From today, smarts card to replace ration cards in TN

The smart family cards scheme is finally becoming a reality. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is unveiling it on Saturday at Ambattur in the city.

The CM will launch the scheme and commence distribution of essential commodities using the cards at a cost of Rs 330 crore through video conferencing. He will also deliver a special address.

Sources said the cards have already been sent to the respective District Collectorates and they would be issued to the ration card holders across the State from Saturday.

The ration cards that were in use in the State at present, were issued in 2005.

Although the cards expired in 2009, the government had continued with the same card by pasting additional
papers.

There are 1.96 crore family cardholders in the state and government offers subsidy to supply of food grains. In the last five years, the AIADMK regime had spent Rs 24,450 crore towards food subsidy.

Recently in a related development, cooperation minister Sellur K Raju had a review with officials about supply in PDS outlets run by the department.

By-poll: EC gets tough as one arrested for money distribution and 4 officials transferred

The Chennai police on Friday arrested a man for distributing money to voters of R K Nagar constituency.

The man identified as Karunamurthy is said to belong to AIADMK Amma faction. Karunamurthy was detained for violating the model code of conduct.

The police detained him following instructions from the EC, it is learnt.

Meanwhile, acting on complaints, the poll body ordered the transfer of two police inspectors, one electoral registration officer and one assistant returning officer working in the constituency.

The Election Commission directed the state government to transfer S Ramesh Babu, inspector of police, H5 New Washermenpet police station; N Balakrishna Prabhu, inspector, H3 Tondiarpet police station; Vijayakumar, zonal officer (also electoral registration officer); and Sekar, tahsildar and assistant returning officer.

Meanwhile, with the R K Nagar byelection hardly 10 days away, political parties are optimizing their resources for their campaigns.

While the AIADMK (Amma) and DMK are dependent on ministers and MLAs, the AIADMK (Puratchithalaivi Amma) is roping in small party cadres to campaign for its candidate E Madhusudhanan.

Amy Jackson turns producer

Amy Jackson is no more just an actress, for she has turned a producer for a short film which is aimed at creating awareness on the cruelty towards animals.

Along with her friend, Amy Jackson is bankrolling the movie, which also discusses about preventive measures to ensure the safety of animals.

In a statement, the Madrasapattinam actress said, "We will shoot for the film soon. I will also be a part of it, though I won’t act in the film. I will be speaking about my experience of making the movie."

She added: "It will have a few real stories. I believe that cruelty to animals is a serious issue and it’s important that it’s discussed more."

Recently, Amy Jackson sustained injuries while shooting for an ad film in London.

According to sources, the incident happened when she had to run as part of the shoot. "She suffered sprain and fell down. She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors asked her to be on rest for a week," sources said.

The British born actress returned to London only recently, after she completed the shoot of 2.0, which has Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead, in Chennai.

Vishal's wedding next year

Superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan laid the foundation stone for Nadigar Sangam building at Habibullah Road, T Nagar, Chennai, on Friday.

The event was also attended by Suriya, STR, Vishal, Nassar and many others.

After doing the formalities, Kamal spoke to the media where he said, "The new Nadigar Sangam building will serve as a huge castle to the actors".

Rajini remarked, "The Nadigar Sangam foundation laying ceremony is a success. From now on, success will follow"

Nasser, the president of Nadigar Sangam, said, "We are just doing our duty. We always knew this is going to happen, so we didn't say anything, we kept quiet.

We thought our action should speak. We have started work on the building, and this is the answer to all the questions that have been asked of us."

Meanwhile, veteran actor Vijayakumar said that the first event to be held on the premises of the new office once it's completed will be Vishal's wedding.

"It will take a year-and-a half for the construction to be completed. If everything goes as per plan, the building will be inaugurated in 2018. Vishal had said this earlier, he still sticks to his plan of getting married as soon as the new place is ready," he said.

Malaysian PM meets Rajini

Malaysian Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Razak today met Superstar Rajinikanth at his home in Chennai today.

Soon after the meeting, the PM posted a selfie on his twitter page and wrote: "Just had a very warm n friendly meeting with Mr Rajnikanth the Tamil superstar at his home."

Speaking to reporters later, Rajini thanked Malaysian Prime Minister for visiting him. He also said he will be meeting his fans in Chennai from March 11 to 16.

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Top EC official in Chennai amid overflowing complaints about RK Nagar bypoll

The Election Commission on Thursday tightened the screws on the by-election to the RK Nagar Assembly constituency, scheduled for April 12, by putting in place more measures to ensure free and fair polls.

Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha met election officials and police officers and reviewed arrangements in Chennai on Thursday.

He along with senior officers held meetings with representatives of 10 recognised political parties in the State.

AIADMK Amma senior leader and Minister C Ve Shanmugam said, "We had complained about the blatant violations of the Election Commission order by AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma five days ago and there has not been any action on that yet. They are trying to manipulate the voters with the symbol. We raised the issue with the Deputy Election Commissioner."

Soon after his arrival, Sinha held a meeting with election observers.

Later, he held discussions with Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni, DEOs, State government and senior police officials,expenditure and other department authorities, following the opposition DMK's allegation and complaints of alleged distribution of money to the voters by the candidate of one of the AIADMK factions.

Meanwhile, AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) leader O Panneerselvam on Wednesday alleged that if T.T.V. Dhinakaran, the AIADMK (Amma) candidate in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency managed to win in the byelection, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami would certainly be asked to step down to make way for Dhinakaran.

Malaysian PM in Chennai, buzz over meeting with Rajini

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak arrived in Chennai on Thursday on a six-day visit to India.

On arrival, Najib, his wife Rosmah Mansor and the Malaysian delegation were welcomed by the High Commissioner of Malaysia to India, Hidayat Abdul Hamid, Malaysia's Consul-General in Chennai, Ahmad Fajarazam Abdul Jalil, and Tamil Nadu government Principal Secretary Shiv Das Meena.

During his official visit, the prime minister is scheduled to visit New Delhi and Jaipur also. This is Najib’s third visit to India since assuming office as the prime minister in 2009.

In New Delhi, Najib will be accorded an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace, a courtesy call on the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee followed by a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and a bilateral Meeting with senior members of both delegations.

Meanwhile, there is a buzz that Superstar Rajinikanth might replace King Khan as the brand ambassador of Malaysian Tourism.

Reports suggest that the Minister of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, proposed Rajini’s name and indicated that Malacca should replace Shah Rukh to appoint Rajinikanth as the state’s tourism ambassador. Apparently, it was well received by the MPs of the Malaysian Parliament.

While it is said that the visiting Malaysian PM might meet Rajini in Chennai, there is no confirmation about it yet.

Update on Vijayakanth's health

In an apparent bid to put full-stop to rumours surrounding the health condition of actor DMDK president Vijayakanth, his wife and the party's women's wing leader Premalatha on Thursday said he is fine and is in hospital for a routine check-up.

"There is nothing to worry about Captain's health. He is completely alright. He is in the hospital for annual general check-up," she told reporters.

She also said she would sure campaign for DMDK's candidate at RK Nagar by-election.

Vijayakanth was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai last week.

A statement released by party stated that he has been admitted to undertake a general medical check-up and it is Vijayakanth's routine to go for one every year.

He will be in the hospital for a couple of days, the statement said and requested party cadres to avoid visiting him in the hospital.

Chennai Power Shutdown Areas on 01-04-2017

Power supply will be suspended in the following areas on 01-04-17 between 9.00 A.M. to 2.00 P.M. for maintenance work. Supply will be resumed before 2.00 P.M. if the works are completed.

KODAMBAKKAM AREA: Kamaraj colony 4th st to 9th st, Janakiammal st, part of Rangarajapuram main road (Door no. 58 to 74, 108 to 120), Gugan st, Govindaraj st, Rathina Sabapathy st.

PERUNGUDI AREA: Kazura Garden, Renga reddy garden, MGR Salai, Sandeep avenue, Chinna Neelankarai kuppam.

Now, Sana Khan too in Simbu's AAA

It seems an army of beautiful women are part of Simbu's upcoming film Anbanavan Asarathavan Adangathavan (AAA), directed by Adhik Ravichandran.

After Tamannah, Shriya Saran and Neetu Chandra, Sana Khan has now been roped in to be part of the movie. It is said Sana would play a gangster.

It may be recalled that Sana and Simbu had shared the screen space earlier in Silambattam.

According to sources, scenes on Sana will be shot in Bangkok and the team is leaving to Thailand. "Sana will be leaving on April 1. She will be seen as an aggressive girl, a gangster," they said.

They added: "She will be the pair of one of Simbu's three characters. Scenes involving Sana and Simbu will be shot during this lengthy schedule."

Neetu said recently: "I will be shooting for my portions from April mid-week. I'm told that this schedule will take place both in Chennai and abroad. I am glad to be a part of the team and looking forward to the shooting."

Already Shriya Saran and Tamannah are there in the movie, in which Simbu plays a triple role for the first time.

In his recent Facebook chat session, STR has revealed that his third look in the film will be a huge surprise.

Hindu prayers to open both Nevada Senate & Assembly on April 7

Both Nevada State Senate and Nevada Assembly in Carson City will open with Hindu mantras on April seven, containing verses from world’s oldest existing scripture.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver the invocations from ancient Sanskrit scriptures before the Senate and Assembly. After Sanskrit delivery, he then will read the English translation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.

Zed, who is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, will recite from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. He plans to start and end the prayer with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed plans to say “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”, which he will then interpret as “Lead us from the unreal to the Real, Lead us from darkness to Light, and Lead us from death to immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he proposes to urge Senators and Assembly-members to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

In the state of Nevada, Zed has already delivered Hindu prayers at City Councils of Las Vegas, Henderson, Sparks and Boulder City; in addition to Clark County Board of Commissioners and Carson City Board of Supervisors. Besides Nevada, he has also read opening prayers in United States Senate, US House of Representatives, various state senates and houses of representatives, county boards and city councils all over USA.

Bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award, Rajan Zed is a global Hindu and interfaith leader, who besides taking up the cause of religion worldwide, has also raised huge voice against the apartheid conditions faced by about 15-million Roma (Gypsies) in Europe.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

With Lieutenant Governor Mark A. Hutchison as President, Nevada State Senate has 21 members. With Jason Frierson as Speaker, Nevada Assembly has 42 members. Nevada, largest gold producer and 7th largest state, was admitted to USA in 1864. Nevada, also called “Silver State”, is known for Las Vegas, Burning Man, Lake Tahoe, etc. Brian E. Sandoval is Governor.

Learn English through Shakespeare's plays and Dahl's stories

British Council is conducting a Summer School for children between 7 and 17 years to come together to develop their English language skills. It is an opportunity in a fun-filled environment, under the guidance of internationally-qualified teachers. These summer classes will have two themes: Shakespeare (whose four hundredth death anniversary recently concluded) and Roald Dahl (whose hundredth birth anniversary celebrations are underway). Summer School is being organised in four batches: for children aged 7 - 10 years, 11 - 12 years, 13 - 14 years, and 15 - 17 years. Each Summer School will be conducted over two weeks, comprising 30 hours, with 3-hour classes each weekday. The first Summer School will begin on 01 May 2017, and end on 12 May 2017, and the second Summer School will begin on 18 May 2017 and close on 31 May 2017.

Summer School aims at developing students’ speaking, writing, reading and listening skills, as well enhancing their grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, by engaging deeply with Shakespeare’s and Roald Dahl’s fascinating narratives. In addition, children will enact role-plays, create film scripts, write sonnets or limericks, narrate stories and participate in many more fun and educative sessions. The activity-based lessons for children are designed to generate self-confidence and reduce stage fear, develop creativity, hone team-working skills and improve communication skills in English.

On the last day of Summer School, parents are welcome to watch a play scripted, directed, staged and enacted by their children, based on one of Shakespeare’s or Dahl’s popular works.

To Register:

Call 0120 456 9000 / 0120 668 4353

Email Winya.Suzanna@in.britishcouncil.org or SMS English to 567678

About British Council:

The British Council is recognised across India for its network of 9 libraries and cultural centres. We offer a range of specialised projects in arts, education, exams, English language and society to audiences across India and more than 100,000 members. We also provide access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers, offer UK qualifications in India and enable opportunities to study in the UK.

We also manage prestigious scholarships and training awards, including the Jubilee scholarships, the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan and the Charles Wallace India Trust awards. Our English language centres in Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata provide a range of general and business English classes, specialised skills based programmes and young learner courses. We work with a wide range of Indian partners in cities all over India enabling British and Indian experts to meet and collaborate and to nurture mutually beneficial relationships.

Aparna Balamurali marks her Tamil debut through ‘8 THOTTAKKAL’

Whether it may be the teaser or it may be the scintillating songs, it has to be said that the film ‘8 THOTTAKKAL’ is gradually increasing the expectation level of the Audience, especially when the rhythmic master Yuvanshankar Raj has bagged the musical rights of the film. It is a must to say that the mind blowing promotional strategies for the film is creating waves in all over Tamilnadu. Produced by M. Vellapandiyan under the banner ‘Vetrivel Saravana cinemas’ jointly with I B karthikeyan of ‘BIGPRINT Pictures’, the new-age -cop thriller ‘8 Thottakkal’ is directed by debutante Sri Ganesh, former assistant of Director Mysskin. The sharp-edged ‘8Thottakkal’ that has debutante Vetri and Aparna Balamurali of ‘Maheshinte Prathikaaram’ fame in the lead will be released on April 7th by Sakthivel under the banner ‘Sakthivel Film Factory’.

“I am very much happy to step into the Tamil film industry through ‘8 Thottakkal’, which is well built up by a young and energetic team. I play as a Journalist named Meera Vasudevan, who wants to live independently. Our Hero is a very silent person and I am the one who will be moving friendly with him during his bad times. But my character not stops here; it moves in a different track which will be far away from the Audience’s expectations. Apart from acting, I have sung a song too called ‘Manipaaya’, composed by KS Sundaramurthy, and I am glad to know that the song is receiving positive comments from the Audience” says Aparna Balamurali, the female lead of ‘8 THOTTAKKAL’ enthusiastically.

BMW Plant Chennai scores a decade of “Sheer Driving Pleasure” in India

Today, BMW Plant Chennai celebrated 10 years of production excellence in India.

The BMW Plant Chennai started operations on 29 March 2007. Since then, the BMW Group has strengthened its commitment to the Indian market and has continuously increased the number of its locally produced car models. Up to eight car models can be locally produced on two assembly lines at BMW Plant Chennai. Presently, the BMW 1 Series, the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, the BMW 5 Series, the BMW 7 Series, the BMW X1, the BMW X3 and the BMW X5 are locally produced at BMW Plant Chennai. Till date over 57000 cars have been locally assembled.

Mr. Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India said, “It is a day of great joy and pride for all of us at BMW Group to celebrate the 10th anniversary of BMW Plant Chennai. The sheer driving pleasure of our customers has been shaped with the fascinating portfolio of products built at the BMW Plant Chennai, which has laid the foundation for BMW Group’s success story in India. The precision in quality achievements perfectly complement the advanced technology in the cars and the multiple facets of the luxury brand. In the years to come, BMW Plant Chennai will play a crucial role in fostering BMW Groups ambitions in India.”

Celebrating the ‘Make in India’ initiative, BMW has further strengthened its commitment to the Indian market by increasing the level of localisation at BMW Plant Chennai to over 50 percent.

Dr. Jochen Stallkamp, Managing Director, BMW Plant Chennai, said, “BMW Plant Chennai is proud to complete a decade of production excellence in India. I congratulate the team for producing cars with more than 50 percent localisation content and achieving the high international quality standards as any of the BMW production facilities globally. Highly qualified employees, remarkably refined systems and the most modern technology ensure that our production quality creates new benchmark in manufacturing of luxury cars in India.”

Located in Mahindra World City, about 40 Kilometer northwest of Chennai, BMW Plant Chennai hosts state-of-the-art systems engineering, more than 500 highly qualified employees and sophisticated manufacturing processes which are the prerequisites for the production of premium cars in keeping with supreme quality standards.

BMW Group India:

With its three brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group has its sight set firmly on the premium sector of the Indian automobile market. Along with automobiles and motorcycles, the BMW Group's activities in India comprise of financial services for its premium clientele. Till date, BMW Group has invested 11.3 billion Indian Rupees (€ 167 million) in its subsidiaries in India. (BMW India –INR 4.9 billion (€ 69 million) and BMW Financial Services India – INR 6.4 billion (€ 98 million).

BMW India is a 100% subsidiary of the BMW Group and is headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region). The wide range of BMW activities in India include a manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Mumbai, a training centre in Gurgaon NCR and development of a dealer organisation across major metropolitan centres of the country.

The total number of employees at BMW Group India is over 650. More than 1,200 additional jobs have been created in the dealer and service network.

BMW India is the pioneer in bringing luxurious dealerships to India. BMW India has set a decisive course by setting up BMW dealerships of international standards across the country. BMW India has also set very high standards in service quality and customer care. Currently, BMW India has 41 sales outlets in the Indian market.

BMW India offers ‘BMW Premium Selection’ with the finest range of pre-owned BMW vehicles that are carefully selected and comprehensively examined for quality. BMW Premium Selection vehicles can be ordered through exclusive BMW Premium Selection dealerships at 13 locations in the Indian market.

BMW i stands for visionary electric cars and mobility services, inspiring design and a new understanding of premium that is strongly defined by sustainability. BMW i8, plug-in hybrid sports car, is available at four BMW i dealerships as a Completely Built-up Unit (CBU).

MINI has successfully established itself as a premium small car brand in India. Presently, the MINI model range in India includes the MINI 3-door, MINI 5-door, MINI Convertible, MINI Countryman and the MINI Clubman. MINI has established five exclusive dealerships in India.

The International Purchasing Office (IPO) established in Gurgaon identifies and assesses potential suppliers for BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorcycles taking into account BMW Group’s requirements for quality, technology and logistics. The IPO strongly focuses on increasing the sourcing of production material (components) as well as IT and engineering services from India to the BMW Group international production network.

BMW Financial Services India is a 100% subsidiary of the BMW Group and is headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region). BMW Financial Services India operates with three business lines: Retail Finance, Commercial Finance and Insurance Solutions (as corporate agents). The services offered through BMW Financial Services India are significantly valuable to the premium clientele who require exclusive and flexible financial solutions. Service excellence is the primary focus of operations across all business lines.

BMW Financial Services India offers solutions for retail automobile financing for BMW customers and multi make customers, financing for fleet owners and commercial financing for BMW dealerships and multi-make dealerships. Commercial finance solutions offered to BMW India dealerships further strengthen operations in the country and reinforce the BMW brand. BMW Financial Services India also offers BMW Lease for individuals and corporate customers. BMW Financial Services India offers insurance solutions (as corporate agents) to its customers through its cooperation partner in India.

The BMW Group:

With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and 145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

TII’s incubation cell launches India’s first online-only Bicycle brand

Tube Investments of India (TII), a part of the Murugappa Group, today launched India’s first exclusively-online bicycle brand, a new initiative of the company’s Corporate Strategy Group (CSG).

Branded ‘Brooks’, the range offers city, off-road and kids bicycles and will be available for sale on the e-store, BrooksBicycle.com. To begin with, nine models have been launched in the price range of Rs 5299–Rs 10,625 for both sexes across age-groups. The brand will also be made available through horizontal e-commerce portals – Flipkart to begin with.

The e-commerce initiative is aimed at accelerating bicycle sales in the country by targetting the millennial population, who show a strong preference to shop through online portals.

