Saturday, April 29, 2017

20 varieties of puffs at this popular eatery


By Arjun Ram


Senthil Softy Zone on Kutchery Road is one of the popular hang-outs for youth. But it also serves some yummy snacks.
Started in the year 1987 in Mylapore, it serves 23 varieties of vegetarian puffs and  all varieties of cakes, including one with a photo of yourself on the top!

It also offers chaats, burgers, juices, milkshakes, breads and ice creams.  
In the evenings and on weekends, young people head here for a bite and chat.

 It has already has a branch in P. S. Sivaswamy Salai  and in the middle of May it will open a new outlet in North Mada Street in Mylapore, says P. Muralidharan the owner of the shop.


Kodai Nataka Vizha; play on marriage alliances today



By Ananth Ram

Kartik Fine Arts hosts the Kodai Nataka Vizha which takes place annually. Started in the year 1990, it promotes new dramas and theatre. 

This year's edition is currently on at Narada Gana Sabha, Alwarpet. It ends on May 3.

Plays are held every evening and they are open to all.

On Friday, Vivahamalai.com, written by P.Muthukumaran was staged.

It runs for two hours and focuses on two marriages. One between an engineer and a woman who supports feminism and the other between the engineer's friend and the woman's relative. 

It talked about the different conditions put forward by women when alliances are discussed. The alliances come through via a matrimonial website, Vivahamalai.com.
There are many twists in the play.


The play was crafted very well. The audience were able to connect with the different characters of the play. It was filled with humor and the audience couldn't stop laughing. 


At the end of the 12-day drama fest,  prizes are awarded to the best play, best director, best actor and best story, says the sabha secretary, R. Venkatasubramanian. 

This year, the fest is dedicated to Cho Ramaswamy, the well known playwright and commentator.


The best reviews from the audience are also awarded prizes.

Praying for rain

Praying for rain

By Vyjayanthi Sriram












The Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji Kainkarya Sabha organised a mass prayer for the welfare and prosperity of people.

This was held at the Vanniyar Mandapam, Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore.

The Aganta Varuna Jabam, a 12-hour long prayer was conducted from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 27.

The ritual was lead by the disciples of Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji and was attended by many local residents.

The sabha is involved in holding Veda parayanams and  religious poojas.
Food was distributed to those assembled once the jabam ended.

S. Sridhar, a trustee of this sabha says, "We have faith in the gods and  hope for some relief from this scorching summer. A pamphlet with the prayers is being distributed  so that the slokas  can be recited by everyone to attain prosperity.”
For more information , contact S.Brahmanand (trustee) at 9940322117


Banners at ration shops highlight digitization of system

Banners at ration shops highlight digitization of system

By Vyjayanthi Sriram


The ration shop on C. P. Ramaswamy Road, Alwarpet has a series of notices which feature the new schemes and digitisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS) operations.

The schemes include -rice provided as per  size of family, wheat as substitute for rice for poorer households.

The government has launched an TNPDS mobile app which offers information and services of PDS.  

Along with the smart cards that are being issued, messaging services have been initiated.

There is a web site that also guides you on how to get a ration card and related issues.

Mohan, a  staff at this ration shop says, “These initiatives are for making the system more transparent and user-friendly.”


Thursday, April 27, 2017

He once sold kerosene, now sells tender coconuts

By Ananth Ram 


Summer is the season of tender coconut water. And the tender coconut sellers are all over the place. 

P. Annamalai, who lives in Kabali Thottam, Mylapore, has been selling tender coconut water for 20 years now.

He says he used to sell kerosene before and the 56 year-old switched to selling "elaneer". 

He sells them in a corner of the C.V.Raman Road - Ashoka Street junction under the shade of the tree here. He prices the coconuts at Rs.30 and Rs.40 depending on the size of the coconut.

This season, the sales have not been quite strong, says he, but he added that he is expecting good sales in the coming months. 

He also door delivers the coconuts in this area. Contact him at 9941227922.


Water bowls for birds

By Ananth Ram 

It is summer time - not only for man but also for birds and animals. 
Some people have begun to leave water bowls on pavements or on walls. This picture was taken outside Ashvita Bistro on Bava Road, Alwarpet.

Thaneer pandal on Dr. Ranga Road



By  Arjun Ram


thaneer pandal ( drinking water point) on Dr. Ranga Road in Mylapore has two pots full of water and cups. 
It serves auto-drivers, pedestrians and hawkers.

Kooteshwaran, a auto rickshaw driver said that he often stops here to have a drink. Jagan, a LPG-cylinder-delivery boy says that this pandal is useful in summer.


The pot is refilled by the residents of a building behind the pandal, says Mani the watchman of an apartment here.




Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Day 3 of camp: Reading the Dailies, spotting stories. How to Blog.

Day Three as always began with a few of us reading out reports from the dailies. Getting to know the different kinds of News and their sources.
We also learnt about how a Reporter locates a story, and works on it.
Examples of stories reported by a few of us were taken up for discussion - on how the details had been got. One example was on how to get the full names of strangers a colleague spoke to to do a story on water pandals.

The session ended with guidelines on mailing our stories and how to Blog them on the Blog of this course.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Dat Two of Camp: Profile of a Reporter

Day Two was focussed on the work of a Reporter in a newspaper. What is his or her profile, what is his daily assignment and what a 'beat' is all about.
A reporter's beat is much the same as that of a local policeman. 

We were asked to map our neighbourhood - to help us know it better and make use of it as news sources.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Day One of Camp; What is News?


Day One at the Journalism Camp began with introductions by the participants.
All of us are school students, and most are from the Mylapore neighbourhood.
The first topic for the day was on 'News', ' What is News'.

And a few tips - how small writing pads make it easy to take notes, how to run through the news in a daily newspaper and how to start locating news in a  daily which we could read out in class every morning and discuss it.