Chennai discussions II [Archive] - Page 61

saysenthil

July 26th, 2012, 08:54 AM

Giant chess board for children planned at Marina (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3683554.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01155/26TH_MARINA_1155155f.jpg

Rs. 4.84 crore approved for makeover of city’s beachfront; shops to be relocated, sands to be cleaned

The Marina Beach is in for another makeover – this time, the space surrounding the statues, the children’s play area and the bus terminus is being spruced up. The Chennai Corporation Council, which met on Wednesday, approved an estimate of Rs. 4.84 crore for the works that include installation of high mast lamps and police watch towers.

Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy said that in the next stage, tenders would be floated after which it would be a matter of a month or so for work to commence. “The space around each of the statues will be developed based on a particular characteristic. There would be a short description in granite about the personality so that beach-goers also gain some knowledge,” he said. The design has been proposed by Alwarpet-based landscape architect K. Raghuraman.

The children’s play area will be the subject of special focus. Among other things, it would have a giant chess board where you can play and an ‘interactive’ fountain where the water will gush up when you clap your hands. On the western side of the road, the urban design pattern (the cream coloured pillars with a black insignia inside that can be seen on the compound walls) would be raised from beneath.

The bus terminus at Anna memorial will get a new design to complete the wave concept. This form will be achieved through tensile steel structures. The Corporation, which is in the process of enumerating the shops on the sand, has plans to regulate them. The shops will be relocated to specific locations on the sand at a cost of Rs.4.12 crore.

Corporation Commissioner D. Karthikeyan told The Hindu that two rows of shops would come up near the MGR and Anna memorials, one row behind Kannagi statue, two rows behind Gandhi statue and another near the light house. “We will permit shops only at these spots. The other stretches would be free of hawkers and any kind of litter. We are interested in regulating the shops and ensuring that visitors to the beach have a good experience,” he said. Once the shops are in place, cleaning of sand would be intensified and the quality of the sand would be improved.

saysenthil

July 26th, 2012, 08:55 AM

^^

Dedicated to our CM... Vinod

:)

saysenthil

July 26th, 2012, 01:04 PM

Chennai: Corporation to call for tenders to beautify Marina Beach (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chennai-call-for-tenders-to-beautify-marina/274942-62-130.html)

The Chennai Corporation is preparing to call for tenders for a number of works to beautify the Marina Beach. The works would include building of rows of regularised shops, bamboo enclosures for boats, high mast lights and an elevated police watchpost. The Corporation Council had earlier approved plans to this effect, and approved a fund allocation of Rs 4.84 crore towards the project.

The beautification and regularisation plans had come after the State government had passed an order transferring the management, maintenance and administration of the Marina Beach to the Chennai Corporation from the Public Works Department. “The funds have been allotted. We will be calling for tenders in a few days time. There is very little construction work. Most of it involves the installation of pre-fabricated units. So, once the work is started, it will not take too much time to complete,” Corporation Commissioner D Karthikeyan told City Express.

The Corporation’s plan is to set up a total of six rows of shops on the stretch between Anna Samadhi and Pattinapakkam. Two rows of shops will come up behind the Anna Samadhi, one row behind the Kannagi Statue, two behind the Gandhi Statue and one behind the lighthouse.

The shops are meant to replace the hundreds of temporary structures and hawkers’ pushcarts that are spread out across the entire stretch. The new structure will have tensile roofing and will be regularised. A sample of the kind of structures that will be put up for the purpose is on display close to the Gandhi Statue.

No shops or hawkers would be allowed anywhere else but these rows of shops that the Corporation is going to put up. This will make it easier to keep the beach clean and organised, said Karthikeyan. The rows of shops alone would take up the majority of the funds approved by the Corporation Council on Wednesday, raking up a bill of Rs 4.12 crore.

The Corporation will also build bamboo enclosures, at a cost of Rs 7 lakh, to house the boats of fishermen from nearby localities. “All the installations that we are planning to put up on the Marina Beach are eco-friendly. They are not in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone Rules,” said Karthikeyan.

He added that two high-mast lights would be built to increase visibility and security on the Marina. These will come up behind the Anna Swimming Pool and at Ayodhyakuppam, at a cost of Rs 59.8 lakh. The Corporation will also build a watch tower for the police at a cost of Rs 3 lakh, after consulting law enforcement officials on its ideal location. This apart, a sum of Rs 2.24 lakh would go towards erecting a gate to regulate traffic at the point where the service road joins the Kamarajar Salai.

Chennai Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy told City Express that the civic body is looking into various methods of allotting the shops to the vendors. The Corporation had, with help from local police, initially taken up the task of enumerating the number of temporary shops and hawkers on the stretch between Anna Samadhi and Pattinapakkam.

“We had to give that up. When they found out the Corporation was in the process of enumerating them, more shops kept cropping up, with people hoping to cash in. Further, there is a sort of a monopoly in the area, with five or 10 individuals owning most of the shops and extorting money. So, we are now considering the possibility of auctioning the shops,” said Duraisamy.

saysenthil

July 26th, 2012, 01:08 PM

ஸ்ருதி மரணத்திற்குக் காரணமானோர் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை-ஜெயலலிதா (http://tamil.oneindia.in/news/2012/07/26/tamilnadu-jaya-condoles-shruthi-s-death-assures-strict-action-158427.html)

சென்னையில் 2ம் வகுப்பு மாணவி ஸ்ருதியின் மரணத்திறக்குக் காரணமானவர்கள் மீது காவல்துறை மூலம் கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று முதல்வர் ஜெயலலிதா அறிவித்துள்ளார்.

மாணவி ஸ்ருதியின் அகால மரணத்திற்கு முதல்வர் ஜெயலலிதா ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கல்களைத் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். இதுதொடர்பாக அவர் வெளியிட்டுள்ள செய்திக்குறிப்பில், சென்னை சேலையூர் ஜியோன் மெட்ரிகுலேஷன் மேல்நிலைப் பள்ளியில் 2ம் வகுப்பு படித்து வந்த முடிச்சூரைச் சேர்ந்த மாணவி ஸ்ருதி பள்ளிப் பேருந்திலிலிருந்து ஓட்டை வழியாக கீழே விழுந்து உயிரிழந்த சம்பவம் குறித்து அறிந்து அதிர்ச்சியும், சோகமும் அடைந்தேன்.

சிறுமி ஸ்ருதியின் மறைவுக்கு இரங்கல்களைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன். அவரது குடும்பத்தினருக்கும் ஆழ்ந்த அனுதாபங்களைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.

சிறுமியை இழந்து வாடும் அவரது குடும்பத்தினருக்கு ரூ. 1 லட்சம் நிவாரணத் தொகையை வழங்க அதிகாரிகளுக்கு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளேன்.

சிறுமி ஸ்ருதியின் மரணத்திற்குக் காரணமானோர் மீது காவல்துறை மூலம் கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். அதேபோல பழுதான பேருந்தை இயக்கக் காரணமானோர் மீது கல்வித்துறை மூலமும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று முதல்வர் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

saysenthil

July 26th, 2012, 01:10 PM

Multi-level parking lots at major roads in Chennai soon (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3683543.ece)

The Chennai Corporation will rope in private agencies to create multi-level parking lots in all major roads in the city. The civic body has called for expression of interest from entities such as private firms and joint ventures on construction and maintenance of multi-level parking facilities in all major roads on a DBOT (Design, Build, Operate and Transfer) basis. The private agencies will identify suitable spots including Corporation lands near major roads that require additional parking space.

The agency will also come up with a detailed project report and a suitable revenue model for the parking lots. The agency will choose a suitable parking system for each location based on the existing civic conditions.

The decision to involve private entities has been taken as the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and Chennai Corporation have been unable to cope with the challenges in creating new parking lots. The CMDA and Chennai Corporation have been planning to conduct feasibility studies on the many proposed facilities such as Third Avenue in Anna Nagar East and at the Vijay Nagar bus terminus in Velachery that are part of the Chennai Comprehensive Transportation Study. However, the lack of coordination among the various land-owning departments and the planning agencies has been a stumbling block for the implementation of such projects.

The new initiative of Chennai Corporation is expected to generate additional data pertaining to traffic study at many congested localities.

deepaksubramaniyan

July 26th, 2012, 01:14 PM

^^

I dont know how many times we discussed about multi-level parking although nothing has revolutionized..

vinodgopal

July 26th, 2012, 02:25 PM

I demand an instant apology and to reform of our TN cities by the present, past and future politicians and who are the corrupt officials involved in poor planning of our cities and environmental pollution thats being created.

[:(]

Che Vinodh

July 26th, 2012, 03:20 PM

Murali Bala

July 28th, 2012, 01:25 PM

madrasi7777

July 28th, 2012, 01:41 PM

Prohibition will only bring back the glory days of the bootleggers and deaths of people who drink spurious stuff.

murlee

July 28th, 2012, 02:00 PM

+1

hope she doesn't do this.

ppn123

July 28th, 2012, 07:48 PM

Did you see folks the latest Juu Vii. seems Jaya is gearing up for total prohibition in state. Is taking cue Modi's Gujarat example. Let's hope it doesn't back fire. I think they have do it phases and not leave the kudimagans high & dry.

this must be another witch hunt. Looks like they will do what ever to bring her down...

nsantha2

July 29th, 2012, 03:41 AM

Did you see folks the latest Juu Vii. seems Jaya is gearing up for total prohibition in state. Is taking cue Modi's Gujarat example. Let's hope it doesn't back fire. I think they have do it phases and not leave the kudimagans high & dry.

If she's planning on total prohibition, then why is she allowing bars to serve alcohol 24x7? Besides, isn't the revenue from TASMAC in the 1000s of crores? Surely no government will want to let go of that.

proprashanth

July 29th, 2012, 09:13 AM

If she's planning on total prohibition, then why is she allowing bars to serve alcohol 24x7? Besides, isn't the revenue from TASMAC in the 1000s of crores? Surely no government will want to let go of that.

+1
kallaala panam illanu ellathyaum double ratekku velaya yethitaanga... so why would she sacrifice govt's main source of income..

natarajan1986

July 29th, 2012, 09:17 AM

tasmac doest make anyone to start drinking but only drinkers use it and once tasmac goes out there will lot of hotel getting bar license and making money.Also there will be illegal sale of drinks by mafia headed by politician .So tasmac closure is not going to stop drinkers but its just revenue to policticians

johnz513

July 29th, 2012, 01:02 PM

hi ... chennai .....

ranga

July 29th, 2012, 02:22 PM

If she's planning on total prohibition, then why is she allowing bars to serve alcohol 24x7? Besides, isn't the revenue from TASMAC in the 1000s of crores? Surely no government will want to let go of that.

Thank U TN if this is true.A.P and puducheri will get additional revenue and TN will be left with bootleggers and illicit liquor trade.But isn't easy to introduce prohibition which fetches the state govt huge revenues and supports various stupid freebies to get votes and power.TN does not have standalone bars and pubs which other four neighbouring states have in plenty apart from retail outlets like Tasmac yet people and the govts there don't cry foul on this like the people and political parties do in TN.Is this becos tamilnaduians do in excess and so this lingering fear?:nuts::lol:

ranga

July 29th, 2012, 03:22 PM

Bihar tops country in GDP growth rate at 13.1%

New Delhi: Bihar, a state fraught with abject poverty, has come out on top as the fastest growing state second year in a row, with a striking 13.1percent growth in 2011-2012. Its economy has also grown bigger than that of Punjab — the prime destination for Bihari workers.

Bihar is followed closely by Delhi and Puducherry. Following closely after Delhi and Puducherry is the Naxal-ridden, mineral-rich Chhattisgarh. Goa rounds it off to complete the list of top five productive states, according to the Ministry of Statistics.

Gujarat and Tamil Nadu grew by 9 percent, considering the growth credible as the states are growing on a larger basis.
With the state on the road to improving its overall outlook and condition, the Bihar government has improved the law and order situation, increased agricultural productivity and has given way to better state-funded programmes for health and education.

The accumulated growth rates of Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are pegged lower than that of India’s GDP growth of 6.5 percent in 2011-12, the ministry said.

Hit hard by global woes and domestic problems, India's economic growth rate slowed to a nine-year low, both in the March quarter at 5.3 percent as well as in 2011-12 at 6.5 percent, prompting the industry to demand "immediate and bold action" to arrest slowdown.

The decline in growth was witnessed in almost all segments of the economy including agriculture, manufacturing, mining and construction.

The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) has revised the growth rate for 2011-12 to 6.5 percent from 6.9 percent estimated earlier. This is the lowest growth rate since 2002-03 when the economy grew by 4 percent.

The manufacturing output slowed to 2.5 percent, from 7.6 percent in previous fiscal.

Vicvin86

July 29th, 2012, 03:34 PM

Indiavirku viraivil mulu suthanthiram vazhangappadum - Lord Mountbatten urudhi

ranga

July 29th, 2012, 06:08 PM

Indiavirku viraivil mulu suthanthiram vazhangappadum - Lord Mountbatten urudhi

Vandu enna kizichanga.

kongutamizhan

July 29th, 2012, 07:02 PM

9% growth'a? appo inga kanmoodithanama 12.5% vakkalathu vangunathu?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=92978352&postcount=1157

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=92978829&postcount=1163

Same growth story sometimes turn from 17% to 12.5% to 8% to 9%. First enna growth real % growthnu decide pannunga. appuram adhu raja raja chozan prices'laya, current priceslaya, 2000 price'laya 1947 price'layanu decide senji sollunga.

blog'a nambama / economist magazine'a nambamma da kindu bussiness (புஸ்..சினஸ்) line nambunavanga ippo messila ottuna mannai thodaikalam.

appadiyae indha 9% growth ground'la enna improvement kondu vandhichinum sonna nalla irukkum. ToIlet paper to busss all paper growth are kuppai unless they synchronizes / reflects on lifestyle of people. That alone is real. Statistical analysis in this country by-large doesn't reflect reality. We are still long way to go. Unless it reflects reality they are nothing but an astroturf.

One final doubt, will this 9% change further down to 8-7-6 etc., in some other reports?

krishnaswamy

July 29th, 2012, 07:41 PM

Ranga sir,
I think Vinoth meant, that your post is of very old news, since it is debated left and right in TN AA thread and TN Economy thread.
Bihar was way behind during Lalu's rule.. Just 15 marks out of 100.. when Nitish do some simple things correctly, Bihar was able to make it to pass to 40/100.
that is why Bihar's growth rate is higher when compare to other States.
I will stop here and will not go further on GJ, TN stories.

krishnaswamy

July 29th, 2012, 08:05 PM

Guys,
On TASMAC issue.I dont know how many State govt runs "liquor" business like "TASMAC" in india, justifying the revenue, illicit liquor.
do you guys feel "TASMAC" sarakku is pure? if so change your minds and it is worst adulterated than illicit liquor. lot of sarakku in TASMAC are duplicate.
go through the detailed article on "Mayakkam Enna" from JV on the TASMAC sarakku and its side affects.

1. while it is true that Govt will loose the revenue (i think it is 15k crore), JJ is thinking of streamlining and filling up the corrupt holes in tax collection process to improve the tax collection. At the same time, Both DMK and ADMK gave the excuse that revenue from TASMAC is utilized for freebies. So JJ is discussing seriously on funding those freebies, if this TASMAC inlet is stopped.
3. I don't thing AP has govt liquor shops similar to TASMAC. I remember they are scouting for the same similar to TASMAC in their state.
4. While in Pondy, the taxes are less. some one might clarify more on this.
5. We can not justify "TASMAC" in the name of failure to curb "illicit liquor". Due to TASMAC, now everybody has access to alcohol and more % of people are affected including the school children. So by closing down TASMAC, strong laws and strong action against "illicit liquor", some of the younger generations gets benefited and any grown up individual needs, they can always go to Bars.
6. Who knows govt might open up "few limited" licenses for "Wine shops" (after closing down TASMAC) as well, so that justice given to "Kudimagan" as well.

iaafosc

July 30th, 2012, 06:47 AM

^^ Why this in chennai discussions? Let's move to AA, i'll write there

what's AA.. Alcoholics anonymous...??

vinodgopal

July 30th, 2012, 08:57 AM

it means Aratai Arangam

Banning liquor will add to the worries of the state.

saysenthil

July 30th, 2012, 11:22 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/488105_448894345144358_212099278_n.jpg

As Civic Body Embarks On An Ambitious Project In Which Various Agencies Are Working Together For The First Time To Lay Roads, The 330Cr Scheme That May Turn 360 Roads Into Model Stretches Of Future

Close to a year after Chennai Corporation expanded by 300sqkm, a project being undertaken as part of the Mega City Development Mission may well make roads of the erstwhile suburbs the envy of city central. If the civic bodies play their part, 360 roads will be laid with a scientific plan and could become reference points for roads in the heart of the city. Here is how the roads in eight zones will be laid in the 330 crore project: All the crucial necessities of a road such as storm water drains, electric boxes, pavements, street lights, laying the bitumen and installing name boards are being entrusted to a single contractor, who will be responsible for both the work on an entire stretch and its maintenance for five years. “We wanted to include all the facilities a road needs to have at one go,” said a senior corporation official. Since it is not easy for five contractors to work together, we carved the work into big packages and gave one stretch each to the contractors.”
The aim is to avoid constant digging of roads throughout the year by different agencies, which leaves the roads damaged most of the time. “We usually float storm water drain tenders soon after we lay roads. Metrowater or the electricity board then make road cut requests,” the official said.
New roads in the extended areas will have covered ducts under the road, through which all the water pipes and electric cables will run, so repairs in the future will not require the road to be dug up. Since one firm will construct an entire stretch of road, the corporation expects that it will include design aspects for seamless integration of infrastructure utilities by different civic utilities. “The companies with the contracts will, for example, have to build pavements in such a way that electric inspection boxes and streetlights do not block the path of pedestrians,” a corporation official said.
While the plan should let you drive on a dream road soon, contractors seem to be facing a few teething problems. The project was sanctioned in April, with a condition that the road work should be completed by September, which is when monsoons in the city begin. Civic body officials admit this deadline is practically impossible. Of the 33 packages, work orders for nearly 30 packages have been approved and issued, said a senior source in the corporation. But a few of them were issued as late as the second week of July.

“Every tender had to be placed before the council after it has been bid for in the same month, and then work orders had to be issued. All this took time,” said a corporation official. Corporation commissioner D Karthikeyan admitted that finding contractors for the project was difficult. “Most of them began work only by the end of May,” he said.

It took the civic body more than three months to find contractors to bid for Thiruvottiyur. Civic body officials understand why contractors are hesitant to take up projects in localities in the north of the city (see graphic). “North Chennai is congested; the roads chosen are very narrow. The carriageway has encroachments which make road-laying difficult,” said the official.
Contractors who took up works in other parts of the city have begun work on only some of the roads though works were sanctioned in April. “Even on the roads where works have started, we could finish only 35% of the work,” said Shiva of TMS Constructions, one of the contractors. According to a recent status report, Alandur and Sholinganallur are likely to get their arterial roads re-laid at the earliest.

In Sholinganallur, works have been completed on seven roads because they did not require storm water drains. “Storm water drain construction takes at least a month. We dig trenches and lay precast segments. Once drains are done, 50% of the work is considered done,” another contractor said.
As the first systematic attempt to lay quality roads in the city progresses.

jaish

July 30th, 2012, 06:40 PM

Indian contingent kooda vanda Lady mathiri namma oorum eppadiaya periya periya ooru kooda vandhu neriya perra kadupu ethuthu.

jaish

July 30th, 2012, 07:10 PM

I have one doubt.

Everyone complaints here about freebies, why no body complains about tax sops that are given to corporates. Other related to topic unrelated to TN when developed countries like UK, Germany are providing money for jobless people is it not that also be viewed thro same prism populistic policy.

kongutamizhan

July 30th, 2012, 07:31 PM

Everyone complaints here about freebies, why no body complains about tax sops that are given to corporates..

They provide jobs. So as a job provider tax sops to an extent are okay.

when developed countries like UK, Germany are providing money for jobless people is it not that also be viewed thro same prism populistic policy.

There is no free lunch. It is not a free money as you think. They are money that you pay in form of taxes when you are in job. Everyone pays them. Further it comes with strings attached.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/221521-the-disadvantages-of-collecting-unemployment/

http://unemploymentclaimsite.com/articles/disadvantages-of-unemployment-benefits/

Above all you have to be eligible even to get those benefits and not everyone gets it. Meaning you should have earned certain minimum number of social security points by paying taxes. The amount you receive is proportanate to the amount you paid.

sshivakumar

July 31st, 2012, 05:02 AM

katchigal maari varrum kallangal inga . Nyangal Aruthallai kooruvathu enga. Onnum pooriyalai

^^ idhe tamil script'la ezhudina nalla irukkum. nesamavae enna solreenganu puriyalai

Kaalangal maari varum kaatchigal ingey, niyaayangal aaruthalai kooruvathengey... :)

காலங்கள் மாறி வரும் காட்சிகள் இங்கே
நியாயங்கள் ஆறுதலை கூறுவதெங்கே

#சிட்டுக்கு செல்ல சிட்டுக்கு ஒரு சிறகு முளைத்தது (http://tamilpaadalvari.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-post_1962.html)

iaafosc

July 31st, 2012, 03:14 PM

Was just browsing about ....i found an interesting old news article ...3 years old ...I wanted to share it ....

