Yesterday I went to a marriage engagement function at Mambalam. The function hall was on the main road through which buses ply. When I went there was no traffic on the road considering the fact that it was a sunday evening. So I parked my car on the road just opposite to the hall and walked inside. But as the time slowly passed, there were huge traffic snarls thanks to the cars parked by the visitors to the engagement on both sides of the road.
I realised the traffic jam after the function got over and we came down to eat. I felt really bad as there was a huge pile up of vehicles on both sides, though my car didn't cause one. A good soul from somewhere came and regulated the traffic and in 10 minutes the road got cleared. I dont know how many times it got clogged before I came down. But within 2 minutes again the road got clogged thanks to indiscriminate car parking and indisciplined driving.
Now the main villain of the piece comes to the picture. He is the Manager of the fucntion hall who is now standing at the entrance and telling whoever is willing to listen that the cars can be parked on the by-lanes adjacent to the main road. Should he not make somebody stand and tell all car owners who come for the function to go and park their vehicles in the by-lanes before all these traffic snarls start.
For that matter, the commuters were very patient yesterday. I even saw one of the bus conductors telling the passenger not to shout at the people in the marriage hall as an auspicious function is going on. As we were having our dinner, we heard two people shouting at each other at the top of their voice about parking in front of the hall. I really felt that one person is going to have a heart attack considering the decibel levels produced for a non-issue like this.
Things would have been smoother had the marriage hall manager had informed people to park cars in the by-lanes and if that is difficult at least he can place a board stating that the cars are not to be parked in the main road. In spite of it, I am sure our people would park cars ignoring the warning. For that we have our Policemen doing the rounds. The other day when they had come on rounds they simply went around puncturing cars which were parked on the road!!
Showing posts with label Chennai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chennai. Show all posts
Attending a marriage still has its own charm!!
I was at my cousin’s daughter’s marriage over the weekend. I was there almost the whole 2 days in a marriage after a very very long time, may be, after mine few years ago!! Marriage is the time where I get to meet my cousins, their children and chit chat for few hours at a stretch. It is also a time where you get to meet not so close relatives, acquaintances and friends and catch up with them learning what is happening in their lives.
Over the last few years, the conduct of marriages has undergone a sea change. Previously, the bride’s family takes complete ownership and responsibility for the smooth conduct of the marriage but now that responsibility is “outsourced” to the marriage contractors. I think this is one of the most welcome changes in the last so many years and we have to accept the concept of “core competency” of these marriage contractors. (With the recent demise of Mr CK Prahalad, guru of Core competency, I thought it is appropriate to use the term with regard to the marriage concept). These marriage contractors are meticulous in their work and we don’t have run around for anything. They are the first to come and last to leave in the marriage.
The MC manages all the important events starting from virutham to kasi yathirai to muhurtham to nalungu. You just sit and relax. These contractors are so well prepared they make everything available one after the other at the appointed time and the bride’s parents or relatives needn’t run after anything.
Looking back some 15 years ago when my elder cousins’ marriages were conducted in our hometown, Tuticorin, I remember being literally on our toes on all the three days of the marriage. The tension starts even before that when you have to fix the cook, Vadhyar, Flower arrangement, milk, vegetables etc., One day before the marriage, you have to go the railway station to receive the bridegroom and family, take them to the mandapam, keep them engaged and be always available if they have any issues. Till the bride and groom leave the town, a day after the marriage, you have to be on high alert. That was a different kind of fun compared to the present day outsourced marriage arrangements. The cook has to be monitored to ensure that the wastage is to the minimum, he or his group doesn’t swindle pulses, cashew nuts, sugar etc., Manning the store room is a full fledged job and there are few specialists who are always there to take care of this function. But the poor guy would miss most of the marriage doing this thankless job.
My father keeps talking about how he pushed a handcart to transport the vegetables from the market to the mandapam for one of my cousin sister’s marriage. I remember being completely occupied during the three days of marriage running from one corner of the mandapam to another. There will be always be something which we would have forgotten at home and you have to take the cycle and literally fly to get it to the mandapam. At the end of the three days of marriage, body would ache and long for rest. But I tell you the sense of satisfaction is immense in those types of marriages. I remember being actively involved in at least 3 of my cousin’s marriages in Tuticorin. I really doubt if we would be able to conduct a marriage like that!!
The most important part of any marriage is the food and in this marriage I really decided to make best use of the opportunity!!! I somehow felt that I have not been eating marriage food like I used to do years ago and this time I wanted to go the full hog. Of course, I missed the first day morning breakfast but made up on the other 7 possible occasions!!!! I really relished the food quality and the meticulous way it has been prepared and served. Simple South Indian Vegetarian stuff but it is more than enough for me. Who wants the panneer tikka and other exotic North Indian stuff in Tamil marriage?
Another interesting thing I enjoyed in this marriage is the "Nadaswaram". It was a group of 3 Nadaswaram vidwans, 1 Clarnet and 1 Saxophone with 2 Thavil Vidwans playing some memorable tunes on all the two days. Even on the day of reception, these Nadaswaram party enthralled the audience with their superlative performance. This Nadaswaram party also comes as part of the package deal given to the MC.
In this marriage, I met one of my acquaintances after more than 28 years. I last met him when I went to my cousin’s house in Pondicherry 25 years ago. After that, you get to hear how and what he is doing from my cousin, though never got a chance to meet him. He came to this marriage with his family and we both were immensely happy to meet each other. I have very vague memories of what we did together but still I felt nice to meet him.