L. Ramkumar, Managing Director, Tube Investments of India, says, “Bicycles are a high-involvement product category. We are aiming to provide a seamless online buying experience to the new-gen consumer who prefers shopping online, and has so far been enjoying hassle-free, doorstep delivery of high-value purchases, like furniture, jewellery and electronics. Through our initiative, we are providing ready-to-roll products for those who want to take to cycling to lead an active lifestyle.”

Brooks has been launched in the three southern metros of Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad to begin with, where consumers have been identified as exhibiting this buying behaviour.

BrooksBicycle.com has been developed as a full-fledged purchase and service e-store. An option to gift bicycles, a ‘bike guide’ which helps the customer choose a suitable model, free home delivery, complete assembly and a repair service by Jeeves Consumer Services (the after-sales service provider), are among the features which provide a complete online buying experience.

About CSG:

The Brooks bicycle online business model has been formulated at the CSG, the incubation centre of TII. The CSG was started as an intrapreneurship and corporate strategy initiative in 2015, to exclusively focus on innovations and growth projects towards making the company future-ready, with four members comprising of one strategist each of the company’s four divisions,.

“The mandate for CSG was to develop concepts ground-up to drive growth in existing and new areas. The CSG has also developed into a platform where young and innovative talent are exposed to exciting projects,” says Mr. Ramkumar. The CSG team is currently working on a series of projects covering both B2B and B2C initiatives.

About Brooks:

Brooks has been a part of TII’s brand portfolio and has been re-launched for this e-commerce initiative.

The double ‘O’ in the Brooks logo symbolises the bicycle pedal to evoke the happy memories associated with a rider’s first cycling experience.

About Tube Investments of India:

The INR 40 billion Tube Investments of India Limited (TII) is one of the leading companies of the Murugappa Group. A specialised multi-divisional engineering and manufacturing company, TII provides mobility solutions for businesses and consumers alike. The Company has 17 manufacturing units in India and is supported by an extensive marketing network. The Company's key business divisions, namely TI Cycles, Tube Products of India, TI Diamond Chains, TI Metal Forming, Shanthi Gears, Financiere C10 and TI Tsubamex, are leaders in the segments of bicycles and components, precision steel tubes and cold rolled strips, large diameter tubes, roller chains and other metal formed products used in the automotive industries.

For more details, visit www.tiindia.com

About the Murugappa Group:

Founded in 1900, the INR 295 Billion Murugappa Group is one of India's leading business conglomerates. The Group has 28 businesses including nine listed Companies traded in NSE & BSE. Headquartered in Chennai, the major Companies of the Group include Carborundum Universal Ltd., Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd., Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd., Coromandel International Ltd., Coromandel Engineering Company Ltd., E.I.D. Parry (India) Ltd., Parry Agro Industries Ltd., Parry Sugar industries Ltd, Shanthi Gears Ltd., Tube Investments of India Ltd., and Wendt (India) Ltd.

Market leaders in served segments including Abrasives, Auto Components, Transmission systems, Cycles, Sugar, Farm Inputs, Fertilisers, Plantations, Bio-products and Nutraceuticals, the Group has forged strong alliances with leading international companies such as Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Foskor, Mitsui Sumitomo, Morgan Advanced Materials, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM), Yanmar & Co. and Compagnie Des Phosphat De Gafsa (CPG). The Group has a wide geographical presence all over India and spanning 6 continents.

Renowned brands like BSA, Hercules, Montra, Ladybird, Mach City, Ballmaster, Ajax, Parry’s, Chola, Gromor, Shanthi Gears and Paramfos are from the Murugappa stable. The Group fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 32,000 employees.

For more details, visit www.murugappa.com

Reliance completes transaction for the sale of its interest in (GAPCO) to total

Pursuant to the Sale agreements signed by Reliance Exploration & Production DMCC (“REPDMCC”), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (“RIL”) and TOTAL, for the sale of the entire 76% interest held by REPDMCC in the Mauritius-incorporated Gulf Africa Petroleum Corporation (“GAPCO”), REPDMCC, TOTAL and GAPCO have obtained requisite regulatory approvals, consents and successfully completed the sale transaction.

GAPCO is a holding company with operating subsidiaries in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda which are primarily engaged in petroleum product import, and trading, storage, distribution, marketing, supply and transportation of oil products in East Africa. Since the acquisition of 76% equity interest in GAPCO by REPDMCC in 2007, GAPCO has significantly grown and is one of leading petroleum marketing company in East Africa owning retail outlets as well as onshore and offshore terminals.

REPDMCC’s sale of its interest in GAPCO is part of a joint transaction, wherein REPDMCC as well as the minority shareholder have sold their entire respective holdings in GAPCO for cash.

About Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is India’s largest private sector company, with a consolidated turnover of INR 2,96,091 crore ($44.7 billion), cash profit of INR 40,737 crore ($6.1 billion), and net profit of INR 27,630 crore ($4.2 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2016.

RIL is the first private sector company from India to feature in Fortune’s Global 500 list of ‘World’s Largest Corporations’ – currently ranking 215th in terms of revenues, and 126th in terms of profits. RIL ranks 238th in the Financial Times’ FT Global 500 list (2015) of world’s largest companies. RIL ranks 121st on the Forbes Global 2000 list (2016), continuing to be the top-ranked Indian company. RIL's activities span hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and 4G digital services.

About TOTAL:

Total is a global integrated energy producer and provider, a leading international oil and gas company, and the world’s second-ranked solar energy operator with SunPower and Total Solar. Its 98,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, cleaner, more efficient, more innovative and accessible to as many people as possible. Total focuses on ensuring that its operations in more than 130 countries worldwide consistently deliver economic, social and environmental benefits. total.com

About Total Marketing & Services:

Total Marketing & Services develops and markets products primarily derived from crude oil, along with all of the associated services. With 32,000 employees in 150 countries, Total Marketing & Services serves more than 4 million customers daily throughout its network of over 16,500 service stations. As the world’s fourth largest distributor of lubricants and the leading distributor of petroleum products in Africa, Total Marketing & Services operates 50 production sites worldwide where it manufactures the lubricants, bitumen, additives, special fuels and fluids that sustain its growth.

Lorry strike starts, supply of goods to get affected

An indefinite lorry strike in the southern states commenced today to highlight various demands, including a cut in third party premium that has been increased by 50 per cent.

The indefinite strike, which started at 6 am today, is expected to bring the movement of goods to a grinding halt in all the five southern States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka and Kerala along with the Union Territory of Puducherry.

A top office-bearer of lorry owners association said the rise in insurance premium of various insurance companies and even third-party insurance, toll collection has forced the association to call for a strike demanding that the Union government interfere and resolve the problems at the earliest.

"All transport vehicles will come to a halt from 6 am on March 30. Only vehicles carrying essential commodities are exempted from the strike," said SIMTA president Gopal Naidu.

“The Association had expressed their disregard for the 50 per cent insurance rise by the Insurance Regulatory Department Authority (IRDA), which was to be implemented from April 1. They were assured that there would not be a rise in the insurance,” said C. Dhanraj, secretary, state Lorry Owners’ Federation, Tamil Nadu.

Thanks to the initiative of Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, senior officials of the Union Transport Ministry held discussion with the office-bearers of SIMTA led by its president Gopal Naidu, and secretary G. R. Shanmugappa, held in New Delhi on Tuesday when the Centre accepted to keep the increase in insurance for vehicles in abeyance till a joint meeting is convened to discuss this issue.

RK Nagar: EC ups surveillance, appoints more observers

The Election Commission has appointed two more Observers, Mallikarjun Utture and Sameer Tekriwal, both IRS officers, for the RK Nagar bypoll, in addition to three Observers earlier appointed by the commission.

In the wake of the Election Commission of India receiving complaints from political parties that the ruling AIADMK is distributing cash for votes in poll bound RK Nagar, ECI appointed two additional observers and increased the number of video surveillance squads on Wednesday.

According to sources with public elections department the appointment of additional observers was to add more surveillance in the constituency.

The Observers will be based at Chepauk State guest house. Public and political parties can contact them and register complaints.

Contact numbers were also provided for the two observers, Sameer Tekriwal (9445036533) and Mallikarjun Utture (9445036536).

The Greater Chennai Corporation has also set up a toll free number (1800-4257012) at the control room in Ripon Building.

With this the high profile constituency has five observers in place to monitor the election code.

Meanwhile a DMK delegation petitioned the ECI officials in Delhi seeking transfer of nine police and three election officers of different ranks for allegedly helping the ruling party to distribute cash for voters in the R.K. Nagar constituency.

Rajini to start new movement?

Amid reports which claimed that Superstar Rajinikanth has called for a meeting of office-bearers of his fan clubs to discuss 'crucial issues', it has emerged that he might start a service organisation soon.

A report in a Tamil investigative bi-weekly said prime minister Narendra Modi would attend the inauguration of the organisation.

Though Rajini's publicist has refuted reports about the proposed meeting with fan clubs office-bearers on April 2, reports said fans of Rajinikanth will meet on April 2 in Chennai for a consultative meet in which they are hoping for the superstar’s participation.

A meeting of the Rajinikanth Fans Association has been convened for “consultations,” a senior functionary was quoted as saying by a news agency.

The sudden announcement about the meeting has trigerred speculation on whether the actor will be once again pursuaded to take the political plunge, a demand which he has been resisting.

The meeting has gained significance, as it has come at a time when Rajini was stopped from going to Sri Lanka following requests made by MDMK chief Vaiko, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalan and Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi chief T Velmurugan.

There is no clear information on the agenda of the meeting, though there are rumours that Rajini may discuss politics with his fans. It is to be noted that he had already announced that he does not support any political party in the RK Nagar by-election.

Kavan tamil movie story revealed

Huge expectations have surrounded K V Anand's Kavan starring Vijay Sethupathi and T Rajendhar, which is set to hit the screens this weekend.

A report from Singapore Censors says, "Kavan revolves around Tilak, a television show host and his team who boldly bring to light the corrupt operations of a television channel."