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-01-15/news/27663513_1_expat-ashok-leyland-nissan-villas

It says there that the expat population in Chennai in 2009 was about 35000. i doubt if that number could be true. there doesn't seem to be any statistic of that kind. Also that led me to wonder about the nationality-wise breakup. Can anyone shed light on that ? I am guessing the Koreans form the largest percentage of that population.

kannan infratech

July 31st, 2012, 03:32 PM

iaafosc

July 31st, 2012, 03:47 PM

It is quite possible and may be true.

Global Adjustments - a company who gives services to Expats may be the right agency to get the stats.

Oh ok sir ....thanks. Was just wondering if anyone in the forum could shed light on it . I have heard of that company before. Maybe i can shoot a mail to them ..:)

ppn123

July 31st, 2012, 07:03 PM

iaafosc

August 1st, 2012, 03:35 PM

I found out an interesting statistic

Jlpt ( Japanese language proficiency test) is a test administered world-wide to test proficiency in the Japanese language ...usually it is held twice a year( In Chennai it's held twice a year) and in some cities it's held once a year .

the jlpt committee usually publishes the number of test takers from each city for the year ....

Two things i found interesting from these results :the number of examinees from India is more than that of the USA,Australia, UK and even Brazil ( which has the largest japanese origin population outside Japan and has traditionally leaned towards japanese culture) and has grown exponentially over the last few years. Also Chennai seems to have the most number of examinees from India ( around 9000 almost 6 times the number 5 years back) followed by Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Goes to show the growing influence of Japan in India.

http://www.jlpt.jp/statistics/pdf/2011_2_3.pdf

http://www.jlpt.jp/statistics/pdf/2011_1_3.pdf:)

sshivakumar

August 1st, 2012, 05:02 PM

vinodgopal

August 1st, 2012, 06:22 PM

^^ True, there are two training centers in Chennai and there are a lot of training that happens at many corporates. I studied Japanese and wrote my JLPT through ABK-AOTS Dosokai (http://www.abkaotschennai.com/) 11 years back and the classes were always full. Chennai and Pune lead used to lead then.

i know some japanese words being a jack of all trades :D

Ikiru, Akira Kurosawa, Nakamura, Rashomon, samurai, sepuka, and Congress government's current situation is called nikkumo nikkadho in japan.

sshivakumar

August 1st, 2012, 06:24 PM

^^ :rofl:

CM.. ungalala mattumthan mudiyum ithu.. you are all set for the Japan visit.

iaafosc

August 1st, 2012, 06:52 PM

i know some japanese words being a jack of all trades :D

Ikiru, Akira Kurosawa, Nakamura, Rashomon, samurai, sepuka, and Congress government's current situation is called nikkumo nikkadho in japan.

:lol: ..... love kurosawa though...

krishnaswamy

August 1st, 2012, 09:10 PM

vinodgopal

August 1st, 2012, 09:18 PM

:lol::lol:....Ungakitte CM agurathukku ella thaguthiyum irukku..

ofcourse. i am a chess master already :)

murlee

August 2nd, 2012, 10:20 AM

Info on Chennai buses, trains a call away

Lost in a new area and looking for the right buses to get you home? Need info regarding bus, train or flight ticket availability? Help is at hand, literally.

Thanks to a new initiative by two young entrepreneurs, Routes is a new dial-up service in the city wherein callers can get their local travel queries answered free-of-cost.

Apart from information on Chennai city routes, bus numbers and local train timings, Routes will give details on timings, rates and seat availability of inter-city buses, trains and domestic flights; just dial 86 95 95 95 95.

The brainchild of Mr Ashwin Kumar and Mr Bharat Somani, Routes was unveiled by Mayor Saidai Duraisamy on Tuesday.

“We ran a pilot project from April 2011 to January 2012 in Chennai to know about the need for such a service.

We got about 2,000 calls per day on our toll-free number,” said Mr Somani, who then went ahead to firm up the service through his company vTel Details.

While initial information on all city bus routes has been collated by field staff and from web sites, the company is in the process of tying-up with MTC, State Express Transport Corporation and even the city traffic police for updated news.

“We will be able to give callers route directions for Chennai for now but will extend it to other cities in the next six months,” Mr Somani said.

For bus ticket booking service, the firm claims to have tied up with 50 private bus operators in the city through five of its agents who can even deliver tickets home.

“We are looking for partners for train and flight services,” he said adding that Routes was hopeful of servicing up to 2.5 lakh callers a day in the next three years.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/info-chennai-buses-trains-call-away-813

saysenthil

August 2nd, 2012, 10:30 AM

Chennai Coporation awaits funds for phase 2 of mega city project (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Chennai-Coporation-awaits-funds-for-phase-2-of-mega-city-project/articleshow/15322483.cms)

The Chennai Coporation, which is inching forward with the first phase of road-laying as part of the mega city development mission, is keeping its fingers crossed on the second phase of the project. Corporation officials say unless they get the funds within a couple of months, the second phase works cannot be completed before the monsoon next year.

In March, the state government had announced 500 crore for the second phase of the project, scheduled to be taken in the current financial year. Five months later, corporation is awaiting a government order sanctioning the funds. The funds given by the municipal administration and water supply department will be shared by Chennai Corporation and Metrowater, which function as the nodal agencies for implementing the project.

"Any large project will require a few tenders to be floated more than once. Each re-tender will take a month, so if we could finalise the contractors before December, it would be ideal," said a senior corporation official. "Since we are following the grid road system, we need to identify a road and then plan storm water drains, ducts, streetlights and pavements. Just the studies will take a whole one month."

Unless work begins in January, it will not be completed by June-end, say officials. Any contractor requires six months to complete a package worth 10 crore. The civic body is now racing against time to complete parts of the first phase of the mega city development project before the rains begin.

"Out of 360 roads, we intend to finish around 60 roads before September end, and finish at least other important parts like ducting and storm water drains of the remaining roads," said another corporation official. The funds for phase one was sanctioned in April, but the final lot of tenders are being issued even now.

Chennai Corporation is likely to receive a larger share of the funds this year, sources said. "Metrowater has told the state government that it does not require so much funding, so the civic body has a chance of receiving anywhere between 375 and 400 crore," said a source in the corporation.

saysenthil

August 2nd, 2012, 10:32 AM

Jaya sanctions 9 all-terrain vehicles for policing beaches (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3716395.ece)

Seeking to secure the safety of people thronging the long beach line in the city, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today sanctioned Rs 34.25 lakh for procurement of nine All-Terrain Vehicles for better policing of the seashores, including the famous Marina Beach.

The All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) would help the police prevent crimes on the seashore besides facilitating quick reponse to protect people at times of distress, she said in a release here today.

Of the nine, six would be inducted at Marina, two at Elliots Beach in Besant Nagar, and one in the Thiruvanmiyur area which attracts a large number of people, including tourists and locals.

The vehicles have been sanctioned keeping in mind the large number of people congregating at the beaches and to ensure prevention of anti-social acts and “infiltration” into the State through the sea, she said.

The State Government had already sanctioned one All Terrain Motor Cycle and one such jeep each to 12 police stations of the Coastal Security Group, in-charge of maintaining a vigil over the 1,076-km-long coastline of the State extending from Tiruvallur district in the north to Kanyakumari in the South, to prevent smuggling and infiltration of extremists, the release said.

kannan infratech

August 2nd, 2012, 02:44 PM

vinodgopal

August 2nd, 2012, 03:11 PM

Guys,

The Banner & Advertisement strip below the banner are being hacked into by some malware.

I am seeing Play Rummy Earn money

Dial this Number

Mary Kom Message etc

Please report all malware in All India complaints thread with details

The Admin will be able to remove the faulty posts / photos through which SSC has been hacked into.

Kannan

i was just about to search for the Dominos pizza banner in this forum where they give a 20% discount. yum yum but i guess thats just a farce?

sshivakumar

August 2nd, 2012, 03:37 PM

Guys,

The Banner & Advertisement strip below the banner are being hacked into by some malware.

I am seeing Play Rummy Earn money

Dial this Number

Mary Kom Message etc

Please report all malware in All India complaints thread with details

The Admin will be able to remove the faulty posts / photos through which SSC has been hacked into.

Kannan

I dont think it is a malware, I think it is Contextual advertising (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contextual_advertising). Checkout Semantic targeting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_targeting), Behavioral targeting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_targeting) also

kannan infratech

August 2nd, 2012, 03:41 PM

I dont think it is a malware, I think it is Contextual advertising (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contextual_advertising). Checkout Semantic targeting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_targeting) also

But Banner and uploaded photos are being replaced by Ads by Google.

Vivvin, Arul's uploaded photos disappear in a few seconds and these advts replace them.

sshivakumar

August 2nd, 2012, 03:44 PM

^^ Oh, that's an issue. May be local to your system, but lets see if more people report it. I don't face it.

murlee

August 2nd, 2012, 03:47 PM

Ya.. I don't face such an issue too..

rapuramuser

August 2nd, 2012, 03:49 PM

Instead of building so many roads and being stuck in traffic, we should think of innovative mechanisms. Take OMR, for example. Should pedestrians be given preference as opposed to cars? Unfortunately, we seem to be taking in the view that we should build freeways within cities like in Los Angeles. Singapore has penalized car goers and it now costs around $90,000 tax to buy a car. Of course, they have provided an alternate system for public transportation. Walking to the railway station has also kept the population healthy and thin. Below is an initiative from Copenhagen. It is stunning that 50% of office goers bike to work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/world/europe/in-denmark-pedaling-to-work-on-a-superhighway.html?pagewanted=all

A Green Light for Copenhagen's Cyclists: A new initiative in Copenhagen aims at building miles of bicycle highways that offer cyclists a safer and faster way to commute.

By SALLY McGRANE
Published: July 17, 2012

COPENHAGEN — Picture 11 miles of smoothly paved bike path meandering through the countryside. Largely uninterrupted by roads or intersections, it passes fields, backyards, chirping birds, a lake, some ducks and, at every mile, an air pump.
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Jan Grarup for The New York Times

An 11-mile-long path called a bicycle superhighway has opened between Copenhagen and Albertslund, a western suburb.
For some Danes, this is the morning commute.

Susan Nielsen, a 59-year-old schoolteacher, was one of a handful of people taking advantage of Denmark’s first “superhighway” for bicycles on a recent morning, about halfway between Copenhagen and Albertslund, a suburb, which is the highway’s endpoint. “I’m very glad because of the better pavement,” said Ms. Nielsen, who wore a rain jacket and carried a pair of pants in a backpack to put on after her 40-minute commute.

The cycle superhighway, which opened in April, is the first of 26 routes scheduled to be built to encourage more people to commute to and from Copenhagen by bicycle. More bike path than the Interstate its name suggests, it is the brainchild of city planners who were looking for ways to increase bicycle use in a place where half of the residents already bike to work or to school every day.

“We are very good, but we want to be better,” said Brian Hansen, the head of Copenhagen’s traffic planning section.

He and his team saw potential in suburban commuters, most of whom use cars or public transportation to reach the city. “A typical cyclist uses the bicycle within five kilometers,” or about three miles, said Mr. Hansen, whose office keeps a coat rack of ponchos that bicycling employees can borrow in case of rain. “We thought: How do we get people to take longer bicycle rides?”

They decided to make cycle paths look more like automobile freeways. While there is a good existing network of bicycle pathways around Copenhagen, standards across municipalities can be inconsistent, with some stretches having inadequate pavement, lighting or winter maintenance, as well as unsafe intersections and gaps.

“It doesn’t work if you have a good route, then a section in the middle is covered in snow,” said Lise Borgstrom Henriksen, spokeswoman for the cycle superhighway secretariat. “People won’t ride to work then.”

For the superhighway project, Copenhagen and 21 local governments teamed up to ensure that there were contiguous, standardized bike routes into the capital across distances of up to 14 miles. “We want people to perceive these routes as a serious alternative,” Mr. Hansen said, “like taking the bus, car or train.”

The plan has received widespread support in a country whose left- and right-leaning lawmakers both regularly bike to work (albeit on slightly different models of bicycle).

Riding on the first superhighway, which grew more crowded as it neared the city, Marianne Bagge-Petersen said she was heading to a support group for job seekers. “I think it’s very cool,” she said, noting that the path allowed her to avoid roads with more car traffic. “Taking the bike makes me feel good about myself. I’m looking for a job, and if I don’t get out, it’s going to be a very long day.”

The Capital Region of Denmark, a political body responsible for public hospitals as well as regional development, has provided $1.6 million for the superhighway project.

“When we look at public hospitals, we look very much at how to reduce cost,” said a regional councilor, Lars Gaardhoj, who had just picked up his three small children in a cargo bike decorated with elephants. “It’s a common saying among doctors that the best patient is the patient you never see. Anything we can do to get less pollution and less traffic is going to mean healthier, maybe happier, people.”

In Denmark, thanks to measures like the superhighway, commuters choose bicycles because they are the fastest and most convenient transportation option. “It’s not because the Danes are more environmentally friendly,” said Gil Penalosa, executive director of 8-80 Cities, a Canadian organization that works to make cities healthier. “It’s not because they eat something different at breakfast.”

Lars Gemzo, a partner at Gehl Architects, said that within Copenhagen, biking was already the best option for many kinds of trips. “If you want to drive a car for a medium distance, you know you are a fool,” he said. “You are going to waste time.”

Danish statistics show that every 6 miles biked instead of driven saves 3 1/2 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and 9 cents in health care costs. But many cite happiness among the chief benefits of bicycle commuting.

“When you have been biking for 30 minutes, you have a really good feeling about yourself,” said Henrik Dam Kristensen, the minister for transport, who supports the superhighways. “You really enjoy a glass of wine because you’ve earned it.”

Frits Bredal, the head of communications at the Danish Cyclists’ Federation, cautioned that the superhighways were not perfect. “Ideally, there would be no red lights, there would be a perfect pavement, no holes, no obstacles, a real highway,” Mr. Bredal said.

Several biking innovations are being tested in Copenhagen. Some, like footrests and “green wave” technology, which times traffic lights at rush hour to suit bikers, have already been put into place on the superhighway. Others, like garbage cans tilted at an angle for easy access and “conversation” lanes, where two people can ride side by side and talk, might show up on long-distance routes in the future.

Superhighway users can also look forward to some variation on the “karma campaign,” now under way in Copenhagen, in which city employees take to the streets with boxes of chocolate to reward cyclists who adhere to the five rules of cycling: be nice, signal, stay to the right, overtake carefully and, rather than let bicycle bells irritate you, do your best to appreciate them.

The next superhighway will link Copenhagen with the municipality of Fureso, to the northwest. There, the existing bike path takes riders through a beautiful forest that is, unfortunately, very dark at night.

Last winter, to comply with superhighway standards, Fureso tested solar-powered lighting. “People were so happy about it,” said Lene Hartmann, Fureso’s climate project leader. “One rider said, ‘We feel like the trolls are taking care of us.’ ”

Several years ago, a Fureso resident, Karsten Bruun Hansen, started a “bike bus,” in which cyclists meet and commute together, taking turns blocking the wind. (Inspired by Mr. Hansen’s idea, the municipality also created a bike bus for children to ride to school together.)

Mr. Hansen, who estimates that he personally saves a ton of carbon dioxide every year, hopes that the superhighway will encourage more people to ride their bikes. “It’s unavoidable to commute to work,” Mr. Hansen said. “This way, you are using the time doing something fun.”

Ole Bondo Christensen, Fureso’s mayor, is also looking forward to the improvements that the superhighway will bring. Mr. Christensen, who does not own a car, bikes nearly four miles to work every day. “It’s my way to clear my brain,” he said. “Sometimes I get new ideas.”

This summer, after the rest of the solar-powered lights are installed, Fureso’s section of the road will be superhighway-ready.

“Now, the wind should always be at your back,” Mr. Christensen said with a smile. “We are working on that.”

vinodgopal

August 2nd, 2012, 04:09 PM

Instead of building so many roads and being stuck in traffic, we should think of innovative mechanisms.

“Now, the wind should always be at your back,” Mr. Christensen said with a smile. “We are working on that.”

In Chennai bicycles will be a failure. Cus we wont get cheap drivers to drive us places [;)]

kannan infratech

August 2nd, 2012, 04:23 PM

CM

Only title a mattum Quote pannina porum. Full message repeat panna vendam.

jaish

August 2nd, 2012, 07:00 PM

Very soon the whole world would return to carry out physical work. That is what is order of the nature. How many years half of world population can sit and eat other man's hardwork just by throwing few bucks?

Arasu

August 3rd, 2012, 03:21 AM

Jaya sanctions 9 all-terrain vehicles for policing beaches (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3716395.ece)

ஸ்ருதி மரணத்திற்குக் காரணமானோர் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை-ஜெயலலிதா (http://tamil.oneindia.in/news/2012/07/26/tamilnadu-jaya-condoles-shruthi-s-death-assures-strict-action-158427.html)

The problem with our governance is too much of centralisation.

If an official is to be punished for dereliction of duty, the CM issues a statement. If they buy a vehicle for cleaning the beach or even a toilet, the CM comes out with a statement.

Whether they build an airport or a bridge, the PM is invited to open them.
This nonsense of too much centralisation of power and letting other institutions rot is the reason for the general rot in our society.

kongutamizhan

August 3rd, 2012, 03:39 AM

The problem with our governance is too much of centralisation.

If an official is to be punished for dereliction of duty, the CM issues a statement. If they buy a vehicle for cleaning the beach or even a toilet, the CM comes out with a statement.

Whether they build an airport or a bridge, the PM is invited to open them.
This nonsense of too much centralisation of power and letting other institutions rot is the reason for the general rot in our society.

Oru buildupu than, anyways something (un)related :)

A nice narration about 2 separate incidents

நெல்லை ஜெபமணி என்றொரு தலைவர் ஒருமுறை தி.மு.க வினரின் மேடைப்பேச்சை எள்ளிப் பேசினாராம். ஒரு பத்தடிப் பாலம் கட்டிடுவான், பகட்டா ஒரு மேடை போட்டு கூட்டம் கூட்டி “இந்தப் பாலம் இக்கரையையும் அக்கரையையும் இணைப்பதற்காக கட்டப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. (பின்னே துண்டிக்கவா பாலம் கட்டுவான்!) இதிலே ஆடுகள் செல்லலாம், மாடுகள் செல்லலாம், மனிதர்கள் செல்லலாம், வாகனங்கள் செல்லலாம். (இவங்கள்ளாம் போக வரத்தானேய்யா பாலம் கட்றே.. சொல்லி வேற காட்றே!) இதைக் கட்ட அயராது பாடுபட்ட MLA அவர்களுக்கும், அவர் கேட்டதும் அனுமதியை வழங்கிய அமைச்சர் பெருமகனாருக்கும் பாராட்டுதல்களை தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.” (இது கடமை. இதச் செய்யத்தான் MLA, மந்திரி எல்லாம். பாராட்டு என்னத்துக்கு கொள்ளை போகுது.) அடைப்புக் குறிக்குள் தரப்பட்டிருப்பது ஜெபமணியாரின் கமெண்ட்.

ஆனால் காமராசர் வைகை அணையைத் திறந்து வைத்துப் பேசியது வெகுசில சொற்களே. “வெவசாயத்துக்கு வேணுங்கிறப்ப தண்ணி விட்ரதுக்கு தான் இந்த அணைக்கட்டு கட்டிருக்கோம். பாத்து அடிச்சுகிறாம வெவசாயம் பண்ணுங்கய்யா”. இவ்வளவு தான் பேசினாராம்.

kongutamizhan

August 3rd, 2012, 04:43 AM

In Chennai bicycles will be a failure. Cus we wont get cheap drivers to drive us places [;)]

cycle (http://gnani.net/%E0%AE%A8%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B3%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BE/). good timing

Another case for longevity of the products of pre-globalized era :)

அந்த காலத்தில் சைக்கிள் எத்தனை வருடமாக உழைக்கிறது என்பது முக்கியமான விஷயம். தாத்தாவின் சைக்கிளைப் பேரன் பயன்படுத்துகிறான் என்று ஹெர்குலஸ் விளம்பரத்திலேயே சொல்லப்படும். எண்பதுகளில் இந்த விளம்பர உத்தி மாற ஆரம்பித்தது. இப்ப இந்த மாடல் சைக்கிள்தான் ஃபேஷன் என்று விளம்பரங்கள் சொல்லத் தொடங்கின. நீடித்த உழைப்பைப் பற்றி சொல்வதை விட்டுவிட்டார்கள். இது சைக்கிளுக்கு மட்டுமல்ல, இதர அன்றாட சாதனங்களுக்கும் , நீடித்த உழைப்பு, தரம் முதலிய அம்சங்கள் கைவிடப்பட்டு ஸ்டைல், லுக், உபயோகிப்பதில் இருக்கும் வசதி போன்ற அம்சங்கள் முன் நிறுத்தப்பட்டன

memoirs :)

வாடகை சைக்கிள் கடைகளில் எப்போதும் கிராக்கியாக இருப்பது சிறுவர்களின் விருப்பமான மினி சைக்கிள்தான். சைக்கிள் என்ற வாகனம் ஒன்றைத்தான் குழந்தை பருவம் முதல் முதிர்ந்த வயது வரை வெவ்வேறு வயதுக்கேற்ற வடிவில் பெற்றுப் பழகலாம். மூன்று சக்கர சைக்கிளில் தொடங்கி மினி சைக்கிளுக்கு வந்து பின் பார் இல்லாத லேடீஸ் சைக்கிளில் பழகி அடுத்து பாருள்ள சைக்கிளில் குரங்கு பெடல் அடித்து பின் முழுமையான சைக்கிள் ஓட்டியாக பட்டம் பெறலாம்.

