Alpha Times, T.nagar 02 August 09

Established in 2008

SERVING YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD August 02, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 59

*

PRICE Re. ONE ONLY

Cross-gender spa service ratified

What a judgement Sirji The Madras High Court rejected a plea from the police to prohibit massages by the opposite sex in spas in

in accordance with law in case of any activity prohibited by law. The judge was partly allowing an

therapists from both sexes and there was no illegality in a trained therapist belonging to one sex doing massage

the city. Justice K Chandru, however, said that the police could inspect the spas and take appropriate action

application arising out of a civil suit from Influence Lifestyle Stores Private Limited on Anna Salai, represented by its managing director V Nareshkumar, seeking to restrain the police in any way from disturbing or interfering with the peaceful conduct of its business, pending disposal of the suit. Influence Spa at 91 Poonamallee High Road, near Dasaprakash Hotel offers various spa therapies by males and females for clients belonging to both genders. According to the applicant, he had appointed many trained

to the customer of the opposite sex. Such a practice was in vogue all over the world and there was no legal prohibition in doing so, he argued. The police said that the City Police Act made it mandatory for the applicant to obtain a licence. To prevent nefarious activities, which might be carried out covertly in the name of spa centres, some control was necessary. The applicant was planning to open a massage parlour and there was every possibility of attracting men of questionable character and anti-social elements to the parlour.

To Advertise Call

99400 24556 90947 99006

Reaches

55,000

Send your news and events to

households every week

[email protected]

Such parlours were already ordered to be closed by the police, they argued. Partly allowing the application, the judge observed that in the case of spas offering both gender massages, there was no law regulating the field. In sections 34

and 35 of the City Police Act, there was no reference to spas. Hence, it could be clearly seen that the police, as on date, had no legal right to prevent a health spa being operated by any citizen of the country, even if it was done by persons belonging to the opposite sex.

As pointed out by the Supreme Court, majoritarian impulses rooted in moralistic tradition cannot impinge upon individual autonomy,’’ the judge said and added that the police were at liberty to take appropriate action if any criminal activity was carried on in the spas.

Page 2

Alpha Times

August, 02, 2009

Love Triumphs VOL: 2 ISSUE 59

August 02, 2009

Time to fight insidious menace There are problems we as a nation have learnt to live with: money laundering, black money, counterfeit currency, narcotics and terrorism. All of them are inter-linked and their sources are well known. Yet we have not been dealing with them effectively. We react, or rather over-react, whenever there is a major terror strike or drug/fake currency seizure, and then soon forget it instead of making serious efforts to root out the problem. Frequent seizures of counterfeit currency have ceased to stir the national conscience. Newspapers try to shake the powers-that-be by repeating the Naik Committee’s startling revelation made a few years ago that counterfeit currency amounting to about Rs 1,69,000 crore was circulating in the country till the year 2000. The figure has not been updated since then. While the government in general and the RBI in particular seem to be helpless in tackling the national menace, counterfeiters have refined the art of printing Indian rupees of 500 and 1,000 denominations so much so that fake notes have 95 per cent features of the genuine ones.Leave alone a shopkeeper making fruitless efforts to see whether a Rs 500 note presented to him is genuine or not, even a trained banker often fails to distinguish the fake from the real. There are reports of banks handing over counterfeit notes to customers and ATMs becoming distribution centres of such currency. Such is the fear of being in possession of illegal currency that every 500 and 1000 rupee note is viewed with suspicion. Yet this has not woken up the government to the destructive effect the deadly combination of drugs, counterfeit currency and terror is having on society and the economy. Government agencies fight their own battles without coordination. Laws are not stringent enough. Telgi got away with just seven years’ jail for the Rs 50,000 crore stamp paper scam. After 9/11, the US paid as much attention to internal security as to wiping out sources of terror funding. The destablising role of economic terrorism needs to be better understood and countered in this country.

Raghavendra Aradhana Sri Gururaja Seva Trust is celebrating Sri Sri Raghavendra

Swamigal's 27th aradhana from Aug. 5 to Aug 9 atAyodhya Aswamedha Maha Mandapam T h e programme details: Aug 5: 6.30 pm- Sri Sathyanarayana Pooja, 7.30 pm: Sri. S.P.RamhVoal, Mullaivasal Sri G. Chandramouli- Sri Ganapathy RamanNergunam Sri Sankar.

