If you are on a journey to search for the holy grail of vegetarian food you should make a stop at Holy Grill!!And trust me when I say that locating this restaurant is a unique challenge by itself,especially if you are looking for it on Khadar Nawaz Khan road like the address states. It is a good thing that the restaurant offers valet parking.
Many barbeque restaurants have popped up around Chennai, thanks to Barbeque Nation which seems to have met its match! What makes Holy Grail a very exciting option for folks like myself and the other conservative Chennai brams I found dining with great gusto is the fact that it is vegetarian. So no more worrying about what was on my skewer stick before the paneer and whether it has been sterilised properly 🙂
The table top grill
Once you are settled at the table, the staff setup the coal grill at the table. After a brief review of the menu the food started arriving. Everything accept salads and desserts are served at the table.
Cream of Tomato
The buffet menu started off with Cream of Tomato soup! This is was a big disappointment as the soup was watery and tasted more of the corn flour used to thicken it, rather than tasting of tomatoes!And hold your cream and croutons as you wont find either of these in the soup… But we were able to forgive this sorry soup as the rest of buffet more than made up for it.
On the grill, skewer sticks containing:
Baby potatoes – Bland but appealing
Corn on the cob – sweet and spicy. Enjoyable for those that enjoy corn on the cob, especially when it is roasted on fire and coated with spices
Mushrooms – Salty but juicy!
Grilled vegetables – Healthy and tasty marinated green and yellow zucchini, green and red bell peppers and broccoli.
Paneer – Cubes of fresh and super soft paneer marinates in green chutney and perfectly grilled! This was the star of amongst the starters on the grill!
Pineapple – Chunks of sweet pineapple marinated in spices and grilled. This would definitely be enjoyed by those that love pineapple on their pizzas!
were placed for us to enjoy! These were soon followed by starters from the kitchen to our plates, Thai Basil Crispy Baby Corn which contained some complex flavors and Chatpate Khasta Aloo which was potatoes in their skin deep fried and tossed in sweet tamarind chutney and some other spices! This reminded me of some kind of chaat thanks to its interesting play of flavors.
Crispy Baby Corn
Chatpata potatoes
Once we were done with the starters, (we were half full by now) the main course followed. This consisted of paneer tikka – too much paneer and very little gravy, mixed vegetables, vegetable koftas in palak / spinach gravy which were extremely passable and black daal. The paneer and mixed vegetables were very good with the rotis and the naans and the black daal formed the perfect accompaniment to the flavorful vegetable biryani and steamed rice.
Buttery Noodles
Then there was the chilli butter noodles which was very tasty. Though I fail to understand the role of a single Indo Chinese dish in almost every buffet in town!! Well, at least Holy Grill managed to get this right when it comes to taste and presentation.
We avoided the salad bar which did not look that appealing.
By this stage we had no more room for anything else! But then who leaves without hitting the dessert bar! From a display of chocolate pastry, kheer, gulab jamuns, jalebis and bread pudding I opted for the yummy jalebis! My company was satisfied with the jamuns and the pastry. We just couldn’t try anything else especially when we had a choice between Mango and vanilla ice creams. What decent Chennaite would give up mango ice-cream? Not us for sure! So we indulged in the yummy mango ice-cream and I swear I experienced the mango dancing on the tree…It was that good!!
Jamuns and Pastry
Jalebis
Mango Ice Cream
Last but not the least, I had to say this. They definitely to clean their bathrooms. Now that this is out of my system, I declare that at the end of the day it was a great meal!! Definitely visit Holy Grill for a great vegetarian barbeque experience! Don’t forget to make reservations! As for me, I wish that they would drop their salad bar and reduce the price of the buffet. They definitely need to improve their soup recipes!!
You can find Holy Grill at: No 10, wallace garden 3rd street, Khader Nawaz Khan Rd, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006
It was pretty late on a Friday evening, when we decided to have dinner at Jalpaan, a vegetarian restaurant located at Adyar, Chennai. The restaurant is located on the third of building on the every busy Sardar Patel Road. For those wondering about where to park, no worries. Jalpaan offers valet parking. However, we chose to park few streets away and took a five minute walk to the restaurant.
