VOL: 1 ISSUE 28 PRICE Re. ONE ONLYDec.14,2008

Putting Heart and Soul of your Neighbourhood

Alpha Times

AT TEAM

Repeated requests from the area to the erstwhile members of the state assembly yielded no results and when Kalairajan met these people he was horrified that the area is without metro water connection in the heart of the city. He immediately moved the necessary papers and allotted funds of Rs.16 lakhs to the civic body

a n d t h e dream came true.

Civic body officials were mum when contacted since they had no specific answers. Even after Kalairajan elected as MLA the civic officials has been turning a deaf ear to MLA’s request according to sources close to MLA. Determined to help people in his constituency Kalairajan

Parthasarathypuram residents get water connection after five decades

T Nagar MLA quenchesfive decade old thirst

If Tamil Nadu has a long history of disputes over sharing of water with its neighboring states, the plight of its residents are no better when it comes to getting their legitimate share of drinking water from the civic bodies.

Over 500 houses in Parthasarathypuram area in T .Nagar which had to wage a protracted battle with the civic

body for close to nearly five decades for getting drinking water connections, finally managed to get justice, thanks to the request made to the T Nagar MLA V P Kalairajan and the subsequent intervention of his office and extending a helping hand with funds allotted from his MLA area development fund.

swung into action and made the water connection a reality.The residents heaved a sigh of relief when the

water connection which was inaugurated by a seventy year old lady of the area along with the MLA.

It is ironical that no officials from the civic body was present at the inauguration.

Talking to Alpha Times T Nagar MLA Kalairajan said The present government has a lways been viewing the opposition with an eye of hatred and they are not looking at the positive f e a t u r e s o f t h e performance. Over and above this red tapism in the utilities are major hurdles. W i t h o u t t h e G o v e r n m e n t c o -operation and without having a proper office in the area we are able to do well and if proper fac i l i t ies and co-operation extended we c a n m a k e t h i s constituency a model

one he added.Parthasarathypuram residents praised the MLA

Kalairajan whole heartedly.A large number of AIADMK party functionaries,

including T.Nagar B. Sathya, A.A.Arjunan participated in the function.

***

Be on your alert while dealing with Leos and Scorpions. Lady luck will smile on you, if you join taureans or librans.

Opportunities are slipping from you as a ‘devil-may-care’ attitude on your part is spoiling the show. There can be some truth involved if others criticise you.

Dec.14,2008

A combustive Mars urges you to spend recklessly. Assurances of support you have been receiving will evaporate. Beware of tricksters.

For the week upto Dec.20,2008

With a dominant Venus gaining momentum, your life should be like a bed of roses and romance will bloom. You are very close to the jackpot.

If you are planning to undertake some new responsibility, you are heading towards a big adventure. Your money and health may be at risk.

A lustrous moon brings happy tidings this week. A lost game could be revived with success. It can add more shine to your reputation.

The sun, overwhelmed by gandamool afflictions, is playing a negative role. An unfamiliar task could pose a serious problem. Avoid doing anything important especially on Sunday.

Your grasp of facts could run counter to your estimate. An awaited opportunity could also elude you.

Your economy is showing marked improvement despite rising costs. Time to recover your old losses.

Tuesday-born scorpions will be playing their cards with skill. However, Saturday-born scorpions are warned to change their hackneyed habits.

Since you are at emotional crossroads, choose the right direction. Shake off streak of pessimism at the earliest.

Jupiter shuffling between two signs will show mixed results. Vital issues may remain pending. Don’t let others pressurise you to do things their way.

VOL : 1 ISSUE 28 Dec.14,2008

[ July 23 to Aug 22 ]

Y winning three states out of the five that went to the polls, the Congress has proved that it is no Bpushover. It is a hat-trick for the party in Delhi

where Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is likely to form a government for the third consecutive term. While it swept the polls in Mizoram, it has emerged the single largest party in Rajasthan. The BJP can take consolation from the fact that it could win handsomely in Madhya Pradesh and scrape through in Chhattisgarh. Even so, it has to reconcile itself to the fact that the Congress has improved its vote share and seats in these states. The calculation that the high voter turnout in all states other than Chhattisgarh would go in favour of the BJP in view of the Mumbai attack has been proved wrong

The voters in Delhi would surely have been influenced by the Metro, dozens of flyovers and the Bhagidari schemes launched during the two terms of the Congress. The BJP’s sinister attempt to cash in on the Mumbai mayhem would certainly have alienated a large section of the voters from the party. In Mizoram, the voters have by voting massively for the Congress voted against corruption. In Rajasthan, the voters found in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje a person who could not keep her word given to such communities as the Gujjars. Nor did she keep her promise to give better governance. The ruling party’s campaign against terrorism did not pay any dividend as its own government failed to prevent such attacks in Jaipur and Ajmer. In short, the campaign against terror did not carry conviction with the voters.

In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP can be proud of retaining the state. But it cannot overlook the surge the Congress has made in terms of vote percentage which will count in the next general elections. Ms Uma Bharati has been proved to be what she has always been — an empty vessel that makes a lot of noise. In neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the BJP has retained power against heavy odds. The defeat of Mahendra Karma, the kingpin of Salwa Judum, is a warning that the people have not approved of the strategy to deal with Naxalites. The emergence of the Bahujan Samaj Party in all the North Indian states is something that will cause concern to the BJP and the Congress. Although not much time is left for the Lok Sabha to complete its term, the favourable results may persuade the Congress to advance the parliamentary elections to take advantage of the containing of inflation and the economic stimulus unleashed during the last few days.

