Miles to go before “Traffic” comes to a halt

Volume No 15
Issue No 8
LAB JOURNAL OF THE ASIAN COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM
Admission to
schools
The streets of
Sowcarpet
Themed dining a
hit in Chennai
Page 4
Page 3
Page 2
March 20, 2015
Miles to go before “Traffic” comes to a halt
MEENAL THAKUR
Journalists, lawyers and wellwishers sit around him in a dingy,
cramped room located inside
Ramakrishna
Lunch
Room
restaurant opposite the Madras
High Court.
Soon, R.S. Bharathi of the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
enters the room, shakes hands with
him, exchanges a few pleasantries
and leaves the room.
Photographers capture the
moment.
“Stalin sent him last time as
well. Even G.K Vasan comes here
to show solidarity and to seek
advice,” says the diminutive
bespectacled 82-year-old K.R.
Ramaswamy, better known as
Traffic Ramaswamy, who is the
centre of attraction.
Ramaswamy is Chennai’s sociallegal activist who has filed
hundreds of public interest
litigation petitions such as those
No support
for govt’s
abortion
proposal
PHEBA B. MATHAI
Several doctors say they do not
support the Government’s
proposal to allow Ayurveda,
Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani,
Siddha and Homoeopathy
(AYUSH) doctors to carry out
abortions.
Dr. Saravanan, Ayurveda
Doctor at Government Yoga and
Medical College and Hospital
said that ayurveda has medicines
for the initial two months but
after that, it is not possible to use
ayurveda to abort the child.
Many a time it does not even
work properly, he added.
They need to develop
techniques to do abortion at a
later stage of pregnancy.
The Directorate of Indian
Medicine and Homeopathy in
Chennai refused to talk about
this issue.
The Health Ministry informed
Parliament that this step has
been taken to enhance access
and availabilty of safe abortion
services for the public.
Dr. Nizy Persis of Vidal
Healthcare said that she did not
recommend ayurveda medicines
for abortion because it could
lead to complications. After
abortion, the fragments of the
foetus could remain in the body
and it could cause harm to the
mother.
Now, the Government is
supporting ayurveda doctors to
learn Allopathy for one-year and
use both ayurveda and allopathy
for treatment.
Persis said “By doing this, we
will also be able to reduce the
shortage of doctors we have in
our country.”
Dr. Tamizharsi, Sanjeevani
ayurveda and yoga clinic in
Adyar, said “We do not allow
abortions in our clinic as it can
put the patient’s life at risk.
Additionally, the new proposal
can also lead to increase in sex
selective abortions.”
K.Lakshman, member of the
Indian
Siddha
Medical
Graduates Association said that
after teaching the AYUSH
doctors about the abortion
techniques, these doctors should
be allowed to do abortions.
Dr. Mrinalini Gupta, Senior
Gynaecologist at All India
Institute of Medical Sciences,
New Delhi said, “I do not
recommend AYUSH doctors
doing abortions as it can lead to
complications to the mother;
either cause bleeding or death.”
against vendors encroaching on
pavements and buildings that
obstruct free flow of traffic.
“By filing petitions I have
proved that the pen is mightier than
the sword,” says Ramaswamy who
has filed around 500 Public Interest
Litigations (PIL) in the Madras
High Court and around 20-25
petitions in the Supreme Court.
His most recent act of
intervention happened a week ago
when Ramaswamy removed
unauthorised
hoardings
on
Alagappa Road, Vepery and was
arrested following a complaint of
harrassment filed by a motorist.
“I always inform the police
about an unauthorised banner.
It is only when no action is taken
that I tear them up. I don’t break the
law but when the police don’t
respond, I don’t bother before
taking the law in my hands,” says
Ramaswamy.
The arrest garnered widespread
condemnation especially when
Traffic Ramaswamy working in his office
Photo: Meenal Thakur
Ramaswamy’s health deteriorated
in the prison and he was
hospitalised.
“This is rest given by God by
way of arrest,” says Ramaswamy
pointing towards the tube inserted
in his body to treat his urinary
problem.
Born on April 1, 1934 to an
agricultural family, he started his
career at the age of 20 as an office
boy at the Buckingham and
Carnatic (B & C) Mills from where
he voluntarily retired as a weaving
master in 1971.
His father, M.K Rangaswamy,
was the State Congress Secretary of
North Madras. This meant that
Ramaswamy
met
several
politicians who came to visit his
father..
Post retirement he started
regulating traffic at major junctions
in the city and filed his first PIL in
1998 demanding that the NSC
Bose Road in front of the Madras
High Court be made two way,
which was a success.
Since then there has been no
looking back.
One of his most famous petitions
was filed in 2006 for the removal
of the Needhi Karumariamman
MODI’S VISIT TO SRI LANKA
temple that was built in 1984 for
the well being of former Chief
Minister M.G. Ramachandran on
the footpath at the north gate
entrance of the Madras High Court.
The 30-year-old temple was
demolished in December 2013.
In the process, he earned many
enemies.In 2002 he was attacked
near the Madras High Court and he
lost his vision in his right eye.
His
activism
also
cost
Ramaswamy his family.
“I have been living separately
since 12 years,” he says.
He was abandoned by his
parents after he refused to demand
dowry when he got marred in 1964.
Without any source of income,
he stopped eating.
“I haven’t touched food in 42
years. I only have coffee and butter
milk. God gives me stamina,” says
Ramaswamy adding that “it is
unfair to eat without earning.”
Right from the dingy room he
calls his office to the two
computers and printers inside,
everything has been given to him
by well-wishers.
“I always give a receipt to
people who donate money. The car
I use was given by a Muslim
businessman,” he says.
P.T Perumal, an advocate who
has been helping Ramaswamy file
petitions since 2003 says, “He is a
one-man show. I help him with
cases that are satisfactory to me. I
provide free service because I
appreciate his work.”
Even his secretary, Stella
Yogambal has been working with
him for eight years without a salary.
“Sir helped me with a family land
dispute and this is my way of
thanking him,” she says.
Ramaswamy has no plans of
retiring from his work.
“No threats can change my mind
as my death is decided. I am proud
that I have been able to create
extraordinary awareness at the
young age of 82.”.
‘Problems of fishermen
have not been addressed’
PHEBA B. MATHAI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi did
not address the problems of the
Indian fishermen and the
Thirteenth Amendment, which
promised to devolve powers to Sri
Lankan Tamils, during his two-day
visit to Sri Lanka said T.K.S
Elangovan, DMK spokesperson.
Elangovan said the Sri Lankan
President Maithreyipala Sirisena
had
promised
that
13th
Amendment
would
be
implemented but his Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
has not made it clear that it would
be implemented.
So, there are two views from two
top people from the Sri Lankan
Government.
Tamil Nadu Congress General
Secretary Balasubramanium said,
“No Tamil political parties talked
much about Prime Minister’s visit
because everyone is scared of the
new BJP government.”
However Elangovan pointed out
that the DMK leader M
Karunanidhi had written to Modi
seeking his intervention in
protecting the rights of Tamil
fishermen.
N. Sathiya Moorthy, journalist
and political analyst, said the ruling
AIADMK has maintained a
historic silence on this issue and the
opposition DMK have always been
moderate in its suggestions or
Narendra Modi with Srilankan President Maithripala
Sirisena. Photo: The Hindu
demands.
R K Radhakrishnan, Deputy
Editor, Frontline, said the MDMK
and
DMK
which
usually
highlighted the Sri Lankan Tamils
issue were sort of sympathetic to
the BJP. Even Modi needed to be
given some time.