After 2 days of relaxed life style and sumptuous eating, Monday morning was a challenge to get you up and go to office. There was an idea of going to the “Kattu Satham” as well but we decided against that.
Marriages are really nice occasions and we should make it a point to be there for the whole 2/3 days to get a welcome break from the routine. Possible only when the marriage happens during the weekend.
Caligraphy on Chennai Autos
Have you ever noticed the style of writing the names on the Autos of Chennai? I have observed that many autos carry their names of their loved ones on the back black cover. But what makes it unique is the fact that the way it is being written. You will never be able to read at first glance the name as they are written in such a way that you find the English alphabets very different from how you are used to seeing it.
I have to always look at it more than once to understand. The alphabets are written in such a way that you have to tilt your head to read. Sometimes you have to stand upside down to read!! Ok, I am little exaggerating but I would strongly urge you to carefully look at autos henceforth to read the names written there, if you can!!
I have to always look at it more than once to understand. The alphabets are written in such a way that you have to tilt your head to read. Sometimes you have to stand upside down to read!! Ok, I am little exaggerating but I would strongly urge you to carefully look at autos henceforth to read the names written there, if you can!!
When the taps ran dry...
Luckily, I never faced water shortage ever since I came to Chennai. But this time our flat taps went dry yesterday. All of a sudden you find no water and you are caught unawares of how to carry on with the daily chores.
The eating plates could not be washed, clothes were getting accumulated and my quota of water to have a bath reduced a measly single bucket. I am not used to all these things. There was a frantic effort from my flat neighbours and in all earnest the investigation started. It turned out that the borewell has almost gone dry, thanks to the delayed monsoon and the underground spring is not that productive. You have to run the pump for long periods of time with little or no success. When there is water shortage, the association office bearers have a tough time managing the expectations of the whole community. Different voices and instructions to the poor watchman who manages the water supply. One person wants water at a particular time and another at a different time. Trouble is brewing in our flat and this month's meeting would be an interesting (!!) one.
Water was made available for an hour in the morning and evening. Sounds too typical of Chennai, which I dread. Overnight, our lives have changed. Buckets and big containers were taken out to store water and ration has been introduced in every form of water usage. I realised that I can still have a bath in one single bucket, wash my face in a cup of water and shave in even lesser quantity.
For the last two days it has rained in Chennai and I hope the water table improves in my flat.
The eating plates could not be washed, clothes were getting accumulated and my quota of water to have a bath reduced a measly single bucket. I am not used to all these things. There was a frantic effort from my flat neighbours and in all earnest the investigation started. It turned out that the borewell has almost gone dry, thanks to the delayed monsoon and the underground spring is not that productive. You have to run the pump for long periods of time with little or no success. When there is water shortage, the association office bearers have a tough time managing the expectations of the whole community. Different voices and instructions to the poor watchman who manages the water supply. One person wants water at a particular time and another at a different time. Trouble is brewing in our flat and this month's meeting would be an interesting (!!) one.
Water was made available for an hour in the morning and evening. Sounds too typical of Chennai, which I dread. Overnight, our lives have changed. Buckets and big containers were taken out to store water and ration has been introduced in every form of water usage. I realised that I can still have a bath in one single bucket, wash my face in a cup of water and shave in even lesser quantity.
For the last two days it has rained in Chennai and I hope the water table improves in my flat.
Tales you come to know
Last saturday, I was driving my Scooty back home from T Nagar, a 60 year old looking man, decently dressed, asked for lift and I readily obliged. The first 5 minutes of the drive went off without any dialogue. The moment I stopped for a traffic signal, as expected, the passenger started the conversation on civic woes and the crying nead for a flyover at Vadapalani. In the next 5-7 minutes of the ride, he told me the following things :
- His name is PMR Reddy, a film producer and director!! (then why he is asking for a lift, that too, in a two-wheeler)
- He was the student of Film Institute along with Rajnikanth (!!??)
- He acted in one film as a hero but didnt succeed
- He worked in American Embassy
- His son and nephews are all based in USA
- One of his nephews died in a road accident few years back on the Chetpet bridge
- Barack Obama was supported by all the Indians but he is not supporting outsourcing to India
- 20000 H1B visas lapsed this year without any takers
- His wife runs a school at Chinmaya Nagar and provides free education to 50 students
- He is currently planning a film on Buddha, his dream of 30 years
- Buddha came in his dream many years ago
- His son's name is Gautam and his production company is Gautam Films
- He is a cousin of the former Andhra CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. Due to his untimely death, his film shooting is getting delayed
New name for KK Nagar!!
Do you know the new name of K K Nagar? It is "Kundru Kuzhi" Nagar. I am not still in Delhi so I will continue to use the "zh" in my writing!
So much of damage has been done to the roads of K K Nagar in the last 15 days, it has become a nightmare to drive. Chennai Metrowater dug exactly at the middle of the road for the entire stretch of Anna Main Road for close to 1.5 kms. After they completed the work, they didn't close it properly with concrete or tar, but with just with the rubble. And now that portion has started caving in resulting in the usage of only one half of the road.. thanks to the recent rains, the rubble has become muddy and slushy, making it a nasty place.