Terror is not politically encashable

The Tirunakshatram of HH 45th Azhagiyasingar - Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka Sr ivan Satakopa Sr i Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikan of Sri Ahobila Math, - presided over b y M a n n a r g u d i Rajagopalachariar Swami – Asthana Vidwan of Sri Ahobila Math, was celebrated at Sri Ahobila Math Oriental Higher Secondary School, West

Mambalam, on Dec. 06.The Swami in his upanyasam stressed that

knowledge can be acquired only with the help of an Acharya. Hailing the virtues of Srimad Azhagiyasingar, he said that the Acharya removes ignorance from the mind and is the divine source, who through his Anugraha, delivers us from sorrows and guides us to Moksha. Students should love, respect and worship their teachers, and exhibit gratitude and devotion towards them. Guru's anger results in perfection, in students. This has been experienced by the speaker personally, as he had been under the nurture of his Guru Srimad Azhagiyasingar.Ealier V. Srinivasan, Commerce Department rendered the welcome address and Dr. Smt. T.N.Jaya, Sanskrit Pandit, delivered the Vote of thanks.

Acharya Thirunatchatram celebrated

The Harikatha Upanyasam on Thyagaraja's "Sri Prahlada Bakthi Vijayam" organised by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, at Sri Ahobila Math Oriental Higher Secondary School, West Mambalam, on Dec. 08, was presented by "Isaikalaimani" P.T. Seshadri, disciple of Smt Radha Viswanathan, daughter of Smt M.S. Subbulakshmi, with the accompaniments of the Violin and the Mridangam by Kum T.V. Suganya, disciple of Violin Maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman and Ashwin, disciple of Poongulam Sri Subramanian, respectively.

P.T. Seshadri explained the significance of bakthi and described the glorious bakthi of Prahlada, advising the students to place such implicit faith in the Lord. The raindrop deposited in the oyster develops into a rich pearl. Just as one dives deep into the ocean, holding one's breath, in order to retrieve the pearl, one can seek the grace of the Lord, only by submerging deep into the ocean of bakthi with total concentration. These aspects of bakthi were stressed through various keertanas of Thyagaraja in the ragas Sourashtram, Kalyani, Reethigowla, Agiri, Varali, Sahana, Asaveri, Panduvarali and Madyamavati.

More than 1,000 students enjoyed this delightful musical discourse, listening with rapt attention, enthralled by the melodious music. The Vote of thanks was rendered by Smt Dr T.N. Jaya, Sanskrit Teacher of the School. Dr N.V. Vasudevachariar, Correspondent of the School, hailed the performance of P.T. Seshadri.

Prahladha Bakthi Vijayam

The sixth edition of Iyappa Vilakku Pooja would be held at the Sri Ram samaj's Ayodhya Mandapam West Mambalam, on Sunday Dec. 14 under the aegis of Sri Sabarigiri Sasatha Seva Sangam Chennai 600 033. from 6.00 am onwards. In the evening 6.30 pm a Bhajan programme by Bakthimamni Sasthadasan would be held.

Iyappa vilakku Pooja

Sri Ram Samaj, a socio cultural orgnization, is celebrating the Centenary of Narayana Dikshithar, on Monday, Dec. 15 at 6.30 PM.

A p o r t r a i t o f Narayana Dikshithar will be unveiled and a Souvenir released, containing the biography of Dikshithar on that day.

N a r a y a n a D i k s h i t h a r, b r o t h e r o f Sengalipuram Ananatharama D i k s h i t h a r , h a d g i v e n programmes in Sri Ram Samaj in the initial stages and in c o m m e m o r a t i n g t h e extraordinary contribution of Dikshi thar in render ing Upanyasam, Sri Ram Samaj is organizing this function. The event will be followed by Nama Sangeerthanam by V i t t a l d a s J a y a k r i s h n a Dikshithar says a release from the samaj.

Centenary of Narayana Dikshithar

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The Stenographers' Guild, T. Nagar, has proposed to conduct a one-day Workshop on NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programe) and TA (Transactional Analysis) on Sunday, the Dec. 14 in its premises from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm with a lunch break of one hour.

The workshop will cover Visual, Auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, memory techniques, self-confidence, self-appreciation, circle of expression, fear, new behavior therapy, reframing, stroke analysis, structure, transactional analysis. The registration fee for this workshop is Rs.200/- The admission will be on first-come-first-served basis subject to a maximum of 50 persons.

The workshop is open to those who are working as managers/executives in various offices and who want to handle the latest techniques in managing the affairs of companies.

For more details, the Office of the Guild may be contacted at No.1, Guild Street, behind Siva Vishnu Temple, T. Nagar, Chennai - 600 017. Ph: 24342421, 24337387. 996216312 Fax: 42867859- E.Mail: stenold@vsnl.com.

Oneday workshop Neuro Linguistic Programe and Transactional Analysis

Music World, music and home video retail chain, announces the commencement of their annual Music Sale from December 12 to January 4, 2009 (both days inclusive).

This is the eighth edition of the sale and will be held at Chettiar Hall, T.T.K. Road, Alwarpet from 10.00AM to 9.00 PM . Spread over 5000 sq ft, it's the biggest music and movies' sale in Chennai featuring over 40,000 titles across nearly 100 labels – covering all genres including film, regional, hindi, international classical and devotional. Besides, Music World will have attractive offers of upto 50% off on all music and movies and special offers on IPods, playstations and accessories which form an integral part of the sale says a press release.

Music World annual sale

Jaipur Foot, an NGO, will or ganise a service camp for fitting artificial limbs to the disabled people in Chennai from Dec 15 to 19. No fee is involved.

Those from outside Chennai can come in before 2 pm at the venue for taking measurements and get the work done by evening.

The venue is Shantiniketan, Hasthinapur Nagari (Maloo Jain Bhawan), 30, Venkatachalam Mudali St, Choolai (near Choolai post office). The camp is open from 9 am to 7 pm

Artificial limbs

Southern Railway will conduct a pension adalat from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on December 15 at the Southern Railway Headquarters Office, Park Town, here to redress grievances of those who retired from the headquarters office, the Chennai Divisional Office and other offices/workshops in Chennai area.

