Chennai Daily Photo

2010-09-30T23:13:50-07:00

Today we bring you a picture of he Anna Tower. This architectural wonder is situated in Anna Nagar. It is officially known as the Visveswaraya Tower. It was built around the Anna Nagar tower park in 1968 for the World Trade Fair. Its main entrance is from the 3rd Main Road. For a small fee you can climb up to the top of the tower and have an awesome view of the city and its rapidly changing skyline.

This photo was taken by Aahana.

Sultry afternoons

2010-04-01T01:50:00-07:00

A typical scene during the hot sultry summer in Chennai. Most of the shops along the roads have blinds at the outside of their shops to keep the beating sun away. With temperatures floating between 35-38 degrees during the afternoons, everyone is doing anything they can to cool themselves off.

This photo was taken by Shashank.

Cotton Street

2010-03-31T03:55:30-07:00

This is probably the most colourful street in the whole of Chennai. The brilliance of uncountable colours, all in one place brightens up not only the neighborhood but also the passing people. This street, also called FASHION STREET or PANTHEON ROAD, is located in Egmore and is visited by more countless number of women a day. It is considered as one of the easiest and best ways of shopping. And, not to forget, bargaining. It displays some of the best and coolest materials for the summer. The beautiful and bright floral, checks, polka dots,geometrical prints all are available in abundance. So to all the women out there who need cool cotton fabric for the summer, FASHION STREET is the place to go!

Photo and text by Aahana.

The Great Furniture Robbery

2010-03-30T03:29:24-07:00

For today's we figured we'd let your imagination run wild and make up a meaning to this photo.

This photo was taken by Naveen near Besant Nagar.

The Watermelon vendor

2010-03-29T00:29:05-07:00

In the sweltering heat all we need to cheer us up is a nice vibrant fruit glistering in the sunlight. The beautiful juicy red tempts our tastebuds and we yearn to bite into it. This is a photograph of a watermelon vendor, one of many temporary seasonal vendors who sell this yummy fruit in the summer just after the sale of vibrant holi colours. These vendors are easy to find and are present at every nook and corner of the city. So no matter where you are, all you have to do is look over your shoulder to get your teeth into some juicy watermelon!

Photo and words by Aahana.

Arupathimoovar Festival

2010-03-28T01:08:24-07:00

The following photographs were taken on the 8th of the nine day-long Panguni Peruvizha (Spring festival) festival. The Kapaleashwarar Temple attracts a huge number of devotees and pilgrims at this time and a huge gathering takes place at Mylapore. Lot of sweets, savouries, juices, buttermilk are served to the pilgrims.

This festival is celebrated to honour the 63 Saivaite Devotees,know as Nayanmars. The procession is celebrated by taking Nayanmars in a "Pallaq" which is highly decorated with ornaments and flowers, facing Lord Shiva and Parvati and proceeding further. The Moovar "Appar", "Sundarar", "ThirugyanaSambandar" will be carried a unique Pallaq. Lord Ganesha is taken first in the festival followed by Kolavizhi Amman. Kolavizhi Amman will lead the festival because this temple is supposed to be ancient than Kapaleashwar Temple. SingaraVelar Swamy will accompany Lord KapaleashwararSwamy and Karpagambal. Mundakanni Amman will be beautifully decorated with lot of colours and ornaments. People keep their kids on the pallaq in order to get blessing from the Goddess. Vairaswamy and Thiruvalluvar will also be participating in this festival.

This picture was taken by Naveen.

Therottam Festival

2010-03-28T01:14:35-07:00

Today we bring you coverage of a traditional event that happens at Mylapore every year. This photo was taken on the 7th day of the nine day-long Panguni Peruvizha (Spring festival) festival. This festival happens during the tamil month of Panguni(between mid-March and mid-April) at the Kapaleashwarar Temple. Most of Mylapore is filled with devotees from all over in an almost mela like celebration. The festival involves a therotsavam (Tamil: "ther" - "car/chariot" and "utsavam" - "festival"). Lord KapaleashwararSwamy will be holding a bow, seated in a throne along with his wife Karpagambal. Lord Brahma would be riding the Ther. The Chariot will be decorated with flowers and statues. Huge gathering will be there to pull the Ther which is in fact about 13 meters in height.

