UNGA AREA - Choolai

UNGA AREA - Choolai

Thank you all for the response and feedback for my initiative of “Unga Area”. I have got many constructive feedback and will try to implement it from this post itself.

After the first post about TARAMANI, here comes to Unga Area – CHOOLAI.

CHOOLAI has got its name because of the Brick kilns present in that area. There is still a road by the name “Brick Kiln Road” in Choolai, which proved its name reason. It was previously called as “Lakshmi Narasimhapuram”.

Lord Natarajar temple is there in Choolai which was built some 150 years back and I believe it to be one of the very few temples built for lord Nataraja and only one in the city.

As like every other place in Chennai, Choolai has also got its good heritage value and carries some good memories from the past. Thanks to Muthiah sir for the book “Madras Miscellany” by which he has taken us to the 18^th & 19^th century and made us know about the history and heritage of MADRAS. Here are the few information gathered from his book regarding Choolai.

Choolai is known for its “MADRAS UNITED SPINNING & WEAVING MILLS (CHOOLAI MILLS)”. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, there were two composite textile mills in Madras – B&C  in Perambur , owned by a British Company and Madras United Spinning & Weaving Mills in Choolai, fully owned and managed by an Indian. But due to the strikes and losses this was sold to Sardar Inderjit Singh & Sons of Delhi and later they sold it to M/s.Edward Textiles of Bombay. But due to the non-payment of tax arrears, government seized the mills and converted the buildings into godowns for the Food Corporation of India , which is still there in Choolai.       

Choolai is located 1km away from Vepery, Pulianthope and Park Town.

5 Kms from Chennai Central Railway Station
(Average Auto Fare as per meter: Rs.65 to 75)

3 Kms from Chennai Egmore Railway Station
(Average Auto Fare as per meter: Rs.40 to 50)

10 Kms from CMBT (Koyambedu) Bus Stand
(Average Auto Fare as per meter: Rs.130 to 150) and

21 Kms from the Chennai International Airport
(Average Auto Fare as per meter: Rs.260 to 280)

Choolai 24 Hours Hospital
New No 32 Old No 69/3, Near Aircel Showroom & Honda Bike Showroom, Hunters Road, Choolai, Chennai – 600112
Ph.: 044-26423510

Saraswathi Hospital
Address: Choolai High Road, #83,Choolai, Chennai – 600112
Phone No.: 044 – 26423510

Siva Eye Clinic & Research Centre
Address: #91, High Road, Choolai, Chennai – 600112
Phone No.: 044 – 25324767

Dr. Ravishankar Eye Clinic & Nursing Home
Address: No 11, Near Doveton Clock Tower , Hunters Road, Choolai , Chennai, Tamil Nadu – 600112
Phone No.: 9444222360

