Public toilet on Thiruvika Bridge

By Anirudh Ramesh

The always busy and lifeline, connecting Adyar to Mylapore, the Thiruvika Bridge presents an unhygienic and a despicable picture of late with the public using it as a toilet to relieve themselves all through the day.

The corporation of Chennai and the MTC joined together, some months back and widened the road near the Annai Sathya College and constructed a bus stand, with a bus bay to ease the traffic congestion, which was the order of the day before, with buses stopping right on the middle of the road, at the entrance of the college. After the shifting of the bus stand and the bus bay, the traffic has eased to a great extent but, it has given rise to people parking their vehicles, at the entrance of the bridge, near the bus bay and using it as a (open) public toilet. This defeats the very purpose of constructing a swanky looking bus shelter, since, commuters have to put up with the stench of urine all day long.

Will the zone X corporation officials look in to this and restore the portion of the bridge that is the entrance to Adyar, to its old glory?

Another suggestion would be to construct a public toilet.

Promo films screened on beach

By Anirudh Ramesh

Short films propagating the schemes of the Small Savings Department were screened recently on Elliots Beach.

Staff of this department said this was done to create awareness among the people about the various schemes and facilities provided by the State government and the Central Government.

The films were shown from 18th of May. Many people viewed them on the beach.

Besant Nagar's very own music shop

Reported by Anirudh Ramesh

Five years ago, Ramesh Kumar, started a music shop 'Shridi Sairam Musical Instruments store' in Besant Nagar.
It is on Beach Home Avenue, near the Ellaiamman Kovil and the Besant Nagar MTC bus terminus.

Today, this shop is packed with all kinds of music instruments.

"My shop sells all kinds of musical instruments of genuine brands. violins, keyboards, guitars, veena, tabla, mridangam and drums are available here ", says Ramesh.

This store also provides servicing of music instruments.

One offer on now is that the shop provides the cases, stand, adaptor (for electric instruments), strings(for stringed instruments), free of cost on every purchase of a keyboard or a guitar or a violin.

The shop is open on all days of the week (including Sundays), from 10:30am-9:00pm.

All credit cards are accepted.

For further details, contact- 9444072475 or 24462632.

The address of the shop-
Lakshmi Complex, no. 1/11 Beach Home Avenue, near Ellaimman Kovil and Besant Nagar Bus Terminus, Besant Nagar, Chennai-600 090.

Tree Park comes up on Adyar River banks

Reported by Sankriti Krishnan

Two years ago this land was a dump yard, highly encroached and devoid of any vegetation.

This face is changing because of a project called Tree Park, thanks to Nizhal and the state Public Works Department (PWD).

Nizhal (meaning shade) is an NGO that was started back in September 2005 with the objective of promoting tree culture in urban areas. Since then, Nizhal has been involved in various campaigns and programmes, namely – the greening of the Puzhal state prison campus, greening of the stations at Kotturpuram and Kasturbai Nagar, besides other areas.

Nizhal along with the PWD facilitated the development of a Tree Park along Adyar River bank, Kotturpuram to commemorate 150 years of the PWD. About four acres of land was cleared, fenced and around 200 different species of tropical dry evergreen forests (TDEF) / indigenous, naturalized plants and trees were planted.

During the greening process this land was divided into four sections where saplings were planted and citizens and students came to the park in the evenings to pump water from a hand pump to water the plants, to add manure and help the saplings to grow in a healthy manner.

Nizhal saw many volunteers take part in this process. Members from other NGOs like Bhumi, student volunteers from the American International School, AMM Matriculation Higher Secondary School, college students from Anna University, and members of the Youth Red Cross pitch in at different periods.

Volunteers also regularly meet at the Tree Park every Sunday evening between 4.30 and 6 p m to do their bit for the greening process. Supportive citizens of the area also provided lime juice to the volunteers who worked on the Park.

In the same park, Nizhal has tied up with a team of young landscape architects led by Satish Moses, who have provided a unique idea in urban design.