Sampath
Kumar,
former
journalist with BBC, said, “Vaiko
(General Secretary of MDMK
party) has said that this is eyewash
and Modi should not visit Sri
Lanka”
.He added that the Tamil issue
was almost dead after the defeat of
the
LTTE,
which
fought
courageously for a separate Tamil
state in Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan Tamils have
said that Indian Tamil parties
should not make any comments as
they were jeopardizing their
existence in Sri Lanka.
Talking about the construction of
houses by the Indian Government
for the Sri Lankan Tamils, Mr.
Elangovan said, “Instead of
rehabilitating the Sri Lankan
Tamils into these new houses, they
should have given back their land
because that is their livelihood.”
Even as Modi was visiting Sri
Lanka, five Tamil fishermen were
attacked by the Sri Lankan naval
personnel near Katchatheevu on
Saturday (March 14).
Elangovan said that this was a
human rights violation. According
to him, the fishermen could be
arrested or tried in courts for
crossing into Sri Lankan waters but
shooting them for doing the same
is wrong.
He added, “We have been
repeatedly
asking
for
an
intervention from the Indian
Government on the fishermen issue
but no action has been taken. Our
Coast Guard is also not taking any
step to prevent them from going
beyond the boundary”.
Dr. Tamilisai Soundarajan, BJP
State President said the Prime
Minister’s visit gave great hope for
the Sri Lankan Tamils as well as the
Tamil fishermen.
“This visit has emotionally and
traditionally connected both the
countries. “ “The Tamil political
parties will not make any
comments at the moment about the
Prime Minister’s visit as they do
not really care about the Sri Lankan
Tamils anymore,” she added.
Piracy comes cheap and easy
MANAS MITUL
Film producers pushed to
desperation by movie piracy are
considering not releasing films at
all for three to six months to put
the pirates out of business.
"The Tamil Film Producers
Council (TFPC) met last week due
to a rise in film piracy in recent
times and discussed the possibility
of holding back all films slated for
release," said Cable Sankar,
director of Thottal Thodarum.
However people from the film
industry believe that the option is
not viable.
"It is just not possible. A lot of
films are being produced right
now and if they are delayed for
later release, then the producers
will certainly lose money and the theatres will incur huge losses, the
films originally slated to be public too will not be pleased,"
released at the time will be said Sendhil Kumar, marketing
executive
at
affected,"
said
INOX, Citi Center
Sankar.
"Even if you delay
"Even if you mall.
"This move will
film releases, the
force people to
film pirates will not
delay film
buy
pirated
stop; they will
releases, the
DVDs.," he added
continue to sell old
Sankar
movies and will
film pirates
encouraged other
resume
their
will not stop; producers and
business after three
filmmakers
to
months," he said.
they will
explore alternative
Theatre
formats for film
executives
and
continue...”
release.
managers did not
"People will
seem to like the idea
buy original DVDs of the films if
too.
"Not releasing films is not an they are released earlier. Original
option. Besides the fact that the DVDs have much better picture
quality than pirated ones."
Sankar appreciated filmmaker
Cheran's initiative, Cinema to
Home (C2H), which would follow
a direct-to-DVD approach.
"The industry needs to be
supportive of such efforts.
Unfortunately, all the theatres
have decided among themselves
not to screen Cheran's films" he
said.
The filmmaker said that strict
police action was required to curb
piracy.
Arindam Bannerjee, a cinema
goer, said that people buy pirated
DVDs and downloaded films off
the internet because they never
face any consequences.
"It is a cheaper option and
easily available.”
Disquiet over
use of PAN for
gold purchase
Customers at a jewellery shop in the city. Photo: Nirupama
NIRUPAMA V
Jewellers and consumers are
apprehensive of the Central
Government’s insistence that
Permanent Account Number (PAN)
cards be produced for gold
purchases above Rs 1 lakh.
Jewellers believe that following
the norm will affect their business
adversely.
“Not everybody will have a PAN
card. About 5000 people from
villages come to Chennai to
purchase gold every month. We
can’t ask them for their PAN cards.
They won’t have any,” said
Balakumaran, Manager at Balu
Jewellers in T Nagar.
According to the FICCI
(Federation of Indian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry) Jewellery
Review 2013, as much as 60 to 65
per cent of the demand for gold
jewellery in the country comes
from rural areas.
There are still a large number of
people in Chennai who do not have
a PAN card.
Sivagami, who is a maintanence
worker in a private institution said,
“I don’t have a PAN card. There
was absolutely no need for it until
now. If having the card is the only
way I can purchase gold, then
people must be informed in
advance so that people like me can
get it.”
Mujeeb Ahmed, Manager of
Fathima Jewellers, said,
“It used to be a similar
requirement for purchases above
Rs 5 lakhs. But, this limit is too
low. The government must first
take steps to issue PAN cards to
everyone and then put this into
practice.”
Jewellers also believe that it will
discourage buyers as they may be
unwilling to share PAN details
during a purchase, unclear of how
it will be used.
K. Surendranath, Floor manager
at OKJ, a jewelley shop, in T Nagar
said, “When customers pay us with
cash, we don’t ask where it came
from. We are businessmen, we
shouldn’t do that. Asking for PAN
card will be similar. The moment
we ask that, customers will leave.”
This provision was announced in
this year’s Union Budget to control
the demand for gold in the
economy and to curb money
laundering.
However, many people doubt its
effectiveness.
M. Vaidhyanathan, a chartered
accountant and corporate legal
advisor in Chennai, thinks that
there are many loopholes in the
norm.
“People will start buying smaller
amounts spread over many days.
Or, two or three people might buy
in the place of one person,” he said.
This might also compel jewellers
to resort to unethical practices.
“Many jewellers might start
suggesting ways to flout the norm.
Most jewellers allow unbilled
purchases even at the moment.
This will increase and without
bills, their accountability goes
down, so even the standards of gold
sold by jewellers will be affected.”
2
CITY
SCHOOL ADMISSION BLUES
THE WORD
Parents prefer
branded education
Admission
norms
flouted
•
PRATIBHA RAWAL
Although many elementary
schools in Chennai have started
admission process earlier than
permitted by the Right to
Education Act, the authority
concerned, District Elementary
Educational Office (DEEO) is
not aware of it.
“We haven’t received any
news about such admissions. If
we find any school admitting
children before April, we will
take action against them,” said
K. Jayanti, personal secretary to
the DEEO..
“We can’t take action on the
basis of news, we need official
proof or record for it,” she
added. According to her, only
schools under the Central
Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) can admit students
before April as there exists a
different set of rules for them.
An official in the Directorate
of Matriculation Schools told
The Word earlier: “Strict
instructions have been issued to
all schools not to begin
admission before April.”
The official said that the
order was passed by the State
government in compliance with
the Right to Education Act that
guaranteed 25 per cent
admission to poor and
disadvantaged children at the
entry level.
The schools remained tightlipped about the admission
process and asked the parents
who had come for admissions to
refer to their website.
There are 386 elementary
schools in Chennai. Most of
them have already carried out
the admission process between
January and March this year
according to some parents.
NIRUPAMA V
Recommendations and
donations for LKG seats
Parents waiting outside a school in the city to collect admissions. Photo: The Hindu
MAYA NANDHINI
Recommendations, capitation fees
and donations have become the
norm for admissions into popular
schools in Chennai.
Be it CBSE, ICSE or State Board,
the sought-after schools have their
own criteria for admissions and
most demand a capitation fee too.
“It is impossibe to get admission
without any recommendations,
political influence or paying of
capitation fees,” said K. Madhavan,
a concerned parent, while talking
about a school at Santhome.
