Motta maadis. . .

The Kannadiga community in South Chennai used to have an interesting event on their calendar.
Potluck dinner on the beach.
I am not sure if they continue with this wonderful idea.
Their destination was Elliots Beach in Besant Nagar...More

Web site for Chennai South

Two weeks ago, a group of us launched a Web initiative.
A project linked to the General Elections this year.
Employing free-to-use Web tools and services, we created a web site whose address is - www.southchennaivotes.wordpress.com
The focus was Chennai South parliamentary constituency...More

Elections in Chennai

Each constituency has its own character, colour and composition. Though all three make Chennai what it is. So are there Chennai-driven issues that are dominating the elections this time around? And is it important to put these issues on top of the agenda of the candidates who have thrown their hat in the ring last fortnight?...More

Please Vote for Me

We should have had the General Elections in July.
Then we could have had the opportunity to expose senior school students to the ins and outs of this democratic process.
Days in June would have been perfect.
Should school students get involved?...More

Even Tributes have a place in Community Web Sites

And when we posted the news of his death on the neighbourhood web site - arcotroadtimes.com - we never expected a stream of reaction to follow, some severe, some poetic, some numbing. Many of them posted by Padma Seshadri students and alumni - for Arjun was a PSBB alumni...More

Namma Chennai in Lok Sabha

Interesting people are stepping into General Elections 2009. You may have read about Meera Sanyal. If you haven't, you will get to see her on TV and read about her in your newspaper. Meera has not even filed her nomination but she is dominating some of the Q and A programmes on television...More

Lok Sabha elections - be aware

Is a politician also a social entrepreneur?
This is a question I put to students and faculty of social work and a few heads of NGOs at a workshop that the Social Work Department of Stella Maris College conducted last weekend...More

Posters on our walls

It has stood me well for, these posters and handbills influenced the design and strategy of our own community newspapers and media. Much of local, outdoor advertising has been dictated by the technology available at the neighbourhood printing presses...More

Journalism for the young people

Does your newspaper change things in the neighbourhood?
I am asked this question at discussions on small and local media.
I tell people that we are agents of change...More

Conserving tiled houses, agraharams

Vysial Street had won a UNESCO award for heritage restoration. The project was among a dozen and plus more from around the world to be recognised,...More

Walks inside old Madras Jail

This was a Jail House Rock of a different kind.
The Elvis Presley hit of the late 1950s is evergreen.
This Jail House was not one any more and so we, who lead these city-based heritage walks organised a few walks inside this campus...More

Take the lead young friends . . .

It is good to see young people dirtying their hands.
Such projects and events are not those which promise glam and camera lights. They call for an understanding, a passion and a certain attitude...More

Sundaram Finance Mylapore Fest.

Welcome again to the second half of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Fest.
There isn't any jazz, pizzas and glitter.
There aren't any Page 3 celebrities on stage.
This is a Fest of the people...More

Festival time in Mylapore

would love to see you at the 2009 edition of Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival 2009, January 22 to 25.
If you and your family, your relatives and your friends are there, then this will truly be a community-driven fest

Kutti plantains and Kitchen Gardens!

I laughed and laughed before I told my amused host that the nook with the bananas looked like Nair's tea shop in Irinjalakuda.
The plantains were delicious.
They had to be. They had grown on the trees that Manoj has in his kitchen garden.

Resolution for 2009: Be the Change in your Community

They sympathised with the victims in Bombay. And they pledged to be more active in the public. 'Make use of us! We are ready to contribute!' That voice, that of a young woman rings in my mind though it bounced off my TV set that Sunday morning.

Dreaming of a Christmas Zone in Chennai

Leith Castle is a quiet area of independent houses, gardens and free streets.
I was tempted to call Francis Lazarus, ask him to collect a bunch of singers and request a concert at the end...

Moore Market and San Thome at Christmastime

Some places live with us. Among my few is Moore Market.
This December I want to go back in time. For Moore Market got a life of its own at Christmastime. Had it survived the fire that helped in its destruction it would have easily rivalled CitiCentre.....

Chennai in December

Chennai in December. It is the place to be!
I am not promoting the city because of the internationally known music and dance season of 1000 concerts.
This is a city that really buzzes.

Election and young people

The President-elect is the poster boy of young people in our city.Evidence of this fascination was in plenty at two halls at the Taj Coromandel Hotel where the American Consulate hosted an event where the results of the election to the White House in the USA were broadcast.......