The film is rated by the Singapore Censors as PG13 with an advisory of 'Some Violence'. The movie, it is learnt, runs for 2.40 hours.

Kavan is a social thriller film directed by K V Anand written with Subha and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna Sebastian in lead roles with Vikranth, T. Rajendar, Pandiarajan, Jagan and Akashdeep Saighal in pivotal roles.

The film, which has a soundtrack and score composed by Hiphop Tamizha, began production in July 2016.

After the release of Anegan director K V Anand expressed his desire to commence his next film which is said to be on the lines of the directors own Ko.

The project was confirmed on 22 March 2016, with Vijay Sethupathi has joined hands with popular director KV Anand for this mega budget film.

'Bolt of Blue Collection' by AIM for Seva Krupa Home

As part of World Autism Day AIM for Seva Krupa Home is proud to launch the 'Bolt of Blue' Collection, handmade by autistic adults at our residential facility. Fabric hand-woven by adults with developmental disabilities has been tailored into purses, bags, folders, lunch bags and cloth napkins.

AIM for Seva Krupa Home has been actively working towards creating ‘work centers’ where adults with developmental disabilities can be meaningfully occupied. This adds to their sense of self-worth and happiness. We are delighted to announce that AIM for Seva Krupa Home will be setting up more looms to teach and encourage more residents to weave, as part of the occupational therapy programme.

The products are available at the AIM for Seva office in Mylapore, Chennai. Please contact Ms.Sumita Pai at 91 – 95000 82142 / sumitaaimforseva@gmail.com for more details.

About Krupa Home

Disability is a functional limitation within the individual caused by physical, intellectual, emotional, or sensory impairments. People with disability need continual assistance in order to complete everyday tasks, and some may have behavioural problems that require supervision - this is the support extended by Krupa Home. Our team of trained special educators create a homely environment for the residents, and help them live life with dignity and cheer.

It was Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s vision to create a model community for these adults to lead a life of meaning and purpose; he understood the difficulties and pressures parents faced, as marriage, career and the future of these adults were in question. In order to help both, parents and their children - giving them a life that reflects self worth, achievement, independence and happiness -Krupa Home was launched in 2010.

Salient Features of Krupa Home

• The facility is located on 10 acres, amidst rich flora and fauna.


• The residents are taught weaving, gardening and craftwork; these activities support their motor skills and hand-eye coordination.


• The fees for enrolment are minimal.

“The ‘AAA’ combo (Arulnithi – Ajmal – Ananadaraj) will add life to ‘IRAVUKKU AAYIRAM KANGAL” says Director Mu Maran

The hype level for Arulnithi – Mahima Nambiar starrer ‘IRAVUKKU AAYIRAM KANGAL’ aka ‘IAK’ is increasing day by day because of the addition of strong cast and crew. After roping in Mahima Nambiar and Music Director Vishal Chandrasekar, the team IRAVUKKU AAIYRAM KANGAL has now added Actors Ajmal and Anandharaj in their cast list. The shooting of this one night crime story – Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, directed by debutante Mu Maran and produced by G Dillibabu of ‘Axess Film Factory’ will be commencing from March 31st.

“The character of Anandaraj sir will act as one of the powerful shades for our IAK. The body language and dialogues of his character will definitely put the entire Audience in laughter. We are quite confident that this unique AAA combo - Arulnithi sir, Ajmal and Anandaraj sir will be definitely loved by all sets of Audience” says Director Mu Maran with great confidence.⁠⁠⁠⁠

‘CUCKOO’ fame Malvika Nair is confirmed as the heroine of ‘Arasiyala Idhellam Saadharanamappa.’

In her maiden film "Cuckoo" Malvika Nair the heroine of the film has captured the entire Tamil audience by her realistic performance. After a gap, the pretty actress Malvika Nair who is on the top of the priority list in Telugu, is back into the Tamil Film industry through ‘Arasiyala Idhellam Saadharanamappa’. Produced by one of the most successful distributor Mahesh Govindaraaj of ‘Auraa Cinemas’, this out-and-out comedy flick ‘Arasiyala Idhellam Saadharanamappa’ aka ‘AIS’ is directed by debutante Avinash Hariharan, who is well known for his short films and commercials. While Veera of Rajathandhiram fame plays the male lead, the songs and BGMs are composed by Madley Blues.

“Our script needed a performance oriented artist who could do justice for her role, and the first name sparked in our minds is Malvika Nair. As soon as she heard the script, she nodded an immediate yes to be a part of AIS, and I am quite sure that her character will be totally contrasting from the role she has played in cuckoo. Our shooting started on 27.03.2017 at Pondicherry and Malvika will be here for four days, and again she will be joining with our team in the month of April” reveals Director Avinash Hariharan.

Actor Shyam Prasad's grandfather Prof. K.Venkatachari passed away

My grandfather Prof. K.Venkatachari passed away at 1.45am on 26th March.

He was a retired English professor(NGM college, Pollachi),

Artist (More than 1000 paintings to his credit), Photographer, Writer (The glow of dusk, Manifestations of Lord Shiva, Kongunadu Temples, Dasavatharam, Thiruppavai-Thiruvambavai, etc)

All his paintings and write ups for the books done by him which involved lots of research work.

He was a writer, poet, artist, photographer, English professor. He was a multifaceted talented person.

We're praying for his Athma to attain Moksha.

Shyam Prasad

Infosys Joins the Open Invention Network Community

Open Invention Network (OIN), the largest patent non-aggression community in history with well over 2000 members, announced today that Infosys has joined OIN as a community member. As a leading IT services provider, and one of the most admired companies in India, Infosys believes that open source software (OSS) is a necessary enabler as enterprises worldwide use the Internet to build new consumer-centric and connected applications.

“We are pleased to have a premier global IT services firm, like Infosys, join the OIN community,” said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. “We appreciate Infosys’s leadership in joining OIN, and believe that those that look to the company for inspiration, both in and outside of India, will see the wisdom it has demonstrated by supporting patent non-aggression in Linux and adjacent open source technologies.”

“Open source software has become the primary engine of innovation, and should now be viewed as the key building block of all modern enterprise architectures. Innovation in areas like cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, DevOps and modern web frameworks are all happening in the open source ecosystem, and the adoption of these technologies in enterprises is benefiting from the foundation of Linux that enterprise IT departments have already invested in. Infosys is actively taking open source, and open source based products, to all our enterprise customers, and so we are extremely excited to become part of OIN, and we encourage others to join OIN as well to support this very important initiative.” said Navin Budhiraja, SVP - Head – Architecture & Technology, Infosys.

OIN’s community practices patent non-aggression in core Linux and adjacent open source technologies by cross-licensing Linux System patents to one another on a royalty-free basis. Patents owned by Open Invention Network are similarly licensed royalty-free to any organization that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System. The OIN license can be signed online at http://www.j-oin.net/.

About Infosys Ltd

Infosys is a global leader in technology services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to create and execute strategies for their digital transformation. From engineering to application development, knowledge management and business process management, we help our clients find the right problems to solve, and to solve these effectively. Our team of 199,000+ innovators, across the globe, is differentiated by the imagination, knowledge and experience, across industries and technologies that we bring to every project we undertake.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise thrive in the digital age.

About Open Invention Network

Open Invention Network (OIN) is the largest patent non-aggression community in history and supports freedom of action in Linux as a key element of open source software. Funded by Google, IBM, NEC, Philips, Red Hat, Sony, SUSE, and Toyota, OIN has more than 2,100 community members and owns more than 1,200 global patents and applications. The OIN patent license and member cross-licenses are available royalty free to any party that joins the OIN community.

For more information, visit http://www.openinventionnetwork.com.

Infosys positioned as a Major Player by IDC MarketScape: Service Providers for EMEA Utilities Vendor Assessment - 2017

Infosys has been positioned as a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Service Providers for EMEA Utilities 2017 Vendor Assessment (doc #EMEA41387516, February 2017). The company has been recognized for its ‘Renew and New’ strategy of transforming core IT services and leveraging emerging technologies like AI and analytics for new products and services.

The IDC MarketScape vendor assessment provides a comprehensive overview of services for the Utilities segment and assessed 15 service providers for the report. As per the report, “Infosys is a trusted transformation partner known for its ability to provide its clients with the right mix of technology options, competence, and innovation in execution. Its focus on automation using its artificial intelligence platform MANA to reduce cost and increase agility, and initiatives like Zero Distance are helping clients realize value beyond the contracted engagements.”

Highlights of Infosys in the report:

• Investments in products & platforms: Infosys is credited with a solutions portfolio that is well aligned to the future needs of the industry and an ability to co-innovate and commercialize solutions with their clients using initiatives like design thinking. This is amplified by recent acquisitions in the digital (Skava) and automation space (Panaya).


• Effective Delivery Model: Infosys' effective engagement model and delivery machine means the company has good client relationships, a credible delivery record, client recognition for value and flexibility.


• Innovative Offering: Infosys has a Utilities Experience Center in London to showcase innovative offerings and Innovation Fabrik in Berlin. This ‘living lab’ embodies Infosys' new customer engagement concept of ‘eEcosystem as a service’, bringing together the company's innovation accelerators and its network of technology partners, start-ups, academia and clients

About IDC MarketScape: IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360 degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

Security beefed up at Marina after protest rumours

Following reports in social media about students and youth planning to gather on the Marina beach again, the city police deployed more personnel on Kamarajar Road from Tuesday morning.

The messages in various social media platforms asked the people to assemble in the Marina beach to show their protest against the union government’s sanctioning of hydrocarbon extraction projects in Tamil Nadu.

The messages called for a protest similar to that of the jallikattu agitations in January to force the Centre stop the hydrocarbon projects in the Cauvery delta region.

“Any assembly, procession, demonstration and fast will not be permitted on the Marina from Napier Bridge to Light House," police said.