The "kolai veri" of Chennai metrowater is still not over so they have no taken over a new road which has not been dug in the last 1 year or so. I have been commuting through KK Nagar area for the last 8 years or so and I see one side of Anna Main Road always dug up for Chennai Metrowater work. No exaggeration here!!! I can imagine if the project goes on for 6 months to a year, but this Chennai Metrowater is going on for now 8 years!!
I also admire the people of this locality. I have not seen any kind of demonstration or protest by them. Probably they did few years back but they have also lost interest in this.
Long live Chennai Metrowater!!
So much of damage has been done to the roads of K K Nagar in the last 15 days, it has become a nightmare to drive. Chennai Metrowater dug exactly at the middle of the road for the entire stretch of Anna Main Road for close to 1.5 kms. After they completed the work, they didn't close it properly with concrete or tar, but with just with the rubble. And now that portion has started caving in resulting in the usage of only one half of the road.. thanks to the recent rains, the rubble has become muddy and slushy, making it a nasty place.
The "kolai veri" of Chennai metrowater is still not over so they have no taken over a new road which has not been dug in the last 1 year or so. I have been commuting through KK Nagar area for the last 8 years or so and I see one side of Anna Main Road always dug up for Chennai Metrowater work. No exaggeration here!!! I can imagine if the project goes on for 6 months to a year, but this Chennai Metrowater is going on for now 8 years!!
I also admire the people of this locality. I have not seen any kind of demonstration or protest by them. Probably they did few years back but they have also lost interest in this.
Long live Chennai Metrowater!!
Passport renewal - it became laborious!!
I was at the RPO Chennai couple of days back to get my passport renewed. I had a very good experience last time as to the service levels, so I was very enthusiastic to go this time. But the luck doesn't come your way always, I guess..
This time it so turned out that I had a miserable 4 hours at the RPO, Chennai. I went for the Tatkal Renewal after paying a princely sum of Rs2500/-. For that money, I didnt get any value or service from RPO. Having waited in the queue for more than an hour to enter the main processing area, as your luck turns out, you get stopped by the security guard when your turn comes. He asks you to wait for few minutes and that "few minutes" goes on to become half-an-hour. Then you enter the processing area and you find a Railway ticket booking counter set-up with terminals numbers A to J or something. You take sometime to figure out which queue to stand because not all queues process everything. I selected a queue and stood there for good 45 minutes before my turn came for processing.
Immediately when I gave my application form, the processing officer reviewed it and wrote something on the form and gave it back to me. For a split second, I thought, oh, God what mistake did I do with the form filling and the need to start from the scratch again.. Luckily it was not the case. The officer has written to get the PISON check completed. A big relief as I dont have to start again. She directed me to Room No.4 to get the PISON check done on my application. I could not figure out what the PISON check is all about. As I turned back to go in search of Room No. 4, I found out that a counter just 10 metres away is only Room No. 4.
There were already some 15 people standing before me for the PISON check. For the first 10 - 15 minutes you dont realise whether processing is happening or not as you are busy talking to your queue neighbours. No prizes for guessing what we talked about.. poor state of public service offices.. Then we realised that nothing has happened since the time we were in the queue. You start becoming restless and people started peeping into the room and find out what is happening. The people who entered that room were shown the door by none other than an armed Police Constable. I think a District Collector has come with his wife and kid for his passport renewal, so being shown all the courtesy as it goes with a IAS cadre. That family finally went out after 30 minutes or so.
The worst thing happened after that. The guy who was manning the counter cooly came out and said the system is not working. To use Captain Vijayakanth's analogy, "ennakku government office la pidikkathathu "system is not working". How come it worked for the IAS officer and not for us.. God alone knows. So we patiently waited for another 30 minutes for the system to start working again but that didnt happen. We were told that this PISON check would be done at a different counter. So people ran helter-skelter to the other counter and the pity is so many people who were in the begining of the queue were pushed to the back when we all went to the new counter. So sad but that is how things happen in India.
Here again we were made to wait for another 45 minutes and some 5 people would have been served before we were told again that the system is not working in the new counter as well. What is the problem with this system??? You get really bugged and annoyed. So were asked to go back to the original counter where we stood. But luckily the security guard this time collected all the papers along with the passport in the same order we were standing in the queue. A private security guard on duty at the RPO collects the papers along with original passport and takes it to some other counter. No officer is willing to take the responsibility!!
After the marathon wait for more than 90 minutes and moving from one counter to the other and back again at the original counter, my PISON check was completed. What is this bloody PISON check we found out during this 90 minutes of waiting. PISON stands for Passport Information System Online (never online but!!). PISON needs to completed for passports which are issued by other offices than the office where you have gone for renewal. I couldnt understand why the PISON check could not be completed by the processing officer in the computer in front of him.
Against my worries of standing in the queue again, I was advised to go and meet the processing officer directly for processing the application bypassing the queue. I went to the same processing officer who I met in the first place and she immediately completed the procedures and asked me to pay the fees. I paid the fees in a jiffy and came running out of the RPO. Not inside this building again for the next 10 years..
This time it so turned out that I had a miserable 4 hours at the RPO, Chennai. I went for the Tatkal Renewal after paying a princely sum of Rs2500/-. For that money, I didnt get any value or service from RPO. Having waited in the queue for more than an hour to enter the main processing area, as your luck turns out, you get stopped by the security guard when your turn comes. He asks you to wait for few minutes and that "few minutes" goes on to become half-an-hour. Then you enter the processing area and you find a Railway ticket booking counter set-up with terminals numbers A to J or something. You take sometime to figure out which queue to stand because not all queues process everything. I selected a queue and stood there for good 45 minutes before my turn came for processing.