And finally non existant bike paths is a serious issue

சைக்கிள் ஓட்டுபவரையோ நடப்பவரையோ பற்றி நகர நிர்வாகங்கள் யோசிப்பதும் இல்லை. கவலைப்படுவதும் இல்லை. அவ்வப்போது இவை பற்றி ஒரு சில அதிகாரிகள் பேசுகிறார்கள். அதுவும் பேச்சோடு போய்விடுகிறது

மேற்கத்திய நாடுகளிலிருந்து குறிப்பாக ஐரோப்பாவிலிருந்து நாம் கற்கவேண்டியதில் முக்கியமானது சைக்கிள் கலாசாரம். நம்மிடம் இருந்து நாம் இழந்த கலாசாரம் அது.

krishnaswamy

August 3rd, 2012, 05:04 AM

I live in a city, where exclusive cycle tracks are there.
space is a constraint in India. But it is not the excuse to punish pedestrians, cyclists.

rapuramuser

August 3rd, 2012, 06:18 AM

I live in a city, where exclusive cycle tracks are there.
space is a constraint in India. But it is not the excuse to punish pedestrians, cyclists.

Our planners have prioritized automobiles over pedestrians and cyclists. In our roads, the guy with the bigger vehicle wins over the smaller man. Our city planners should understand that we have more pedestrians than cars. Our commute mechanisms should be different. I cannot cross TTK road on any day on foot. I ask my driver to bring the car to my side so that I can get in.

I dont believe in a neutral government where we let the forces design their own rules. Unfortunately, the big always wins in these scenarios. This is not a neutral playground. The government should actively promote a progressive world view on citizenry. Whether it is Mayor Bloomberg regulating soda sizes / transfat, lee kwan taxing cars, JJ / MMS should push for mechanisms for hygeine, sanitation, urban development, transportation, education etc. that will help the majority of citizenry and society at large

The danish government is actively promoting a better lifestyle. I am sure the auto industry is fuming.

sanjaysan

August 3rd, 2012, 08:41 AM

[QUOTE=Arasu;93848079]The problem with our governance is too much of centralisation.

+1 Sir.. At times I feel that Amma acts like a ventriloquist\Puppeteer with all her allakais under her power :nuts:..Delegation of power to the right person will solve n number of issues..

jaish

August 3rd, 2012, 09:01 AM

Boris Johnson Mayor of london, Talks against even PM and decides whether metro is required or not. But here our Mayor can't even go to toilet without asking our CM. Only Power CM has got is to write letter. All portrays picture of begger sitting in power corridor. I dont we are wasting so much of money to elect a person who has got power only to write letter.

saysenthil

August 3rd, 2012, 01:00 PM

Chennai project declared winner of Environment Day Challenge (http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/chennai-project-declared-winner-of-environment-day-challenge-250928)

A Chennai-based development organisation is among the five winners of this year's World Environment Day Challenge organised by the UN for inspiring environmental action.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) had challenged people across the world to pledge an environmental activity in connection with this year's World Environment Day, which was observed on June 5.

"Today we celebrate five inspiring projects, submitted for the World Environment Day 2012 challenge, that illuminate the pathway to a transition to a green economy," UNEP's Executive Director Achim Steiner said.

Among the winners is a Chennai-based development organisation 'Hand in Hand India'.
It brought together over 500 volunteers to create a colourful 10,000 square foot rangoli carpet depicting 10 environmental themes.

Bong-Connect

August 4th, 2012, 03:44 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz7fP53m5Ck

If he had not "died" at the close of WWII, Subhas Chandra Bose could have become the leader of free India instead of Jawaharlal Nehru. But die did he really, Bose? For the last six decades, ever since the British disbelieved the Japanese announcement of their ally's death in an air crash in Taipei and an American correspondent saw him alive in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) days afterwards, India's longest-running controversy has been raging almost non-stop.

Was Netaji a victim of political intrigue by the powers that be? Was the Japanese news just a smokescreen for Bose's escape to the USSR? What does one make of his numerous sightings, the talk of his having been declared a war criminal and the surreal claim that he was working behind the scenes right up to the 1980s?

India's Biggest cover-up investigates the "Bose mystery" - a term coined by a wartime British investigator and its stranger than fiction subplots like never before. Relying on official records, archival material, wide-ranging interviews and information obtained under the freedom of information acts from across the world, the book uncovers a systematic obstruction of justice by the Indian establishment in post-Independence period.

Author Anuj Dhar has spent the last one decade in trying to crack the case mainstream researchers and historians have been wary of touching. In the course of his efforts,Dhar obtained information from the Taiwan government ruling out the air crash which had supposedly killed Bose. In a previous book Dhar reached conclusions which were later upheld by a former Supreme Court judge tasked with investigating the matter afresh. In his new book, Dhar piles up freshly unearthed facts and insights further invalidating the air crash theory, supporting the line that Bose escaped towards the former Soviet Union with the Japanese help and pointing up a most interesting "Dead Man" angle.

Augmented by over 200 images of which nearly 90 are of still secret records - India's Biggest cover-up runs you through 1945 to 2012 developments before outlining measures, including declassification of all Bose-related records, to incontestably resolve the mystery. All along, the book:

Takes you through the wartime inquests and their findings that the Japanese version was untrustworthy.

Contrasts the Bose issue with the Wallenberg case; demonstrates belatedly taking up the matter with Russia from 1991 onwards does not inspire confidence and dismisses Indian government's secret assessment that it can't ask the Russians about KGB records on Bose.

Furnishes legally tenable evidence of foul play. For example, how the Intelligence Bureau in Nehru years doctored a vital document to support the official line.

Throws light on the inglorious role played by Pranab Mukherjee, the most formidable proponent of the air crash theory in India today.
Relates the story of Netaji's supposed ashes and how the Government secretly started paying for their upkeep in a Japanese temple at the counsel of MEA official KR Narayanan, later the President of India.

Recounts the secret tale of the loot of INA treasure by Bose's former aides and a British officer who later became a renowned oriental art expert.
Enumerates a number of "conspiracy theories" - like that of an abortive military coup in the 1960s with linkages to "dead" Bose - and implores why they must be contained in India's interest.

Explains why Bose's loyal aide Habibur Rahman Khan, who died after serving as the additional defence secretary of Pakistan, could have given out a false story.

Revisits the intriguing Chinese angle to the Bose mystery that the researchers have chosen to brush under the carpet.

Elucidates how a Harvard University don, a Bose family member with links to the Congress party has falsified facts and distorted perspectives in his much hyped book to back the government line on Subhas's fate.

India's biggest cover-up dwells at length on the curious case of Bhagwanji, a cigar chomping holy man - who called himself "Dead Man", was never seen in public but was believed to be Bose by many of his staunch followers. It explodes the myth that the negative DNA and handwriting tests carried disapproved that Bhagwanji was not Bose. You will now learn about a forensic fraud under the aegis of the Government. The book even tells you of Dead Man's imagination defying claims like he secretly participated in the Vietnam war and assertion that his coming out would spell troubles for India. A picture showing a Netaji lookalike during the armistice talks between the US and Vietnam in Paris has been included in the book to make your jaw drop.

The Books available at: Amazon,Infibeam,Vitasta, Book Shop Of India,Flipkart

Here are a few links to the earth shaking book for buying:-
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008CDVRWW
http://www.facebook.com/IndiasBiggestCoverUp

Mailer's Note

"India's Biggest Cover-UP" written by ex-journalist Anuj Dhar - a thrilling historical saga giving India lovers first time peep into the hitherto unknown and dark alleys surrounding Netaji and INA. We have much left to do before the demand of declassification can be made at national level. This is one rare book that no Indian should keep away from - We, the people of India owes to our past and to seek truth so that Indian freedom history is written in a dignified balanced manner giving due respect to freedom fighters irrespective of the different paths tread.

Please circulate this info to your friends and families so that Indians come to know of India's Biggest cover -up that slowly gets uncovered in course of time. Finally, it is truth and truth alone that prevails.
Gautam

There are a few info rich websites exclusively fighting for the quest of propagating truth on Netaji. Here are couple of the links

http://missionnetaji.org
http://subhaschandrabose.org

http://quest4truth-on-netaji.blogspot.in

kannan infratech

August 4th, 2012, 10:07 AM

^^^^

I grew up living among the Forward Bloc members (mostly Thevar community in Tamil Nadu) and I have been told legendary tales about Netaji.

His end was full of conspiracy theories which was beyond my comprehension.

Recently I had read some articles on Masons (Post Da Vinci Code) and I was surprised that they were also responsible for anointing J.Nehru as PM of Free India. Indirectly all the opposition / hurdles for the same were removed by them.

Still hard to believe. One more theory. :)

proprashanth

August 4th, 2012, 10:26 PM

don't know much about nehru mama.. but i feel India could have been a much better country if there wasn't any dynasty politics..

rapuramuser

August 5th, 2012, 09:22 AM

Another case for longevity of the products of pre-globalized era :)

memoirs :)

And finally non existant bike paths is a serious issue[/QUOTE]

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3729583.ece

Dedicated cycle tracks coming soon

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways preparing specifications
As in some foreign countries, bicycles may soon become an intrinsic part of lifestyle in the country. That is because roads will now come with separate bicycles tracks.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has decided to make it mandatory to provide separate lanes for cyclists much as paved shoulders for pedestrians.

The rising number of deaths of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists has woken the Government out of its slumber compelling it to force the issue with the authorities concerned and push them to abide by the road standards specified by the Indian Road Congress (IRC), a body comprising engineers belonging to the Union and State governments, and approved by the Planning Commission.

In 2011, more than 1.42 lakh people died in road accidents and 68 per cent of fatalities were victims from these categories of people. The only way forward is to take tough decisions and direct the road users to abide by the directives which the MoRTH has decided to issue shortly.

The MoRTH is preparing technical specifications based on guidelines for designing elevated zebra crossings, road intersections, signages and cycle tracks. Design and specifications are being prepared for having such a buffer zone and the number of riders to cater to.

It is perhaps the first time in over 60 years after 1962 that urban road planning is being undertaken to address the entire magnitude of the problem as one whole component — it is an exercise where the government is evolving standards from scratch, so to say.

These will apply for all roads — rural, municipal, district, State, and national highways. All new road projects will have to conform to IRC standards.The engineering design will have to adhere to the technical specifications by the rural development departments, which construct the rural roads, municipal corporations for urban roads, the road construction departments in the State for the district and State roads, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for national highways.

Officials admitted that the construction cost of roads will shoot up — which is now about Rs. 3 crore per km.

The smaller cities and rural areas, where fatalities have shot up, will benefit the most as they provide better scope for construction of wider roads with separate cycle tracks and paved shoulders.

The problem will be in the urban areas, particularly the metros, where retrofitting the cycle tracks on roads already burdened by heavy traffic will pose a challenge. Needless to say, widening the roads for the purpose too is a near impossibility.

The MoRTH, however, has decided to make it mandatory for the bigger cities to retrofit new features, including a separate lane for cycles.

As in some foreign countries, bicycles may soon become intrinsic part of lifestyle here

Rising pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist deaths have woken Government out of its slumber

deepaksubramaniyan

August 6th, 2012, 07:24 AM

Hi guys,

Requesting you to help me out with my below request.

Aug 14th we have planned for a family trip to goa. Infact we would be spending 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th morning session there. Goa is too fresh for each one of us. That too there are lots of elders (including iyer thata, paati) in our family. We do not have problems for accommodation as it has been arranged already.

Requesting you to guide our plans and suggest important places to visit if someone here is aware of Goa. Since i couldn't find Goa forum, I am writing it here.

It would be helpful if somebody could guide our plans on day to day basis.

robertashok

August 6th, 2012, 07:37 AM

Is there any plan in Metro/Mono/Bus to take cycles

kannan infratech

August 6th, 2012, 11:54 AM

Hi,http://www.goaholidayhomes.com/places-to-visit-in-goa.php

Pl see my PM

Kannan

Hi guys,

Requesting you to help me out with my below request.

Aug 14th we have planned for a family trip to goa. Infact we would be spending 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th morning session there. Goa is too fresh for each one of us. That too there are lots of elders (including iyer thata, paati) in our family. We do not have problems for accommodation as it has been arranged already.

Requesting you to guide our plans and suggest important places to visit if someone here is aware of Goa. Since i couldn't find Goa forum, I am writing it here.

It would be helpful if somebody could guide our plans on day to day basis.

vijayvmail

August 7th, 2012, 08:38 AM

சென்னை : சென்னை விரிவாக்கப் பகுதிகளை மேம்படுத்தும் வகையில், பெருநகர வளர்ச்சித் திட்டத்தின்படி (மெகா சிட்டி), இரண்டாம் கட்ட பணிக்கு மாநகராட்சி தயாராகி வருகிறது. மாநகராட்சிக்கு, இந்த ஆண்டு கூடுதல் நிதி கிடைக்கும் என தெரிகிறது. சென்னை மாநகராட்சி விரிவாக்கம் செய்யப்பட்ட எட்டு மண்டலங்களிலும், போதிய கட்டமைப்பு வசதிகள் இல்லை. மக்களின் எதிர்பார்ப்பை நிறைவேற்றும் வகையில், "சென்னை பெருநகர வளர்ச்சித் திட்டம்' (மெகா சிட்டி) ஒன்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதன்படி, விரிவாக்க பகுதிகளில், சாலை, மழை நீர் கால்வாய், தெரு விளக்கு, நடை பாதை, பஸ் நிழற்குடைகள், வழி காட்டும் பெயர் பலகைகள் அனைத்தும், ஒருங்கிணைந்த வகையில் மேற்கொள்ளவும் மாநகராட்சிக்கு வலியுறுத்தியது. கூடுதல் நிதி கடந்த ஆண்டில், இத்திட்டத்தின் கீழ், மாநில அரசு, 500 கோடி ரூபாயை ஒதுக்கியது.இந்நிலையில், சென்னை பெருநகர் வளர்ச்சித் திட்டத்தின் கீழ், 2012-13ம் ஆண்டுக்கும், 500 கோடி ரூபாய் ஒதுக்கீடு செய்யப்படும் என அரசு அறிவித்துள்ளது.அரசாணை சென்னைக் குடி நீர் வாரியம், திட்டப் பணிகளை விரைந்து முடிப்பதில் பல்வேறு சிக்கல்கள் இருந்து வருவதால், கடந்த ஆண்டு ஒதுக்கீடு செய்த தொகையை விட, குறைவானதே போதும் என்ற நிலைக்கு வந்துள்ளது. இதன் காரணமாக, சென்னை மாநகராட்சிக்கு, இத்திட்டத்தின் கீழ், நடப்பு ஆண்டிற்கு, கடந்த ஆண்டை விட கூடுதல் நிதி கிடைக்கும் என எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது. மாநகராட்சி அதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறும்போது, ""மெகா சிட்டி திட்டத்தின் கீழ், கடந்த ஆண்டை விட கூடுதல் நிதி கிடைக்கும். இதற்கான அரசாணை விரைவில் வெளியாக உள்ளது. ஏற்கனவே, மாநகராட்சி விரிவாக்கப் பகுதிகளில், ஒருங்கிணைந்த பணிகளை துவக்கியுள்ளது. அதன் இணைப்பாக, இரண்டாம் கட்ட பணிக்கும் ஒப்பந்தம் கோரப்பட்டு, தாமதமின்றி பணிகளை துவக்க மாநகராட்சி தயாராகி வருகிறது,'' என்றார்.

Source: dinamalar, chennai edition, dated 07-Aug-2012 (http://www.dinamalar.com/district_detail.asp?id=523863)

Translation:
- Chennai corporation is gearing up for the second phase of Chennai mega city plan involving the upgradation of the newly expanded areas.
- The 8 new zones added into Chennai city do not have basic facilities
- In order to upgrade the facilities, government undertook the Chennai Mega City plan under which roads, water, sewage, electricity, foot paths, bus stops etc are taken up in an integrated manner
- Last year, aorund Rs 500 crores was allocated for this.

- Due to several obstacles in implementing the works rapidly, especially with metro water, even lesser amount than last year is sufficient for 2012-13
- Due to this reason, it is expected that, the allocation this year will be more than last year (??? the two points seem contradictory)

- According to one official, "we're expecting more funds this year. Integrated implementations will start soon without delay"

vijayvmail

August 7th, 2012, 08:47 AM

TOI Checks Pace Of Work In Perungudi, One Of The Suburbs Newly Included In Chennai Corporation, Under The Mega City Development MissionPratiksha Ramkumar | TNN

After decades of driving over mounds of hardened mud and gravel, people in Perungudi finally have hope in sight. Road work under the Mega City Development Mission is progressing at a fast pace in the locality and residents are looking forward to driving on concrete-topped roads within a few months.
However, the contractors have messed up Chennai Corporation’s plan to relay roads with the involvement of all utilities and civic agencies to prevent the new thoroughfares from being dug up in future.
Officials and residents say contractors finished laying bitumen on top of more than half of the 23 roads that are being relaid in the zone before work can begin on storm water drains and utility ducts. Corporation officials said all contractors were given clear instructions on how the work should be done, but contractors in Perungudi clearly ignored the specified procedure.
The same contractors will, in all probability, soon have to dig up the edges of the newlylaid roads for storm water drains and to lay ducts for cables and water pipelines.
But the residents are not complaining. They are just relieved that they are finally getting roads that will be a pleasure to drive on. Corporation officials, too, say the fast progress of the work has given immediate relief to hundreds of people.
Some contractors justified their decision to black-top the roads. “If we don’t begin road work before utilities complete their job, we could fall behind on targeted dates for completion of the project. At least now residents can drive more comfortably than they used to,” a contractor said.
Residents seem to agree. “People have started taking morning walks again after several years,” said Indira Rajagopal, a resident of Nehru Nagar. “I hope the roads are not going to be destroyed by storm water drain construction.” Road laying work is complete on all 15 roads in Nehru Nagar.
The eight other avenues that will be relaid in Perungudi under the Mega City Development project are crucial link roads including Erikkarai Road, Panchayat Main Road, Corporation Road, Kamaraj Nagar Road and Burial Ground Road. “We decided to focus on approach roads which residents have to use to get to the main road,” a official said.
However, work on these roads, near the IT Corridor, is yet to begin. Metrowater seems to be the villain of the piece. “The water board has to lay pipelines, which it is doing but at a very slow pace,” another official said.
Perungudi, a small village on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, came into focus with the IT boom. Its residents had to commute on waterlogged, bumpy roads, accompanied by the smell of sewage.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOICH/2012/08/07/5/Img/Pc0050700.jpg

Source: The TOI, Chennai edition, dated 07-Aug-2012 (print & e-paper)

"But the residents are not complaining. They are just relieved that they are finally getting roads that will be a pleasure to drive on. Corporation officials, too, say the fast progress of the work has given immediate relief to hundreds of people."

I can understand the resident's views. But this is also a big problem. Everyone - government, contractors, public... want the immediate problems to be fixed.
No one cares about the long term solutions. Without the matro water / sewage pipes in places, how long do they think these roads are going to last?
Metro water has a dubious distinction of identifying those freshly laid road and digging them immediately afterwards.
And not one agency, has the habit of properly closing the pits and re-laying.
Now that the roads are laid, if they're dug up soon, no one's going to re-lay it for another 1 year at least. So, within one month, everyone's back to square one :bash:. And once again, roads laid without footpaths or anything. What happened to the 'international norms' speed breakbreaker initiative. Is anyone ensuring that in these newly topped roads?

PremChn

August 7th, 2012, 08:26 PM

What happened to the renovation work carried out in Victoria Public Hall near Central?

Is the building opened to Public?

rskarthik2k3

August 8th, 2012, 09:04 AM

Source: The TOI, Chennai edition, dated 07-Aug-2012 (print & e-paper)

"But the residents are not complaining. They are just relieved that they are finally getting roads that will be a pleasure to drive on. Corporation officials, too, say the fast progress of the work has given immediate relief to hundreds of people."