Says Shobha Menon, Founder Trustee of Nizhal “Their idea involved tying ropes in a careful design to the branches of a dead tree within the Park. The rope is firmly planted to the soil with boulders and climbers are carefully positioned so that when they grow, they do so along the rope. Over time it will form a natural green design! ”

Apart from watering the saplings from time to time, Nizhal has also adopted the idea of placing water in earthern pots in the soil so that roots absorb water from these pots. The Corporation of Chennai is proposing to develop this as a unique Tree Park for the city.

Currently, Nizhal holds a number of tree walks conducted by experts so that citizens get an idea of what kind of trees are in their neighbourhood.

In the interest of promoting tree culture in urban areas, Nizhal invites interested volunteers to help make name boards for the various saplings planted at the Tree Park on River View Road, Kotturpuram.

For further information, contact: Vaishnavi Srinivasan, Program Coordinator, Nizhal : 98408 68441

E-mail: nizhal.shade@gmail.com Website: www.nizhal.org

Physiotherapy and dance: Simy's passions

By Sankriti Krishnan

Meet Simy T. A., a young woman of 27 working with special children at Vidya Sagar in Kotturpuram.

Hailing from Kerala, Simy did her schooling at Kristu Jyoti English High School and later did higher studies at M G University where she studied physiotherapy for four years.

She later did her internship for six months at S H Multi-Speciality Hospital.

“I had no idea what physiotherapy was when I started in college, but I got interested later and pursued it further,” confesses Simy.

She came down to Chennai in 2000, and has since stayed in Vidya Sagar for the past six years, where she started working with babies and then moved onto treating children with disabilities whom she wants equip so that they become independent and fit into the world better.

Simy is also a trained Western dancer. Dancing was something that came to her when she had to put up a dance show for Cancer Awareness. And so in 2002, Simy and four of her friends started ‘Studio D5’ a dance company that coaches students in styles including Modern Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop and Salsa.

So is her passion physiotherapy or dance?

“Physiotherapy will always remain close to my heart and so will dance!”

Ask her about her goals and she says, “ I want to travel around the globe to find a place where there are no resources so that I can help disabled children adjust to the various demands of the world."
Simy can be reached at: Vidya Sagar, No.1, Ranjith Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai-600 085. Mobile: 98407 00612

'Art of Living' yoga courses in Thiruvanmiyur

By Anirudh Ramesh

The Art of Living yoga centre on Kalakshetra Road, Thiruvanmiyur, is a voulantry organization. It offers a wide range of self developement courses and yoga courses for physical and mental fitness.
The Sudershana Kriya Program is held for 6 days in a week.

There is also a free half-hour programme, everyday in the morning, from 6 a m. Membership or registration is not required and anyone can participate in this programme.

Also, every Saturday, from 5 pm to 6 pm, there is a programme for kids in the age groups of 8 - 14 years, where they will be taught some yoga asanas.

There is also a self-developement programme, that is followed by story-telling programme. Fresh batches start from June 10 for kids and on June 15 for adults .

Course in Fine Arts introduced at Besant Arundale school

By Anirudh Ramesh

The Besant Arundale Senior Secondary School in the Kalakshetra Foundation campus has produced good results in its Std. 12 exams this year.

This school, is run by the Ministry of Culture, under the umbrella of the Kalakshetra Foundation.

This year, the school has introduced a new stream this time, for the students of our school. It comes under Fine Arts, and includes Carnatic Music - vocal, Carnatic Music - instrumental (melody) 3. percussion 4.painting
These courses are exclusively taught in this school.

"Any student from any Board is eligible to choose this stream", says Kalaiarasi, the principal of the school.

However, the admissions for all the classes but for a few seats in eleventh class are closed and full.

"We have also introduced the Continuous Comprehensive Assessment (CCA) from the sixth standard whereas, from classes one to five, learning and evaluation is based on various activities." she said.

The school gives equal importance to arts as it gives to science and commerce. The school re-opens on June 14.

