Project 365 Day 28 Lush

Had been meaning to visit the Semmozhi Poonga since the day it was inaugurated, but Murphy kept coming into the scene and ruining all chances. Finally, last sunday, bunch of us Blogger buds- Gils, Ratzzz and G3 decided to meet and the venue was - Semmozhi poonga!! I threatened the others to not bail out, inspite of which one did.. :( Anyways, i did enjoy visiting, spending a few hours wandering about the vast space, the beautiful landscaping, the amphitheater or sorts, watching ducks swim about in the ponds, the fountains that seem to be reaching for the sky and the sprinklers that drenched us around every corner... A dodge here, a splash there, a dodge[attempt] and a bigger splash... 

The place is so different from what it used to be, kept looking for signs of where Drive in Woodlands had been and just couldnt find any.. The dry empty spaces are now filled with trees and plants and park benches occupied by lovers, families, and kids. The most crowded section was ofcourse the Kids' play area, packed with people- parents kids and extended families i am sure!! 

Looking fwd to more visits.... Next on the list is Adyar poonga...!! 

Project 365 Day 27- Stones from History

The brick red buildings near the Flyover are home to some stories dating back to a few centuries... Today, one of the buildings here is the hub for Chennai theater. I have been here so many times, i've lost count.. The number of concerts, dance performances, and plays inside this hall always have me observing the rich architecture both outside and inside.... 

This is the Chennai Government Museum, Egmore...

Project 365 Day 26 Where Journey's begin

The Other side of the Egmore Railway station , beautiful grand building from where many a journey has begun and ended for me during my childhood days.... 

Project 365 Day 25 Holy

On the Poonamallee High road, as you drive towards the Central Station from my home, this beautiful Brick coloured Wesley church always has me taking a 2nd glance... 

CSI Wesley Church, located in Royapettah, Egmore in Chennai and established by the Methodists in 1905, is now part of the Church of South India, Madras Diocese. In this Church there is an emphasis not only on corporate worship in the Methodist tradition at the regular Sunday services at 8.30 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. but also in building Christian fellowship during the week through well organized activities like the Men's Fellowship, the Women's Fellowship, the Youth Fellowship, the Prayer Fellowship, Area Fellowships and the Choir. This is a place worth visiting for Christians.

Project 365- Day 24 Roll on

A theater that has stood the test of time and continues to survive amidst all the Multiplexes.... Tucked away off Mount Road, Casino Theater sure is one of the landmarks of the city... Passed by here during a photo walk and am curious to even watch a movie here.. 

Project 365 Day 23 Ride on...

A chariot of sorts, a majestic piece of art, one that i have seen in numerous temples was also standing tall here at Dakshin Chitra, Chennai... 

The amount of intricate work that has gone into it and just the fact that its standing strong, against time and nature is just amazing.... 

Project 365 Day 22- Moo

Today, had gone to Amethyst [a cafe, a store, overall an Experience], with a friend/ex-colleague.. From the earlier Gopalapuram, it is now on Whites Road, across the road from Sathyam Cinemas Parking lot.... 


The place does look different, which is expected.. The Store upstairs has a industrial look to it as against the cozy setting in earlier location. But the new ambiance is no less sweet.. Plenty of open space, familiar seating options all add to the beauty of the place..


This cow was the one that welcomed us to the cafe, standing tall near the door... 

Project 365 Day 21- Captured

Art, craft, music, dance, heritage, and so much more is what Dakshin Chitra stands for. Hidden away on the East Coast Road, it is quite popular among locals and tourists. 

Some come to feast on the model houses that have been brought from various parts of the state

Others come to attend the dance/music/puppet shows or maybe do some art & craft shopping 

There are the few who book themselves into a room/cottage and enjoy the place, unwinding... 

We had gone on Jan 1st to attend an uncle's 60th Birthday celebrations... Managed to sneak out some time to wander around, and explore the place some more............ 

Project 365 Day 20 The office

As mentioned earlier, Chennai leaves me stumped for words every day... Every single day.... During the recent drive from the Central Station, i managed to click this shot while waiting at the traffic signal...  Am hoping, one day i get to walk down the road and take in the majestic building - Ripon Building, that is today the Corporation office in Chennai and spend some time enjoying the architecture and history hidden within...  