I can understand the resident's views. But this is also a big problem. Everyone - government, contractors, public... want the immediate problems to be fixed.
No one cares about the long term solutions. Without the matro water / sewage pipes in places, how long do they think these roads are going to last?
Metro water has a dubious distinction of identifying those freshly laid road and digging them immediately afterwards.
And not one agency, has the habit of properly closing the pits and re-laying.
Now that the roads are laid, if they're dug up soon, no one's going to re-lay it for another 1 year at least. So, within one month, everyone's back to square one :bash:. And once again, roads laid without footpaths or anything. What happened to the 'international norms' speed breakbreaker initiative. Is anyone ensuring that in these newly topped roads?
Even in my area - Nanganallur that comes under Zone XII (Alandur), Corporation is relaying the roads under the road development project at reasonably good pace.

Since our area already has the underground sewage system, they are executing road laying works in groups of 8-10 streets every week and completing them. One greay area is, after road is laid, they are taking up the storm water drain stregnthening for which they again touch the newly liad road margins :-(

ranga

August 8th, 2012, 03:19 PM

Big Cheers
TN consumers quaff almost 50% more beer this summer
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-others/tp-states/article3739407.ece
Consumers in Tamil Nadu guzzled more beer this summer. Going by the beer consumption statistics in the State, during the peak summer months of April, May and June, Tamil Nadu quaffed nearly 45 per cent more beer compared with the same period last year.

According to sources in Tasmac (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd), in the second quarter of the calendar year, the State Government-run marketing company sold over 1.02 crore cases of beer (12 bottles of 650 ml comprise a case), a growth of 45 per cent over the previous year’s figure of close to 71 lakh cases. The growth was 80 per cent in April, 40 per cent in May and 25 per cent in June over the same months last year.

However, Tamil Nadu’s beer consumption pales in comparison with Andhra Pradesh’s beer intake: the State consumed 1.18 crore cases during the peak summer months.

In the IMFL (Indian made foreign liquor) segment too, sales grew by 6 per cent during the period. With 142.42 lakh cases (each case contains 9 litres) consumed during the three-month period, Tamil Nadu is the largest consumer of IMFL in the South. It is followed by Karnataka with 122 lakh cases and then by Andhra Pradesh, which consumed 97 lakh cases during the period.

During 2011-12, Tamil Nadu consumed 536 lakh cases (12 per cent growth over the previous year) against 494 lakh cases consumed by the neighbouring Karnataka and 427 lakh cases by Andhra Pradesh.

rapuramuser

August 8th, 2012, 03:53 PM

vinodgopal

August 8th, 2012, 08:46 PM

rapuramuser

August 9th, 2012, 08:48 PM

More on biking as an inter-city commute mechanism. I am almost finding it impossible to commute in this city these days. I need to become a monster when I drive my car. Our GDP cannot double in this fashion.

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/08/09/the-worlds-most-popular-way-to-get-around/?iid=HP_River

The world's most popular way to get around
August 9, 2012: 7:43 AM ET

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Hint: It isn't the automobile. Question is, despite the rise of bike sharing, will bicycling ever really take off in America?
By Anne VanderMey, reporter
FORTUNE -- In the Netherlands, there is such as thing as the bicycle school bus, a 12-person rig that children can pedal while an adult steers them to school. In Japan, cyclists deposit their bikes into curbside machines that subsume them into robotically enabled underground parking structures. In China, the government has made the development of electronic bikes -- bicycles with built-in mechanical assist -- a national priority. In America, however, it's not unheard of for people to drive to the end of their driveway to get the mail.
The bicycle is the world's most popular form of transit. There were an estimated 133 million bikes produced and sold to retailers last year, says industry analyst Jay Townley. That's more than double the number of cars manufactured worldwide in 2011, and a 500% increase from 50 years ago. Now, a new wave of bicycle evangelists -- and, increasingly, pragmatic municipal governments -- are trying to push those numbers even higher.
Over the last five years, major cities around the world have discovered a new, and fervent love for two-wheeled transport. Paul DeMaio, founder of the bike consultancy MetroBike, says the number of bike share programs worldwide has exploded -- from 60 in 2007 to nearly 450 today. It's not hard to see why. In the face of increasing urban problems like smog-spewing congestion, high obesity rates, and overtaxed infrastructure, biking is an obvious solution. In Paris, the publicly supported bike share system has more than 20,000 cycles. In London, it's about 8,000. In China, Hangzhou reports 60,600 and Wuhan claims a whopping 70,000, a world record.
MORE: Pushing pedals from Tokyo to Tel Aviv
The United States, home to 30% of the world's autos and just 5% of its people, has been historically unfriendly to cycling. But today even American cities may be coming along for the ride. New York City is planning to introduce a major bike sharing system this summer, though software glitches may delay the launch until next year. When it does rollout, it will be country's largest such program -- by a factor of six.
Whether this model of bike sharing has been an incredible success or a miserable failure depends on whom you ask. In Washington D.C., advocates of the hugely popular program Capital Bikeshare point to increased ridership rates throughout the city. A Capital Bikeshare survey also found that members got more exercise, traveled five million fewer miles by car, and saved some $15 million on their transportation last year.
On the other side, critics point to the disproportionately white and educated Capital Bikeshare ridership as evidence that the system is a regressive use of public funding. They argue taxpayer dollars should benefit the neediest, not the wealthy and fit. In New York, where motorists and bikers are wage daily war over who owns the road, bike share opponents complain that the new, 10,000-bike system amounts to a giveaway of precious New York City street space to a fashionable niche interest.
Most of the world's bike sharing systems actually lose money, often to the tune of several million per year depending on the size of the program. Much of that cash is government funds. Advocates say that the cost is offset by the addition of a new transportation service, reduced traffic congestion, and improved health. But the question remains: does bike sharing benefit enough of the public to justify the taxpayer dollars that must be poured into it? And if not, who should pay?
MORE: Google's zero-carbon quest
In addition to substantial startup expenses, average maintenance and operating costs for a bike share bike run about $1,600 per year, though New York City says its will be lower, at $1,200 per unit. There are a few established ways of covering that cost: One is public funding. D.C.'s Capital Bikeshare, for example, uses a mix of member fees and government aid. (It's government-owned and privately operated.) Another model is advertiser funding. Paris's Velib program is run by the advertising agency JCDecaux, which in turn receives a concession for advertising in the city and a share of revenue. Some cities—such as Berlin—bring in for-profit companies' to operate the system. Others, like Boston's New Balance Hubway, are wholly owned and operated by the government, and still others function like non-profits. A recent report [http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/1029-public-bikesharing-understanding-early-operators-users.pdf] found that 58% of large modern systems in the U.S. (including Denver, Minneapolis and Madison) use the non-profit model.
New York City's bike share system will be a hybrid of existing models. Alta Bicycle Share, which runs a handful of systems in major cities, will work with New York officials to run the program, and will split any profits with the government. Zero tax dollars will be used during the project, which should placate the system's more vehement critics. Instead, advertisers Citigroup and MasterCard will cover setup and operating costs. Citigroup has committed $41 million to the system, in exchange for branding it "Citi Bike." MasterCard is chipping in $6.5 million to help set up the stations' payment systems, and its logo will adorn the stations' kiosks.
Although New York's system won't be a model all cities can mimic (advertising in the Big Apple is more lucrative than it is elsewhere), its financial success will likely play a big factor in deciding how – and if – future bike share programs in the U.S. are rolled out. That means Citi Bike could have a real impact the transportation culture of American cities. Bike advocates hope that the influx of 10,000 public bicycles in New York not only improves transportation (particularly in terms of the door-to-door service not offered by most public transit), but will fundamentally change the way New Yorkers get around. In Paris, the first year bike share was introduced, ridership in the city increased 70%. Bike share consultant Paul DeMaio, said that after the introduction of the bike share system, the city "all of a sudden, pretty much overnight, became bike friendly."
MORE: Google's zero-carbon quest
Widespread bike sharing, advocates argue, will encourage cultural strides toward making biking approachable – dispelling the intimidating image of urban biker as a nylon-clad athlete, weaving in and out of traffic. In a city where biking is de rigueur, cars are more attuned to cyclists, and cyclists are more tuned in to traffic laws. Once they achieve a "critical mass," to quote the so-named once-monthly bike activist outing, bikes become part of the fabric of urban transport. Though it seems counterintuitive, studies have shown that increased bike ridership actually leads to increased bike safety.
Biking in the U.S. is on the rise, but there are few if any major metros where biking is the norm. In the country's 70 largest cities, bicycle commuting has risen 63% in the last decade according to the League of American Cyclists. But whereas some 30% of people bike to work in the Netherlands, and close to 50% do in some Chinese cities, just 1% of urban commuters use bikes in the United States. Tim Blumenthal, bike share champion and president of Bikes Belong, says that the "dream goal" for bike proponents is to that number to 5%.
"If 5% of the trips in big cities were made by bike, you'd notice a lot of changes," Blumenthal says. "Cities would be quieter. There would be less pollution. There would be less noise." Quality of life, he says, would generally improve, both for the bikers and average city dwellers.
To reach the 5% goal, many cyclists have pinned their hopes on bike share, which Blumenthal says must be paired with the introduction of safer and more comprehensive bike lanes, like the recent additions in Paris and New York. The coming year could be a watershed moment. On top of the estimated 15 major systems in operation in the U.S., about 17 more are planned this year – including additions in San Francisco, Baltimore and St. Petersburg, Fla. Los Angeles also recently unveiled a blueprint for a privately operated program. If all goes according to plan -- and New York's system finally comes online -- the next few years could spark a biking renaissance in the U.S. Or, of course, the spark could fizzle.
MORE: 19 incredible Apple secrets revealed in court
On a hot, sunny Saturday in June in Central Park, hundreds of New Yorkers turned out for a test run on the first two Citi Bike cycles, labeled #00001 and #00002. The city held some 150 meetings, demonstrations and events before the launch date was pushed back -- one of several such setbacks to plague large programs. Chattanooga, whose system uses the same software that reportedly has delayed New York's program, waited for its program for months. Chicago's, too, has been put off until next year. In the park, though, the cycles were polished and ready to ride. A steady stream of people took one for a whirl, mostly to good reviews. That's not to say they're fast or hip. At 42-pounds, they're aggressively utilitarian. And it takes a while to get going. Once they get a little momentum, though, it's a pretty smooth ride.

wlbkng

August 10th, 2012, 10:56 AM

A good initiative by Chennai Corporation.

I am not sure how many are aware of this..

You can raise a complaint online by specifying nature of complaint with its details. You can also upload a picture. What's more..., you can even track the status of complaint.

Members please give it a try and see if anything happens. Please post if there are any changes based on your complaint. Spread the word.

The link : http://210.212.62.123/pgr/indexpgr.jsp

saysenthil

August 10th, 2012, 12:01 PM

^^

wow.... cool.....

TFS Saravanan!

:cheers:

saysenthil

August 10th, 2012, 12:02 PM

Chennai looks at National Capital Region model for expansion (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Chennai-looks-at-National-Capital-Region-model-for-expansion/articleshow/15427215.cms)

The Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) is likely to expand by eight times - from 1,189 sq km to 8,878 sq km - as the regulatory body is inclined to extend its jurisdiction up to Arakkonam in Vellore district. Both Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts would also be part of the CMA if the government gives its nod.

At a seminar on regional planning perspectives, organized by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority here on Thursday to discuss its expansion plan, urban planners cautioned that unless a sustainable development model was adopted, there would be problems. Though the CMDA had another choice of expanding the jurisdiction to 4,459 sq km by culling out some taluks in the nearby districts, there aren't too many takers for it, it is learnt.

There are three major highways and two rail networks cutting across the proposed CMA jurisdiction and the planning agency plans to use them as major transit corridors.

The seminar debated issues that could crop up in the process of expanding the CMA. The expansion plan was first proposed in October 2011 and the government is yet to take a decision on it. Officials claim the expansion of CMA would decongest the city. The idea is copied from the National Capital Region, where unlike Chennai, more than one state is involved. "Here, instead of several states, several districts are being included," said an official.

Apart from CMDA officials, experts and senior urban planners from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad metropolitan authorities, Chennai Corporation and several other state government departments took part in the event. Chennai seeks to learn from the experiences of other cities that have already gone through the expansion process. Hyderabad completed the its expansion in 2008, extending the area from 1,860 sq km to 7,100 sq km. Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority covers 8,005 sq km. A senior CMDA official said, "Like people in many western countries, Chennaiites will also love to stay in the countryside and travel to downtown areas to work."

kongutamizhan

August 10th, 2012, 02:42 PM

KF phenayul beer bottle la vechu kudukaranga pola adhan ippidi kasakkudhu. thoo

Why CM? I like king fisher. KF il enna kurai kandeer?

Subra

August 10th, 2012, 04:43 PM

Vicvin86

August 10th, 2012, 04:49 PM

Taiwan at the most can open a trade office or something like that never a consulate as India never recognized Taiwan as a country...

iaafosc

August 10th, 2012, 05:18 PM

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/commentary/chinas-tactics-dont-work-on-india/536997#Scene_1

However, India has also thrown a jab in China’s direction from a diplomatic standpoint. The country is understood to have agreed to allow Taiwan to open a consulate in Chennai.

This can be considered a slap in the face for the Chinese because they have also requested permission to open a consulate in Chennai. The request has been pending for quite some time.

Diplomatic sources point out that India is no hurry to oblige China on its request for setting up a consulate in Chennai. In fact, India has suggested barter to the Chinese and conveyed to them that they can set up their consulate in Chennai provided India is allowed to reopen its consulate in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

The Chinese request for Chennai was made about six or seven months ago.

I doubt if India is being prudent in this aspect. They're hell bent on resuming their mission in Lhasa , while China has offered more than one alternative ( the most prominent one being Chengdu of the Schezwan province). One thing is for sure ,the Chinese are never going to yield to this particular wish of India . Hope this doesn't end in a stalemate as the only way forward is mutual co-operation and compromise .

iaafosc

August 10th, 2012, 05:23 PM

From China’s perspective, the Indian request for Lhasa is more or less as outlandish as Pakistan asking India’s permission to set up a consulate in Srinagar.

That about sums it up !!

kongutamizhan

August 10th, 2012, 05:34 PM

^^ Also equivalent to China asking for one in Arunachal Pradesh.

Vicvin86

August 10th, 2012, 05:45 PM

Pakistan and China will never ask for consulates in Kashmir and AP. Thats like accepting both territories are part of India. India never claimed Tibet and it has formally recognized Tibet a part of China.

ranga

August 10th, 2012, 05:46 PM

Taiwan at the most can open a trade office or something like that never a consulate as India never recognized Taiwan as a country...

Taiwan not recognised as a country by India????:nuts:What the hell is Taiwanese embassy doing in Delhi and their consulates in Mumbai and Kolkatta.
Taiwan Embassy in India

N-88, Panchsheel Park
New Delhi
110017
India
Phone:
+002-91-11-4607-7777
Fax:
+002-91-11-4107-2245
Email:
ind@mofa.gov.tw

View on Map

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taiwan General Consulate in Mumbai, India

9th Floor, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation
Nariman Point
Mumbai
400021
India
Phone:
+91-22-563-24303
+91-22-563-24304
+91-22-563-24305
+91-22-563-24306
Fax:
+91-22-563-24302
Email:
chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn

View on Map

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taiwan General Consulate in Kolkata, India

EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City
Kolkata
700064
India
Phone:
+0091-33-400-48169
Fax:
+0091-33-400-48168
Email:
chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn
BTW People's Republic of china intends to open a consulate in Bangaluru not Chennai

murlee

August 10th, 2012, 05:48 PM

BTW People's Republic of china intends to open a consulate in Bangaluru not Chennai

Nope.. They are trying for Chennai only..

I posted an article on this long back..

Vicvin86

August 10th, 2012, 05:52 PM

Iyo iyo
http://www.taiwanembassy.org/IN/mp.asp?mp=277

Its officially Taipei Economic and Cultural center in India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RC_%28Taiwan%29.png

India does not recognise Taiwan

ranga

August 10th, 2012, 05:52 PM

That about sums it up !!

If Pakistan Intends to open a consulate in srinagar then it is good news for us as pakistan finally concedes that kashmir is integral part of India.Tibet is autonomous part of China.With Dalailama taking refuge in India there is no chance of china allowing consulate in Lhasha

Vicvin86

August 10th, 2012, 05:53 PM

Taiwan not recognised as a country by India????:nuts:What the hell is Taiwanese embassy doing in Delhi and their consulates in Mumbai and Kolkatta.

This is 2012 not 1947. Welcome!

ranga

August 10th, 2012, 05:55 PM

Vicvin86

August 10th, 2012, 05:57 PM

You are wrong.India recognises Taiwan.
Yes before 1949 not now.. and this is 2012 not 1949

PremChn

August 12th, 2012, 06:15 PM

You can lodge all your complaints to CM cell online. No need to go to secretariat and wait in queue.

http://cmcell.tn.gov.in/index.php

Source: http://news.vikatan.com/?nid=9853#cmt241

saysenthil

August 13th, 2012, 11:00 AM

Dont know where else to put this news....

Commercial complexes to get a facelift

The Tamil Nadu Housing Board is in the process of demolishing commercial complexes that are in a dilapidated condition and rebuilding them. Several buildings have been identified and work has also com
menced at Seethammal Colony. Four complexes in Ashok Nagar are ready to be pulled down and redeveloped.

“As we have utilised minimum floor space index in the existing constructions, the new buildings would have more FSI. In effect, we would have more shops and commercial space to rent out. We will ensure that the new complexes will have ramps and user-friendly toilets for persons with disabilities,” said an official source in the Board.

The Board has also sought a list of such complexes from its engineers throughout the State so that they can also be redeveloped. “Most of these commercial complexes are at prime locations and therefore many tenants did not want to leave. They have asked that the shops be rented out to them again after the construction,” the official said.

Repair, patchwork and colour washing has already begun for buildings that are not in a dilapidated condition. Recently, the Old Tower block residential complex, the 9-storey building near Chamiers Road was colour washed. The new block would soon get a facelift. The building that houses the Chintamani Cooperative supermarket in Anna Nagar was also colour washed.

TNHB will construct a new commercial complex in 5.5 acres of land at Koyambedu. The land will be developed in public private partnership mode. Tenders will be opened on September 26. The Board is also in the process of developing a new residential complex on 3.45 acres of land in Ashok Nagar.

Source - The Hindu

saysenthil

August 13th, 2012, 11:02 AM

Four cops suspended for taking bribes from motorists

Four policemen from Kilpauk traffic investigation were suspended on Sunday for taking bribes from motorists.

A special police team, which made a surprise visit to Kilpauk, found Kilpauk traffic investigation inspector Alexander and head constables Saravanan, Palani and Shankar in possession of unaccounted cash of Rs 4,500.

The four were collecting spot fines from motorists who without licences and other documents. They were also penalising motorists for traffic violations like riding without helmet and riding triples.

Senior police officers said they had received complaints from motorists who said that traffic policemen in the area were collecting fines but not giving them receipts. The senior officers who caught the policemen taking bribes on Friday said they will continue to carry out surprise inspections.

Deputy commissioner V A Ravi Kumar told TOI that such raids were frequent across the city on regular basis and also on specific complaints.

"In a check at Gengu Reddy subway, we found four policemen with Rs 4,500 in cash but without proof to show that the money had been collected as fines," he said.

Fifteen policemen have been suspended for taking bribes from motorists in the recent past.

Chennai city police commissioner J K Tripathy recently formed a special intelligence unit exclusively for the traffic police. (SOURCE:TOI)

saysenthil

August 13th, 2012, 11:06 AM

Footpaths maketh a city (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3759284.ece?homepage=true)

The single biggest activity promoting good health is walking, but Chennai is notorious for its hostility to walkers.

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01175/12THFOOTPATH_1175174f.jpg

Governments investing tax money of citizens should naturally consider whether their projects benefit the maximum number of people. At the very least, they should refrain from spending money in a way that adds to the misery of the population.

Chennai’s administrators are colossal failures in this regard. To them, a good city is measured by ever wider roads, no footpaths, and constantly flowing vehicular traffic — and they will not hesitate to spend staggering amounts to ensure that. Our civic leaders should rethink their unintelligent policy approaches for a variety of reasons. Here are some compelling ones.

There is a strong connection between the nature of the city — or built environment — and public health. The single biggest, near-universal activity that promotes good health is walking, but Chennai is now globally notorious for its hostility towards walkers — the Union ministry of urban development notes that the city has the worst ‘walkabililty index’ among comparable centres in the country, with non-existent or unusable footpaths.

How badly Chennai is faring can be assessed from the gap between official standards for road infrastructure, and that followed by agencies such as the Corporation of Chennai. Roads must have foothpaths — a minimum of 1.8 metres wide — on both sides, with non-mountable kerbs. That desirable standard was identified not long ago by a chief engineer of the Union ministry of road transport and highways at a national meeting on pedestrian safety.

A somewhat outdated standard of the Indian Roads Congress recommends, among other things, that footpaths on both sides must be at least 1.5 metres wide, with even wider footpaths at bus stops. Those who have lived in Chennai for long, including in the 1980s when we became a ‘car nation’, would remember such footpaths along Anna Road and other places. The city then fell prey to ‘road widening’, a walkers’ scourge that continues.