Aug. 6: 5.30 pmSrinivasa Kalyanam, 7.30 pm- Smt Punya Srinivas-Veenai, Sri D.A. Srinivas- Sri. N. Guruprasad. Aug. 7: 6.00 am to 12.00 noon Sri Dhanvanthri Homam, Sri Sooktha HJomam, Sri Kamathva Vijaya Parayanam, Mahapoojai, Panchamirtha Abhishegam, Kanakabhishekam, Padhapoojai, Sahasrarchanai, Mangalaharathi. 7.00 pm- Smt. Gayathri Girish- Vocal, Sri. V.V. Srinivasa Rao- Neyveli Sri Skanda Subramaniam- Dr. S. Karthik. Aug. 8: 6.00 am to 12.00 noon Sri Sri Raghavavendarsmaigal Punya Dhinam. Sri Sudarsana Homam, Sri Kamathva Vijaya Parayanam, Mahapoojai, Panchamirtha Abhishegam, Kanakabhishekam, Padhapoojai, Sahasrarchanai, Mangalaharathi 6.00 pm- Master Aditya Ram- Flute, 7.30 pm –

Padmapadacharya is one of the excellent disciples of Shri AdiSankaracharya. One day Padmapada decided to do penance for the darshan of Lord Nrisimha. He went to forest for doing the tapas. In the forest he met a kirataka (hunter) and he revered padmapada as his master. Every day he used to come and greet his master with sincere love and affection. Gradually, the life of the hunter became a total surrender to the feet of the master. In his mind Guru and God became one and the same. One day he noticed that the master is doing tapas. He enquired the master and came to know that the master is doing tapas for the lion faced God (lord Nrisimha). So, he decided to fetch that God for his master. He did not understand how difficult it is to see the God. All he knows is by having the darshan of God his Guru's desire will be fulfilled. So, with all sincerity he began his search. As the time progresses, searching for the God became the only purpose of his life. He relentlessly and tirelessly continued his search. The flame of divine love completely cleaned him of all the impurities. At last, Lord Narayana showed his grace on him and appeared as Lion faced God. He immediately took him to Padmapada. Padmapada with uncontrollable joy fell on the feet of Lord Nrisimha. Lord Nrisimha explained to Padmapada that the innocent, pure, unselfish and single minded devotional love of the hunter without a trace of ego won him over. As mentioned in Sai Satcharita,"Once you surrender at Guru's feet with single minded devotion, not only the Guru, but God himself will be moved. Such is the marvel of Guru worship, which the guru- devotees should experience themselves." The main purpose of worship of God is to enable everyone to feel the joy and bliss of divine love and to become one in that love. As this goal appears too steep for many in the world, lot of steps have been prescribed to reach the Goal. Sri Sai advised Sraddha and Saburi as the fundamental keys to open the treasure chest of divine love or knowledge. Sraddha gives the self-confidence and Saburi allows staying at peace with day-to-day events. Some times during the times of crisis in life it becomes very difficult to hold on to these two keys. (Sraddha and Saburi). At those times, it is always good for us to remember the assurance of Sri Sai."The Sky is overcast. But, it is sure going to rain and bring forth the harvest."

Aadi festival in Ellaiamman Temple Aadi festival will be celebrated in Sri Ellaiamman Temple (Ellaiamman Koil Street, West Mambalam) on Aug. 8 and 9. The programmes Aug. 7: 8 am : Manjal Kaappu Devotional Music concert by Sasthadasan and party Aug. 8: 8 am: Special alangaaram. Aug. 9:8 a.m: Special abhishekam; 12 noon : Gruel distribution: 2 pm : Procession: 7 pm: Fire pot procession: 9 pm: Procession. All are welcome. For details call phone 98414 75566. Smt. Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam-Vocal Dr. R. Hemalatha- Thanjavur Sri Ramadoss – Madipakkam Sri Murali Aug. 9: 6.30 pmPortrait Procession of Sri Sri Raghavendra Swamigal from Krishnamurthy Street, West MambalamNagaswaram by Mambalam M.K.S. Sundar and Party. T h o s e devotees interested can give a coconut (Matta Thengai) on Aug. 5 at the pooja venue with their prayers and the same will be returned to them after the pooja with the

blessings of Sri Sri Raghavendra swami. S r i S r i Raghavendraswamy Brindavanam is to be constructed in West Mambalam, and the Trust is looking for land in West Mambalam area. Philonthropists desirous of setting up the Brindavanam may contact the pooja venue. Contributions in cash or in kind may be sent to Sri Gururaja Seva T r u s t , 9 / 4 , Krishnamoorthy Street, West Mambalam, Chennai 600 033 Ph: 2471 5707

Stars this week For the week Aug 02-Aug. 08, 2009 Your patch-up bid with a loved one may fail. Adopt the path of least resistance. Don’t judge others too harshly.