For further information, people can get in touch with the office at 24526211

Sai Vidhyashram: School for special people in Tambaram

By Sai Janani
N.G Mirunalini started a centre for mentally challenged people in 2006 at Kalidasar Street, East Tambaram to train them to help them live independently.
At present there are 18 people studying here. This centre doesn’t have an age bar and they categorize people based on their mental IQ.
They are given basic academic and vocational training skills and are taught to make candles and paper covers.
At present the training is conducted in a small outhouse.
Mirunalini says they need a larger place. People who want to contribute funds or can give them a place on rent can contact Mirunalini at No:4 Kalidasar street, Poondy Bazar, East Tambaram. Phone: 9444810610

KV CLRI school: CBSE Class X exam results

By Umesh Kumar

CBSE Class X results were announced on Friday, 28th May.
From this year onwards, CBSE has come out with new grading system and so, there is no school ranks. 5 students of KV CLRI , Adyar got 10 out of 10 in this grading system.

According to R. Radhakrishnan, Principal of the school ' Grading system has eliminated 2 to 3% marking errors by the examiners. This has avoided unhealthy competition and comparison and removes stress among students."

May 28: Locating local stories and reporting them

Today's ( 28-05-2010 - Friday ) class emphasised on how to plan the day's work ;
how to get the real story and how write it.

Some of the tips shared -

Be methodical - do the things in order and in systematic way

Be prepared - make note of background info before going out on an assignment.

Be smart and sharp - be curious and look beyond what you actually see.

HOW TO LOCATE A LOCAL STORY:

- The story can be anything based on your neighbourhood.

- Discover the place & explore it a little bit

- Look at the interesting angles.

- Choose the one which is challenging

- The best place for News are happening hot spots like 24x7 public places.
( Rly station, Bus stops, Religious places, School / Colleges, Beach, Exhibitions, Entertainment places etc., )

WRITING A NEW STORY:

- Write in a way that readers easily get the story.
- Mark and underline the important info you have gathered in your notepad
- The story must contains 5 Ws
( Who, What, Where, When, & Why )
- Keep te story simple & short using simple lines
- Put the most important details in the first paragraph ( also known as lead )
- Vital additional information in second para ( support lead )
- Go on to tell the story
- Recheck the story and then file.

Necklace mela at Tanishq store in Velachery

Tanishq the well known jewellery brand store has organised a necklace mela at Velachery.
The Tanishq showroom has a variety of necklaces of contemporary light weight collections, wedding collection, Calcutta designs, kundan work necklaces, polki and long harams.

Diamond necklaces, ruby and emerald studded neckwear of the latest designs are on display.
“The mela is to showcase the unique collection which we have for the modern woman. We also have the latest light weight ornament and wedding collections which is popular among the younger generation”, says S. R. Karthickumar, the store manager.
Chains, bangles, ear-rings, finger rings, pendants, bracelets ar also on sale here.
This shop is at Tanishq Jewellery ‎No. 36, 100 Feet Road, Velachery, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600042044 , Phone :044 - 22440100‎

Odyssey hosts games,fun and prizes for kids

The Odyssey store in Gandhi Nagar has been organizing games for children in the age group of 5 -12 everyday from 2pm to 4pm.These events began on the first of May and will continue till the end of the month. Special games and activities are held on weekends that enables children to unleash their creativity and have loads of fun and chances to win great prizes. "The painting competition that was held as part of the games session was a great success and the participants had a lot of fun," said Mr.Ahmed Shakir the store manager.
The events take place at the children's toy section in the basement.For details contact 4218 7130.Odyssey is located at No:45 &47, 1st Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar.

Poor feeding

By Sai Janani

Ram Ram Seva Sangam conducted a poor feeding programme on May 28 at Agasthiyar Street, East Tambaram to celebrate Kanchi Maha periyaval’s jayanthi.

The “annadhanam” started at 12 noon and the Sangam members served the meals to nearly 50 poor people in the locality.

The Sangam usually conducts this poor feeding programme on four days of every month and on special religious occasions.

The secretary of the sangam Revathi Ragunathan says that “the Sangam collect groceries or money from people who wish to contribute and the collections are given to a catering agency to prepare the food”

For more details contact Revathi Raghunathan, secretary of Sangam, 26/28. Agasthiyar Street, East Tambaram.Phone - 22391318

MAY 26th - All about W's

Today, we started the session with readings of two long news reports. One on the misuse of the Pallikaranai marsh and the second on the condition of people who were affected last year by a cyclone in the Sunderbands.

Having done this, the focus was on the 5 W's - who, what, when, where, why - and how we need to seek info that answers these questions in order to write a good news story.

