Remembering Tagore

Reported by Rhea Banerjee

Framed picture of Tagore at the program

Mitu Arakkal (left), Kajal Chandra (Middle at the back) and Anu Das on the harmonium, singing 'Akaash Bhora'

Few of the Bengalis who attended, including Anjali Chakraborty (second from far right) and Dr. Sunendho Ghosh (standing at the back)

A programme celebrating Rabindranath Tagore's 146th birth anniversary ( May 8) was held in Anjali Chakraborty's Besant Nagar residence this Sunday, May 13th. About 30 senior Bengalis attended it. This program was organised by the Nikhil Bharath Banga Sahitya Sarmilan (NBBSS).

The NBBSS is a cultural organisation which holds a program in each of its members' residences every month. There is also an annual program, Banga Sahitya Divas, where the best writer is given the 'Reader's Choice Award'. The NBBSS was started towards the end of 1921 in Benaras. This organisation has branches all over India. The Chennai branch was started in 1983 in the Kali Bari temple, West Mambalam, by Meera Rai. A.K. Gupta was the first president of the Chennai branch.

On Sunday, the program started at 7.00 pm with Mitu Arakkal singing the opening song, Tagore's composition Ebar Neerob Kore Dao Mookhor Kobire. Then, others recited Tagore's poems and made short speeches. Dr. Sunendho Ghosh, a member, talked about Tagore's life. Anjali Chakraborty herself talked about Tagore's life and recited one of his poems.

Prakalpa Bhattacharya, a co-ordinators of the program proposed a vote of thanks. Mitu Arakkal wound up the meeting, singing Tagore's Akaash Bhora Surya Taara; everyone joined in.

Next month's program has been scheduled for June 10; it will be held in another member's residence. For further details, contact Dr. Sunendho Ghosh at- 2491 1776.

Vehicles take 'short cut' and create traffic jams in colony

Reported by Rhea Banerjee

Problems created by increasing flow of traffic in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Main Road have increased considerably. Every evening, 6 pm onwards, there are traffic jams, with drivers blaring their horns noisily. On some evenings, there is total mayhem on the road.

These traffic jams are caused because motorists/drivers choose to use this main road as a shortcut to the East Coast Road (ECR) instead of going via Lattice Bridge Road. People enjoy the convenience of skipping all the signals on that main road.

The traffic jams take place because the road in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar is barely 20 feet wide and it does not have a proper sidewalk. Cars have to avoid people walking on the road and the erratically placed Onyx dustbins.

The biggest bottleneck is at the end of the road at the Sivakamipuram Street junction. Two garbage bins placed on the curves makes it hard for cars to turn.

Says Dr. Rajagopal, a resident here, "I have lived here for twenty years and have never faced such traffic problem. This place once used to be very quiet." Another local resident, Srinivasan, says that sometimes he finds it practically impossible to take his car out of his garage.

Insight into the life of a teacher

Reported by Rhea Banerjee

Lakshmi Swaminathan, a retired principal and teacher of Kendriya Vidyalaya school, Adyar, has had a successful career. She has done Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Literature. She did her post graduation in Delhi University. After her marriage, she did her bachelor of education in Madras University.
She had originally done mathematics in pre-university but soon realised that mathematics was not her strong point, and switched over to literature after pre-university. "In those days, they taught trignometry only in pre-university and I was not familiar with the subject, and so switched over to literature," says Lakshmi Swaminathan.
She taught literature in SIET Women's College between 1958 and 1960. In 1964, she became a post graduate English teacher in Kendriya Vidyalaya school. She was a teacher for ten years before becoming the vice principal of the school. Five years later, she became the principal, but continued teaching English.
Lakshmi makes this observation. "Nowadays, no one gets any time. The students are always pressurised to study, the competition has remarkably increased, and of course, the tutoring has also increased. Students nowadays start taking tuition at a very young age."
Lakshmi Swaminathan retired in 1991, at the age of sixty. She occupies her time by reading, knitting and doing embroidery on sarees and bed sheets.
Lakshmi Swaminathan resides at Besant Nagar. Her address is- H113/9, 18th cross street, Besant Nagar, Chennai- 600090.

Breeding German Shepherds in Chennai

Reported by Anita Srinivasan

Kala Krishna, a resident of Kasturi Estates, has been breeding German Shepherds for the past 17 years. After doing her M.Sc. in Bio-organics from IIT, Madras, she went on to do antibiotic research with SmithKline Laboratories, and started Anusha, a boutique. She moved to Yercaud with her family for health reasons and this was where her passion for dogs, and German Shepherds in particular, began.