To return to public health, there is a clear link between walking and prevention of chronic diseases (diabetes and hypertension are prominent here). A study of users of a light railway system in the United States found that the risk of a higher Body Mass Index and obesity was reduced for those who walked regularly to the railway. Earlier studies have found similar correlations. Now that we will have a metro rail and already use other railways and buses, would it not help to have more walkability?

The city with the worst walkability score shows little understanding of universal design — the principle which says making things better for everyone makes them better for the disabled too. If our leaders can therefore unlearn their faulty policies and improve walking infrastructure, the city can help tens of thousands of disabled people — including the growing population of those with age-related disabilities. Did you know, for example, that every year, at least 3,500 persons in Chennai undergo knee replacement for relief from arthritic pain? These people need smooth footpaths to walk, as do all of us. So when spending precious public funds, our car-borne, treadmill-loving policymakers should put walkers first.

saysenthil

August 13th, 2012, 11:07 AM

Chennai: Rickshaw gets an 'eco' makeover (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chennai-rickshaw-gets-an-eco-makeover/281957-62-130.html)

http://static.ibnlive.in.com/ibnlive/pix/sitepix/08_2012/rickshaw-eco630.jpg

With virtually all modes of transport going the hybrid way, here’s news that could make the rickshaw - which is now restricted to a few Indian cities and pockets of Asia - a possible mode of public transport. Twenty-six-year-old Sivaraj Muthuraman, a Tirupur-based innovator, has built a ‘hybrid’ rickshaw called the Eco Free Cab, that runs on solar battery and pedal power. This invention entered the India Book of Records under the Science and Technology Category on Saturday.

A three-seater vehicle that can run a distance of about 150 km per battery charge, the Eco Free Cab has a top speed of 45 km per hour. Vivek Raja, adjudicator, India Book of Records, said, “If we can control the process of burning fuel, pollution can be brought down drastically. Such inventions go a long way in controlling the greenhouse gas effect. Sivaraj’s invention, hence, is laudable.” Dr Manoj Beno, Medical Director, Billroth Hospital, was also present on the occasion.

The invention was to be updated on the Record Book’s website on Sunday. Speaking to City Express, Sivaraj said, “About two-and-half years ago, I felt that someone must breathe life into the rickshaw. It was then that I took this up as a project. Rickshaw-wallahs, if you notice, have more or less disappeared. They must be provided training on how to use the vehicle and be provided with a means of livelihood.”

Explaining the difference between the Eco Free Cab and other hybrid and battery-operated vehicles, Sivaraj said, “Conventional battery-operated vehicles are expensive, even costing to up to Rs 4 lakh. In comparison, an Eco Free Cab would cost only about Rs 80,000. Thus, the vehicles are cost-effective and are of low maintenance.”

As the biggest challenge that he faced with the project, Sivaraj cites lack of public encouragement. “My neighbours were baffled when they saw a prototype of my product in our parking lot. People thought I had gone mad,” he remembered. “Soon, it turned into curiosity, with people wanting to take photographs sitting in it!” The Eco Free Cab will look to raise funds through cover advertisements, informed Sivaraj. “As far as corporate sponsors are concerned, Videocon has indicated interest. However, now, we would like to focus on finishing the product development and market it in about eight months,” he added.

darkprinz

August 13th, 2012, 07:49 PM

Dont know where else to put this news....

Commercial complexes to get a facelift

Better if they combine Udhyam space and build a mega mall at this prime location... ;) Metro will also be ready to serve the transit people..

vinodgopal

August 14th, 2012, 05:58 AM

Four cops suspended for taking bribes from motorists

indha oorula irukarathukku vekka padaren vedhanai padaren. tirundha maataanga jananga. Paathunde irungada koodiya seekiram indian thatha range ku naa kelambi varuven innum 40 years la ippidie pochuna.

vinodgopal

August 14th, 2012, 06:00 AM

Che Vinodh

August 14th, 2012, 07:11 AM

indha oorula irukarathukku vekka padaren vedhanai padaren. tirundha maataanga jananga. Paathunde irungada koodiya seekiram indian thatha range ku naa kelambi varuven innum 40 years la ippidie pochuna.

ippavey vaangalaen. Neraya paer ungalukkaga waiting...:lol:

wlbkng

August 15th, 2012, 10:45 AM

EnWEwMYs1QE

Nadodi

August 15th, 2012, 02:10 PM

:applause::applause::applause:

Chennai: Rickshaw gets an 'eco' makeover (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chennai-rickshaw-gets-an-eco-makeover/281957-62-130.html)

http://static.ibnlive.in.com/ibnlive/pix/sitepix/08_2012/rickshaw-eco630.jpg

iaafosc

August 15th, 2012, 07:32 PM

I have been seeing a lot of construction sites and U/C buildings in Chennai and i observed one thing - The use of concrete bricks for construction was limited to those being built by reputed builders and a few other buildings. The rest seemed to use the traditional "red" bricks. I have heard that concrete bricks are more advantageous than the traditional ones. Can someone clarify on this ?
Or is it just that the folks haven't yet caught on to this trend?

ceeznic pirate

August 15th, 2012, 11:00 PM

I have heard that concrete bricks are more advantageous than the traditional ones.

I was of belief that red bricks are stronger and better.

vinodgopal

August 16th, 2012, 03:19 PM

I was of belief that red bricks are stronger and better.

Sikkana singara Chennai la concrete bricks a? ha ha. vella karan era kaparam adhu ellam othu varatha vishayam.

vinodgopal

August 16th, 2012, 03:20 PM

ippavey vaangalaen. Neraya paer ungalukkaga waiting...:lol:

ippo vandha yennoda valibam waste aidum. adhunala 40 years aparam paakalam:)

wlbkng

August 16th, 2012, 09:12 PM

Bangalore in tension

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/bangalore-assam-north-east-bodo-idINDEE87F0BU20120816?feedType=RSS&feedName=globalCoverage2

satchitananda

August 16th, 2012, 11:30 PM

SOURCE: (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/taller-buildings-metro-areas-939)

Areas dotting the proposed three metro rail corridors are set to witness a big change on infrastructure development front.

Taking a cue from Delhi metro, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has decided to develop the areas up to half a km located on either sides of the metro rail corridor.

The project, named as transit oriented development, would pave way for all round development of those in the vicinity for which CMDA will launch a study soon.

And the good news for residents in these areas is that state government is contemplating to increase the floor space index (FSI) for buildings and pave way for vertical growth along those stretches.

“On implementation, the localities along the stretches of the metro rail corridors might witness reclassification of ‘land use zones’, as it would enable more developmental activities,” sources in CMDA told DC.

With the government considering increasing FSI (ratio of land area to the built-up space) for buildings along these stretches, property owners would hit a jackpot as property value will shoot up in these areas.

“It has been decided to develop half-a-km area on both sides of the corridor and a consultant has been recently zeroed in to conduct a feasibility study on exploring potential developments that could be carried out on these stretches.
They will also suggest the extent to which the development regulation norms can be modified,” an official said, adding that an increase in FSI for buildings was on cards that would pave way for vertical growth.

The metro rail project is currently being implemented on two corridors – Washermenpet to airport (via Saidapet 23.1 km) and Chennai Central to St Thomas Mount (via Koyambedu).
--------------------------------------------

Definitely welcome change. But care must also be taken to provide easier access, proper connectivity, enough parking space etc. If properly planned, a lot of these can be corporatised. They also can preferably follow some theme for different zones to augment the visual appeal of the city.

vinodgopal

August 17th, 2012, 04:48 AM

vijayvmail

August 17th, 2012, 08:38 AM

^^ The article above mentions 'Three Metro Rail corridors'. Are they considering MRTS as the third metro corridor?

Or is it something related to 3 'monorail' corridors? (doesn't make that much sense, but still...)

Che Vinodh

August 17th, 2012, 10:38 AM

Kathir

August 18th, 2012, 06:33 PM

Not relevant.. But wanted to share this, to show how we are progressing..

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=94302047&posted=1#post94302047

jaish

August 18th, 2012, 11:00 PM

pxp

August 18th, 2012, 11:59 PM

Sharing this video posted by ndtv.
chennaites along IT corridor can benefit :cheers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbbcWBAS1Sw

jaish

August 19th, 2012, 08:31 AM

very good move. We still have people who can make changes on the ground

vijayvmail

August 19th, 2012, 08:57 AM

Following is the article appeared in Hindu. for those criticises forever regarding chennai.
Read author name later...

We may not – indeed, we cannot – like its looks, its smells, its noise. The city ranks staggeringly high among those with a disagreeable climate, a formidable mosquito-to-man ratio, an indestructible population of the most audacious flies.

Its roads routinely get logged at the first and smallest semblance of rain. The rubbish that we throw directly onto their sides – thermocol packing from TV sets , plastic carry bags containing kitchen refuse, food leftovers, medical waste, sanitary pads, used condoms, are our creation, our contribution. It is we who create the huge ankle-length and sometimes knee-length puddles of water on the roads.

And, like in most Indian cities, drinking and washing water in Chennai is short, electricity erratic and traffic a veritable Godavari in spate.

Yet, we still want to live here. Why?

As I felt when reading T.S. Tirumurti’s new novel ‘Chennaivaasi’, this is because life is not objective.

It is about what we receive here, what we are given.

In Thiruvanmiyur, the suburb of Chennai where I live, street-calls virtually set the day. Next to my copy of The Hindu, they are the core of my start-of-day.

Keerai-k-keerai ! Ara-k-keerai,mola-k-keerai,paala-k-keerai,mana-k-keerai,vaazhakkaa,vaazha-p-poo,vaazha-ththandoy Keerai-keeroy!

Very different is a slightly built man, who comes not on but with a bicycle, peddling a single stock-in-trade intoning its name softly – Kolam! Kolam!

Whenever I see a woman washing her tiny vaasal-padi and then on that small surface, despite cares and anxieties, ill-health and a demanding day ahead of her, draw an amazing kolam, I offer her an invisible namaskaram. Perhaps the Euclidean balance of dots and loops, lines and curves on that little drawing give her the inner balance life denies her.

I do that too when crossing a modestly paid woman raking the garbage – created by you and me – into bins and from bins onto trucks.

Where in the world can one have the chance to hear , not just in the great halls of music but at street-temples, Vidwan T.M. Krishna offer the emotionally wrenching Brindavana Saranga with the tremulous passion of a divine supplication, Vijay Siva render an Ahiri with the delicacy of a twilight before moonrise, a 'tanam' delivered masterfully by Sanjay Subramaniam with aortic pulsation and Aruna Sairam, Bombay Jayshree, Sudha Raghunathan, Souwmya, Sangeetha Sivakumar and Nityashree invest in their singing the gold of their great gift ?

And where other than in Chennai can we hear the listeners melt away discussing the recitals' finer points, their 'hits' and 'near-misses'? The dissection is surgical. After all, we are the nation’s musical and medical capital.

If there is one reason above all why I feel what I do about Chennai is that despite irritating exceptions, Chennai has in abundance the one thing that is priceless, nambikkai. And nambikkai is at the core of one person’s respect for another. It is either there, or not there. It has, simply, to be.

Chennai personifies nambikkai.

(Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the former the Governor of West Bengal. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari)

Yes... Completely agree with the author. It is the small things like these that make up the life of a city.

Each city has its own charm and each of us Chennaites will have ten other things like this, that we love about our city. And we wish to remain in the city mainly because of these things.

But we cannot remain blissfully satisfied that we still have women, who despite all odds, is drawing an amazing kolam on her 'small' vaasal padi. Or that the lady on the streets is carrying her very heavy basket of keerais every day morning

Isn't it time that the women of chennai got bigger better vaasal padis for their kolams? Shouldn't that keerai seller have a well desiged safe footpath to walk easily without having to carry such a huge weight in these dangerous roads? Or better still should she be in such an economically poor state that she has to carry such a huge weight on her shoulder every day. Wouldn't it be better if she got a way to buy a economical mobile shop or have her shop in a neat well designed hawker zone?

This is what we are criticizing. We can't keep pointing out such small things and say those who are criticizing are cynics. We should be constantly trying to better all these experiences.

Imagine that woman drawing an amazing kolam - given the space, time and encouragement, how much more of an art can she create ! that is what we should be aiming at.

"Chennai personifies Nambikkai' - Agreed. but how long should we have justt this Nambikkai that one day things will get better. When will all this 'Nambikkai' pay off?

Arul Murugan

August 19th, 2012, 09:10 AM

Sharing this video posted by ndtv.
chennaites along IT corridor can benefit :cheers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbbcWBAS1Sw

Nice starting........

Hope gvt starts elite farmer market instead of elite tasmac bar. Gvt farmer's market is such a great idea but didn't have innovation of brining super market concept!!

jaish

August 19th, 2012, 09:24 AM

Arul Murugan

August 19th, 2012, 09:35 AM

Arul,

I feel governement should stay away from this kind of innovative idea except giving policy boosting . We know the status of Co-optex. Government should stop with enacting policy favoring such great move.

agreed.

I didn't mean the super market should be run directly by gvt. I meant we need gvt to spend money on such infra..

Hotel Tamilnadu is one such example. Nowadays Hotel tamilnadu is much better... the property is owned by the gvt but leased to private. Still they are able to provide good room/infra at cheaper rate.

wlbkng

August 19th, 2012, 12:26 PM

kCwxCUV4jOU

jaish

August 19th, 2012, 02:14 PM

I share his sentiments. I could not say because no body will listen if say and will add his adjective to me. But every day atleast we share his jokes great movies. Mohan and Kamal great combination in their timings.

jaish

August 19th, 2012, 02:16 PM

^^ .

I think you need to take treatment for this International criticism phobia. Prove you are chennaite by ignoring it if you can't change it.

vinodgopal

August 19th, 2012, 05:48 PM

I think you need to take treatment for this International criticism phobia.

a bit of filter coffee instead of ayahuaska recommended

iaafosc

August 19th, 2012, 07:41 PM

an incident happened today on a bus that left me disgusted and ashamed to be a Chennaiite.....
:mad2::mad2::mad::mad::mad:
I was travelling on the 29C bus from Mylapore to Chetput today evening. Near the Mylapore water tank, a person from the North-east boarded the bus along with several others. He did not know Tamil well enough to speak it, but probably understood some of it atleast as he could respond to the conductor's enquiry regarding his destination. He wanted to go to Nungambakkam and thought it was just two stops from mylapore, so when the conductor asked him for the money, he gave the conductor 5 Rs ( the ticket cost 9 rs on that bus i think - dont know ...i'm not a frequent traveler ). Instead of helping him out, the conductor suddenly got frustrated and yelled at the poor guy " Enna , nee innum oorukkupogalaiya " and then he started describing to the fellow passengers how this fellow had given 5 rs and wanted to go all the way to nungambakkam ...the horrid part was that the other passengers also started laughing...both at his snide remark and the recounting of this incident. The poor passenger could sense a bit of what was going on and he was so embarrassed and humiliated that he got down the very next stop. This incident left me boiling with anger. How the f*** can a government employee behave this way ??? The conductor did not seem to have any regrets - actually he seemed so proud of himself for cracking that "joke".

Chennai may not have had any violent acts against people from North -India but let's not delude ourselves into thinking that they are not at all discriminated against. The lowest moment was when the other passengers ( close to ten of them ) laughed at the conductor's remark:ohno::ohno::ohno:.

jaish

August 19th, 2012, 08:04 PM

While feeling disgust about that conductor and passengers around him Atleast as a chennaite i am proud about you who really felt ashame of that incident.

kannan infratech

August 19th, 2012, 08:55 PM

@ iiasofc :

Immediately after the bank robberies in Chennai, migrants from Bihar etc were treated similarly by many in TN.

I happened to hear big arguments among the local TN labor force at our sites. They were justifying the exodus since they perceive that their jobs / opportunities were usurped by the NE labor.

They are not able to see / understand why in the first place NE labor is preferred over the locals.

Tamil Newspapers / TV Channels are spreading a wrong trend.

krishnaswamy

August 19th, 2012, 09:40 PM

Hotel Tamilnadu is one such example. Nowadays Hotel tamilnadu is much better... the property is owned by the gvt but leased to private. Still they are able to provide good room/infra at cheaper rate.
Hotel TamilNadu at Madurai, Courtallam was amazing clean even in 2004-2005.
food was not that bad, but the quality needs to be improved at that time.

is it deteriorated during last 5 years and renovated again ? or it is maintained with same standards and it is improved now?

satchitananda

August 19th, 2012, 10:20 PM

TFS. Definitely nostalgic about Madras.

ChennaiIndian

August 19th, 2012, 11:43 PM

^^ While so many incidents happened across the country and reported on TV all over, such small incidents may have happened in many places in the "heat of the situation". Although that makes us all ashamed, at least there wasn't a mass exodus for fellow countrymen as it happened in the so-called "cosmo" and "international" cities of India.

chennaidesi

August 19th, 2012, 11:48 PM

True but chennai conductors are horrible.

kongutamizhan

August 19th, 2012, 11:49 PM

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 12:01 AM

Whoever did it or didn't do enough to prevent it, but the fact was exodus was comparably less here.

ChennaiIndian

August 20th, 2012, 12:45 AM

Did the common man or that metro's government push them out? :nuts:
I was trying to calm down a fellow forumer's personal experience here and trying to say that we had bigger problems elsewhere that we want to worry more. Don't want to argue about it. Whatever happened, has made us all sad.

pxp

August 20th, 2012, 04:51 AM

Kavalier

August 20th, 2012, 05:28 AM

ChennaiIndian

August 20th, 2012, 05:53 AM

Anyone who has traveled in a MTC bus would know how horrible the conductors are. There may be few good ones but most act as if they own the bus and they are giving the passengers a free ride. And as kongu, tamils from outside chennai are treated as badly as people from other states.

Ofcourse I am not saying racism doesn't exist here, words like chinkis, nepalese are commonly used to describe the people from NE. And in general its considered okay to make comment on a person based on his race, ethnicity and religion. That attitude needs to change.
When someone new from a small town or village comes to a city, they will be subject of humor by the city folks...this is common in every country. I know instances of people traveling from say Arkansas to NYC or small town Missouri to Chicago have went thru this. In fact, this is a common thing in pop culture comedy. All these should be taken in the right spirit and soon, the new guy will merge with the city population. In Tamil pop culture comedy, this is symbolized by the "manja pai" and my Telugu friends say "era bus" (red bus) which I think was the color of moffusil buses in Andhra back then.

The same kinda humor also circulates when some Indian guy (no matter where in India he is from) goes to the US and doesn't know to get along there until a few days/weeks.

What is bad is when they have to go through discrimination.

ChennaiIndian

August 20th, 2012, 06:01 AM

" Enna , nee innum oorukkupogalaiya "[/B] a...

This part is bad and should have been avoided given the timing of it.

[QUOTE=iaafosc;94325512...
... then he started describing to the fellow passengers how this fellow had given 5 rs and wanted to go all the way to nungambakkam ...the horrid part was that the other passengers also started laughing...[/QUOTE]

This is funny. I don't know if someone can travel in a city bus for just Rs.5 at a time when the whole country has prices touching the roof on everything.

iaafosc

August 20th, 2012, 06:19 AM

@kannan... indeed sir...unfortunately the media also goads the public in all these issues to earn brownie points.

I have always considered myself as a true-blue-Chennaiite ( so much that i feel it's my duty to be an advocate for the city whenever i go to Delhi or Bangalore or any other city. i'm sure the forum is full of such like-minded people:)). It's just that this incident has been like a stern slap on my face and my attempts to propagate the positiveness of the city elsewhere.

Inga ............

dude, are you for real..?? Yes Chennai has been good to several of the forumers here but what you are suggesting here is that every immigrant here should think that "oooru sooru podurathunala it's ok if I get Mind rap*d and humiliated by the ooru every single day of my presence here "....?? It's a sad state of affairs if an average Chennaivasi shares these views(I know it's true ... in fact my fear is that the average chennaivasi's view is lower than this )

Ungalamadhiriye enakkum madras mela paasam adhigam. athunaala thaan intha experiencea naa modhalla post pannen .

"Those ........

This is about Chennai, I don't give a damn about any other city or what they do. Let's not get into the childish blame-game and tit for tat by saying that it happens in other cities/states too. Where's the magnanimity, where's the great tamil hospitality my mother taught me about huh ??? I want my city to be the best, and don't want to compare it with any other indian city in any aspect-positive or negative.

"These ............. "

again i am shocked that you are actually saying this ... the auto guys and conductors are the first line defence against what..??

Fyi , It is totally unfair to brand the conductor as a hero or a vigilante, especially in light of their general behaviour. He does this because he is responsible for whatever happens in his bus- if he does not, then he is picked on and penalized by the higher authorities. Don't get me wrong here ...i have seen some great conductors as well and feel that they may even be the majority.

One may argue that the conductor was in not in his right mood or that he has lost his temper. I would like to assure you that this was not the case. I bought the tickets from the conductor just before that guy and he was positively cheerful with me, even when i did not tender the exact change
( which is apparently considered to be a "sin" , irrespective of the city )

By posting the India-pakistan video , are you trying to say that we can be hospitable to the pakistanis but not towards our own fellowmen ...is that it.???