Bus No	From	To	Route
34	Ambattur I.E	Thiruvottiyur	Thirumangalam, Rountana, Chinthamani, Kellys, Purasaiwakkam, Choolai P.O., Regal, V.Nagar, Tondiarpet, Tollgate, Therady
35	Ayanavaram	Broadway	Sayani, Kellys, Purasaiwakkam, Choolai P.O, Central R.S
37	V Nagar	Vadapalani	Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasaivakkam,KMC, Chetpet,Sterling road, Valluvarkottam, Liberty
159	Thiruverkadu	Thiruvottiyur	Tollgate, Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasawakkam High Road, Kellys, Aminjikarai, Koyambedu, Nerkundram, Maduravoyal, Velappanchavadi
159A	CMBT	Thiruvotriyur	Tollgate, Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasawakkam High Road, Kellys, Aminjikarai, Arumbakkam
159B	CMBT	Tollgate	Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasawakkam High Road, Kellys, Aminjikarai, Arumbakkam
159C	Koyambedu Market	Thiruvottiyur	Tollgate, Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasawakkam High Road, Kellys, Aminjikarai, Arumbakkam
159D	CMBT	I.O.C	Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasawakkam High Road, Kellys, Aminjikarai, Arumbakkam
159E	CMBT	Ennore	Ashok Leyland, Ernavoor Gate, Thiruvottriyur, Therady, Tollgate, Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasawakkam High Road, Kellys, Aminjikarai, Arumbakkam
159K	CMBT	Kargil Nagar	Thiruvottriyur, Therady, Tollgate, Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasawakkam High Road, Kellys, Aminjikarai, Arumbakkam
34xt	Pattabiram	Thiruvottiyur	Ambattur I.E, Thirumangalam, Rountana, Chinthamani, Kellys, Purasaiwakkam, Choolai P.O., Regal, V.Nagar, Tondiarpet, Tollgate, Therady
37D	KK Nagar	V Nagar	Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasaivakkam,KMC, Chetpet,Sterling road, Valluvarkottam, Liberty, Samiarmadam, Udhayam, Nesapakkam, MGR Nagar
37E	M.K.B Nagar	Vadapalani	Vysarpadi, V Nagar,Regal,Choolai P.O.,Purasaiwakkam, Egmore,DPI, Sterling Road, Valluvarkottam, Liberty
37E xt	Iyyapanthangal	Kaviarasu Kannadasan Nagar	M.K.B Nagar, Vysarpadi, V Nagar,Regal,Choolai P.O.,Purasaiwakkam, Egmore,DPI, Sterling Road, Valluvarkottam, Liberty, Vadapalani, Porur, SRMC
37G	Iyyapanthangal	V Nagar	Regal, Choolai P.O., Purasaivakkam,KMC, Chetpet,Sterling road, Valluvarkottam, Liberty, Vadapalani, Porur, SRMC
38C	TVK Nagar	V House	Venus, Perambur, Pattalam, Bhuvaneswari, Doveton, Choolai P.O, Central R.S, Simpson, Adam market, Triplicane P.O
7E	Ambattur I.E	Broadway	Central R.S, Choolai P.O, Doveton, Purasaiwakkam, Kellys, Kilpauk Gardens, Chinthamani, Thirumangalam, Wavin
8A	Tollgate	Periyar Nagar	Tondiarpet, V.Nagar, Regal, Choolai P.O, Otteri,Jamalaya, Venus
M42B	Broadway	Poombuhar	Central R.S, Periamet, Choolaipostoffice, Doveton, Bhuvaneswari, Pattalam, Otteri, Perambur, Venus, Peravallur,Nehrusilai

There is no specific railway station for Choolai but Basin Bridge, Central & Egmore railway stations were nearby.

EB Office

Ph: 044-26670678

Post Office

No. 69 & 70, Kalathiappa Mudali Street, Choolai, Chennai – 600112

Ph: 044 - 2665 0050 / 2669 2665

Chennai Metro Water Office

No 46 2nd Floor, Kuravankulam Lane, Choolai, Chennai – 600112

Ph: 044-26693976, 45674567

Commercial Tax Office

Phone No.: 044-26670878

Thasildar Office

St Thomas Road, Choolai, Chennai – 600 112

Regional Transport Office

Power Mills Road,Pulianthope, Choolai, Chennai – 600 112

Ph.: 044 – 2667 0663

Chidhambareshwarar Temple
Sundararaja Perumal Temple
Erstwhile Nataraja Theatre (which is now turned to a flat)
Angalamman Temple
Tamilnadu Haj Services Society
Murudis Hotel
Salt Cotaurs
St Andrew’s Church
Red Tape Etc

Pictures Source: Choolai FB Page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Choolai/143001152539933)

References: Indian Columbus, The Hindu, Madras Miscellany. 

Those who want to write about your area, you are welcome to make a guest post here.

Please mail your interest & suggestions to innovativedeepak87@gmail.com.

Meet you all in my next post in UNGA AREA.

With Cheers,

Deepak Raghuraman

UNGA AREA - Taramani

UNGA AREA - Taramani

Here comes the latest update from Namma Area.