I heard a lot of good things about Jalpaan, but it seems like most of these thoughts were outdated. As soon as you enter, you can smell the kitchen and the left of the hallway seemed to be pretty untidy. Once you ignore that, you can find you way to a large hall with tables and some good lighting. The buffet is set to the right and curved around the wall. Though the buffet didn’t look too impressive, we opted for that only because we were too tired to think! For many years now, I have lost my respect for buffets and the experience out here did nothing to change that!
Soups, starters, naans and rotis were served at the table.
Seven Treasure Soup – So not interested in this treasure hunt!
The choice of soups available to us was the Chinese styled seven treasure soup and a Daal Shorba. Both are thin soups. However the former lacked flavor and my bowl was sent back as full as it was when it got to my table, while the later managed to make up for its partner in terms of flavor.
Score 2/5. Thoughts: No soups for me!
From the salad and chaat bar…
There was a selection of salads and most of these are passable. The German potato salad seemed to be coated with mustard sauce and there was nothing to rave about with regards to the pasta salad. The spicy cucumber salad on the other hand seemed different and cool.
Score 1/5. Thoughts: Maybe just the cucumber…
Now, for the starters : Chilli paneer and Chinese style potatoes made up the Indo-Chinese starters and the the vegetarian sheek kabab and aloo tikkis completed the quartet. The paneer was a bit tough and both the chilli paneer and potatoes were coasted in a generous dose of soy sauce and chilli garlic sauce while the kebabs and the tikkis set my mouth on fire!
Score 2/5. Thoughts: Blah!
Setting my mouth on fire – The starters.
I was glad for the dispensers that had a continuous supply of butter milk and orange juice. I used the butter milk to cleanse my palette every now and then. This was the only fool proof way to get an idea of the actual flavor of the various dishes on the buffet. At this point, I should mention that there was a DIY chat counter with pani puri, papdi and samosas. The various chutnies and the fillings for the pani puris were placed separately and all that one needed to do was make a customized chat, if you like that kind of thing. There was also dahi balla, albeit a bit sweet ready for consumption. There was also an unmanned pasta counter and I promptly found someone to order me some pasta. Only pasta in white sauce is served…hmm.
Soon I got a plate with sample servings of everything that was offered. The only items that really stood out where the Bhindi do pyaza, daal tadka, paneer tikka masala (this was spicy), corn pulao and the hakka noodles. The rest of the dishes could safely be ignored!
Biryani, Corn Pulao, Mixed Vegetables, Bhindi, Paneer Tikka Masala and Dal Tadka
Hakka Noodles
Rotis and Butter Kulcha
Soon the pasta made an appearance and I am not quite sure how to describe its extremely sweet taste. It had few pieces of yellow and red bell peppers. I am a fan of great pasta and I sincerely feel that this dish does not do justice to the buffet. Also it seems to be out of place in the midst of an extremely Indian buffet.
Pasta in white sauce!
Score 2/5. Thoughts: Quality looses in face of quantity
Last but not the least the desserts. An average pastry, kala jamoon which was good but a bit a dry, moong dal halwa, badusha ,a mousse which was just whipped cream piped into some dessert glasses on top of some kind of fruit puree that i believe was lychee and a choice of vanilla and strawberry ice creams. There were also bowls of seasonal fruits like watermelon and musk melons.
Score 2/5. Thoughts: I am pretty confused about my feelings for this buffet!
Last but the least a finger bowl, a liquid pan shot and our bill.
At about Rs.1100+ I wished we had opted for the à la carte. I happened to chance upon on those intelligent diners who had ignored the buffet and ordered from the large menu instead. Some of the dishes that were served to them were utterly mouth watering while the dishes offered on the buffer paled in comparison! I was left wondering if there were a different set of chefs when it comes to delivering the à la carte menu! Jalpaan boasts of a menu that is actually like a very large book and this book has a selection of recipes that are Italian, Mexican and Indian!
If ever there is a next time with Jalpaan, I am definitely opting for the à la carte! Maybe then, I could get more bang for the buck!
Finally I have something to re-surrect this blog which must have taken its inspiration from sleeping beauty and doze off until a handsome prince could break the curse! Only in this case there is no handsome prince, but just a crazy Chennai gal who doesn’t have much time these days to do much….Anyways yours truly came across this on the lovely over populated road routes of Chennai and couldn’t help but share this with folks out there…..
Chennai is known for its crazy traffic and reckless driving but then we all know that this is still one of the best cities when it comes to following some road rules (I know sounds terrible! ) But then when you spot something like this you are left speechless! Without more words here is what I am talking about – This is what I call smooth driving! How many of you can manage to pull this off???