Immediately when I gave my application form, the processing officer reviewed it and wrote something on the form and gave it back to me. For a split second, I thought, oh, God what mistake did I do with the form filling and the need to start from the scratch again.. Luckily it was not the case. The officer has written to get the PISON check completed. A big relief as I dont have to start again. She directed me to Room No.4 to get the PISON check done on my application. I could not figure out what the PISON check is all about. As I turned back to go in search of Room No. 4, I found out that a counter just 10 metres away is only Room No. 4.
There were already some 15 people standing before me for the PISON check. For the first 10 - 15 minutes you dont realise whether processing is happening or not as you are busy talking to your queue neighbours. No prizes for guessing what we talked about.. poor state of public service offices.. Then we realised that nothing has happened since the time we were in the queue. You start becoming restless and people started peeping into the room and find out what is happening. The people who entered that room were shown the door by none other than an armed Police Constable. I think a District Collector has come with his wife and kid for his passport renewal, so being shown all the courtesy as it goes with a IAS cadre. That family finally went out after 30 minutes or so.
The worst thing happened after that. The guy who was manning the counter cooly came out and said the system is not working. To use Captain Vijayakanth's analogy, "ennakku government office la pidikkathathu "system is not working". How come it worked for the IAS officer and not for us.. God alone knows. So we patiently waited for another 30 minutes for the system to start working again but that didnt happen. We were told that this PISON check would be done at a different counter. So people ran helter-skelter to the other counter and the pity is so many people who were in the begining of the queue were pushed to the back when we all went to the new counter. So sad but that is how things happen in India.
Here again we were made to wait for another 45 minutes and some 5 people would have been served before we were told again that the system is not working in the new counter as well. What is the problem with this system??? You get really bugged and annoyed. So were asked to go back to the original counter where we stood. But luckily the security guard this time collected all the papers along with the passport in the same order we were standing in the queue. A private security guard on duty at the RPO collects the papers along with original passport and takes it to some other counter. No officer is willing to take the responsibility!!
After the marathon wait for more than 90 minutes and moving from one counter to the other and back again at the original counter, my PISON check was completed. What is this bloody PISON check we found out during this 90 minutes of waiting. PISON stands for Passport Information System Online (never online but!!). PISON needs to completed for passports which are issued by other offices than the office where you have gone for renewal. I couldnt understand why the PISON check could not be completed by the processing officer in the computer in front of him.
Against my worries of standing in the queue again, I was advised to go and meet the processing officer directly for processing the application bypassing the queue. I went to the same processing officer who I met in the first place and she immediately completed the procedures and asked me to pay the fees. I paid the fees in a jiffy and came running out of the RPO. Not inside this building again for the next 10 years..
All roads lead you to a ditch!!
I am talking about the area where I live. Chennai Corporation in close co-ordination with Metrowater and Electricity Board have ensured that no road should be left unspoiled in Nesapakkam, KK Nagar West areas. Then what else to say when all the main roads in that area has been dug up in a concerted manner over the last 15 days. Already these areas have roads which would qualify only as lanes but which carries two way traffic. During the morning peak hour, the traffic is absolutely horrible resulting in frayed tempers and hyper-tension for road users.
I don't think it is a crime to dig up the roads for maintenance or repair work but the fact which really gets on to your nerve is the post-dig up state of the road. They bring in all kinds to machines to dug up the roads and employ tens of labourers in this process. They pile up the debris close to the trench they have made and after the completion of the work, they just push back the debris into the trench and walk-off as if it is nobodys business.
In the first place when you remove the soil from the earth, where it is mostly of clay, it comes with lot of moisture on it. They just spread it on the road and start doing the repair work. After the work is completed, the clayey soil has already lost its moisture when exposed to sunlight for days together and it doesnt come off the ground very easily. The contractors who employ JCB machines to dig up does not bring scrappers to remove this clayey soil from the ground. This leaves the already battered road in a bad condition making it a night-marish experience for two-wheelers.
There are very clear rules with regard to digging up the roads by Chennai Corporation. You need to take prior permission of Corporation to dig up the road, post the repair work, the portion of the road which has been dug should be re-laid or patched up with tar. But nowhere in Chennai I have seen this rule followed up. The contractors/residents who want the repair work done should own up responsibility for the patch work. Who cares for all these? Pay the Municipal councillor of that area a tidy sum and you dont have anyone to ask any questions. I as a Citizen dont have time or energy to follow this up. So where is the end to this kind of menance on the roads.
Chennai Sangamam 2009 Photos
I went to watch the Chennai Sangamam programs yesterday near to my house. It was a well planned event I should say. The programs were non-stop from 4 PM to 8.30 PM yesterday. There is no break and the performers keep coming to the stage as a continuous stream. I was there for close to 3 hours in the evening watching "parai" attam, oyilattam, veera villayattu, village based songs in Cinema among variety of things.
