Revamping broken wire to bring bread home

Mannady Street, Chennai

"We collect  broken wire from harbor and construction and repair them" said Mr Balaji one of the business man who  still own  a small iron and steel  innovation  corporation in Mannady  street.  He is the co-founder and manager of Balaji steel.
 For the past  25 years Balaji  has been  collecting  broken  wire from  harbor.  "We export them  to  China, Malaysia and sell  them to  back  to  local  fisher man and  local construction companies."
The men grease the wires and fix them  firmly together and until they  appeared as if they  were never broken before.  Balaji  employed five men  that  are  assisting  him to  grease the wire.  "It is not a simple job  but  we are trying  our level  best."  Balaji said he took  up  the big  challenge of running  the steel  company  because as an inspiration from the street he grew up in.  

"Even  today  when  the name Mannady is mentioned many and few's that  has come not so long ago,  reminds them of the clang resonance which resembled the upbringing  of these street."

Even  if many of  the  company has moved due to  the shift  in the steel  industry  Balaji said Mannady is known of iron and steel  industry which  can be traced back  to  the 80's.

Balaji  mentioned few of major  players in the steel  industry  who up to  now contributing  to  the development of the street  such  as SAIL, Tata Iron.

With so  much  faith  in the steel  industry,  Balaji has send he only  son to  study  engineer with  the hope that he would come take over the company.  He stated that he hope only  Balaji  steel  become a big cooperation  to  continued with  the legacy  of Mannady  street.  

Rippon Building-  Wonder of Chennai

One of the landmarks left by British administration; built in memory of Mr. Ribbon a British Administrator. The building was built in the early 1900s and has been aptly named after Lord Ripon who can be considered as the father of local self government. It now houses the offices of Chennai Municipal Corporation.

The Ripon Building stands tall proudly in its original on the West of the Central Station of Chennai .The magnificence of the building has not been altered with time. The building has been constructed by four expatriate engineers; Brick and lime Mortar constitutes ,have been used in the construction of the building. Marble has been used to lay the ground floor. An important feature of the Ripon building is its chiming clock which is set up in the terrace. This clock is manually wound every day. A total of 4 bells have been placed here.

The Ripon Building is a fine structure in the Indo-Saracenic styled architecture, a smooth blend of Ionic, Gothic and Corinthian. This all white building is a seat of the Chennai Corporation or Madras Corporation in the city of Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu. G.S.T Harris was the architect of this historical building. It took almost four years to complete the construction of the building.

History of the Ripon Building in Chennai

This magnificent white colour building was commissioned in 1913 and was built by Loganatha Mudaliar. It took four years to complete the building and the cost of building was 750,000 including the fees of  550,000, which was paid to Mudaliar. Ripon building derived its name from the Father of the Local self government and Governor General of India during British times, Lord Ripon.

The foundation of this bravura building was laid on Dec. 12th 1909, by the then Viceroy and Governor General of India, Earl of Minto. The Municipal of Madras functioned from several other places, including Errabalu Chetty Street, before getting settled in 1913in the Ripon Building. At the time of inauguration P.L Moore was the president of the Municipal Cooperation of Madras. The inaugural function was huge and massive which was attended by  about 3000 elite people of the city of Chennai.

The Structure of Ripon Building

Ripon building is a beautiful structure in white color, this rectangular building is 85 Mts. long and 32 Mts. wide. There is a tower in the centre of the building with a clock. The tower is 43 Mts. and the diameter of the clock is 2.5 Mts. The building has three floors. The area of the first floor is approx. 30139 sq ft.

The walls of this famous building are of stock bricks and the roof is of teak wood. Originally the floor was made up of slate named Cuddapah slate, which has been replaced by Marble flooring. Westminster Quarter the chiming clock is one of the main attractions of the building. The clock was installed in 1913 by Oakes and Co. The four bells of the clock were cast by Gillet and Johnston in 1913. The clock has a mechanical Key system.