Bring family relationships to centre-stage to get maximum benefit from current stars. In love an initial no could soon become yes.

A rising Mercury will bring luck. You will be in the forefront of everything. If in service, ask for a raise.

A dopting carrot and stick policy with an evil person may harm you. Forget and forgive. It can add to your stature.

You’ll spend lavishly on pleasantries and nonessentials. Indulge yourself but keep economy on sound lines.

With Mercury in top gear, a busy period ahead. You may bond with people who have been ignoring you. They will be your best allies now.

A hectic time at work and home. At work much will depend on what colleagues say and at home what relatives opine. But stand by your convictions.

Don’t be fooled by appearances you could be easily duped. If you are cautious, your stars will bring a cheer.

With Jupiter in the house of luck you may get more than expected. Your admirers’ list will grow longer with time.

A state of confusion ahead but ignore all vague fears and suspicions. Avoid rigid and obstinate people.

Spending on domestic or social life will rise. If a casual market player, the pinch will be tolerable but for hard players losses and turmoil ahead.

Uncertainty around with Jupiter on backtrack. A trip or change of scene will shake off drudgery and boredom. - Dr. Anuj Vikram Sharma

Competitive tests The Stenographers’ Guild, T.Nagar, Chennai, will be conducting Shorthand Speed Tests in Tamil and English for Junior, Inter and Senior grades on Sunday, Aug. 02 from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. The entry fee is Rs. 20/- for all grades candidates. Spot entries will be entertained. Further

details can be had from the Office on the following address and phone numbers. The Stenographers’ Guild,No.1, Guild St, (Behind SivaVishnu Temple),T.Nagar, Chennai – 600 017. Ph: 2 4 3 4 2 4 2 1 , 24337387.E.Mail: [email protected]

Free Colour TV distribution in Div. 125 Free Colour Television sets would be distributed to the residents of 125 division who have registered their ration cards with the Ward councillor of 125 division Mr. R. Prakash. The residents will get the colour TV sets at the special meeting to be held at 5.00 pm on

Monday Aug. 03 in Moorthy Street near Ayodhya Mandapam. Initially a few people would be given at the meeting and for others the TV sets would be issued according to the tokens given to them on verification of the ration cards registed with the ward councillor.

Mass prayer for rains Raghavendra Swamigals 338th

Aradhana will be celebrated from Aug. 5 for three days all over India. Astrologer

papers of recent years. Nearly 10,000 copies of the handbook are being distributed free to city students in Plus-Two, on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested students can collect them at Smart Learn centres in T.Nagar, Anna Nagar and Adyar. For details, call: 95000 91414.

Governor and

Chancellor, Surjit Singh Barnala, has nominated Grace George, chairperson of the Alpha group of educational institutions, to the

Free swayamvaram for Brahmins Chennai Sai Sankara Matrimonials functioning at 7 (15/2), 9 t h Av e n u e , A s h o k Nagar are organising “Free Swayamvaram" for Brahmins(Members Only) on Sunday, Aug. 16 at Balaji Kalyana Mandapam, T.Nagar (Behind Agasthiyar Kovil). The programme will be as follows: Iyers ( 9Am – 1PM) , Iyengars (1PM – 3Pm) Remarriages (PM – 5PM). For Grooms minimum Income criteria for participation is Rs 25,000/-P.M

To Advertise in this paper Call

99400 24556

For Membership and other details contact Phone No: 2471 6920 or 98403

Raghavendra Raman will perform the 20th Annual Raghavendra Aradhana at Sri Gowri Kalyana Mandapam, Arya Gowda Road on Aug. 8 from 10.00 am onwards. During the Aradhana, poojas will be performed for the Mrithiga Brindavanam, Lakshmi Narasimhar, Lakshmi Hayagrivar etc., Mass prayers for rain would be held around 11.00 am which is the highlight of the Aradhana. Those desirous of participating call Astrologer Raghavendra Raman of 94443 33830, Contributions in cash and kind welcome.