We also learned how to keep to a KISS - Keep it short and simple.

Class was entertaining and surely awakening and loads of fortune cookies to hold on to!

John Britto’s Dance Co. presents show on May 31

By Anya Reddy

John Britto’s, since 1996, is known as Chennai’s premier dance studio. The company has performed with filmdom’s biggest stars at India’s glitziest events and has worked with the biggest names in business. And through it all, one thread has been common…their undying love of dance.

On May 31, John Britto’s company will be showing off their dancing talents in Hip-Hop, Bollypop, Ballroom Dancing and Salsa moves at Kamaraj Hall in Teynampet at a show that starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at their Nungambakkam Head Office (F2, 132 A, 4th Street, Sivaram Sterling Towers, Sterling Road, Nungambakkam and at Kamraj Hall until May 29.

Counseling provided to students at Olcott

Reported by Thendral.S

Students of Olcott Memorial High School in Besant Nagar who are facing family or personal or behavioral problems and are having trouble in their studies are given counseling.
"We fix an appointment and have counseling weekly thrice. The students are counseled individually. They are spoken to and are given several activities," says C. Mary the principal of the school.

Students are observed during class and if they seem to have any problem then they counseled.

They have teachers trained for counseling. One of the counseling teachers, R.Lalitha says, "We really need to provide counseling as students here don't really come from the best background. When they have problems with their parents we deal with their parents and talk to them".

Counseling is also conducted for students who have finished their schooling in that school.

May 25: Interviewing Tips

By Sankriti Krishnan

The day started with the usual newspaper reading sessions but today the focus was on one article related to the Air India IX-812 flight crash. It had a large photo of a 4 year old girl who had lost both her parents in the crash and there was a report on the funeral.

We first looked at it in ‘The Hindu’.

The main focus was on the large picture that accompanied the article, which spoke more than the article did. It also spoke about the photographer’s mind - to pick the right picture to take in a very sensitive situation.

A report on the same subject from ‘The Times of India’ was also read which helped point out the contrasting differences between the two reports and the pictures.

Then we moved on to the various aspects of interviewing - we were told of tips that we need to prepare for and conduct an interview.

A mock interview was also done where we interviewed our colleague Mridula. It was an exercise to use the skills we had got to learn. All of us had to take down notes while the interview was on and we analysed our responses too.

Club in Tambaram offers coaching in kho kho

Report by Sai Janani

Achme, an eight-member kho kho team based in Tambaram (The team members studied in the same school in Tambaram and they played together as team) has won many tournaments.

It has done well for the past six years.

It has now started training school and college students who wish to learn this sport. The fee is Rs.150 per month.

This team got selected twice for state level tourneys.

One of the trainers Suraj says that since they faced lots of hardships and lacked proper trainers in the locality they now want to provide good training to others.

The club plans to conduct an open tournament for schools in and around Tambaram in August.

At present they have got permission from the local municipality to train in the Gandhi Park in East Tambaram.

The players cum trainers: Suraj,Sriram,Aswin,Akilan,Pradeep,Magesh, Venkatesh,Aswin kumar.

Contact No: 8056160617

NGO to provide students with school kits

Report by Sai Janani

The Ram Ram Seva Sangam, East Tambaram is organising an 'incentive' programme for the school and college level students in and around Tambaram.

The programme is to be held on May 30 at Suhasini Kalyana Mandapam at Tambaram Sanatorium at 6 p.m.

Nearly 108 students are going to receive school kits which contain two sets of uniforms, school bag, notebooks and stationery.

College students will receive cash and two special children will also be rewarded.

The chief guest is R Natraj, IPS, Head of TN Fire and Rescue Services and Nirmala Natraj will inaugurate the function.

For more details contact Revathi Raghunathan, secretary of Sangam at 26/28. Agasthiyar Street, East Tambaram.
Phone - 04422391318

May 24: How to find story leads

Today's session began with the standard practice of reading the newspaper but there was a small change - we skipped stories on crime and deaths and located 'positive' leads.

This provided examples for a discussion on the usage of proper / appropriate and simple words in a report and how simple language.