கிண்டியில் ஏற்படும் போக்குவரத்து நெரிசல்; 

சென்னை ,கிண்டியில் எற்படும் போக்குவரத்து நெரிசலினால் மக்கள் மிகவும் கடும் அவதிக்கு உள்ளாகியுள்ளனர்.இதனால் வேலைக்குச் செல்பவர்கள் தாமதமாக  செல்கின்றனர்.எனவே இவர்களின் இயல்பு வாழ்க்கை மிகவும் பாதிப்புக்குள்ளாகின்றர்.சென்னையில் மக்களின் தேவைக்கும் அதிகபடியான  வாகனங்கள் இயக்கப்படுவதால் சூற்றுச்சூழல் மாசுபடுக்கின்றனர்.இதை மக்கள் புரிந்துக் கொள்ளாமல் தங்களின் தேவைகளை மட்டுமே நிறைவு செய்கின்றனர்.வாகனங்களின் எண்ணிக்கையை குறைத்தால் சூற்றுச்சூழல் மாசுப்பாடு குறைப்படுவது மட்டுமல்லாமல் இது போன்ற போக்குவரத்து நெரிசலை குறைக்கலாம்.போக்குவரத்து நெரிசலினால் பள்ளி  மாணவர்கள்,அலுவலங்களில் வேலை பார்ப்பவர்கள் மற்றும் இதர மக்களும் தங்களின் அலுவலங்கலுக்கு தாமதமாகச் செல்கின்றனர்.

வியாசர்பாடியின் மறுமுகம்

வியாசர்பாடி! என்ற பெயரை கேட்டதும் முதலில் நம் நினைவிற்கு வருவது வடசென்னை, பின் கொலை, கொள்ளை… என்று அதன் ஒரு முகம் மட்டும் தான் நமக்கு தெரியும். ஆனால் அதன் மறுமுகம் பற்றிய விவரம் யாருக்கும் அவ்வளவாக தெரியாது. இதன் ஒருமுகம் கொள்ளை, கொலை என்று பார்த்தால் மற்றொரு முகம் கல்வி, விளையாட்டு, சமூக கூடம் என்று பெரிதளவில் வளர்ந்து வருகிறது. இங்குள்ள இளைஞர்கள் மதுபழக்கத்தில் இருந்து மீண்டு தங்களை கால்பந்து, குத்து சண்டை போன்ற விளையாட்டுகளில் ஈடுபடுத்திக் கொள்கிறார்கள். காரணம் இங்குள்ள சமூகக்கூடங்கள்… இக்கூடங்களில் இளைஞர்களிடம் மதுவினால் வரும் தீய விளைவுகளை கூறியும் அதன் பாதிப்புகளை உணர்த்தியும் சிகாமணி என்பவர் ஆலோசனை கூட்டம் நடத்துகிறார். மேலும் இங்கு குழந்தைகள் படிப்பதற்கு கல்வி தொகை, பெண்களுக்கு தையல்பயிற்சி போன்ற செயல்களை செய்து வருகிறார்கள்..
ஆர்வம் சமூக கூடம்
       ஆர்வம் சமூக கூடத்தின் உரிமையாளர் சிகாமணி. இக்கூடம் சுமார் 12 வருடங்களாக இயங்கி வருகிறது. இதன் தொடக்கத்தின் காரணம் இங்குள்ள குழந்தைகளுக்கு இலவச கல்வி அளிக்கவும், மதுப்பழக்கத்தில் உள்ளவர்களை மீட்கவும் பின் பிள்ளைகளால் கைவிடப்பட்ட பெற்றோர்களுக்காகவும் மேலும் குறிப்பாக ஆதரவற்றவர்களுக்கும் இக்கூடம் உதவுகிறது. ஆர்வம் இங்குள்ள அடிதட்டு குடும்பத்தை சேர்ந்த குழந்தை மற்றும் இளைஞர்களுக்கு கால்பந்து மற்றும் குத்துசண்டை பயிற்சி அளித்து தேசிய அளவில் பங்கு பெற பெரிதளவில் உதவுகிறது. குறிப்பாக இங்கு பெண்கள் மற்றும் குடும்ப தலைவிகளுக்கும் இலவசமாக தையல் பயிற்சி அளித்து அவர்களுக்கு வேலையும் அளிக்கிறார்கள். இதனால் பெண்கள் தங்கள் சுயமாக வேலை கற்றுக் கொண்டு தாமாகவே சுய தொழில் செய்கிறார்கள். கடந்த வாரம் இதன் 12ஆம் ஆண்டு விழா கொண்டாடப்பட்டது. இதன் செயல் வடசென்னை முழுவதும் நன்மையை விளைவிக்கிறார்கள்.
கால்பந்து குழு
    இங்கு டாக்டர். அம்பேத்கர் எஸ் .எம். கிளப் என்ற ஓர் கால்பந்தாட்ட குழு இக்கூட்டத்தின் கீழ் செயல் பட்டு வருகிறது. இக்குழுவில் உள்ள பல இளைஞர்கள் தேசிய அளவில் பங்கு பெற்று பல பரிசுகளையும், விருதுகளையும் குவித்துள்ளனர்.
                                           