Grace George on varsity council

Free booklet Smart Learn Edutech has released a handbook titled ‘Cracking IIT-JEE/AIEEE.’ The book covers aspects such as life at the IITs, the recognition that premier institutions in India have abroad, tips for taking c o m p e t i t i v e examinations and analysis of question

Page 3

Alpha Times

August, 02, 2009

30531(Founder – N.Panchapakesan) Web: www.ssmatri.com

Academic Council of Anna UniversityChennai for three years. With over 40 years’ experience in education, Dr. Grace George has founded institutions such as the Alpha College of Engineering, Poonamallee, and the Alpha Arts and Science College, Porur, according to a release issued by the Alpha group

Daily Trip to Thirupathi

Special trains extended S o u t h e r n Railway has extended the Chennai Central – Nagercoil – Chennai Central Weekly Garib Rath Specials up to October 29. Train No. 0607 Chennai Central – Nagercoil Special

(Wednesdays) will be extended from August 19 to October 28 and train No. 0608 Nagercoil – Chennai Central Specials (Thursdays) from August 20 to October 29, according to a Southern Railway release

Send your news and events to

[email protected]

Page 4

Alpha Times

Last date extended The last date for registering address at ration shops has been extended up to August 15, an official release . The date for Chennai and some other districts has been extended for the benefit of residents. Ration card holders need not record their names in the register maintained at ration shops. It is enough if they inform the shop staff whenever they come to buy materials. If someone has shifted their house within the same street, it would be better if the change of address is incorporated in the ration card through t h e A s s i s t a n t

Commissioner / Zonal Supply office. Those who do not buy anything from the ration shops need not register their address there. It is not compulsory for the head of the family to come and register at the shop. Anyone whose name is entered in the card can come and do so. In case of senior citizens, they could send their representative with a letter. For clarifications, the city residents can contact Assistant Commissioner (South) on 28551026, the release added.

Science Lecture Prof B.Viswanathan Dept of Chennai IIT will give a talk on FUEL CELLS on Sunday Aug. 02 at 10 am in the Children’s Club at 96, V.M.Street, Mylapore. Interested students and others are welcome.

Chess Coaching The Children’s Club, 96 V M Street, Mylapore will conduct a 10-day Chess coaching course from 6th Augst for 5-15years old at the Junior or middle level. For details contact M.Narayanaswamy, Hony..Secretary Ph. 2847 4140

Re-union In connection with the golden jubilee of Vivekananda College, the 1960 batch of students of B.Com – the first batch of the college – has planned to organise a get-together. Contact R. Krishnamurthy on 24994397 or 90031 00038. Email [email protected].

Quiz on stem cells on Oct 24 Fujio Cup Quiz, a competition on stem cells and regenerative medicine, will be held on October 24. Both undergraduate and postgraduate students of medical, biology and biotechnology courses can participate. Further details for participation and registration, contact: Vijayakumar, 9444083551/044-2321322, 24816743 or www.fujiocupaquiz.org/fcq200 9/index.htm

Coaching for IAS aspirants The Periyar IAS and IPS Coaching centre is offering a short-term course for IAS aspirants from September. For details, contact the centre at 50, E.V.K. Sampath Salai, Vepery. Ph: 26618056.

AG’s office pensioners meet The Accountants General Offices Pensioners’ Forum will have its 16th annual get-to gether at 3.30 pm on Sunday, Aug. 2 on AG’s office lawns, 361, Anna Salai, Teynampet.

Family pact Family pact is a 'Family Empowerment Workshop' by Chinmaya Mission. The focus of the workshop is on both the Individual and the family. PACT operates at 3 levels. It helps empower your family to a happy co-existence and enrich family harmony. Come, rediscover the joy. A dynamic workshop towards a Positive India will be held on August 08, 2.00 pm at 35A, Vasudeva Sath Sangam, Vasudevapuram Street, West Mambalam, Chennai- 33. For details contact A. Lakshmi Prabha- 988443409.

August, 02, 2009

Job fair for differently-abled The Tamil Nadu Handicapped Federation Charitable Trust and the Need Trust are conducting a job fair for the differently-abled, ‘Disable the Disability’. Applications can be downloaded from www.tnhfctrust.in or collected from the organisations’ partners in various districts. The last date for receiving filled-in application forms is August 12. The fair is open

to people with all kinds of disabilities, including epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, apart from those listed in the Persons With Disabilities Act. Completed forms should be sent to the Need Trust, New No. 33 (Old No. 14), 48th Street, 9 t h Av e n u e , A s h o k Nagar, Chennai 83, or m a i l e d t o [email protected] m. Candidates selected for interview on the day of the fair will be intimated

by post. The fair is also open to corporates if they want to hire differentlya b l e d p e o p l e . There will be a seminar on employment, social rights and other issues related to disability. The fair will be held on August 28, between 9am and 4pm at Kamaraj Arangam. For more details, call 9841267034 or 9841267035.

Road safety tax from Aug 1 T h e government has decided to impose road safety tax ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 2,000 from August 1. The new tax will be Rs 250 for two-wheelers, Rs 1,500 for cars and vans, and Rs 2,000 for heavy vehicles.