There was decent crowd of people numbering around 700 or so. I think it is a good crowd for a program which doesnt have a cinema star or a cinema related program!! I have taken few snaps which I am uploading here. If you get a chance, please go to the place where you have Chennai Sangamam happening. I feel it is our moral responsibility as well to encourage these art forms to avoid extinction. One redeeming feature of the entire evening was the large turnout of children who were keen to watch these programs. Also it is a welcome relief from watching cartoons and regular stuff like Mr Bean, Power Rangers kind of stuff.
Lucky with Drama!!
A day after I was lamenting about the high cost of tickets for Drama, one of my cousins called me up and said he has a ticket for S.Ve.Shekhar's "Ayirum Udai Vangiya Apoorva Sigamani" drama at Narada Gana Sabha. I was pleasantly surprised as I didnt expect it totally.
Today morning I went for the drama and experienced stage drama. The drama ran for 2 hours approximately and it didn't have any great story. It is more like a string of jokes joined together to provide comic relief to the public. The "drama" of starting a drama started at 10.00 AM with pooja behind the screens. Then we waited for 10 more minutes before the curtains went up. As usual, who are familiar with S.Ve.Shekar's dramas, the first dialogue is something like this: "Amma thaiya, ellorayium nee than ma kapathanum.." which is more of a sentimental dialogue for Shekhar.
Shekhar this time has added few topical jokes to his very old screenplay to make things little livelier. Jokes this time around are on the ongoing flood relief, Cauvery water issue, Dr Ramadoss's penchant for Tamil usage and self-deprecating comments about politicians. For those who dont know, S.Ve.Shekhar is the current MLA from Mylapore constituency which he won on AIADMK ticket. There was one more comment by Shekhar about his present state within the party, of being neglected by Jayalalitha and other senior leaders. Shekhar has been side-lined within the AIADMK party for his lack of respect to Sasikala and her family members. He has been always a staunch Jayalalitha loyalist but without Sasikala's blessings nothing moves within the party. So he was cracking jokes about not being recognised by his own party and who knows if he gets a ticket to fight the next elections. The general feeling among the Mylapore constituents is that though he is very approachable his hands are tied as he is in the opposition and also not in the good books of his party's high command. Poor Shekhar, neither here nor there..
The drama had an interval of 5 minutes and after the interval, S.Ve.Shekhar took some 5 minutes to talk about the social initiatives his trust has been doing. Few notable things are that the trust takes care of the educational needs of 40 students every year, frequent blood donation camps. Shekhar has himself donated blood on 54 different occasions!! On stage today he also donated computers to two students. One thing which touched me is that he and his fellow trust members have been taking 15-20 unclaimed bodies from the Government mortuary every month and they are doing the mass burial with due respects. This is a very touching human gesture from him. He also encouraged people to contribute their might for the cause of humanity. Looking at all his deeds and actions, I am convinced he doesnt have any qualifications to be a politician!!
The drama wound up around 12.15 pm. Leaving aside the interval of 8 minutes, Shekhar's speech of 7 minutes, Sabha secretary's speech of 5 minutes, it is totally 100 minutes of on stage acting. Out of this 100 minutes there were atleast 20 breaks of 45 seconds each, where the lights were switched off to change the back drop or change in the characters.
Overall, I would rate the experience of witnessing the drama as not a great one and a good cinema may probably provide you with better satisfaction. Days of drama are over, I guess.
Drama is costly entertainment than Cinema
I was interested in going for a drama over the weekend just to kill the routine of going to cinema. So I made an effort to call and check up about the availability of tickets for the "Chocolate Krishna" drama by Crazy Mohan troupe. The drama was happening at PT Thyagaraja A/C auditorium on the GN Chetty Road, T Nagar. I got a shock of my life when I was told that the minimum ticket is Rs200/- and it goes on like this Rs350/-, Rs500/- and Rs1000/-. It is definitely out of reach of an ordinary middle class family. The total cost would be around Rs600/- for 3 persons excluding travel and food for 3 hours of drama.
Compare it to a cinema in any of the City theatres excluding the Sathyam's and Inox's. The average ticket is in the range of Rs40/- to Rs50/- for an airconditioned 3 hour show. There is also a government regulation which makes it mandatory to sell a small portion of the ticket at Rs10/- or so as well. Though it is very uncomfortable watching it from Rs10/- seat, there are people who still buy these tickets. The total cost comes to Rs180/- for 3 persons excluding travel and food for 3 hours of Cinema.
I agree stage dramas involve more effort on the part of the artists and it cant be replicated across various theatres in one go like cinema, but the very high prices really kills the enthusiasm for going to drama. The guys in drama needs to seriously look at it else tamil drama may not be there after 15 years or so. They can look at the possibility of telecasting live the drama which happens in Chennai using the VSAT or some technology to a theatre in Madurai or so to increase the revenue for them. Just thinking wild!!
Enough is Enough!
No, I am not talking about the terror strike in Mumbai over the last week but about the rains in Chennai. Rains lashed Chennai over the whole of last week thanks to Cyclone Nisha. Not only Chennai, but the entire Tamil Nadu has been badly affected due to rain this year as well. Why I am saying "Enough is Enough" is becos Chennai cant take anymore rains. It is already floating and anything more would only harm the civilians. We never seems to learn from the past mistakes and do things rightly the next time.