They added: "If anybody wants to conduct any peaceful agitation or protest, permission will be granted only in the list of permitted places.”

Cops also enquired those moving around suspiciously in the beach. A group of fishermen who reached the shores after fishing were instructed to go to their hamlets.

Protesting TN farmers meet Pranab, Jaitley

A delegation of Tamil Nadu farmers protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi met President Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other top guns of the Centre, and put forth their demands, including waiver of farms loans and drought relief package.

Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai, who visited the agitating farmers on Tuesday for a second time, assured them that the issue would be placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the earliest.

"We have met the ministers concerned and have even raised the issue in Parliament. It is not just the issue of one state, but pan-India. We will be meeting the PM on this," said Thambidurai.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who took part in the ongoing protest by Tamil Nadu farmers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday, on Tuesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant an appointment to the representatives of the agitating farmers "as early as possible for which crores and crores of farmers will be thankful" to the PM.

"Due to the failure of monsoon, adamant denial of Karnataka government despite the orders of the Supreme Court to release water in Cauvery, high cost of cultivation, meagre price of the produce, about 400 farmers in Tamil Nadu have committed suicide over a period of 12 months," he wrote to Modi.

Already, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi among others met the farmers, it may be recalled. Actors Vishal, Prakash Raj, Ramana and director Pandiraj too met them.

Rajini says he is touched by Lankan Tamils' love on him

As Tamils in Sri Lankan staged protests against some Tamil Nadu politicians for opposing his visit to the island nation, Superstar Rajinikanth has come out with an emotional statement.

"I came to know about your love on me through the media. I don't have words to thank you," he said.

"Let us think positive and good things will happen. We will meet at appropriate time. I pray God for your wellbeing," he added.

Hundreds of people on Monday protested in Sri Lanka's Jaffna against Tamil Nadu politicians under whose pressure superstar Rajinikanth cancelled his visit to the island nation where he was scheduled to hand over houses to displaced ethnic Tamils.

Protestors belonging to different parties, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), gathered near Jaffna's iconic Nallur Kovil. They held placards with slogans against the Tamil Nadu politicians.

On Saturday, Rajinikanth said he is cancelling his visit to Sri Lanka, where he was slated to unveil a free housing project for displaced Tamils.

However, he has asked leaders like Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi president Thol Thirumavalavan, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and Tamizhar Vazhvurimai Katchi's Velmurugan not to politicise his good intentions.

Lyca Productions had expressed sadness over the "negative environment" surrounding its charity programme involving Superstar Rajinikanth in Sri Lanka and denied links with the Rajapaksa family, as claimed by some outfits in Tamil Nadu.

Suriya embraced Islam?

Following a video that surfaced in the social media, in which Suriya was seen offering prayers in a mosque by wearing a skullcap, there were rumours that he has embraced Islam.

Following this, his spokesperson issued a clarification by saying: "The video was shot during Singam 2 shoot. On AR Rahman's friendly request, Suriya had visited the mosque in Kadapa. But news on him converting to Islam is baseless."

The video was shot three years ago in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, during the shoot of Singam 2 (2013).

Suriya's close associate Rajasekar Pandian, took to Twitter to put the rumours to rest.

Rajasekar clarified that this was an old video taken when Suriya had visited the Ameen Peer Dargah in Kadapa in 2013, and that he had done so on music composer AR Rahman's mother's invitation.

Meanwhile, a press note from the actor's side said: "Actor Suriya is not converted into Muslim, Its an old video during Singam2 shooting !!"

It added: "There is a rumour spreading that actor Suriya converted himself into a Muslim. There is a video where he is seen in Mosque, that is the reason for this confusion."

"That video happened during singam2 time when he was shooting in Kadapa. AR Rahman invited Suriya to a Mosque near kadapa and the video was recorded when he was praying there. So, its an old video and Suriya hasn’t converted to Muslim. The news spreading is a complete false."

“MS Baskar will definitely bag a national award for his role in ‘8 THOTTAKKAL” says Actor Nasser

Right from the day one since the new age cop thriller project ‘8 THOTTAKKAL’ has been on floors, the expectations of the Audience has been gradually increasing thanks to its powerful content.The expectations raised to its peak when the rhythmic master Yuvanshankar Raja has bagged the musical rights of 8 THOTTAKKAL.

Produced by M. Vellapandiyan under the banner ‘Vetrivel Saravana cinemas’ jointly with I B karthikeyan of ‘BIGPRINT Pictures’, the new-age -cop thriller ‘8 Thottakkal’ will be released in Tamilnadu by Sakthivel under the banner ‘Sakthivel Film Factory’. Directed by debutante Sri Ganesh, former assistant of Director Mysskin. The sharp-edged team of ‘8Thottakkal' has debutante Vetri and Aparna Balamurali (Malayalam film, Maheshinte Prathikaaram fame) in the lead roles and actors Nasser, M.S.Baskar, Amma Creations T.Siva, Mime Gopi and Meera Mithun in the pivotal roles.

“Tamil film industry is filling up with young talents in a very fast manner. In that case, I can strongly say that Director Sri Ganesh will be the new addition in that list. During the narration of the script, I was not very confident but still accepted the film for his idea. But after the 1st day shoot, I was totally carried away by his professionalism. One day MS Baskar has called me to watch a particular scene of him that he has portrayed in 8 Thottakkal, and I watched it. I am very sure that MS Baskar will bag the National Award for that one particular scene” says Actor Nasser confidently.

“I must appreciate IB Karthikeyan of ‘Big print Pictures’ for an excellent execution and Sakthi of Sakthivel film factory for choosing this content oriented flick; this assures a sure success. Introducing director Sri Ganesh will be the biggest service of the production company ‘Vetrivel Cinemas’ to the industry. Overall, I am very confident that ‘8 THOTTAKKAL’ will make Tamil film industry very proud” says Producer – Actor T Siva of Amma Creations with great enthusiasm.

Ranjani and Gayathri conferred with D.K Pattamal Award

Ranjani and Gayathri, well-renowned musician sisters were conferred with the title Isaijothi and D.K Pattamal Award to commemorate the 98th birth anniversary of Padma Vibhushan D.K. Pattamal, Legend of Carnatic music. The award was presented by Aanmajothi - cultural wing of Saraswathi Vidyalaya School and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Recalling her memories as a teenager, Ms Gayathri said,” Although the thought of playing for Ms. Pattamal was initially startling, her warm approach and attitude induced a lot of positive spirit.” An artist needs to be consistent and hardworking to sustain and produce extraordinary work, she added.

Expressing her gratitude upon receiving the award, Ms Ranjani said, “The growth of an artist depends on their gurus and critics, and we receive this award on behalf of everyone who have contributed to our growth.”

Musician Dr. Nithyasree Mahadevan also recalled about how her grandmother Pattamal would endlessly applaud the performance of Ranjani and Gayathri, as violinists. Adding further, she said, “This award is a recognition for their remarkable talent and I am happy to see the duo’s transformation from being exceptional Violinists to extraordinary Vocalists.” She also spoke about how Aanmajothi has been significantly contributing to music arena.

K.S. Natarajan, Principal, Saraswathi Vidyalaya said, “Our cultural wing Aanmajothi conducts about 30-40 concerts every year at various Corporation schools. T.M. Krishna and Sangeetha also conduct regular classes in music for these children. Nithyasree has also been immensely supportive.”

L. Sabaretnam, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, K.N Ramaswamy, Director, Bhavan’s Chennai Kendra and musician Geetha Rajasekar were also present.

Oru Kidayin karunai Manu is officially selected for the New York Indian Film Festival

Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu (English: One Goat's Mercy Petition reaches New York city .The much expected and most spoken about film from the Production and Distribution Giant, EROS "Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu" is literally going to places. The true to life script on rural practices is all set to capture the imagination of international audience with a world premiere at NYIFF. New York Indian film festival initiates this process.The Director, Suresh Sangiah earlier associated with Director Manikandan in the much acclaimed film, "Kaaka Muttai" which also did a successful round in various international film festivals, feels history is repeating for his film too.

“Films with good content will always be identified in the International Film Festivals, and now the same has happened for our OKKM as well. Our entire team is immensely happy to know that our film is selected for the New York Indian Film Festival. The movie will be screened on 6th May, 2017 at Village Theatre in New York City. With endorsements of these kind, which will earn respect from the audience and the trade circles alike, we would also like to announce that we will be releasing our prestigious film on 19th May, 2017,” says Sagar Sadhwani, the Senior Vice President of Eros International in a joyful tone.

Hindus laud efforts to bring yoga into New Jersey schools

Nationally recognized Rowan University (RU), a public research university in Glassboro (New Jersey), organized a symposium on March 24 regarding effectively bringing yoga based movement to schools.

This face-to-face “Second Annual Yoga & Mindfulness in NJ Schools Symposium” was centered on “the benefits of bringing evidence and research based yoga based movement and focused attention strategies to YOUR schools immediately, safely and effectively. It claimed to bring “internationally, nationally and locally recognized speakers, authors, practitioners, and educators” to speak to the attendees and also included “a certificate for 5 professional development hours from Rowan University”.

The participating teachers, belonging to various grade-levels, learned ways to bring yoga into classrooms in interactive sessions, reports suggest.

Meanwhile, Hindus have commended RU for promoting yoga through such symposiums, calling it a step in the positive direction. Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, applauded RU for coming forward and providing an opportunity to school teachers for learning the techniques of incorporating multi-beneficial yoga into their classrooms.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey State Board of Education President Mark W. Bierdon and New Jersey Department of Education Acting Commissioner Kimberley Harrington; to work towards formally introducing yoga as a part of curriculum in all the public schools of the state and also persuade the private-charter-independent schools to do the same; thus incorporating highly beneficial yoga in the lives of New Jersey’s students.

Yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was a mental and physical discipline, for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, Rajan Zed pointed out.

Zed further said that yoga, although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.

According to US National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to “2016 Yoga in America Study”, about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image. Yoga was the repository of something basic in the human soul and psyche, Rajan Zed added.