After writing random posts about Namma Chennai, Now I have decided to write about all the areas of Chennai one after other under the title “UNGA AREA”. 

It will be covered in some sequence whereby I try to cover all the areas of Chennai. Do support me with your inputs and feedback.

Unga Area has its inaugural post today and it will be about “TARAMANI”.

Location:

Taramani starts from “MADHYA KAILASH TEMPLE” and it is the place which connects Adyar, Tiruvanmiyur, Velacherry and Perungudi. Rajiv Gandhi Salai (Old Mahabalipuram Road), Taramani Link Road were the major roads which connects us to Taramani.

Taramani is known for the IT Parks and IT companies. TARAMANI name reason is yet to be known (If any of you know, do let me know).

Hospitals in Taramani:

• ·       VHS Hospital – Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Taramani . Ph: 044 22542975, 22542973
• 
  
• ·         Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital , Tharamani Road. Ph: 044 2243 0444
• 
  
• ·         Y. R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education. Ph: 044 2254 2929
• 
  

Buses passing through Taramani:

Bus No	Start	Destination	Route
5C	Taramani	Broadway	Madhya Kailash, Kotturpuram, Alwarpet, Royapettah, Chennai Central
5K	Taramani	Mylapore
5T	Taramani	Vadapalani	Saidapet, T.Nagar, Ashok pillar, K.K.Nagar
7K	Taramani	T.Nagar	Saidapet, Anna university, CPT, WPT,Tidel park
M70 xt	Anna Nagar West	Thiruvanmiyur	Thirumangalam, CMBT, Vadapalani, Ashok nagar, Guindy, Checkpost, Velacherry, Taramani, SRP tools, Jayanthi
H51	Broadway	Tambaram East	Secretariat, Kannaki Statue, QMC, Kalyani Hospital, Luz, Mylapore, Mandaveli BS, AMS, Adyar Depot, SRP tools, Taramani, Velachery, Pallikaranai, Medavakkam, Santhosapuram, Kamarajapuram, Camp road, Convent
M70	CMBT	Thiruvanmiyur	Vadapalani, Ashok nagar, Guindy, Checkpost, Velacherry, Taramani, SRP tools, Jayanthi
V21	Guduvanchery	Thiruvanmiyur	SRP, Taramani, Velachery, Kamatchi Hospital, Chromepet, Tambaram
5G	Kannagi Nagar	T. Nagar	Saidapet, Velachery, Taramani, RMZ, Perugudi
V21	Thiruvanmiyur	Guduvanchery	SRP, Taramani, Velachery, Kamatchi Hospital, Chromepet, Tambaram
19V	Kovalam	Velachery	Taramani, SRP Tools, Jayanthi, Thiruvanmiyur, Injambakkam, MGM, Muttukadu

Railway Station:

Taramani has a railway station (MRTS – Flying Train) and the station comes in between Tiruvanmiyur and Perungudi.

Other Essential Contacts:

• ·         EB Office : Near Tidel Park, Tharamani Road, Tharamani, Chennai – 600113 Ph: 044-22541802, +91 9445850555
• ·         Post Office: CSIR Road, No. ,Tharamani, Chennai – 600113 - 044 – 22542995
• ·         Tahsildar Office : No 113, Near American School, V V Kovil Street 100 Feet Road, Tharamani, Chennai – 600113. Ph:044-22541727
• ·         Corporation Office: +91 9445467180

Major Landmarks:

• ·      Madhya Kailash Temple
• ·         IITM
• ·         Film Institute
• ·         CLRI
• ·         NIFT
• ·         M S Swaminathan Research Foundation
• ·         Asian College of Journalism
• ·         Central Polytechnic College
• ·         Tidel Park
• ·         Ascendas tech park
• ·         Institute of Mathematical Sciences etc

Residents Speaks…… :

SABARI, the resident of Taramani has put forth the following points about Taramani:

“ Taramani was once a drain area from the higher parts of the city, kind of bird sanctuary, it was much like forested Vedanthangal in the earlier days. Even now if we go from Velachery through train to taramani, We can see varied species of birds near the lake beside Taramani station!

