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(ARCHIVE) Vol. XVIII No. 26, may 1-15, 2009
Our Readers Write

Seniors’ woes in Kodaikanal too

I refer to your reader’s letter “Seniors’ Woes” on the insurmountable problems senior citizens face with public utility services.

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board is insensitive to the problems faced by senior citizens and there is no response from even senior officials. It is not the Government that has to be blamed but the officials who are lethargic and do not take cognisance of the problems faced by senior citizens.

I wrote a letter to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board about the problems faced by senior citizens in accessing the TNEB office in Kodaikanal; the office is located in Munjikal on a hillock and to reach the office where the Junior Engineer sits, one has to climb a minimum of 50 to 60 steps. The problem is compounded by the fact that none of the officials is available when you reach there and all are always reported to be out on duty. We need to meet the Junior Engineer to complain about electricity interruptions and lack of supply and neither he nor his senior assistants is available; you wish to check on the balance amount available with the Board against advances paid for consumption of electricity, but you are unable to get an answer because the concerned man who maintains the ledger is away on inspection. We sometimes wonder whether they are on inspection or at their office whenever convenient. The most disappointing aspect of the whole episode is that the main office in Chennai does not respond to or even acknowledge comments written by citizens. It was suggested that a small contact office could be established in the large municipal building area near the lake and again there was no response. In view of the debate that has taken place in your esteemed journal, I thought it fit to draw the attention of the officials to the tremendous inconvenience caused to senior citizens and elderly women.

My request is that a senior member of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board should visit Kodaikanal and review the arrangements there in order to establish an office convenient to citizens.

A.L. Mudaliar
“Avanti”
857, Poonamallee High Road
Kilpauk, Chennai 600 010

Detective or Doctor?

Apropos your feature on Dr. Guruswamy Mudaliar, please permit me to share a story (apocryphal perhaps but instructive of the doctor’s unique diagnostic ability) concerning him with your readers. A lady patient of his complained of a severe, persistent headache. After a few questions, Dr. Mudaliar asked her how long she had been sporting a bright diamond ring on her nose. The lady replied that it was a new ring which she had been wearing for about a fortinight then, roughly the period during which she had been suffering from the headache. The good doctor advised her to remove the nose ring and come back to him after a few days. She sure did, to say she had been rid of the headache. The intense light from the ring was reflecting back on her forehead causing it to ache.

R. Sankar
B110, I Floor
Sarvodaya Enclave
New Delhi 110 017

Teenage joy

During our college days in the 1960s, we used to go to films in a group of 10+ friends on a ‘Dutch’ basis. We used to start after dinner and we enjoyed ourselves all night! We used to target Mount Road, which then housed many cinema theatres. Notable among them were Odeon, Midland, New Globe, Wellington, Casino, Gaiety and Chitra.

Going to a film was a great experience in those days. While Wellington used to screen ‘Gemini’ S.S. Vasan’s films regularly, other theatres screened varied films. Odeon, Globe and Casino usually had English and Tamil movies. Midland usually had English movies. New Elphinstone used to screen all South Indian language films.

Once I took a teenager to the famed Becket starring Peter O’Toole and we were not allowed inside since it was an ‘Adults Only’ movie. But ultimately, over a cup of Kwality ice cream, we were allowed to watch the movie. Incidentally, my teenage friend was none other than the Lava Kusa fame master Murali who is now one of the big auditors of Chennai, whose father was Kalasagaram Rajagopal, the famed sculptor of Yogi Ram Surathkumar of Tiruvannaamalai. I am the son of Chitti Sundararajan, the famed Manikkodi writer.

It is still green in memory that we used to take tea after midnight at Cafe Irani at Mount Road and walk back to Mylapore as no buses were available at night. All this fun would take place on Saturday night-outs which was regular in our college days. We are still in touch, but watch movies only on TV, as we are all now Senior Citizens!

S. Venugopalan
7A, Prasanthi Apts
TMM Street
Vannanthurai
Chennai 600 041

Local rhymes

Though English is spoken in various parts of the country, the accent differs from State to State, as it rhymes with the local language. Most people from Andhra Pradesh often pronounce ‘Government’ as ‘Governament’. Persons from Andhra always state ‘at what O’clock you will come to office’. Pronunciation apart, sometimes written English also rhymes with local language. The Southern Railway operates a ladies special between Chennai Beach and Tambaram every day at 5.55 p.m. wherein the rear five compartments are reserved for ladies. In all the compartments the boards hung read ‘Ladies onley’!

V. S. Jayaraman
31, Motilal Street
T. Nagar, Chennai 600 017

 

In this issue

Going slow on saving...
Protests gather over...
Making Neyveli Lignite...
Tamil studies in Germany
Historic residences...
Other stories in this issue...
 

Our Regulars

Short 'N' Snappy
a-Musing
Our Readers Write
Quizzin' with Ram'nan
Dates for your Diary
 

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