The published one on the T.Nagar Flyover – The Hindu Special Edition

Patience and Perseverance Pays Off.

“We lost our livelihood for about 10 months” says Velayudham a fruit vendor who has his movable cart positioned right below the flyover being opened shortly. “The construction work ensured that we were not in a position to navigate easily in and around the hot business areas such as Panagal park road and Thyagaraya Road” he recalls between grimaces. “Now we are glad it is worth the wait as the construction work is completed and business has already picked up” he adds with a twinkle in his eye. “Also we have lesser traffic to navigate through” he concludes.

“In summer season generally I make handsome profits as cucumber’s are in real demand” says Xavier Muthu a cucumber seller. “This year was bad as the construction of the flyover was on, I even contemplated shifting localities, but something told me to stick on” he pauses “ I am glad I did as now I have located many strategic points where I could sell cucumbers” he concludes.

“The general perception was that even though good stuff is available in T.Nagar, the traffic is a pain” begins Mr.Ramesh, Managing Partner Pothy’s “Many people shy away because of the above reason” he states. “Now this perception would change for the better and more people would open up to the idea of shopping in T.Nagar” he says emphatically “The flyover has got its advantages, one that it reduces traffic congestion to a great extent and also makes it easy for people walking on the roads” he concludes. When asked whether it is worth the wait in reference to the flyover construction period “Of course” he says confidently without batting an eyelid. “Traffic will always be there” he says in a post flyover scenario “But it would be regularized to a great extent” He also has a word of appreciation for the time taken to construct the bridge “It was quick and a good job done on a priority basis” he compliments. What about parking? we ask “Almost all the major players here have a parking arrangement, so should not be a problem” he concludes.

“Of Course it is worth the effort, there are no two ways about it” says Mr.Sarathy, Secretary Trader’s Association T.Nagar. “There would be free flow of traffic thanks to the flyover” he states. He also brings out an interesting aspect when he says “People wanting to shop would travel below the flyover, whereas the ones not shopping like office goers would take the flyover hence creating a clear segregation in the traffic patterns” he concludes interesting observation we should say. He says the trader’s association have approached the authorities and requested them to allow parking below the flyover, like the other flyovers in the city. The government has replied that the request from the association would be considered. When asked as to how business fared during the construction of the flyover “It was down, but now things are picking up, let us hope for the best” he concludes with a smile.

“Our future is bright now” states Mr.Shanmugam who runs the Gandhiji Hot Chips outlet near the new flyover “ People who so far have avoided coming to our T.Nagar would henceforth make it a point to come” he says crediting the flyover as the reason. He however feels that the traffic diversions if any need to be planned properly and executed in an orderly fashion.

“Business would boom and Traffic would reduce hopefully” quips Mr.Karunakaran of New Prabha Stores & Prabha Gold covering “T.Nagar market is on par with the world markets, so infrastructure is a must” he says emphatically. “Of course it is worth the trouble” he concludes when asked whether the flyover construction is worth the trouble.

“We hope parking is provided below the flyover or at least adjacent to it that would be the icing on the cake” says Mr.Raman “It is going to be of lot of use this flyover, it is also well spaced out which would facilitate easy movement of traffic, mentally and physically bringing more people to shop” he says “I am not saying this as a trader but as a citizen of this city” he concludes.

The above discussions have a common layer to them i.e, the traders, hawkers, people etc., have nothing but appreciation for the flyovers and the people behind them. Also they do have many expectations out of these flyovers which they sincerely hope would be fulfilled. Going by the appearance and here say we already have a winner on our hands.

On the new flyover in T.Nagar, Chennai – Unpublished though!

THE NEW RAINBOW IN T.NAGAR’s HORIZON

T.Nagar what does the name suggest, Clothes? Jewels? Eateries? Ranganathan Street? The answer could vary from person to person, but the one single thing that every person to whom this question is posed to would say “TRAFFIC” well the local authorities and the government decided to change that notion, and voila we have 3 flyovers in and around T.Nagar to regulate traffic and make it a shopper’s heaven.