According to official sources, the road safety tax will be utilised to pay compensation to those injured in accidents as well as families of accident victims. Transport minister K N Nehru announced the decision last month.

R. Karthikeyan, 90947 99009

During 200809, the government spent Rs 102 crore on compensation to victims of road accidents. To minimise accidents involving government buses, Rs 1.2 crore has been allotted this year.

BE and BTech classes to start on Sept 7 Classes for first year BE/B Tech students in self-financing engineering colleges will c o m m e n c e o n September 7, according to Anna University (Chennai) vicechancellor P Mannar Jawahar. H o w e v e r, classes for freshers who have joined courses in the College of Engineering in Guindy, A

C College of Technology, Madras Institute of Technology and the School of Architecture and Planning — all departments of the Anna University (Chennai) — will begin on August 10. The second and final phase of the single window counselling for Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions which got underway on Thursday is

scheduled to end on August 10. The Consortium of Self-Financing Professional Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu has announced that it would release the merit list of management quota students on August 31, as mandated by the permanent committee to monitor admissions in private educational institutions.

Financial assiatance for young talents With the aim of encouraging young talents in the field of Bharatanatyam, Carnatic vocal, religious discourse, nadaswaram, violin, veena, flute, j a l a t a r a n g a m , gottuvadyam, mandolin, g u i t a r, s a x o p h o n e , clarinet and other such instruments, and accompani ments such as violinists, mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, morsing and konnakols, financial assistance will be offered to the artists to present concerts under the auspices of cultural organisations. Under the scheme, each group comprising vocalist, flute and jalatarangam will be paid Rs.2800; violin, veena and gottuvadyam

Rs.1950; discourse, nagaswaram, clarionet and guitar Rs.4000; mandolin and saxophone group Rs.3000 and the Bharatanatyam troupe, Rs.5000. Also the cultural forum that organises the concerts will receive Rs.2000 for every show. The musicians who apply for the scheme should have completed 16 and should not be above 30 years of age as on August 1, 2009, while Bharatanatayam dancers should have completed 15 years and not have exceeded 30, on the above mentioned

date. Those who have already benefited from the scheme will not be eligible. Application forms may be obtained free of cost. Those who wish to receive the same by post should send a selfaddressed envelope with a stamp for Rs.5 pasted on it. Requests for forms may be sent to: Member Secretary, Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram, Ponni, 31, P.S. Kumarasamy Raja Salai, Chennai – 600028. (Ph: 044- 24937471). The filled up forms should reach the mandram on or before Sept. 30.

Send your news and events to

[email protected]

Music competition T h e M u s i c Academy is organising a group singing devotional music competition under an endowment instituted in the name of Rukmini Arts and Music Trust, on September 12, from 10 a.m onwards at Kasturi Srinivasan Hall, The Music Academy. Groups that want to participate can register their names by sending particulars of their group and the compositions they propose to present. They will have to b r i n g t h e i r o w n accompaniments and sing three compositions for a duration not exceeding 20-25 minutes. The first two winners will be given cash awards apart from getting an opportunity to sing at the morning concert sessions held at the Academy during the December music season. Last date for registration is September 1. For details, contact The Music Academy: 28112231, 28115162 or em a i l : music@musicacademymadr as.com.

August, 02, 2009

Avani Avittam in the neighbourhood Showcase your The usual ritual of Avani Avittam (Changing music talents 4. Sankara the sacred thread/Poonool ) on August 5 (for Yajur Veda adherents) and Aug. 06 ( for Rig Veda adherents) will be held in the neighbourhood at Ayodhya Mandapam from 5.30 am in batches. Those desirous of participating may join at the Mandapam on that day. 2. It is also held at Old No: 18, New No37, Chakrapani Street, West Mambalam, from 5.30 am for Iyengars. Contact Brihaspathi T A Jagannatha Vadhyar. 3. Sathyanarayana Temple West Mambalam from 8.00 am. For iyengars

TTD competitions TTD Information Centre and Local Advisory Committee at Venkatanarayana Road, T.Nagar will be conducting its annual competitions for school students this month. Students will be divided into three categories 5-8, , 9-12 and 13-17 age groups Competition details: Aug. 7: 5.30 pm to 9 pm: Quiz and oratorical competitions. Aug. 8: 10 am to 1 pm: Bhagawad Gita: 2 pm to 5 pm: Thiruppavai. Aug. 9: 10 am to 1 pm: Vishnu Sahasaranaamam: 2 pm to 5pmAnnamacharya keerthanas. Aug. 14: 10 am to 12 noon: Bhajans: 12 noon to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm : Venkatesa Supprabatham. Entries with details of name, age, parent’s name, group, address, phone number name and address of school, class and competition being contested should be submitted in the TTD office Entries may also be dropped in the special box kept in the TTD center. Entries close on Monday Aug. 03 at 6.00 pm For details call 2435 5576 between 11 am and 1 pm.