Are you in the mood to beat the heat with a “Latte at the North Pole”? Or do you feel like belting out some “Autumn Songs” cos “Life is just a Bowl of Cherries”?? Maybe you wanna making your valentine’s day special by confessing to your “Tall, dark and handsome” something on the lines of “I’m nuts about you”? 🙂
Tall, Dark and Handsome
If you are wondering what exactly I am going on about, these are the innovative names for some of the yummy gelato creations at Emilios Gelataria at CIT colony, Mylapore! And what a contrast this place is compared to its franchise on Besant Nagar beach!
M2M happened to be there on a quiet and cozy evening and really enjoyed the concept of low fat yummylicious delights with books! When I say books, I am referring to their mini library of book shelves containing loads on books on a variety of topics along side some magazines.
Could have this Latte all year around!Truly Handsome!
The gelataria had some sofa seaters and tables laid out in a very simple manner. The ambience was peaceful, the gelatos soft and creamy and the service was good. But then I have already mentioned that it was a quiet evening and we only had 2 other families for company!
A perfect place for the singles to sit back and enjoy some books and deserts…
With their interesting menu, the place is also apt for families out for some dessert post dinner and those who want to grab some food. Oh yes! they have a limited menu with sandwiches and pasta which is sure to satisfy a hungry soul; M2M however did not have the opportunity to taste the food! Oh and easy on the pocket!!
Watching “Vettai” was a good way to kick start this years Kollywood entertainment line up. The story of a mousy cop who takes a 360 degree turn to become a lion has been done many times in the past, but the screenplay of “Vettai” has a fresh take on this concept. The story of 2 brothers – one, a mouse and the other, a lion (I mean their personalities) and their hunt for two of the most feared gangsters in Tuticorin while findng the time to romance and jest around keeps viewers entertained through out the movie. Keeping in tune with M2M’s straight forward style of talking about movies here is a dose of why you should and shouldn’t watch “Vettai” (For all you non-Tamil speaking folks, “Vettai” translated in Tamil means “Hunt”
Reasons to Watch Vettai
Madhavan – Charming as ever! He may not quite look like the chocolate boy of the past but only an actor like him can make the role of a mousy personality charming! Also it takes a lot of courage and security for a senior actor of his caliber to tackle a role that is not as heroic as heroes of tamil cinema are intended to be. Hats off to Maddy!
Arya – This actor has come a long way. Here is an actor that looks good and can also act. He pulls of the personality of the courageous younger brother perfectly while taking care of comedy and romance. He breezes through the action sequences and gets the full attention of viewers as he delivers savvy dialogues with the villains.
The chemistry between Madhavan and Arya – The viewer can easily imagine that these two could be brothers in real life (barring the super hero stuff of course)
Heroines Sameera Reddy and Amala Paul – They manage to look smart and their roles are not as dumb as is common with the roles of leading ladies in hero oriented movies. They make their entrance singing a song about the kind of man they want to marry and it was amusing to note that their list of demands is pretty similar to the ones that girls make these days!!
There is actually a story!! It may not be the most original or the most exciting or very obvious but its there…..
The absence of a comedy actor! The humor is beautifully interlaced with the rest of the story and the actors themselves take care of this aspect of this movie! It was definitely refreshing to note the absence of a Santhanam, Vadivelu or Vivek with separate tracks of their own!
The villain – Bollywood actor Ashuthosh Rana does a great job as he makes a splash on Tamil screens as the bad guy. He has great screen presence and pulls of the role of an urbane rural bad guy to the T! Looks like South Indian cinema has found another baddie from the North!!
The supporting cast of the movie is pretty good.
The songs were easy on the ears and choreographed well, though I couldn’t recall any of the songs once outside the theatre…
The action sequences were stylishly choreographed and balanced throughout the movie and absence of gore made these scenes more digestible. The last 15 minutes were a drag but this can be looked over!
Reasons not to watch Vettai
You don’t like any of the main actors.
You don’t like the influences of other cop movies while you are watching a cop movie! I thought some scenes were inspired by the Vikram starrer “Saamy”
You don’t like super hero stunts!! But then what Indian masala potboiler is made without this aspect??
You like “item numbers” in the films you watch – this is blissfully absent in this movie!