Those who wish to participate in the adalat can approach the reception/registration booth at the entrance of the Chennai Divisional Office of Southern Railway on December 15, a release said.

Railway pension adalat

A three-day meet "Diabetes 2008" is being organised by Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre here from December 19 to spread awareness about the disease among the public.

State Health Minister M R K Paneerselvam would inaugurate the event being organised by the Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre.

"The theme of this event was 'Diabetes in Children and Adolescents', with an objecctive to create public awareness about diabetes and its complications and to educate and empower people so that they can manage the disease better", Dr V Mohan, Chairman and Chief Diabetologist of Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre, told reporters.

"The event being held in Chennai after 5 years, wherein we will have over 25 theme stalls to educate the public on diabetes and associated complications. The stalls will display posters, charts and photographs depiciting various aspects in diabetes", he added.

He said that blood glucose testing meters and strips, pen injectors, insulin pumps, special diabetic foot-wear, fitness equipment and diabetic foods would be available at special discounted rates

Expo on diabetes after 5 years

A Poetry Reading session titled ‘Secret Life of Poems’ will be held at the British Council by Tom Paulin on Friday, Dec. 19 at 6.30 pm

Rich, intense, hard, profound and paradoxical, Tom Paulin's poetry is a fascinating blend of contemporary and classical elements. Relentlessly searching for answers, Paulin's work encompasses a wide range of themes relating poetry with the complex and disturbing realities of history, politics, religion and society.

Tom Paulin, born in Leeds, 1949, grew up in Belfast and was educated in the universities of Hull and Oxford. He has published seven collections of poetry and two major anthologies, two versions of Greek drama and several critical works including ' The Day-Star of Liberty: William Hazlitt's Radical Style'. Well known for his appearances on the BBC's 'Late Review ' and ‘Newsnight Review’ programmes, he is also the G.M .Young lecturer in English Literature at Oxford.

Tom Paulin’s programme in Chennai is part of our India ‘09: Through Fresh Eyes initiative. India is the Market Focus at The London Book Fair in 2009 and British Council is putting together an exciting literature programme for the world’s premier publishing trade and rights event. Forty Indian writers will travel to London in April 2009 as part of India 09: Through Fresh Eyes, and be part of seminars at The London Book Fair and other venues in the UK. As part of that cultural exchange, British Council India will present a number of writers from the UK at various venues up to April 2009 and beyond.

Also a work shop on poetry would be conducted by Tom Paulin on Thursday Dec. 18, 10.00 am to 1.00 pm> Submit the poem that you have written and discuss the same with him to reshape it.

For more detailsWalk in to the British Council, 737, Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002 or Call on 42050600 orEmailchennai.enquiry@in.britishcouncil.org

An evening of poetry reading

Eight new deluxe buses in new routes were introduced to connect Kanchipuram with Chennai from Thursday. The new buses were operated from Tambaram, Poonamallee and T Nagar.

Route No 576 plying from Kanchipuram to T Nagar would have two more air-conditioned buses.Labour Welfare Minister, T.M.Anbarasan flagged off the new AC bus service between Kancheepuram and T.Nagar at Kancheepuram bus stand on Thursday. The Collector, Santosh K.Misra, Kancheepuram MLA, Sakthi Kamalammal, Uthiramerur MLA, K.Sundar were among those who were present on the occasion.

The AC bus service to Kancheepuram will leave T.Nagar at 5.30 a.m; 7.30 a.m; 10.30 a.m; 12.30 p.m; 3.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. In the return direction, the service will leave Kancheepuram at 8 a.m; 10 a.m; 1 p.m; 3 p.m; 6 p.m. and 8 p.m, according to the Managing Director, MTC, M.Ramasubramanian.

While the AC bus service, which will be operated via the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway, will have stoppages at Sunguvarchatram, Sriperumpudur, Irrungattukottai, Poonamallee, Porur, Guindy and Saidapet, the fare in this bus is Rs 75 per person.

Apart from this, four buses in the Poonamallee-Kanchipuram route and four in Tambaram-Kanchipuram route were operated. All these are deluxe buses.

A new bus in the existing M-18-C from Nanganallur to T Nagar had also been introduced.

New bus routes launched

The National Institute of Fashion Technology has set in motion the process of admission for the next academic year to its four year degree and two-year post graduate programmes in various fields, including fashion design, textile design, knitwear design and master of fashion management.

The admission will be made through an all India entrance examination to be held in 29 centres across the country in February 2009. The applications for the courses can be obtained from NIFT, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Taramani. For details, calla 22542755. The last date for submitting filled in applications is January 7.

NIFT admissions

Chennai Metrowater will conduct open house meeting at its area office in TNagar and Kodambakkam Area VIII located at No.9, Muthukrishnan st., T.Nagar, on Saturday Dec. 13 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Consumers may present their complaints regarding water supply and sewage removal at the meetings to the officials concerned. They can also get their doubts clarified about water and sewerage taxes and water charges.The Superintending Engineers will inspect the meetings at the area office under their control, said an official release

Metrowater open house meeting

Dec.14,2008

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The Chennai City Police has requested the holders of Arms licences which are valid upto this year to apply for renewal before December 31.

According to an official press release, they licensees can apply for renewal by downloading forms from the website www.chennaicitypolice.org.

The forms can also be obtained from the office of the Commissioner of Police and the filled in applications should be sent to Commissioner of Police for renewal of their Arms licenses for three years.

The licensees are also requested to affix a Court fee stamp to the value of Rs 2 in the renewal application and enclose the original license book for making renewal endorsement.

The prescribed fees for each type of weapon and the applications should be remitted at the City Police office, Egmore between 10 am and 1 pm on all working days either by licensee or by any authorised person.

The weapons should be produced before the respective jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) for inspection and their remarks recorded in the license book before sending for renewal.

The licensees have also been asked to produce the xerox copy of residential proof, if there is any change of address.

