I was awestruck when I read about an auto driver in Chennai who was tech savvy! Meet Samson the Auto Driver! Surely I will make it a point to meet him on my next trip to Chennai! It is indeed something very innovative and kewl. Just imagine… he has his own website! www.TukTastic.com …FunTastic!

Please do email him when you get time – samson@tuktastic.com

Here is an extract written by Priyadarshini Paitandy for The Hindu

Ka-ching! Ah, the sweet sound of the auto meter. Something that’s as rare as wearing pullovers in Chennai. What’s even rarer is riding around town with an auto driver, who has a website of his own. That’s Samson for you, a cheerful 38-year-old auto driver, with around 18 years of experience and tuktastic.com to his credit. “My clients from all over the world tell me I am probably the only auto driver in Asia with a website,” he beams.

Parked opposite the Taj Coromandel hotel, Samson has become the hot favourite of tourists, especially those who stay at the hotel. “Even before some of my customers land in Chennai, they call me or send me an email with details about their stay here and book me for those days,” he explains. His website has obviously helped him build contacts. Even before the website happened, Samson had an email id.

A Japanese tourist was so impressed with him that for the entire month that she stayed in the city, she couldn’t think of anybody but Samson to take her around. “M’am used to check her emails. I wanted an id too. So she created one for me. It was of great help and I made it a point to check my mails twice a week,” he says.

One day, as he sat at an Internet centre, checking his mails, he stumbled upon an online ad about websites. Being an enterprising person, he decided to have one too. Yet another satisfied customer, Chris Pug, a crew member from British Airways created the site for him as a token of gratitude for his excellent service. Tuktuk, Tuktaxi and many suggestions later, Samson was finally satisfied with Tuktastic. “It sounds like fantastic, an attribute to my auto and service, so this had to be the fitting title,” he smiles.

Simply surf

Tuktastic.com is an interesting website with an introduction to Samson, and links to places to eat, drink, shop, a link that allows one to advertise on his auto and a page dedicated to his auto buddies who step in when a big group of people want to travel. The best thing about them is they are ‘tourist- friendly autos,’ and won’t fleece you. For example, a ride to Mammallapuram and back in Samson’s auto will cost you Rs.700. Of course, you won’t have the comforts of an AC. And as Samson says on his website, “It may seem a long way in a tuk-tuk but there is nothing better than cruising down the open roads out of town with the warm breeze on your face.”

So why aren’t other autos tourist-friendly as well? Samson shrugs. Then with a smile adds, “Let’s not discuss meters.” But I am persistent. He relents. “Very often after dropping a customer, autos aren’t allowed to wait at a spot. Chances are that he may not find a sawari and will have to drive around. Fuel is expensive, there are other expenditures and we get paid on a per day basis…,” he explains.

Few of his friends land up there showing him recently clicked photographs and asking for his opinion. Clearly he seems to be a hit with them too. And why not? Especially when he has created email ids for them on his laptop. That’s right! “A Dutch client was very happy with me and gifted me the laptop.” And Samson is not just net-savvy, he even talks about Facebook and Twitter, has an id in Orkut and a fairly good command over English. “Conversing with my foreign clients has helped a great deal in improving my language. I only studied till Standard VII, you know? I bought myself a dictionary to learn more words,” he adds.

As we talk he tells me his aim is not to just eat, drink, make merry and die. He wants to do something more. He believes if given a sponsor he can find a way of making vehicles run on water. I raise an eyebrow and he notices it through his rear-view mirror. “It’s possible I can try,” he says nonchalantly. His mobile phone beeps again. “Hello sir! Yes, I will come in 20 minutes,” he tells the caller. Yet another client awaiting his service.

So I stop my questions, sit back and bid goodbye to the worries of haggling, as Samson drops me at my destination.

An unexpected stop at a famous destination for idli fanatics. We went to Triplicane to do some last minute shopping for Eid. Once we were done with it, my wife, another obsessive Idli consumer, asked if we could have something to eat – Idlis maybe? Luckily we were on Triplicane High Road, home to the famous Ratna Cafe, famous for its vegetarian food especially the delicious idli and sambar. This road is also renowned for another hangout with the locals – the Murugan Idli Shop.

Murugan Idli Shop

The Murugan Idli Shop has it’s origins in the temple city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. It has been there in Madurai for more than 15 years and only recently about a year back was it launched in Chennai. Apart form Idlis, they have other mouth watering dishes too like dosai, vada, ghee and sweet pongal etc.