And safety supposed to be the major concern when it comes to Taramani. We have railway station but it should have proper security. It could be better if the Tasmac should be removed from the main road to some other place.”

VALLI, another resident from Taramani says,

“Thanks to the mini bus service which has reduced my walking distance. But the frequency of the mini bus can be increased, right now we have mini bus every half an hour. There is no proper drainage system in our place. Traffic is heavy whole day. There is NO SIGNAL in Taramani link road and it invites problems to both pedestrians and vehicles as well. Taramani is surrounded with the IT parks and the government institutes. Now the roads are improving and proper street lights have been installed and put into use. Taramani has got its police station last year and the crimes has brought down since then.”

Those who want to write about your area, you are welcome to make a guest post here. 

Please mail your interest & suggestions to innovativedeepak87@gmail.com.

Meet you all in my next post in UNGA AREA.

With Cheers,

Deepak Raghuraman

Time to Vote ! ~ A Ready Referencer to the Voters...

Time to Vote ! 

~ A Ready Referencer to the Voters...

24th April 2014 - The day to exercise our right to vote. It's our nation, our netha and our right to vote and to choose the right person as a prime minster. A lot has been shared and talked about the political situation, pros and cons of the leaders etc and now the time has come to choose the right candidate of our choice. The election has already been started in many other states and for Tamil Nadu it will be on 24th April 2014 - Thursday. 

Firstly I would like to say thanks to all those who have encouraged me to write this post as a sequel to my earlier post about Applying Voters ID Card Online. I am very glad to know that many people have got their voters ID through online application after reading my post. And sorry to few others whom I couldnt reply to their queries being raised by way of mail and through comments. Anyways, now the time has come to make use of the Voters ID card. 

By this time, the booth slips would have been issued to all the households and the first time voters would be happy in seeing their name in the voters list. On the other hand, it also brings some confusions of the name not being included in the list. I hope this post provides solution for those confusions. I will be categorizing the confusions / questions as below : 

1. How to Vote (For the first time voters)

2. What needs to be done if the name was not in the list

3. How to vote if we dont have Voters ID (Alternative documents in the absence of Voters ID)

1. First Time Voters - How to Vote : 

Follow the queue and reach the polling area. First the officials will verify the documents and then you will be inked in your finger. Then you will be allowed to the cabin where the Voting Machine is kept. The cabin is confidential, no one else other than you can see this machine and you are assured of the privacy. 

Image Source: indiaevm.org

This is how the voting machine will look. 

1. Candidates' names are written along with their party's symbol. Identify the party / person whom you want to vote for.

2. This is the button which you need to press to cast your vote. You can press this button only once. Once you pressed, a beep sound will come which confirms you that you are done with voting. 

Name not in the list / Booth Slip ?

I am sure few people might felt disappointed to see their name not been there in the list / booth slip, including me :)  We got the booth slips for every other person in our family except mine and dad's. Now the doubt arises as to how to vote if we didnt find our name in the list ?

There may be many reasons for our name being not in the list which the officials brings along with the booth slips. One of the major reason is the change in address. So if your name was not there in the list, dont be panic. You still can vote. Follow the procedure below :

Step 1:  Click here (http://www.elections.tn.gov.in/pdf/dt2eng.htm)

Step 2: A window like this will open. 

Step 3: Select your constituency. For Eg: Select Chepauk - Thiruvallikkeni..

Step 4 : A window like this will open.

Step 5 : Press Ctrl + F and search with your "PRESENT STREET NAME" Ie. The street in which you are currently residing. Click on the link which was corresponding to your street name and it will open the voters list of that particular street(s) / Area(s).   The same PDF will have the booth address, along with the room in which you need to go and vote.