These pictures were taken by Naveen.

Valmiki Nagar Beach

2010-03-26T03:00:55-07:00

A father and daughter walking along the shore at Valmiki Nagar Beach, Thiruvanmiyur. This beach lies at the Thiruvanmiyur section of Marina Beach. Marina Beach is one of the longest beaches in the world extending for about 13km from Fort St. George, in the north, all the way to Mahabalipuram down south.

The Valmiki Nagar beach is much less crowded than at Besant Nagar and Santhome. About 10-15 years ago this beach was virtually unknown to most. But now it has its own Morning Walkers Association and lots of regular visitors, including volleyball and cricket enthusiasts. Although this has had an adverse effect on the cleanliness of the beach. There are a few voluntary organisations that help in keeping the place clean, but the problem is becoming far to big and needs much more involvement. If you ever happen to visit this once beautiful beach, please remember to put the garbage in many garbage cans around. Or just take them home with you! Support the cause!

Anita Ratnam's 'MA3KA' at Can-Stop's Annual Fund raiser Event

2010-03-26T02:59:43-07:00

Anita Ratnam's 'MA3KA' performed at Can-Stop's Annual Fundraiser event which was held at the Chinmaya Heritage Center, Harrington Road."CAN-STOP" (Cancer Support Therapy To Overcome Pain) is a charitable organization that offers counselling for cancer-affected patients, their families and friends. Among other things, Can-Stop also organizes group discussion, with various therapy sessions, laughter, music and humor for patients and their families.

Ms. Anita Ratnam graced the event with her mesmerizing dance performance.

"MA3KA is a tribute to all the women around us, grandmothers, mothers and daughters – and is a testament to the qualities and values that they bring to us in those capacities in every facet of our lives. It promises to be a refreshingly original production of a one of a kind nature."

The dance was divided into three parts, namely, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Meenakshi. A non-linear story told in the form of dance. Ms. Revathy Sankaran's narration preceded each of these parts and their performance last for about an hour. Ms. Revathy Sankaran's charming personality and sense of humour was an added treat the amazing show.

This photo of Ms. Anita Ratnam was taken by Naveen.

IPL fever

2010-03-23T13:02:19-07:00

Every time there is cricket being played anywhere in India, things heat up and you can see people playing cricket all over the country. The weather, their exams and sometimes even their parents yelling at them for being out has not stopped the masses of this country. But when the Indian Premier League is on, there is no stopping the lovers of cricket at all. We, the people of Chennai, support our home team, the Chennai Super Kings , led by skipper MS Dhoni . The last two years have been great for the Super Kings, runners up once and semi-finalists the other, but this time round, we've had a bad start. We can only hope that we gain momentum enough to get ourselves into the final rounds! The CSK have their remaining home games on the 31st of March and then the 3rd, 6th , 13th and 15th of April at the MA Chitambaram Stadium.

The Chennai Super Kings support an organization called CAN-STOP. CAN-STOP is a registered charitable organization, which is now twelve years old. The services is extended to patients belonging to the lower socio-economic background in four government hospitals in Chennai i.e Institute of Child Health, Govt. Women’s Hospital, Govt. General Hospital and Govt. Royapettah Hospital and one more outside of Chennai. Regular programs of CAN-STOP provided on a daily basis include counseling to patients and family members, home visits, referrals, nutritional supplement schemes, CAN-Wish project, Sponsor a Child project, Blood bank and Drug bank. Can-Stop places a major emphasis on organizing awareness camps for the community and screening camps for oral, cervical and breast cancers.

CAN-STOP is holding a fund raiser at the Chinmaya Heritage Center, Harrington Road, with Donor Passes priced at Rs.1000 , 750 and 500. Funds raised from this event will go towards Canstop's Drug Bank which provides for the treatment and medical costs of needy cancer patients. Please do make it for the event. Donor Passes available at Nuts N Spices (Adyar and Anna Nagar), Landmark (Nungambakkam/Spencers) The Silk Route - Harrington Road, Tangy Resorts, Fishermans Cove and Taj Connemara. For more details on the event, check out the facebook event page .