Bridges, sub-ways declared poster-free from Aug. 01 Extending the City Beautification scheme, Chennai Corporation today announced a ban on pasting posters and graffiti on the walls of nearly 250 bridges and sub-ways from August 1. The corporation has recently banned posters and wall graffiti on the arterial roads of Anna Salai and Kamaraj Salai as part of the scheme. Come August 1, the ban would be extended to cover 227 Corporationmaintained bridges and sub-ways including those over the Coovum and Adyar rivers and Buckingham canal, and state highways bridges, Corporation Mayor M Subramaniam said. "This ban will be applicable to around 250 bridges and sub-ways in Chennai," he said in an official release here. Zonal officers of the civic body will meet those involved in the poster business, especially the workers, and sensitise them about the corporation's scheme, he said adding that from July 31 posters and writings would be removed. As part of the city beautification scheme, the corporation had earlier announced various measures, including imposing fine on those dumping garbage in public places and a ban on use of plastics on the famous Marina Beach here which would come to effect from August 15. The city beautification was being done on the directions of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, who had envisaged a "Singara (beautiful) Chennai" when he was Mayor a few years back.

Page 5

Alpha Times

M a t a m W e s t Mambalam, from 7.00 am onwards For Samavedha adherents it is on Aug. 23. Gayathri Japam will be on Aug. 06 for all veda adherents.

G o l d e n Opportunity to Music Learners-Rao's Music and J.V.L.C. conduct talent Music Programme (Vocal and All instruments) just to Encourage Music Learners of all age group

Breast feeding week in PHC Breast Feeding Week will be celebrated in Public Health Center at 174, Lake View Road, West Mambalam from Aug. 1to 7. The following on Last Sunday once in two Months at West Mambalam. No Reg. Fee, For details contact 98401 97914.

is the program: Aug. 3: Questionnaire for parents of ‘Feeding and child rearing’. Aug 4:Oratorical competition on ‘Importance of breast feeding for high risk pregnancies’ for staff of hospital. Aug. 7 : ‘Well baby’ contest. More details can be had in phones 2489 3101/ 3172/ 7008.

Page 6

Alpha Times

August, 02, 2009

Voice Mail Sir Whether it is rain or shine, one should have special skill to tread through Ranganathan S t r e e t i n T N a g a r. Located close to Mambalam Station and not far way from T Nagar Busstand, Ranganathan Street, where one has to literally walk over the cut clothes from the tailoring shops, waste food and other things, is dotted with shops selling various wares. Ever busy with

shoppers, the Street, which is used by the commuters, also provides asylum to vendor and hawkers who too vie with the shops for the pie. On sunny days, shoppers negotiate twists and turns to reach their favourite shop. Commuters find it difficult to walk amid the crowd of shoppers/hawkers/vend ors. On rainy days, it is a different tale. Stagnant water and slush make the

Ram Samaj elections Sir, Kudos to Alpha Times for bringing out the local issues very correctly. Your article on Ram Samaj elections was an eye opener for other societies. Atleast now the trustee in question

Sir, The members of the Ram Samaj has elected a team of like minded persons working for the upliftment of the forward community and the Samaj as well. If the persons get elected and resign then they should

should realise the need for not interfering with the election and should hold the office of Trustee in high esteem instead of indulging in petty politics. -V. Raman West Mambalam

not be allowed to contest in the next election. W i l l t h e members of the Samaj bring a change in their election rules on this? -R. Ramakrishnan T Nagar

road-users wary of the place. What makes one clueless and puzzlling is that despite all these deterrents, shoppers still make a beeline to these shops. E q u a l l y astonishing is the loathsome attitude of the shopkeers who rake in large sums out of sale of their material, and the civic body. -V S. Jayaraman, T Nagar Sir, I had the opportunity to browse through your Alpha Times issues on the internet. I am a former resident of West Mambalam and now settled in United States of America. Your last two issues really highlighted the Sri Ram Samaj's activities and your concern for the Samaj. I am delighted to know the Samaj members have given a mandate for the working group. Keep up your goodwork in highlighting the issues in West M a m b a l a m neighbourhood.

HIGHEST CASH Spot Payment

CTV, Hi-Fi Music System, Computer, Cell, Laptop & LCD-Any Condition SWAPNAM TV CENTRE

9444325008 24848751

BASIC HINDI Learn to speak, read, write Hindi in three months. Convenient Timings HINDI VIDYANIKETAN Old No: 10, Dhandapani St., T.Nagar.