You are the type that watches serious cinema
Verdict: It’s worth the watch if you love total entertainers! Full marks for “paisa vasool” !!
Located in the back yard of an old T.Nagar home converted to a restaurant, dining at the “The Pasta Bar” is probably similar to how suburban Italians dine at their favorite café’s. Contrary to its name, the place has more on its menu than just pastas 🙂 The menu is a jamboree of pastas, pizzas, dishes from the grill, Italian sandwiches, coffees, smoothies and deserts
Tomato, Basil Soup
From a very colorful and interesting menu loaded with interesting tidbits about Italy, we decided to start with the “Pomodoro e Basilico Zuppa” / Tomato Basil Soup and Cheese garlic bread! Though not an ardent soup lover at restaurants, I have to say the medley of real tomato puree cooked with sautéed onions, basil and other spices has made me want to declare this as the most authentic tomato soup I have ever tasted! We teamed this up with some Cheese garlic bread – warm toasted bread topped with melted mozzarella finished off with some oregano sprinkle! The combination was a winner!
Cheese Garlic BreadCrepe filled with Spinach and Ricotta
We settled for the “Crepes con Ricotta e Spinaci” – crepes filled with a mixture of sautéed spinach, seasoned ricotta and cheddar cheese baked in cheese sauce with some jalapenos thrown in (per request) and the Pizza Diavolo which was a concoction of bell peppers, roasted vegetables, onions, chilli, tomato, olives, basil and mozzarella on a thin crust.
After having tasted pasta with the usual white and red sauces the crepe that was baked with just the right amount of white sauce was a welcome change. It was served with a slice of steamed and seasoned carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, mashed potato and toasted bread to boot!! The crepe was polished off in no time and the spinach made me feel lest guilty 🙂
And the pizza…..ah…. that was good. There are no better words to describe this tasty, veggie goodness!
Pizza DiavoloMore Pizza goodness
I loved the ambiance of the restaurant with subtle lightening with sketches from the scenes of Venice and other Italian cities on the wall which appealed to the art lover in me. From where we sat, I also had a direct view of their espresso machine and as the sounds of preparing hot espressos and steamed cappuccinos accompanied my thoughts and conversations, it was the perfect night out at a great place in the city!
The restaurant also has an outdoor seating, complete with a tree right in the midst of the tables! As I mentioned at the beginning of the post this was probably the back yard of an old charming home. The indoor seating is situated at a slightly higher lever compared to the outdoor seating, giving it an illusion of cafes that could be situated along the banks of the Venetian canals. The staff were friendly, the service was good and we were even offered a tour of the kitchen that we respectfully declined due to time constraints. Most importantly the prices didn’t burn a hole in our wallets! A meal for two with a soup, appetizer and 2 main courses will probably cost around Rs.600!
As of date the restaurant has branches at Burkit road, T.Nagr and Alsa mall, Egmore! They expect to open few more branches, including one at OMR by the end of the first quarter of 2012. They also do takeout and deliver is most areas of Chennai.
M2M recommended for anyone looking for good Italian dining experience without the sky high prices. For more details check them out at http://www.thepastabarveneto.com/ (Yes!! they actually have a good website!!)
M2M introduces you to some of our pretty winged friends in the city!! This thoroughly researched, interesting and informative post on some of the birds found in Chennai is brought to you by our guest blogger Ramesh. Ramesh who has recently moved back to Chennai is an avid reader, photographer and blogger who blogs at Engram’s Random Rambling – Thanks Ramesh!!!
Warning– Long Post ahead.
All photographs on this post are owned by Ramesh. Please contact him on his blog in case you would like to use them.
There are over 130 species of birds in Chennai region and can be seen in pockets of spaces like the IIT campus, Guindy National Park, Theosophical Society Gardens and Adyar Estuary. This photo post is basically about the birds that I have seen in the vicinity of my house at Perungudi in mornings chirping and tweeting. Being a suburb this place is uncluttered unlike the city ,with independent houses and quite few empty plots filled up with dense bushes and it attracts quite a few species of birds, in addition the usual crows, mynas and sparrows there has been few birds I saw for the first time here. Here are the photographs of those birds taken by me. Bird description- Courtesy Wikipedia.