Everybody knows that it rains during November in Chennai and Tamil Nadu and no precaution of any sort was done by this useless state Government. Due to rains there are areas in the city which gets completely cut-off, year after year, without fail. What action this Corporation or the Government has taken to alleviate the suffering of this people? There may be questions on illegal construction or unapproved layouts etc., but it is the same Corporation which has given them water connection, electricity connection and all other sort of civic amenities. Ambattur, which has large industrial units as well as many multi-national and India BPO's was flooded with water raising about upto 4 feet on all roads. This is not the first time Ambattur is getting affected. What is the follow up action after the rains? Using motor pumps to pump out water is not the solution.
Why cant we plan in advance for the rains? Cooum river was silted last year on one side of the river. It was supposed to be silted on the other side of the bank as well but nobody followed up and did it. I am sure Corporation would have spent that money and somebody would have been benefited of this cleaning operaiton, which actually never happened. Areas behind Ambattur like Mogappair, Avadi are also cut-off due to heavy water logging. Even Koyambedu bus-terminus was flooded with water and boats were used to ferry people on the arterial inner-ring road.
Who is there to care about the helpless, hapless citizen? I dont know and I am not sure if there is going to be any change in the way this water logging crisis is handled. Doling out freebies and relief is the easiest thing the ruling politicians can do. Yesterday alone in Chennai city, Rs75 lakhs has been distributed as flood relief to the victims. I am sure atleast 70% of this money would have gone to the local thugs and politicians (oh, sorry I dont have to say two different words for the same meaning!!).
May God bless Chennai!! Enough is Enough, Varuna Bhagwan. No more rains for this year, please.
Beautiful Kathipara Flyover and the ugly water logging
Kathipara flyover, the much touted pride of Chennai has been completed couple of months back. Honestly it has reduced the traffic congestion at the Kathipara intersection from all directions. One also gets a very good feel when you drive on the flyover. It makes you feel proud that in India you find something of this sort. Of course, it had its own share of controversies and within the first few days of opening the flyover, one elderly person riding a two-wheeler went on the wrong exit and lost his life when he hit against an incoming van. That is, due to the lack of signboards and arrows in the initial days. After that, I guess Police and Highways department worked on a war-footing to install hundreds of sign-boards making things clear for the Chennai driving population. I myself was very tentative when I drove on the newly constructed flyover even after the sign-boards are set up. As you are not used to the exits and incoming traffic from various directions, I have to drive very slowly and carefully. But couple of times after my initial reluctance, I have been able to drive on the huge flyover with comfort.
But with the onset of monsoon in Chennai, the beauty of the flyover has given way to ugly face of water logging and battered approach roads. There is persistent water logging on the flyover itself in the last couple of days and I am surprised to see water logging on the flyover. The drainage system on the flyover should have been robust enough to drain down the rain water in no time when you imagine building a flyover of this proportion. But it seems that is not the case. Today morning one of colleagues told me that there is two feet water logging on the flyover!! The next issue with the flyover is the water logging on the foot of the flyover on the arterial Inner Ring Road. Four weeks back in October when we had the first spell of rains, the water started logging on the Inner Ring Road and the buildings like Olympia Tech Park and others were flooded with water of 3-5 feet at the entrance. You give the benefit of doubt to the corporation officials probably that the storm water drains were not connected properly resulting in the water logging. The trouble is when the water starts logging on the left side of the road, except for buses, no other vehicle can dare to wade through 3-5 feet of water. Cars were stuck in the water and bikes struggled to move.
But even after 4 weeks, I think Chennai Corporation has not done anything to remedy this water logging problem. The last two days of rain has resulted in water logging again near the Olympa Tech Park and on the Inner Ring Road. Pedestrians are finding it extremely difficult to cross the road or go to their office. It is high time, Chennai Corporation does work on the storm water drains before it gets out of control.
Chennai Corporation cant claim ignorance as Mayor Subramanian's office is located on this Inner Ring Road!!
But with the onset of monsoon in Chennai, the beauty of the flyover has given way to ugly face of water logging and battered approach roads. There is persistent water logging on the flyover itself in the last couple of days and I am surprised to see water logging on the flyover. The drainage system on the flyover should have been robust enough to drain down the rain water in no time when you imagine building a flyover of this proportion. But it seems that is not the case. Today morning one of colleagues told me that there is two feet water logging on the flyover!! The next issue with the flyover is the water logging on the foot of the flyover on the arterial Inner Ring Road. Four weeks back in October when we had the first spell of rains, the water started logging on the Inner Ring Road and the buildings like Olympia Tech Park and others were flooded with water of 3-5 feet at the entrance. You give the benefit of doubt to the corporation officials probably that the storm water drains were not connected properly resulting in the water logging. The trouble is when the water starts logging on the left side of the road, except for buses, no other vehicle can dare to wade through 3-5 feet of water. Cars were stuck in the water and bikes struggled to move.
But even after 4 weeks, I think Chennai Corporation has not done anything to remedy this water logging problem. The last two days of rain has resulted in water logging again near the Olympa Tech Park and on the Inner Ring Road. Pedestrians are finding it extremely difficult to cross the road or go to their office. It is high time, Chennai Corporation does work on the storm water drains before it gets out of control.
Chennai Corporation cant claim ignorance as Mayor Subramanian's office is located on this Inner Ring Road!!
Honk free driving - Is it possible?
I started practising Honk Free driving some 3 months ago after a spur of the moment decision not to harm the already fragile environment. What a noble thought? This is my small contribution to our planet!! So nobody could ask me what I have done for this planet?
