My Musings

GEMS of Mylapore. RR Sabha. Mylapore, Chennai is well-known for its cultural, bhakti, historical background. Even today the one place everyone wishes to visit Mylapore for its cultural brilliance. There is that world-famous temple of Sri Karpagambal sametha Sri Kapaleeswara. Around this temple are its four Maada Veethis (streets) - East, West, South, and North Maada Veethis. The East Maada veethi is the location for many cultural centres like Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Rasika Ranjani Sabha (RR Sabha). The RR Sabha is the oldest Sabha in the whole of Chennai, it was founded in 1929. It is located in Sundareshwarar Street at the southern end of the East Maada street near Lady Sivaswami Iyer School (more about this famous school later). Carnatic music concerts were held monthly twice then, dramas were staged, and music classes were also conducted there. It was renovated in 1958 and Smt MS amma was the first to perform in the new auditorium. Yearly membership was just 20.00 then, and...

NEW YEAR EVE. On the New Year eve (31 Dec 2009), Vijaya and I went to Mylapore. Collected a NY calendar from Lakshmi Vilas Bank. To Giri traders, and there purchased a lot of books. At the Music Section we saw heaps of the latest DVD of Smt Vishakha Hari – Sri ANDAL THIRUKKALYANAM; we promptly purchased one. Then to Sri Kapaleeswarar Koil, my most favourite koil. Onto South Mada Street, we purchased vegetables for tomorrow’s Thiruvathirai Pandigai. No place like South Mada Veedhi for vegetables – this is my firm view. To Ramakrishna Math Bookshop and purchased two copies of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. One of these is for Padma akka, to whom I am giving as a New Year/Pongal Gift. Back home, Arvind told we are going for dinner to EDEN restaurent. This restaurent is just 4 minutes’ walk from our house!I ate Roti with Dal Tadka; Vijaya had Rumali Roti with Aloo Gobi. As we neared our home, Vijaya and I decided to go to the beach to see the Sea water in the Paurnami moonlight. It was a ...