During the Third Chennai Photowalk, we came across the residence where MGR lived with his mother and brother during his early days when he was a small time actor.

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New Indian Express in its City Express supplement dated 23/01/2008 carried a report on the Chennai Photowalk
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I don’t know if you have seen the ads in the newspapers. At Sathyam Cinemas, Bhargavi Nilayam , movie written by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, will be shown on January 27. But this is not about the festival celebrating Basheer and his contribution to literature. This is about a pretty interesting (at least to me) collective called Perch.
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Fatal boat ride at amusement park
NEWS:
On Wednesday (Jan 16), two, loaded motorised boats collided at Queenslands Amusement park, Poonamallee ,Chennai. The two boats turned turtle throwing the occupants into the water. All but a 11 year old girl were rescued…

If the Savera Hotel party deaths cast a pall of gloom over the New Year in Chennai, the death of a 11-year old girl in an amusement park when the crowded boat capsized during Pongal (the agri fest) is a rude awakening that we still have a long way to go as far as rescue services are concerned. Especially in private establishments.
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The Hindu Makkal Katchi on Tuesday voiced their protest against actress Shreya’s dress that she wore to the Sivaji jubilee celebrations. The party said the dress was offending for Tamils and Hindus.

The actress, not wanting to get into controversy after next like her colleague Kushboo, today tendered an apology. It’s perhaps a wise move by Shreya. This may not be a time to grow a backbone and put up a protest against the HMK. A lifetime can be spend opposing moral custodians, but nothing would be gained.
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It is a classic rich vs poor case.

CASE:
A month ago ( Dec 14) Chennai woke up to the Mecerdes Benz deaths in the metro , when a 16 year old son of a high profile businessman drove his plush car over sleeping pavement dwellers and a priest riding a two wheeler, after catching a late night movie at a multiplex.

UPDATE: The boy who surrendered (after initial attempts to get the family chauffeur to take the blame failed , thanks to a vigilant police officer) has been booked . He is charged under three sections of the IPC ( for causing death by negligence, causing hurt and endangering the life and safety of others, and for rash driving).
The case is currently on, and in keeping with the Juvenile Justice Act, proceedings are in camera.
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When I was in journalism school, there was a joke going around. Every year since then that joke has been repeated with unerring frequency. The news that Times of India was coming to Chennai, at first a matter of intense debate, in recent years had also become a joke.

But the newspaper has finally decided to show up. Though I am not aware of the launch date, I know for sure they are going to launch in a month or two. Apparently, the who’s who of Chennai’s journalists are already queuing up to be hired for the newspaper has actually started that process.
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On New Year’s Eve, as the city celebrated a tragedy was unfolding at the Savera, a pretty old hotel in the city. Three persons, including two engineering students, dancing over a newly erected stage fell into a swimming pool below and died. While one of them, Sumit Agnihotri, 24, died immediately, two more Anand Sridharan and his cousin Ramya died later at Apollo Hospitals.
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Mylapore Festival, an annual event in Chennai in the month of January is sponsored by Sundaram Finance and organised by Mr Vincent D’Souza of Mylapore Times. This year the festival was celebrated from January 3rd to 6th, 2008
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Naval Exercise by Indian Navy took place at Chennai on December 16, 2007. I present some images shot during the exercise in this slide show

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(I could not get an image of the ships that passed through the Chennai Coast as there was a large turnout for the event and I could not go near the seashore)