Madras Mosquito Menace

2010-03-22T06:39:58-07:00

Mosquitoes have been a problem in Chennai for quite sometime now. The civic body, has been trying to do its best to eliminate or at least reduce the problem by trying out various plans and experiments, and it's slowly getting successful. However the problem still exists, and local representatives have been asking for more fogging operations. The debate even figured prominently in the local budget. The mayor, during the budget had suggested taking up the alloted resources for eliminating the Mosquito Menace to 25 crores (5 Million USD) .

However, the people of Chennai come up with their unique ways of avoiding the Mosquitoes. Some people use sprays like HIT and Baygon while other use Odomos, which is quite popular with the youngsters. But others, like this Auto Driver, have bought a mosquito net and doubling it as a blanket while sleeping so the mosquitos cant get in!

This photo was taken by Naveen, early this morning on LB Road.

Yamaha F-370 BL Acoustic guitar

2010-03-22T01:36:52-07:00

The Yamaha Music Square, a first of its kind music store was inaugurated a few months ago, by world-renowned musicians, jazz artist Louis Banks and ace percussionist Sivamani along with Mr Kozaburo Kume, Managing Director of Yamaha Music India Private Limited. The Nippon Group in association with Yamaha Music India has launched Yamaha Music Square for music lovers.

This store specially designed with music in mind on Sterling Road is a virtual treasure trove and a haven for the music lover.From grand pianos to the latest digital pianos, not to mention upright pianos everything is available under one roof. Then there are the elegant wind instruments such as saxophones and trumpets, a fantastic range of guitars, violins, keyboards, drum kits and many more are available for a Professional as well as novice to choose his pick.Yamaha’s world-famous home theatre and professional audio systems are also on display at the music square.

The Yamaha F-370 BL Acoustic guitar is one of the best Acoustic guitars available in the market today. Most local musicians that ChennaiDailyPhoto spoke to suggested the guitar as one for both amateurs and pros. It is available at the Yamaha Music Square on Sterling Road.

This photo was taken by Shashank Jayaprasad.

Chennai Forever Initiative

2010-03-21T03:26:06-07:00

Chennai has a lot of statues that were recently installed during a drive to make Chennai beautiful. These two statues, have been installed at the Junction of Sterling Road, Valluvar Kottam High Road, Village Road and College Road. Numerous statues can be found all over Chennai at major junctions and signals. Along with the Statues at signals and Junctions, as part of the Chennai Forever Initiative, many parks have been upgraded amongst other things. Only recently, the entire face of the Marina Beach was changed as part of the beautification process.

This photo was taken by Yasser Rahman.

Central Cottage Industries Emporium

2010-03-19T14:32:42-07:00

This photo is of a statue of Lord Ganesha at the Central Cottage Industries Emporium, the leading source of handicrafts of Indian Origin. The handicrafts are created by skilled Indian artists. Cottage, as it is popularly referred to as, sells furnishings, jewelry and accessories alongside other objects and accents that can be used both at home or the office. It also sells Tea of various kinds and other herbal products, fabric and even has a range of garments for men, women and children!

India is a country with a rich history, and The Central Cottage Industries Emporium was formed in the year 1948 to showcase and preserve and showcase the history as well as traditional craftsmanship of our country. The cottage has a large collection of authentic traditional art and is extremely popular with tourists as well as locals. CCIE has also been instrumental in reviving a lot of age old Indian crafts by virtue of providing a market for the artists and craftsmen who would otherwise have faded away into oblivion. The Emporium, has attracted many personalities of repute like Queen Farah of Iran, Lady Kennedy and even Queen Elizabeth the Second amongst a host of other people.

D'Hut World Handicrafts

2010-03-18T14:32:46-07:00

D'Hut, World Handicrafts is a store that sells a range of handicrafts from across the globe. The store is run by couple, Reshuma and Neethirajan. The tiny shop and its large two floor storage space holds maskes from Ghana, Egypt, Togo, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Benin , Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. There are also a rare few items available there from China.

Their range of African handicrafts is exclusive and contains standing dolls, pair masks, unity tables , tribal drums and even fruit baskets. A product of note in their store would be the ebony pieces from Kenya and Tanzania. A look around the store will tell you that they dont stock any factory produced items, and that everything in thier store is handmade.