Project 365 Day 19 Smokin

There were no Giraffes, nor was there smoke, but there was music and food in Chennai Sangamam 2011... Definitely brought back memories of the beautiful show put on by the French Troupe in 2010 Chennai Sangamam..... 

This shot was taken during the Giraffe show in 2010 Jan

Project 365 Day 18 Omnipresent

Have you noticed? Next time please do... Wonder what am talking about? Well,i 've seen that most Hotels in Chennai seem to have some form of Buddha at their entrance, in front, in the lobby, etc etc... Wonder why!!! And what's the connection?

This is the Buddha sitting amidst a water cascade at Harrison's Hotel, Nungambakkam

Project 365 Day 17- Faith

 Did you know that Mylapore was once called Vedapuri??? and Did you know that " Mylapore" is derived from the Tamil word Mayil, meaning peacock, which was the vehicle of Lord Muruga? Apparently, Peacocks used to thrive in this locality, alas, none are left today...  


The Landmark of this area is the infamous Kapaleeshwara Temple.. Early morning on a Saturday not so long ago, found me and some family heading to this place for a morning walk, as part of the Story Trails walk...

Project 365 Day 16 Battles

Every city has its share of stories to tell... Chennai too has been through its share of wars, and battles.. The one monument that i have been curious about is the War Memorial near Fort St George... I haven't spent too much time exploring this monument, and in fact am yet to make my 1st visit to Fort St George....  But i know i shall Soon...


I found this picture on my hard drive... I had clicked it using the Canon [film] camera that was a hand down from my uncle... Well, i wasn't really surprised to see the picture was of a good quality, and decided to get it digitized [convert hard copy of photo to a digital version] ... 

Situated on the Marina beach road in the area which housed the coastal belfry and was formerly called Cupids bow, the Victory War Memorial honours those who have laid down their lives for their country in the World Wars. It was constructed to commemorate the victory of the allied armies during World War I (1914-1918) and later became the victory war memorial for the World War II (1939-1945) in the memory of those from Chennai presidency who lost their lives serving the nation.

Project 365 Day 15 Evil

Keeping the evil eye away is something that most people believe in. In our home, rather at my grandparents' house, there is a black rope tied around a padigaram [dont know what it is called in Tamil] and in many shops i see the green chilli- lemon combo.. 


This was spotted again during a photowalk near Casino Theater.... The guy was selling some eats and juices on his cart and said this helped keep his business alive and keep all jealous, evil eyes away.... 

Project 365 Day 14 Rewind

During one of the early Photowalks i had been on, we wandered around the narrow lanes in Egmore... Harris road and Pudupet....


Found this poster of the yesteryear hero MGR on the wall.... There were a few kids who were pointing to the poster and imitating some of his moves. and actions.....

Project 365 Day 13 Passing by

Chennai continues to fascinate me every day...There are buildings and monuments that speak so much of our rich history,  each one seems to have stood through war and time.... 

While driving down the beach one day, from the car clicked this shot of the sunset on the Iron Bridge or the Napier bridge.... 

Project 365- Day 12 - Remembering

Chennai Marina beach has quite a few interesting monuments along the way... The other day, when we were on the Photowalk, i was wandering around the beach, till i reached this beautiful memorial.. It had been ages since i had been to this part of the beach.... 

The MGR Memorial was so grand, large and beautiful, i just had to click a shot of it.... 

Skywatch Friday/ Project365 Day 11 - Towering heights

Few days ago, while returning home from a meeting,passed by the Santhome Church and paused for a minute.. The Church always has me in awe, mesmerized almost... Today too, asked the driver to stop the car for a minute, hopped out onto the platform and stared at the church for a few minutes before a traffic cop came asking us to move...

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For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Project 365 Day 10 Sky is the limit

I was literally flat on the ground, the tree seemed to have touched the skies and playing Swish swish with the clouds... While on the road in Goa, there was a stretch of barren road with nothing but emptiness in it.....  These trees were all i saw before the beach welcomed me... 

Project 365 Day 9- Stone

A place of worship, a place where i find myself at peace and calm.. Sringeri, one of the 4 Mutts established by Adi Shankara is a place we visit, i visit atleast once a year, while rest of my family does multiple trips...

The Vidyashankar temple is  an architectural marvel.... Viewed from a distance it looks like a attractive chariot. On the walls, there are carved innumerable statues. On the pinnacle of its lofty tower is a grand gold cupola. Inside this temple, 12 sculptured pillars with zodiac signs have been engraved. As the sun move from one zone to another, the sun's rays fall on the respective pillars.  There are steps outside that are narrow and tall, with the outer wall filled with Gods and Goddesses... 

