Tourists :A lukewarm welcome to tourists In Chennai

It has been featured in international lists this year as a must-see city, but is Chennai really friendly to tourists?

 Travel agents, hoteliers and visitors to the south say that while there is much that is beautiful and interesting about Chennai and Tamil Nadu, the government could do more in the way of setting up infrastructure, maintenance and even showcasing attractive spots.

“There is a lot of potential in Chennai and a lot of interest, especially from Europeans and Americans, but it is just not very inviting.

 The city and State haven’t projected themselves as attractive destinations internationally. Tourists say that apart from beaches and temples, there is nothing to do – and most beaches are dirty too,” said Charanya Ramesh, CEO, Shakthi Tours and Travels.

R. Srinivasan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Hotels Association, said there is not enough publicity about attractions in the State. “Also, adequate infrastructure including good toilets needs to be developed at tourist spots. There are touts everywhere, including at religious places. Such things need to be regulated,” he said.

For many tourists, Chennai is simply a gateway to exploring the rest of south India. The garbage and the lack of friendly facilities, including clean water and commuting options, are common complaints.

 “We are extra careful with what we eat and drink here. In Scandinavian countries, you can drink water from the tap but in India, even bottled water is not of standard quality,” said one tourist.

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation’s facilities and infrastructure too, leave a lot to be desired, say tourists and agents. 

Help desks at the airport and railway stations, signboards and guides (including audio) at tourist destinations, comprehensive information on the website, tourist police personnel, minimising the presence of touts and better-maintained hotels are just some areas that could be worked on and would make the State friendlier, they say.

 TTDC initiatives seem to begin and then run out of the steam – the hop-on, hop-off bus for instance — they say.

 “The tourism policy must focus on what products the State has. Just one dance festival at Mamallapuram is not enough. Kerala for instance, does a phenomenal job of marketing itself. Tourists there get to see not just beaches and temples, but have elephant safaris, food tours, Ayurvedic massages and a whole lot more. 

The government must have constant interaction with the industry to find out what the needs are and see what can be done,” said M.K Ajit Kumar, CEO, Asia Pacific Tours.

M. Venkadasubbu, Association president, said “Recently, at the All India Hotel association convention, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan had an hour-long interaction with us. They are very open to suggestions. But here, we have been trying to meet people who matter and are waiting for their response,” he said. A retired tourism department official said attention to small details would go a long way. "We need to make souvenirs specific to each location and include more activities and tours. Trails about the Chola, Pallava, Pandya and Chera kingdoms would be interesting. Fort, forest and sanctuary trails could also be included. We need to apply for more of the Central government’s destination development fund, which is Rs. 5 crore per destination, and also spend more on advertising,” he said.

H 7 Nov 21

Medical Shops :All about Allbutt

I have to thank fellow heritage enthusiast R. Shantaram for this picture of G. Venkatapathy Naidu Building which used to stand on Mount Road, just next to the Madras Mahajana Sabha and opposite the New Assembly/Secretariat now turned into a multi-specialty referral hospital. It has since been demolished and the vacant plot awaits development.

This article has to do with one occupant of the old building — Allbutt & Co, whose signboard you see at the bottom of the photograph. This was one of the oldest pharmacies in the city, opening in Broadway in 1881. It shifted to Anna Salai/Mount Road in the 1930s.

 Together with another old pharmacy in the vicinity — JF Letoille that happily survives — Allbutt was a remainder from an era long gone.

The name was always a mystery and Shantaram had done some research on the subject, tracing it to a possible link with Dr. Henry A. Allbutt of England, a Malthusian who did much to propagate birth control techniques in England. 

He came to grief over the book he wrote on the subject in 1886, titled rather interestingly – The Wife’s Handbook. The General Medical Council found it too modern for its tastes and he was struck off medical register forever.

During the early 1880s, when he was researching the subject, the Madras Malthusian League invited Allbutt to be its patron. In that capacity, he established contact with several leading medical practitioners of India, one of them being Dr. Varadappa Naidu of our city. In 1888, Allbutt translated a French work on medicine into English. The New Handbook of Dosimetric 

Therapeutics or the Treatment of Diseases by Simple Remedies, was dedicated among others as a “token of admiration, friendship and esteem to Dr. Vurdapah Naidu of The General Hospital Madras, Introducer of Dosimetry into India.”