Common Hawk-Cuckoo
The Common Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius), popularly known as the Brain fever bird, is a medium sized Cuckoo resident in South Asia It bears a close resemblance to the Shikara a sparrow hawk, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch. The resemblance to hawks gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoo and like many other cuckoos these are brood parasites laying their eggs in nests of babblers. During their breeding season in summer males produce loud, repetitive three note calls that are well-rendered as brain-fever, the second note being longer and higher pitched. These notes rise to a crescendo before ending abruptly and repeat after a few minutes, the calling may go on through the day, well after dusk and before dawn.
The Common Hawk-Cuckoo is a medium to large sized cuckoo, about the size of a pigeon (ca. 34 cm). The plumage is ashy grey above; whitish below, cross-barred with brown. The tail is broadly barred. The sexes are alike. They have a distinctive yellow eye ring. Sub adults have the breast streaked, similar to the immature Shikara, and there are large brown chevron marks on the belly.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfever_Bird – cite_note-pcr-3 At first glance they can be mistaken for a hawk. When flying they use a flap and glide style that resembles that of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparrowhawk sparrow hawk and flying upwards and landing on a perch they shake their tails from side to side. Many small and birds and squirrels raise alarm just as they would in the presence of a hawk. The sexes are alike but males tend to be larger. During summer months, before the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon monsoons, the males are easily detected by their repeated calls but can be difficult to spot. The call is a loud screaming three-note call, repeated 5 or 6 times, rising in crescendo and ending abruptly. It is heard throughout the day and frequently during moonlit nights.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfever_Bird – cite_note-ali-daniel-6The calls of females are a series of grating notes.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfever_Bird – cite_note-hbk-4 Common Hawk-Cuckoos feed mainly on insects and are specialized feeders that can handle hairy. Caterpillar guts often containing toxins and like many cuckoos they remove the guts by pressing the caterpillar and rubbing it on a branch before swallowing it. The hairs are swallowed with the caterpillar and are separated in the stomach and regurgitated as a pellet.
White-throated Kingfisher
The White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher, is a tree kingfisher widely distributed in Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey, east through South Asia to the Philippines. This http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisherkingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations may make short distance movements. It can often be found well away from water where it feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, amphibians, crabs, small rodents and even birds.
During the breeding season they call loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in urban areas or on wires. This is a large kingfisher, 28 cm in length. The adult has a bright blue back, wings and tail. Its head, shoulders, flanks and lower belly are chestnut, and the throat and breast are white. The large bill and legs are bright red. The flight of the White-throated Kingfisher is rapid and direct, the short rounded wings whirring. In flight, large white patches are visible on the blue and black wings. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are a duller version of the adult.
Like other bee-eaters, this species is a richly colored, slender bird. It is about 9 inches (16–18 cm) long with about 2 inches made up by the elongated central tail-feathers. The sexes are not visually distinguishable. The entire plumage is bright green and tinged with blue especially on the chin and throat. The crown and upper back are tinged with golden rufous. The flight feathers are rufous washed with green and tipped with blackish. A fine black line runs in front of and behind the eye. The iris is crimson and the bill is black while the legs are dark grey. The feet are weak with the three toes joined at the base. Southeast Asian birds have rufous crown and face, and green under parts, whereas Arabian beludschicus has a green crown, blue face and bluish under parts. The wings are green and the beak is black. The elongated tail feathers are absent in juveniles. Sexes are alike. The call is a nasal trill tree-tree-tree-tree, usually given in flight.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bee-eater – cite_note-whistler-2
Golden Oriole
The Eurasian Golden Oriole or simply Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) is the only member of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriole Oriole family of passerine birds breeding in northern hemisphere temperate regions. It is a summer migrant in Europe and western Asia and spends the winter season in the central and southern http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa Africa. Golden orioles have an extremely large range with large populations that are apparently stable. The male is striking in the typical oriole black and yellow plumage, but the female is a drabber green bird.
Orioles are shy, and even the male is remarkably difficult to see in the dappled yellow and green leaves of the canopy. In flight they look somewhat like a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrush_%28bird%29 thrush, strong and direct with some shallow dips over longer distances. They feed on insects and fruit. They build neat nests in tree forks and lay 3-6 eggs. Their call is a screech like a Jay, but the song is a beautiful fluting weela-wee-ooo or or-iii-ole, unmistakable once heard.