Kala Krishna believes in a thorough understanding of the breed, its history, and genetics. She says that the reason why breeding a working dog like a German Shepherd is so very different from breeding a developed dog like Boxer or a Great Dane, is that, since the dogs have descended from the wolves of Germany, the vast and varied gene pool makes every pup different. She imports all her dogs from Germany itself, and breeds them exclusively for the showline. A show dog from her can cost anywhere between Rs.20,000 to 35,000.

Krishna is the owner of Nita vom Murrta, winner of 'The Indian Siegerin', the highest honour bestowed on a female German Shepherd by the Kennel Club of India. She also owns Quero vom Murrta, 'The Young Sieger', which is the prize awarded to the best German Shepherd in the 18-24 month category. However, a pup with a fault, such as a bushy coat, which cannot be shown, can be bought even for Rs.10,000.

aaaaaThese cute pups will grow up to become show dogs.

She believes that the best dog is one which satisfies all of the standards set out by the FCI, the governing body of all kennels, to which the Kennel Club of India is indirectly affiliated. Krishna has also attended the German Sieger Show, the largest event for German Shepherd breeders, attended by dog connoissuers from across the globe.

Readying dogs in Chennai for a show is extremely hard work, she says, as the dogs require training from 4 am to 9 pm, three months in advance due to the climate. Besides this, the dogs need to be well-groomed and on a perfect diet, to ensure that they are in the best shape.

The problem with German Shepherd is that, since it is so intelligent, and willing to work, it requires space and the owner's time, lack of which can cause it to become vicious. "I would never sell a dog to a person living in an apartment because not only will the dog be unable to live in such a small place but the owner will also be unable to spend the time needed to establish a relationship with the dog," she says.

Kala Krishna lives at 16, Kasturi Ranga Road 1st Street, Chennai- 600 018. Tel: 24993481. Email: kalakrishna12@yahoo.com

ARTS SCHOOL IN C.I.T COLONY.

Reported by,
priyanka.a

Latha mani raj kumar is an excellent artist.For 14 years ,since 1992 she
has been running a arts&crafts school called 'shrishti'.It is in C.I.T colony.

She teaches various courses for children and women.She has 7 assistants who help her in teaching the students.They are perumal,jeeva,samian,
chitra,vijaya,aparna and savitha.

These pepole have done a course under Latha.
They teach childrens-drawing,painting,fabric painting,tanjore painting,crystal art work,paper/bread craft work,solar wood work and
soap carving.

They have different courses for women-tailoring,fabric painting,cookery,
ice-cream and juice making,etc...

Shrishti is at second link street,[opp.isabel'shospital],c.i.t colony,mylapore,ch-600 004
ph:2499 2586
e-mail:lathamanirajkumar_shrishtiarts@rediffmail.com

Whose Garbage Is This?

Reported by Rhea Banerjee

People's character can be studied from the way they deal with domestic garbage!

Take this story in Radhakrishnan Nagar Main Road, Thiruvanmiyur. A dumpster had been placed right in front of Shrishti Apartments, an apartment building on the main road. While many residents living in and around this apartment building found it convenient to walk across the road to dump their garbage, others found it disturbing that the maids threw their garbage at the dumpster, most of which landed outside it. Thus, garbage lay scattered around the dumpster.

Also, people complained about the Onyx truck, which came at midnight to empty the dumpster. The loud noise emanating from the truck disturbed the sleep of the residents. "I'm a light sleeper and my sleep has been broken countless number of times because of the Onyx truck," says Rani, a doctor of the Apollo Hospitals and a resident of Shrishti Apartments.

Recently, the dumpster was found broken. It was removed but people continued to throw their garbage at the spot where the dumpster used to be. There was thus a pile of garbage.

But now, due to action taken by the president of the building, this pile has been cleared out and people are no longer dumping their garbage in that spot.

Summer designs for womenswear

Reported by Anita Srinivasan

Usha Umapati runs Lasya, a sari and salwar suit boutique located near Gold's Gym on Kasturi Ranga Road, Alwarpet.

Although bridal trousseaus are the store's specialty, it also aims at enhancing a woman's personality by suggesting clothes that suit them. She gave us some tips on what is best for summer.

One of Lasya's craftsmen embroidering a georgette sari.

"The younger people tend to go in for georgette, and other more clingy material, while the older ones stick to silk, when it comes to formalwear, but light to medium shades or bright-coloured cotton and kotas with smart blouses are the perennial favourites for casuals", says fashion designer Usha Umapati.