After these 3 months, if I look back and ask myself the question, if I could practice it truly, I can raise my head proudly and say a loud "Yes". True, I have been religiously following it very effectively. Only thing it requires is little more patience. I think I have a lot of it.
Nowadays I am getting bugged when somebody honks from behind. This is particularly very irritating if I drive a two wheeler. Every day on the road, I tell atleast 3 people not to honk unnecessarily knowing very well that just by honking the traffic is not going to ease. Some people just keep honking continuously irrespective of the kind of traffic. I get a thought at times that I should allow them to overtake and go behind them honking continuously. Tit for tat!! I refrain from those things because of the reason that it is not going to work.
I believe honking should be used judiciously. I want to popularise this and I have few plans how to reach out to the world. As I wrote in the begining that this is a noble cause for welfare of all citizens.
1. Create a Orkut group to drive home the point of honk-free driving.
2. Create stickers proclaiming that "I am a honk free driver" and paste it on the back of the car/two wheeler.
PS:
One interesting thing happened after I wrote about honk free decision on this blog. I was contacted by a lady from Times of India Chennai edition and asked me about the person who is my inspiration. I shared with her the details of that person and she promised to contact him and get a story printed in TOI. She also promised me that she will get the TOI subscription for me sorted out. But alas, nothing happened.
After these 3 months, if I look back and ask myself the question, if I could practice it truly, I can raise my head proudly and say a loud "Yes". True, I have been religiously following it very effectively. Only thing it requires is little more patience. I think I have a lot of it.
Nowadays I am getting bugged when somebody honks from behind. This is particularly very irritating if I drive a two wheeler. Every day on the road, I tell atleast 3 people not to honk unnecessarily knowing very well that just by honking the traffic is not going to ease. Some people just keep honking continuously irrespective of the kind of traffic. I get a thought at times that I should allow them to overtake and go behind them honking continuously. Tit for tat!! I refrain from those things because of the reason that it is not going to work.
I believe honking should be used judiciously. I want to popularise this and I have few plans how to reach out to the world. As I wrote in the begining that this is a noble cause for welfare of all citizens.
1. Create a Orkut group to drive home the point of honk-free driving.
2. Create stickers proclaiming that "I am a honk free driver" and paste it on the back of the car/two wheeler.
PS:
One interesting thing happened after I wrote about honk free decision on this blog. I was contacted by a lady from Times of India Chennai edition and asked me about the person who is my inspiration. I shared with her the details of that person and she promised to contact him and get a story printed in TOI. She also promised me that she will get the TOI subscription for me sorted out. But alas, nothing happened.
What my father can't do for 25 years, these guys have done it in no time...
Yeah, I am referring to the fact I am waking up everyday at 6.00 AM. Making me do that was one of the biggest challenges for my father when I was studying. He would start his "suprabhatham" at 6 and I would wake up at 7... but alas, I am forced to get up at 6 AM due to the staggered power shut down by our Tamilnadu Electricity Board. My experience so far is that the TNEB guys are very punctual. Exactly at the stroke of 6 AM, they switch off the power and I dont have any inclination to continue my sleep.
I should also add that the power comes back exactly at 7.30 AM. These guys are a principled lot you know!!
I should also add that the power comes back exactly at 7.30 AM. These guys are a principled lot you know!!
Hair dressers are making decent money
Hair dressers are making decent amount of money in Chennai now. Today morning went to the Saloon and had a hair cut, shave and oil massage. The guy charged me Rs160/- for a 45 minutes work. I wont grudge for the amount of money he is charging but I guess it is a decent amount of money.
For the money I paid, it is a good job done by the guy. He did a good oil massage and I feel very sleepy now.
For the money I paid, it is a good job done by the guy. He did a good oil massage and I feel very sleepy now.
Indifference of Times of India customer service continues
I have enrolled for the annual subscription offer from Times of India, Chennai edition during the second week of June. Till date nobody has turned up to collect the subscription amount and start delivery. I have spoken to their office 3 times on (June 11, 24 and July 11)since I have registered for subscription and every time, I have been given the answer that Marketing Executive would come and collect the money.
I can understand that if it gets delayed by couple of days but 1 month is not acceptable.
I can understand that if it gets delayed by couple of days but 1 month is not acceptable.
Honk-free driving
Two days ago while driving my car, I suddenly thought about an idea of driving the car or two-wheeler without honking on the Chennai roads. I was not sure whether it would be possible at all but I decided to give it a try. So from Wednesday I have been driving the car without honking on the Chennai roads.
Actually, I have heard from somebody few months ago that a Doctor in Chennai drives the car without honking whatever may be the traffic condition and how irritable you are made by the fellow drivers. He has successfully practising it for more than 20 years now.
What has been my experience so far?
So far, it is very positive. For the first few kilometres I was very conscious of the fact that I should not honk. Now it is slowly getting into my sub-conscious mind. I have driven close to 50 kilometres on the Chennai roads, all in peak hour traffic and I have honked only for 3 times. I have been counting the number of times I have honked, literally. All the 3 times I have honked, I have lost my self-control of not honking for a split second. I guess it is a good start. I have even implemented it while driving my two-wheeler and it is absolutely successful.
My small contribution to the cause of reduction of noise pollution.
Actually, I have heard from somebody few months ago that a Doctor in Chennai drives the car without honking whatever may be the traffic condition and how irritable you are made by the fellow drivers. He has successfully practising it for more than 20 years now.