Awards-winning Rowan University, founded in 1923, which claims to be “ranked among the best public universities” and “a top school on many levels”, offers 147 doctoral, professional, master’s and bachelor’s degree programs to over 14,000 students. Dr. Ali A. Houshmand and Linda Rohrer are University President and Trustees Chair respectively.

Final tally: 62 in fray at RK Nagar, EVMs to be used

A total of 62 candidates, including eight women, are in the fray in the by-election to the Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency, which is slated to be held on April 12.

Though 113 candidates had filed their nominations, after scrutiny, the commission rejected 57 applications, and eight candidates withdrew their nominations.

Candidates of two warring factions of AIADMK of V K Sasikala's group and rebel leader O Panneerselvam's camp filed their nomination last Thursday.

Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa, who had floated her own political outfit MGR-Amma-Deepa Forum also filed her nomination papers for the RK Nagar seat in a bid to prove that she is the political heir of her aunt. DMK, BJP, DMDK and CPI(M) candidates are aslo there.

The withdrawal of eight candidates from the fray has come as a relief to authorities as one set of EVM could only cater to a maximum of 64 candidates.

"The EVMs of Bharat Electronics Limited were designed for 64 candidates. The EVMs supplied by Electronics Corporation of India Limited were designed for 383 candidates plus NOTA," reports said, quoting sources.

When will local body polls be held in TN?

Chiding the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC), Justice N Kirubakaran of the Madras High Court on Monday observed that the poll body was postponing the conduct of civic elections in the State under one pretext or the other.

“Do you have any real interest in holding elections to the local bodies?” judge N Kirubakaran asked the State Election Commission on Monday when a contempt application from one of the candidates whose nomination papers were rejected came up for hearing.

As per Justice Kirubakaran’s order, the local body elections should have been concluded by December 31, 2016. The order had not been stayed by any division bench. But the polls had been postponed on one pretext or the other, the judge said.

However, counsel for the TNSEC submitted that the Commission had never made any submission before the Division Bench that it was not possible to conduct the elections before May 14. He added that its stand was wrongly reported in the media.

Refusing to accept his contention, Justice Kirubakaran said: “Do not blame the media, there is no necessity for them to misreport.”

The counsel submitted that the SEC would like to implement all directions of the court and it has also started the poll process. The judge then said that he would wait for the result of the writ appeal and adjourned the matter till April 3.

Revealed: Story of Kaatru Veliyidai

Amid claims that the story of Mani Ratnam's upcoming film Kaatru Veliyidai will be similar to that of the director's cult classic Roja, the basic plot of KV is out.

The film was recently screened for British Board of Film Classification. After clearing the movie with 12A certificate, BBFC has also released its plot.

It said: "Kaatru Veliyidai is a Tamil language romantic drama in which a military pilot, being held as a prisoner of war, remembers his romance with a local doctor".

The film's theatrical trailer was released by AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam during a live Facebook session on Thursday. The director-composer duo, who have worked in the film industry for about 25 years together, got nostalgic before they showed us a sneak peek of what they have in store for the moviegoers with the Karthi, Aditi Rao Hydari film.

“You are an inspiration,” Rahman told Ratnam.”Your work is the inspiration.”

The very first scene between Aditi Rao Hydari and Karthi is a major throwback to O Kadhal Kanmani, including other small instances as well, except this one seems intense and less chirpy. So, boy and girl meet in a dreamy ballroom and chance upon a future.

Protest in Lanka supporting Rajini

Hundreds of people on Monday protested in Sri Lanka's Jaffna against Tamil Nadu politicians under whose pressure superstar Rajinikanth cancelled his visit to the island nation where he was scheduled to hand over houses to displaced ethnic Tamils.

Protestors belonging to different parties, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), gathered near Jaffna's iconic Nallur Kovil. They held placards with slogans against the Tamil Nadu politicians.

On Saturday, Rajinikanth said he is cancelling his visit to Sri Lanka, where he was slated to unveil a free housing project for displaced Tamils.

However, he has asked leaders like Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi president Thol Thirumavalavan, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and Tamizhar Vazhvurimai Katchi's Velmurugan not to politicise his good intentions.

Lyca Productions has expressed sadness over the "negative environment" surrounding its charity programme involving Superstar Rajinikanth in Sri Lanka and denied links with the Rajapaksa family, as claimed by some outfits in Tamil Nadu.

It has also sent a legal notice to Tamizhar Vazhvurimai Katchi president Velmurugan. Meanwhile, Gnanam, the NGO owned by Lyca, called this debacle an outcome of politicians acting on lies and rumours.

A statement released by Gnanam stated that the event was scheduled to provide 150 homes to war torn Tamil families from Vavuniya. The houses were designed to contain two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.

"An event to hand over the deeds of the newly built houses to the 150 families was going to be held on April 9 in Jaffna. Superstar Rajinikanth was invited to take part in this momentous charity and he readily agreed," claimed the statement.

Cell phones, sim cards seized from Murugan at Vellore prison

Two cell phones, three sim cards and a charger were reportedly seized from the cell of Murugan alias Sriharan, one of the life convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, in Vellore Central prison.

Superintendent of the Central Prison G Shanmugha Sundaram said the gadgets were seized when a surprise check was conducted in Murugan's cell in the high security prisoners' block around 7 pm on Saturday.

They found the cell phones, SIM cards and charger hidden behind photographs of some deities in Murugan's cell.

Only recently, two mobile phones and a charger were seized from an inmate of the Vellore Central Prison for Men, it may be recalled.

The prison personnel conducted a surprise check in Saravanan's cell in the Tower Block and seized the mobile phones and charger from him.

In the meantime, three police personnel have been suspended after an accused, remanded in judicial custody, escaped while being taken to Vellore prison.

Fishermen arrests: Edappadi Palaniswami writes to Modi

Following the arrests of 12 fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking their release.

In a letter to the PM, a copy of which was released to the media, he said, "It is unfortunate that these incidents have taken place at a time when our fishermen have been hoping that a pragmatic and permanent solution to this issue would emerge, as was discussed at the meetings of the External Affairs Minister had with Tamil Nadu Ministers on March 17, and with Tamil Nadu fishermen on March 21."

"I reiterate that the issue of apprehension of our fishermen and release of their boats be taken up at the highest diplomatic level and the Government of India take necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of our fishermen," Palaniswami urged.

He also sought the Prime Minister to send a firm, clear, unequivocal and unambiguous message to Sri Lanka to put an end to the arrest of fishermen. The livelihood of the fishermen should be protected.

The Chief Minister referred to the meetings the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister and fishermen representatives had with External Affairs Minister recently.

"The most recent act of the Sri Lankan Navy again created ‘anxiety’ and ‘unrest’ in the minds of our fishermen and vitiates the atmosphere of hope which was generated as a result of these meetings," he stated.

Requesting financial package of Rs 1,650 crore to improve the socio economic status of fishermen, he said, "early action on reaching a permanent solution and long term diversification measures must be taken up on a war footing."

Lyca denies links with Rajapaksa, slams TN politicos

Lyca Productions has expressed sadness over the "negative environment" surrounding its charity programme involving Superstar Rajinikanth in Sri Lanka and denied links with the Rajapaksa family, as claimed by some outfits in Tamil Nadu.

It has also sent a legal notice to Tamizhar Vazhvurimai Katchi president Velmurugan. Meanwhile, Gnanam, the NGO owned by Lyca, called this debacle an outcome of politicians acting on lies and rumours.

A statement released by Gnanam stated that the event was scheduled to provide 150 homes to war torn Tamil families from Vavuniya. The houses were designed to contain two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.

"An event to hand over the deeds of the newly built houses to the 150 families was going to be held on April 9 in Jaffna. Superstar Rajinikanth was invited to take part in this momentous charity and he readily agreed," claimed the statement.

Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka president Mahinda 's son Namal has jumped into the controversy.

On Sunday, Namal Rajapaksa alleged that TN politicians have done little for Tamils there except for politicizing the issue every election.

"True nature of Tamil Nadu politicians is revealed again. They won't allow anyone, even @superstarrajini, to help #SriLanka's Tamil people," he tweeted.

In the meantime, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan said, "It is laughable if one believes opposing Rajinikanth's Sri Lanka visit or an anti-Lyca stand will make people support us. In fact, the fears of Tamils in the Northern Province is that the Sinhala rulers are trying to derive political mileage out of the issue,"

Neetu Chandra is 3rd heroine of Simbu's AAA

At last, the third heroine of Simbu's Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan, directed by Adhik Ravichandran of Trisha Illana Nayanthara fame, has been revealed.

It is none other than Neetu Chandra of Aadhi Bhagavan and Yaavarum Nalam fame, whose latest venture Vaigai Express hit the screens Friday last and is now running in theatres.

Says Neetu, "I will be shooting for my portions from April mid-week. I'm told that this schedule will take place both in Chennai and abroad. I am glad to be a part of the team and looking forward to the shooting."

Already Shriya Saran and Tamannah are there in the movie, in which Simbu plays a triple role for the first time.

In his recent Facebook chat session, STR has revealed that
his third look in the film will be a huge surprise.

Meanwhile, the Ashwin Thatha teaser has been welcomed well by many, including Superstar Rajinikanth, who called up Simbu and greeted him.

“#Thalaivar @superstarrajini just called and appreciated #AshwinThathaTeaser .On cloud nine :) Super happy #Blessed overwhelmed & humbled”, tweeted Simbu.

Mylapore gets ready for Panguni festival

Arrangements are on in full swing for the annual Panguni Peruvizha, the most important festival of the renowned Sri Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore in Chennai.

The rituals will commence with the traditional flag hoisting on April 2. It will be followed by Adhigara Nandhi Kaatchi on April 4 and Vellvidai Peruvizha on April 6.

On April 8, the car festival will take place, followed by the most popular Arubathu Moovar Vizha the next day and Iraivan Iravalar Kola Vizha on April 10.