Completed application forms should be handed over at the office of the Commissioner of Police, Chennai Police which will be processed and the original arms license will be returned to the licensee for renewal, the release said.

The holders of arms licenses in respect of the three districts - Ambathur, Madhavaram and St Thomas Mount should apply to the Commissioner of Police, Suburban, St Thomas Mount for renewal.

The release also said that under Arms Act 1959 section 25, weapons in licenses that are not renewed should be deposited at the nearest police station or authorised arms dealer for safe custody and the licensees should not keep them under any circumstances as the same is punishable.

After the expiry of the last date, the licensee should submit the application with penal fees and receipt from the police station or authorised arms dealer for having deposited the weapon.

City police notifies renewal of Arms licences

Local Administration Minister M K Stalin Tuesday said. that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi will inaugurate the flyover being constructed at Gopathy Narayana R o a d a n d Tirumalai Road intersection on December 29.

Review i n g t h e cons t ruc t i on works of the flyover works, he said that the f l y o v e r constructed at a cost of Rs 1 6 . 5 c r o r e w o u l d e a s e t r a f f i c congestion in T Nagar to a considerable extent.

‘It is wide enough to allow two-way traffic,’ Stalin said.The construction works of the flyover began in September 2007, he said adding that to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the city more number of flyovers and subways will be built.

The ongoing projects including Alandur Road Bridge, Jones Road Subway, the subway near Stanley Hospital will be completed by May 2009 and the bridge at Perambur will be ready by December 2009, the Minister said.

He also informed that similar projects for constructing flyovers were

being undertaken at Villivakkam and Korukkupet.

Speaking about the flooding of the roads in d u r i n g t h e recent rains, Stalin said that much of the flooding was caused due to t he runo f f s f rom Porur, Virugambakkam , Chembaramba k k a m a n d Puzhal lakes.‘The Sta te

gove rnmen t has forwarded a proposal for the JNRM project estimated at Rs 1538 crore to the Central government, which would cover the construction of more storm water drains in the city, desilting and upgradation of Chennai’s waterways, raising the embankments of Adyar, Cooum rivers etc.

If sanctioned it will take care of monsoon-related problems,’ the Minister said. Chennai Corporation Mayor M Subramanian, Corporation Commissioner, Rajesh Lakhoni, Zone -8 Chairman Elumalai, Former T Nagar MLA J Anbazhagan, Councillor of Division 127 J Karunanidhi and several corporation officials accompanied Stalin during his visit

G.N. Chetty Road Flyover to open on Dec. 29

“Sivaraman, the mridangam maestro launches ‘Mridanga Cintamanih,”

As his fingers trace the intricate patterns on the mridangam, the audience watch and listen in disbelief, wondering at how despite the speed, each syllable is t r a c e d w i t h crystal clarity.

Umaya l p u r a m K . Sivaraman “is a legend serving the cause of the art for over six decades,” said N . M u r a l i , M a n a g i n g Director, The Hindu. He is not just the Maradona of Carnatic music, but a combination of Maradona and Pele, he said, explaining that though Mr. Sivaraman is a genius like the maverick footballer, he is also disciplined and structured like Pele.

He was speaking at the launch of ‘Mridanga Cintamanih,’ a set of seven DVDs featuring Mr. Sivaraman and his art, presented by Swathi Soft Solutions here on Monday.

Mr. Sivaraman has evolved an original ‘bani,’ a style, which is a fine blend of rhythmic patterns, creativity and melody, Mr. Murali said.Commending the effort at creating the instructional DVDs, Mr. Murali said that as the Gurukula practice does not exist any longer, technology helps in

preserving our glorious treasure.T h e D V D s e t c o n t a i n s

instructions divided into four levels. The first level is a beginner’s guide a n d p r o v i d e s information about p o s t u r e a n d f i n g e r i n g techniques. The second level gives a d v a n c e d exerc ises and i n c l u d e s a d e t a i l e d explanat ion of

‘gathi bhedam.’ The third includes ‘ thani

avartanams’ in different talas and the fourth deals with how to embellish a concert through the mridangam. The set contains a short film, ‘Laya Naadha Pravaaham,’ on Mr. Sivaraman.

Kerala Minister for Education and Culture M.A. Baby said that when great mridangam players are enumerated in the field of Carnatic musicians, the first name would be Palghat Mani Iyer’s and the second would be Mr. Sivaraman’s.

Carnatic vocalist Madurai G.S. Mani and Bharatanatyam exponent Padma Subrahmanyam were present.

The Public Sector Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) s i g n e d a d i s t r i b u t i o n agreement with Japan's Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Limited (USGICL) for distribution of its insurance products.

The agreement was signed by IOB CMD S A Bhat and Universal Sompo Executive Chairman O N Singh.

USGICL was a j o i n t - v e n t u r e n o n - l i f e insurance company of IOB, which has a 19 per cent equity investment in it, Allahabad Bank, Karnataka bank, Dabur Investments and Sompo Japan Insurance company.

U n d e r t h e agreement IOB would sell nearly 40 of the insurance products of the USGICL to its customers.

Speaking on the occason, Mr Singh said the Bancassurance tie-up with Allahabad Bank was a tremendous success and there was huge clientele for retail general insurance products like health, motor and package policies which were the mainstay products for the future general insurance business.

Mr Bhat said the association with USGICL would provide the IOB customers best-in-class p roduc ts and gene ra l insurance services in the years to come, besides augmenting the revenue of the bank.

