June 20, 2020 4 pages Free Circulation OFFICE : 2498 2244, 2467 1122 EDITORIAL : 2466 0269 WEBSITE : www.mylaporetimes.com

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Sujatha Vishwanathan of Abiramapuram is saying ‘thank you’ to Chennai City Police for what people would consider to be a job – they restored her purse she lost in a store some days ago.

A resident of Abiramapuram 3rd Street, Sujatha, who teaches at Chettinad Vidyashram was shopping at a Spencers store when she realised her purse was not with her at the billing counter.

On a request to the store manager to show her recent CCTV footage, it got enabled and from the footage it was clear that her purse had fallen from her armpit and was picked up by an old man who had quickly put the purse in his bag.

Sujatha says they could not identify the man’s face as he had his mask on. The purse had some Rs.2000 in cash and original driving license, a RC book and bank cards.

She recalls now, “I was afraid about the swipe option that was ena-bled in cards which can make one purchase without pin, by just tapping on the POS machine. I blocked all my bank cards following this incident.”

Sujatha recorded this part of the CCTV footage and went to E4, Police station, Abiramapuram. The police there took an oral complaint and prom-ised to investigate the case.

On June 14, Sujatha received a call from police of-ficials – they had located her purse. Police officials then came to her residence, handed over the purse and took a written complaint from her for the record.

Nothing is known of the ‘old man’ who had picked up the purse.

Says the Abiramapuram resident, ” I salute the police officials of their commitment to duty even at this difficult time when the virus is with us. This work will create a positive impact on the police and on our neighbourhood.”

Abiramapuram resident ‘salutes’ local police: they traced and restored purse she lost in a store

The outpatient facility at Andhra Mahila Sabha’s Durgabhai Deshmukh Hospital at R. A. Puram will stay open during the lockdown from June 19 to 30, says a senior official there.

This will be a boon for economically poor people who frequent this place.

While the general, diabetic and paediatric wards will be open, the Ob-Gynaec ward will stay closed. Women in the initial stages of their pregnancy however can drop in to get their blood pressure checked and will also be treated for issues like indigestion and back pain.

Says a source at the hospital, “It will be very helpful if the government arranges transportation facilities for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers during the lockdown. Two trips a day, in the morning and evening will be very use-ful. That way we will be able to continue serving the under-privileged without worrying about how our staff will get here”.

Patients can walk in between 9.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. At 11, 12, Durgabai Deshmukh Road, R. A. Puram. Ph: 24938311.

OUTPATIENT FACILITY AT R. A. PURAM HOSPITAL WILL STAY OPEN DURING LOCKDOWN

LOCKDOWN : DAY ONE MORNING

On June 19 morning, all flyovers in Mylapore zone were barricaded. So were some streets. At road junctions, there were a few barricades to slow down vehicles. Police checked e-passes that motorists had to produce.

GCC medical camps are held dailyChennai Corporation is holding medical camps daily in dif-

ferent Mylapore areas, 10am onwards.On Friday, they were planned in Kuyil Thoppu, San Thome

( Kuyil Thottam), at the Urban Health Centre in R A Puram and in Marwadi Thottam ( Bheemanapet).

This information is posted daily on GCC’s Twitter handle.( https://twitter.com/chennaicorp)

Medical teams screen local residents and advise medication and treatment here.

Free dispensary at Sri Ramakrishna Math is closed. But you can use helpline.

The free dispensary at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore is now closed and will probably remain so until the lockdown, says the PRO of the Math, Swami Naravarananda.

He says most of the volunteers, paramedical staff and doctors are unable to make it due to lack of transportation facilities.

Patients who need medicines on a regular basis have already been given an adequate supply. Those who need medicines during the lockdown on an emergency basis can call the Math at 24621110 and the Math will make arrangements to help them.

This pharmacy allows you to buy medicines on credit basis

To help customers during crisis times, KosMed pharmacy in Mandaveli is providing a facility to buy medicines via a credit system.