This session was all about finding story leads. How, when and where can a reporter find the story. We also talked about ways to locate stories even from small things that happen in the locality.

After that, all of us were asked to look at our local maps to find a story idea. We also discussed the leads of every participant.

Admissions at AMM Higher Secondary School

By Sankriti Krishnan

Admissions for LKG at AMM Higher Sec. School, Kotturpuram for the academic year 2010-2011 are open in June 2010 only against vacancy.

However, admissions for UKG – IX are over.

The names of selected students for these classes are displayed on the school notice board, said school managers.

Applications forms for class XI are to be submitted in the school office three days after the publication of class X Board exam results between 9 am - 1 pm.

The school reopens for classes UKG – IX on 7th June 2010 and for class X & XII on 3rd June 2010 for the year 2010 - 2011.

The school reopens for class XI after the admission process is completed.

For further details, contact: A.M.M. Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai - 600085. Tel: 24470629, 24474495‎

Website: www.ammschool.org

The School Office is open from 9 am to 4 pm.

Swimming Courses

Ms.Naveen Doraiswamy a resident of Kasturibai Nagar conducts swimming classes at the Accord Metropolitan Hotel, T.Nagar.The courses extend for a perion of 15 days with each session lasting an hour.The classes are conducted throughout the year except during the monsoon season.They are conducted between 3 p.m. and 6 p. m.Ms. Naveen says she has fifteen years of experience as a swimming trainer.
Ms Naveen conducts these classes to help those interested in developing the skill as well as those who wish to swim to stay fit or lose weight.The courses are open to students 4 years and above. For further details contact Ms.Naveen - 9841313688.

Quiet road in Kotturpuram now a busy hub

By Sankriti Krishnan

Arunachalam Road was a quiet road deep inside Kotturpuram. Well, it was once upon a time ago. But now it is the busiest in this area.

Arunachalam Road was a bush back in the 70s, home to the Chettiar community in Kotturpuram; the oldest residents here and at times, it was a site for street cricket.

Arunachalam Road became busy after the construction of the Kotturpuram Bridge over the Adyar River, as more people built their houses in this area. The bridge facilitated an easier approach to Mount Road (Anna Salai) via Saidapet.

Over the past 29 years Kotturpuram has witnessed a dramatic rise in the number of residents in the area.

Says N. Lalitha, a resident in Arunachalam Road for the last 29 years, “Back then land used to cost about forty thousand rupees… Now the rent for a house is about two lakhs!”

Says Sadhana Narayan, a new resident who previously lived in the United States, “We wanted a street that was quiet and also away from the noisy traffic. But Arunachalam Road is now a busy road!”

And now with the large community of residents, Arunachalam Road is turning out to be a busy road.

Highways to widen main road in Tambaram

Report By Sai Janani

The Velachery main road at Tambaram is a key road since it provides access to East Tambaram bus terminus, the railway station and Madras Christian College.Initially the road was narrow and both sides of the road were occupied by petty shops, hotels and hawkers.

An over bridge to connect east and west sides of Tambaram is under construction.Therefore the bus terminus which was initially situated near the railway gate has now been shifted right opposite MCC college gates.This has led to congestion.

In order address this issue the Highway authorities have demolished nearly 90% of the encroachments and are under the process of extending and widening the roads. Duraiselvaraj , the road inspector of the Highways Department says that they have obtained permission to extend the road for about 1 km from the MCC end within a year.

AIMS opens centre in Adyar

Reported by Umesh Kumar
AIMS, a leading coaching centre for IIT-JEE, AIEEE, AIPMT is now functioning at Adyar.

At AIMS Education, they provide coaching and train students who have desire to study in preimier institutions such as IITs.

Coaching is given for XI & XII standard students, both CBSE as well as State Board students. ( AIMS also offers foundation courses for students of class VI to X

Suresh is the Centre Manager, Adyar. The classess are conducted only on weekends. A fresh batch commences in first week of June 2010.

AIMS Education, No.25, First Floor, 29th Cross Street, Indira Nagar,
Chennai - 600 020. Phone: 9600106941 / aimsadayar@gmail.com"

Velachery Govt School excels in Higher Secondary exam

Reported by B. Sakthi 

The government higher secondary school at Velachery has been ranked third among the state run schools in Chennai district and was ranked first in coeducation schools. The number of students appeared for the higher secondary board exams are 288 in which 273 had tasted success.