D'Hut also has available gift items, incense sticks, candles, mirrors, wall hangings and other decorations for the house.From masks to musical instruments, from paintings to porcelain and much more.Also reasonably priced. Don't forget to ask them to show you around the two other floors of handicrafts that they have above Axis bank.

So if your looking at redecorating your house or even for an ideal gift for someone else, drop into D'Hut at 137, East Cost Road, Thirvanmiyur, Chennai - 600 041. ChennaiDailyPhoto.com will recommend stepping into D'Hut to buy , or at least to look around.

This photo was taken by Shashank Jayaprasad.

Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus

2010-03-17T02:26:08-07:00

The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, popularly referred to as the CMBT is the largest Bus Terminus in Asia. It's spread over an are of thirty seven acres and was completed in the year 2002 at a cost of 100 crores ( 22 Million USD ) . The terminus has 18000 sq.ft of waiting space for passengers which includes shops, restaurants, supermarkets, ATMs, rest rooms , a 24/7 Pharmacy and even air conditioned dorms. 41000 sq.ft of parking space for cars, two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, and taxis. The terminus can station up to 300 buses at any point in time but handles over 2000 buses and more than 2,00,000 passengers a day. The terminus is also friendly to the physically disabled, with adequate ramps and wheel chairs available. The CMBT also has a reverse-osmosis treatment plant, which provides pure drinking water free of cost to all passengers.

All busses that go in and out of Chennai, pass through the CMBT and connectivity is extremely good. It's located on the 100 feet inner ring road, in Koyembedu. It connects all major towns and cities in Tamil Nadu and also the neighboring states.

This photo was taken by Naveen.

Cat Nap!

2010-03-16T04:56:16-07:00

Cats are some of the most wonderful creatures that walk around in Chennai city. The cats are wonderful company, and help in hunting down household vermin and even those on the street. They are the most wanted pet in the world, and easily adapt to any sort of weather conditions. Cats conserve their energy by sleeping, and sleep more than most other animals. A cat normally sleeps for about twelve hours a day, but as it grows older, it sleeps for about sixteen hours in a day. It has been suggested that Cat's have dreams when they sleep, because of the muscle twitches and rapid eye movement which they experience.

Cat Nap refers to the ability of a cat to catch up on some sleep for a short span of time. This term has now become very popular around Chennai, and someone that takes a nap for a few short minutes is said to be taking a Cat Nap.

The Cat in this photo lives around Thirvanmayur and is a street cat. It often sleeps on the Air Conditioner because it finds it a warm and comfortable place, away from any disturbance at ground level.

This photo was taken by Shashank Jayaprasad.

Khader Baasha

2010-03-14T13:53:15-07:00

Naveen met this really kind gentleman at the Chennai Beach Station this morning , Mr.Khader Baasha aka Sanna Pudikarvar from a place in the outskirts of Chennai called Thiruttani. Khader Baasha is a father of four but only sees his kids for two days a week. At the beginning of every week, he travels to Mylapore, an area around the heart of Chennai and makes his living by sharpening knives and other such kitchen utensils or similar equipent used in hotels , restaurants , butcher shops and a thousand other vendors of different things that use similar equipment. Khader Baasha is in his late thirties and makes a little under hundred and fifty rupees a day ( less that three USD ). He's been travelling the streets of Mylapore and the surrounding areas in search of clients for over twenty years now.

This photo was taken by Naveen on a local train.

Pondy Bazaar Flower Market

2010-03-13T08:44:22-08:00

Pondy Bazaar is a market , located on Thyagaraja Road , T.Nagar. T.Nagar is the commercial center of Chennai, with shops and stores selling nearly everything possible. The inhabitants of this area spread form Multi-Nationals to street vendors, and all of them successfully manage their commerce admits the hustle and bustle of T.Nagar.

But alongside Pondy Bazaar is a flower market, commonly referred to as the Pondy Bazaar Flower Market. This market, resells flowers that are bought from the Kamaraj Flower Market, in Koyembedu. The Pondy Bazaar Flower market is know for its festival and wedding garlands. The most popular flower in Chennai is the Jasmine,Malligai in Tamil, because of its fragrance. The Jasmine is available abundantly in Chennai, and you can see most local women sporting a bunch of jasmine's while going out or during a special occasion. The Jasmine, in local culture, signifies congeniality, cordiality, cordialness, friendliness, good-naturedness, pleasantness, sociability, sweetness and warmth when worn at weddings. But the rose garlands, like the ones seen in the photo, signify love and happiness.