The store identifies its market as the highly-paid working women to whom a customised wardrobe makes a difference.

Umapati also helps women accessorise bags and jewellery with their saris and salwars. A subsidary of the store is School Colours which specialises in children's school uniforms.

The store is located at 19/1, Kasturi Apartments, Off Kasturi Ranga Road, Chennai- 600 018. Tel: 24990649, 24984303. Email: lasyaindia@yahoo.com

Pesonality Development Workshop Held at Valmiki Nagar

By Vrinda Manocha

The World Community Service Centre on 2nd Seaward Road is holding a Students Personality Development Course for five days , starting Monday, the 30th of April. The course is taught by Bhagyalakshmi, a professor of Kundalini Yoga from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. everyday.

The course involves physical exercises for children from 8-13 years of age and Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY) for children above 14 years of age.

The first hour of the class is spent doing physical exercises. The second hour and third hours involve meditation and introspection respectively. "Introspection involves the students analyzing themselves and tuning their minds to divert anger and focus on positive thoughts," says Ms. Bhagyalakshmi .

The second session for the Personality Development Course will go on from May 7-11. The classes are free for children from ages 8 to 13 . Those above 14 years will have to pay a donation of Rs.150.

The World Community Service Centre is located at:
26 , 2nd Seaward Road
Valmiki Nagar , Thiruvanmiyur
Chennai 600041
Ph: 42300194 , 9940217518
For more information , visit www.vethathiri.org

T.T.Camp

Table Tennis summer camp
By Shakti Vyjayanthi

The VVV Table Tennis Academy is holding a table tennis coaching camp in Besant Nagar now.The main coach is A. V. Vidya Sagar. The camp started on Apirl 17. This camp is run for two groups: 1) for beginners - from 4:30 -5:30 pm. 2) For good players - 5:30-6:30 pm.This camp will go on for one month. It is meant for children from ages 7-19 years.

My Area; RBI Staff Quarters By Shakti


Reserve Bank Staff Quarters is located in Besant Nagar. It is on the M. G. Road. In the neighbourhood, we have landmarks like the Velankanni Church, the Vinayakar temple and the Ratnagiri temple. Our Quarters has a dispensary, temple, school, gym and the services of a plumber and an electrician. The RBI management has recently provided us with mosquito nets and mineral water cans every alternative day. There are six playgrounds with beautiful small gardens that separate them. There is a big lawn at the entrance, with a fountain in the centre. There are 200 apartments, in which only such persons who are employed by RBI can reside with their families. The employees are from all parts of India. The RBI has set up a school on this campus for the benefit of the children of its employees. It is affiliated to the CBSE. The school is housed in the centre of the RBI Quarters, next to the dispensary. A child can finish the secondary school education here. The RBI Quarters School is a 'very sought after' school because its students have always scored very high marks at the Board exams and almost every year it has a centum pass percentage. We also have the Reserve Bank Welfare Association. Every year we have competitions and winners get fabulous prizes.


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AIR SHOW AT MARINA

THE SURYAKIRANS AT THEIR BEST

AIR SHOW AT MARINA

REPORTED BY:ANITHA RAMACHANDRAN

Indian Air Force held a air show on the Marina beach on April 22.Traffic was blocked by the police in the morning itself though the show started only in the evening at around 4.30 pm. Vehicles were not allowed on Santhome High Road.

The crowd was large. Many had their binoculars and cameras on.Lights blazing and smoke trailing, three Advanced Light Helicopters made the entry, in full throttle. They made a steep climb, stood for a second and took a 180 degree turn to plummet and disperse in different directions.

It was an awesome sight. Many stunts which were performed left the spectators stunned.

The Surya Kiran team did its best too. The show was held to mark the Platinum Jubilee of the Air Force. The other teams were the Sarang, Akash Ganga and the Jaguar. They gave the scintillating performances.

Said young Akshya, a twelve year old girl at the air show,"I was impressed and I never knew that helicopters could do such amazing feats.I have never seen all this even in movies."

At this library, you can reserve books online

Reported by Anita Srinivasan

Senthil Lending Libraries, located in the Corporation Building opposite Billroth Hospitals in R. A. Puram, has been in business for 30 years. Its collection of books in English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu, exceeds 40,000, of which 30,000 are in English alone.

It has a clientele of 4,000 regular members, and even the latest bestsellers are available here. However, the age of the Internet has forced Chennai's first lending library to turn to the computer to keep up with the times.

The library first started using software for its activities 6 years ago, when it began keeping records of its collection, issues, and returns of books on the computer, says Shankar, the librarian for the past 20 years.