வியாசர்பாடியின் மறுமுகம்

வியாசர்பாடி! என்ற பெயரை கேட்டதும் முதலில் நம் நினைவிற்கு வருவது வடசென்னை, பின் கொலை, கொள்ளை… என்று அதன் ஒரு முகம் மட்டும் தான் நமக்கு தெரியும். ஆனால் அதன் மறுமுகம் பற்றிய விவரம் யாருக்கும் அவ்வளவாக தெரியாது. இதன் ஒருமுகம் கொள்ளை, கொலை என்று பார்த்தால் மற்றொரு முகம் கல்வி, விளையாட்டு, சமூக கூடம் என்று பெரிதளவில் வளர்ந்து வருகிறது. இங்குள்ள இளைஞர்கள் மதுபழக்கத்தில் இருந்து மீண்டு தங்களை கால்பந்து, குத்து சண்டை போன்ற விளையாட்டுகளில் ஈடுபடுத்திக் கொள்கிறார்கள். காரணம் இங்குள்ள சமூகக்கூடங்கள்… இக்கூடங்களில் இளைஞர்களிடம் மதுவினால் வரும் தீய விளைவுகளை கூறியும் அதன் பாதிப்புகளை உணர்த்தியும் சிகாமணி என்பவர் ஆலோசனை கூட்டம் நடத்துகிறார். மேலும் இங்கு குழந்தைகள் படிப்பதற்கு கல்வி தொகை, பெண்களுக்கு தையல்பயிற்சி போன்ற செயல்களை செய்து வருகிறார்கள்..
ஆர்வம் சமூக கூடம்
       ஆர்வம் சமூக கூடத்தின் உரிமையாளர் சிகாமணி. இக்கூடம் சுமார் 12 வருடங்களாக இயங்கி வருகிறது. இதன் தொடக்கத்தின் காரணம் இங்குள்ள குழந்தைகளுக்கு இலவச கல்வி அளிக்கவும், மதுப்பழக்கத்தில் உள்ளவர்களை மீட்கவும் பின் பிள்ளைகளால் கைவிடப்பட்ட பெற்றோர்களுக்காகவும் மேலும் குறிப்பாக ஆதரவற்றவர்களுக்கும் இக்கூடம் உதவுகிறது. ஆர்வம் இங்குள்ள அடிதட்டு குடும்பத்தை சேர்ந்த குழந்தை மற்றும் இளைஞர்களுக்கு கால்பந்து மற்றும் குத்துசண்டை பயிற்சி அளித்து தேசிய அளவில் பங்கு பெற பெரிதளவில் உதவுகிறது. குறிப்பாக இங்கு பெண்கள் மற்றும் குடும்ப தலைவிகளுக்கும் இலவசமாக தையல் பயிற்சி அளித்து அவர்களுக்கு வேலையும் அளிக்கிறார்கள். இதனால் பெண்கள் தங்கள் சுயமாக வேலை கற்றுக் கொண்டு தாமாகவே சுய தொழில் செய்கிறார்கள். கடந்த வாரம் இதன் 12ஆம் ஆண்டு விழா கொண்டாடப்பட்டது. இதன் செயல் வடசென்னை முழுவதும் நன்மையை விளைவிக்கிறார்கள்.
கால்பந்து குழு
    இங்கு டாக்டர். அம்பேத்கர் எஸ் .எம். கிளப் என்ற ஓர் கால்பந்தாட்ட குழு இக்கூட்டத்தின் கீழ் செயல் பட்டு வருகிறது. இக்குழுவில் உள்ள பல இளைஞர்கள் தேசிய அளவில் பங்கு பெற்று பல பரிசுகளையும், விருதுகளையும் குவித்துள்ளனர்.
                                           