The book has footnote references to Dr. Naidu’s experiences in Madras as well. It is obvious that Dr. Varadappa Naidu, when he set up a pharmacy in the city, named it after his illustrious friend in England.

There was more to Dr Naidu. In his Telugu memoirs, Chinnanati Mucchatlu, Dr. K.N. Kesari, the leading Ayurvedic practitioner of the city records that it was common for Dr. Naidu to refuse fees from poor patients, requesting that they use the money instead to buy milk for their children.

 He was personally well off, being the hereditary Shrotriemdar (landowner) of the Koyambedu area. In 1908, he gifted Rs. 30,000 and a plot of land in Vepery to the Madras Society for the Protection of Children. The Dr. V. Varadappa Naidu’s Orphanage came up here. This later shifted into vast premises of its own in New Washermanpet, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Naidu’s descendants. It continues to function from there.

As for Allbutt’s, it was run by Dr. Naidu’s kinsman G. Rangiah Naidu for several years. But with the owners of the Venkatapathy Naidu Building wanting to demolish and redevelop the space in 2012, Allbutt’s days were numbered. I wonder where it moved.

H 7 Nov 2014




 

Malls ; Malls in Chennai fleece vehicle owners

CHENNAI: When Yuvaraj Arumugam recently trundled out of a mall in Velachery on his scooter, he discovered the price he had to pay for being on a two-wheeler: While a high-end SUV in front of him paid 60 as parking fees, he was asked to cough up 100. 

"The attendant said cars were charged 30 for an hour and two-wheelers 50. I refused to pay and asked him for an explanation," said Arumugam, who went to Phoenix Market City mall with his family. The attendant was candid: The management wanted to keep out those they felt couldn't afford to shop at the mall and riding a two-wheeler was the parameter they judged by. 

While such discrimination may be new, arbitrary parking charges at malls in the city continue to rile visitors. In 2001, following a series of complaints from residents and others, the corporation had chalked out a plan to regulate parking fees in private lots. But there has been no official word on this since then. 

Parking charges at malls vary from 30 to 60 an hour. Unlike in Phoenix, most malls charge more for four-wheelers than two-wheelers or the same price. While Spencer's charges 20 for two-wheelers for the entire day, Chennai Citi Centre in Mylapore and Ampa Skywalk in Aminjikarai charge 20 for an hour. Express Avenue in Royapettah charges 30 for the first one hour and 20 for every additional hour. Charges at all malls are hiked during weekends and holidays. 

Movie-goers at Phoenix mall end up paying more for parking two-wheelers than for watching the movie. "My friend and I went to watch a movie at the complex and decided to go on our bike, thinking it would be cheaper to park," said S Karthik, an advertising firm employee. "We ended up paying 200 for three and a half hours of parking and 120 for the movie tickets," he said. 

With malls charging high parking fees, many park vehicles on surrounding streets. "We are tired of calling tow vehicles for cars parked close to our gates. Many a time, we find a line of cars parked in our locality and we find it hard to maneuver our own vehicles," said K Vasantha of Pycroft Road, close to Express Avenue mall. 

When contacted, a member of Phoenix mall's administrative body said they fixed parking charges of two-wheelers higher than cars for "business reasons." "I don't see why there should be an issue for anyone. We are not asking people to park on the mall's premises. It's only an option for them," he said, before hanging up. Express Avenue mall did not comment on the story. 

Shreya Gadepalli of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy said that from a legal perspective, malls were entitled to fix parking rates. "But we need to look at the bigger picture. Residents are being inconvenienced, visitors are being fleeced and our civic bodies could help alleviate that by improving our public transport, which should be our ultimate goal."