Capitation fees range from Rs 11.5 lakh, he added.
Another parent said, “When I
approached a school in Mandaiveli
for my son’s admission to ninth
standard, I was asked to pay Rs 1
lakh even though he had previously
studied in the same school.”
Disabled demand
more allowance
MEENAL THAKUR
Around 3000 differently abled
persons from all over Tamil Nadu
will stage a protest outside the
Chepauk Stadium on March 24 to
demand a change in their monthly
allowance issue monthly allowance
to disabled people.
“In Tamil Nadu only those with
60 per cent disability get financial
assistance unlike places like
Pondicherry where people with 40
per cent disability are eligible,” said
B. Jansirani, State President of the
Tamil Nadu Association for the
Rights of All Types of Differently
Abled
and
Caregivers
(TARATDAC).
Jansirani said that TARATDAC
had been demanding an increase in
the disability allowance from Rs
1000 a month to Rs 3000 for four
years, but to no avail.
“A disabled person with a
minimum monthly salary of Rs
5000 having a male member in the
family who is above 18 years of
age is not eligible for the
allowance. We are demanding a
revision of this criterion to receive
aid,” said Ms. Jansirani.
Amba Salelkar who works with
CHENNAI, March 20, 2015
Schools supposedly check the
financial status of the applicant’s
parents before the interview. Some
even verify their income tax returns
through a separate procedure.
“If the school thinks that the
parents are financially sound, they
ask for the capitation fee during the
interview itself and most parents
feel compelled to pay the amount,”
said Madhavan.
The capitation fees are collected
under different names in schools.
Amritha Vidhyalayam in K.K.
Nagar collected Rs 50,000 as
mandatory donation to the
Amirthanandamayi fund and
collected around Rs 10,000 for
other trivial things like ID card and
notebooks, according to a parent.
A parent said that a popular
school in Adyar had selected only
137 students out of 1,500
applications. “One school asked me
Rs 1.5 lakh while another one, Rs
3.5 lakh for kindergarten
admission,” she said.
Another resident of Adyar said
that she had got her son admitted
into a good school only because of
a recommendation. “Otherwise, it
is close to impossible. I hate that
we have to do all these. Something
needs to be done to change the
system,” she said.
The schools themselves do not
disclose any information directly
and ask prospective parents to look
up the details on their school
website. “All the admission details
are on the school’s website. We
cannot reveal anything more and
the principal cannot answer.
Admission details are private,” said
an office staff of Sishya, Adyar.
The same line was echoed by the
vice-principal of Bala Vidya
Mandir, a CBSE school in Adyar.
School admission in Chennai is
an uphill task. Most parents want
their children to be admitted into
one of the top-notch schools and
even before they turn two, parents
start planning for it.
Most schools have moved to
online applications. Ideally,
parents will have to check the
schools’ websites from October.
Pre-KG or LKG, based on
whichever the schools offer, is
mostly the only chance for a
student to get admission into the
school as admissions to higher
classes are discouraged.
K. Madhavan, who works in a
private insurance company in
Chennai, took the hard way out to
admit his daughter into the school
of his preference.
Madhavan
moved
from
Ambattur to K.K. Nagar earlier
this year so that he could get his
daughter admitted into Pre-KG in
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan
(PSBB), one of the most soughtafter schools in the city.
Proximity is an important
criterion that all schools consider,
before admission. The student
must be residing within one or
two kilometres of the school.
They also give preference to
children of alumni and to
candidates with siblings studying
in the school. It is hard for
students who do not satisfy these
criteria to get an admission.
Priya, who has a three-year-old
daughter, applied to four schools
considered to be among the best
in the city. Luckily, living in
Adyar, she satisfied the proximity
criterion for three of them.
“Two schools called me on the
same day and asked me to pay the
entire year’s fees to confirm the
seat. I had to pay. I am waiting for
a call from the school of my
preference. If that happens, I have
to forego the money I paid to the
other schools,” she said.
“This whole thing is a mess.
Even though it infuriates me that
these schools act irresponsibly, I
can’t do anything, because I don’t
The Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory
Education Act, 2009 states
that “private schools shall
admit in class 1 (or pre-
primary), to the extent of
at least twenty-five per
cent of the strength of that
class children belonging to
weaker section and
disadvantaged group in
the neighbourhood and
provide free and
compulsory education till
its completion."
want to spoil my child’s future,”
she added.
However, Sharma, whose
grandson got easy admission into
the Hindu Senior Secondary
School, said, “I only applied to
one school and I got it easily.
Other people are facing problems
because they are obsessed with
fancy schools.”
Recently, an increasing number
of people have shown preference
Chennai to become pedestrian-friendly
MAYA NANDHINI
the Equal Centre for Promotion of
Social Justice said, “Their salary
will not be enough to cover the
additional spending due to the
disability and may push them
below the poverty line.”
Salelkar’s
colleague
S.
Meenakshi said, “The current law
maintains status quo. No efforts are
made to provide self-employment
or skill development training.”
TARATDAC is demanding
proper implementation of the
Supreme Court’s 2013 order
providing 3 per cent reservation for
disabled people in all government
departments as well as special ID
cards for the disabled.
However, Deepak Nathan, a
disability rights activist, said,
“Unlike the aadhar card there is no
system for central registration of
disabled people and people can
have as many disability ID cards as
they want,” he said.
He also pointed out that the
committe formed under the Chief
Secretary
to
monitor
job
reservations three years ago had no
person with disability in it.
“Change cannot be brought
unless we are made a part of the
decision-making bodies,” he added.
Chennai Corporation along with Chennai City
Connect and the Institute for Transportation and
Development Policy (ITDP) has redesigned 26
roads in the city as a part of its initiative to make
Chennai more pedestrian-friendly by reducing
pedestrian and cyclist fatalities to zero by 2018.
“We are trying to expand footpaths and
discourage parking on them. Footpaths are not
easily accessible to the disabled as they have
frequent breaks. We are trying to rectify that by
building footpaths with slopes,” said Raj
Cherubal, Director of Projects, Chennai City
Connect.
Roads in areas like T Nagar which are very
congested are to be partly closed to vehicles to
give pedestrians more walking space, he said.
The non-motorised transport policy of the
Corporation is aiming to increase the transport
modes of cycling and walking to 40 per cent
from the six per cent it is currently at. The
Corporation is to spend 60 per cent of the
transport
budget
on
non-motorised
transportation in the city.
According to Aswathy Dilip, Senior Associate
of Communications at ITDP, flyovers and cars
are the two main reasons for congestion on
Chennai’s roads.
“Flyovers serve no purpose as they just carry
congestion fom one junction to another. Instead
of constructing more flyovers, the Corporation
should concentrate on redesigning the roads to
allow more space,” she said.
She added even though cars made up only 6
Balasubramanian had come
under attack while covering a
political rally protesting the arrest
of former chief minister of M
Karunanidhi in 2001. She and
other journalists were manhandled
by the police.
The issue of press freedom came
up for discussion following the
attack on the Tamil TV channel
Puthiya Thalaimurai. On March 12,
crackers packed in tiffin boxes
were hurled at the channel office by
members of an organisation named
‘Hindu Ilaignar Sena’.
This happened just four days
after a video journalist of the same
channel was beaten up by members
of another fringe group ‘Hindu
Munnani’, which had opposed the
telecast of a debate on the
rationality of women wearing
‘thaali’ (mangalsutra) on the
channel. As a result, the channel
had to put off the show.
This was not a one-off incident.