பர்மா பஜாரில் அழிந்து வரும் வீடியோ கேம்ஸ் CD விற்பனை

பர்மா பஜாரில் அழிந்து வரும் வீடியோ கேம்ஸ் CD விற்பனை

வீடியோ கேம்ஸ் என்றால் சிறுவர்கள் முதல் பெரியவர்கள் வரை அனைவரும் விரும்பி விளையாடக்கூடிய ஒரு பொழுதுப்போக்கு சாதனமாக உள்ளது என்பது அனைவரும் அறிந்த ஒன்று,அதிலும் சிறுவர்கள் மற்றும் மாணவர்கள் இன்று அதில் அதிகமாக மூழ்கிக் கிடைக்கின்றனர்.அவ்வாறு வீடியோ கேம்ஸ் விளையாடுபவர்கள் கேம்ஸ் CD க்கள் வாங்க அதிகமாக வருவது பர்மா பஜார்க்குதான் ஏனெனில் பர்மா பஜாரில் தான் எல்லாவிதமான வீடியோ கேம்ஸின் டூப்லிகேட் CD களும் குறைந்த விலையில் கிடைக்கும்.இப்படி பர்மா பஜாரில் நன்றாக ஓடிக்கொண்டிருந்த கேம்ஸ் CD கள் இப்பொழுது முற்றிலும் குறைந்துவிட்டன.முன்னர் இருந்த வியாபரம் குறைந்ததால் பர்மா பஜாரில் இருந்த நிறைய கடைகள் மூடப்பட்டுவிட்டன என்று கடை வியாபாரி வருத்ததுடன் கூறினார். காரணம் இன்று ஆன்லைன் வர்த்தகத்தில் எல்லாவிதமான ஒரிஜினல் CD களும் குறைந்த விலையில் கிடைக்கின்றன.எனவே பர்மா பஜார் வியாபாரிகள் CD வியாபாரித்திற்க்கு பதில் வேறு வியாபாரித்திற்க்கு மாறிவருகின்றனர்.

Pedestrians and motorists feel safe because of the new median

The third main road that links anna nagar and Mogappair West is a crucial road linking the one end of the city with the other districts via Chennai bypass. It is the entrance and exit point to the city from the west side.

The road also helps connecting the local people to reach Anna Nagar, Maduravoyal, Ambattur, Padi and other in and around areas in the city. So pedestrians and motorists feel very unsafe because there was no median for the long stretch 60feet road that stretchs to Mogappair West bus depot.

Being the thickly populated area and lined up by busy commercial establishments, shops, restaurants and banks makes the stretch busy. It has become a frequent accident zone in recent times because of the traffics during school and office hours. So now Chennai Corporation has decided to put median on the road and the construction is on process.

And this has been welcome by the local people and pedestrians as the stretch is congested and lot of people find difficult to even cross the road during busy hours.

Third Main Road is also a crucial road linking the western part of the city via bypass, this makes the frequent movement of container lorries from these districts to the city.

In order to check any violations by these lorry drivers and also prevent anti-socials from using the stretches as transit points, steel barricades have been placed at strategic locations by the police.

So the construction of this concrete medium by Chennai Corporation also helps in for security purposes.

செங்குன்றம்-ஆவடி சாலையில் தடுப்புச்சுவர் அமைக்கும் பணி

ஆவடி-செங்குன்றம் வரையிலான போக்குவரத்து நெடுஞ்சாலையின் நடுவே தடுப்புச்சுவர் அமைக்கும் பணி துரிதமாக நடைப்பெற்று வருகிறது.
செங்குன்றம் தொடங்கி புழல், சூரப்பேடு, ஒரகடம், அம்பத்தூர், திருமுல்லைவாயில், ஆவடி வரையிலான போக்குவரத்து நெடுஞ்சாலையின் நடுவே போக்குவரத்து நெடுஞ்சாலை துறையினரால் தடுப்புச்சுவர் அமைக்கும் பணி நடைப்பெற்று வருகிறது. புழலிலிருந்து செங்குன்றம் செல்லும் சாலையிலும், அம்பத்தூரிலிருந்து ஆவடி மற்றும் அம்பத்தூர் தொழிற்பேட்டை செல்லும் சாலையிலும் தடுப்புச்சுவர்  இல்லாததால் வாகனங்கள் வளைவில் திரும்பும் பொழுதும், பள்ளி குழந்தைகள் சாலையை கடக்கும் பொழுதும் பெரிய பிரச்சனையாக இருந்து வந்தது. அதுமட்டுமில்லாமல் சாலையில் சில நேரங்களில் நிலை தடுமாறும் வாகனங்கள் எதிர் வழியில் வரும் வாகனங்களில் மோதி விபத்துக்குள்ளாகிறது.
இதனால் போக்குவரத்து நெடுஞ்சாலை துறையின் சார்பில் இரண்டு கோடி ரூபாய் செலவில் தடுப்புச்சுவர் அமைக்கும் பணி நடைபெற்று வருகிறது. இப்போது இதன் பணி மும்முரமாக நடைப்பெற்று வருகிறது.
இந்த தடுப்புச்சுவர் அமைக்கும் பணியினால் மக்களுக்கு நன்மையே அதிகம் என்றாலும் அசவுகரியமும் இருப்பதாக தெரிவிக்கின்றனர். அதாவது சாலையை கடப்பதற்கு நீண்ட தூரம் செல்ல வேண்டியிருப்பதாகவும் அதே போல் வாகனத்தில் செல்வோர் நீண்ட நேரம் காத்திருக்க வேண்டியிருப்பதாகவும் கூறுகின்றனர். இவை எல்லாம் ஒரு புறமிருக்க மற்றொரு புறம் சாலை தடுப்புச்சுவரின் தரம் மிக மட்டமாக இருப்பதாகவும், சிறு வாகனங்கள் லேசாக மோதினாலே இடிந்து விழும் அபாயம் இருப்பதாகவும், அதிகாரிகள் இப்பணியை மேம்போக்காக செய்கிறார்கள் எனவும் மக்கள் புகார் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