Ekatha Ann John, TNN | Nov 2, 2014, 01.51AM IST

Opinion :Marinelli: What I learned in Chennai, India

People watch the moon rise over the Bay of Bengal in Chennai, India, during a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. Photo Credit: AP / Arun Sankar K
Three years ago, I was offered a prestigious social development fellowship in Chennai, southern India, to enable the delivery of health, livelihood and financial services to remote parts of the country through an innovative social business.Although I had traveled and worked in Latin America and Africa, I realized Chennai was going to be my most challenging professional experience.My daily commute was an intense trek through monsoon rain and mud, followed by a mobbed train ride that boosted the 105-degree temperature to 120. At the office, most of my colleagues didn't understand my accent -- and many didn't like my outspokenness. We worked 12-hour days with flickering electricity and constrained resources. After work, I often went home to a broken toilet or refrigerator that took weeks to get fixed, and not without paying a bribe to the local handyman.
To make matters worse, I was hit by a car shortly after I arrived in Chennai. The doctors at the hospital told me that my spine was cracked, and that I probably would not walk normally again. Days of treacherous pain were accompanied by the mental agony that I would never fully recover, and the loneliness of being in a strange country.By the time I was released from the hospital, I had hit rock bottom. I stepped outside with my head lowered in sadness, when I saw an old man emerging from the slum across the street. He had no legs, and was dragging himself across the highway with the strength of his arms.In Chennai, one of the most conservative cities in India, people don't smile when they make eye contact, especially not members of the opposite sex. However, when the old man caught me staring at him as I limped along the side of the road, he flashed a beaming smile. As he turned away, he pointed at my leg as if to say, "I feel you, sister."
I felt invigorated by the chance encounter. This man, whose circumstances were so much more difficult that my own, not only mustered the strength to continue moving every day, but also to smile at and encourage a complete stranger to do the same.
In the following weeks, the pain continued. I longed for just one night of full sleep when I didn't wake up in pain, and for the freedom with which I made decisions before physical limitation was a factor. However, inspired by the legless stranger, I knew that my well-being depended on much more than physical recovery. I had to muster an unyielding resolve to recuperate my spirit in the meantime.
Week after week, I continued to push myself to get better. I learned that true human health is the result of meaningful hardship, not just simple pleasures or an easy life. Each drop of sweat, each tear I cried during those months, crystallized as a feeling of dynamic vitality -- one that could only have been brought to the surface through consistent, strenuous exertions to reclaim my health every day.
My back slowly began to recover. But more important, I found myself much more ready to surmount the many adversities I faced in India with composure.This optimistic attitude and relentless perseverance enabled me to truly enjoy working in India for the next three years.
A few months ago, my mother, Pat McDonough, called to tell me she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As we spoke, she expressed sadness and anxieties similar to those I experienced during those treacherous days in the hospital. Although cancer is a daunting disease, I now knew that we could alchemize this experience into a tool for personal growth and greater empathy for others. I left India, and came back to Manhasset to help my mother cope with the courage and tenacity I had learned.
I will always be grateful to India for the opportunity to participate in developing its social infrastructure, but more so for the ways it developed my enduring healthy spirit.Newsday  :November 2, 2014 12:00 PM
By CAITLIN MARINELLICaitlin Marinelli is an India-based writer and social entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of Badal Ja!, which promotes gender justice in Mumbai, and the Academy for Earth Sustainability.

Scout/Guide :Of campfires and community service

Wenlock Park

Did you notice the board on the Marina beach road (Kamarajar Salai) marking the Tamil Nadu Bharat Scouts and Guides headquarters? 

Look closely, and you'll see the address carries the words Wenlock Park. A bit of research and I found it is Lady Wenlock Park, developed by the Madras Governor Wenlock (1891-96). He loved his artist wife and he wanted to give the “gosha” women a secluded place to enjoy the sea breeze.

More interesting is the nondescript building set far back from the main road. “The front part of the structure which has a room on either side of the corridor was the “Gosha women's clubhouse,” said Bhaktavasan, West Chennai District Commissioner of BS&G (1979-2012) and State Secretary (87-90).

 The office room at the back is the Jamboree Hall, he said, built when the Scout jamboree was held in India in 1926. “Did you notice number 2 is missing from the embossed numbers above the entrance?

 That the Jamboree Hall does not leak even after all these years?” I said I had noticed both; I was there the day Chennai had its heaviest rains. “The building to its right is the guest house,” he went on. “There is a third asbestos “shed” as well, and between these is a Muslim tomb where people worship. The statue that stands among the trees is of the then Presidency College Principal's son. He became Governor of Bombay State.” 

The good doctor enclosed the guest house with a fence, put up the board listing office-bearers (AL Mudaliar's name leads the rest), and got Gopalakrishnan, then manager of Indian Bank, to build a stage for public functions. As State secretary-cum-medical officer, he made sure scout camps had medical support, upgraded the rule book.

