Life in Chennai is becoming increasingly complex and complicated. Police have stepped up security in some important locations in the city following an anonymous letter received by some media houses on Thursday warning of terror strikes.
The letter, sent by post, had warned that Chennai would face the "biggest terror demonstration" and places such as the airport, Police Training College, the US Consulate General and the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) of the Army besides others will come under attack.
Security has been tightened in these places. Mobile barricades have been placed as part of security measures while patrolling has been increased. In a tabular column, the sender of the letter also described the modus operandi for each of the targets describing how the attacks would be executed and by how many persons. It also gave police a 'clue' when it said the 'plan' for the attacks was being made from a specific city locality.
While investigations are going on to locate the sender of this letter, security officials at Chennai airport are investigating how a huge hole was drilled through the airport compound wall, giving rise to suspicion of possible attempts to intrude into the high security area. While high-ranking officers remained tight-lipped about the gaping hole that was noticed near the compound wall at Gate no.8, airport sources say it is big enough for two persons to pass through. The hole appeared closer to the second runway being built.
I think it was Helen Keller who said, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
A piece of good news for Chennai. After a gap of more than a year, tyre manufacturer Dunlop India commenced production at its facility in Ambattur recently, with plans to initially produce 40 tonnes of tyres per day. The plant has a capacity to produce 120 tonnes per day.
Dunlop had in the past planned to close down the Ambattur unit due to financial constraints. Production was suspended in the facility for more than a year. As per the agreement, the workers will get a salary hike of Rs 3,000 for the next three years and will also get Rs 5,000 as a one-time benefit to mark the resumption of operations.
All’s well that ends well.
If the sales at the Tasmac outlets are any indication, many Tamilians had a 'liquid' Diwali! The liquor shops went dry in three days and the sales crossed Rs 220 Crores, setting a new record.
There are 7,432 Tasmac shops in the State - 732 more than what we had last year.
Tasmac had intensified its marketing for Diwali. Since the succeeding day was a Sunday, they had planned to double the sales they had last year. Each shop was instructed to have stocks worth between Rs 5 and Rs 15 lakhs. Chennai, Tiruppur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Salem Districts that lead in liquor sales, received thrice the usual stocks.
The annual revenue to the Government through the sale of liquor is over Rs Ten thousand crores. On ordinary days, one and a half lakh boxes of IMFL bottles, in addition to eighty thousand crates of bear are sold. That would amount to nearly Rs 60 Crores per day.
Last year, the Diwali day sales reached Rs 100 Crores. This year, thanks to the Sunday, the sales were more than double that of last year. We should be proud of the welfare Goverment that we have.
As some one said, “If you can relax without liquor, if you can sleep without the aid of drugs, then, you are almost as good as your dog.”
I happened to read somewhere that Thirukumaran Nadesan, brother-in-law of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, offered worship at two temples in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district recently.
Nadesan offered worship at Lord Papanasanather (Siva) temple at Papanasam. As per legend, the presiding deity at the Papanasam temple cleanses sins of devotees offering worship to Him. He later worshipped at Lord Subramaniaswamy temple in Tiruchendur and performed 'Skanda Homam'.
The instinct to worship is hardly less strong than the instinct to eat.
Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara attracts lakhs of devotees from all over the country. It has launched the 'quick darshan facility' in a bid to provide speedy access for darshan to devotees as well as to curb menace of middlemen. One should buy a Rs.300 ticket to enter the shrine through a separate queue. Two laddus would also be given free on each ticket. The centuries old free darshan facility meant for common pilgrims and the Rs.50 darshan facility ticket would continue. However,issuance of Rs 200 Archana Ananthara Darshan (AAD) tickets and Rs.100 darshan tickets have been dispensed with.
Vinaa Venkatesam Na naatho na naatha / sadhaa Venkatesam Smaraami Smaraami.
We had Sani Peyarchi recently. The Rahu peyarchi is taking place on the 27th October, from Makara Rasi to Dhanus. Special arrangements are being made at famous Sri Naganathaswamy temple in Thirunageswaram. As per legend, when Rahu was in distress, he worshipped the Lord here, and got rid of his sins.
“I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.” ~Arthur C. Clarke.
A four and a half foot stone with inscriptions in Sanskrit and Tamil, believed to date to the Pallava dynasty, has been unearthed by labourers at a village in Tamil Nadu while working on a NREGP scheme. Archaelogical expert and researcher from Vellore Fort Museum Kamalanathan, said he found eight inscriptions on the front side and seven in the back of the stone, which measures 2.5 feet in width. The stone was unearthed recently at Thippasamudram village in Vellore district.
“Archaeology is the peeping Tom of the sciences. It is the sandbox of men who care not where they are going; they merely want to know where everyone else has been.”
Recently read: “Rather than an information revolution, what we are currently experiencing is a data explosion. The combined advances in contemporary telecommunications and computational technologies have helped to spawn an era where true information is ever more difficult to find at all, much less in a timely manner.” - William A. S. Buxton