IOB signs distribution

agreement withUSGICL

WE did not speak at all, in the beginning, as we travelled to our first kutcheri together, sometime in the 1960s – our violinist even complained that we were too silent – but by the time we began our performance at the ICF, and the first song was over, Sankaran and I had spoken much to each other – through our music and hearts …” Not many of the audience

could fail to be moved by such words, as Madurai T N Seshagopalan, musician, teacher, composer and Harikatha exponent par excellence paid his own tribute to professor Trichy Sankaran, who had just felicitated the musician a few moments ago. The occasion was Mudhra Fine Arts’ inauguration of its 14th Fine Arts festival at the Infosys Hall – an event well attended by celebrities from both the music and theatre worlds – and the presentation of the Mudhra Award of Excellence to T N Seshagopalan.

Endowed with a rich voice and trained mind, T N Seshagopalan’s mastery and style have proven, for many years his undeniable supremacy in the field of carnatic music. His singing technique, with a knack of transferring and communicating intricate musical expressions with ease and aesthetic charm has won him many accolades through the years; professor S Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor, University of Madras conferred on him the Mudhra Award for Excellence, while Nalli Kuppusami Chettiar, President of the Sabha presided over the event, in company of A Natarajan, former Director, Doordarshan and also the Vice President of Mudhra.

The kuthuvilakku having been lit, followed by Mudhra Bhaskar’s welcome address, Professor Ramachandran addressed the gathering, praising not only the evening’s awardee, but the patrons as well, comparing them to the kings of yore, who patronised artistes. Both Nalli Kuppusami Chettiar and A Natarajan shared brief anecdotes of their own musical journeys, while also extolling T N Seshagopalan’s performances. But perhaps the cream of speeches was delivered by mridangam maestro, Professor Trichy Sankaran and the awardee’s speeches themselves, which were full of warmth and shared reminiscences about past concerts and a long musical journey.

Having arrived for the December season from Canada, Sankaran was voluble in his praise for T N Seshagopalan. “TNS is an expert in all aspects of music,” he said. “He is a musical genius, endowed with a gentle voice – multi-faceted, multitalented artiste. This award is but another feather in his crown.” T N Seshagopalan, who rose to make his acceptance speech, thanked his patrons, and put forth his wish that more sponsors took a hand in promoting sabhas and their musical events. Speaking about Sankaran, he said, “There are some artistes who understand the talent of others – but fail to appreciate them, because of an unwillingness of heart or voice. But Sankaran is one of those large-hearted musicians who seek and appreciate others fully.” Thus ended a convivial evening with a touch of poignancy.

Multifaceted T.N. Seshagopalan honoured

. - Pavithra Srinivasan

T h r e e eminent personalities in their own fields were conferred titles at the inaugural function of N u n g a m b a k k a m Cu l t u ra l Academy T r u s t ’ s 3 9 t h Anniversary and Fine Arts Festival held at R a m a R a o K a l a Mantap, T Nagar. C a r n a t i c s i n g e r Nithyasree Mahadevan was conferred Sangeetha Kala Siromani title and danseuse Rajeswari Sainath and artiste T V Varadarajan were conferred Nrithya Kala Siromani and Nataka Kala Siromani respectively After conferring . titles on the eminent personalities, Union Minister of State for Statistics G K Vasan said that these awardees have carved a niche for themselves in their respective fields and brought laurels to the country .

A l l t h o s e p r e s e n t o n t h e occasion of the inaugural function, lauded the services of Nungambakkam Cultural Academy and its president Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti. Felicitating the awardees, noted B h a r a t n a t y a m exponent Sudharani Raghupathy said, “I

was so proud when I got this award 15 years back and then I was not able to sit back after getting the award. I was proud but also feared as I have to perform well.” In her acceptance speech, Rajeshwari said, “The award gives me confidence to perform well.” Nithyasree and Varadarajan said that they would give their best to their respective fields. The music festival is on till the end of Margazhi at Rama Rao Kala Mantap.

NCAT honours eminent musicians

Dec.14,2008

SRM Nightingale celebrated the Thiruvillaku Pooja on Dec. 10. The significance of lighting the lamps in Schools is to kindle the knowledge of the students. The chief guest for the function was Mrs. Rukmani Ramani, principal and director of Sivan Arts Academy, and the daughter of Tamil Thyagarajar

Papnasam Sivan.The girls and boys of High School and Hr. Sec. took part in the Pooja celebration.

Rukaman i Raman i app rec i a ted t he management and staff for encouraging the children to follow our tradition and culture. She emphasized that the lamp lit should bring peace and harmony for all. The students followed the rituals performed by the purohit. The lamps lit on all the floors looked luminous and was a feast to the eyes of the onlookers. At the end of the pooja Thambulam and Prasadham were distributed to all the parents, staff and students present.

SRM Nightingale school conducts Vilakku poojaTHE STENOGRAPHERS’ GUILD

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IF you want to know the kind of problems that consumers face vis-`E0-vis banks, all you need to do is to look at the cases filed by them before courts. There have been, for example, cases of fraudulent or illegal withdrawal of money from bank accounts; cases of valuables disappearing from lockers; and in one particular case termites destroying cash and valuable papers kept in the locker of a client. There have also been cases of ATMs not releasing the cash, but passbooks showing withdrawal of money from the ATMs.

Another area where banks have come under attack pertains to the safety (or lack of it) of valuable papers—original sale deeds of property—and also gold pledged with them. There have also been cases of cheques deposited in ‘drop boxes’ getting lost; of banks making mistakes in the statement of accounts and then penalising the customer for it.

Banks have also been held guilty of ‘forgetting’ to pay premium on motor vehicle insurance policies despite having taken the money towards it. Banks have also come under fire for failing to provide adequate safety to depositors at bank premises.

Another area of concern is credit. Courts have taken banks to task for the inordinate delay in releasing sanctioned loans, and more recently, for withholding credit sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana to unemployed youth without justification. In recent months, I have also written about cases where banks had dishonoured cheques of depositors on grounds of ‘insufficient’ funds in the account despite facts to the contrary.

In all these cases, banks are unwilling to accept responsibility for the deficient service rendered by them and make amends. As a consequence, consumers are forced to seek the intervention of courts which, in most cases, do not disappoint them.