As recently as in January 2015, the
regional newspaper Dinamalar
received threat letters , reading
“Yesterday Paris — Charlie Hebdo,
tomorrow Dinamalar", warning it
of an attack similar to the ‘Charlie
Hebdo’ episode in Paris.
However, Bhagawan Singh,
consulting
editor,
Deccan
Chronicle said, “The media in the
Intolerance and attacks on the
freedom of press are on the rise in
Tamil Nadu, according to
journalists in Chennai.
Jayashree Balasubramanian, a
former correspondent with Aaj Tak
said that the situation had
deteriorated in the state over the
years. "The hostility towards media
seems to have heightened and it is
sad that this happens in an age
when people are trying their best to
articulate their views in an
independent and forthright manner
through alternative means like
social media,” she said.
Pedestrian
troubles at
Central
MANAS MITUL
Newly constructed footpaths near Police Commissioner Road. Photo: ITDP
per cent of the vehicles on the road, they use up
75-80 per cent of road space.
Cherubal said, “It took us eight years to
convince the Corporation to take up our idea of
redesigning the roads, but when compared to
other metro-cities, Chennai is quite open to ideas
like this.”
Ms. Dilip said “To redesign a street, its
problems have to be taken into account before
working on it, which usually doesn’t happen and
ultimately adds to the congestion.”
Traffic on the street and obstructions were
mapped out using a topographic survey and a
qualitative summary of the street was done by
urban designers after which architects were
roped in to work on it, she added.
The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport
Authority (CUMTA) is an umbrella organisation
which involves all the stakeholders involved
with transportation and roads.
The next phase includes redesigning of 60
streets including Mylapore and T Nagar. “We
are planning to semi-pedestrianise Mylapore
by making the mada streets one-way and
allowing only pedestrians around the
Kapaleeswarar temple,” said Cherubal.
Journalists condemn repeated attack on media in TN
NARAYANAN S
towards schools following the
CBSE and ICSE syllabus over
those that follow Matriculation
and State board.
The schools look into the
educational
and
more
importantly,
the
financial
background of the parents before
selecting the candidates. Some
ask for a donation/ capitation fee,
or a strong recommendation that
makes it harder for parents.
The Right to Education Act
requires all schools, except
unaided minority institutions to
provide 25 per cent of seats at the
entry level for free.
However, only one of the
popular schools, Maharishi Vidya
Mandir, has intimated it on the
website.
However, even under RTE, the
school’s own admission criteria
apply. Most applications do not
have an RTE option on them,
according to Madhavan.
The residents of the city are
falling prey to the increasingly
commercialised school education.
Chennai’s popular schools
have established themselves as
brands and they are expanding.
Bala Vidya Mandir has opened
branches outside the city while
PSBB has its franchises across
the city.
Madhavan attributes this to the
lack of new schools in the city.
“More regulations will not
help. There are regulations, but
schools have found loopholes.
The coming up of new schools
will ease up the situation and
create new standards.”
With Chennai’s growing
population, the government has to
take steps to encourage the
starting of new good-quality
schools, he added.
Jan 2015: Dinamalar got threat
letters warning of a Charlie Hebdo
model attack.
May 2014: Times Now and
Headlines Today crews were
attcked by DMK cadres
May 2007: A firebomb attack on
the Madurai office of Dinakaran
killed three people
August 2001: Media persons
were attacked during a rally by DMK
in Chennai by the police.
state have become spineless and
they give in easily to pressures
from such fringe groups which are
becoming intolerant to any
inconvenient news.”
Singh said that a lack of unity
among journalists and media
organisations was clearly visible.
“Without regular elections to it, the
Press Club has become a weak
body which is incompetent to
protect the interests of journalists.”
The same opinion was shared by
R.K. Radhakrishnan, Senior
Deputy Editor, Frontline. “A media
outlet reacts to such atrocities only
when its own house is attacked.
The state has witnessed a curb on
the freedom of expression in many
cases in the recent past. The
Perumal Murugan controversy led
to the writer ending his literary
career, but the press was not united
to fight such intrusions," he said.
This time around, though, Puthia
Thalamurai has got support from
other media houses according to
the channel’s Chennai Bureau
Chief Thanga Selvan.
With such attacks, the media are
increasingly becoming hesitant to
publish controversial stuff. “Not
speaking the truth or offering real
platforms for healthy debates and
discussions is not a positive trend,"
Balasubramanian said.
The traffic signal opposite the
Chennai Central station has created
a tight spot for pedestrians crossing
the road, with vehicles coming
from Park Town Flyover Bridge
posing a threat.
A hoard of pedestrians scamper
onto the roads as the signal goes red
on the Poonamallee High Road
stopping traffic going to Parrys and
Egmore in the opposite direction.
However, vehicles coming from the
Park Town flyover are green lit to
turn to either direction.
"People in a hurry cross the road
and do not use the subway. We
advise them to do so but they do not
listen," said P. Sivasankaran, in
charge of the Traffic Police Booth
at the signal. "We stop the speeding
vehicles coming from the flyover."
R. Ganesan, a traffic constable,
blames the government for the lack
of infrastructure to ensure public
safety.
"There were talks of a foot over
bridge to help people cross the
signal, but the government has not
taken any steps," he added.
Ganesan said that about one to
two lakh people arrive at the
Chennai Central station everyday
and cross the road with their
luggage and trolley bags.
"I have seen vehicles driving by
and hitting the trolley bags of those
crossing the road," he added.
Ganesan said the 40-year-old
subway now could not hold the
crowd and an alternative way to
cross the road was necessary.
The subways and even the
pavements are crowded with
vendors blocking the path and
adding to the pedestrians’ woes..
"With the increase in population,
the number of vehicles on the road
has also gone up," says Ganesan.
Pavan Kumar, who always takes
the subway himself, said that the
signal was dangerous but people
must use the subway more often.
CITYSCAPE
CHENNAI, March 20, 2015
THE WORD
A neighbourhood with history
PRATIK BHAKTA
MILAN GEORGE JACOB
Signboards in Hindi and Gujarati
along with Tamil and English are
not uncommon in the dingy
bylanes of Sowcarpet in north
Chennai. Most of the residents
and the shopkeepers here are
Marwaris, Rajputs or Gujaratis.
“The name Sowcarpet comes
from the word sahukar which in
Hindi means money lenders,”
says Lalit Jain, Secretary of the
Tamil Nadu Steel Traders
Association who had migrated to
the city with his father in the early
1960s.
Jain says that one would be
amazed at the amount of Hindi
that is spoken freely in this part of
Chennai,
which
otherwise
maintains its distance from the
“national language”
“For us it is our home away
from home,” he says.
The community had arrived in The bustling crowd at the Mint street in Sowcarpet. Photo: Milan
the city in search of a livelihood. He
says,“We are originally from Jhalore supplies, many went into textiles or keeping our record books perfect,” he
says.
district in Rajasthan and were plastic goods and even food.”
However running a business needed
Every street in Sowcarpet today is
agriculturalists and pasturalists there.”
helping hands and for that the people
However, during the great Rajputana famous for some business or the other.
“NSC Bose Road has all the jewellery already settled here started getting their
famine of 1868 these families lost their
livelihood and started migrating in shops, Kasi Chetty street is famous for relatives from back home in Jhaler to
all the electronics goods, Nanaiyappa also learn the tricks of the trade and settle
search of food.
“A few of our ancestors migrated Maistry street has all medical down. In this way the population of
towards Bengal, where there is a thriving wholesalers. This way Sowcarpet has North Indians in Sowcarpet kept
Marwari community even now, but my become the hub for wholesale and retail growing.