We decided to go there because for a long time we always wanted to go but couldn’t find the time. So we went in. It was a very clean restaurant and was crowded. On entering, the wonderful smell of sambar filled our nostrils. Wow! Heavenly! Nothing beats a South Indian Sambar, right? We sat next to the window facing the road, the red neon lights full on our faces. The waiter came and placed banana leaves instead of plates. Then another came and put two chutneys and went. Both looked the same under the neon lights! Then another waiter came and we asked for the idlis. Within minutes, hot steaming idlis was brought along with hot sambar, coconut and peanut chutney. Within minutes all the idlis disappeared! The idlis were really soft and with the sambar and chutneys were a real treat. Yummy! Afifa enjoyed it also. The second serving also disappeared and we decided that it was enough for the night. We had to get back home. Nothing ends a good South Indian meal without a South India filter coffee.  The idlis cost 8.5 rupees a piece. Not bad.

So anyone interested in Idlis when in Chennai, just go to the Triplicane Murugan Idli Shop and have a great time. More details can be found here – MuruganIdliShop.com

Become a fan of Murugan Idli Shop on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Murugan-Idli-Shop/107040885342

Madras has been the birth of many cuisines, art, music, entertainment etc., and Singapore has been richly influenced by it. This article by Rupa Gopal for The Hindu has brought out some of the influences of Madras on Singapore. I read it today and just wanted to let others also into the magic of Madras (Chennai).

Madras Hotel, Singapore

The early 19th century saw a steady migration from South Indian shores to countries near, and not so near, in Asia. Ceylon, Burma, Malaysia and Singapore were the choice destinations of people from the Coromandel Coast, especially the Tamils. Singapore then was largely undeveloped, quite swamped by marshes. The mid-1800s saw an influx of Tamils from Madras migrate here, to seek and make fortunes. Cattle rearing was a prime occupation in the Indian-occupied Serangoon Road area, as there was plenty of potable water and green grass. Milk was delivered fresh by many Indian milkmen back then. This main road, in 1828, was described as “the road leading across Singapore”, built to link settlements in the town with the Serangoon harbour, thus linking lumber in Pulau Ubin and Johore.

The Indian area had distinctive decorative buildings, called shophouses, built from the 1840s, until the 1960s. Highly ornamented facades were made by the Indian workers, and “Madras chunam” was used to plaster these shophouses. The mix of egg-white, shell, lime, sugar and coconut husk was applied on the walls, and then polished smooth with crystal stones. These buildings have been retained, in the face of modern expansion, in a protected Conservation area as a piece of history and are quite a tourist attraction today.
Early imprints

The first brick kiln in Singapore was established by the Indian Narayana Pillai. In fact, the Veeramakali Amman temple on Serangoon Road, built around 1855, was then called “the temple in the village of lime” due to the number of kilns in the Indian area.

Construction was on a boom, and convict labour was cheap and plentiful. Convicts were sent to Penang, Malacca and Singapore. Indian convicts came from around the Madras region, and records show that in July 1847 there were 1,500 Indian convicts in Singapore. These convicts won the Silver Medal for the quality of their bricks, made under the supervision of a European brick maker, on Serangoon Road. The St. Andrews Church stands strong even today, then built with these bricks. Praise aside, there were also registered complaints about Indian convicts, of “sleeping during working hours, and dancing all night!” The convicts from China had a distinct advantage — if they managed to escape, they disappeared by easily blending into the crowd of local Chinese populace.

With the steady arrival of Tamils, Hindu temples too mushroomed on the island. The Perumal temple on Serangoon Road was built by one Narasingham, in 1885, affluent enough to have bought the needed land from the East India Company.

Madras Street became a permanent nostalgic tie with home, right in the Indian area. Most of the side streets today are full of eateries, vegetable and provision stores, selling all that one could buy in Madras. A “Madras Hotel” too flourishes on Madras Street, beckoning visitors from far and wide. Many inns for backpackers are quite the rage here, easy on the tourist pocket. Beer flows at sundown, and all is merry, with Europeans finding it all charming, and cheap.