Today, Bharat Scouts and Guides (Hindustan Scouts earlier) can look back on its work with pride, thanks to people like Bhaktavasan, Venkatraman, Meena Muthiah, Manjubhashini, G. S. Saraswathi, Bhuvaneswari Venkatraman, P.K. Rajeswari, Shilavathi Ranganathan and Sarada Hoffman, but it had a rocky start in India.

 In 1909, when Baden Powell brought the movement to the sub-continent he was unwilling to include “native” boys and girls — he felt they couldn't meet the high standards expected. In 1916, Annie Besant flagged it off in south India, opening it for all children. Her work was recognised and she was awarded the Silver Wolf, which is on display at the Theosophical Society museum. She was also photographed wearing a scout dress. The story goes that Powell came down to address the Indian Scouts in 1921, forgot his lines as he led the oath, and was prompted by a “native”!

A camp for guides in progress at Wenlock Park

I spoke to Meenakshi Sankar Rao (88), the oldest scout/guide in Chennai. “We were called girl scouts, I became troop leader and captain,” she said. “In 1930, Scottish theosophist Lilias Gale-Smithson, Captain, Vasanta Scouts, guided us. Later, Venkatraman took five of us cycling to Mahabalipuram. I am proud we girl scouts were actively involved in helping the poor children in the TS neighbourhood. We, of Olcott Memorial, Padmini and Vasanta groups, cleaned wounds, gave medicines, continued our social work, rain or shine.”

She has interacted with three generations of scouts — her troopmates, CVK Maithreya's batch and his daughters Upasika and Aditi who along with Divya Natarajan, Atulya Vipin and Sylvia have been awarded the Rashtrapathi Puraskar. Radha Rao is another Chennai resident to win the Puraskar. Scout Masters Venugopal, Thirunavakarasu and Sriram joined the tsunami relief efforts organised by the Theosophical Order of Service. Scouts, today, feel more funds will upgrade its building and autonomy will improve its functioning.

Like the DGP Headquarters, Queen Mary’s campus and Lady Willingdon Institute, Wenlock Park, which boasts of 50-year-old trees, has had its share of threats. Bhaktavasan narrated how, around 1989, he fought to save the place.

 “The PWD has leased the grounds to the Scouts who run their camps and activities here. It was going to be razed to make way for a railway station and a bus terminus. I pleaded at the meeting that I had been a scout since I was six, and I wanted to save the park for BS&G.” 

His words carried weight – after all, he was a Silver Star/Silver Elephant recipient and the first to start the Rover/Ranger Scouts at a Medical College (Kilpauk) worldwide. The western half of the area beyond the canal was converted to Triplicane Station, but the Bus Terminus idea was dropped. “I just couldn't imagine it here,” he said.

H Nov 5,2014

Chennai suburban stations : To get new amenities

Meeting passenger demands has always been an onerous task for the Railways.

After years of battling with the authorities, residents in the suburbs feel the amenities at their railway stations are improving. The private-public partnership in maintaining the railway station at Paranur, a tiny village near Chengalpattu, is working well.

Mahindra World City Developers (MWCD) had joined hands with Southern Railway to give the dreary station a makeover, after Mahindra World City, an integrated business zone, came up there.

MWCD has spent Rs. 1.5 crore on the project and also meets the recurring expenditure of maintaining and protecting the facility.

Considering that the station is the gateway to Mahindra World City and used by 40 per cent of its workforce, it is money well spent for the company.

The reconstruction of a foot overbridge at Pallavaram, escalators at Tambaram and airport connectivity from Tirusoolam station are some of the other landmark changes in the past two years.

At Tambaram, a pedestrian foot overbridge connecting east and west Tambaram, at a cost of Rs. 1.2 crore, is in the offing. The existing foot overbridge is always congested and poses serious security problems to rail commuters.

A senior Railway official said a 10-line digital announcement board on the western side and another five-line board will be set up in the next few days. Online reservation for retiring rooms has also been arranged.

Suburban train commuters wanted Southern Railway to part with its earnings to improve passenger amenities such as toilet blocks, 24-hour water supply and security. 

Rail Passengers Forum members had suggested there should be more passenger security at suburban railway stations which witness a number of petty offences.

