Chennai Times

Chennai is dominated by good vegetarian restaurants that perhaps fits all budgets - from a meal of Rs. 10/- to a few thousands. Recently enjoyed good vegetarian fare at the Olives in the Day's Inn at Royapettah. Bright interiors (all good vegetarian places have bright interiors, why?), Friendly Service and Reasonable Rate. I like this place for now. Strangely the location is still referred to by many as 'Ajantha' in honour of an earlier restaurant that was perhpahs popular in an bygone era.

Starting December till almost mid-January Chennai ( more about this season ) goes through the annual juanta of the music and dance festival. The music means - Carnatic and dance means largely Bharatnatyam. Strangely this December season, very secular and hence obviously popular among the modernists, does not fit into the calendar of either the Tamil or Telugu who dominate and shape the culture of Chennai. Margazhi masam (or Dhanur masam for Telugus) is meant to be auspicious and does not have any public festivities attached to it. No domestic functions are to be conducted during this month in these parts. In rural hamlets as this would be peak agricultural season, much work would be on in the field providing very little time for entertainment or cultural events. But, Chennai Music Festival defies the agricultural calendar also. The most talked (and often written) thing during the music festival is the catering facility in the Sabhas. One Sabha Secretary confides that the reputation of ...

The Absurd and Ironic -Culture of Political Festoons in Chennai This Picture was almost exactly a year back in Chennai. Just now found it amidst a lot of photos lost and found. The Statue of Periyar adorns the turn around near T. Nagar terminus and this picture and the evening after this picture was shot, there was a meeting scheduled of VHP nearby area. So, the VHP unmindful of his political views and orientations had foisted Periyar's statue with their flags and all around. If you are passing by any turn around in Chennai, watch out for the lamp posts on both sides, they have so many strings tied around them that many of the lamp posts have long forgotten what they used to look like. Points I would reccomend would be the Nungambakkam High Road, T. Nagar, Mylapore, all the major junctions in Mount Road. You can add. At times the political festoons make strange bed fellows, like Periyar with VHP flags.