In just about a couple of days the flyover at the Panagal Park junction is going to become functional ,we decided to feel the pulse of the people who are placed in and around T.Nagar and also T.Nagar’s shopaholics. “T.Nagar has been a traffic nightmare for me, ever since I was a child” says Mr.Ravi Seshadri a Chartered Accountant by profession and a resident of the neighboring Mambalam, “We used to call it traffic nagar, this place never had shortage of traffic” he pauses for effect “Now the scenario has changed” he continues “The flyovers that the government has erected would solve this traffic problem” he concludes

“I used to dread driving my wife to T.Nagar for shopping” says Mr.Dinesh  a business man  “It was pure misery driving around Panagal Park into GRT or Pothy’s, but now with the flyover becoming functional, I can avoid the shopping crowd when I am not shopping by going over it all” he adds gleefully, clearly not a shopping enthusiast!

“I am hoping that they would let us park beneath the bridge where no traffic movement is possible” hopes Ms.Arthi Natarajan, a management graduate and a shopaholic by choice! “It would be pure bliss if we could just park the car across Saravana Stores or for that matter opposite Prashant Gold palace and walk across to shop” she adds wide eyed. Well we hope at least for her sake and others with similar thoughts that the government Is considering it.

“I don’t have a hassle now driving even from Kilpauk, to shop on Sundays” says Ms.Arthi Shah a housewife. “I had to trouble my husband to drive me down to T.Nagar as I was petrified of the traffic, and seriously a logistical nightmare it was” she states. “Now ill float through the traffic araam se, and as most shops have their own parking it is much more enjoyable to shop” she concludes.

The flyover as such is about 800 meters long and supported by about 20 plus well spaced out pillars which makes maneuvering below the bridge smooth. No take on an area’s traffic is complete without getting the traffic regulator’s views. The general expression of a sigh of relief is pretty obvious on the faces of the traffic policemen who toiled night and day to regulate traffic on these busy roads.

“I really appreciate the effort the traffic policemen put up in regulating traffic and also enforcing one ways and other special routes” says Nikunj Shah a business man and social worker,. “Even though people are irritated with such one ways one has to appreciate the thought behind it” he says like a proud son of the soil. “It is a thankless job yaar” he concludes.

“The fly over could have been constructed just after the Duraiswamy subway, it would have been more effective” begins Mr. Rangarajan Kalyanaraman, a Chartered Accountant by profession “Nevertheless  the traffic break downs and the stoppages from T.Nagar to Mambalam would reduce, there is a silver lining to it after all” he concludes cheekily.

“I am not saying that these flyovers will not make a difference” begins Siddharth Asokan a Business Analyst “ But the traffic diversions henceforth need to be more precise to make this an even bigger success”  he concludes pessimistically.

Well from the above discussions and deliberations it can be concluded that the flyovers are going to be welcomed like a Superstar’s Friday release or like a Sachin century in T.Nagar. It is also our sincere hope that the flyovers do decongest the traffic in the shopping hub of Chennai and live up to the expectations of the masses. People are quite sure it would. The jury rests.

 

On the auspicious Aadi Maasam – The Hindu special edition

AADI MASAM a Shopper’s Delight?

 

AADI Masam in Tamil calendar (July or August in English Calendar) is turning out to be quite a dream for a few and quite a night mare for others. There are offers galore for a variety of products starting from eatables to clothes, jewelry, etc., one can name the product and be rest assured that it is available at a discount during the month of AADI. So what do people from various walks of life think about it? We try to discover through this piece.

“Earlier we used to have easy flow of traffic during the months of July and August as we do not have too much of traffic to handle in areas such as Purasaiwalkam T.Nagar etc., as there was a fall in traffic levels during these periods” says Muthukannan a cab driver “But now thanks to the AADI Masam offers that the retail outlets, jewelry stores and clothes shops have in place all along the year we have traffic” he laments. So are these offers given in AADI Masam really a shopper’s delight we try and find out?

“I shop either ways” says Aarthi Natarajan a Business Analyst “ I only hope that places like Shopper’s Stop , Marks & Spencer’s also put up offers to match the likes of Pothy’s and Kumaran’s” she states wide eyed much to the dismay of her husband.

“This is an attempt entirely to boost sales during the dry months of July and August as there are no festivals during the period” says Harishshankar B. a Chartered Accountant by profession. “It is just unnecessary hype that these shops put up, in process burning holes in middle class budgets” he concludes angrily. “We do have a puja and other related religious events on the 18^th day of Aadi Masam (known as Aadi Perukku), but we don’t buy new clothes or anything like that” says Mr.G.Ramakrishnan an entrepreneur, “I’m just hoping that my staff don’t start demanding Aadi Season bonus, in order for them to make hay out of the mega offers” he states in a hushed tone.