Curtains will come down on the festivities on April 11 with the celestial wedding (Thirukalyanam) of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvathi.

The four ‘mada’ lanes around the Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore are ablaze with festive colours.

According to temple officials, CCTV cameras have been installed inside and outside the temple complex. A makeshift police control room is also being set up with a huge contingent of policemen on hand to patrol the crowd. Adequate drinking water provisions and other facilities will been made,” they said.

EC shifts George, Karan Singha becomes new CoP of Chennai

Ahead of the April 12 byelection to the R K Nagar assembly constituency, the Election Commission of India today ordered the transfer of Chennai city police commissioner S George.

Karan Singha has been appointed as the new city police chief. The bypoll to the prestigious R K Nagar constituency is scheduled for April 12. It was necessitated following the demise of then Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa last year.

George's transfer comes in the wake of opposition party, the DMK urging the Election Commission to move George out from the post for the “smooth conduct of the poll”.

A delegation comprising MPs TKS Elangovan, RS Bharathi and Tiruchi Siva had filed a petition before the EC on March 17.

Alleging that George would act in favour of the ruling AIADMK in the byelection, the DMK petitioned the ECI seeking to transfer him to ensure a free and fair poll.

Shruti Haasan "The Box Office Queen for South India"!

6 back to back Telugu hits... 4 back to back Tamil and Telugu hits since 2016...2 back to back Tamil and Telugu hits to start 2017... Numbers that prove why Shruti Haasan is truly the bonafide box office queen. With the thunderous opening her Pawan Kalyan starrer Katamarayudu has received, it is well on it's way to becoming yet another feather in her cap.

Says a trade insider, "Shruti has proven her mettle at the box office time and time again. Katamarayudu will be mark her double hat-trick of hits in Telugu and will be her 2nd hit - Tamil (Singham 3)and Telugu is just the first quarter of 2017. This will be the second runaway sucess for the Pawan Kalyan - Shruti Haasan pairing which struck gold even with their last outing - Gabbar Singh. Not only has she been lauded for the box office numbers she generates but also for her performance - acting and dancing. Reviews for both Singham 3 and Katamarayudu have given special mention to her strength as a performer and have stamped her a true blue South Indian female superstar. Additionally, her strong reach in Bollywood contributes for the success of her South Indian films in the north and vice versa. With such a fantastic track record and with a film as massive as Sangamitra already in the bag, she is sure to break and a set a whole new record for herself and the industry."

Does this mean bigger and chunkier roles for Shruti in Bollywood and the South? Will we see her endorsing more brands or maybe have brand lines dedicated to her? Well. as they say, tip of the iceberg eh Shruti? For now, we are all happy to celebrate this gal's self built and sustained success!

82 candidates in fray at RK Nagar by-election

As the scrutinisation process came to an end on Friday, nominations of 82 out of the 127 filed have been accepted by the officials.

Nominations filed by AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Panneerselvam's camp) candidate E Madhusudhanan, AIADMK Amma (Sasikala's camp) candidate TTV Dinakaran, BJP candidate Gangai Amaran, DMK candidate Maruthu Ganesh, and Jayalalithaa's niece, Deepa Jayakumar, were all accepted.

But that of Sarathkumar's AISMK candidate Antony Xavier was rejected. It is learnt that Dinakaran is going to rent a house in the constituency for the campaign.

Dinakaran’s tour began with a visit to the Murugan temple on the street; he emerged wearing a white cricket umpire’s hat. Women constantly approached Dinakaran’s vehicle with arathi plates, applying vermillion to his forehead.

Senior leaders of the AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) headed by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday went on a door-to-door campaign to urge voters to vote against the “usurping of the AIADMK by a single family” and provide “justice for ‘Amma’s death” in the April 12 byelection.

Flanked by seniors, Madhusudhanan, the local strongman, filed his papers on Thursday.

Donning a 'hat', Dinakaran was confident that his faction would sweep the poll. "People of Tamil Nadu know how a conspiracy was hatched to freeze our two-leaves symbol. After my win in R K Nagar, I will secure the symbol with the support of 1.5 crore cadres," he said.

TN gets 3 more NEET centres, state govt tries its best to seek exemption

NEET will be conducted in three more cities in Tamil Nadu, as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to include 23 extra cities across India, which will host the examination.

The three new cities that were added are Namakkal, Tirunelveli and Vellore. These are in addition to Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem and Tiruchy.

As against 8,02,594 registered candidates last year, 11,35,104 candidates have registered for NEET-2017, according to a CBSE release.

Candidates can choose the city of examination from March 24 to March 27. They can log on to the NEET website -http://cbseneet.nic.in for revising their option of cities chosen earlier.

Meanwhile, making a fresh attempt to convince the Centre to grant assent to Tamil Nadu’s Bills to conduct medical admissions on the basis of the Plus Two scores of aspirants, State Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar and Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan met Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in New Delhi on Friday.

The meeting came even as the CBSE issued a circular announcing three more NEET centres in the State —Namakkal, Tirunelveli and Vellore — thereby raising apprehensions that Tamil Nadu may not be exempted from admitting medical aspirants solely on the basis of their NEET scores.

Don't go to Lanka, Thiruma tells Rajini

Superstar Rajinikanth's reported visit to Sri Lanka to launch a housing scheme is facing opposition from Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi president Thol Thirumavalavan.

In a statement, he expressed serious doubts and requested Rajinikanth not to attend the function in Sri Lanka to unveil a housing scheme for Tamils living there.

"Artists should only entertain people. We, on behalf of our party 'Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi' request Rajnikanth not to earn Tamil people's hatred by participating in this event," he said.

"I have sought an appointment to meet Rajinikanth in person... I will hand over a memorandum and request him to drop his visit," he said.

Gnanam Foundation has constructed the homes for the relocation of displaced Sri Lankan Tamils affected by the civil war as part of the 'Lyca Housing Scheme' in Chinna Thampan and Puliyankulam regions in Vavuniya district in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

Lyca Groups is the producers of Rajini's upcoming film 2.0. Meanwhile, Rajini fans have condemned Thirumavalavan and asked what was he doing when Tamils were killed in Lanka. "He was an MP in the Congress-DMK alliance at that time," they said.

'Baahubali 2' audio launch at Nehru Stadium; Rajini, Vijay to attend

It seems director S S Rajamouli is taking all steps to ensure the audio launch of the Tamil version of Baahubali 2 turns out to be a big affair.

According to sources, the event will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai next month and Superstar Rajinikanth and Vijay will attend it.

For the first part of Baahubali, actor Suriya was with the team supporting them in TV promotions and audio launch, which happened at a popular star hotel in Chennai, it may be recalled.

Baahubali 2 is a historical fiction film directed by Rajamouli. It is the continuation of Baahubali: The Beginning.

Initially, both parts were jointly produced on a budget of ₹2.5 billion (US$37 million), however the budget of the second part was increased later.

Baahubali: The Conclusion has made a business of ₹5 billion (US$74 million) before release. The film is scheduled for a worldwide release on 28 April 2017.

Baahubali 2 will be the first Indian film to be released in 4K High Definition format, requiring many of the theaters to upgrade projectors.

RK Nagar: 127 file nominations, heated campaign starts

As many as 127 persons have filed nominations to contest in RK Nagar by-election. On the last day of filing of nominations on Thursday, 72 candidates submitted their applications at the Tondiarpet corporation zonal office.

With candidates and party workers thronging R K Nagar the constituency on Thursday wore a festive look and witnessed traffic congestion till late evening.

A press release from Ripon Buildings said ECI has appointed IAS officer Praveen Prakash, as general observer and IPS officer Shive Kumar Verma as police observer.

Meanwhile, now that the filing of nominations for the April 12 by-election ended, heated campaigns have started in the constituency.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami campaigned for AIADMK Amma candidate TTV Dinakaran and said Dinakaran will fill the void of Jayalalithaa.

Former minister Durai Murugan campaigned for DMK contestant Marudhu Ganesh and said DMK will come to power in Tamil Nadu in next six months.

Dinakaran told reporters that the decision (to freeze Two Leaves symbol) would not affect his prospects in the by-poll, which caused following the death of former CM J Jayalalithaa, who had twice held the seat in 2015 and 2016.

BJP Candidate and music composer Gangai Amaran also filed his nomination papers from RK Nagar on Thursday, which would witness a multi-cornered contest.

Ashokamitran passes away; writers, Kamal condole

Legendary Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi winner Ashokamitran, aged 86, died on Thursday night. He collapsed at home in Chennai. He is survived by wife and three sons.

He powerfully portrayed the lives and struggles of the urban middle-class life in his literary works.

Born in 1931 in Secunderabad, Ashokamitran had written more than 250 short stories as well as two dozen novels and novellas.

He had received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for a collection of short stories Appavin Snegidhar. His work has been translated into a number of Indian and European languages.

Kalyan Raman, who translated four of his Tamil fiction books, said on Twitter, “I have such happy memories of his warmth and friendship. Go well, sir. Goodbye.”

Kamal Haasan, Jeyamohan, S Ramakrishnan, Gnani and others too have condoled Ashokamitran's death.

He took on writing as a full-time profession at a time when it was ‘unviable’. “I have witnessed all kinds of difficulties that a full-time writer will face,” he said in an interview to the now defunct magazine Subhamangala.

Born in Secunderabad in 1931, Ashokamitran spent the first twenty years of his life there. His real name was Jagadisa Thyagarajan.

He moved to Chennai in 1952 after the death of his father, following an invitation from his father's friend, the film director S.S.Vasan to come work at Vasan's Gemini Studios.

He worked for more than a decade at the Gemini Studios. While working there he often acted as an "unofficial scribe" (in his own words) for people working in the film industry, and said that his efforts consisted of "writing most heart rending appeals for loans and salary advances.

Get ready for single & secret from ENPT

With already a song from Ennai Nokki Paayum Thotta, directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and starring Dhanush in the lead, making waves, another single is on its way.