Through this system, people can buy medicines and pay for it at a later date.

The shop maintains a notebook to keep a record of their medicine purchase. And collects money from them at a later date, according to the customers preference.

He says that most customers prefer monthly payment. Others pay a few days after the purchase.

Although the shop is facing a business loss, it is providing this service to support customers during the pandemic, says a promoter here.

The shop will be open 24 x 7. At 18/43, Nattu Muthuku-marappan Street, Mylapore. Ph: 7845602763/79649913.

MYLAPORE TIMES June 20, 2020

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V I N C E N T D ’ S O U Z A

June 12. It is close to noon time and we are on Kutchery Road, travelling from the San Thome side. At the junction of Bazaar Road, human and motor activity trebles.

There are some one dozen people outside Dubba Chetty Kadai, popular for Indian medicines and further down, near the Jumma Masjid a bhai is preparing to pack biryani from the large aluminum container.

Traffic is chaotic as it always is on this narrow road. We turn into Mathala Narayanan Street; a big crowd is on the steps of the popular snacks store of Karpagambal. This causes a traffic jam. All little stores and offices on this narrow street are open; bikes line both sides of the street.

You open into the mada street junction and it is Mylapore life as usual; cycles, scooters, three-wheelers, autos and push carts. Cars are packed into the parking lots of North Mada Street and all the shops here are open for business.

On East Mada Street, only Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, the cultural hub that is abuzz all of 365 days remains shut down.

Hawkers around Kalathi store, that legendary space for chilled rose milk and paneer soda is crowded out by vegetable hawkers; shoppers bags are large, weighed down by potatoes, tomatoes and onions besides ripe, yellow mangoes.

The idli and dosa maavu shop on the opposite side has its clients as do veggie hawkers around Gandhi statue off the Chitrakulam. Cothas Coffee is crowded too – for its Rs.12 cup of hot coffee. And down South Mada Street, the vegetable and fruit hawkers have certainly enlarged their stocks and expanded on to the road, creating traffic jams when a large truck of Aavin halts for a local supply.

There are umpteen large, bright umbrellas that protect each hawker from the blazing sun. And well past noon, shopping is still on here.

Certainly, the heart of Mylapore is back to what it is. Many wear masks, some let them hang on their chins and men and women are not scampering away to keep off their neighbours on the streets.

Life is normal, isn’t it?

Bird song turns into choral music in Nageswara Rao ParkBy S. Prabhu

It has been al-most three months since the Nag-eswara Rao Park was shut down as part of the lock down restrictions.

While visitors have been barred from the Park since Mid March, there are a set of service personnel who have been working through the entire period of the lockdown to keep the park clean each day.

This summer, there is a fresh feel about the Nageswara Rao Park this second week of June. The entire pathway is clean. The Bermuda grass (G2) that had been laid has grown into a beautiful lawn. Right in the middle of the park, one finds beautiful, colourful flowers.

Sivakumar, VP (administration), Sunda-ram Finance, who manages the improvement initiatives at the park, says that close to 15 service personnel arrive at the park every morning at 9.

“A few of them have been assigned the task of sweeping the huge park. It is the task of a few others to carry the fallen leaves and wastes to a designated area in the park. Some others water the plants,” he adds.

Today, the sounds of the birds seem to be sweeter than ever before as they have made the park their home during the lockdown.

Chartered accountant K. Vignesh, who resides 100 yards away east of the park, had lost his parrot 8 months ago. He spends an hour every morning and evening walking around the park calling out for Meenu, his parrot.

“I sense the increase in the chirping of birds. From the peripheral of the park, it is lovely to see the amount of greenery inside the park,” he says.

Former IOB cricketer 67 year old Rocko Sundar who has lived all this life in Luz Av-enue near the park says he misses spending time inside.