The present strength of Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police is not enough to prevent such crimes, they said.

H 5 Nov 2014

 

Egmore ; Egmore railway station gets more passenger friendly

Four escalators, digital announcement boards and wi-fi soon

Egmore railway station is one place city residents dread boarding a train from, due to the lack of digital announcement boards and the difficulty in accessing platforms.

But all that is set to change soon as, in the coming months, the station will be spruced up.

Every day, Egmore station caters to over 2.5 lakh passengers travelling by 38 pairs of express trains and over 100 suburban trains. But it does not have enough commuter amenities.

Soon, the station will get four more escalators, two lifts, four big digital boards, coach information boards and wi-fi facility.

“All theses facilities will be introduced in a phased manner,” said a senior Railway official.

At present, escalators are present on platforms 4 and 5. But passengers, especially senior citizens, still have to climb stairs to reach other platforms,” said the official.

The wi-fi facility is expected to be inaugurated in a few days.

Digital announcement boards that display information on trains will also be installed in different parts of the station.

“Two boards have already been put up on platform 4 leading to the portico. Two more will be placed outside the station so people on the road too can see train timings,” said the official.

Smaller digital boards will be placed near the ticket counter and passenger waiting area. “Earlier passengers had to run about to find which platform their train would arrive on. These boards make life easy,” said K. Manjunatha, a passenger who was at the station to board a Madurai-bound train.

Coach position information boards will also be installed. “Passengers will not have to rely on porters for such information,” the official said.

Some commuters, however, are sceptical of the maintenance of such facilities. “MRTS, for instance, is a perfect example of the Railway’s negligence,” said B. Somnath, a senior citizen from Sowcarpet who is a regular train commuter.

H November 5,2014

Bloggs :The buzz has gone out of English blogging

Facebook, Twitter are preferred avenues for expression; Tamil blogging thrives

The once vibrant English language blogger community of Chennai is nearly gone. Some blog once in a while, but the action seems to have shifted to social networks, primarily Twitter and Facebook, where ‘instant gratification’ is the name of the game.

“The number of visitors I get these days are not much compared to what was even three years ago,” a popular blogger confides. “Maybe my writing is not what it used to be,” he laughs. “But undoubtedly the traction is more on Facebook these days. I ask my friends who read my post there to leave likes. Seems to work better that way.”

Another blogger, Lavanya Mohan, who says she grew up in the healthy environs of the blogging community after starting her first blog as a 14-year-old in 2004, says the slowdown has been especially severe since 2010.

“Until even 2010, young writers could begin their writing in a healthy environment where blogging was the way to express yourself and find like-minded people,” she points out.

In recent years even Lavanya has slowed down the frequency of her posts. “At the peak of my blogging in the years 2008, 09 and 10, I had around 48 long posts a year along with several short posts. But of late, it is just one or two posts a month.”

Humour blogger Balajee.G.E, who writes the popular ‘Local Tea Party’ blog, says blogs going niche has coincided with the likes of Twitter and Facebook offering easier ways to publish. “Blogs tend to have a backend interface to manage and can be cumbersome. Also other forms of expressions like Memes and GIF images with text are becoming popular and going viral.”

A few others say the slow demise of blogging is a blow to writing itself. Blogs are imminently more searchable. Though a Facebook post might gain likes and comments almost instantly, the real-time nature of the timeline makes what is written temporary. 

The long tail effect — where an old article or a blog post suddenly comes back to public view — is ruled out.

Some of these changes have also had an impact on the writing style of bloggers. Lavanya, who has dabbled with humour, says anonymity was a boon in the past. “A grumpy office colleague or an everyday incident might inspire a humourous post,” she says. “But in this day of Facebook, it is impossible to write something like that out of fear of offending someone.”

Serious writing for blogs

Though English blogging has taken a hit, the Tamil blogging scene remains vibrant. Popular writers like Jeyamohan and Payon regularly post on their blogs and also use it to interact with their readers.

Payon, whose humorous short stories have found a good audience online, explains how blogging helped him and his writing be taken seriously.

 “To keep writing, make myself write longer pieces, and to earn more credibility as a writer, I bought a domain name for my pseudonym and signed up with a hosting service. I started writing regularly on my website and posted links on Twitter, got a decent number of readers to follow my RSS feed. My blog has a simple design and it helps. Many people I know read my writings on my blog. I'd say the more serious people prefer reading me on my blog than a Facebook page.”