The library's voluminous collection ensures its large membership

Recently, the library started offering a doorstep delivery service to its customers between fixed times, within a 5 km radius of the outlet. They have also collaborated with other similar libraries to provide to customers a web-based service of reserving books online and having them home-delivered.

The service is available at nominal fees, although the fact that customers are unable to pay online seems to be a problem. The library also provides binding services to its members.

The website of the online service is http://www.easwarilibrary.com/ and Senthil Lending Libraries can be contacted at 42303408.

Youth Association formed in Valmiki Nagar

By Vrinda Manocha

'Young Leaders' , a fledgling group formed under the wing of the Valmiki Nagar Residents Welfare Association, held its first meeting on April 29 .Eight youngsters attended it.

The first members of the Young Leaders Association


Aruna Chandrasekhar and the Sreedhars supervised themeeting. They are co-ordinators of VAREWAwhich deals with civic issues in the area."We would like the younger generation to help with our activities. We need their enthusiasm and spirit," said Aruna.

The youth spoke of plans to address issues such as waste disposal at the beach, the use of plastic bags and the welfare of street dogs.

The members felt most strongly about the state of the beach. "The problem of litter at the beach affects everyone who goes there. Since efforts to put garbage cans on the beach failed after beach-goers toppled them over or used them as wickets in their cricket matches, we will have to form a team of volunteers to help us clean the place," said Shankari Subramaniam.

The members also want to create awareness that stray dogs in Valmiki Nagar are anything but dangerous. "We plan to call Blue Cross to sterilize them and encourage dog lovers to feed them," said Divya Sreedhar.

The more immediate aim of 'Young Leaders' is to validate information already collected by VAREWA on a survey of Valmiki Nagar. This includes information on the number of apartments in each building, the building numbers and the number of trees in the neighbourhood.

Two co-ordinators, Vrinda Manocha and Deepika Sreedhar were also chosen to head the youth association. If you wish to be part of this group or VAREWA itself , contact one of the following coordinators of the association:

Aruna Chandrasekhar : 2445 6322
Yamini Natarajan : 2491 2669
Jayanthi Premchander : 2490 1576
Sujatha : 4205 4625
Usha Subramaniam : 2442 4357
Usha Sreedhar : 2440 5918

Hot Breads opens in Kottivakkam

reported by Bharathy Kannan

Hot Breads has opened on East Coast Road, Kottivakam.
HOT BREADS is your trendy and comfy neighbourhood cafe, excellent to grab that quick snack, hurried lunch or to munch delicacies on that quiet, serene evening and that, no doubt, is the reason behind its stunning success in a small amount of time

It offers a range of bakery products and pizzas. Hot Breads caters to a vast section of society of all ages through all seasons. Based on the concept of serving burgers, pizzas, hot dogs and international hot coffee brands with 500 varieties of bread alone, and other freshly baked French delicacies, it has people coming back for more, visit after visit.

Add: East Coast Road opp panchayat office Kottivakam Chennai -41

For Further details Contact: Mr.Sanjay Roy Ph. 011-6430575, 6416301.

Local Auto Drivers Fix New Meters

Reported by Rhea Banerjee

The State Transport Authority had revised the autorickshaw rates at the beginning of this year. It set a deadline for the recaliberation of all auto meters which fell on April 25.

The auto stand at the intersection of Sivakami Puram First Cross Street and Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Main Road in Radhakrishnan Nagar comprises of approximately eight autorickshaws. All of the eight autorickshaws have switched over to the new electronic meters, as per another deadline set by the State Transport Authority (which ends on July 25).

At any given point of the day, a maximum of four autorickshaws are seen at this stand.
The auto drivers of this stand claim that they now follow the new rates set by the State Transport Authority. T. Sarvanan, an auto driver of this stand, said, "Yes, we do follow the new rates that have been set. It is Rs.14 for the first two kilometers and Rs. 6 for every extra kilometer."

He also confirmed that all of the autorickshaws at this stand have switched over to the electronic meters, which costs about Rs. 3000.

Sankar, another auto driver at this stand, says, "One problem with the electronic meter is that if the IC (integrated chip) of the meter fails, the whole meter must be replaced."

Corporation to erect street lights at Valmiki Nagar

By Vrinda Manocha

Raja Rangaswamy Avenue at the end of Fourth Seaward Road in Valmiki Nagar is often in darkness after dusk, lit only by the lights of the apartments at the end of the road. This road, alongside Thiruvanmiyur beach is being used by several people for carrying on unpleasant activities , such as smoking and drinking.