“Unlike the period in the 1960s and 70s when it was dark and quiet especially in the late evenings, the park today has been buzzing with activity. But with the lockdown, it just looks very desolate and wears a forlorn look. But on the positive front, the squirrels and mynahs are back in large numbers,” he says.

After the Vardah cyclone had ravaged the park four years ago, Sundaram Finance had undertaken the huge task of getting the greenery back.

A. Sriram, who runs a private healthcare enterprise, resides near Raga Sudha Hall on the west side of the park says that the bats are back at the park “They had been missing for a few years since the cyclone.”

Sriram says he wakes up every morning

S. Adhieswari, the owner of Alwarpet based Millet Maagic Meal restaurant says her restaurant is open for dine in too.

This place was closed when the first lockdown was announced and re-opened for lunch delivery through delivery partners Swiggy and Zomato on May 20.

It is now open for dinner too.The place has set up some meas-ures here. “We have set up a

hand sanitiser stand outside the restaurant. We will also check the temperature of customers before they are allowed inside. The same rules will be followed for our staff members too.

They have been given caps and gloves and they have

been asked to sanitize their hands every two hours,” says the

promoter.For lunch, there are rice and paratha varieties. A full lunch box

consisting of eight items including three varieties of rice, a raitha and a sweet dish is also available for Rs. 157.

For dinner, choose from karuvepillai idli, oothapam and raji and bajra dosa. Gluten and wheat free millet pizza, veggie and pa-neer wrap and cookies and brownies can be ordered anytime from 11.30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Open 7 days a week. Cash will not be accepted for delivery orders, customers have to pay online, says Adhieswari.

The restaurant is located at 16/23, APN Complex, First Cross Street, TTK Road, Alwarpet. Call 9551569911 for details.

Millet Maagic Meal restaurant is open, for delivery and dine in.

to the sounds and chatter of the parrots. And he wishes that the bird songs will remain for long.

MYLAPORE TIMESJune 20, 2020 3

Well-known catering professional who went simply by the name of Chellappa passed away on June 10

evening. He was admit-

ted to an Alwarpet hospital after he fell ill, was treated for the virus and suc-cumbed to it.

The funeral rites were held at the Mylapore crematorium.

The news of Chellappa’s passing away brought in a flood of tributes from across Mylapore, the city and the world.

For, since the 1990s when he set off on his own catering business, he was the sought after professional and came to be signed up by generations and across extended families be it for weddings, shastiabdapoorthis or other social functions.

Over time, his business expanded.Chellappa was also known to be

a devout person – devoted to Lord Ayyappa and Sri Kapali and goddess Karpagambal and those close to his family say he was also a generous benefactor – he not only donated to religious causes but also supported people and organisations that needed help.

He built a multi-storeyed house in Pitchu Pillai Street, near Sri Kapali Temple and operated from there.

Friends said that they had spoken to him in mid-May and he was as busy as he always is.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

n Below are extracts from some tributes mailed to Mylapore Times

Venkatakrishnan Swaminathan :A great man and ardent devotee

of goddess Karpagambal. Recently adorned the deity with gold flowers garland.

Revathy B. Muthuswamy: Very good person and always car-

ried a smile on his face. More so, his food made everyone smile....

Ramaswamy Sethupathi : He was our reliable caterer for all

our family marriages, other functions, birthday functions since 1990.

He never asked for any advance payments. He would never remind people about the amount due.

Kamala Natarajan:He was the caterer for many mar-

riages in our family. The rasamalai he made is mentioned every time there is a marriage now.

Kalaniketan Balu: I know Chellappa from 1950 when

he was working for Y. M. I. A at Ar-menian Street. He was a great help at all my family functions and respected people - me and my mother.

N. Poorna Push Kala: A great human being. He was the

caterer for 3 marriages in our family, professional to the core. Great food, a humane attitude. Money was never a priority for him.

Jayalakshmi Ganesan : A very big loss to a bride’s parents

who are not taxed at the time of mar-riage - he would take the payment leisurely, with a smiling face.

