That morn, from 6.30 am there will be a meditation session and later at 5.30 pm the community will hold a celebration in honour of the Mother.

The Aurobindo Mother Centre is at 11/5, Vinayakam Avenue, Virugambakkam ( near Infant Jesus Church).

You can call volunteer Punitha at 94445 05154.

Meditation sessions are held here every evening.

The inauguration was on February 17..

This store follows the one its opened in R. A. Puram.

The shop has all kinds of white consumer goods required for the family – a variety of fridges, washing machines, LC TVs, laptops, gas stoves, ovens and electronic goods of all leading brands.

The shop is having an inaugural sale offer till Feb.20 and the deals are across all brands, all goods. It is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on all days.

The store is located at 102, Arcot Road, near Chandra Mall, Virugambakkam. Ph: 4500 4333.

FASCINATING BUSINESS STORY

The Girias story is a fascinating business tale. Established in 1971 as a small store of about 300sqft, the brand was built up in the retail market in Bangalore by Pannalal Giria,the MD.

He was guided by his father, late Hanumanmalji Giria who had th foresight to realize the importance of organized retail, when the concept did not even exist.

Today, Girias is India’s leading chain of consumer durables and home appliances.

Pannalal Giria was assisted by his brothers Kanhaiyalal Giria, Dungarmal Giria and Hansraj Giria, who together established the foundation for this retail business.

Now, the younger generation in the business has taken charge -.Naveen Giria, Praveen Giria, Nitesh Giria, Manish Giria, Rishab Giria and Arihant Giria.

The Girias has stores in Bangalore, Chennai, Mangalore, Mysore, Hubli, Coimbatore and Salem

So two major Lord Siva temples on Arcot Road will be abuzz with rituals and dance recitals and music into the night.

Beside the 100 feet road (Inner Ring Road), there is a Sivan temple called Vengeeswarar Temple which is much older compared to Vadapalani#Murugan Koyil.

The ‘moolavar’ or the main deity is called Lord Vengeeswarar and the goddess is called Santhanayaki Ambal.

The entrance to this temple is crowned with a big rajagopuram adorned with several stucco images.

Valasaravakkam, a huge residential area now but once a sprawling village and green has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva. The temple is called as Velveeswarar temple or Agastheeswarar temple. It is believed that this temple belongs to the period of Kulothungan Chola and is around 800 years old.

Velveeswarar Temple is located on the Arcot Road in Valasaravakkam area. A very big lotus pond inside the temple complex was once a visual delight.

The space here is often used for dance/music recitals.

 The Brahmakumaris are holding a three day ritual and dhyana sessions where the Thiruvannamalaiyar  Arunachaleswar lingam will be placed at a hall on Siva Koil Street, Vadapalani.

The Mahashivarathri event invites people to meditation and discourses. From Feb.23 to 25, 8 am to 10 pm.

Call 91766 18777 for more info. Or write to BK Chitra, Brahma kumaris Ishwariya Viswa Vidyalayam, No. 18, Krishnma Lane,  Nungambakkam, Chennai -34. Ph : 28262627

You can also join the Brahmakumaris for daily meditation at a Vadapalani space.

SHARE YOUR SIVARATRI PHOTOS

Yes, Arcot Road Times welcomes pictures from you. Mail to – arcotroadtimes@gmail.com. Caption the pics. We will post them online at www.arcotroadtimes.com

But it can generate some fun.

It did at the Eurokids centre in Valasarawakkam which organized an innovative contest for moms and kids called “Like mommy like kiddy” on February 4, 2012. The contest focused on helping moms bond better with their little ones not just by dressing alike but also by performing alike.

The judge, Hemamalini, a fashion designer said she was amazed to see the duos of mom and kid being creative in their presentations.

There were also fun games and nice prizes for all. The event was hosted by Funsquared, Anna Nagar.

Eurokids is a space for learning and fun for children.

This year the exhibition is being held from 13^th Feb. to 19^th Feb 2012.

Children and adults of all age groups from 3 years to 90 years have been participating in the exhibition.