On March 16, at a meeting of the Valmiki Nagar Residents Welfare Association with the Corporation Commissioner, Rajesh Lakhoni, a presentation of the civic issues in Valmiki Nagar that need attention was made along with suggestions for their solution.


Assembly of streetlights on Raja Rangaswamy Avenue


The issue of the absence of streetlights has received attention now with the start of erection of six streetlights on Raja Rangaswamy Avenue by the Chennai Corporation.

"The streetlights are expected to be put up within the next week," said Mr. Sreedhar, a co-ordinator of the project for VAREWA. "We have also asked the Corporation to make sure that
light does not fall on the beach so as to prevent any effect on nesting Olive Ridley turtles."

This project will provide a sense of security to the
residents of Valmiki Nagar as well as beach-goers and evening walkers.

BAKERY IN C.I.T COLONY

Bakery in C. I. T. Colony

Reported by Priyanka. AThere is an excellent bakery in C. I. T. Colony, Mylapore. It is called padmashree foods.

It offers a variety of bakery products.
There are different designs of cakes.
There are also variety of cakes like Tosca,brownie,black forest,tutti-fruity and the strawberry.
You can also buy delicious cookies like chocolate cookies,cashew nut cookies and biscuits like sweet square,ragi biscuits and salt biscuits.
There are chocolates too.The other items are puff,bun,cheese bun, katti roll, pizza and plum cakes.It is very hygienic and prices are reasonable.
Padmashree foods is at guru kripa,second cross street, CIT colony, Mylapore, Chennai-4

MY AREA

My name is Priyanka.
I Live in C. I. T. Colony.

C. I. T. Stands for City Improvement Trust.
This area is almost 47 years old. It is formed in the year 1960.
There are two main roads and six cross streets.
The six cross streets are linked by the two main Roads.
There are two main landmarks: Saint Isabel's Hospital and chief minister Karunanidhi's house.
Important persons in my area are Dr. Lakshmi Kumari and chief minister. It has many trees and is full of plants.
Therefore it is a peaceful and greenish area.

Reported by Priyanka A

Ente Keralam is a new restaurant in Alwarpet

Reported by Anita Srinivasan

Ente Keralam, a restaurant in Kasturi Estate, opened officially about a week ago, soon after Vishu, the Malayali New Year. As one enters this place, one is overwhelmed by the unmistakable flavours of God's own country emanating from the kitchen, and the soft Kathakali music playing in the background.

aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaThe restaurant as seen from the front.

Ente Keralam, translates into 'My Kerala' in English, and restaurant manager Elizabeth says it wants to popularise Kerala's cuisine among non-Keralites. "We attempt to serve authentic Kerala food," she says emphatically, commenting on the initial response as being 'pleasantly surprising'.

The restaurant boasts of expert chef Kuppakumar, a pleasant ambience and it is located in the middle of Chennai's dense residential areas.

It is located at the intersection of Kasturi Rangan Road and Seshadri Road, directly opposite the Onkyo showroom. This was the building which used to house the French restaurant La Madeleine, and before that, the National Culinary Institute.

Besides popular dishes like appam and stew, the restaurant also serves exotic delicacies, namely, Talassery biriyani, duck roast and pazhavum paaniyum, the sight of which tends to make the mouth water.

The restaurant is open everyday from 12.30 pm to 3 pm for lunch, and from 7.30 pm to 11 pm for dinner. It is also looking at the possibility of offering brunch on Sundays.

It is located at 1, Kasturi Estate, Kasturi Rangan Road, Chennai- 18. For reservations, call 42328585. E-mail: keralamente@gmail.com

Valmiki Nagar auto drivers claim they follow new rates

By Vrinda Manocha


The State Transport Authority revised the rates for autorickshaw transport on January 26 and announced a deadline for the recalibration of mechanical meters to the revised rates. That deadline fell on April 25.

Drivers at the autorickshaw stand at the intersection of Balakrishnan Road and Fourth Seaward Road in Valmiki Nagar say they now follow the new rates. There are about 25 autos here. Of these, 10 autos have mechanical meters while the remaining 15 have electronic meters. Says Dorai, an auto driver, " All of us (auto drivers) follow the new rates. The price for the first two kilometers is Rs. 14 and Rs. 6 for every additional kilometer."

The State Transport Authority has also set another deadline for July 25 by which all mechanical meters should be converted to electronic meters. Gopal, another auto driver says, "The standard electronic meters cost about Rs. 3000. The Government will supply these to us."

If the drivers follow the new system then Valmiki Nagar residents can look forward to a service that does not start with haggling and arguments.