Jayanthi Srinivasan : Our association with Chellappa

dates back to 1993 when we performed the marriage of our daughter. A won-derful person always with a smile on his face.

Krishnamurthy Nagarajan : We engaged Chellappa mama for

our son’s marriage in 2017. Gave deli-cious food all the times for 3 days. All our relatives and friends appreciated the food.

S. Narayanan: His catering services for the wed-

ding of my daughter, my shashtiab-dapoorthy and my son’s wedding were appreciated by all.

I remember his smiling face & pleasant manners.

Padmanabhan: Very charming and approachable

person. Starting from my engagement, wedding, seemantham, grahaprave-sham and 2 ayush homams for my children, mama was always there.

S. Sankara Raman: Chellappa Sir was not only asso-

ciated with all our family functions for the last 28 years but for the last 10 years on every Baba’s birthday function on 23rd November held by our Samithi he would promptly send prasadam for Narayanaseva.

He would not accept any payment for this: if we compelled, he would direct us to donate for another charity.

TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR CATERING PROFESSIONAL CHELLAPPA On June 8, 2020, Dr. N. Rajagopal, cardiologist and

diabetologist, passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home in Luz Avenue.

Dr. Rajagopal, son of S. Naray-anan and Venkatalakshmi, from Cheranmahadevi, Tirunelveli, grew up in West Mambalam. He studied at P. S. Secondary School. He completed his MBBS at JIP-MER, Pondicherry, and went on to complete his MD at Maulana Azad Medical College in 1968.

In 1969, he married Padmini, daughter of Dr. V. Ramachandran and Sundaram Ramachandran, granddaughter of A. K. Ramachandra Iyer of Midland Theatre.

He began practicing medicine at Kutchery Road in the same building as Dr. V. Ramachandran, Ophthalmologist, and worked his way from humble beginnings in 1970 to establishing Midland Clinic, now a well known medical practice in Mylapore, serving patients from all across Chennai.

He also served as Chief Medical Officer at Parry and Company in his early days.

Dr. Rajagopal loved his medical practice, driven by a dedication to restoring health and treating his patients. Many of his patients have been with him for close to five decades and consider him an extension of their families.

He was a rarity in the medical profession, making home visits, and attending to patients at all hours of the day and at a moment’s notice, all of which he continued to do even during the pandemic.

In service to the community, Dr. N. Rajagopal has held an annual free Diabetes Camp since 2000.

The outpouring of affection and kind words after his passing reflect this indescribable loss. From neighbours, “I remember how much he has taken care of this entire Luz Avenue and beyond… He was a gift to everyone who ever met him; always encouraged others to be the best they could be.” From friends, “Our friendship is over fifty years… He was dedicated to his work and he left serving the noble profession till the end.” “Always immaculately dressed Raji (as we used to call him) was a very nice hu-man being.” From patients, “Dr. Rajagopal was a wonder-ful man, always positive and full of life and one always felt better and more confident of the time ahead after an hour’s sitting with him, and a message from his grand-children, “We love you so much nana.”

He is survived by Padmini (wife), Pavitra (daughter) Arjun (son-in-law), Shravan (son), and Ankita, Anish, and Ekta (grandchildren).

Padmini Rajagopal can be contacted at 9884207617.

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MYLAPORE TIMESJune 20, 2020 4

This store finds new waysto promote silk saris now

Panjavarnam, the well-known silk sari store at Karpagambal Nagar in Mylapore has come up with new ways of promoting its business during lockdown.

For the past few weeks, the store, that sells saris including Kanchivarams, cotton, linen and Pochampal-lys has been regularly updating its new collections on its website.

A unique feature about its website is that one can see close up pictures of different parts of a sari like zari, and pallu. A zoom option is also provided for people who may want to look at the fabric closely.

Says Vijayalakshmi Ganesh, the promoter , “Though our business slowed down after lockdown, online sales is picking up now. A section of women who work from home are preferring to wear cotton and linen saris to look professional at their zoom meetings.”