In addition to the above I did see Black Drongo and a honey bird but could not take a decent photograph of them. Also because of fish in the rain water stagnated in open plots we do get to see some egrets and drake flying in but I was unable to photograph them due to dense bushes.
January is not just the time for margazhi and kutcheri’s in Madras. It is also not just about the balmy weather and inviting sun ( about the only time its inviting in Madras), but it’s the place where the Tennis season kicks off each year. Well its one of the places, but for tennis fans in Madras, the Chennai Open is special.
It is the one chance each year to watch high quality men’s tennis, apart from the occasional Davis Cup tie of course.
It seems like yesterday when it all began. The Goldflake open, as it was known, began modestly enough, in 1997. Over the years though, the tournament has grown in stature and witnessed many star players from Richard Krajicek, to Boris Becker to Carlos Moya to even the great Rafael Nadal.
Madras can be referred to as the ‘tennis capital’ of India, if such a thing ever existed. It has produced players who have gone on to represent the country to great glory such as the Krishnans and the Amritrajs. Leander Paes, though originally from Kolkata, is a product of the Britannia Amritraj Tennis Academy in Chennai and has had an illustrious career dotted with several achievements. India’s current number 1 singles player Somdev Devvarman also hails from Chennai.
It is no surprise then, that despite sponsorship issues, the tournament has remained here, after just one year in New Delhi in 1996. The Chennai open has played host to many great players, and while not as well established as other tournaments such as Doha and Brisbane, it has its own band of loyal players such as Tipsarevic, Wawrinka and Cilic who keep coming back. Carlos Moya considered the Chennai open crowd akin to his home crowd, such was the vociferous support he used to receive and for the 2 years that Rafa played here, youngsters went completely crazy over their idol!
Right now the Chennai Open has a small tournament feel to it, which it rightly is. However, one hopes that the tournament stays in Madras in the future. This tournament is definitely one of the bright spots on the Madras event calendar.
Why should you watch the Chennai Open?
Image Courtesy: Reuters
Star Gazing : While the Chennai Open may not always attract the best players, fans will almost always get to see some really great players. Philippousis, Canas, Moya, Rafa, Cilic, Srichappan, Berdych and Tipsarevic are some of the games top players who have played and continue to play in Chennai.
Lucky Charm: Those who do well at the Chennai open, usually end up having great careers or great years at the very least. How do we say this? Ok hows this for some evidence. Thomas Johannsen, won the Australian Open after playing at the Chennai Open. Paradon Srichhapan went on to break the top 10 after he played here. Tipsarevic who is Chennai open regular had a banner year last year and broke into the top 10! Rafa Nadal won Wimbledon by beating Roger Federer in what most experts claim to be the greatest match of all time, after…..? yes,that’s correct, he did participate in the Chennai open for 2 straight years before this happened ( exaggeration?.. umm maybe, but facts cannot be disputed ). Our very own Somdev Devvarman had his breakthrough year in 2009, after reaching the finals of the Chennai Open ( the atmosphere that day was electric by the way, Somi could do no wrong!). Finally, but most importantly, it all ‘began here’ for the Indian Express. The train left the Chennai station in 1999 and went on to become one of the legendary doubles pairings in tennis. Break up they may, but when they are on, they can shake up the doubles world!
Image Courtesy: Rediff
Cheap Tickets: C’mon, where are you going to get tickets to a quality sporting event for 150 bucks? That’s a bargain, whichever way you look at it. M2M can vouch for viewing pleasure even from the top most stand, and if it isn’t so crowded, you can always sneak your way to a better seat.
Image Courtesy: MiY Zone
Great Food: Yes, it’s true. The snacks here are excellent! The organizers have got this down pat!
Crowd Meter: The Madras crowd is universally well known to be knowledgeable and erudite, not just in tennis, but even for other sports. Who can forget the standing ovation given to the Pakistani cricket team after they won a nailbiter against the Indians in 1999? The tennis crowd is no different. Excited, cheerful, loud and yet well behaved- yes we rock!! We know our tennis, we know our backhands like the back of our hand and we will support both the players equally. It is no wonder that the players who come back, cite the crowd in particular.
Kancheevaram + Trophy= Uber Cool!!!! Image Courtesy: Chadanielle’s Blog
Kancheevaram Central: Kancheevaram?? Yes you read that correctly. Our tennis stars get nothing less than a kancheevaram shawl along with their trophy. Next they may serve the filter coffee during the presentation ceremony, but what the heck! M2M thinks this rocks the cool meter and the players look bemused yet pleasantly surprised as they pose for the shutterbugs with the shawl and trophy! Expect an impromptu kutcheri someday!