MAYA movie review - A new horror venture of Tamil cinema

The expectations of audience among horror films have been increased these days. Horror genre creates a trendsetter for Tamil cinema. While speaking about Maya, a new horror venture of Tamil film industry is directed by Ashwin Saravanan and Nayanthara plays the lead role. 

The story begins with two friends’ playing cards and discussing about a ghost story that appears in a weekly magazine. Arjun (Aari) is a cartoonist and he takes his friend through the story of a hospital for mental patients where there are a series of mysterious deaths around 24 years ago. There is one patient in particular Maya whose life is more mysterious than the others. Arjun is drawing the cartoons for this weekly series. On the other hand, Apsara (Nayanthara), mother to one-year-old Meera, who has walked out on her marriage. To make ends meet she stays with her friend and acts in ads. The film alternates between two stories with one in Black & White and another in colour. The remaining story reveals how their lives connected with each other and what’s the mysterious things happening around them?

After a long time, it’s good to see an ultra-fine horror flick in Tamil with Hollywood effect. When compare to other masala horror films or horror comedy films in recent times, this film made an impact on audience with a positive response. The main advantage of the movie is that you can’t predict the story and have no idea of what will happen next, which creates Goosebumps for the viewers till the end. Audience mainly hooked to the seats because of the sudden loud background music, creepy doll and ghost scenes. Director proves his talent by portraying the scenes and stories in a two different perspective. Nayanthara delivered her unique performance in this particular movie when compared to her other commercial flicks. Each and every character in the movie has done their job well. The technical field team and music director plays the major role in the film’s success. But the film could be trimmed a little enough though there are some scenes which are very slow and could have been avoided. The fantastic cinematography and editing are the other pillars of the movie. 

A movie with lot of twists and considers being one horror movie in Tamil which you never want to miss!

pedestrian platform planned near Thiruvanmiyur Junction

Anyone passing by the hectic Thiruvanmiyur junction would have known the traffic chaos and pedestrian crossing safe during the peak hours. 

Recently, The Chennai Corporation has come up with a simple intervention to build a pedestrian platform that would link from Thiruvanmiyur Junction road  to Bus terminus and also Indira Nagar, LB road, Taramani, Rajiv Gandhi Salai meet and other major arterial road, said a corporation worker, who armed with the basic utility cables and road driller machine.

To avoid trouble many walk/cross on the main road and take the commuting passage that often ended in various disturbance cases, so, therefore, the pedestrian platform would alleviate traffic congestion and benefit regular commuters in the near future. The project work is still underway and yet to see the light of the day.

AMAZING TRIP TO THE NATURE AT ZOLOGICAL PARK

The park is known as Arignar Anna Zoological Park which is one of the largest zoos in South East Asia sprawling over an area of 602 hectares. Tourists have to spend a day ifthey want to discover all the interesting place.