The overall success ratio is 95 % which is an increase of 6% when compared to last year which enabled the school to possess the performance constantly.
The school topper master V.Vignesh has scored 1136/1200 in which he has secured centum in mathematics followed by R.Suraj who has secured 1126/1200 and the third position was grabbed by R.karthik who has secured 1119/1200.

Out of the 95% passed out, 11 students have scored above 1000 which was promising for the upcoming students in the forth coming school sessions.

Students of Chennai School in Thiruvanmiyur excel in Plus Two exams

By R. Mridula

The Chennai School in Thiruvanmiyur ( run by Chennai Corporation) this year has shown a marked improvement from the last academic year in the Plus Two results.
The average pass in the 2008-2009 Std.12 State Board examination was 72.5% whereas the school recorded a high percentage of 89.2 which was a remarkable increase.


The school toppers include M. Gayathri who stood first from the science stream scoring 1141 marks, Anandhi. S from Commerce stream came second scoring 1051 marks and Shibina. N also from the commerce stream stood third with 1007 marks.


A lot of extra effort was put in by the school to make the students excel in the examinations.

The Principal said that special classes were conducted for the students in the morning and night from 5:30 to 7:30 and 7:00 to 8:30 respectively.


The students were categorized into three groups depending on their performance levels.

Classes were conducted continuously for 3 months from January to March.


Special contributions were also made by retired IAS officer Poornalingam who provided free biscuits for the students of class 10 and 12 attending the special class and by Sai Baba Trust who contributed free meals every Saturday afternoon.

Day 5: LOOKING BEYOND STORIES

The class started off with the daily routine of reading newspapers but with a difference today as everyone got to read a para. Also while each of us read we were helped in reducing story slugs to 2 or 3 words.

Today's main task was to discover some story leads out of the news which was read by everyone and also something which connnected to our neighbourhood.

Once the reading session was done it was time to find out the different story leads which struck in everyone's mind as the news was read aloud. Gradually everyone came up with their leads and a summary of what other leads could be done from the news read was done.

Today some interesting stories like a 'Two day old baby abandoned' and 'a slum girl topping her school examination' came up.

The session mainly concentrated on the need to think out of the box and to look a little beyond the actual detail.

Tambaram 'home' shelters HIV-affected women

Reported by Sai Janani HIVE Foundation in Selaiyur in Tambaram was started by J Sharon Mercy as a non-governmental and non-profit organization in the year 2005 in to help women who were affected by HIV and were neglected by their families.
Mercy says she gave these women shelter and care so that they became capable and independent.
In recent years, this organization has started different programmes and projects.

One is for children who are affected by HIV and who are left behind by their parents.Today there are 20 children who get their food,shelter and education at this 'home'.

Free medical camps and some awareness programs for the people of rural areas are also held by this NGO, It also has camps for NCC cadets and school students.

The NGO wants funds and those who wish to contribute can contact HIVE FOUNDATION: Ms.J.Sharon Mercy, 147, Secretariat Colony,Paduvencheri, Selaiyur, Tambaram, Chennai-600 073. Ph: 9382222312

New Pre-school

Reported by Thendral Selvan


A new franchise of the pre-school "I Play I Learn" has recently been opened at Besant Nagar. Admissions have opened and children from the age of one and a half years are admitted.
"I Play I Learn is a national branded preschool. Our curriculum combines the best of the preschool methodologies and 'I EPICS' weave the smart teaching & learning aids.", explains Sasikala, the Principal.
For more details , contact:- I Play I Learn, E-111, 16th Cross Street, Besant Nagar. Chennai- 600 090. Phone no:- 917 66 77 907 ; 044-24910332
Website:- www.iplayilearn.in

Speed Breakers or Accident Traps?

Reported by Anirudh Ramesh

Speed breakers are constructed as a safety measure, to reduce the speed of on-coming vehicles and to minimize accidents.

But, in some parts of Thiruvanmiyur and Kalakshetra Colony, speed breakers are actually posing a major risk to vehicles.

