The play is on May 19 and 20 from 7 pm onwards.

This play was written by the famed Pammal Sambandam Mudaliar. He wrote this play in 1923.

Anandha Kannan directs this play. He has led productions in many places like Singapore and Australia and also been involved in lighting and design in plays.

Devi has grown her theatre company after years on stage as a theatre actor and she has also played key roles in Tamil films. Many of her wards who have been groomed by her have gone on to get breaks in cinema too.

At the weekend play, she has invited film persons like Samudrakani and Balaji Sakthivel besides others to watch the play.

The shows are open to all – admission is free.

For further details contact : Devi- 9941446543

R V Ramani is screening his documentary called My Camera and Tsunami on May 19 at 4 p.m. at LV Prasad Film and TV Academy, Saligramam.

The docu film is very personal – of Ramani’s encounter with the tsunami during his travel down the coast, the fate of the video camera that he was carrying and  the events that followed that tragedy in his own life and career.

Open to all on first come, first serve basis.

Ramani is a Chennai-based veteran docu film maker.

Latha, a mother of two kids died in the accident on May 14, Monday when the small plane that was flying them to a mountaneous region in Nepal crashed. While Latha died on the spot, her husband Sreekanth had a nasty head injury but it is said to be out of danger now in a hospital there.

The two kids, both girls who were also with the couple escaped. They and their father were rescued from the crash site.

Both families lived in this area and were close to each other. They had left for a summer holiday in Nepal last weekend and were hopping across the region when the accident took place.

Well wishers of both families mourned the loss of the young woman – her body was to have been brought back to the city today.

Chief minister Jayalalithaa went out of her way to ensure help got to the people from TN who were affected by the accident.

This event is  on May 13, Sunday 4 pm at Keni, 39 Alagirisami Road, K. K..Nagar.

.Writers Gnani and Bhaskar Sakthi have been conducting the Keni meetings in the backyard of Gnani’s house for the last two years.

Over 30 creative persons including eminent writers Asoka Mithran, Ki. Rajanarayanan, Indira Parthasarathi, S. Ramakrishnan, Jeyamohan, Bhama and Prabanjan have addressed people at the Keni meets so far.

Lec-dems on music by pianist Anil Srinivasan, conductor Augustine Paul, akila, Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna and art demos by Trotsky Marudhu and Nedunchezhiyan have also been held ay Keni.

The events are free and open to all.

The goal is to conserve heritage materials for posterity. It conducts various programmes for children and institutions besides teaching conservation, undertaking consultancy services and conducting courses.

From May 14 to 26 it is conducting summer training programmes for school and college students and housewives on Art and Handicrafts.

Participants will be taught in the different subjects on art and handicrafts by teachers who are specialized in the subjects.

It is open to men and women and participants will be given basic materials for the training. The training will be for one hour for each subject. The training will be in batches for the convenience of the participants. Admission is on.

Interested persons are requested to approach quickly for admission.

They may contact Hepzibah Institute of Heritage Conservation, 21, V.O.C.

Street, M.G.R. Nagar, K.K. Nagar, Chennai-600 078 either in person on all days except Sundays and telephonically at 24742223/24745944 or

9841119845 or through e-mail hepzibahinstitute@yahoo.in/ drvjeyaraj@gmail.com .

The website www.jeyaraj.info can also be browsed

The recently opened restaurant of this chain is located on Arcot Road at the far end of Valasarwakkam, just off the side road that leads to Pon Vidyashram School.

With ample parking space off the main road foddies can swing in and park and walk into the restaurant.

It is speacious and offers you the full range of menu of Saravana Bhavan. Alongside is a bakery and juice stall too for quick buys.

The campus also has a a/c hal where parties and social functions may be held.

Whats new? Summertime variety of ice creams from the Saravana Bhavan line.

Ibaco is a new brand of ice creams. It is the new name that Arun Ice Creams has launched with its new range of ice creams.

A string of outlets opened in the city recently and one such is on Kaliamman Koil Street. It is located opposite Parvathi Bhavan the restaurant here.

There are over three dozen flavours and some are unique too.

Open all days of the week and late into the evening.

Kalavahini presented S L Nanu’s play, ‘ Anbudan’ last week and is happy it went off well.

The theatre company, based in West Kamakoti Nagar is managed by Balasubramanian and his son, Manoj. ( seen in the first photo here)

S L Nanu, who resides in Virugambakkam presents his third play for this company. ( he is seen in the photo on the left here)

“We have a set of core actors and we recruit others depending on the needs of a play, ” says Manoj. “We have also performed our plays outside the city.”

Started in the 1990s, the father-son duo use their space for discussions and planning while rehearsals take place at different places.

“We don’t get many queries from local people wanting to act in plays but we did for our tele-serial, ” says Manoj.

That serial called ‘ Vegam’ starred many local faces.

Kalavahini has produced six Tamil plays to date.

Manoj works as a senior manager in Axis Bank while his father, who retired as a senior engineer in the state Highways Department now runs a construction business.

But the two devote time for their passion – theatre.

The address – 17A, Guhan Street, West Kamakoti Nagar, Valasarawakkam. Phones – 9444380967 / 9381031628.

For 2 weeks now, teams of about 12 people, men and women have been trying to clean the storm water drains of sewage that has leaked in.

From the Kamala Theatre end to AVM Studios end, these humans from the city centre get into the drains, dressed in shorts to put out buckets of sewage.

“They give us injections every morning to protect our health,” one worker says as he washes himself in the water in the drain he has cleaned.

The sewage has now dried up on the roadside and stinks. Last week, it had not be cleared for some days.

Achariya Bala Siksha Mandir now has two spaces in our area. One at K K Nagar ( 80 Ft. Road). Phone 3221 1230) and the second at Valasarawakkam ( 16A, Lamech Street, Janaki Nagar. Phone – 93602 93685.).

They employ the MI – Multiple Intelligence method to groom kids. They admit kids from 1.8 years to pre-Montessori and Std.1 levels.

 Sa Buu 3Kids in Saligramam is open for admissions Vijayalakshmi S., Director, says they admit kids from 1.5 years upwards. Though the place is in a house it is well designed and open for play too.

Call the playschool at 97907 10278.

Admissions at the kids level is open at Kidzee.

Srilatha who runs the Kidzee franchisee centre in Valasarawakkam says they follow an innovative syllabus that includes trips to places like museums, police stations, etc,

Kidzee admissions are on from 1.5 years upwards. Kidzee-Preschool, No.3, 9th Street, SVS Nagar 1st  Main, Valasaravakkam. Ph.95000 01850 / 3257 5455.