“We are trying to utilize this Aadi Masam concept for our North Indian customers too” says Mr. Somil Shah, Director Sheetal Diamonds Kilpauk.” Many south Indians buy gold as they get huge discounts during these months we want the North Indians also to follow suit” he concludes with his eyes bright.

Why do sellers offer such huge discounts and what did the buyers think about it? “It keeps the family happy” says Mr.Thiagarajan G. a business man “This is one time during which we buy stuff for no reason, which always pleases my family” he states smiling away to glory. “I can afford it so I do not have a problem, but I cannot comment on the behalf of people who are not financially strong” he concludes taking a safe route. “Sellers obviously offer huge discounts to attract buyers” says Sriram Joshi a HR executive rather sarcastically. “If not they are sensible enough not to offer high discounts” he concludes. “It’s a pure marketing gimmick, even though I splurge myself with shopping” says Dhivya Shankar a stock broker. “People should decide on their needs and then take a call on whether they need to enjoy the discounts or not” she states emphatically. 

“The MNC boom is the reason for such mass publicity for Aadi Masam” quips Shankar Narayanan a BPO executive rather confusingly. “The MNC’s have increased purchasing power of their staffs, which in turn is being taken advantage of by these sellers” he clarifies at length.

At the end of it all it cannot be said that buyers are not enjoying the ride being offered during Aadi masam. It can only be safely concluded that instead of over splurging the buyers need to maintain a balance in their shopping habits.

The IIA meet review, this one was not for The Hindu but for PwC’s local circulation

An Emergent evening on “THE EMERGING TRENDS OF INTERNAL AUDIT”

The ambience was nostalgic, the evening bright along with hot coffee and snacks the stage was set for the future in which all the people present at Hotel Palm Grove on 25^th June 2008 believed in. The Chennai chapter of Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) organized the above mentioned session as a part of their continuous professional development. A paper was presented by Mr. Rangarajan Kalyanaraman, Manager IAS Chennai, and “Ranga” to all of us in PwC. The crowd began filtering in and the session began after an initial round of introductions. Ranga though constrained for time presented the paper through a Power point presentation pretty majestically. “His voice is an asset and the content was great” commented Mr.Jambunathan one of the members attending the meet. Ranga highlighted many new areas in the internal audit arena such as the new internal audit definition, Change Management etc.  The ever alert members questioned the presenter and got their doubts clarified. At the end of the session there was a brief discussion and a question answer session where the members raised questions on the increase in independence of auditors and the new techniques in fraud management. The event concluded with the IIA handing over a small token of appreciation to Ranga along with a vote of thanks. On the whole a very fulfilling and knowledge filled session it was.

Food Delights in Purasaiwalkkam – Another Special Edition!

                                        “The Local Food Capital”

“Hungry Kya” is a very famous one liner of a big MNC eatery; though the one liner applies only to the eatery it would be very apt to describe an area and its gastronomy pleasing eateries. Yes we are speaking about Purasaiwalkam one of the oldest parts of Chennai. If one was to enlist 10 varieties of food it can be confidently stated that there would be 8 or 9 restaurants in this locality that would be having these varieties in their menu.

Pursaiwalkam or “PushWakkam” as many north Indians spell it is a locality bustling with activity. There have been many celebrities like Director Vittalacharya or writer RK Narayanan who made this locality their haven. “ Purasaiwalkam has been known and will be known for its food business” states Mrs.Lakshmi Govindarajan even though she has been staying in another close by locality (ayanavaram) she considers this place as a home away from home. “Going to Purasaiwalkam to eat was often like a picnic or a family get together” she reminisces. “If Triplicane has its Ratna café we have our Welcome” says Mr.Anand Daga. “Me and my friends frequent Welcome Hotel on Purasaiwalkam High road after cricket on Sunday mornings, we used to come here not only to have fun but also to drink the delicious sambar” he concludes. Since when did sambar become a juice??Well Mr.Anand is not alone here there are people who are crazy about the sambar that is available in the restaurant. “I prefer the Saravana Bhavan sambar though” states Nithish a student studying in the nearby Alagappa Matriculation. “Especially when it has a vada and some onions in it!” he elaborates eyes wide.