Many speed breakers are constructed in various shapes,sizes and in indefinite proportions and numbers.

More than two speed breakers in close proimity, prove to be difficult to negotiate for vehicles. Moreover, they are sometimes broken at places and are almost level with the road, which again serves no purpose.

A badly maintained speed-breaker in T.M.Maistry street.

Also, most of them are not painted yellow or defined in yellow and this poses a danger to two-wheelers and four-wheelers during night time.

The level of the speed breaker situated in Besant Nagar 4th Main Road is high. Two-wheelers and four-wheelers, find it difficult to pass over them. But, in some areas in Besant Nagar, the speed breakers are well-maintained.

A well-maintained speed-breaker in Besant Nagar 4th avenue road.

Auto Spa in Kottivakkam

Reported  by Natasha Sequeira

Two young entrepreneurs, Martin Gracias and Amit Tomar, both residents of Adyar, came together fourteen years ago to begin a 'used cars' business that has developed rapidly.

They have recently introduced the new concept of an auto spa to satisfy the demands of their clientele.

The auto spa offers step-by-step cleaning, restoring and protecting each and every section of a vehicle's interior and exterior finish.
There is an annual maintanence contract (AMC) available which includes six auto spa services a year, the rates differing with the car type.You can also avail a 5o% discount on their smart detail package by signing the AMC.

In addition to the auto spa, Alphazee Automobiles also has a car accessories unit that stocks car sensors, perfumes, music systems, sunscreen films, engine oils,etc.They also deal with RTO liasoning, car insurance and car services.

For further details, contact Martin Gracias - 9840067878 or Amit Tomar - 9840067809.

Alphazee Automobiles is located at No1&2 (4/575), Rajiv Gandhi Salai, (OMR) Kottivakkam, Chennai 41

This clinic in Indira Nagar offers many services

Reported by H R Kartik

Dr S Sunder started his own clinic called ‘PREM CENTRE’ about 15 years ago.

The clinic has shifted to Indira Nagar's 3^rd Avenue .It is located to the left of Vijaya Bank.

It specializes in rehabilitation medicine. They also treat neurological patients by giving them pshyotherapy.

This is also a centre for slimming and for paralysis relief.

The clinic is open from 7:30am to 9:30 pm every day including Sundays,

Also there is a doctor on call who visits houses if the patient is too old to move out. This service is available in any place in the city.

Contact -4331 3333,4331 3323.

Power switched off in Medavakkam

Reported by Sai janani
Cyclone Laila may have given Chennaites lots of rain but most parts of Medavakkam went without power the past few days.
Residents said there was a complete power shut down from Tuesday midnight. One resident of that area said that since it was raining the place was pitch dark and this affected daily life.
In some other parts of Tambaram the electricity wires snapped when trees fell on them and to prevent accidents, the EB office shut down the power supply.

Open manholes in Thiruvanmiyur colony

Reported by Anirudh Ramesh

Heavy rains battered the city for the past 48-72 hours, as a result of a depression that was formed on the coast of Tamil Nadu, which was followed by cyclonic winds,

The rain exposed some dangers in Kalakshetra Colony and the area round it.

There are quite a number of manholes on Kalakshetra Road, Thiruvanmiyur, along the stretch of road leading to L. B. Road.

The roads were flooded and water-logged. At some places, one came across open manholes and the sewage water was mixing with the flood water on the roads, thus making it difficult for pedestrians.

The open manholes posed a danegr to two-wheelers and to passers-by, who had to wade through the water on the road during night time.

Day 4: Assignments begin!

Today's class began with the usual, "early-morning" exercise for the brains, (i.e), reading the newspapers.

One participant read aloud a news report of a young IT professional who stepped into a pool of water on a rainy day and was electrocuted by a 'live' wire' that must have existed on the road. This took place in Velachery.

To test our writing skills, we were asked to jot down the facts  as quickly as possible, while the reader read the report again, slowly.

Then there was a brief talk on local history and how the Britishers set up a post in Madras  and started to trade in textiles. This topic was actually triggered of  by the reference to Chintadripet in a news report and what 'pettai' or 'pett' means. This aside was beautifully linked to the lesson of the day without going off tangentially.