Arul Murugan

August 20th, 2012, 07:03 AM

True but chennai conductors are horrible.

I travel in MTC very frequently whenever I am in Chennai... the bad experience either for me or for my co-passengers might be 0.5% of total travel experience.

Not every MTC crew is bad!! They are far better than autokarans... But the impression few conductors created that the every crew of MTC is bad.

The stress(crowd, work schedule, traffic jam, break downs etc.,) MTC crew undergoing is much larger than any TNSTC or SETC of the state.

On ticket issue... only if the bus is jam packed, they don't move their ass out of seat.

Arul Murugan

August 20th, 2012, 07:11 AM

Whoever did it or didn't do enough to prevent it, but the fact was exodus was comparably less here.

because the migration is less compared to Bangalore.

deepaksubramaniyan

August 20th, 2012, 08:21 AM

Can't really blame entire city for the incident happnd. It depends on the attitude of individual people (this time it is conductor). I guess everyone would've witnessed one or the other hurdles wrt hospitality in different cities...

For instance, though veerappan was born in TN , we cannot rate every TN born and brought up persons behave like veerappan. Because this is the state where Mr.APJ Abdul Kalam, ARR, MS subbulakshmi amma were also born.

It refers to all states, all countries and infact this entire universe.:)

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 09:09 AM

On ticket issue... only if the bus is jam packed, they don't move their ass out of seat.

It is not that they don't move they can't move. It is very tough job given the condition of the bus, weather, crowd, traffic.

Arul Murugan

August 20th, 2012, 09:46 AM

It is not that they don't move they can't move. It is very tough job given the condition of the bus, weather, crowd, traffic.

they cannot move for sure. Not only for him... no one can move inside in jam packed buses. May be silmisha aasamigal may take advantage of such condition and move inside the bus...

And usually tickets/changes are moved down even to first seat from conductor seat if the bus is jam packed.

Further even if bus is jam packed, before reaching the next stage, bus will be parked aside and after issuing tickets to everyone or atleast 95% then only bus will start to move to next stage.

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 10:12 AM

I used travel in for some time 27J during my college days that buses passes thro seven colleges in 5 Ladies college. Passing ticket and money for ticket is college girls responsibility they used to do it with good sense. During those days conductor used to be pretty quick most of conductors are so quick bus do not even stop for Stage closing. Nostalgia.

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 10:47 AM

You go to a town and if you are too stubborn that you will not learn basic things like numbers in local language you will face chin music. Is it that hard to pick up one, two, three even if he is a laborer.

If a guy new to the city tries to learn one or two words in Tamil its because of Conductors and Autokarans. Its business as usual here. The crowd is in Chennai because it has more trains to East than any other city in south. Even trains from other soutern cities pass through either MS or MAS.

Vinoth people from the North east learns tamil. With my limited stay chennai for past three months i came across with them (blue collars) atleast 7 to 8 times all spoke really well i was surprised. I thought they stayed here for quite long time Upon enquiry i was surprised they were not here more than a year. I know North indians who stayed here for decades together with out knowing not more than 10 words. Again this is personal experience not general statement about anyone.

saysenthil

August 20th, 2012, 10:51 AM

- Crossposting -

Dont know if it was already posted....

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phoenoix

August 20th, 2012, 11:19 AM

conductor should be suspended for few months.

He should be dismissed and arressted and needs atleast 14yrs rigours imprisonment. He and his family should be deported out of Tamil Nadu.

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 11:26 AM

Thitu vanganava kooda maranthirupan. Ava avan 1000 pirachinai vachikittu assaulta nada poduraen Namma entha oru visatha vachikittu padara padu irrukae Aiyo Aiyo....

vinodgopal

August 20th, 2012, 11:27 AM

ithu thanda police mathiri ithu thanda CM.

tanq tankq tankq. Comman man a kokka :)

vinodgopal

August 20th, 2012, 11:29 AM

Thitu vanganava kooda maranthirupan. Ava avan 1000 pirachinai vachikittu assaulta nada poduraen Namma entha oru visatha vachikittu padara padu irrukae Aiyo Aiyo....

santhanam style :) good one.

kannan infratech

August 20th, 2012, 11:51 AM

vicvin,

The post by iiafosc was about a particular conductor misbehaving with a NE passenger which is 100% condemnable.

Your posts and replies / retorts has taken away the seriousness of the issue to Chennai vs other cities.

As I have already told you, please refrain from replying immediately. After a few minutes, the urge to retort may subsidise.

By retorting immediately, You are not enhancing or clarifying the issue. This leads to more & more arguments only.

Ungala Chennai team kku Goal Keeper a podalam. :)

kannan infratech

August 20th, 2012, 11:55 AM

vinodgopal

August 20th, 2012, 01:46 PM

Cosmicbliss

August 20th, 2012, 02:09 PM

Anybody without knowing the local language goes through similar experience all over India.

I have experienced the same many times in Delhi & Mumbai. Since the Bus Nos would be only in Hindi numerals, I always used to have the problem and many times got into wrong bus or bus in the opposite direction.

Generalising one incident and sterotyping the whole city / state based on that incident is wrong.

In VIT Vellore, I personally noticed that the Tamil knowing students get a better treatment from the non teaching staff than Non Tamil knowing students. Probably, they will learn Tamil during the course of time and manage. Even the staff will learn simple English / Hindi words & Nos - may be.

One correction-there is no such thing as Hindi numerals. There are Devanagari numerals-which are from Sanskrit. Hindi and Marathi have more or less the same numerals. OTOH, The numerals in BEST/MSRTC are Marathi nos. Thanks. :):lol: Just wanted to correct this.

My two cents: Chennai is definitely opening up to people from outside but still compared to some other cities, its definitely not that cosmpolitan or mixed a city. While it is opening up to outsiders, some times there are people who can be mean and nasty just because the person in front of them can't understand/speak Tamil. On the whole though, its getting easier and easier for those who don't know Tamil. There are Tamilians in Mumbai/Pune/Ahmedabad whove lived for 30+ years who can't understand speak/Marathi or Gujarati and I don't blame them entirely. In today's busy world, where people move across state and even national borders very often, local language fanaticism is wrong. A lot of people in Chennai may not neccessarily learn Tamil, that doesn't mean anyone should ill-treat them or has the right to do so. Not everyone has the time or inclination to pick up new languages or ability. Outsiders have to adjust a bit; locals have to adjust a bit too.

This is coming from a Tamil-loving non-Tamilian. Peace. :cheers:

kongutamizhan

August 20th, 2012, 02:49 PM

whiiiiiik whiiiiiik (whistling for such a great moderation :) u are great Kannan sir)

evvalavu keezhtharama, kevalama repeateda nadanthukittalum naan chellama goalkeepera vechukuvennu solurathu nalla moderationa?

susil kumar shindekku home minister promotion kidaicha kadhaya irukku

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 03:18 PM

still ......................

Am not defending the conductors. In the past, in 80's per your claim, I don't know how much of travel you did in Chennai, unless you base it on your travel experiences. I have lived and travelled extensively during those times. I can honestly tell, except for cut services around noon, bus gaalya naan parthathu illai.. Even the early morning services around 5 am, used to be fairly full.

I am not sure if it is a personality thing, some conductors didnt move much, but they were the exceptions. If you ever travelled to school/college during those days, you will perhaps feel sorry for the conductors. Even then I used to be annoyed sometimes having multiple breaks per trip for stage closing.

As regards automating, it will be more than awesome, if it ever happens.

For that to happen

a) We need more buses, to decrease the load per bus. Wonder how you will let in each passenger without swiping some card or token.

b) CUMTA must have been tested for atleast a couple of years prior to such conductorless service.

c) There should be some facility to prepurchase the ticket, which will minimize the need for more stops just for ticketing.

Cosmicbliss

August 20th, 2012, 03:51 PM

^^^^ Bus conductors in Mumbai face the same crowding. How come they are not that rude IMHO? :ohno: Crowding is an all-India feature. But compared to DTC drivers/conductors, MTC is definitely better in behaviour. :cheers::lol:

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 03:57 PM

Though .........................

Please refer my observations were not comparative. I only highlighted my experiences within Chennai. I would not venture to compare as my experiences are very limited.

If you re-read my opening statement, it was not in defense of any conductors.

Definitely we need a proactive leader, be it from political field or IAS cadre to spear head a total revolution in the transportation sector. We are stuck in age old ideas, shackled by unions and politics and money embezzling systems.

Transportation has become an ordeal. This has to change. Since SG can make a total transformation, it must focus on this. It does not not matter if this problem is highlighted in Chennai or pan-state. We need more intellectuals and transportation planners in action here.

kannan infratech

August 20th, 2012, 05:07 PM

evvalavu keezhtharama, kevalama repeateda nadanthukittalum naan chellama goalkeepera vechukuvennu solurathu nalla moderationa?

susil kumar shindekku home minister promotion kidaicha kadhaya irukku

Thanks KT

I am (with hope) waiting for the day when you Guys will come out of your set mindset and have a broader vision.

kongutamizhan

August 20th, 2012, 05:12 PM

^^ Welcome :D

Agreed every frog in the well have to understand when a frog that have seen multiple well points out the limitation of the well

Chennaiguy

August 20th, 2012, 05:31 PM

In this place i would like to mention the attitude of passengers in mumbai..In mumbai they still wait in "Q" and then get into bus..Always (sorry mostly)they get into bus at the rear entrance and get down at entrance in the front side...I had never seen passengers hanging out of the doors/windows.. But still if i happen to miss the company bus,I could not travel by BEST bus during peak hours (my direction was from Malad to Powai)..Autos are much more comfortable and reliable mode (which is the real change needed in chennai)..In my opinion the attitude of passengers shall also change..In chennai travelling many roadside romeo activities are shown up in bus..Where as this happens in trains of mumbai..In that case chennai trains are far better..

vinodgopal

August 20th, 2012, 05:38 PM

^^ Welcome :D

Agreed every frog in the well have to understand when a frog that have seen multiple well points out the limitation of the well

frog in the well
worm in a horseraddish

neenga enna jailor a work panreengala?

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 06:38 PM

% of .

Proof please?

PremChn

August 20th, 2012, 06:59 PM

Marina Beach Dancers

7ImHTSzxvKc&feature=player_embedded

Courtesy: Ananda Vikatan

Arul Murugan

August 20th, 2012, 07:05 PM

Mumbai crowd?? Chennai crowd?? TNSTC crowd??

another vayala vadai sudura dialogue!!

In real no.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The government report also pointed to the high performance of public buses in Chennai where on an average, one bus carried 1,616 persons every day during 2010-11. Mumbai buses carried 904 persons per day during this period

In simpe terms one MTC bus carries 78% more crowd than a BEST bus.

And comparing to rest of TNSTC, MTC carries nearly 70% more crowd per day per bus.

Other town bus service in other part of the state have few routes which will be crowded in peak hours. The odd conductors are there in TNSTC too. But in Chennai the crowded peak hour route will be much higher than all such crowded routes in rest of state put together. So the probability of odd conductor in MTC is higher than TNSTC. It does not mean all conductors are saint in TNSTC and all conductors are criminals in MTC.

Further private buses ranges from 50-30% rest of the state and 0% in Chennai. Private bus crew in the rest of the state can be compared to autokarans of Chennai in terms of speed, cheating, "hospitality etc.," So counting this private crew the odd conductor count may get equalized all over the state.

etho rathina kambalam verichi private operators varverppu thara mathiri peela vidathinga yarum. :)

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 07:09 PM

Chennai ...............

Oh plz.. :|

U have absolutely no basis to make that argument.. At leat add 'IMO' before what u type.. At least then, we can ignore those baseless arguments..

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 07:18 PM

I've traveled extensively in MTC buses for almost more than 7-8 years now.

Never have been abused by conductors in my experience.
Most of the times, it would be crowded and I would usually buy ticket by passing via the ladies ;)

Whenever I board a bus at the depots, the conductors go for a full round in the bus giving tickets before the bus starts.

I would really like to know what u people mean by 'rude'? Is it language?

In case of autos, I have always thought 'fleecing' as 'rude'.

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 07:21 PM

nalla .......................

:rofl: real data.. Can I see that real data plz?

Annae.. It is u who absolutely didn't give any data but made a baseless argument..

All I am asking is, from what data did u conclude '% of good MTC bus conductors/auto-drivers in Chennai= % of good politicians in India'.

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 07:28 PM

Lol now u edited ur post and started talking about autokarans.. :lol:

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 07:30 PM

neengale ...............................

:lol: Why should I count? I didn't make that argument..

U did.. So, prove it.

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 07:40 PM

^^ You ..............................

It was not me who put an equation and bolded it, man!

Saying I was treated horribly is personal experience..

But talking in terms of % and equations and stuff.. :lol:

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 07:46 PM

:rofl: real data.. Can I see that real data plz?

Annae.. It is u who absolutely didn't give any data but made a baseless argument..

All I am asking is, from what data did u conclude '% of good MTC bus conductors/auto-drivers in Chennai= % of good politicians in India'.

I guess most of the folks talk here based on either personal opinions or experiences. Obviously everyone's experience is biased and subjective.

Some folks choose to add IMO or IMHO, but isnt it evident for a person with so many posts ??

Sorry for butting in, seems like there is something personal going on. If so, better to keep it to IM or private.

Just for the record on both sides, I dont think Kris has any original research, just his experiences expressed in that manner, while there is no real need or desire for seeing such a research by you as well Murlee.

Even if such a research exists, it will be subjective.

Lets discuss something more meaningful.

murlee

August 20th, 2012, 07:50 PM

Sir.. TBH, I have no problem in people saying they were treated horribly in MTCs. Every individual have their own experiences.. Thats fine!

That is why I didn't quote his rest of the post.. Its his personal experiences..

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 08:08 PM

satchi i agree.on your points.. but at the same time.................

Autokarans, as some one mentioned, is the first experience of Chennai, most visitors get, besides Buckingham smell from Central or the bus journey in TNSTC bus. There cannot be anyone sensible who says Autokarans are saints. Agreed they ask for a hand and a leg for just 1 km. BUT not all autokarans are in the same mold. The minority good get the burden of the majority junkies who work hand in glove with politicians.

Now all these info, I am not telling. have sadly read many travelogues and travel reports. Autokarans of Chennai have given a big bad rap to Chennai.

Same goes with conductors. I have seen growing up, conductors hunting for faces to return back the 25 paise as also ones who were arguing why they are being bothered to return the 50 np.

I have even seen a beggar few years back when I came to Chennai, raise a hue and cry, when some guy dropped 50 np on his bowl. He screamed so much telling that how dare he insult him by giving 50 np. Minimum he must give is Re. 1 or above. Now he wanted to give the donor 50 np. The poor man must have resolved never to donate in his life to a beggar.

I have raised this in different angles in some earlier postings. The overall humane feelings and our culture are being eroded at a pace that will put our inflation to shame. Society as a whole, has been dropping its value system very rapidly. In spritualistic lingo, we can call it as rise of materialism. (Please do not misunderstand that money only is materialism. Anything grapsed by the senses, which control the perceiver is called materialism. In other words, Artha.)

Since the Artha is not resting on the foundation of Dharma, it creates havoc, although the one having Artha seems overjoyed. For a very short period.

Patience as a virtue got misplaced in our society to tolerating junk and suffering. This is not patience is all about. We need to make sure our voices are heard, the right way.

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 08:13 PM

[QUOTE=Vicvin86;94351480]Dont ........................./QUOTE]

Sounds Pethal.. sorry.. I am born and brought up in Chennai. I think just because we have some flaws in Chennai, does it mean, if one speaks about it, they should not come to chennai.

Again, no one can say anyone not to come. It is constitutionally guaranteed. Nor does it reflect on our culture which says Vandarai Vazhavaikkum Thamizhagam.. Thank God it is not Vinoth, oora vittu ottara Chennai ILLAI.

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 08:21 PM

And the one .......................

I am trying my best not to get into sides, which I desist. But your observations seem more personal. More often. I do sincerely believe that you are a sharp individual endowed with good intellect. If you have peel the subjective emotions and contribute to a nice discussion, we all can benefit from your intelligence as well.

If you have a personal grouse with certain postings of certain individuals, try taking it via IM. If the arguments are for public consumption, then I certainly appreciate, as also others, that there is a certain civility in the tone of discussion. I am sorry to observe that is short on many of your posts.

There was no need for you to jump in an already hot debate between two guys to say dont come to chennai. First of it is only making situation worser. if you cannot calm the nerves of such debators, at least dont worsen it.

Sincere appeal to all, please maintain civility. To support (most) autokarans and rogue conductors, one need not behave in their fashion.

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 08:24 PM

Athellam ......................................

indha madiri vidanda vadham panravanga kitta enna panratho atha panrathu.

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 08:40 PM

I

Are you trying to say that all this needless directionless argument, initiated with your posting, was something you didnt direct at someone ? Are you not able to see this or trying to act like not able to see this ?

Then whom did you say not to come and accuse as people cribbing forever. I think you should not be naive to believe that no one understands your tongue in cheek comments.

I rest my case trying to put some sense into this meaningless hot argument, you have instigated. If I were you, unless you are incorrigible, I will introspect seriously.

Just like the advice you are giving, not to come, not to crib etc, CAN YOU IGNORE THE CRIBBING POSTINGS, as it seems to annoy you. INSTEAD OF initiating a needless mindless argument. Thanks. Peace.

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 10:45 PM

For a chennaite it is really hurting to be always criticized even for an individual conductors action. To be frank we even don't know whether the concerned conductor is chennaite or came from coimbatore or from Delta region. For each individual's attitude blaming dravidian party is not only unfair but also biased view.

Even in big shopping mall they give chocalate for a minor change if they don't have exact change. Even KFC and McDonald if you order something they give additional items which is not ordered but charge bill for everything. That is applicable in Star hotels. People don't crib for that.

satchitananda

August 20th, 2012, 11:05 PM

Real meaning Hindutuva is not to Oppose other religion but strengthen itself by removing the inequality by birth in the name of caste and to be with downtrodden

On your footnote. Thats very true. If you go back to even the scriptures. The division of society was suggested to organize and optimize its functions, not to cripple individual rights. Time and again, it was shown in multiple texts, multiple instances, that inequality is a function of individual's actions - Karma, not one based on birth. In fact, people were judged on the merits of their action.

For instance, a boy of mixed parentage is commended as Brahmin in Chaandogya Upanishad (Read more on Satyakama Jabala). His parentage is ignored, only his actions are considered for merit. There were definite guidelines once within a particular varna. Vishwamitra is a born kshatriya king, is most highly venerated Brahma Rishi due to the merits of his actions (Tapas).

The basic classification is someone focussed on knowledge usually is not the same who focusses on physical strength. This usually is not the same as the one focussed on business and wealth, who is not the same as a person who is more on service.

Take real world example, Bill Gates wont be focussed on getting into Iron Man race, so also wont Dalai Lama. This does not bar one focussing on the other, but usually their traits are pretty strongly set.

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 11:07 PM

IMO we need to respect feeling of the people who considers chennai as their home. Eera Pen Akki, Pena Perumal Akki atha dravidian party kooda link panrathum konjam overa therudhu. That is my personal feeling. I hope that may be feeling of the majority of the people here in this forum. Again this is my presumption if i am proven wrong i am ready to seek apology from the people whom this may hurt.

Fact fact nu solreengla neenga overa criticism paneereengainrathum Factu than. Adhu kooda namma realised pannanum kiradhu ennuda miga miga thazhaimai anna vendugol.

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 11:25 PM

On your footnote. Thats very true. If you go back to even the scriptures. The division of society was suggested to organize and optimize its functions, not to cripple individual rights. Time and again, it was shown in multiple texts, multiple instances, that inequality is a function of individual's actions - Karma, not one based on birth. In fact, people were judged on the merits of their action.

For instance, a boy of mixed parentage is commended as Brahmin in Chaandogya Upanishad (Read more on Satyakama Jabala). His parentage is ignored, only his actions are considered for merit. There were definite guidelines once within a particular varna. Vishwamitra is a born kshatriya king, is most highly venerated Brahma Rishi due to the merits of his actions (Tapas).

The basic classification is someone focussed on knowledge usually is not the same who focusses on physical strength. This usually is not the same as the one focussed on business and wealth, who is not the same as a person who is more on service.

Take real world example, Bill Gates wont be focussed on getting into Iron Man race, so also wont Dalai Lama. This does not bar one focussing on the other, but usually their traits are pretty strongly set.

Sach i agree with you religion perse don't propose division among its follower. If a god proposed that i dont accept him as god. However what is Varna ashiram that Gandhi has told that is there in hindu sasthiram

Is brahimin is a title or caste decided by birth? If it is a title what should one do to attain it? The policy proposed in the system is being followed on ground.

jaish

August 20th, 2012, 11:44 PM

neenga nalla ...

Nalla seithi and bad news is relative one to each individual. Nalla seithi ellai krathugag ketta seithi pottu avan avan mandai pichika vaikunuma sollunga. Koorai mattum solarthukum antha koorai ya akkariyoda solarthukum vidiyasam kammiya irukira madhiri therinjalam atha padikiravangalku nalla theriyum Ezhutharavankalukum nalla purium.