Have we ventured into a Sappaturaman’s (Someone who lives to eat!) arena? The answer is mostly a “Yes”. Purasaiwalkam stretches from the end of kellys (marked by the towering Uma Complex) upto the beginning of Vepery (also marked by Chengalvarayan Poly Technique) right from the beginning upto the end Purasaiwalkam is filled with gastronomic delight homes! “People set up hotels here as it was close to many theaters that were in its prime” recalls Mr.Senthamarai “ Uma theater, Roxy etc., used to run a lot of Vathiyar’s(MGR) movies people after elation of their minds would proceed to hotels nearby to elate their taste buds” he concludes. Even today we can see the hotels near Uma complex such as “Hotel Heerah” or “Hotel Sanmar” doing brisk business even though the above mentioned movie homes have either closed or have been converted to residential complexes.

As you go towards Tana Street one tends to notice many food vendors selling goodies on the road. “My great grandfather started this Idly kadai way back in the 1930’s” states Velan proud owner of a street side Idly stall or to put it locally a “ROAD OORA IDLY KADAI” if u think it’s only the down trodden who come and eat here you couldn’t be more wrong. As the conversation was going on with Velan one notices SX4’s and Fiestas coming to a halt next to the “kadai” and tasting the hot idlys. “Tomorrow if u come to this place I will not be here” he continues “I keep moving as at times there are problems with the authorities” he states.

Purasaiwalkam is not only a gastronomic heaven but also a shoppers dream there is not a single thing which one does not get here. People who come to shop here generally come with an empty stomach once their shopping is done they proceed to explore the tasty variety available in and around Purasaiwalkam.

Inside The Abirami Mega mall one notices a variety of restaurants functioning under the Planet Yumm brand along with newly established joints such as Burger King etc., nothing better than a movie and some food! There is also stiff competition for the existing hotels like Raj Bhavan from these new ones.

As one moves deep into the centre of Purasaiwalkam there are restaurants such as Welcome(mentioned earlier) Sandhya, Hot Chips etc., The last two specialize in making samosas which are sold out as soon as they are made. The Bakeries also have a field day on all Sundays when Christian flock to their respective churches. McRennet a global brand has an out let here along with a stream of Hot Puffs and Iyengar Bakeries. Also there are some really good Sweet Stalls which are not very well known outside Purasaiwalkam such as Babu Sweet Stall in Tana Street along with a few established ones like Sree Krishna Sweets, Adyar Anandha Bhavan etc.,

How does one decide where to go and what to have? “If I’m feeling very dull and depressed a trip to Welcome Hotel and a taste of its Sambar and coffee would cheer me up immediately” says Deepan Chandru a Doctor by profession. “Irrespective of my mood I used to go to Hotel Venkateshwara , it’s very sad that it has been shut down now” he says with sadness looming large in his eyes.

Some thing was missing…..oh yes Non Vegetarian delights “ You should try out the Mutton Fry and Egg Masala at Ganesh” says Varun rapidly licking his lips. Ganesh and Egg masala??? “Yes the non veg available there is mind blowing” he continues “Its located at the end of Flowers road, even though its ambience is not exactly delightful the food makes up for it”. “If not Ganesh even the road side eateries provide decent stuff” he states firmly summing it up for us.

As stated by many, Purasaiwalkam is a real heaven for people who appreciate the art of cooking and the delight one gets in consuming these heavenly portions. So there is no fallacy in calling Purasaiwalkam “The Food Capital”

 

 

Akshaya Tritiya – On Tritya day in the Hindu Special Edition

The Golden Day.

 

The title sounds like an old English movie title right? Wrong! its about the day in which every one in the gold business from a basic gold smith to big jewelers to big banks sell gold coins and ornaments like hot idlis(cake is being replaced by idli to add to the local flavor!).

 

This golden day referred above is known as Akshaya Tritiya in India. The word Akshaya, a Sanskrit word, literally means one that never diminishes, and Tritiya refers to the third day of the bright half of the lunar month of Vaisakha. It is generally believed that any venture initiated on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya shall continue to grow and bring prosperity. Hence, it is normal to see many of the new ventures, like starting a business, ground breaking for construction etc on the Akshaya Tritiya Day.

 

The most telling benefit out of this day is reaped in the gold business as people consider buying gold on this day to be auspicious. All the gold retailers go all out to promote this day and “Make money while the gold shines!”

 

“Buying gold should not be the only objective” states Rangarajan a Chartered Accountant by profession. “People should also utilize the day for doing a lot of charity, which would promote richness all around” he concludes on a philosophical note.