“Till the 1970s, mostly the men would
ancestors walked to Ahmedabad and goods of all types. The whole city comes
be here and their families would be
from there they travelled for 30 days to to do business here,” says Jain.
Talking about their expertise in settled in Rajasthan, however, slowly
come to Madras, as Chennai was known
calculation he says, “We have been with increase in income, my father’s
then.”
The first business that these people taught complex calculations since generation started getting their families
had started was that of money lending. childhood, hence what your generation here too. I came when I was in class six.
From there today they have diversified needs a calculator for, we can do I did not know English or Tamil so it was
mentally. As a community we are very very difficult for me initially but my
into all kinds of businesses.
Jain says, “While I entered into steel sharp in mathematics which helps in children who were born here picked up
the language and
have mixed with the
population
local
easily.”
He says that today
his children find it
difficult to converse
in Hindi and they
cannot write in that
language either.
Referring
to
problems that this
community
of
migrants faced with
the local population,
Jain says,“It was only
once in the 1960s
when the Dravidian
parties were objecting
to the use of Hindi
language and the
Hindi speakers that
our business faced
some setbacks.”
However he says
that because of the
pressure on Tamilians
in Bombay by Shiv
Sena those issues got sorted out and
nothing untoward has happened since
then.
Jain explains the key to their success
as a community is ‘savings’.
“We as a community believe in the
philosophy of savings and making plans
for tomorrow and the day after. So we
can cope with the ups and downs in
business.”
However, this trend is dying among
the present generation. “My children do
not even plan for the evening,” he says.
Jain feels that the future of Sowcarpet
is bright, “Because though our kids have
got management degrees or engineering
degrees; they never hesitate to work for a
few years and come back to join the
business and infuse fresh ideas into it.”
Sowcarpet running out of space
A five feet wide road jampacked with
pedestrians, cycle rickshaws, autos and carts,
buildings stacked like blocks on either side of
the lane, customers haggling with shopkeepers
while jostling for space near the tiny counters.
A cow stands covering one third of the road
oblivious to all the traffic around her, while a
two wheeler tries to dodge past her.
This is Narayana Mudali street at Sowcarpet,
one of the busiest and the most important
business localities of Chennai. The image is not
much different in the other Sowcarpet areas like
Mint Street and Perumal street.
“This road at least has a hundred shops on
either side and each of these buildings are
shopping complexes with more shops inside.
Few thousand people are engaged in various
types of activities here daily,” said Tulsiram
Prajapati, who runs a small platic goods Street corner chat wala. Photo: Milan
wholesale shop on the street.
Looking up, the thin strip of the blue sky which can multiple bylanes, managing traffic and ensuring security
be seen is crisscrossed by a mad network of black wires, is a tiring job for the local C1 Flower Bazaar Police
loosely dangling from rusting poles. A few wires are Station.
“Previously we had to have a lot of policemen on the
danglin dangerously low, however, for the people
road to clear up bottlenecks. However, now the
underneath, its business as usual.
Dinesh Soni who owns Anmol Mohit Patiala Lassi government has installed CCTV cameras at every angle
on Mint Street, one of the busiest in Sowcarpet, said, and along the major aretrial lanes. All we do now is to
“It has always been like this. I have grown up in this man this booth to have eyes on the ground 24/7,” said
locality and have been in this business for more than Constable Amutha sitting in the central control room
two decades, but I do not think this area will ever with LCD screens behind her where the whole of
Sowcarpet is getting recorded.
change.”
Originally from Tiruchi, Amutha has been in the
Housing at least two hundred stalls per lane and
having more than seven or eight lanes along with service for over eight years and the last two years she
Trees make way for jogger’s path
PRABUDDHA GHOSH
Residents of Vimala Nagar colony
in Medavakkam have been
complaining about illegal tree
cutting by the local panchayat.
Ramesh, a resident of the colony,
said, “This park had some old
banyan and coconut trees. They cut
these saying they were blocking the
space required for building a
jogger’s track inside the park.
Despite our protests, they didn’t
stop the work.”
A senior citizen said, “25 years
ago, this area was sort of a small
village. When we moved here,
some trees had to be cut as
settlements came up. So my father,
along with five others, set up the
park.”
“They also planted neem
saplings here as the place already
had some age old banyan and
coconut trees,” he added.
“When I heard of workers
cutting those trees, I clearly told
them that it was illegal and referred
them to the original agreement
between the Panchayat and the
residents for planting and
preserving the trees inside the
park,” he said.
“It was signed under the Tamil
Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994,
according to which the trees could
only be altered with the mutual
consent of both the sides. They
broke the agreement by not
Residents allege
the Panchayat is
cutting down age
old trees to build
a jogger’s path
consulting us before cutting the
trees,” he said.
The police were informed twice,
but no action was taken.
“I think both police and the
Panchayat officials are in cahoots
with each other. I have been
advised by them to stay away from
the entire matter.”
R. Balasubhramaniam, another
resident of the colony, said, “Last
year, when the Panchayat
sanctioned the final layout of the
jogger’s path inside the park, it had
all those trees inside the design. But
now they have changed the original
design, saying that those trees were
obstructing the proposed path.”
He complained about the
increasing construction work inside
the colony, resulting in the
destruction of greenery.
Shubha Lakshmi, who resides
beside the park, said, “When the
workers started the work, we
thought that they were trimming
the branches. But they told us they
were uprooting those old trees.”
A Medavakkam Panchayat
official mentioned that the work
was carried out under “Namakku
Naame Thittam”, a project for the
development of parks, for which
the government has approved
Rs.15 Lakh.
The Panchayat official said that
the decision to cut those trees was
taken at a board meeting earlier this
year as the trees were obstructing
the proposed joggers path.
The official insisted that the
action was taken within the
purview of the existing law.
has been posted at Sowcarpet. She said that
the place was so congested that it was
extremely difficult to ensure law and order.
There are regular cases of chain snatching,
pickpocketing and mobile phone thefts in the
area. “I have a public announcement system
installed in my office, the moment I spot
something unruly happening on the street, I
announce over the loudspeakers and usually
the issues get sorted. The people on the street
know that we are watching them,” she said.
Alankar jewellers owner Heeral Mehta
jokes when asked about the lack of parking
space in the area, “Nowadays everyone has a
vehicle, at least a two wheeler but the narrow
roads were not made for so much of traffic.
However, I am not bothered much, because I
donot have a vehicle,” he chuckles.
Though Sowcarpet is located in the heart
of North Chennai only 1 km away from
Chennai Central Railway station, the government has
hardly done anything to improve the infrastructure of
this locality, the residents said.
Lalit Jain, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Steel Trader’s
Association and a resident of Sowcarpet, complained
that the government was only interested in developing
the southern part of the city where all the rich people
stayed. North Chennai had always been low on their
priority list.
“We have been trying for years to improve
accessibility to Sowcarpet from different parts of the
city, but the two bridge construction projects that
started in 2008 are still pending,” he said.
3
Pedalling a
dying trade
M. Swamy displaying his rickshaw license. Photo: Milan
Painted in bright yellow, these vehicles
squeeze through the crowded lanes of
Sowcarpet, one of the oldest
neighbourhoods of the city. Weary
looking elderly men pedal them,
drawing every bit of energy out of their
ageing bodies. Pulling strings to ring
the metal bells, the men yell out at
people in the people.
A familiar sight at Mint road,
Narayana Mudali Street, and
Nyaniappa Street, cycle rickshaws are
still an intricate part of life in this part
of the city.