Writing on Facebook and on one’s blog are different, even from the manner in which writing is approached. “On my Facebook page, any post above 10 lines is often ignored. 

That's Facebook for you. If it's gossip, people would willing to read longer posts,” the writer says. “The problem with writing on Facebook is that you turn into something like a circus monkey performing for "likes". 

You do it without immediately realising it. There's no dignity in that. People compile their Facebook posts into books, but I think a blog is a more respectable place to write. Also you're conscious of what you write.

 A blog is where you write for yourself and you're more spontaneous. So you get genuine, serious readers on your blog, which is good for you.”

Rise of new formats

Popular online personality Krish Ashok, who has a good following online and publishes in different formats - memes in a Tumblr blog, audio on Soundcloud and videos on YouTube - says the situation should be viewed more of content creation than just blogs that were popular at a time when writing was the easiest format to publish online.

“User generated content has undergone a revolution both in terms of both volume and diversity over time. It's important to remember that text based blogging was mainstream at a time when both amateur/indie music and YouTube didn't exist. In my own case I've never really seen myself as someone who writes.

 I started doing memes on Tumblr, jokes on Twitter, podcasts and music on Soundcloud and videos on YouTube,” Krish Ashok says.

The new publishing service Medium that combines the long form advantage of blogs and the viral nature of Twitter promises to usher in a new era where long form writing could thrive.

 Lavanya says she is tempted to write something for Medium though now she mostly reads the post recommendations there.

(An edited version appeared on Print today)

 karthik Subramanyam H November 5, 2014 08:40 IST

"My Chennai" through iPhone 6

The choice of the places and even the idea, may not be new. The manner in which the video has been shot is.

“We have used features like time lapse videos and super slow motion video feature. These technologies are not available in still cameras. I was longing to experiment with it,” says Amar, who along with his team spent a couple of hours at every location to capture its essence. When shot in slow motion, people get to see the details and movements that they usually miss. iPhone 6 allows super slow motion videos at rate of 120 frames per second or even 240 frames per second.Amar, a resident of Alwarpet, had wanted to make a video on Chennai for a long time. “We jumped at it as soon we had the concept ready. We didn’t expect it to go viral. This has inspired us to do more such work,” he says.

H 1 Nov 2014

Tube Watch :Chennai in slow motion

YouTube Tour: The minute-long video takes you through Marina beach, ECR, Kovalam and Mahabalipuram.

Amar Ramesh and his team capture the essence of the city in a video where new technology, iconic places and workaday experiences come together.

On October 24, 'candid wedding photographer' Amar Ramesh posted a video ‘My Chennai’ through iPhone 6 on Youtube. Within two days, the video had around 15,000 views and now it has reached 21,294 hits.

The minute-long video takes you on a whirlwind tour of Chennai, through Marina beach, ECR, Kovalam and Mahabalipuram and also captures the adventures of an auto and an MTC bus ride .

The minute-long video takes you through Marina beach, ECR, Kovalam and Mahabalipuram.

The choice of the places and even the idea, may not be new. The manner in which the video has been shot is.

“We have used features like time lapse videos and super slow motion video feature. These technologies are not available in still cameras. I was longing to experiment with it,” says Amar, who along with his team spent a couple of hours at every location to capture its essence. When shot in slow motion, people get to see the details and movements that they usually miss. iPhone 6 allows super slow motion videos at rate of 120 frames per second or even 240 frames per second.Amar, a resident of Alwarpet, had wanted to make a video on Chennai for a long time. “We jumped at it as soon we had the concept ready. We didn’t expect it to go viral. This has inspired us to do more such work,” he says.

Watch the video here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vuXpL-cou4&list=UUJlz8N5aC2BlinT7move7Dg#action=share

H vipasha singha 1 nov 2014

Chennai from the top of the lighthouse ....2

View from the Madras lighthouse. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

Want to know how it feels to see the world as a bird does? 

Akila Kannadasan suggests you go up the recently reopened lighthouse on the Marina

The wind slaps me with the force of the sea waves; it howls menacingly as it threatens to lift me off my feet. The view — of the waves lapping against the shore, of the hazy horizon, of men, women, and children who resemble ants on a mission, of vehicles that look like toys, of moored boats that look like slices of apple on the shore — overwhelms. 