She says that silk saris are also in demand as the wedding season is on now.

Also, in an attempt to revive the love of saris, the store is launching an online talk series, where mother-daughter duos will be sharing their sari experiences.

Says Vijayalakshmi, “A mother and daughter share an inexplicable bond with saris. Memories, secrets and more are packed into the six yards of the sari. So we thought it would be fabulous to discuss these stories.”

The show starts June 16, with actor-storyteller Janaki Sabesh and her daughter Dhwani Sabesh talking about their love for saris. It will be featured live on Pan-javarnam’s Instagram page ‘panjavarnamsilks’ at 6 pm.

The store is at 13/2, Ground Floor, Main Road, Karpagambal Nagar, Mylapore. Website: www.panjavar-nam.com. They also deliver saris in the neighbourhood except at containment zones. Ph: 9840758137.- Picture Courtesy: Panjavarnam

Annapoorna. C, a resident of Nadu Street, Mylapore, has been selling Kal-

amkari and Ikkat designed handbags for more than eight years. When she first started, she set up her stall at ex-hibitions at C. P. Art Center, Alwarpet.

Later she sat on the fringe of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival,

with her stall close to Sri Kapali Temple tank.The lockdown changed her fortunes. Sales fell as many

of her customers who are in the IT business were hesitant to spend on bags and other accessories. And since masks were in demand she decided to sell cotton masks that she says would suit any attire.

Both her bags and masks are sourced from a manufactur-ing unit in Puducherry. You can also choose from designed purses, pencil pouches, sling bags, lunch bags, travel and medicine kits and jute bags with cross stitch works.

Prices range from Rs. 30 for the small purses to Rs. 400 for the big handbags. The single layer masks are sold for Rs. 20 and the double layer for Rs. 35.

The bags and masks are machine washable and will not lose colour, she says. She operates out of her residence and will accept bulk orders. Contact her at 9790923052.

This resident sells bags and masks in Kalamkari and Ikkat designs

To prevent crowding at the fish market off Marina Loop Road, Foreshore Estate police have been holding discus-sions with community leaders of local kuppams here.

Dozens of fish hawkers, especially women from the nearby kuppams includ-ing Pattinapakkam and Nochikuppam sell fish on the sandy side of this road.

On Sunday (June 14), women police personnel were deployed to regulate social distancing at Pattinapakkam fish market.

The police had to take this step as shoppers have been crowding at this mar-ket to buy fish, especially on weekends.

A police officer at Foreshore Estate police station says that 15 policewomen

took turns to regulate social distancing on weekends.

Says the police officer, “Though we are regulating social distancing on weekends, we cannot be manning the market all the time. Hence, we are holding discus-sions with the community leaders of the kuppams. We have asked the leaders to spread COVID-19 awareness to the fish hawkers so they can regulate the crowd by themselves. It will be good if shoppers also self regulate.”

On the advice of the community lead-ers, he says the hawkers have started enforcing social distancing. “But we will be monitoring until they strictly regulate social distancing at their shops, “ the of-ficer said.

Police discuss with community leaders of kuppams. To regulate fish market

Some 80 purohits were given rations and dry food at an event hosted by Mylapore MLA, R. Nataraj.

Held on June 12 inside the campus of Queen Mary’s College, Mylapore it was well organised – spaces marked out far apart for each of the purohits who all hailed from the Mylapore zone.

There was no scramble or rush ; everything was held in an or-derly manner. The MLA was present and he thanked the purohits for their services.

MLA grants foodstuff to purohits

Amma unavagams to provide free food

To help the public, especially the poor during the intense lockdown period, Amma unav-agams will provide free food from June 19 to 30.

In Mylapore, some of the Amma canteen outlets are at C. P. Ramaswamy Road (next to Win-ner’s bakery), San Thome High Road (near the Registration Office) and on Kamarajar Salai (near Light-house).

Call 24982244 / 24671122.

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