After about an hour on the train and an auto car, I reached my destination in suburb of Chennai. It’s a little bit far away from the college but it was really worth waiting. I was surprise when the first time in my life I have seen a large zoo like that. Aringar Anna Zoological Park or more commonly known as Vandalur Zoo was opened in 1985 under a name of Madras Zoo. The zoo began with an entire animal collection of Edward Green Balfour, the then director of the Government Museum at Madras. By 1975, the zoo could no longer expand, and it had to be moved out of the city because of space constraints and increased noise pollution due to the city's high-density traffic.  In 1976, Tamil Nadu Forest Department set aside 512 ha in the Vandalur Reserve Forest on the outskirts of the city to build the current zoo, which is the largest zoological garden in India and Indian Subcontinent and one of the largest in the world. Work started in 1979 at an initial cost of Rs.75 million, and the zoo in its new premises was officially opened to public on 24 July 1985 by the then chief minister of  Tamil Nadu Mr. M.G. Ramachandran, when most of the works were completed. In 2001, 92.45 hectares of land next to the park was acquired to build a rescue and rehabilitation centre for confiscated and abandoned wild animals, increasing the park's size to 602 hectares. That’s current area of the Park.

I bought a ticket of Rs. 30 – very cheap for a whole day in the park. To go around hundreds – hectare place, I ate some food in a restaurant inside. The food was too cost and not delicious but it didn’t mind me anyway. There are two ways to explore this place: By Zoo operated Vehicle, by bicycle (available for hire within the park) and by foot.The zoo operated vehicles take you on a ride of the zoo stopping at designated points where you can alight take a look around the various enclosures and the board the vehicle for the next point. This is a good option if you are traveling with kids and elders. The bicycles which are available for hire inside the park are well maintained and are a good option if you are fit enough. They also have Tandem bicycles for the romantic at heart. The third option is to walk which might be quite tiring on a hot day. I decided to take a bicycle and rode around. The price for an hour renting a bicycle is Rs. 10.

          The Park is not only the best place to hide the stress but also an excellent natural class for children. A park on a hill with fresh air and green area will make you forget all the tired behind and enjoin the nature. In more 600 hectares, the Zoo houses 2,553 species of flora and fauna across. As of 2012 the park houses around 1,500 wild species, including 46 endangered species, in its 160 enclosures.As of 2010, there were about 47 species of mammals, 63 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians, 25 species of fishes, and 10 species of insects. All kinds of animals have their own separate area of living. Children come to the park can see a lot of animals living in the nature not in television or newspapers any more. This is a special class to teach them about the nature, animals and build up their love in nature.

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   The place I love most is a house of Royal Bengal tiger. I have heard and seen the National Animal of India in the internet however this is the first time I saw it face to face. I was so excited.

          My journey in the one of the biggest parks in Southeast Asia was a wonderful experience excepted that I forgot my purse in rental park bicycle shop. I had to come back and luckily it was still there. 

New facility at Ambattur Rotary hospital

M.Sowmiya

Chennai, 21 Sept 2015:Ambattur Rotary Club Charitable Trust opened a modular operation theatre at Ambattur Rotary Hospital, apart from upgraded infrastructure facilities.

The multi-specialty hospital is a flagship project of the RCA (Rotary Club of Ambattur), mainly to provide health care facilities in the industrial area of Ambattur, where the nearest such facility lies over 15kms away. The hospital houses several specialties including OP, IP, X-Ray, lab and operation theatre.

Through its facilities, the hospital strives to improve the quality and the time of treatment received by the locals whose nature of work often takes a toll on their health. It also aims to provide quality health care at subsidized cost the industrial workers of the locality and the general public.

The completion of the modular operation theatre was possible mainly due to the dedication of members of RCA and sustained support philanthropists like the SathyaNarayana Charitable Trust and K S Jayaraman of Autotech Industries Pvt Ltd.

Equipped with 23 dialysis beds with five specifically ear marked for HIV affected patients, performing 13,000 – 14,000 treatments annually for the under privileged at subsidized rates through Tanker Foundations.

No footpaths, one way road and garbage on main roads

Chennai

Garbage mounds on roadsides, encroachment of pavements, unauthorised parking of vehicles and over-speeding are some of the issues in residential areas in most parts of the city.

Concerned individuals who take these issues to the authorities find that it is an exercise. It is when authorised forums such as residential associations push the common cause that there is some response, but it is very slow.

In Adyar with the authorities concerned and seek redressal, says that though the federation has been able to bring the local authorities to the table to hear out people's voice over, there has been support from the officials and solutions only in some of the residents. A majority of the problems faced by residents in several areas such as delay in garbage/debris clearance, footpath encroachment, and lack of speed breakers and menace of over-speeding by motor bikes remain unsolved.