This photo was taken by Aahana Mahtani.

Church of Our Lady of Light

2010-03-12T14:02:24-08:00

The Church of Our Lady of Light, commonly know as the Luz Church is a church at Luz Corner in Mylapore. It's a church that was built in 1516 by the Portuguese and was dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Luz, Our Lady of Light. The church is also called Kaatu Kovil, which translates into Church in the Forest in Tamil. The names come from the area that is now the Luz Corner, but once used to be a thick forested area. The Church is located very close to the Santhome Basilica, the burial place of the Apostle Saint Thomas. Stella Maris College , a famous college in Chennai, is governed by the Church.

The Church has classical European styling and also consists of Gothic arches and Baroque ornamentation. The altars are gilded with silver and gold leaves and the ceilings with powder blue fresco. The Church resembles the Portuguese styling in more ways than one and represents the Portuguese ambition of leaving their mark everywhere they went. The feast of Our Lady of Light is celebrated on 15 August every year with a grand mass followed by a Car Procession. The feast of Assumption of Mary also happens on that day. 15th August also happens to by the Indian Independence day.

This photo is a diptych; a photograph that uses two identical or different images side by side to form one single photo or image, and was taken by Naveen.

Karaoke Night!

2010-03-11T12:55:42-08:00

One of the most popular forms of interactive entertainment available in Chennai is Karaoke. Chennai has karaoke four nights a week, and Karaoke Jockey, Mridula , handles all the four different venues.A karaoke jockey plays and manages the music for a venue. The role of the KJ often includes announcing song titles and whose turn it is to use the microphone.

On a Karaoke night, the spirits are kept really high and lots of peppy tunes are through around, with a mix of old school rock, some jazz and sometimes even heavy metal or hip-hop! Popular tracks include I Will Survive, Nothing Else Matters, My Way, I want to Break free and even right round.Karaoke Queen, Mridula, keeps the crowds entertained and wanting more every single time. If you want to check out a Karaoke night in Chennai, you can visit one of the four venues.

Special thanks to Aahana Mahtani , who took this photo late in the evening and managed to get it up on the site by midnight!

SPARKS

Tuesday Nights, 8pm Onwards

Couples enter free , and stags provided they participate.

English and Hindi

Hotel Savera ,

146, RadhaKrishna Salai,

Chennai - 600 004

Ph:+91 44 2811 4700

10 Downing Street

Thursday Nights, 8pm Onwards

Couples enter free , and stags provided they participate.

English Only

Hotel Kences Inn

50 BN Road, T Nagar

Chennai - 600 017

Ph:+91 44 2815 2175

Star Rock

Friday Nights, 8pm Onwards

500 Rupee cover charge per couple or stag.

English only

The Spring Hotel

11. Kodambakam High Road

Chennai - 600 034

Ph:+91 44 2821 3311

Havana

Sunday Nights, 8pm Onwards

Couples enter free , and stags provided they participate.

English and Hindi.

The Rain Tree

120 St.Marys Road, Alwarpet

Chennai - 600 018

Ph:+91 44 42252525

Indian Pond Heron

2010-03-10T14:10:46-08:00

The Indian Pond Heron scientifically reffered to as Ardeola Grayii or colloquially known as Paddy-bird is a small sized heron, a waterbird. It breeds right from Iran , Burma, Bangladesh , Sri Lanka and India. The Paddy-bird is not difficult to spot, as they are common.They live particularly in wet habitat like farms, and little ponds and hence are found all over India.

The Paddy-birds on the ground don't really get attention. They are stocky, with a short neck and short thick bill. Their backs are generally brown. But when they take of for flight, the appearance changes so drastically, that you can see only their predominantly white, like in the photo. The Paddy-birds are generally quite, but when in trouble, they let out a croak.Indian Pond Herons are winter visitors to the Chennai area and they don't bread here.The Paddy-bird in this photo was spotted at Crocodile Bank, Kovalam, 30 kilometers south of Chennai.