Tamil is heard loud and clear, and the Chinese and Malay too are at home here, amidst the Tamils. The savvy Chinese shopkeeper, mostly selling jewellery, has picked up quite a smattering of Tamil, to attract the gold-thirsty Indian customer. Dosai and roti-parata shops cast their spicy aromas in the air, while goodies from Adyar Grand Sweets can be picked up for a price, from a certain provision store in the area. Tamil movies and audio CDs are stacked between fresh flower stalls, natty Tamil men stringing the flowers, flown in daily from Madras and Madurai. The paanwalla does a brisk trade, as does the beeda counter at Komala Vilas restaurant, one of the oldest Tamil eateries in Singapore. Sri Mangalambika, now closed, was a Brahmin meals hotel here, well remembered by old-timers.
Popular fare

The Madras thali is a must in the vegetarian restaurants here, served with Ponni rice, Indian country greens, and typical menus. “Madras curry powder” is sold to curious Europeans who are thrilled by the Indian experience of sights and food, slurping strong degree coffee from tumblers. Shops selling Indian silks and gaudy nylons also stock Madras check lungis, a big import from South India. One thing is for sure — one can hear more dialects of Tamil in Singapore, than in Madras! Construction workers from south Tamil Nadu, cooks from Chettinad and Thanjavur, maids from Madurai and even convent gospel singers from Sivakasi! Madras is alive and flourishing, a permanent link maintained both by the Tamils settled in Singapore, who still think of Madras as home, and by the Tamil workforce in a place away, but so much like home.

The Madras Street and Little India area were once like a thieves’ market, in the 1950s, run by the Chinese, with Indians owning the properties. The wet market existed here, along with many small Indian provision shops. Most of the old folks have now gone, and businesses have changed hands or shut down, with steel and glass structures looming large, dwarfing memories. Immigrant Tamils have made their mark in Singapore, becoming MPs, like N. Karuppiah, from the Farrer Park area in Little India. Today, the Tamil Reform Association maintains traditions, celebrating festivals like Pongal etc.

Plenty of water has flowed along the Singapore River, and many tides have washed over the shores of Tamil Nadu and Singapore, from those early days. Madras is an integral part of Singapore, here to stay, a valuable addition to the economy and social fabric, part and parcel of a vigorous young nation.

The pandemic of the 21st century that was perceived as ‘mild’ in India till the first death was reported from Pune, has now got the country in the grips of fear.

The initial symptoms of the Swine Flu or the H1N1 Influenza includes: cough, fever, sore throat, body ache, headache, chills and fatigue. When the flu is left untreated it can get complex as the virus begins to manifest itself into other illness such as sever illness and pneumonia or respiratory failure resulting to death.

With the number of cases raising faster and the virus spreading potently due to the onset of rainy season and the commencement of schools, here are a list of government hospitals that test and treat Swine Flu:

Bangalore
1. Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases
Near NIMHANS, Hombegowda Nagar
Bangalore-560029
+91-80-26632634
+91-80-26631923
http://rgicd.com/

2. Victoria Hospital
Fort Road
Kalasipalyam
Bangalore-560002
080 26703294

Karnataka health and family welfare department on Friday, Aug 7 identified six private hospitals, which would now quarantine Swine Flu cases and treat them. They are listed below:

3. Mallya Hospital
Vittal Mallya Rd
Bengaluru
080 22277979
Emergency: 080 22242325

4. Vaidehi hospital
#82, K.R. Puram Hobli
White Field
Bangalore -560066
080-28413381/ 080-28413382/ 080-28413383
Emergency: 080 41259032

5. Ambedkar Medical Institute and Hospital
Kadugondanahalli
Bangalore-560045
080 25463442‎

6. St Johns Hospital
Sarjapur Main Road,
Bangalore- 560034
080 25532037

7. Manipal Hospital
Airport Road
Bangalore- 560017
080 2502 4444
080 2502 3344
Fax:+ 91 80 2526 6757

8. Mallige Nursing Home
Mariappa Road, Siddapur
Jayanagar
Bangalore – 560011
080 26565678

Chandigarh
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGI),
Sector 12, Chandigarh-160012
+91-172-2747585
+91-172-2746018
+91-172-2756565

Chennai
Communicable Diseases Hospital
No 187, Thiruvottiyur High Road
Near Apollo Hospital, Tondiarpet
Chennai-600081
+91-44-25912686
+91-44-25912687
+91-44-25912688