Sightings: All the glitterati worth their salt usually show up during the last few days of the tourney and if you ever wanted to see that elusive Kollywood star or a certain great chess player, who also happens to hail from here, then this where you need to go!
Tennis: and Finally, the tennis. This is really all the reason you should ever need to go for this tournament. What it may lack in stars, it certainly makes up in intensity. Quality tennis, and good quality tennis is what you get served on a consistent basis. Young talented Indians, who otherwise struggle to break the surface in the highly competitive tennis world, due to sponsorship issues, get their much deserved break here. India’s got talent ladies and gentlemen! We don’t have the will to nurture these youngsters though! Come to the Chennai open to watch young stars like Yuki and Somdev, as well as golden seniors like Paes, Bhupati and Bopanna!
Are you still not convinced to go for the Chennai Open? ?? You’ve got to be kidding me!!! Well M2M may not be as persuasive, but we have an expert who knows a thing or two about tennis and Chennai and the Chennai open and we asked him what he thinks about the Chennai Open. Read on…
Sashankh Kale is one of themost ardent tennis fans in the city and an extremely knowledgeable one at that. M2M picked his brain on the past, present and future of the Chennai Open. Here’s what he thinks:
M2M: Since how long have you been attending the Chennai open?
Sashankh : I went to the tournament for the first time in 2006. Since then I have been going every year. Going on the first day has become a ritual.
M2M: What are some of your fondest memories at the Chennai open?
Sashankh: The year I saw Rafa reach the final. Watching Leander and Mahesh play Bopanna and Aisam in the final last year was also fun.
M2M: Name one player that you would like to see participate at the Chennai Open and why?
Sashankh: Roger Federer because he is one of the greatest mens players of all time. He is a phenomenal shotmaker and has the most elegant game. If not Roger, at least Del Potro or Tsonga would be fine. Both of them play a very explosive brand of tennis, which would be a treat to watch.
M2M: What is the Best aspect about the Chennai Open?
Sashankh: It has a very compact, efficient feel to it and it is quite well organized. The food is great too!
M2M: What would you like to see improve in the coming years?
Sashankh: Perhaps an increase in the prize money will bring in more highly-ranked players.
M2M: Given that the fate of the open is always under scanner due to sponsorship issues, erratic attendance and the inability to always pull in ‘big names’, what can be done to change this scenario for the better and make the Chennai open more popular among fans and players?
Sashankh:Except on the final day, it appears like there are a lot of empty seats in the stadium. Doling out less tickets to the sponsors and making more available through online booking or at the counters might be helpful to fill those seats. Perhaps there can be tennis clinics for youngsters where they can interact with the top players. Some contests where fans can win tickets for the matches too would be a good idea.
M2M: If you were made marketing director at the Chennai Open, what would you change or introduce?
Sashankh: Try roping in Coke or Pepsi as one of the sponsors. Those guys have a good deal of marketing budget. So why not tap into that? Try getting popular film-stars and cricketers to promote this event. Increasing the prize money from the present 450,000$ to say 600,000$ or 750,000$ would be good. This would move it to perhaps tier-3 status and would attract more high-ranked players. This is necessary since it is held at the same time as the tournament in Qatar.
Fascinating thoughts!! One wonders if the sponsors may read this someday. The possibilities are endless!!!
So, there you have it Chennaiwasi’s, and oh yes, this is where you need to be if you want to see Wawrinka beat a certain Roger…. Vasselin that is!! M2M hopes to see the love and support for this wonderful tournament growing. We don’t want to mess with a good thing, do we?
M2M started off the new year on a quest to attain Moksha at one of the states many quaint temples popular for its powerful God! We had the opportunity to visit the “Malai Mandala Perumal” temple also known as the “Giri Varadar” temple. The small, quaint and beautiful temple from the 16th century is located a few kilometers ahead of Kalpakkam [Chennai’s atomic research center]. In the past the temple was actually situated on a hill and was surrounded by water (hence the name “Giri Varadhar” – Giri in tamil translated to Hill) but with passage of time is now on land. If you observe carefully you can still find the slight slope of the temple grounds.