The Madras Crocodile Bank was founded by Romulus Whitaker in 1976. It was initially established for the conservation and study of India's three endangered crocodiles: the mugger, Crocodylus paluster, the gharial, Gavialis gangeticus, and the saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus ,but later became the Center for Herpetology, India's premier institution for herpetofaunal research, education and conservation. Besides crocodiles, the Bank maintains twelve endangered species of turtles and tortoises, five species of snakes, including the King Cobra, water monitor lizards, two species of pythons and albino cobras. All the reptiles are kept in conditions that are very close to their natural habitats and visitors to the Bank can actually see them upclose.

This photo was taken by Shashank Jayaprasad.

Meena ; A woman with a smile

2010-03-12T14:01:36-08:00

Meena, is a forty seven year old mother of two. Her two kids are very young, and Meena fends for both of them along with her aging mother. Meena, like many other women , works as a daily wage labour in an export firm, and spends most of her day trimming garments that are manufactured for export.

Meena, isnt rich monetaraly. Infact, by United Nations standards, she is poor.She lives in a small house in Kamarak Colony, Kodambakkam. But that doesnt wipe the tierd smile away from her face. Meena is a woman, a woman with love and care for those who depend on her.

This photo was taken by Aahana Mahtani.

Citizen for Safe Roads ; A Chennai Traffic Police Initiative

2010-03-08T09:51:47-08:00

Chennai City Traffic Police or CCTP as they are referred to commonly is a division of the Chennai Police that manages and regulates traffic in Chennai City. CCTP until recently, used many old models of bikes and cars and like the movies, the cops were always slower than the thieves. But that was only until a few years ago. Then times changed and our dear CCTP got hold of some really good cars like the Mahindra Bolero , Toyota Qualis and the Hyundai Accent. They also got the TVS Fiero F2,the bike in the photo, which is an extremely powerful bike packed and its packed with performance along with power to make an amazing ride.

The Chennai City Traffic Police, in its drive to become people friendly has many undertaken many initiatives. Some of them like the RSP,Traffic Wardens and Home Guard are well known. But they also have this initiative called CSR which stands for Citizens for Safe Roads. This project was launched to help ease traffic congestion by manning more junctions and signals during peak hours between five and eight in the evening.Any citizen of Chennai, above the age of 18 can go and register themselves for this program at their closest police station and will then be given a kit, containing a cap, hand band , whistle and a book containing instructions. The program is completely voluntary and no pay is offered. A Volunteer will be required to spend about an hour or two at a busy traffic signal, taking instructions from a member of the CCPT. CSR's are also enlisted to help in traffic planning and education as well as regulation and monitoring of traffic.Sometimes, CSR's are also called in to help accident victims. So far, the number of registered CSR's in Chennai is less than three thousand.

Residents of Chennai often complain about the under staffing in the Traffic Police. This is our turn to make a difference and help in regulating the traffic in our neighborhood to make this city a better place. But if you still have complaints, we suggest that you file a complaint or make a suggestion on the CCTP website.

We at Chennai Daily Photo salute our men of the Chennai City Traffic Police for dedicating their lives to the service of this city. This photo was taken by Shashank Jayaprasad.

Valluvar Kottam

2010-03-08T01:07:17-08:00

Valluvar Kottam, a modern landmark of Chennai City , now stand over what used to be known as the Mylapore Long Tank. It was built in 1976 in memory of Thiruvalluvar, a tamil saint and poet who wrote the Thirukkurals two thousand years ago.The memorial is shaped like a temple chariot and is a replica of the temple chariot in Thirvarur. Inside of the chariot, there is a life size statue of Thiruvalluvar. The chariot is more than a hundred feet high and has all the 133 chapters of the Thirukkural depicted on it.

Valluvar Kottam also has an auditorium with a seating capacity of more than 4000. It is said to be the largest auditorium in Asia. The auditorium isn't supported by any pillars, because it uses grid roofing. The architect of the memorial is Dr.V.Ganapati Sthapati, a Padma Bhushan award winner who was also the architect of the Granite Sculpture of Madhavi, heroine of the tamil epic Silappathikaram.

Valluvar Kottam is a must visit for anyone visiting Chennai. It's easy to find, being on the intersection of Village Road and Kodambakkam high road. Because the memorial stands over what used to be a Lake, all the roads around it are have the term tank in them.

This photo was taken by Aahana Mahtani.