Step 6 : It is a PDF document and again you can use Ctrl + F to find / search your name in the PDF document. If it is found in that PDF, then that's it, you are eligible to vote. No issues even if you dont have the booth slip with you. If you didn't find your name in the list, go to step 7.

Step 7 : Follow the procedure as in STEP 5 but  now search with your "OLD STREET NAME" Ie. The street in which you were resided earlier and follow the same procedure to find your name.  

Note: If you are in doubt regarding your address in Election records, you can find it easily by clicking here (http://www.elections.tn.gov.in/EPICSEARCH/). Just type your EPIC Number (Voters ID Number) and click search. It will provide you the address as per their records.

Alternative Documents in the Absence of Voter's ID:

Have you lost your Voter's ID or you kept the Voter's ID at some other place which you can't bring it on the election date ? No Worries..... In the absence of voter's ID, we can use any of the below mentioned ID proof to cast our votes. 

• Passports
• Driving Licence 
• Service Identity Cards issued to its employees by State/Central Government, Public Sector Undertakings, Public Limited Companies
• Bank/ Post Office Passbooks with your photograph
• PAN cards
• Adhar Card 
• Smart Cards issued by RGI under NPR 
• MNREGA job card 
• Health Insurance smart card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour  
• Pension documents with photographs

The chief electoral officer Mr.Praveen Kumar said in a statement: "Those electors who are not able to produce the EPIC (Voters ID) and those electors who are not able to establish the identity of the elector on account of mismatch of the photograph, etc. shall produce any of the alternative photo identity documents for establishing their identity. The necessity is that the name of the voter should be on the electoral roll."

It is quoted by the Election Commission in their statement that, On the polling day, one officer will be on duty outside each polling station, during polling hours with undistributed photo voter slips, so that any elector who has not been issued the slip can collect it in original outside the polling stations.

It has also been clarified that if any elector uses an elector's photo identity card, which has been issued by the electoral registration officer of another assembly constituency, such cards shall also be taken into account provided the name of that elector finds place on the electoral roll pertaining to the polling station.

The possession of EPIC or other form of identity prescribed by the commission above will not entitle a person to exercise his or her vote, unless his or her name is found on the electoral roll supplied to the polling station, according to the Chief Electoral Officer.

Find Your Polling Booth Through SMS: 

Type <EPIC> <space> <Voter ID No.> Send to 9444123456 to know your Polling Station.

Key Facts About Elections 2014 : 

• For the first time in Indian Election history, NOTA (None Of The Above) option will be available for voters. If you dont want to vote for any of the candidates, you can press that button.
• This is going to be the first Election year when Transgenders will be able to vote under a section "Others".
• The date for counting of General Election votes is May 16, 2014.

Note: Mobile phones are not allowed inside the poll booth due to security reasons. And heard from the voters of other state that there is no provision to keep the mobile outside the booth to  the security personnel. So make sure that you are not carrying the mobile phone to the booth. Thanks to Mira mam for this valuable information.

Conclusion:

Voting is our right, do exercise it to choose the right candidate as our Prime Minister. Exercise your right to vote and proud to be a part of democratic country. Make your votes count. Forget every other commitments on this Thursday, Just spare few hours in voting and selecting the best candidate of your choice.  Go Vote and Bring the Change!

With Cheers,

Deepak Raghuraman

Water Please !!! - A Request to the Business Units & Households

Water Please !!!

A Request to keep water in front of the houses / shops to beat the summer thirst

The summer has already started and the Chennai is surrounded with the heat waves everywhere. A lot of tips have been shared to for a healthy and safe summer and to beat the heat. On a lighter note, it has been said that Chennai will have only three seasons - Hot, Hotter and Hottest and we are in the third phase. With the failure of monsoon rains, this summer is going to be troublesome. 