Though not a Divya Desam the Gods of this templeare considered to be extremely powerful. The temple is considered as an Abhimana Sthalam / Prarthanai Sthalam and is a place where devotees can fulfill promises to made to other Gods / temples such as Lord Srinivasa at Tirupathi, Guruvayoor etc.,
Dutch Fort at Sadras / Image Courtesy: Internet
It was beautiful drive down ECR and past Mahabalipuram to get to Kalpakkam. We took the right at the old Sadras Dutch fort complete with cannons and brick walls and went straight from there. We drove through the narrow streets filled chock-o-block with the stores of a small town, markets, people, dogs, goats and more. We reached the charming temple at about 4:00PM and welcomed by the shrine of Hanuman located just outside the temple. The entrance to the temple is flanked by a sit out looked upon by Lord Ganesha.
Considering that we were amongst the first to enter the temple, the doors were literally opened to us! An interesting historical fact – the doors were constructed and fitted in 1603 and are 408 yrs old! There are no special “Vaikunda Ekadasi” celebrations at this temple as walking though these doors on any day is equivalent of the “Sorga Vaasal”[Gateway to Heaven]
Door Fitted in 1603
The temple is the abode of Lord Vishnu in various forms:
Standing / Nindraan – This one is that of Lord Srinivasastanding at the main santum sanctorum. He is accompanied by Sridevi and Boodevi. More interesting features of this God are that:
The Sanku or Conch is at a higher level compared to the Chakra or Disc
One foot of the Lors is forward while the other foot remains slightly behind
Sridevi is taller than Bhoomidevi
Sitting / Irundaan – This one is that of LordLakshmi Narayana with the Goddess sitting on his lap. Legend has it that this was once his temple but he made way for Lord Srinivasa who appeared by himself (Swayambu) What this means is that the sculpture of Lord Srinivasa are not man made but appeared by itself with the advent of time.
Lying Down / Kidanthaan – This one is that of LordRanganatha carved out of a piece of stone
Another feature unique to this temple is that “Yoga Narasimha” can be found above the Dwarapalakas instead of the usual Goddess Lakshmi.
The temple is very popular for its Lord Garuda who is surrounded by 8 snakes. The head of the Garuda aligns directly with the foot of Lord Srinivasa. Praying to this Lord Garuda by lighting a ghee lamp is supposed to relieve those born with the naga sarpa dosham in their horoscopes.
The temple also has small shrines for a beautiful Shree Vishnu Durgai also known as Goddess Maya, Perundevi Thaayar and Goddess Andal
The temple was patronized by Vijayendra Chozha and then by the rules of the Vijayanagara dynasty and has been mentioned in many historical reports of the time. Also the giant bell that used to be present at this temple can now be found at a museum in China!! The first of the Azhvaars, Bhoothath Azhvaar, is said to have stayed here and is seen in a Gnana Mudra Posture. The temple was also visited by Lord Raghavendra who performed poojas here.
Temple Board
Fear not if you are unable to visit a temple for Vaikunta Ekadai or unable to full fill promised to made to other Gods; just visit the Malamandala Perumal Kovil and pay your respects to Giri Varadhar !
Note: Since M2M did not want to disturb the peace at the temple by taking photos inside it, you will notice that we don’t have any pictures of the God’s or Goddesses. However there are pictures available on the internet for interested readers.
Nope! We ain’t humming the song from 3 idiots nor talking about its Tamil version “Nanban”! M2M wanted to share with you an interesting scene, straight from the streets of Chennai…Mufflers and scarves (??) not withstanding, we Chennaites now need bonfires to stay warm during the month of “Marghazi”!! It’s kinda surprising to think that you need to keep warm in a city that has “barely there” winters! Thanks to global warming! These two guys seemed contented warming themselves in front of their bonfire out side a cozy cafe! Seriously it takes all types to make up this city and M2M was sorely tempted to sit with them, get warm and sing a few songs to ring in the new Year! Do Be Do Be Do Be rum paa rum…….
Bonfire on the streets of Chennai
We’d like to leave yo with a few wise words from the bonfire man:
To Do Is To Be
To Be Is To Do
Do Be Do Be Do
If you don’t have a clue, please check out the guy’s T-shirt 🙂
Happy 2012 folks!!
Note: The picture quality is just average as M2M was not prepared to take a nigh photo!
From Mochas to Moksha......... 