Now here is another case where the cash deposited by a customer was not credited to her account at all, and the bank refused to correct the mistake even after several letters on the issue. The consumer in this case, Pooja Joshi, had three accounts with Vijaya Bank in Bandra west, Mumbai. One was a savings account, the other two were current accounts.

In June, 1997, she went to the bank to deposit Rs 5 lakh in cash. Apparently, the cashier was not at the counter. So Joshi handed over the cash to the chief manager and got on the counterfoil of the pay-in slip, his signature and also the seal of the bank. She obviously had no reason to suspect any foul play, and so did not even check her account to see whether the money had been credited to her account. However, in August, while checking her account for the purpose of income tax, her chartered accountant noticed that the money had not been credited to her account. Immediately, Joshi brought this to the notice of the bank and asked it to credit the amount. When the bank refused to comply, she filed a complaint before the state consumer disputes redressal commission, which asked the bank to credit the amount to her account, along with 7.5 per cent interest, and also pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation. Challenging this order before the apex court, the bank argued that the counterfoil referred to by the client pertained to some other transaction and not the cash transaction that she was referring to. Dismissing the contention of the bank, the court pointed out that the bank had not submitted the affidavit of the then chief manager, who had signed the counterfoil, but had submitted that of an assistant manager of the bank, who had no knowledge of the case.

The bank had not even provided the affidavit of the cashier, even though it argued that the cashier was present that particular day. In other words, the bank had failed to prove that it had not received the cash of Rs 5 lakh, while the customer had shown that she had indeed deposited the money and taken the signature of the chief manager.

The bank also argued that the case, filed in 2000, was time-barred as the Consumer Protection Act puts a time limit of two years for filing a complaint. Dismissing such a contention, the court pointed out that the complaint was well within the time limit as the calculation of time began from the time the bank repudiated her complaint.

Thus, upholding the order of the lower court, the new president of the national consumer disputes redressal commission, Justice Ashok Bhan, in his order directed the bank to pay in addition, Rs 20,000 as costs to the consumer. (Vijaya Bank v. Pooja G.Joshi, FA no 801 of 2003).

Hard to bank on

- Pushpa G

Consumer Rights:

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CINEMA

A s K a m a l i s preparing to do a commercial movie before his classic - M e g a b u d g e t Marmayogi, he was negotiating with two girls of his Marma t e a m a n d n o w officially settled with Shriya.F o r T r i s h a ,

K a m a l ' s announcement will be seen as a major se tback in he r career, as she is not offered a chance to do in a commercial m o v i e w h i l e a

female who is going to be part of Marma team is getting another chance to act with Kamal.

For Shriya, she has shown her curves by pairing with Rajini, Vijay and Vikram and now its time for her with Kamal.

Its said that Kamal initially prefered for Maami Trisha, but as his movie is going to too commercial, some curve show was required and as Trisha was not ready to open it in half way and hence Kamal prefered Shriya.

Kamal prefers Shriya over Trisha

Tamanna, who owns differently shaped mouth, says that kissing for cinema is a sin!

P u n j a b i g i r l serving Kollywood here by declares that there is no necessi ty for k iss ing someone in the name of cinema as no one in Tamil Nadu kiss any one in public and people too dislike watching such nonsense in silver screen.

T h i s i s t h e message she gave when she was asked to comment, whether she will be interested to kiss his cine pair for the screen like that of Nayan doing on screen.

Please be informed that Tamanna is ready for bikinis and other such invisible costumes

No kissing

Astrologers predict that this Guru Peyarchchi is not going to bring any prosperity for Vijayakanth but for sure to give him lots of trouble.

A s Astrologers warned him not to take up any fresh jobs both in cinema and politics, he dropped his plan to produce and act in the movie Viruthakiri.

While he is ready to sac r i f i ce anything in case of cinema, he was not interested to loose anything in the case of po l i t i cs , as he i s dreaming to become CM of Tamil Nadu.

Some astrologers advised him to conduct free mass marriage for 54 pairs, as the lucky number for Vijayakanth is 9.

While the marriage for most of the pairs was a second marriage between themselves, for a man from Theni, it was his second marriage as he already has a wife named Azagu Rani and two children through her. Seeing the video in a news channel, Azhagu straight away went to police station and lodged a complaint against her husband and Vijayakanth.

As Thali and blessings for this second marriage was given by Vijayakanth himself, police are consulting with legal experts on how to book a case against Vijayakanth for he encouraging Polygamy!

Guru spoils Vijayakanth

Vadivelu, who has his own t i t l e as Vaigai Pui is all se t t o en te r politics.

W h e n asked about the a g e n d a - principle - etc., about his new political party, Vaigai declares that the party will contest against Vi jayakanth 's party.

T h e only candidate in the election will be Vadivelu himself and he will be the sole member, sole proprietor and if people vote him to be MLA then he will sit as PM Idhu Konjam overa theriyala ?

Vaigai Puyal to contest against Vijayakanth

Dec.14,2008

The country added over 7 million GSM mobile users in November, with the Bharti Airtel taking the lead with an addition of 2.7 million users.

In November, the total GSM subscriber base in the country stood at 249.3 million, according to the data released by the GSM lobby group Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

Bharti Airtel which enjoys over a 32 percent market share has added 2.7 million subscribers, followed by Vodafone Essar which has added 2 million subscribers.

State-owned BSNL had added 6 lakh users wheras another telecom PSU MNTL had added 77,398 users.

Other major GSM players such as Idea Cellular, BPL, Spice and Aircelhave also added good number of subscribers.

India's mobile subscriber base stands at over 325 million. The mobile players (both GSM and CDMA) had added 10.42 million users in October.

G S M ( G l o b a l S y s t e m f o r M o b i l e communications), originally from Groupe Spcial Mobile) is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world.

In India the major GSM players includes Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea , Spice , Aircel and others.