2. Peripheral Hospital, Tondiarpet, Chennai

3. All Government Medical College Hospitals in the state

4. Infective Disease Hospital (IDH), Austinpatti, Madurai

5. All District hospitals

Approved Laboratories for Testing for A(H1N1) in Tamil Nadu

1.  King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy, Chennai

2. Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore

3. JIPMER Hospital, Puduchery (Pondicherry)

Hyderabad
Govt Chest Hospital
E S I Hospital Road, S R Nagar
Erragadda, Hyderabad-500018
+91-40-23814421
+91-40-23814422

Kolkata
Beliaghata Id Hospital
57 Beliaghata Main Road
Kolkata-700010
+91-33-23701251
+91-33-23701252
+91-33-23601251
+91-33-23601252

Mumbai
Kasturba Hospital
Sane Guruji Road
Jacob Circle
Opp Arthur Road Jail
Mahalaxmi, Mumbai-400011
+91-22-23083901
+91-22-23054831
+91-22-23004325

Delhi
Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
Ward No 5, Baba Kharak Singh Marg
Connaught Place-110001
+91-11-23921401
+91-11-24525211

Pune
Naidu Hospital
Near Le Meridian Hotel
Raja Bahadur Mill, Pune GPO
Pune-411001
+91-20-26058243
+91-20-26058842

The article below is by my friend Priya Subramanian. Some of her experiences in Chennai and places to visit. Very useful for people wanting to know more places they can shop, eat out etc. Enjoy!

Last time while I was at Chennai, I totally went nuts on eating out, shopping and hanging out with my best-est-est friends. Many of my friends and family here in the US have been asking me for info on all the ‘wheres’, so I just thought I’d pen it here rather than sending individual emails.

Restaurants:

~ Cream Centre (near Chennai Kaliappa/Billroth Hospital) – for awesome parathas and chaats
~ Sigri (in Quality Inn, Aruna) – for yummee starters, dum Biryanis etc
~ Tangerine Restaurant (Alwarpet) – for spicy Paneer Kababs
~ Ajnabhi Mithai Ghar (Egmore Fountain Plaza) – for Chaat
~ Shree Mithai (Spencers or Chetpet) – for Channa Baturas, pedas, kathlis, bengali sweets etc
~ Copper Chimney (near Music Academy) – just about everything’s good!
~ Annalakshmi (Mount Road) – for exotic juices and thaalis! Lovely ambience too!!
~ Dakshin (Park Sheraton) – for Aapams and stew
~ GRT Grand Days and Mathsya – good buffets (at Mathsya, kids eat for free)

Of course, there’s the usual Vrindavan, Murugan Idli shop (yummee kutty vengaya uthappams), Saravana Bhavan, Gangotree, Mansukh etc. Don’t forget to grab Pan Kajur at Mansukh for a scrumptious post-meal experience!! Coffee Day at Kasturba Nagar houses delectable veggie tikka sandwiches.

Clothes:

This designer’s name is Mrs.Bhuvana Ramanan and she runs an ethnic boutique, ‘Vasthara’ in Thiruvanmiyur. Her numbers are:
9940388815
9790977773
She pretty much does everything from salwars to kurtas to kurtis to sarees to just dupattas etc etc and has her own fabric. I totally fell in love with every inch of clothing she designed for me this time.

Trinkets and other paraphernalia:

~ Seventh Sense (Mrs. Kanchana Ganesh) – you get really neat terracotta sets and gifts here.
~ Sundari Silks (t.nagar) – my favorites for ethnic pavadais for kids, ethnic gifts, jewellery, ethnic skirts, tops, podavais etc.
~ Golu Bommais – there is this great guy in Saidapet who makes his own bommais and packs them up really nicely for shipping to the US. His bommais have really sharp features and his sets are quite different/novel. I will post his number soon..
~ Cane and Bamboo (Ethiraj salai, Egmore) – http://www.caneandbamboo.in/

Temples:

~ There is a beautiful Shirdi Sai Baba temple at Injambakkam, Chennai (near Prarthana open air theatre). Try to visit if you can.
~ Shri Muralidhara Swamiji’s ashram at Manimangalam/Malaipattu graamam (just past thambaram) houses a lovely Gurukulam/Veda Paatashala/Goshaala and its such a pleasant retreat of sorts for any visitor.

Movie Theatres:

~ INOX in Chennai City Center and Sathyam Theatres are my favorites for a phenomenal audio/video and overall experience. Oh and they both have online booking and home delivery of tickets too!

I would really encourage y’all to add more to my list above.

I wish you an enjoyable trip to the glamorous and one and only Singaara Chennai!!