“I come here around 10-11 a.m. and
work till sunset, whether I earn enough
or not. My body would not allow me to
go on for any longer than that,” said M.
Swamy, a 45-year old rickshaw puller.
Swamy has been at the front seat of a
cycle rickshaw since the age of 15.
“Fewer people depend on rickshaws
these days due to the increasing
number of auto rickshaws. We can’t
charge more than Rs. 20-25 per trip as
that is the minimum charge of autos,”
he added.
According to the rickshaw pullers,
over 20,000 of them plied in ‘Madras’
of the yesteryears but now it had come
down to a mere 2,000. People left this
remunerative
more
for
trade
employment such as driving auto
rickshaws, manual labour or even
hand-pulled goods carts.
Cycle rickshaws have to be
registered at the Hackney carriage
centre in Vepery police station. The
service of cycle rickshaws are now
limited to Wall Tax road, Central
Railway Station, Broadway bus stand
and Mannady areas of Chennai.
M. Govindan, who has been a
rickshaw puller at Sowcarpet for 50
years, said the locality had seen much
development over the years.
“Bigger buildings and wider roads”
were two of the advancements that he
pointed out but anyone who has been
to the locality might wonder how
smaller the roads could ever have been.
“Earning Rs. 10 was a tough task in
the initial years but that was a big
amount in those times,” Govindan said,
in retrospect about his younger days
when cycle rickshaws were a major
mode of transport in the city.
“Now I earn Rs. 200-300 a day
which is nowhere near sufficient,” he
added.
The Sowcarpet in Govindan’s
memory had always been crowded.
“Moving through the narrow lanes is
impossible after 7 p.m. So most
rickshaws stop for the day before
nightfall,” he said.
Cycle rickshaws operate only within
a limited area, as passengers prefer a
‘rickshaw sawari’ only for short
distances.
P. Periyaswamy from Trichy owned
a tea stall on Wall Tax Road for 10
years before he turned himself into a
rickshaw puller. The tea stall ran into
heavy losses and had to be shut down.
“Before the influx of share autos, I
used to make at least Rs. 400 a day. I
have earned only Rs. 50 since this
morning,” he said, when time was
already past midday.
The maintenance cost of rickshaws
is increasing with every passing year.
A tyre that was priced at Rs. 100 a few
years ago is now available at triple the
rate. Yet, the rickshaw pullers cannot
charge a higher fare due to their
dwindling numbers and lack of any
union.
The load-carrying variant of cycle
rickshaws is the ‘meen vandi’ (fish
carts). Unlike passenger rickshaws,
these carts do not require registration.
This alternative of the rickshaw came
quite recently, said Senthil Kumar, who
pulls a cart around Sowcarpet.
“We do not have contracts with any
of the commercial establishments here
to move their goods, but many of them
might prefer the same person
regularly,” Senthil said. “The rickshaw
has a load capacity of 300-400 kg. The
pay depends on the weight and the
distance.”
Going by what these men from the
trade say, many men from villages still
come to the city to become rickshaw
pullers, despite the profession not
being that lucrative.
Illegal bird trade moves to pet shops
PRABHA RAGHAVAN
Illegal bird trade seems to be
thriving in some pet shops though
the shop owners make it a point not
to sell birds native to India because
of the penalties involved. They do
not exercise the same caution when
dealing in exotic species.
Several shops along Lattice
Bridge are crammed with cages
containing birds originally from
Australia and Africa.
The owner of one of the shops,
V. Raja, said that while he mostly
sold birds bred in captivity to his
customers, he could also procure
wild birds from abroad upon
request.
His African Grey Parrots, which
sell for Rs. 60,000-70,000 for a
tamed adult, would only cost Rs.
22,000 if they were to be purchased
wild.
“I have sold wild birds to a few
customers in the past because they
had cages big enough to keep
them,” he said.
Mostly pet shop owners are not
aware of the restrictions imposed
by the Convention on International
them from other
Trade
in
countries
and
Endangered
sending them to
Species
of
other parts of
Wild Fauna
India.
and
Flora
Officials from
(CITES),
the
forest
which prohibit
department do not
the import of
show awareness
foreign birds.
of the few rules in
“We are not
place to protect
allowed to sell
exotic birds.
Indian birds,
“Exotic birds
but there is no
are not covered in
problem with
our act,” said
selling birds
Forest
Range
imported from
Officer Dr. S.
other parts of
Davidraj,
the world. You Exotic birds up for sale in
explaining that
don’t need a the market
certificate for Photo: Special arrangement these shops were
allowed to import
them,”
said
Raja. His exotic wild birds are and sell them.
Shanthi Muthuswamy Pillai,
ordered from his dealer who, Raja
claims, gets them delivered from Wildlife Inspector, Wildlife Crime
their native continents through Control Bureau (WCCB), said,
“Presently, there is no system to
Karachi and Kolkata.
“Nowadays,
this
is
all control the pet shop business.”
“According to CITES, birds like
commercial,” he said, explaining
that Kolkata is not so much into the Grey Parrots, Cockatoos and
business of captively breeding Macaws cannot be imported for
exotic birds as it is into importing commercial purposes,” she said.
Pillai said that people can only
import a maximum of two exotic
birds to be kept as pets, provided
the WCCB issued them a CITES
permit to keep them.
“Normally, we come across only
one or two cases of permits for the
import of pet birds a year,” she
said.
“Entry and exit points at airports
and seaports are monitored by
customs officials who have been
given training to look out for the
modus operandi of smuggling and
identify the types of birds that
cannot be imported,” said Pillai.,
“But, there are chances that people
could be smuggling them through
forest borders.”
According to Donn Williams,
Blue Cross of India’s General
Manager in Chennai, the wild birds
sold by pet shops here have been
smuggled into the country. He saID
that with the Animal Welfare Board
of India revising the laws under the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Act of 1960, he was hoping that
animal welfare organizations like
his would be able to intervene in
the illegal pet business effectively.
4
MISCELLANY
THE WORD
CHENNAI, MARCH 20, 2015
‘Producers, police and theatres
must unite against piracy’
MANAS MITUL
Piracy, a thorn in the Tamil Film
Industry's side for long, is rampant
and growing despite the efforts of
producers and filmmakers to curb
it.
Scriptwriter, film distributor and
director Cable Sankar urged
producers to explore all forms of
the media, such as internet, DVD,
pay-per-view, cable and other fora
to weed out film piracy.
"Producers have to accept that
the audience can be reached
through other mediums like
internet and explore more. They
won't know if there is a viable
market unless they explore other
media," he said.
Sankar said that the Tamil film
industry needed to unite and fight
aggressively against piracy. "The
big budget producers ignore piracy
once they make profits on a film. If
they stop thinking about just
themselves and work against
piracy, they will make more
money."
Workplaces
still not
welcoming
for women
PRABHA RAGHAVAN
The launch of a women's aid
website by a group of advocates at
the Madras High Court has
highlighted the problems with the
internal complaints committees
mandated
by
the
Sexual
Harassment of Women at
Workplace Act, 2013.
According to Advocate N.K.
Nithila, a co-convener of the
website called Thamarai Sakthi,
sexual harassment of women is still
a big problem at workplaces here.
She says that, while big
corporations, government bodies
and non-government organizations
have established an internal
complaints committee; many smallscale companies still do not have
one.
"We launched the website on
March 8. From then to March 18,
we have received four cases
already," explains Nithila.
In companies that do have a
complaint committee, problems
like lack of awareness of the facility
exist.
T. Padma*, who has worked at
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
for six years now, says that she did
not come to know that the company
had a women's cell until the end of
last year.