Neenga Kanipa koorai soolunga aana koorai mattume sollathinga. Apuram Raja Nagarvalam poitu vara sonna kadhai aaki da poguthu.

Take cue from Israel news paper.

jaish

August 21st, 2012, 12:06 AM

also if ...............................

Not for me, I Always believe criticism is constant teacher and way to improve oneself. i will PM to you if anything i feel.

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 01:16 AM

we dont have an unnal mudiyum thambhi kamal to refine a majority of the population;s behavior/manners. All things are standardized at corrupt levels.

satchitananda

August 21st, 2012, 04:53 AM

Sach i agree with you religion perse don't propose division among its follower. If a god proposed that i dont accept him as god. However what is Varna ashiram that Gandhi has told that is there in hindu sasthiram

Is brahimin is a title or caste decided by birth? If it is a title what should one do to attain it? The policy proposed in the system is being followed on ground.

I am glad that you are making an attempt to understand. That is a great beginning.

Take any law created in the last 20 years, observe how it has totally morphed in its implementation. If you can track this change for any simple law, you will agree that things can modify, get corrupted over a period of several thousand years.

Just take a cross section of the society, you will observe that the people gravitate towards Knowledge or power or business or miscellaneous bucket. The great seers of the past, knew this trend. It is also a common practice to find birds of a feather flock together. Most of your friends will be from your background. If you take the past, until 20-30 years ago, the parents profession played a major role in their children's career. A goldsmith son was more likely to develop interest in gold rather than grazing cattle. A person who was educated had natural interest in passing it to his progeny.

In today's world, it may not apply. Thats the common perception. I still find this trend in US. In families where both parents are doctors, I find over 90% chance that atleast one or more of their children end up as doctors.

Before we go to your idea of God, first understand it is always a journey in Sanatana Dharma.. that is how Hinduism existed before we were labelled as hindus. So without understanding what the great seers have established, it will be akin to the taboo word, dravidian goshti, talking about it, as if they have digested everything.

First thing Jaish, you must make a genuine attempt, like you are already making, to understand the greatness of this country's historic past. I am not talking that you blindly accept all the past is great or just accept all past traditions without discerning.

A lot of clarity will emerge if you really seriously pick up a good version of Bhagavad Gita commentary. It will give you both a historic insight and also a philosophical insight into the window of India's past... You will really understand why one gets goosebumps when they hear Mera Bharat Mahan.

Just give it a try on faith. If you dont agree after a genuine attempt, you have nothing to lose. But a genuine attempt will make you understand that how scientific all the things in the past were.

If the scientists at CERN desperately want to install a Nataraja statue because they can feel the quantum connection, if the scientist who exploded the first atom bomb, Oppenheimer, is quoting Bhagavad Gita / Mahabharata on the eve of explosion, If Einstein is able to appreciate the greatness of our culture, as also Emerson and Thoreau, sometimes, our Pagutharivu vathi thinks they are more smarter than such brilliant minds. So one has to question with an open mind, what is that we are missing...

we are losing our touch with the our roots. the reason why this culture has evolved to great peaks. My genuine plea would be make an attempt.

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 05:22 AM

I am glad that you are making an attempt to understand. That is a great beginning.

Take any law created in the last 20 years, observe how it has totally morphed in its implementation. If you can track this change for any simple law, you will agree that things can modify, get corrupted over a period of several thousand years.

Just take a cross section of the society, you will observe that the people gravitate towards Knowledge or power or business or miscellaneous bucket. The great seers of the past, knew this trend. It is also a common practice to find birds of a feather flock together. Most of your friends will be from your background. If you take the past, until 20-30 years ago, the parents profession played a major role in their children's career. A goldsmith son was more likely to develop interest in gold rather than grazing cattle. A person who was educated had natural interest in passing it to his progeny.

In today's world, it may not apply. Thats the common perception. I still find this trend in US. In families where both parents are doctors, I find over 90% chance that atleast one or more of their children end up as doctors.

Before we go to your idea of God, first understand it is always a journey in Sanatana Dharma.. that is how Hinduism existed before we were labelled as hindus. So without understanding what the great seers have established, it will be akin to the taboo word, dravidian goshti, talking about it, as if they have digested everything.

First thing Jaish, you must make a genuine attempt, like you are already making, to understand the greatness of this country's historic past. I am not talking that you blindly accept all the past is great or just accept all past traditions without discerning.

A lot of clarity will emerge if you really seriously pick up a good version of Bhagavad Gita commentary. It will give you both a historic insight and also a philosophical insight into the window of India's past... You will really understand why one gets goosebumps when they hear Mera Bharat Mahan.

Just give it a try on faith. If you dont agree after a genuine attempt, you have nothing to lose. But a genuine attempt will make you understand that how scientific all the things in the past were.

If the scientists at CERN desperately want to install a Nataraja statue because they can feel the quantum connection, if the scientist who exploded the first atom bomb, Oppenheimer, is quoting Bhagavad Gita / Mahabharata on the eve of explosion, If Einstein is able to appreciate the greatness of our culture, as also Emerson and Thoreau, sometimes, our Pagutharivu vathi thinks they are more smarter than such brilliant minds. So one has to question with an open mind, what is that we are missing...

we are losing our touch with the our roots. the reason why this culture has evolved to great peaks. My genuine plea would be make an attempt.

wow great essay. How come people like you are not in politics?

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 07:38 AM

^^ good one sachi..
CM..avaru politics vanthutta, unga kathi?

naa as a common man vote poduven. avalovu dhan. CM naa chief minister nu nenecheengala. ha ha. adhuku artham common man sir.

kannan infratech

August 21st, 2012, 07:55 AM

Vicvin, Kris & KT,

Complaints have been received by Mods against all 3 of you saying that you guys are monopolising the TN threads with your useless arguments (repeating the same under various contexts).

In spite of my various friendly warnings, you three choose to post / argue / retort endlessly.

The other mods have asked to brig / ban all 3 of you so that your urge to reply immediately can be held in check.

I have requested them that we will give a last warning. If you guys do not oblige, the next step will be Ban (which I sincerely want to avoid).

I hope that you guys will co operate.

Kannan

jaish

August 21st, 2012, 10:23 AM

Before we go to your idea of God, first understand it is always a journey in Sanatana Dharma.. that is how Hinduism existed before we were labelled as hindus. So without understanding what the great seers have established, it will be akin to the taboo word, dravidian goshti, talking about it, as if they have digested everything.

First thing Jaish, you must make a genuine attempt, like you are already making, to understand the greatness of this country's historic past. I am not talking that you blindly accept all the past is great or just accept all past traditions without discerning.

A lot of clarity will emerge if you really seriously pick up a good version of Bhagavad Gita commentary. It will give you both a historic insight and also a philosophical insight into the window of India's past... You will really understand why one gets goosebumps when they hear Mera Bharat Mahan.

Just give it a try on faith. If you dont agree after a genuine attempt, you have nothing to lose. But a genuine attempt will make you understand that how scientific all the things in the past were.

If the scientists at CERN desperately want to install a Nataraja statue because they can feel the quantum connection, if the scientist who exploded the first atom bomb, Oppenheimer, is quoting Bhagavad Gita / Mahabharata on the eve of explosion, If Einstein is able to appreciate the greatness of our culture, as also Emerson and Thoreau, sometimes, our Pagutharivu vathi thinks they are more smarter than such brilliant minds. So one has to question with an open mind, what is that we are missing...

we are losing our touch with the our roots. the reason why this culture has evolved to great peaks. My genuine plea would be make an attempt.

I beg to disagree bit but happy to agree with one point that society at large need to be benefited with thought that were existing for centuries.

I feel and believe that Pagutharivu vathi has admonished what has been thought to masses not the superior concepts that were existing. All the arguments that were made during Dravidian movement were social issues. Presently those issues were not significant hence we need to move on.

I view it in different perspective Dravidian movement has done great help to put all those great things in common. I would surely do what ever you are advising.

To be frank himself has one said that he was not aware whether he is qualified to do what he is doing, Since no body is coming forward to carry out social movement.

I strongly believe Dravidian movement was social not religious. Since in our society Religious was so intertwined with social fabric it got religious subsequently Since it has served its purpose to great extent it need to be dismantled and Great concept in both the school of thought need to be used to built our society in more civilised, Progressive and Happy society. All i want in our society is equal opportunity for every one.

I am following the thread that discusses all these issues in our SSC forum.

saysenthil

August 21st, 2012, 10:49 AM

Take part in a 100 per cent Chennai quiz (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/take-part-in-a-100-per-cent-chennai-quiz/283955-60-120.html)

As namma Chennai is inching towards its 375th year mark, Oye!Chennai, a web-based infotainment company is organising the Oye!Chennai Quiz’12 on August 26 at the Chinmaya Heritage Centre. Apart from the usual questions on favourite topics such as the Marina Beach and masala dosa, a plethora of other categories including famous personalities and happenings will also be covered in the quiz.

The quiz is an open event and those over the age of 15 are eligible to participate. Teams consisting of two members each are required to attend the preliminary round, which will start at 3 pm. Six best team from this round will be chosen to battle it out in the finals. Quiz enthusiasts can participate in this event by registering their teams on the website www.oyechennai.com or directly at the Chinmaya Heritage Centre on the date of the event between 2 and 3 pm. Oye!Chennai is a web based infotainment and event partnering company which aims to spread the spirit of Chennai.

For further details, call 9176286620.

^^

@Kannan: Sir, why dont you give it a shot.....

iaafosc

August 21st, 2012, 01:52 PM

Take part in a 100 per cent Chennai quiz (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/take-part-in-a-100-per-cent-chennai-quiz/283955-60-120.html)

^^

@Kannan: Sir, why dont you give it a shot.....

Awesome initiative......was always interested in heritage quizzes....too bad i wont be able to make it...hope someone from SSC attends this

on a different note...the article says " namma Chennai ".....i would prefer it if Chennai is called as " nammudaiya Chennai " ...actually i would like to see a campaign to make this phrase more common....etc..i'm surprised that it has not happened yet, considering it was a huge success for our southern neighbour..:P

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 01:53 PM

kongutamizhan

August 21st, 2012, 02:59 PM

do it. even if it takes you to ban me to ban that guy (your chellam) to show your neutrality :nuts: I don't care

kongutamizhan

August 21st, 2012, 03:25 PM

Cosmicbliss

August 21st, 2012, 03:27 PM

I beg to disagree bit but happy to agree with one point that society at large need to be benefited with thought that were existing for centuries.

I feel and believe that Pagutharivu vathi has admonished what has been thought to masses not the superior concepts that were existing. All the arguments that were made during Dravidian movement were social issues. Presently those issues were not significant hence we need to move on.

I view it in different perspective Dravidian movement has done great help to put all those great things in common. I would surely do what ever you are advising.

To be frank himself has one said that he was not aware whether he is qualified to do what he is doing, Since no body is coming forward to carry out social movement.

I strongly believe Dravidian movement was social not religious. Since in our society Religious was so intertwined with social fabric it got religious subsequently Since it has served its purpose to great extent it need to be dismantled and Great concept in both the school of thought need to be used to built our society in more civilised, Progressive and Happy society. All i want in our society is equal opportunity for every one.

I am following the thread that discusses all these issues in our SSC forum.

Dravidian movement empowered a lot of people. One of my professors rightly said that 50 years ago, the non-upper caste middle class in TN was very small, today it is quite large. Definitely DMK/ADMK have played a role. I believe-as a non-Tamilian interested in Tamil history/language/culture-that such movements are inevitable and occur everywhere in the world under various garbs and headings. Like any movement, which starts with certain ideals, but over a period of time strays, there is no doubt that the Dravidian movement drifted away to some extent from the ideals it started off with. It is also true that some communities did not get as empowered as they should/could have.

However, what must be kept in mind is that the Dravidian movements/Dravidian parties had major merits as well. They have rarely been communal-my Muslim friends in TN vouched for this-and ensured that TN is one of the states where communal riots have been virtually non-existent. There has never been any major ant-minority riot in TN since the DMK won in 1967. I feel this is a major accomplishment on their part, and this deserves full praise as to ensure communal harmony for 50 years running is not a mean feat. :)

Second, I do believe that the Dravidian movement helped to create a culture of taking pride in speaking Tamil-this is my honest view and you may disagree with it. I do feel in Chennai/TN there is genuine pride in speaking/and being able to speak Tamil well which cuts across classes/castes/age groups.

Third, I would praise the TN government for ensuring that Naxalism which has creared its head in many states has not been a major issue in TN.

Fourth, given how grossly unequal and divided society was in TN/India 50 or 60 years, I definitely feel that the government was right to enforce reservations. It was neccessary to do so. However, where reservations fail is that reservations assumes you have completed 12 years of education. Given how high the drop out rate among the poorer sections of society was-and to lesser extent is-this means a lot of poor children can never benefit from reservations at all. :ohno: Higher education is not where you can really tackle inequity; the real solution is to ensure very good primary school education, this will pave the way for the drop out rate to reduce and for more people to benefit from reservations. The difference between American International School Chennai and a student at a municipal school in the same city which may not even basic facilities cannot be bridged entirely :ohno::bash: but an attempt has to be made. :)

Getting a job these days is not the degree you have; your ability to communicate well in English/your resume/other skills/how you present yourself-all these count for a lot. These skills are best instilled in secondary/higher school. Sometimes you find guys from poorer families who don't have a basic idea about how to make/prepare a good resume-and there is literally no one to guide them. Soft skills training is really essential for those coming from rural/small town/poorer backgrounds. :cheers:

satchitananda

August 21st, 2012, 03:46 PM

wow great essay. How come people like you are not in politics?

Thanks for your perception. The force I feel behind knowing myself is not as strong as politics or economics, perhaps.

Besides there are lots of sleeping giants in our country. I will be more than happy to waken them up, even if possible in a small way.

For that matter Mr Common Man, CM, yourself, if you connect within yourself, will become a force beyond your EGO (Edge God Out), someone very powerful and achieve tremendous things. The key is to connect.

You may have the world's best vaccum cleaner, but if not connected to the power, its a piece of junk. Same way, the key CM is to connect to the inner self.

jaish

August 21st, 2012, 03:51 PM

It is not present DMK that has got anything to do with that movement and never ADMK has got anything to do with that movement. All those inequality against which DK stood for has been achieved to great extent. Perhaps in the pursuit of equality DK had affected some communities. It is time now that wounds need to be heeled. Remnants of DK has to take steps towards that.

kongutamizhan

August 21st, 2012, 04:01 PM

Dravidian movement empowered a lot of people. One of my professors rightly said that 50 years ago, the non-upper caste middle class in TN was very small, today it is quite large. Definitely DMK/ADMK have played a role. I believe-as a non-Tamilian interested in Tamil history/language/culture-that such movements are inevitable and occur everywhere in the world under various garbs and headings. Like any movement, which starts with certain ideals, but over a period of time strays, there is no doubt that the Dravidian movement drifted away to some extent from the ideals it started off with. It is also true that some communities did not get as empowered as they should/could have.

However, what must be kept in mind is that the Dravidian movements/Dravidian parties had major merits as well. They have rarely been communal-my Muslim friends in TN vouched for this-and ensured that TN is one of the states where communal riots have been virtually non-existent. There has never been any major ant-minority riot in TN since the DMK won in 1967. I feel this is a major accomplishment on their part, and this deserves full praise as to ensure communal harmony for 50 years running is not a mean feat. :)

Second, I do believe that the Dravidian movement helped to create a culture of taking pride in speaking Tamil-this is my honest view and you may disagree with it. I do feel in Chennai/TN there is genuine pride in speaking/and being able to speak Tamil well which cuts across classes/castes/age groups.

Third, I would praise the TN government for ensuring that Naxalism which has creared its head in many states has not been a major issue in TN.

Fourth, given how grossly unequal and divided society was in TN/India 50 or 60 years, I definitely feel that the government was right to enforce reservations. It was neccessary to do so. However, where reservations fail is that reservations assumes you have completed 12 years of education. Given how high the drop out rate among the poorer sections of society was-and to lesser extent is-this means a lot of poor children can never benefit from reservations at all. :ohno: Higher education is not where you can really tackle inequity; the real solution is to ensure very good primary school education, this will pave the way for the drop out rate to reduce and for more people to benefit from reservations. The difference between American International School Chennai and a student at a municipal school in the same city which may not even basic facilities cannot be bridged entirely :ohno::bash: but an attempt has to be made. :)

Getting a job these days is not the degree you have; your ability to communicate well in English/your resume/other skills/how you present yourself-all these count for a lot. These skills are best instilled in secondary/higher school. Sometimes you find guys from poorer families who don't have a basic idea about how to make/prepare a good resume-and there is literally no one to guide them. Soft skills training is really essential for those coming from rural/small town/poorer backgrounds. :cheers:

You have solid information from one perspective which is really great for a non-Tamilian.

Have you ever made an attempt to know the other side of Dravidian politics? Have you heard of Tamilnadu's height of glory under Kamaraj prior to 1967? Do you know of the kind of foundation it layed for TN development story till now?

Your argument is like saying British built the Railways, hill-stations and roads so they must be good. But reality is they have their own share of evil that outdid their good. So did the dravidian politics. Yes it was good from one side, it facilitated growth for few sections of the people, but in a polarizing way. Had we sticked with congress, Kamaraj's plan would have achieved it too in a far more civil manner. Anyways it's just my perspective.

Also definition of riots or hatred is relative. You missed several incidences. Coimbatore blasts, LTTE atrocities @ Chennai between 1989 -1991 that ended with Rajiv's death (for which government gave them a free hand), anti-Hindu (especially Brahmin hatred and even threatening), the molestation and abuses during anti-Hindi riots to name a few.

It is not that Tamilnadu was gone to dogs before 1967 and dravidian parties changed things around overnight with a magic wand. They were given more credit than they deserve. Of-course victors write history, they are in power for 45 years so whatever they say must be true isn't? Also very few remember the past, so easy for karunanidhi and his allakais to twist or relate every achievement to dravidian movement

kannan infratech

August 21st, 2012, 04:14 PM

do it. even if it takes you to ban me to ban that guy (your chellam) to show your neutrality :nuts: I don't care

Please remove the yellow glass and see to understand.

I am feeling bad sometimes even to reply to three of you. (as you three do not see how others (larger SSC community) feel about your (all 3) posts and what they are going through )

If you want to fight with each other, fight through PM / email. Why in Public ?

Why we all have to read your trash and waste our time ?

I am so unfortunate that I can not even put you three in my Ignore List.

Please understand that we have better jobs to do and we come to SSC for knowing the latest news and get some quality content.

Please do not keep spoiling our limited time.

I will be stooping down to your level if I take your words seriously about my neutrality.

I do not need your certificate either.

jaish

August 21st, 2012, 04:21 PM

LTTE atrocities @ Chennai between 1989 -1991 that ended with Rajiv's death (for which government gave them a free hand), anti-Hindu (especially Brahmin hatred and even threatening), the molestation and abuses during anti-Hindi riots to name a few.

I disagree with your usage of words marked in bold. I don't want to argue here atleast not now.

satchitananda

August 21st, 2012, 04:28 PM

I agree with Kannan's suggestion, that if the disagreement cannot be clarified within one or two postings, it may be best to take it via private messaging.

One of the things I have learnt thanks to my earlier postings is that one has to press the mental IGNORE button on some posts. I am still guilty of not observing it 100%, but it does alleviate most situations.

I personally enjoy the tongue in cheek jabs of KT as well as the logical analysis, the depth of Kris intellect and the pictures from Vicvin, one of my favorite cameraman on ground.

I went back and tried to reconstruct why some strong feelings could have arose amongst you... only thing I can tell is wrong choice of words.

Easier not to respond to certain individual's post unless uplifting. If the other person violates, better to look beyond it.

Please do not take this as preachy, as each one of you are very good contributors.

Cosmicbliss

August 21st, 2012, 04:46 PM

You have solid information from one perspective which is really great for a non-Tamilian.

Have you ever made an attempt to know the other side of Dravidian politics? Have you heard of Tamilnadu's height of glory under Kamaraj prior to 1967? Do you know of the kind of foundation it layed for TN development story till now?

Your argument is like saying British built the Railways, hill-stations and roads so they must be good. But reality is they have their own share of evil that outdid their good. So did the dravidian politics. Yes it was good from one side, it facilitated growth for few sections of the people, but in a polarizing way. Had we sticked with congress, Kamaraj's plan would have achieved it too in a far more civil manner. Anyways it's just my perspective.

Also definition of riots or hatred is relative. You missed several incidences. Coimbatore blasts, LTTE atrocities @ Chennai between 1989 -1991 that ended with Rajiv's death (for which government gave them a free hand), anti-Hindu (especially Brahmin hatred and even threatening), the molestation and abuses during anti-Hindi riots to name a few.

