For one partner it is a quantum jump: his father has for the past 30 years and more run a vegetarian restaurant – Adyar Sree Bhavan in Sashtri Naga

Dream come True

A student of catering, who gained over period of 5 years with an ambition to have his own with the help of his brother Murugesh , who runs a travels has started with small joint – BURGER POINT ,in the Thiruvalluvar Nagar 2nd Main Road. The Story of the boy whose name is Thiyagu how has for long cherished a dream put up his own joint, come true of course with the help of brother and others members in his family who have made him realize a dream. This Small Joint has opened on the last Saturday (22nd March 2008) which is nicely poised for a good eat-out for the weekends. They are right now concentrating on the Burgers – Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian, Hot Dogs , Pop Corn , Ice Creams and a good of variety of fresh juices. We did speak to a few of them having, they were very impressed with the quality of the stuff being provided. They also said that it was good value for the money. They also have plans to start with Executive Lunch Pack and give deliveries at request. They are also in the