What has been my experience so far?
So far, it is very positive. For the first few kilometres I was very conscious of the fact that I should not honk. Now it is slowly getting into my sub-conscious mind. I have driven close to 50 kilometres on the Chennai roads, all in peak hour traffic and I have honked only for 3 times. I have been counting the number of times I have honked, literally. All the 3 times I have honked, I have lost my self-control of not honking for a split second. I guess it is a good start. I have even implemented it while driving my two-wheeler and it is absolutely successful.
My small contribution to the cause of reduction of noise pollution.
Acute fuel shortage and the panic situation in Chennai!
Over the last 4 days, Chennai is experiencing acute shortage of petrol and diesel resulting in total panic and chaos near the fuel stations. The Petrol Pump Owners Association claims that the Oil Marketing companies have reduced the supply by 50% over the last 4 days. The first two days of reduced supply didnt have much impact as it fell on a weekend and come Monday, there was utter chaos. With there is real shortage of diesel, the people started becoming worried about the availability of petrol and started filling the tanks.People waited for more than 45 minutes to 1 hour to get their tanks filled up against the normal time of 2-3 minutes. As it is the case with any scarcity, black marketing was at full speed, with diesel being sold at as high as Rs80/- per litre. I was told that Shell petrol pumps have yesterday sold diesel in their petrol pumps at Rs66/- per litre officially, which is a good Rs27/- more than the official Government price. The problem is getting accentuated because of the Transport Lorry Owners Association strike call which starts on Tuesday. With the lorry strike also on the horizon, the threat of real scarcity is looming large.
The senior State Government officials have had a discussion with the Oil Marketing Companies staff yesterday and have asked them to increase the supply. It is reported that there is a delay in arrival of a tanker ship at Chennai port which is causing the delay. In my company, the pick-up and drop facility which is usually provided for people who come to office before 7.00 AM and leave after 8.30 PM has been already suspended for the day. Many BPO's and IT companies have been working overnight trying to rejig the transport route map so that the employees are least affected. But most of the companies have declared that the staff have to make their own arrangements to come to office today and till further notice.
When I step out of my office and have a look at the road, I see a very minimal traffic inspite of today being a working day. The number of vehicles on the road has gone down drastically. Where all this going to end is a big question mark?
Is fuel retailing not a lucrative business?
The answer seems so, particularly after seeing atleast two petrol pumps in the heart of the city closing down and converting or planning to utilise the real estate for other commerical purposes.
The petrol pump opposite to the Dass Community Centre on the Cathedral Road has been closed down. The other one is at Alwar Thirunagar just diagonally opposite to the Mega Mart showroom. Both are located at prime locations on a main road in the city (don't kick me when I say Alwar thirunagar is a prime location..guys wake up Chennai is not Mylapore, T Nagar and Nungambakkam alone!!!).
My knowledge on the petrol retailing business is very limited. I have done some accounting and tax related work during my CA articleship training. I know that for every kilo litre of petrol, diesel sold, the Oil Marketing Companies (BPCL, HPCL etc) gives these petrol pumps commission. In addition to that, they also enjoy credit with this companies atleast for a weeks's time. Remember, petrol/diesel is cash business (atleast 95% of the sales) and they enjoy the float. In addition to that there is wide-spread adulteration of petrol and diesel (common form of adulteration is to mix Kerosene, I was told) and under-selling on quantity. Also whenever you have a price hike, you hoard the entire quantity of stock overnight and sell it the next day morning to make a good tidy sum. But that is not a major portion since Indian fuel prices are changed very rarely. But in spite of all these money making avenues, many of the petrol pumps are being closed.
The other possible reason I can think of is that the land on which these petrol pumps operate or leased/rented lands and the owner refuses to renew the lease once it expires. The owners may think that by selling the land or by doing joint development they may be able to make more money than just renting it out to a petrol pump.
Do you know of any other reasons? Please post your comments.
The petrol pump opposite to the Dass Community Centre on the Cathedral Road has been closed down. The other one is at Alwar Thirunagar just diagonally opposite to the Mega Mart showroom. Both are located at prime locations on a main road in the city (don't kick me when I say Alwar thirunagar is a prime location..guys wake up Chennai is not Mylapore, T Nagar and Nungambakkam alone!!!).
My knowledge on the petrol retailing business is very limited. I have done some accounting and tax related work during my CA articleship training. I know that for every kilo litre of petrol, diesel sold, the Oil Marketing Companies (BPCL, HPCL etc) gives these petrol pumps commission. In addition to that, they also enjoy credit with this companies atleast for a weeks's time. Remember, petrol/diesel is cash business (atleast 95% of the sales) and they enjoy the float. In addition to that there is wide-spread adulteration of petrol and diesel (common form of adulteration is to mix Kerosene, I was told) and under-selling on quantity. Also whenever you have a price hike, you hoard the entire quantity of stock overnight and sell it the next day morning to make a good tidy sum. But that is not a major portion since Indian fuel prices are changed very rarely. But in spite of all these money making avenues, many of the petrol pumps are being closed.
The other possible reason I can think of is that the land on which these petrol pumps operate or leased/rented lands and the owner refuses to renew the lease once it expires. The owners may think that by selling the land or by doing joint development they may be able to make more money than just renting it out to a petrol pump.
Do you know of any other reasons? Please post your comments.
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