"I don't think many women here
know about it still," she says.
Some grievance committees do
not inspire confidence in its
employees to report cases of sexual
harassment.
"We complained about buses
and other smaller problems in the
past, but the company never gave
us a proper response. They even
told us to close the issue. If they
don't look after such basic things, I
don't think they would be very
useful if I reported a sexual
harassment case," says Padma.
Nithila says "In one of the
complaints that we received, a
complaints committee member was
found harassing the woman."
Properly functioning committees
seem to be working because of the
establishment of a group within the
company actively dedicated
towards women's equality at the
workplace.
Lekha Pollusamy, who works as
an application developer at Inautix
Technology, says that her
company's committee effectively
works to address any problems of
harassment "because it is part of the
women's group that is active in my
office." She says that the committee
is advertised on the company's
Facebook page as well.
Most of the women who do not
report sexual harassment to their
company or to the District
Magistrate also do not try to
approach the police with their
complaints.
"They find that such cases
tarnish their own reputation," says
a source from the police station
near the High Court.
*Name changed upon request.
technique," he said.
The
filmmaker
In the city, the VPC
appreciated the Karnataka
conducts raids based on a
film industry and said that
decoy operation, where a
the Kannada producers
source tips them off if the
were strong. "Hardly any
pirated DVDs of a new
Kannada film gets pirated.
film were doing the
Piracy is dealt with
rounds of the market. The
properly
in
Andhra
VPC has conducted raids
Pradesh and Kerela too,
in this manner at the
where the police take
Evening Bazaar, Ratan
stringent action against the
Bazaar
and
Netaji
defaulters."
Bazaar, apart from the
The Video Piracy Cell
Burma Bazaar.
(VPC) of the Crime
"The VPC has also
Branch-Criminal
placed sources at internet
Investigation Department
cafes and given strict
(CB-CID) in Chennai
instructions to cafe
claimed that its operations Burma Bazaar, the hub of piracy and
owners to counter online
and raids have kept a check counterfeit products. Photo: Manas
Mitul
piracy," said Inspector
on piracy in recent years.
Kumar.
"We seized 1, 76,000
He alleged that pirated DVDs
pirated CDs and DVDs in two theatre where the video was
operations in 2013. The Unit-II pirated. He said most theatre were coming in from Delhi and
seized about 7000 DVDs in 2015 owners in rural areas and lower Mumbai too.
"We have even placed sources at
itself," said Inspector Saravana grade theatres were involved in
railway stations and surrounding
Kumar of the VPC.
piracy themselves.
The Inspector said that the VPC
"We caught offenders and areas to inform us about an
had implemented a new technique theatre owners in Dindigul and incoming cache of DVDs"
However, Sankar rubbished the
by which they could pinpoint the Virudhunagar this year using the
VPC's claim and said that the
police were in cahoots with the
pirates. "The police have been
cooperating with the offenders. The
pirated DVD of a new film gets
into the market within two weeks
of its release. "
The filmmaker said that the
piracy law was very lenient and had
many loopholes due to which even
repeat offenders got off after
serving a maximum of six months.
A few shops in Burma Bazaar
were already selling Vikram's latest
release 'I' and the latest Ajith film
‘Yennai Arindhal’. A shop vendor,
who did not give his name, said that
pirated films sell only because
there was demand for them.
"Film piracy can only be
countered if the producers, police
and theatre owners work together
against it," said Sankar
S. Muthukumar, the manager of
INOX theatre at the Citi Centre
mall, said "We always cooperate
with the police and have in the past
handed over people in the audience
using recording devices."
PRATIBHA RAWAL
area is nearby, we will go else we
will ask personnel from the nearest
police station to go and help them.”
Padmanabhan said that under
this scheme the police were helping
elderly people to buy groceries and
medicine and also in household
work. Senior citizens could also
call them if they noticed any
suspicious activities.
“They can call us for any kind of
help,” said G. Savaranan, constable
at the Neelankarai Police Station.
“We will reach their place within
five minutes. Today, we receive
two to three phone calls from them
in a day.”
Till the date 101 senior citizens’
numbers have been registered at the
Neelankarai Police Station.
However, not all senior citizens
are aware of such a scheme.
N. Talasyalan (65), who runs a
food stall near the Neelankarai
Police Station, said he didn't know
about the scheme.
“The policemen never told me
about the scheme. However, they
come here regularly to eat,” said
Talasyalan. “We also face several
kinds of difficulties. However, we
have to go to the police station to
report about it.”
Like Talasyalan, Samshad
Begam (61) also doesn’t know
anything about the Speed-dial-2
scheme.
“I don’t know about such
programme. It will be very
beneficial for us if they set such
numbers on my phone set also,”
said Begam, who owns a meat shop
in Neelankarai.
G. Rameshbabu, another head
constable at the Neelankarai Police
Station, said the police would
launch awareness campaigns to
reach all senior citizens.
Ciclo Cafe in Kotturpuram is one of the many
themed restaurants that have been changing the
dining experience in the city. Photo: Paulami Das.
‘Speed Dial 2’ ensuring senior
citizens’ safety in city
A few weeks ago, M. Jayaraman, a
senior citizen, dialed the number
‘2’ when some boys were making
noises near his house in Nehru
Nagar, Kottivakkam, during night
time. Soon after, a group of
policemen arrived at his place and
chased those boys away.
Jayaraman (72) said Chennai
Police’s ‘Speed-dial 2’ scheme,
under which senior citizens can
contact police personnel whenever
they need help, helped him to live a
peaceful life. He didn't have to go
to the police station for small
issues. He could call and ask them
to help him out.
Jayaram, a retired engineer, is
living with his wife.
“Policemen came to our house
and registered their number on my
cell phone. That day only, I came to
know about the scheme,” said
Jayaram.
Unlike Jayaram, a month ago, P.
Bhaskaran (75) registered his
number at Neelankarai Police
Station as he had heard a lot about
the scheme from his friends and
families.
“Two policemen came to my
house and I registered my number.
Although, I haven’t asked them yet
for any help, I have heard that they
can do anything for us,” said
Bhaskaran.
He is living with his wife in
Neelankarai.
“It is really a good scheme. An
elderly person faces a lot of
difficulties so this scheme is going
to solve his or her problems,” said
Bhaskaran.
P. Pillai (70), another resident of
Neelankarai, said they felt safe as
there would be police for their
K. Padmanabhan mans the Senior Citizens’ Call
Centre at Neelankarai. Photo: Pratibha
protection. They could call them
and ask for any kind of help.
“Now, we can live life more
freely,” said he.
“Whenever I notice anything
strange or unusual, I can call them.
They will be here within 10 to 15
minutes,” added Pillai.
Like them, many senior citizens
are getting benefit from the
Chennai Police’s newly launched
program “Speed-dial 2”. It has
enabled them to live more
comfortably.
The Chennai Police started the
scheme in October 2014 with the
aim of providing protection to the
senior citizens of the city. The
scheme was first started at
Neelankarai Police Station as a
pilot project.
“When it gave good results in
terms of protection to the senior
citizens, the Commissioner of
Police odered all police stations to
start the scheme,” said E.
Padmanabhan, head constable at
Neelankarai Police Station.
According to him, the police
registered their number under the
“Speed-dial 2” scheme on the
senior citizens’ phone set.
“For example, in Neelankarai
area 9498100174 number has been
registered on senior citizens’ phone
sets. Similarly, their numbers have
been set on our phone,” said
Padmanabhan.