People elbow each other for a better view from the narrow grilled gallery. It’s amusing to observe the expressions on their faces as they enter. An elderly man’s eyes almost pop out, a little girl shouts out ‘ayyo, sema kaathu!’, a woman grins to reveal all of her teeth, another covers her mouth in awe with her sari’s pallu…the lighthouse has truly won hearts of people young and old.

Some have been waiting outside to buy tickets much before it was opened for the afternoon — the queue almost reaches Gandhi statue! Hawkers selling groundnuts, tender coconuts and ice creams throng the queue. “Don’t give anything for less than Rs. 10,” a groundnut seller instructs another; thanks to the lighthouse, they are having a thriving business today.

Visitors having an aerial view of the Marina Beach in Chennai from the tenth floor of Lighthouse Photo: R. Ragu

James, a security guard at the gallery, is busy herding visitors. “The kalangarai vilakkam (lighthouse) has got moksham after 19 years,” he calls out over the sound of the wind. “The first time I came here, my feet and hands started shaking,” he grins.

 “I got used to it now.” He talks of how adults turn children when they see the view from up above. “Even elderly men and women are keen to see the lighthouse,” he says. Everyone wants to experience the feeling of being on top of the world.

The best thing about being on the lighthouse? The sight of the blue-grey sky kissing the sea that in turn teases the cream-coloured beach. And the feeling that you are about to sprout wings and take off into the sky any moment…

The Madras lighthouse. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

On the beach a little beyond the lighthouse, Karnan is cleaning a fishing net with his fellow fishermen. It’s the lighthouse that guides him to the shore every day. 

Inside the Madras lighthouse. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

To such fishermen who do not own a GPS, the lighthouse is crucial. “From the sea, the light looks a like dull bulb that flickers. It comes and goes,” he says. Karnan has seen the tower being built from scratch — his father (late) Sundarrajan was a night watchman there when it was being constructed. (It was inaugurated in 1977).

Fisherman Karnan. Photo: Akila Kannadasan

 “Father sold prawns by the beach for a living. He became friends with an engineer, who was his customer,” recalls Karnan. When there was a job-opening for night watchman, Sundarrajan was selected, thanks to his engineer-friend’s recommendation. As a little boy, Karnan spent long hours observing its construction. 

“The lighthouse resembled a samosa when it was being built,” he remembers. As witness to it from close quarters, his father regaled him and his brothers with its developments every day. And when it rained, the brothers spent the night at the lighthouse with their father. “I once slept there for 10 nights at a stretch,” he smiles.

The lighthouse on the Marina beach will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day, except Mondays.

Entry tickets are priced at Rs. 10 for adults and Rs. 5 for children aged three to 12. Entry is free for children aged below three. School students over 12 years who are on field trips can get a concession of 50 per cent.

Visitors can take a lift to the ninth floor and walk up the gallery on the floor above for a view of the world below.

Akila Kannadasan H 17 Nov 2013

Mylapore ; Jacks at our backs!

After I saw the clusters of the tender jack fruits in Palathope (Mylapore) last Sunday, I think I have been looking at every tree in every bungalow I come across on my way!

It was a great scene at Luz Avenue today. The corner house, where we went to meet an old friend (later we came to know that he has shifted to a crowded place and to a gated community on the OMR), has many trees.

 A hearty scene in the heart of Mylapore.

One among them is this jack fruit tree!

I remembered the good old days we spent in Cuddalore, a coastal now now famous for its Silver beach. It was then a quiet place, though it was the district headquarters and housed a beautiful Collector's bungalow. Cuddalore is still a district headquarters, just that the name of the district is Cuddalore now and then it was South Arcot.

The summer vacations used to be fun with evenings at the quiet beach which used to submerge in the dark at around 6 in the evening and there were a very few roadside lights on way back home. 

So the most part of the days were to be spent at home.
And there was this sweet guest at every vacation.

 The jackfruit.
Appa used to get the best ones from Panruti, known for the sweet fruit.

I don't remember bringing a whole fruit to home after that, cutting it with gums all over the hands, drying up the seed for the next day sambar ...

Naturally it was a great sight for me after a long gap of 25 years! Sweet memories.