Traffic violation is a serious and perennial problem, especially at Adyar Signal as motorists coming from Lattice Bridge Road (LB ROAD) towards Malar Hospital take a ‘U' turn near Parry ware premises to pass through Gandhi Nagar despite the barricades put up by the traffic police. “Two wheeler riders and auto drivers violate the ‘No entry' rule, especially during the morning peak hour, disrupting traffic in the junction and posing a threat to pedestrians.”

Likewise, though First Main Road in Gandhi Nagar adjacent to the Adyar Bus Depot has been made one-way, motorists violate the rule as several commercial establishments are located on the road. “These shops have no parking facility and the road is packed with vehicles on both sides, adding to the chaos on the road.” A similar situation prevails in Second Main Road as customers to a prominent sweet shop there park vehicles haphazardly, inconveniencing the residents and pedestrians.

Mr. Murthraman says that in Kasturba Nagar, the Corporation has installed a steel structure on the footpath of the busy Third Cross Street for dumping garbage, which is a health hazard for the residential area. The structure is not only eating up the pavement of a busy road that is blocked with traffic at all times, but will also lead to large scale dumping of waste by food chain outlets and restaurants in the area, he fears. “Senior citizens and children who are forced to walk on the path of speeding vehicles are at risk of being hit. Besides, stale food and other waste dumped in the enclosure will raise a stink in the area and invite rodents and mosquitoes.” He also pointed to the encroachment of the road on Second Cross Street by vendors, causing a heavy traffic jam during peak hours.

Dumping of construction material by builders and houses was another problem faced in several areas. The authorities should penalize such offenders, and also wanted the authorities to provide speed breakers at important junctions with clear markings for visibility and sign boards but there is no development from government.

Multi super speciality Hospital of Chennai

Tamil Nadu Government Multi-Super-Speciality Hospital is a 400-bed government-owned super-speciality hospital in Chennai, India. It is located at the Omandurar Government Estate on Anna Salai and was opened in February 2014, built at a cost of ₹ 1,431.4 million.

Originally built as Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and secretariat complex in 2010 to house the assembly hall, secretariat and offices of the chief minister and cabinet ministers, the complex was later converted into a super-speciality hospital.

The last session in the old assembly building at Fort St. George was held on 11 January 2010 by the former DMK government. When the AIADMK government came to power in May 2011, it abandoned the building and moved back to the former legislative building, Fort St. George. On 19 August 2011, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the state legislative assembly that the A-Block in new Secretariat complex, built by the previous DMK regime, would be converted into a multi-super specialty hospital and B-Block would be constructed as a government medical college. Work to convert the building to a multi-speciality hospital began in February 2013 following National Green Tribunal's approval. Modifications were made to suit the needs of the hospital

The six-storied hospital was inaugurated on 21 February 2014, with four medical departments, namely, cardiology, neurology, medical oncology and nephrology and five surgical departments, namely, cardiothoracic, neuro, hand and reconstructive micro surgery, vascular and surgical oncology, in addition to a lifestyle clinic for yoga and naturopathy.

De-stress: find your ideal hobby

Preetha Shankar

In a fast-paced world where everybody is kept busy with work or just distracting themselves by tapping away on their smartphones, hobbies are taking a seat in the back of our busy and technology-driven lives. But for those who want to indulge themselves in activities that distract themselves from technology, finding an ideal hobby could be ideal.

For this express purpose, hobby centres in the city help people find out what they want to do in their spare time. Madhan Kumar of Let’s Do Something hobby centre says, “Our hobby centre was founded in 2009. From 2009 to 2012, we have had 150 kids registering with us.” Let’s Do Something helps children from the age of three and a half years to fourteen years engage in hobbies such as Bharatanatyam, Chess, Painting and drawing, Yoga, Photography and Music classes. They also arrange for unique courses like chocolate making workshops for those who like cooking, and have a tie-up with Vaels Billabong School. Madhan says, “Adults here lean towards taking up guitar classes to unwind. Most of the adults who come here are software employees who take up music classes such as guitar and drumming as a release from their hectic work hours.”  

Seema Sanghi, owner of Kalpataru Hobby Centre started the organisation in 2012, “I had just shifted to the East Coast Road area, and found out that there was no place for kids to learn fun activities. I had grown up children myself, and wanted to do something creative and useful. Thus, I started Kalpataru.” The centre teaches children activities such as art, yoga, karate, archery, music, dance, speech, and drama and personality development. Seema says, “Children like something that can engage them, and keep their attention from wavering.” She says age is no bar here, with kids as young as two and a half years to senior citizens aged sixty-five years old coming to the centre! She adds, “Adults here like painting, music, and craft activities like jewellery making, and Tanjore painting.” But she feels that hobby centres can help people, “Everybody wants to learn and keep busy but they don’t have the time. But one thing to keep in mind is that more than the adults, children need to de-stress because they are under constant pressure to perform.” 