The paintings include natural scenery, abstract and modern images in various medias like acrylic, oil, glass, water, etc.

Venkatachapathy, the promoter says that the exhibition is organized with great care every year, in order to encourage the children to perform well and make them professional artists.

Kalaikudam conducts solo shows and group shows every month with one or more participants.

But, Chitramela is a real mela of art – the works of over 300 students of this Kalaikudam from all its centres across the city are on display and the artworks are over 500.

This year, a souvenir book containing all the Kalaikudam’s activities was also released at the inauguration. The  closing ceremony is to be held at Lalit Kala Academy on the 19^th of February.

The process is on at its central office.

Open at the KG and senior level.

The school is at Rajesh Avenue in Virugambakkam. Call 2476 7072 / 89397 55837.

Head to the newly opened Achalam Art Gallery in K K Nagar.

It was inaugurated by artist and veteran actor Sivakumar.

Taking a look at the exhibits, the actor appreciated the art works and said that  he was himself  a fine drawing and painting artist besides being an  actor.

Some of the paintings and exhibits kept the invitees engaged.

There are art works of gods and goddesses besides little sculptures and statues, effigies.  A bronze and iron statue of A.Vijaya Kumar had the caption,”Waiting for company’ while artist Swapna’s ballet dancer made in bronze caught the eye.

Achalam is a Sanskrit word and it means, The Unshakeable.  And there is a reference to Lord Venkateswara here, adored by the gallery’s promoter, the veteran artist and guru, Venkatachalapathy.

The gallery aims to support artworks of individual artists.  They can showcase their talents and the gallery will give support to artistic pursuits like drawing, painting, dance, music etc.

Achalam Art Gallery is at 1 /131, 1st floor, Lakshmanaswamy Salai, 1st Sector, K K Nagar, Chennai 78.  Ph: 9381024002/ 9840490662.  achalamartgallery@gmail.com.

Prayers will be said to pray for the success of students in exams. These homams will be performed by Vedic scholars on Sunday, Feb. 12 between 8 am and 12.30 pm at Padma Sarangapani Cultural Academy, Venkatesa Nagar III Main Road, Virugambakkam Chennai-92.

All people are invited to participate.

For registration, you can contact S. Nagarajan, General Secretary, A/14H, Srividya Apartments, 19/57, Venkatesa Nagar 3^rd Main Road, Virugambakkam, Chennai-92.

Mobile numbers: 9444522150, 9444401372.

There is a Kashmir food festival which is on now and master chef Rehman is waiting to share his best food with diners.

The traditional Kashmiri cooking is known as Wazwan which is rich and aromatic, replete with an unmatched flavor.

The Wazwan, a multi course royal cuisine is a meal in the Kashmiri tradition and is treated with great respect. Its preparation is considered an art and Kashmiris regard Wazwan as the pride of their culture and identity.

Kashmiri cuisine is quite famous for the gracious use of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, saffron, fennel, asafetida, dry ginger, onion, & locally grown chilies.

Four chefs have been called from Kashmir, who under the guidance of master chef Rehman are offering diners traditional preparations like the Roganjosh,   Tabak Maaz (Lamb Ribs), Kukur Surkh Tikka (chicken), Gadh Korma (fish) ; as well as vegetarian delicacies such as  Mausami Subz, Rajma Kebaba, Aloo Yakhni, Kashmiri Sarson Saag and Tamater Wagun to complete a tempting menu selection.

The desserts are classical specialties like Sewiyan, Chilgoze ki Kheer and Khubani ka Halwa.

If you wish to make bookings talk to Rohit Jha, F & B Manager at 9840804840.

Open for dinner only till Feb.5. Rs.649 per person.

Its team gathered at Koyambedu Police Station and initiated a new program to plant 5000 bamboo trees  in order to tackle the polluted environment in this zone.

Koyambedu Police Station (K10) Inspector of Police launched the programme.

.Tree Bank founder G. Mullaivanam was also present at the event.

Kid members of Tree Bank took the lead to plant the saplings.