 

Does your wealth or gold really multiply? Well there is a mixed response for the question as people are not exactly able to state whether their wealth grew as a result of buying gold or other artifacts on Akshaya Tritiya day. “It worked for me” gushes Mrs.Shayamala a house wife “Initially I was not too keen on the idea as I thought it was just another marketing campaign unleashed on the unsuspecting consumers, but after buying it my husband got a promotion, we bought further jewels and property”. “All gods’ grace” she concludes with a wide smile.

 

Well there are also people who think they did not have a great year in spite of purchasing gold or items of significance. “You make your own luck no specific day can change things for you” states Mr. Siddharth on a pessimistic note.

 

Is there really some significance or are the retailers making money, “It is a belief that has been around for centuries” says Somil Shah Director, Sheetal Diamonds “We do a special pooja before we sell people gold ornaments or coins, We sincerely hope their wealth multiplies” he states earnestly before adding with a cheeky smile “After all if their wealth multiplies so will ours!”

 

Special offers from banks and other retailers have already started to flow. Post Tamil New Years day the Tamilians have little to celebrate till the next big festival like Krishna Jayanthi etc., so there is a tendency to celebrate in the given opportunity which also results in Akshaya Tritiya being celebrated with zest.

 

On the whole Akshaya Tritiya does manage to keep both the retailers as well as the consumers happy. In these trying times if the people have an occasion as well as a belief to celebrate why not?

 

 

The IPL fiasco , my first one in “The Hindu” – 27.04.08

-           

 

Players Sweat it out on the ground, Audience off it!

 

Inflation has truly hit us, the end consumers. “It is quite apparent with the way we were fleeced at the first IPL match here in Chennai,” comments Shiva Krishnamoorthy, a huge cricket enthusiast. “It is quite sad that. Inflation is reflected in the ticket cost whereas there is a huge deflation in the maintenance of  the stadium, earlier there used to be fans and televisions in and around the MCC pavilion (now rechristened T3 for the IPL), now both are  missing from the allotted stands.”. “Most of us did not have a good time at the match primarily because it was so hot also making it worse was the lack of basic arrangements from the coordinators” explains Siddharth, a Business Analyst. “I don’t understand why they would schedule a match in this hot weather with poor arrangements” he continues.

 

“I came here with my entire family to cherish our first LIVE game and unfortunately, for me everything went wrong from start to finish,” narrates Mr Naren, a business man. “For starters we were stuck in a traffic about 20 m from the stadium for about an hour and since I was self driving I didn’t have a choice but to find parking. And once outside our gate we get to know that there were no parking arrangements in spite of many huge vacant spaces being in the vicinity of the stadium. The lack of planning was just too obvious. The traffic was just the beginning for the main course there was poor seating arrangements as well as poor air supply. I had to leave the match mid way as my seven year old son could not handle the heat. It’s really sad that in spite of spending a fortune for a 3 hour match one does not get any satisfaction,” continues Mr Naren.

 

. “The closest I could get parking was opposite the Ice house building in Triplicane. And there was so much traffic that I had to walk back the entire stretch to the stadium. All this to watch a LIVE match at Rs 2000 a ticket,” laments Mr Ajay a club cricketer. “I think it’s about time that things such as traffic, venue and crowd management were planned and implemented by private agencies. At least that would ensure more detailing and lesser inconvenience,” suggests Lucky Singh, an event manager by profession. It’s about time that the organisers stopped taking us for granted and gave us seats and parking in direct proportion with the money spent.

 

What works in the favor of the IPL in spite of some horrendous organization and management is the unstinting support and love for the game. All the above mentioned individuals agree that at the end of the day going through all the pain appears to be an aberration when one sees Dhoni hit one right over the bowlers head or when Hayden reverse sweeps Shaun Pollock.

 

The organisers from the look of it seem to be utilizing this great love for cricket and “any money for cricket” attitude of people to charge huge sums and provide below par arrangements and viewing facilities.

“Why?”

Every one knows that im a school topper in English………..also every one knows that it was a bloddy FLUKE.

No one is denying the fact that is a fluke, but what it has done is that it has inspired me to understand the language better and also express myself better in that language, so this little sojourn of mine into the realms of this language, i have begun writing short stories, articles in a very famous national daily “The Hindu” but one does not get to hear what people think of the articles which come in the newspaper, this is one such attempt to bridge the gap.

 

cheers

Vignesh

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