“Whenever they call, their name
and numbers are displayed on our
phone set so that we can identify
them,” said Padmanabhan. “If the
Teacher during the day, traffic warden by night
PAULAMI DAS
At 10 a.m, she is busy scolding a
bunch of students who haven’t
finished their homework. At 10 p.m
the same day, she is ensuring that
motorists adhere to road safety
rules.
Juggling between her two roles as
school principal and a traffic
warden, 48-year-old Amudha
Aanandh has a task at hand- to
honour her husband’s dream of
making English accessible to every
kid.
“As my husband could not study in
an English-medium school due to
financial constraints, he decided to
start an English-medium school so
that no other kid has to face what he
faced,” said Amudha.
Her husband, M. P Aanandh
started the school, M.P Ananandh
Matriculation Higher Secondary
School from his CIT Colony
residence in Mylapore 23 years ago.
At that time, it was just a primary
school with approximately five
students.
Today, it has grown into a higher
a kid’s right
to education.
I am sure my
husband
would not
either,” she
quips
thoughtfully.
The
Probus Club
of Chennai,
an
NGO,
recently
awarded her
with a scroll
Aanandh with her students from the M.P.
of honour for
Aanandh Matriculation Higher Secondary
her
School. Photo: The Hindu
contribution
to education.
Namasivayam of the Probus Club
secondary school with a strength of
650 students. After her husband’s said, “Amudha has worked round the
early demise, Amudha has taken over clock to ensure that the school is up
to date with all the facilities. On some
the reins.
She not only funds the education days she has even slept here, while
of three underprivileged students in renovation was going on. Her
every class, but also provides special commitment to education is
coaching for five students from each unwavering,”
Her students have not forgotten her
class, who are either slow learners or
either.
have physical disabilities.
Smitha Soundarajan, an ex“I do not want any barrier between
New dining experience
PAULAMI DAS
Dining out today is no longer just about food as city restaurants are
going beyond the plate and offering customers a ‘wholesome
experience’ in the form of themed dining.
The latest entrant on the block is Ciclo Cafe, Chennai’s first cyclecafe,which aims to become a hub for cycling enthusiasts.
Every nook and corner of this restaurant is themed on the bicycle;
there is a chandelier made up of cycle chains, cycle seats as chairs,
wheels incorporated in the ceiling lights, cycle forks doubling up as
legs of the tables and last but not the least, international branded
cycles on display.
“Owners can bring their cycles for a wash here or can rent a bike,
all while eating a sandwich and drinking a cup of coffee,” said Nidhi
Thirani, who runs the restaurant in association with TI Cycles
(Murugappa Group).
“We’re looking to cash in on the nostalgia of owning a cycle,” she
added.
The food here, is restricted to short eats such as pizza, pies,
sandwiches, quiches and a host of milkshakes and smoothies.
Sanjana Reddy, who went to Ciclo Cafe in its first week, felt that
the decor overpowered the food. “The food on offer was decent, but
it was the decor that stole the day. You could have quiches and pizzas
from any other restaurant too, but you’d want to eat here, because of
it’s ambience. Nowadays, ambience plays a big role when one zeroes
in on restaurants,” she said.
Amit Patnaik, a food blogger, echoed her thoughts stressing on how
most of the times, the theme of the restaurant did not end up extending
to the menu, which then ended up resembling an average cafe, but
‘with a few gimmicks thrown in.’
“L’Amandier is one such exception. Its Parisian theme extends
beautifully to its food as the menu comprising French classics that
makes eating there an affair to remember,” he added.
Kiruba Kamesh, mother of a two-year-old son, said themed
restaurants were an obvious attraction for families.
“Families are always on a lookout for restaurants offering huge
spaces for kids to play around and giving them an entertaining
ambience. Kaidi Kitchen delivers perfectly on that front,” she added.
The vegetarian Kaidi Kitchen offers customers the experience of
eating inside a prison cell replete with waiters taking orders dressed
as inspectors and handcuffs for the adventurous ‘inmates.’ The jailthemed restaurant also has a strict ‘first come, first jailed’ policy.
On the other hand, jungle-themed restaurants such as Animal
Kingdom, The Cave and Rainforest are becoming a passe in light of
the unconventional themed restaurants that the city is now witnessing.
Kapil Kong, a student at SRM University, maintained that junglethemed restaurants were becoming common with atleast 4 or 5
versions in Chennai itself. “There is hardly much left for one’s
imagination at such places. You already know there is going to be a
waterfall, some anmimal statues and dim lighting. To pay a few
hundred extra for the food at such places is a complete waste. The
more experimental the restaurant is, the better,” he said.
One such example of out-of-the -box thinking led to Superstar
Pizza, a pizza parlour disguised as a love-letter to the superstar,
Rajnikanth himself. While the menu boasts of pizzas named after his
movies, the walls are adorned with posters and portraits of him.
Ramanathan, owner of the parlour, said, “Introducing pizzas at low
prices would not have helped our case as pizza parlours are present in
abundance throughout, hence to stand out we needed a novelty factor.
And, what better way to draw crowds than Thailava himself.”
Though expectations of ‘something more’ is evident amongst
people dining out, in the end, the popularity of themed dining is
invariably tied up with what is on offer.
Sai Karthik, owner of Olive and Basil, a restaurant serving Chinese
fare sans any theme, stressed on the priority being the quality of food.
“Themed restaurants like Choki Dani. The Stop and Kaidi Kitchen
might look good, but unless their food matches their ambience, they
may end up being an one time visit,” he said.
student, who is now working at an
event management company recently
told Amudha that she would like to
sponsor the education of two
students.
“My father was an auto-rickshaw
driver and my mother, a domestic
help. We would barely make ends
meet. No matter how much they wanted,
it was impossible for them to send me to
school... If not for Amudha ma’am
funding my education, I might have
still been illiterate,” she said.
“It is times like these that make
you realize that you made a
difference” said Amudha.
Her work however does not get
over once the clock strikes 3 p.m and
school gets over. Infact, her day just
begins.
“A few years ago, I was invited by
the traffic department to help out with
road safety. Since then, I’ve been
regulating traffic at the Adyar and
Teynampet signals as a Tamil Nadu
Police Traffic Warden,” she stated.
When asked to choose between her
two roles, she instantly replied “The
joy of teaching is greater than any
other post in the world.”
Maharashtra beef
ban might affect
TN leather prices
NARAYANAN S.
With Maharashtra banning cow
slaughter, the leather industry
in Tamil Nadu is expected to
take a hit as Maharashtra
accounts for almost 30 per cent
of the total cowhide imported
into Tamil Nadu.
Mr. K. Abdul Saffar Khan,
Regional Director of the
Council for Leather Export
(CLE) said that the leather
prices would go up as a result.
“Tamil Nadu exports more
leather than any other Indian
state and this shortage of
cowhide is definitely going to
push the leather price up and
the industry is set to suffer,” he
said.
Saffar Khan added that
cowhide was only a byproduct
of the meat industry and leather
industry had always been
vulnerable to such bans.
“The
hides
from
Maharashtra cost vary between
Rs. 1600 and Rs. 2500. A
shortage will surely lead to a
price rise and It will affect the
livelihoods of many traders
who are involved in the tanning
business,” said M.R. Abdul
Rahman, President, South
India Tanners and Dealers
Association (SITDA).
The leather manufacturers in
the state will now be looking to
increase the import from other
states such as Kerala and
Andhra
Pradesh,
Abdul
Rahman added.
The traders at Periamet, the
central marketplace for leather
products in Chennai, said the
ban had not yet affected the
delivery of cow hide from
Maharashtra.