It will be released on Saturday (March 25). Announcing this information on his micro-blogging page, Gautham posted, "#NaanPizhaippeno,the single! The 2nd song from #ENPT to be launched by @Mr_X_Music on 25th. Stay tuned to his feed!"

Along with the song, the team is also expected to reveal the name of the film's music composer, which has been kept under the wraps.

A romantic thriller film written and directed by Gautham Menon, the film features Dhanush and Megha Akash in the lead roles. It began production in March 2016.

Gautham Vasudev Menon first revealed that he had prepared a script titled Enai Noki Paayum Thota during mid-2013, when he narrated the film to Suriya.

The pair opted not to work on the project and instead began pre-production work on another film, Dhruva Natchathiram instead during the period.

In March 2016, Gautham Menon announced that he would direct a film, which would now feature Dhanush and Megha Akash in the lead roles. The project was officially launched on 17 March 2016 in Chennai.

Kajal joins Vivegam last schedule, starts app for fans

By the end of this week, Kajal Aggarwal will be joining the last twenty days shoot of Ajith’s Shiva directed Vivegam.

According to sources, the actress plays Ajith’s wife in the film and her role is said to be very crucial in the film.

Meanwhile, the Thuppaki and Jilla actress has launched a personalised app of her, to keep in touch with her fans.

Designed by EscapeX, a New York-based company, the app offers Kajal's fans various exclusive customised content and details about her personal and professional life.

She will also interact with her fans directly through the app.

Speaking to reporters, she said, "This is a platform where my fans can directly get in touch with me and talk to me by downloading the app.

I am not overtly active on various social media platforms. If I am working on a film, I can talk about that, otherwise I have a life."

Rajinikanth not support anyone at RK Nagar

Clearing the air on speculations, Superstar Rajinikanth today said he is not supporting anyone in RK Nagar by-poll.

He posted on his Twitter page: "My support is for no one in the coming elections".

His clarification has come even as there were rumours that he would support the BJP. It may be recalled BJP candidate and Rajini's good friend Gangai Amaran met him a few days ago.

After the meeting, his son and director Venkat Prabhu tweeted: "Today our thalaivar @superstarrajini met and wished my dad for his political victory in #RKNagarByElection #happyson #GangaiAmaran."

In 2014, before the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi met Rajinikanth at the latter's residence, it may be recalled.

EC freezes AIADMK symbol, name; OPS 'shocked', Dinakaran 'ready for fight'

The Election Commission (EC) froze the ‘two leaves’ poll symbol of the AIADMK late on Wednesday, a day before the last date of filing nomination for the by-election to the R K Nagar assembly seat in Tamil Nadu, which was necessitated by the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

The EC gave both factions time till 10 am on Thursday to choose new symbols to contest the crucial R K Nagar bypoll.
It further remarked that it needs more time to read the voluminous documents submitted by both factions.

The decision came after the EC heard the rival factions of O. Panneerselvam and V.K. Sasikala, who had staked their claim to the symbol.

Pending a final resolution of the dispute, the factions have also been barred from using the party’s name in the bypoll.

“A deeper examination and more closer look would also be required to the various provisions of the party constitution on which both the groups relied to buttress their submissions on factual and legal basis.

No one would grudge the fact that it is almost humanly impossible to study all the aforesaid records running into more than 20,000 pages and to analyze the oral submissions made by the learned senior counsels for more than six hours continuously, and then come to a definite finding or conclusion on the disputed questions of facts and law,” the interim order said.

While Panneerselvam expressed shock and vowed to retrieve the symbol, TTV Dinakaran said it is not a setback. "We will wage a legal war and approach the Supreme Court," he said.

Vijayakanth hospitalised, DMDK says routine check-up

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam president Vijayakanth was admitted to Miot Hospitals in Chennai in the early hours of today.

Confirming his hospitilisation, a statement from his party however said he was in the hospital for routine general health checkup.

Requesting party workers not to visit hospital, it said that the 'Captain' would return from the hospital in a day or two.

Recently, Vijayakanth used a new strategy to boost the failing morale of the party workers. Titled Ungaludan Nan (I am with you), the event saw him posing for a click with his loyalists and their families to drive home the point that he is with them.

The event at Chidambaram and Panruti saw hundreds of cadre throng the venues for the one for the family album.

Ungaludan Nan is part of the DMDK top brass’ plans to pump fresh energy into the rank and file after the demoralising drubbing in the last Assembly election, where the party tally was zilch.

Last week, Vijayakanth announced that DMDK will face the by-poll in RK Nagar on its own strength.

He also said the party's North Chennai district secretary Mathivanan will be its candidate. He has requested DMDK members and office-bearers to work hard for the victory of Mathivanan.

Rajini to unveil housing project in Sri Lanka

Superstar Rajinikanth will hand over to Tamils keys to 150 homes built for them by Gnanam Foundation on April 9 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Rajinikanth’s visit to Jaffna is likely to attract a huge crowd as he is also expected to speak at a public meeting organised in Jaffna.

The foundation, which has been named after Lyca Group chairman Subaskaran Allirajah’s mother, has constructed these homes at a cost of Rs. 22 crore. Subaskaran is the producer of Rajini's upcoming film 2.0.

Meanwhile, the shooting of Rajinikanth's mega budget film 2.0 in Chennai was marred by an unsavoury incident on Wednesday when two photo journalists were allegedly assaulted by the crew for questioning the blocking of a road.

Though the agitated journalists initially lodged a police complaint against the concerned crew members, they withdrew it after the film director Shankar expressed regret.

It is also reported that Pappu, an assistant director of the film, was detained by the police. The journalists decided to withdraw the complaint, following Shankar's regret.

Dhanush's Pa Paandi trailer makes waves

The trailer of Dhanush's directorial debut Power Paandi has been released. The title of the film has been changed to Pa Pandi to avoid English word in the title which would help in getting tax excemption.

Speaking to reporters, Rajkiran, who plays the lead role in the film said "Dhanush has great respect in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and he even forays into Hollywood now. For his status, he could have cast Rajinikanth in his directorial debut but approached me instead".

"Prasanna jovially explained about how I carefully observed when Dhanush enacted my scenes, yes it was intimidating. I've have done only 50% of what Dhanush performed, had I exact replicated his performance, people would have seen a new Rajkiran", he added.

In his address, Prasanna said, "Earlier, I used to envy Dhanush's success but only after working with him, I realised why he is at the top of his game."

Dhanush said, "Positivity is the core theme of Power Paandi. The moment Rajkiran sir came on board, I took it as a blessing. Watching his smile and the way he performed is endearing".

The film under Wunderbar productions banner has a star cast that includes Dhanush, Chaya Singh, Rajkiran, Revathi, Prasanna, Dhivyadarshini, and Gautham Menon. Dhanush plays a cameo as the younger version of Rajkiran.

Housejoy Salutes the Spirit of Acid-Attack Survivors

To celebrate the true spirit of womanhood, Housejoy’s ‘Joy Squad’, in association with Atijeevan Foundation in Bengaluru and Chennai; brought joy into the lives of a few acid-attack survivors.

Atijeevan Foundation is an organization that works to empower acid attack survivors, by helping them become economically independent. They also guide them with medical and legal assistance as required.

Housejoy reached out to Atijeevan to see how they can collaborate with them and do something for these women. To start off, as a tribute to their spirit, ten survivors were pampered from head to toe through Housejoy’s beauty services, giving them the opportunity to explore and enjoy services that they would normally shy away from.

The brave women, who went through a great ordeal to stand where they are today, were not just thrilled but their self-confidence and dignity doubled up, after the pampering session. Commenting on the experience, Rathnamma from Atijeevan Foundation, said, “We had a great pampering session and loved it to bits. We are often termed as victims but the truth is we are fighters. I am glad that Housejoy took the initiative to celebrate our lives and show the world how capable we are in front of others.”

Another heroic survivor Akiamma, said, “I am so indebted to the Joy Squad team from Housejoy for taking time to spread joy to each one of us, here. Some of us have never had a pedicure or manicure in our lives and this experience is going to be an unforgettable one.”

Speaking on this initiative, Pragya Singh, Founder & Secretary, Atijeevan Foundation, said, “The effects of acid-attack can be very daunting. We have been working hard to help these survivors in this lifelong battle by bringing happiness in their lives, in every small way possible. I am really grateful to Housejoy, for helping us in our mission by going one step ahead and making these people happy from the comfort of their homes.”

Athijeevan foundation has been fighting for the empowerment and rehabilitation of acid attack survivors for more than five years now. It strives to open the doors of opportunities for the survivors to earn their living with their own skills and talent. The organization even guides them with medical and legal assistance with the help of a team of professionals and donors.

Saran Chatterjee, CEO of Housejoy, said, “The goal behind the Housejoy’s ‘Joy Squad’ initiative is to bring joy into the lives of people. The tales of these acid-attack survivors is nothing short of inspiring, and we salute the spirit of these women who make every effort to make a mark for themselves in unconventional roles.”

About Housejoy:

Housejoy is the leading provider in the home services space. They are pioneers in providing high-quality on demand residential services, supported by a team of dynamic, capable and trusted professionals. Housejoy launched in January 2015 to provide an aggregation of services to customers ensuring punctuality, quality and reliability. They perform a wide variety of services ranging from maintenance and home repairs to high quality plumbing, electrical services, home cleaning and computer repairs. Housejoy additionally offers specialized services in beauty and in-house bridal make-up and are expanding their service portfolio. Housejoy will also take care of your laundry and dry cleaning, with pickup and delivery right at your door step. Within a short time, Housejoy is operational in 5 cities across the nation and has raised 4 $Million funding in series A from Matrix Partners and has raised 22 $Million in series B led by Amazon and included new investors Vertex Ventures, Qualcomm and Ru-Net Technology Partners

For more about Housejoy, please visit: http://www.housejoy.in/