Diseases & Infections:

The months of April & May will always trouble the people esp those who are in Chennai. Along with the heat waves, it also brings some diseases and infections like 

• Dehydration
• Hypertension
• Urinary Infections (Especially among women)
• Chicken Pox
• Dengue etc., 

But it should be noted that the summer sees lesser number of diseases and infections when comparing to the winter season, as said by Dr.Narasimhan for TOI. So no need to be panic on these diseases. 

Drink More Water:

One thing is common that, the lesser intake of water and fluid items were the major reason for those above mentioned diseases and infections.  So it is essential that we should drink more water during this summer , especially when you are going out under the sun. 

My Small Request to the Business Units & Households:

I want to putforth my suggestion here. I have a request for the food joints / restaurants / business units.  Since the summer has started, the water seems to be most essential thing for every one. Why don't we keep a can of water at the entrance of our restaurant/Mess/Food joints / Business units which will help the needy - The marketing people, The delivery boys, passerby people.  

Also, selling butter milk at the entrance will do good. I agree we do sell the butter milk inside our restaurant, but many people would buy only if they find it in the entrance instead of getting into the restaurant / mess, I believe. Also requesting the Households and Flat Associations to keep cans of water at the entrance of their house / flats. 

Why don't we adapt PYAU system as found in Rajasthan:

I came to know from Mr.Kishalya Sharma of Rajasthan that, in Rajasthan, they have a concept of "Pyau" - ie. Stalls of water which is organized by a charitable trust, local community or even by individuals in front of their homes at most of the places. It is free for the public and in some cases people with their goodwill do donate some money to it like a rupee etc.  This sounds really good and it is easy to be adapted to our city as well. The flat associations can take this route and I am sure the residents won't object if they asked to pay for this thing, which is a one time payment which can help many other people.

Conclusion:

It is easier said than being done. I am just sharing my suggestion which might hold good for this summer, but I don't know about the practical difficulties in implementing the same. Just a suggestion, feel free to comment with your views on the same. 

Serve Water, Save Life! 

Be the Change & See the Change.

Meet you all in my next post.

With Cheers,
Deepak Raghuraman

Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign 2014 - Phase 2 (23rd Feb'14)

Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign 2014 

Phase 2 (23rd Feb'14)

The second phase of Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign is scheduled for today and it has started in almost all the places.

Some key points to keep in mind : 

• Immunisation booths will function from 7am to 5pm
• All children in the age group of 0-5 years should be given 2 drops of Polio vaccine today (23rd February). It is an addition to the one which was done during the first phase on January 21014.
• Children immunized recently under Routine Immunization Schedule should also to be given Polio drops on the campaign days
• Children of Migrant labourers are also given polio drops on the campaign days.

It is just a matter of about 15-20 minutes, and since the camp venues has been large in numbers, there won't be much crowd. So don't hesitate to take your kid to the nearest booth. 

Also requesting the readers who belongs to any FLAT ASSOCIATION to take a printout of this post or some other related post / newspaper article and paste it in the notice board. 


Do share this with your kits and kins. Join hands in making the healthy tomorrow. 

Based on the queries being raised by the readers on my post about earlier phase of Polio Drops, below are some clarifications which I got from Dr. Ganesh Puttu : 

Q: My baby is suffering from fever. So i didn't give polio drops. Should I give drops even if the kid is suffering from fever ?

A: Vaccination could have been done despite the fever.
-------------------
Q: I have missed both the camps for some reason. How can I vaccinate my kid in that circumstance? Do I need to wait till next year for the camp ? 

A: The free vaccination is done on a designated day - not daily - you can always visit a pediatrician to vaccinate at your convenience (which is not free, a paid one).
------------------

In a nut-shell :

Date of Immunisation Camp
23rd February’14 (Sunday) - 7 am to 5 pm

Age Group to be covered 
0-5 Years

Camps being held at
Nearest Corporation schools / Govt Hospitals / other Public Health Centers / Bus Stands / Airport / Railway Stations etc

With Cheers,
Deepak Raghuraman