BUSINESS LEISURE

LANGUAGE ARTS

7 million GSM users added in November

The country's largest lender, State Bank of India, on Thursday said that it would review interest rates soon following monetary measures taken by the Reserve Bank of India last week.

"We are going to review rates," State Bank of India Chairman O P Bhatt told reporters.

The RBI had reduced repo and reverse repo rates by 100 basis points each to 6.5 percent and 5 percent respectively, effective from Monday.

Soon after RBI's decision, three banks namely Yes Bank, HDFC Bank and Union Bank reduced the benchmark prime lending rate by 50 basis point each.

SBI had last month slashed benchmark prime lending rate by 75 basis points to 13 percent.

Commenting on the economic package, ahead of Indian Bank Association meeting, Bhatt said, "There are lot of things happening to stimulate demand in economy. Still there is a feeling that more is required".

This meeting assumes importance pursuant to the fiscal stimulus package announced last Sunday mentioning that banks would work out a package for housing loans below Rs 20 lakh.

India's exports declined by around 10 per cent in November, showing a negative trend for the second month in a row this year, following a recession in the US and several other European markets. Although the government is yet to officially release the November figures, exports showed almost a double-digit decline on lack of demand in most of the buying markets, sources said.

Following the global financial meltdown, the country's exports for the first time after a gap of seven years dipped by over 12 per cent in October. India has been facing the ripple effects of the global financial turmoil, which has resulted in slowdown of country's exports.

Several developed markets including the US, the UK, Japan and other countries in the Eurozone, which are India's major export destinations, are officially in recession.

SBI to review interest rates soon

Exports decline for 2nd month in row

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Each action has an equal and opposite reaction similarly every proverbs has an equal and opposite proverb! You be the judge!

All good things come to those who wait but

Time and tide wait for none.

The pen is mightier than the sword but

Action speak louder than words

Wise men think alike but

Fools seldom differ.

Look before you leap but

Strike while the iron is hot

Birds of a feather flock together but

Opposites attract.

Don’t across your bridges before you come to them but

Fore warned is forearmed.

Doubt is the beginning of wisdom but

Faith moves mountains.

Practice makes a man perfect but

All work and no play makes jack a dull bay.

Many hands make the work lighter but

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

A man’s reach should exceed his grasp but

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Contradictory Proverbs

Complied by SR

-SR

(The following points on great governance are doing rounds in email in Chennai City Please read through )

An Olympic shooter wins a Gold Medal(Only a Game) and Govt gives him 3 Cr + awards. Another Shooter Dies fighting with terrorists and saving our country and lives of our country men and Govt pays his family 5 lacs. The great Governance!

Government imp lements S ix th Pay commission recommendations and ensures that Millitary chiefs gets less salary than Secretaries. Even Senior IPS officers gets less salary than Secretaries.

MARCOS could reach after 4.30 Hours of attack because of formality in Government that is bureaucratic and NSG after 9.30 Hrs. The greatest responsibility!

Many Commondos (from armed forces) and Policemen died fighting terrorism. No responsible person from the Government(i.e. Bureacracy) was there to fight terrorists. The Great Governance!

Two home ministers resigns. Govt hit two birds by one stone shifting FM Chidambaram to Home minister but no Secreatry is held responsible and asked to resign taking respomsibility. The Great Governance!

Buracrates are part of permanent Governance. Politician forms temporary Governments. The politicians are providing just shield to bureacrates. The bureucrates best salary in India without any accountability and responsibility. The Great Governance!

Think that who is truely responsible for all these. Is it those who are part of permanent Government or those who constitute the temporary Government which gets changed in 5 years and some time even less than five years.

It is high time when we must think about who are true responsible for all these. Is it only politicians are bureacrates who have build a system which can not see beyond themself.

Please think and propogate it to each Indian. It is time when we should proud of our Great Country and do something to find out who are responsible for system failures and why? Then only we can correct it otherwise we will always hit wrong target, the politicians and no reform will take place.

India needs true administrative reform where service to nation comes before administration.

Some thing to ponder

All writings in the English language refer to many different notions, people and objects. In our descriptions and arguments related to a variety of contexts we use articles where necessary. Articles lend smoothness and clarity to the flow of ideas, besides acting as connectives. Therefore, the importance of their correct use can never be overstressed.

The three harmless looking articles — a, an, the — constantly create problems for their ignorant-of-the-rules casual users. It is, therefore, very important to be aware of the principal features and conditions that govern the usage of articles.

The indefinite articles ‘a’ and ‘an’, both used before countable common nouns, are somewhat weak forms of ‘one’ and refer to a person or thing in a general context. Examples: a man, an Indian. The third article, which is a definite article – ‘the’ – is a somewhat weak form of ‘this’ and ‘that’ and is used to refer to particular objects and persons. Examples: the best story, the English language.

In this respect the English language is one up on Urdu and Hindi, two major languages of INDIA. Both these languages function without articles and so bank heavily on words like ‘this’, ‘that’ and ‘one’, thereby, lacking the fluidity that articles lend to the English language. Let us compare two sentences, one in English and the other its Urdu translation: ‘Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter who lived in a tiny house near the forest’. (Eik dafa ka zikr hai eik lakarhara jungle ke qareeb eik chhote se ghar mein rehta tha).

It is clear from the example that the English idiom has certainly benefited from the addition of articles to its script.

Another important factor to keep in mind regarding the correct use of indefinite articles is to concentrate on the first sound and not just the first letter of the word following the article. Thus when a word begins with a consonant sound, even if the first letter is

a vowel we are to use ‘a’ to quantify it. Examples: a United Nations’ employee and a university student. Obviously the same will happen if a word that begins with a vowel sound starts with a consonant. Examples: an MBA, an LLB, and, an honest man. Thus it is the sound of a consonant or of a vowel, which determines the choice between ‘a’ or ‘an’, the two indefinite articles.