98414 02602/ 6519 0376 On Call Service Rs. 75/Computer Service & Laptop Service. Software Installation on Rs. 75

SM Computers 9884445488 42801038

-Sankaran Janardhan Iyer Los Angeles, USA

If you are not receiving the paper by 12.00 noon Please Call

90947 99009 This Space Costs Rs.200/only

Visit www.timeschennai.com

Page 7

Alpha Times

August, 02, 2009

Feature: All About Friendship Sailesh is a simple, emotional and shy soul. He cannot mix with people because he feels comfortable in his loneliness and world of dreams. But still he wishes to have someone he can confide in, share his interests and spend time with. Who wants to live alone? Even those among us who do not like to socialise wish to have someone to talk to. We require friends to fulfil many of our basic emotional and mental needs. The important thing to realise is that even those who are afraid of people or do not like them can change the way things are for them. They can make as many friends as they like. Friendship and friends Friendship is a kind of mutual understanding between two people, which demands trust, honesty, loyalty and sincerity. Generally, we make friends who are similar to us, with whom we can freely talk about anything and can expect respect and trust from them. Human beings are called social animals because they love to know the people who surround them. A person cannot live alone without the help or company of other people. It is natural that we become close to people we meet regularly. The importance of a friend Friends have a great impact on one’s life and friendship brings a feeling of responsibility

News Bytes The Central Information Commission has ruled that political parties are not covered under the Right to Information Act. Dismissing a petition of an RTI applicant, the CIC said political parties could not be covered under the Act just because they are provided government subsidies like premises at prime locations and free airtime for media broadcast during elections among others. "Even under Section 2 (h) (of the RTI Act) simply concessions provided to any private agency by government

with it too. No one can deny the importance of friends in one’s life because a ‘friend’ is a person with whom we can talk about anything without hesitation. Anu, a student, says that there is a lot of private stuff which one cannot share with family members. But friends are our soul mates and empathetic to most of our emotions, feelings and interests. How to make friends Some people are reserved by nature, so they don’t come close to others easily, while there are others who are frank and build up quite a huge circle of friends. G e n e r a l l y, active people inevitably end up with a wide social circle that includes people from various fields. This is because of the simple reason that they tend to hang out and meet people more than those who are not as outgoing. And such people tend to attract friends on their own, because people hope to bring some fulfilment and activity into their own lives by befriending such people. How to be popular Everyone wants to be popular in at least his/hers social circle. Some children are very popular during their student life, and others may get inspired by them and try to be as popular. Each person is different, but people like to form groups of likeminded people. So whenever you deal with a particular person or find

yourself in his/her group, you need to talk on interests that are common to all. And then, how you appear to others is very important. You need to concentrate on your appearance and adopt a nice and welcoming attitude. In addition you need to concentrate on attributes like confidence, sensibility, wit, courtesy, smartness, empathy, being a good listener, etc. Of course it is difficult to adopt all these attributes but just being conscious of them helps you progress in your social life. The good vibrations that you send do enable a chain reaction more often than not by words spoken about you. Also try to pay more attention to people who are refused friendship because of one reason or another. R e m e m b e r, a n i c e attitude can even change your enemy into a friend. So while searching out for friends, keep in mind that your mental outlook and attitude can bring anyone closer to you. At the final analysis, it can be said that no one is deprived or lonely if he has a true friend. This relation of mutual understanding between two people is so pure that it fills the blank space in the life of a person. Always care for your friends, love them and guide them to the right path and be faithful, because friends are one of the greatest gifts of God. - Ajesh Ranganathan

Political parties not covered under RTI Act’ cannot be construed as that agency being owned, controlled or substantially financed directly or indirectly by funds provided by government," Chief I n f o r m a t i o n Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said while rejecting a petition filed by RTI applicant Balwant Singh Khera. Khera who hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab has sought some information from 12 political parties, including the Congress, the BJP, the CPI, the CPM, but did not got any answer from them.