It is not that Tamilnadu was gone to dogs before 1967 and dravidian parties changed things around overnight with a magic wand. They were given more credit than they deserve. Of-course victors write history, they are in power for 45 years so whatever they say must be true isn't? Also very few remember the past, so easy for karunanidhi and his allakais to twist or relate every achievement to dravidian movement

There is a difference-a major one-between the British and Dravidian parties. The British colonised India. The Dravidian parties were elected to power, they came through the ballot-not true subjugation or conquest. :)

I want to make one thing clear that I am not an unabashed admirer or supporter of the Dravidian parties. Any party has its defects. You are right that their track record is not blemish free. When I spoke about social stability, I meant only that major riots against minorities have not have happnened for the past 50 years-when it has happened in almost every major state.

It will help perhaps to put things clearer if I clarify that before I came to TN, I had read as much as I could about TN/Dravidian politics and the history of the Dravidian movement/its effect and the people in it.

I apologise for any mistakes but from my understanding, the non-Brahmin middle class in TN at the time of independence was very small. In the early years of the 20th century, the nucleus of a non-Brahmin middle class-that was starting to emrge, started feeling that they needed more share in the limited colonial economy that there was, or felt discriminated against/under-represented. I do believe that the reason Dalit politics in TN/India has rarely moved purely agitational politics/tokenism is that the Dalit middle class in most states has not been big enough for parties to go beyond tokenism. This is also why I believe that Dalits did not play a major role in TN in the Dravidian movement. I also feel as that the Dalit middle class expands in India, slowly Dalit parties will increasingly realise the need to go beyond tokenism.

Having said that, I would certainly blame the DMK/ADMK/offshoots for several things. I feel they used the Sri Lankan Tamil issue cynically and were more interested in getting votes. I would blame them for not trying to upgrade the primary education facilities sufficiently so as to make reservation a more effective way of uplifting people. I would blame them for never trying to rebrand or change the image of Chennai a la what some other leaders have tried to do. I would definitely blame them for the poor state of civic amenities in Chennai. I would blame them for at times being undemocratic, for their attack on the media, for their senseless attempts at reversing everything a previous regime, for a political culture where the two parties almost hate each other. I would blame them for not doing enough to genuinely promote Tamizh.

But I feel they did good things as well-and I have posted this side too. :)

kongutamizhan

August 21st, 2012, 04:50 PM

I do not need your certificate either.

I am not here to certify anyone. Being a moderator it is imperative that you have feedback on the kind of moderation you do (from members of the forum). Having choosen you as mod, we have right to express it as well. I am not sure if everyone agrees to my view on this. I am just stating my opinion as a member here that's all. I don't want to hide any. If you think there is truth in my accusation change yourself. If not ignore it. What you preach others here is very much applicable for you as well.

You are welcome to stoop down to my level by point-blank comments on my posts and views (and not about me). I welcome it

krishnaswamy

August 21st, 2012, 05:31 PM

Kannan Sir..
I have great respect for you & I am not blaming you Partisan. I agree Moderation is great job, which needs your dedicated time and effort.

but i wanted to ask you questions, which very well you can answer yourself and am not expecting for you to give answers here after, (I have seen your above posts).

when Arul's post on his travel experience is there, why you have deleted my posts on my experience and KT's experience? why you have deleted my posts on conductor's not giving the change?

what basis you are terming those as useless arguments? do you think they are not facts or you dont have time to go through all of them and hence deleted all?I just go by the 2nd reason.
but is it fair to delete all the posts? When you are spending time for Moderation, we also spent our time to post those.

when somebody says "oorukkul varathe", " velaiye po", anthe post pottavarukkum warning, engalukkum warning-a?

remember when we jumped on? when Vicvin told "sooru potta ooru thittarathu"..

You please answer yourself, if either me or KT told those words, how many souls would have jumped on us?

On your views on Monopoly:
agree that i do lot of postings in TN AA thread.
I agree that sometimes we went too high to reply immediately. but have you ever thought of the realistic situation?
If we post 1 thing, 3 or 4 people questions that, and hence we reply for them, it looks as if we are posting a lot and is it monopoly?
I know consiously i can have avoid lot of replies and particularly with Vinoth and Jaish.

I just replied them in a good sense, irresepctive of what they feel.
"Inna Seitharai oruthal, avar vazha nannyam seithu vidal".

Everyone choose their topic and posts a lot. so did I in TNAA thread. is it sin?

I would like to End up with few words.

Chennai is Great.
Coovum is great and better than Thames.
Autokarans and Conductors are the holy cows and great ambassador for Chennai.
All MTCs are world class. Sub urban stations are disabled friendly.
No Street dogs.
24 hrs water supply.
24 hrs electricity power is given.

It treats only kris and KT badly, because we are passion about it, but also complains about it.

PS: How much you believe that your moderation is neutral, it is the same level, i did my postings with honesty.

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 06:15 PM

adhu sari why TNSTC / private bus related comparison (reply to Arul ) and experiences with MTC are deleted?

oh wait I get it. It is equally offensive as "chennaiya vittu Odi po " or "indha pakkam varadha" . if you come back and say that is useless reply then sorry to say this, it casts doubt on your moderation ability

he is a fair moderator. and out of his experience and love for all of us in this forum has warned us officially. Lets drop this topic and move on and not turn Kannan sir the tolerant mod into a ruthless one. I was also warned a good few times and i dared to apologize which you are not able to do so.

Also Vicvin is a young Chennai patriot and he will learn with experience that there are drawbacks in this beautiful coastal town too. So chill

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 06:22 PM

kannan infratech

August 21st, 2012, 06:24 PM

Kris

All the posts by vicvin , KT & you on this subject were removed by another MOD as I had requested him to go through this forum as I was rushing for an important meeting. (Their verdict was to brig / ban all 3 of you)

All posts which quoted your ( all 3) posts were also automatically deleted.

We wanted to delete them asap so that replies to that from each one of you can be avoided.

Onga ellaroda postayum varivariya padichu endha varthai sari, edhu thappunnu parkaradhukku ellam engalukku neramum illa Porumaiyum illa. (Why Should we waste our time on this useless act ?).

Deletion of your posts is the only solution.

Then, Later I had to open a few posts by other forumers where answers to your (all 3) posts were normal or making some sense.

indha SSC la irukkira mathavanga pathiyum konjam nenachu reply pannunga.

Heat of the moment retorts, choice of wrong words and repeated arguments / polambals, victimisation syndrome put everybody off.

Give us a Break.

If you want others to read all what you want to write, start your own blog and write there. If anybody is interested, they may visit and reply to you there. Give the link as your signature.

kongutamizhan

August 21st, 2012, 06:41 PM

Then, Later I had to open a few posts by other forumers where answers to your (all 3) posts were normal or making some sense..

So our posts don't make sense? :lol: You removed our non-abusive opinion and treated it on-par/equally with abusive opinion. You bracketed abusive and non-abusive posts and treated them the same. FYI that is not moderation. Moderation is about identifying good ones from bad ones. You had time to open up posts by other forumers whose answers are normal, but selectively ignored our responses (that are not reply to that person) and say that you don't have time? I just don't get it.

BTW I understand mod job is volunteer one. With all due respect to your time, if you think you cannot do justice to differentiate good posts from bad post and do justice to moderation job why take it at the first place? why continue with it?

No offence meant, just asking it as a question. Nobody is forcing anyone to act as mod here and it is totally voluntary. Having taken that up and not doing justice and saying that be considerate to our time and bracketing the abusive posters with others, is that not playing victimization?

Mods too play self victim card when they are questioned (and they use their volunteer time to do it)

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 06:43 PM

So our posts don't make sense? :lol: You removed our non-abusive opinion and treated it on-par/equally with abusive opinion. You bracketed abusive and non-abusive posts and treated them the same. FYI that is not moderation. Moderation is about identifying good ones from bad ones. You had time to open up posts by other forumers whose answers are normal, but selectively ignored our responses (that are not reply to that person) and say that you don't have time? I just don't get it.

BTW I understand mod job is volunteer one. With all due respect to your time, if you think you cannot do justice to differentiate good posts from bad post and do justice to moderation job why take it at the first place? why continue with it?

No offence meant, just asking it as a question. Nobody is forcing anyone to act as mod here and it is totally voluntary. Having taken that up and not doing justice and saying that be considerate to our time and bracketing the abusive posters with others, is that not playing victimization?

Mods too play self victim card when they are questioned (and they use their volunteer time to do it)

you are too sensitive. take a chill pill and forgive and forget.

vinodgopal

August 21st, 2012, 07:03 PM

@vicvin, see as kannan sir pointed out your overtly defending of chennai has caused a big time hurricane in this forum. Kindly use your words in a sensible manner as words uttered cannot be taken back.

jaish

August 21st, 2012, 07:16 PM

Vinod i congratulate for making genuine attempts to bringing tempers down. I sincerely wish to succeed in your attempts. Krish, KT, Vicvin are great contributors.

kongutamizhan

August 21st, 2012, 09:31 PM

http://123tamilcinema.com/2012082119583.html

சென்னை நகரம் நன்றாக இருக்கிறது, பரபரப்பாக இருக்கிறது. ஆனால் ரோடுதான் சரியில்லை என்று அலுத்துக் கொண்டுள்ளார் நயனதாரா.

கடந்த ஏழு வருடமாக சென்னையில் தங்கி வாழ்ந்து வரும் நயனதாரா, இடையில் 2 காதல்களிலும் சிக்கி மீண்டு விட்டார். இத்தனை வருடங்களாக சென்னையிலேயே இருந்தாலும் சொந்தமாக வீடு வாங்கிக் கொள்ளவில்லை நயனதாரா. மாறாக, நுங்கம்பாக்கத்தில் உள்ள நட்சத்திர ஹோட்டலில்தான் நிரந்தரமாக தங்கியிருந்தார். ஹோட்டலில் நல்ல வசதி என்பதால் அங்கேயே ஜாகையை வைத்திருந்தார்.

அதேசமயம், ஹைதராபாத், கேரளா, மும்பை என இடையில் படப்பிடிப்புகளுக்காக போய்ப் போய் வந்து கொண்டிருந்தார். இந்த நிலையில் இத்தனை காலம் தனக்கு சோறு போட்ட, இரண்டு காதல்களுக்கு அடிக்கல் நாட்டிய சென்னை நகரம் குறித்து முதல் முறையாக மனம் திறந்துள்ளார் நயனதாரா.

அவர் கூறுகையில், சென்னையில் நான் நிறைய நேரம் செலவிட்டு உள்ளேன். இங்குள்ள பரபரப்பு எனக்கு ரொம்ப பிடிக்கும். ஆனாலும் சில குறைகளும் உள்ளன. சென்னையில் உள்ள சாலைகள் சரியாக அமைக்கப்படவில்லை. பொதுமக்கள் நடந்து செல்லவும், வண்டிகளை ஓட்டிச் செல்லவும் கஷ்டப்படுகின்றனர். குறிப்பாக மழைக்காலத்தில் ரோடுகள் குண்டும் குழியுமாகி மோசமாகி விடுகிறது.

ரோடுகளை சீரமைத்து, சாக்கடை கால்வாய் அடைப்புகளை சரி செய்தால் ரோடுகளில் தண்ணீர் நிற்காது. இந்த குறைகளை தவிர சென்னையை விரும்புவதற்கு நிறைய விஷயங்கள் இருக்கிறது. வரும் ஆண்டுகளில் சென்னையை சுத்தமான, பசுமையான நகரமாக பார்க்க நான் ஆசைப்படுகிறேன் என்று கூறியுள்ளார் நயனதாரா.

எனவே சென்னை மாநகராட்சி கவுன்சிலர்களே, முன்பை விட கடுமையாக உழைத்து நயனதாராவுக்கேற்றார் போல சென்னை மாநகர சாலைகளை மாற்றியமைக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கும்படி தாழ்மையுடன் கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறோம்…

chennaiyorker

August 22nd, 2012, 12:56 AM

OMFG....it's a warzone here!! missed it!! :nuts:

warriors...take a chill pill and listen to Bob Marley

Make love na, not war! :lol:

ind7BEZgWJU

murlee

August 22nd, 2012, 05:00 AM

a special report on Chennai's changing landscape; what are the big expansion plans for the city and how will it benefit from the expansion.

15.00 - 32.00.

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-property-show/the-property-show-best-options-for-upper-end-homes-in-mumbai-bengaluru/243579

Kavalier

August 22nd, 2012, 05:45 AM

Arul Murugan

August 22nd, 2012, 05:59 AM

I watched it last night, panelists were of the view that 8878 sq km option all the way to Kanchipuram was the better than the 4459 sq km option. Whichever option they choose, let's hope they start the process as quickly as possible.

The 'property show' often have pretty good coverage of infra related news, iirc they also had a section regarding chennai metro a few weeks back.

There was a point whether Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu etc., to develop on its own or it club with 8878 sq km mega Chennai metropolitan area.

Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu towns have not seen much development like what a metropolitan satellite city need. They have just seen the development of any other small towns in the state... except that they are nearer to Chennai region.

So IMHO, the 3 dts viz Chennai, Kanchi and Thiruvallur needs a single development authority with rural and urban as division. It can be named Chennai Urban dt and Chennai rural dt just like the B city.. i.e 8878 sqkm would be best possible way to bring the basic infra in place for coming years.

It is already delayed by 5-6yrs!!

krishnaswamy

August 22nd, 2012, 06:12 AM

கிராமமாக இருந்து மாநகரமான சிங்காரச் சென்னைக்கு இன்று 373வது பிறந்தநாள் (http://tamil.oneindia.in/news/2012/08/22/tamilnadu-chennai-celebrates-373rd-b-day-today-160044.html)
Happy Birthday Chennai

jaish

August 22nd, 2012, 06:32 AM

OMFG....it's a warzone here!! missed it!! :nuts:

warriors...take a chill pill and listen to Bob Marley

Make love na, not war! :lol:

Atrankarai orathil vazthirukam Nanal Athu
Katradithal Saivathillai
Kanitha Manam Vizhvathillai

Amaithina Nadhilla Odam Odum,
Alavillatha vellam Vandhal Adum

sshivakumar

August 22nd, 2012, 08:00 AM

I have posted this earlier once, but worth posting again I think.

Some Historical events of Chennai:

 1639 Madras founded. The English get Madras Patnam from Ayyapa Naicker.
 1640 Foundation laid for Fort St.George.
 1688 Madras City Municipal Corporation inaugurated.
 1767 Hyder Ali’s first invasion.
 1783 Fort St. George repaired and attains the present shape.
 1784 The First Newspaper –Madras Courier.
 1785 First Post Office.
 1794 Guindy Engg College
 1795 Triplicane Big Mosque-Walajah Mosque built.
 1831 First Commercial Bank –Madras Bank.
 1834 First Survey School inaugurated – Later developed as Engineering College.
 1835 First Medical College – Later became Madras Christian College.
 1841 Ice House was built – Ice brought from America through ships was stored here, Later named as Vivekananda House.
 1842 First Light House.
 1846 Pachaiappan School; Later Pachaiappa’s College.
 1857 Madras University founded.
 1864-65 Presidency College built.
 1864 Spencer Plaza
 1872 Madras Harbour
 1873 Central Station
 1876-78 Great Famine – Buckingham Canal dug.
 1878 The Hindu Newspaper founded.
 1882 First Telephone.
 1885 Marina Beach Road formed
 1894 First Car – Mr. A.J. Boag, Director of Parry&Co, drove the Car on City Roads.
 1895 First Tram Car.
 1899 First Tamil Newspaper-Swadesamitran.
 1906 Indian Bank founded.
 1908 Egmore Railway Station
 1914 Water mains and drainage formed. Street lights introduced.
 1916 Chepauk cricket stadium
 1917 First Aeroplane: Simpson & Co., arranged for the trial flight.
 1920 Madras Stock Exchange
 1922 Southern Railway Headquarters
 1924 School of Indian Medicine.
 1925 Loyola College : First Bus Transport.
 1930 First Broadcasting Station founded at Ripon Buildings Complex.
 1931 First Subarban train between Beach and Tambaram
 1938 All India Radio formed and broadcasting from Ripon Buildings ceased.
 1942 Second World War - Evacuation of Madras.
 1943 Japanese Fighter Plane dropped bombs on City and disappeared.
 1944 Alagappa College of Technology
 1949 MIT Chromepet
 1954 Chennai Airport
 1959 IIT Madras
 1959 LIC Building – 1st high rise building
 1973 Anna Fly-over
 1975 Chennai Doordarshan
 1976 New Light House.

kannan infratech

August 22nd, 2012, 08:55 AM

I was asked by an organisation to give a lecture this morning on
Vandharai Vazha Vaikkum Chennai.

Since our family migrated from Srivilliputtur to Chennai in 1988 and I have prospered enough to be noticed, they thought it fit to invite me.

It was very heartening to hear many success stories in spite of various hurdles.

Some of the statistics given (without any solid proof) were unbelievable. The economy of Chennai seems to be controlled by Teleugus (mainly Real Estate related), South TN people (almost all retail business & of late in Infra sector - steel & cement), Gujaratis & Marwaris.

North & Central Chennai are their kingdom. Of late they are spreading to South Chennai also.

IT industry is another sector which has pulled a very large no of people from the districts to Chennai.

An Annachi from Virudhunagar district proposed that all of us who prospered after coming to Chennai should give back to the city what ever is possible.

I suggested that in each ones locality, the traders & businessmen can donate to maintain the streets & parks. The salaried employees can form voulanatry groups to supervise / execute the maintenance plans.

Hopefully something useful should emerge from this meeting.

jaish

August 22nd, 2012, 09:00 AM

Happy Madras alias Chennai's Day....

Article in Hindu. Sorry for posting full article. There were interesting comments from readers.
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3798898.ece

Chennai’s selfless, surplus love

MEENA KANDASAMY
SHARE · COMMENT (26) · PRINT · T+

The Hindu Meena Kandasamy. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat
Meena Kandasamy, poet, writer, activist and translator, on the city, its people, sights and sounds

Give it to Chennai for chutzpah, for her courage to take on the world. For all the laidback calm, she launched the Home Rule League to overthrow the British, the Anti-Hindi Agitation to show New Delhi that she wouldn’t accept another tongue being thrust down her throat. If you care to learn her whole history, listen to it come away in layers, like the names of old, unforgettable lovers: Pallava, Chera, Chola, Pandya, Vijayanagara. Empires who held her close, coveted, almost concealed, since the seventh century – a port city on the Coromandel Coast. Then there were those who colonised her: the Portuguese, the British, and sometimes in between, the French. The earliest sale-deeds date to 1632, but who bothers about such barter? Her soul is as old as the sea by her side.

Chennai began as a group of villages; the rural roots reflect in her fondness for gossip. She is sometimes harsh in her judgment – even an off-the-cuff remark about chastity sends her women marching on the streets – but she is always hush-hush in her affairs. Trust her to be tight-lipped about her secrets. Success-stories of her booming economy merely provide the subtext: auto-manufacturing plants eating into faraway suburbs, software giants clamouring to claim real-estate space. Rumpelstiltskin-like when labouring, she only shows you the garish gold.

She is famed for her margazhi dance and music concerts, but anyone here can demonstrate the dappankuthu: endless, drunken dancing to funeral drums. When you learn to appreciate her refinement, brace yourself for her rawness.

Etched in memory as Madras, she is also a city of moderation. She boasts of masjids and mutts. She caters to 1,000-year-old temples and temples under traffic lights with equal panache. She enshrines a bleeding cross, and in her most ornate cathedral, Santhome Basilica, is buried one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus.

She harbours a fetish for fair skin, but her men are mostly dark and moustachioed. Her women, grace and grievance combined, deserve a separate treatise. A diehard cinema fanatic, she houses India’s second-largest film industry. She crawls to a stop whenever there is a movie shoot nearby, but makes no fuss over the fact that A.R. Rahman brought home two Oscars. For all her mood-music, she relies heavily on Ilaiyaraja.

Three of her rivers are remembered because of the bridges built over them, but otherwise their names aren’t taken in polite conversation. It is this sea that sways us. Even the 2004 tsunami did little harm to Marina Beach, the 12-kilometre-long sparkling seashore that defines this city.

She considers Mount Road her lifeline, its Spencer Plaza the mecca of malls. A movie date would have you ending up at Inox, CitiCenter. A wedding in your family would land you up in a shopper’s paradise called Pondy Bazaar. Driving down her East Coast Road will satisfy all your hedonistic urges. Even as you splurge, she will look away modestly.

Since she is humble, she wouldn’t even point out that she has produced more Nobel Laureates than all other Indian cities taken together. She would be more pleased if the monsoons were on time. Every fifth person is a migrant and no other city invites people with such open arms. Periyar EVR was a Kannadiga; MGR was a Malayalee – but try telling that to anyone here. She celebrates kinship, everyone is hers the moment they set foot, much before they even settle down.

She is also the city of garrulous graffiti, city of cramped slums and flyovers, city of laughter, city of slaughter. She unfailingly stars in the dreams of the eight million men and women she shelters. Once ravaged by famines, her standard line after every salutary smile is, “Saptengala?”. Have you eaten? She hates to see anybody go hungry.

She speaks a language with a legacy of 2,000 years; she understands every word of English. She romps around with jasmine on jet-black hair, night or day. No other city shall ever seduce you in Chennai’s Tamizhachi style: with sultry, sidelong looks; with spontaneous speech; with all her selfless, surplus love.