Project 365 Day 8 - Royal!

Everytime we walk into a saree store, i am blown away by the amount of creativity in each piece.. The rich colours, the intricate patterns and how grand the whole fabric looks. But yes, i am not too big on wearing silk sarees, although i do enjoy the occasional dressing up for weddings and other special occasions, matching it with the few pieces of jewellery that i have... :)

During the visit to Kanchipuram, i got the chance to visit a weaver who was kind enough to show us around his loom. But the thing that caught my eye was the bunch of silk that looked like silver threads all wound up, sitting and waiting to become another beautiful saree... The owner of the store also opened a cupboard to reveal some wonderful bright coloured threads....

Project 365 Day 7 - Bird brain

We walked along the path towards Namdroling Monastery in Bylakuppe when we saw these strange birds pecking on footwear... Wonder what they were, thought maybe Turkey, but a passerby mentioned a name in Kannada and walked away... Dint catch the words, just some random gibberish floating in the air... 


Wonder why these birds were focussed on the footwear they had.. Did they think it was food? or where they fighting to kill it?? [assuming it was a large sized hard worm?] :D 

Project 365- Day 6- The Glow

A small cafe in T.Nagar was the location for our meet.. We were a bunch of bloggers who decided to meet here one evening, and spent more than a couple of hours laughing, and kidding around... What fun we had!! One smartypants decided to order Coffee beer and give it a try.. With anticipation we waited for the drink to arrive,  and when it did we [all but the soul who'd ordered it] stared at it in awe... It looked like coffee dicoction, and something brown floating on top....


A sip later, the guinea pig's face got twisted beyond imagination... The glass soon went around the table, with each of us sipping and giving our esteemed comments [read- yuvack reaction]... we vowed never to order it again!!

This is a light fitting above our tablee, and it caught my eye ... I clicked it on my N95 8GB phone.... :-)

Project 365- Day 5 - Row of bricks

We were going for a movie at INOX in Chennai City center.. I was waiting outside for my friends to land when this structure on the wall in front of me caught my eye.. Whipped out my Blackberry and clicked a shot... Simply love the rich colours and the smart designs, almost looks real ...

[Project 365] Day 4 - Burst

January is the month Chennai Sangamam comes to town... I have made it a point to visit the fest atleast twice during the week it runs... This time though, was able to go only once, to Natesan Park, Tnagar.. The park was pretty bare, there was a music concert going on, and there were clusters of people sitting around the park enjoying the music.. Near the entrance, i saw a few engrossed in a Kili josiyam, some in Kuri josiyam and few children sitting with their arms and legs stiff as an artist created magic with colours.... 


On my way out, i caught a glimpse of this beautiful strand dangling in the evening breeze... Even though a few of the white flowers had dried, the orange blossom had me glued :-)  

[Project 365] Day 3 - Colours of wind

It was a Sunday, after few hours of work, the internet decided to up and go into thin air, and i too shut the laptop, and got out... Met a friend for a movie, following which i was headed to the Marina beach for the 1st ever Evening Photowalk...

What an evening it was.. Strolling along the beach, reading about the history on monuments every 100 yards, watching the traffic whiz by, and the cool breeze from the ocean... Not to forget the myraid of colours,and sounds that came from all around....

On seeing this, i was transported to my childhood, and the days of playing in the beach, buying a Kathadi , or a balloon...

[Project 365] Day 2- Amethyst

Amethyst, a place that was perfect for an evening with friends

A place where meetings are held amidst calm surroundings

A cafe, a shopping venue, a florist 

All of which had us drawn and addicted....

The beautiful ambience made us feel totally at home..

Yummy treats soothed our hunger

And then, 

They moved....

Am yet to visit the new place... 

Have heard its nice, but not as warm as the earlier one!! 

This pic was clicked at Amethyst, few days before New years, when the gardens were all gone... Furniture had been moved....

[Project 365]Day 1- Celebration

Today morning was reading about Project 365 and had made up my mind to start posting a picture a day.... A good opportunity to not only showcase some of my shots, but also keep the blog alive and kicking..

This shot was taken in Dakshin Chitra, ironically on Jan 1st, during my uncle's 60th bday celebration...