While the CPI and the CPI (M) replied that they are not covered under the RTI Act, Janata Dal (United) simply returned his application with the fee. The remaining parties did not send any reply to his application. Khera argued before the Commission that Section 2 (h) (ii) of the RTI Act mentions that 'non Government O r g a n i s a t i o n substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate government' are covered under the Act

Is anyone listening? Before you proceed further with this article, please take a moment, and listen carefully. Can you hear that? Try again, do you hear it? You are probably thinking what in the blazes does he want me to hear. That is my point exactly. Somewhere in our hurried quest for the best of everything we perhaps have left one of life’s sacred treasures — silence — in the dust. Honestly, think about it, when was the last time you spent a moment or two surrounded by silence, when you could perhaps feel your pulse, were aware of your own breathing or could ‘hear yourself think’. Admittedly such occurrences are hard to c o m e b y. M y o n l y experience which comes close to this was on a spelunking adventure during my school days . A group of friends and I had ventured about inside a cave in Kodai and as I stopped to catch my breath while my friends went on ahead, I turned off the torch light and stood completely still. And for the first time in my life, I became acutely aware of not only what pitch black means, but also the utter silence which surrounded me. That was probably the only time that I was at complete peace. S u c h h a p p e n i n g s notwithstanding, the fact of the matter is that in today’s world we can’t do without the noise. It has

almost become a cause and effect type scenario. Take for example the mobile phone your teenage son/daughter owns which has the ability to play and record a host of ring tones. The only problem is that a friend from school has a phone which has twice as many ring tones and better sound quality to boot. Before you know it you are being badgered for a couple of grand extra for the month’s pocket money s o t h a t y o u r son/daughter can get a better cell phone. And while you acquiesce not wishing to let your offspring down, little do you know that soon you will be listening to ‘mobile phone jam sessions’ which never seem to end. That’s just one example of how ingrained noise has become in our society. Another example which sets us apart from many around the world can be found on our roads, more specifically our buses. From shrieking horns to pressure horns that would make your heart jump a beat, the noise created by the buses plying Pakistani roads is just incessant. That’s perhaps why driving during a transport strike is like heaven for any enthusiastic motorist. Not only are the roads much easier to navigate but they are also much quieter. And the noise is not limited to the roads either. Thanks to those who pretend to supply us with electricity, the curse

'Izzat' season tickets for unorganised workers The Railway Ministry is introducing monthly season tickets (MSTs) priced at Rs.25, inclusive of surcharges, for travel up to 100 km for those working in the unorganised sector with a monthly income not exceeding Rs.1500. T h e M S Ts under the new ‘Izzat’ scheme will be issued for journeys with effect from August 1. The passes will be issued on production of income certificate of the applicant from any one of the following: District Magistrate; Lok

Sabha MPs for persons of their own constituency; Below Poverty Line (BPL) card or any other certificate issued by the Central government under a recognised poverty alleviation programme. The MSTs will be issued by the Station Master/Booking Office on collection of the photocopy of the income certificate and should be preserved for future reference. But, at the time of issue of ticket, the original income certificate will be verified.

of the generator is truly upon us and by the looks of it here to stay. And if the noise generated by these machines is not enough, you have the constant buzzing of the air conditioning, the clicking of the mouse, the humming of the office printer, and of course a group of your colleagues who just need an excuse to engage in banter. When you are finally home, and you wish for some peace and quiet, your eldest turns on the music loud enough for the entire neighbourhood, your wife decides she needs to watch the latest Indian soap, but it is imperative that she understands each and every dialogue so up goes the volume, and if you happen to have a baby or toddler in the house s/he decides that it is the right time to cry. Come to think of it, your baby’s crying is perhaps the only noise that you have encountered during the entire day which actually means something. So finally you settle down to a good night’s sleep to allow your weary ears and the auditory system rest. But after what seems like too short a time, you are jarred from your slumber as the neighbourhood cat decides to jump on the roof of your neighbour’s car setting of the car alarm. It seems like an eternity before the alarm is switched off. And if that wasn’t frustrating enough, the neighbourhood watchman does his rounds all night either tapping a thick wooden stick on the ground or occasionally blowing a whistle. Somehow you manage to get through the night and wake up not as rested as you would have hoped for. And once again the cacophony of the day awaits you. This unfortunately has become the sad truth about the world in which we live today. Although on the face of it we can claim to have made technological advances that make life simpler, easier and overall more efficient but we have paid the heavy price of some peace and quiet. Rather than fault the gadget and technological advances, we need to look at the way we have incorporated them into our lives. While there is no doing away with the noise, it is perhaps the right time that we start controlling better so that we can begin to hear the planet and ourselves more clearly. - S. Raghunathan

Page 8

Alpha Times

August 02, 2009

Owned Edited and Published by S. Raghunathan Editorial and Advertisement Office: F 5 and 6 1st Floor, Leo Complex, New No: 41, Madley Road, T.Nagar, Chennai 600 017. Ph: 4286 7784 and Printed at New Merit Printers, 14/51, Reddykuppam Road, Saidapet, Chennai- 600 015.