Then, an interesting assignment was given to us - think of story leads tn our neighborhood, based  on Wednesday's rains. We read out our story leads and they were discussed briefly. We have been asked to report on our leads and they will be posted on this blog!

The story leads were varied - uprooted trees, power breakdown, flooded streets, garbage and sewage mixing with rainwater and polluting the area, delayed buses, open man-holes, fishermen who had to stay away from fishing . .

The day's session also touched on how a  reporter works at a newspaper. Of the need for friendly contacts with people (either a policeman, watchmen, friends or colleagues) of the area (  which the reporter is assigned to) which helps in gathering information and being tipped to happenings in and around that area.

                The class ended with the Adyar Times photographer taking the photos of each one of us. They will be posted on this blog.

Day 2: newspaper readings begin

This is a standard practice at our camp.
Participants are invited to carry the day's newspaper to the sessions, choose a news story and read it aloud.
It helps to discuss the story idea, the content and the utility.
We started with a monsoon alert story and ended with a gruesome accident in the districts.
Each story had leads to be shared.

Most participants had done the mapping assignment and even had a few story ideas to offer.

It was also time to share a brief over view of a newspaper organisation.

There was an animated discussion on what one could photograph and when you needed to take permission to take pictures.
Participants have been invited to carry their cameras with them and take pictures of interesting and newsworthy subjects. These will be posted on the blog.

The Launch - ends with vadams and pickles

Summer is peaking this May and it may not be the best time to launch a short course. But the 16 who signed up turned up on time and the launch was perfect at the Adyar Times office in Indira Nagar, Adyar.

We have school students, students who will soon be in college, a few who are in college and two young men who want to learn some new skills.
This then is a good mix.

Introductions also served to start talking about a few essential skills that we require in this profession. This done, we set the agenda for the course and the first assignment was to get every participant to map his/her immediate neighbourhood. List the landmarks and public spaces, the main road and streets and anything else that is key in the area.
The exercise would also allow the participants to get a close look at the area where they reside and perhaps help to source news stories and features.

The first exercise may also provide a starting list of possible stories which will find a place on this blog and if they are really good, be considered for publication in the 'Adyar Times'.

There was some lively banter about grandmoms making vadams on terraces and mango pickles on the weekend, summer being the season for such activity - and it seems as if we have some light story leads on our hands!

Summer Journalism Course - 2010

Summer Journalism Training Course
For senior school students
(Open to students in high school - class 9 to 12)

THERE WILL BE TWO COURSES - THE FIRST IN MYLAPORE, THE SECOND IN ADYAR.

MYLAPORE COURSE
DATES: May 3 to 14 ( Mon to Fri). Sessions from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.
VENUE: Mylapore Times Centre at Corporation Shopping Complex, R. A. Puram. Contact phone - 2498 2244

ADYAR COURSE
DATES: May 17 - 28. (Mon - Fri.). Sessions from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.
VENUE: Adyar Times Office at Corporation Shopping Complex, 3rd Avenue, Indira Nagar, Adyar. Contact phone - 24913602

COURSE DETAILS :
This course will focus on What news is all about, How Reporters work, Interviewing skills and making contacts, Gathering information, Filing reports, writing Feature Stories, Writing for the Net, Blogging & Freelancing.
The course will be covered through lectures and daily field assignments. Media professionals will also share experiences.

Participants will have to report and file assignments daily from day one. These reports and photos will be posted on a blog - www.mtjclass.blogspot.com

FEE:
Rs. 1500 (non - refundable).
All participants will be given certificates.

WHO CAN BENEFIT
This workshop will be useful for those who plan to join a media course in college / plan to freelance / want to get an introduction to journalism / media. It is co-ordinated by Vincent D' Souza, Editor, Adyar Times, Mylapore Times & Arcot Road Times.

HOW TO SIGN UP:
Admission starts from March15. For the Mylapore-based course, drop in at the MYLAPORE TIMES office in Alwarpet to pay the fee. For the Adyar-based course, drop in at the ADYAR TIMES office in Indira Nagar to pay the fee. Only cash is accepted as fee.
For queries, please email - mylaporetimes@vsnl.com.

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