Sara Abraham, a college student has found her perfect hobby in stamp collection, “It started when I saw a friend’s stamp collection and found inspiration, and the same friend gifted me a stamp. This happened to be the first one to my collection, and after that I started noticing stamps that come on the envelopes.” Sara started her stamp collection when she was studying in class 7, and there has been no looking back since then. She finds a certain specialty in stamp collection, “You get to know about a country’s culture and heritage through their stamps.” But she feels that people were more inclined towards hobbies in the past compared to now. She says about the value of the hobby in the days to come, “In the future, when these stamps are almost extinct, it will be a great fortune to possess them.”

Though hobbies are not a dying art form, they have somewhat lost their lustre. Hopefully, hobby centres can remind people that hobbies are a great way to not just de-stress but also find perhaps, wisps of their once bright childhood dreams.     

  

For Foodies Out there!

Along with Egmore, Tondiarpet and Triplicane, Purasawalkam was one of the four “Old Towns” from where Madras began. In existence since early 1693, this area was once covered in paddy fields. Over the years it slowly developed into a residential area. Then, in the 1980s, it turned into the commercial hub it is today. There are a surfeit of schools, temples and churches, and the residents are a mix of Anglo Indians, South Indians and North Indians.

This amalgamation of cultures is reflected in the food on offer , dishes with both North and South Indian influences, can be seen . Most of the places have been around for decades and every resident has their favourite haunt.

these are few food destination where each and every individual must step in. 

Hotel Sri Rama’s

This little restaurant with a sweet shop attached has been around since 1950. Now managed by the grandson of the founder, they continue to serve Palakkad cuisine at competitive rates. As there’s no time for a proper meal, coffee will have to do. 

Welcome Hotel
Welcome Hotel is to Purasawalkam what Ratna Cafe is to Triplicane. The long walk has whetted appetites; many order idli or uthapam with the signature sambhar with a vadai. It arrives at just the right temperature to dig in .

Old Lala Topi Walah High Class Sweets 

The name is intriguing but the man behind the counter is none too forthcoming with details about the store unfortunately. The sweets and samosa are displayed in charming old-fashioned glass cases. The counter itself is made of glass containers which hold a variety of murukkus and boondi.

Mehtaa’s Vada Pav 

The branch of the Sowcarpet Mehtaa’s makes their famous brand of vada pav more accessible. Run by the third generation of the Mehtaa family, the food here is as good as the Sowcarpet branch. An added bonus there’s even an air-conditioned space where you can savour the chaat they so excel at.

 

100 varieties between two slices

Royal Sandwich Stall, it offers a pocket-friendly sandwiches at alwarpet. It’s in busy TTK road opposite to spoonbill restaurant. The shop is considered as a best place in Chennai for Sandwich. It has more than 110 varieties of sandwiches.Office goers, school students, youngsters and even families munch on sandwiches and the shop is quite a popular hangout. While the varieties are limited to plain, butter and jam, channa masala and corn cheese sandwich, what makes the joint a hit is their special green chutney. Sheik has become popular, especially with the youngsters, who consider Royal Sandwich stall to be cool hangout. Through patience, persistence and tastier sandwiches, his customer base increased until all Alwarpet and neighbourhoods around it knew him by the taste of his sandwiches. The place is open from morning 11 am and goes up to 10 pm. But if you happen to take a quick snack in the evening, then you got to wait in the long queue. It's only been six years since the joint opened, but it already has branches in Kottupuram and TTK Road.

The sandwich shop has over 110 varieties that range from chocolate sandwich, maggi cheese sandwich and chicken sandwich, among others. A hit among the youth, the sandwich joints gets busy during evenings. There are several kinds of sandwiches to choose from. Sheik can practically make a sandwich of any vegetable, fruit, snack, chocolate or cheese. Whatever you like! There isn't much place to sit and more often than not, the place is flooded with people. Nevertheless, on a hungry day, the place can serve up good sandwiches at top speed. The sandwiches are tasty and cheap too. Most of the sandwiches are Rs.30-50. It is acclaimed to be one of the places in Chennai where you can fill your tummy with less than 100 rupees.