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.

Sashi Nair, journalist and editor, lectures

Reported by Bharathy Kannan

Sashi Nair, journalist and editor, lectures

Sashi Nair was a guest at our class on Thursday morning.


He is a journalist and editor.He spoke to us about the basics on journalism. He told us about what a reporter should do that is get information, know about the subject and also entertain the readers.

He gave us the do`s and don`ts in journalism and advised the journalism students gently.He said background for a report could be got through the internet which is very useful for a journalist.

He talked about the disadvantages of the news on television and compared it with the newspaper and Internet. He explained about the 3Cs to be followed by a journalist. A) check facts B) condense C) clarity.

For more details about Sashi Nair click here
http://www2.blogger.com/profile/03810580553347461216

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

The End of Week 2

Reported by Anita Srinivasan

The day's class kicked off with Vincent D'Souza, the resource person, taking the students through a reading of the day's news stories, which could inspire them to do their own over the weekend.

A particularly interesting one, which the students could relate to, was about how tsunami affected children in Nagapattinam are playing the role of journalists and addressing some hard issues in their monthly magazine. Vincent went on to discuss three assignments - one in San Thome, one in Kottivakkam and one in Besant Nagar - for the weekend and then handed over the next session to Sashi Nair, the guest for the day.

Nair, a man who wears many hats, is a freelance journalist and editor who is currently with a publishing house in Chennai. He started his career in journalism 15 years ago, and used to work with India's leading English daily, The Times of India. His future plans include doing research on newspaper techniques for Ifra, the world's leading association for newspaper and media publishing.

Nair began by giving the students a recap of his previous lecture, and then moved on to explain the importance of using the right 'lead' to begin a story, depending on its the subject. He also discussed writing techniques that added value to a journalist's work, and emphasised on the importance of doing background research while writing reports, and using anecdotes and imagery in features.

He said that the main reason behind the success of international magazines like Time and Reader's Digest was their belief in humanisation, or including people and their opinions in articles. He closed class for the day by answering questions about himself, his college days and work.

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.