A discussion on articles cannot be complete without pointing out the area where it is necessary to omit them. Articles are generally avoided in newspaper headlines. The reasons perhaps are that the headlines appear different and more sensational and, of course, say it all in much fewer words occupying less space even when written in bold and big letters. So the effort is, that though the sense may seem incomplete, they should be easily understood and convey the message correctly.Examples:Mangal Bagh offers to talk to GovernmentMilitants burn college and police post Customs duty revenue up 1 pcAs necessary as it is to avoid the use of articles in news headlines, conversely it is as important to include them in the titles of books. A book may carry a title that conveys its theme, its context, or just an indirect reference to the final outcome of its story. Whatever the nature of the title one thing is clear that a book written in the English language is expected to uphold the rules that apply to Standard English.Examples:To Kill a Mocking BirdOne Flew over the Cuckoo’s NestThe Remains of the DayA Tale of Two CitiesAnother point to remember is that the names of some cities and countries are also preceded by the definite article ‘the’, such as the Hague, the Maldives and the Philippines.You see now how important it is to use the three articles in both your speech and in your writings. And how much more vital it is to use them correctly and not to use them at all where they are not required.

Dec.14,2008

Quick Reads

Sahasranamaparayana Anniversary

Sahasranamam is recited daily in the evening at 5.00 pm at the Ayodhya Mandapam and the 31st anniversary will be celebrated on Tuesday Dec. 16 at 8.00 am at the Samaj premises.

Dharma Upanayanam Sri Guruvayurappan Seva Samiti, Triplicane, will conduct its 40th year dharma upanayam on March 15, 2009, at Triplicane Fund Kalyana Mandapam, 81, Singarachari Street, for Vaishnava, Madhwa and Smartha boys. Those interested may contact Kovai Padmanabhan at 28587814 or 94446 71756.

Concerts on SS Music

To coincide with the Margazhi festival, SS Music is airing Bharath Sangeet Utsav. On December 15, 8 a.m., Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan will present a vocal concert. On December 16, 8 a.m., Vijay Siva is the artist. It is Nithyashree Mahadevan on December 20, 8 a.m., and S. Sowmya on December 25, 8 a.m. On December 27, 8 a.m., Sudha Ragunathan will perform.

Rasika Kala Bharathi’ to be conferred on Sikkil Sisters

Rasika Fine Arts will conduct its 5th annual music festival from December 25, 2008, to January 4, 2009, at Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya, 4th Street, Postal Colony, West Mambalam.

The title ‘Rasika Kala Bharathi’ will be conferred on Sikkil Sisters Kunjamani and Neela, along with gold medals and cash. T. Pitchandi, IAS, will inaugurate and Cleveland V.V. Sundaram will release a commemorative souvenir on the occasion.

Radha Kalyana Mahotsavam

Sri Gopalakrishna Nama Prachara Sabha is celebrating the 117 th j ayan th i o f S r i Gopa lak r i shna Bhagavathaswami and Radha Kalyana Mahotsavam under the auspices of All India Sai Samaj, Mylapore on December 13 and 14, at Sai Baba temple. The event will begin on Dec. 13, 6 a.m., with Ganapathy homam. On Dec. 14, 10 a.m., Sri Namananda Giri Swamigal is releasing Sri Vasanthotsava Bhajan Paddathi at 10 a.m., and Sri Ramananda Saraswathi Swamigal is releasing the Jayanthi Malar at 10.15 p.m.

Gaambhirya Sangita Pravaham

The two-volume album boasts samples by 14 Carnatic greats. Vol 1 has veterans including Ariyakkudi, Chembai, Semmangudi, GNB, Madurai Mani Iyer, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Alathur Brothers and Balamuralikrishna singing one kriti each. Vol 2 has K.V. Narayanaswamy, B. Rajam Iyer, Maharajapuram Santhanam, D.K. Jayaraman, T.V. Sankaranarayanan and T.N. Seshagopalan.

One hopes great names such as ‘Flute’ Mali, D.K. Pattammal and M.S. Subbulakshmi, to name a few, will be included in the subsequent editions. The two volumes whet your musical appetite and are ideal for those who are just beginning to enjoy Carnatic music.

Winter science camp Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre will conduct winter science camp for students of classes VII to IX between December 29 and December 31.

According to a release, the camp would deal with basic science principles and demonstrations in physics, chemistry and biology. For details, contact 24410025.

Homams for improving scores in examination

Sri Veda Vidhya Ashram, 63, Ellaiamman Koil Street, ( Opp. Kittu Park) West Mambalam is organising Medha Dakshinamurthy Homam, Sri Hayagriva Mahamantra Homam, Mahasaraswathi Mantra homam on Dec. 13 and 14 between 4.30 pm and 7.00 pm at its premises for improving memory power, improving scores in examination and also improving the genius.

The pujas subsequent to the homams may be performed either students or by their parents . To realise the full benefit of the above pujas the participants will be imparted 'Mahamantra Upadesam' by the vedic scholars. The sanctified Thread ( Rakshai Kayaru)God's Photo pen will be distributed as prasad to participants.

Those desirous of participating in the above poojas contact the Ashram at the above address or call 94440 55444

Businessman held for cheating bank

City Crime Branch Police recently arrested a businessman for allegedly cheating Bank of India to the tune of Rs 26.76 lakh using cheque purchase facility.

According to the complaint lodged by BVR Murthy, Chief Manager at the Usman Road branch of Bank of India, Sheik Ajmul of Ayanapuram submitted seven cheques be tween November 13 and 17 in the name of his wife and his friend Satish. Though he knew that there was no money in the accounts of his wife and friend, he withdrew Rs 26.76 lakh using the cheque purchase facility.

Ajmul is the proprietor of Vaibavan Enterprises, involved in construction business. He has been remanded in judicial custody. The police are on the lookout for Ajmul’s wife and friend.