Life360 Chennai team 1

From the Editorial Desk

Chennai ! you either love it or hate it! And there's plentyto love and hate about this city. Long, silver beaches, thesearing heat, temples, fluffy white idlis, smiling flower sell!ers, mosquitoes, strong coffee and bad roads.

We, at Life360 present to you the first Chennai edition.Why did we choose this city to start our Indian adventure?Because underneath its layer of genteel old world charm,Chennai is a city full of quirks. And we wanted to showcasethis in our magazine.

In this issue, you can read about individuals who haveadded a unique dimension to our city, the lesser knownbut picturesque war memorial. With the IPL around thecorner, rightfully finds a place in one of our pages. We alsohave ways to beat the heat and some fitness trends to getthat adrenalin pumping.

So sit back and flip through our first edition, with a strongcup of filter coffee.

Credits InsideBlassy BobenJS HarikumarPoorvaja SundarSanjana PrakashShrikkanth DhasarathySwathi ChatrapathyVinaya Ashok Kurtkoti

DesignTeam

New Media Team

Ushna Mohan IyerVinamrata Borwanker

ContributorsEditorialTeam

Photographers

DK RiturajJS HarikumarJyotsna RamanPoorvaja SundarSanjana PrakashShrikkanth DhasarathySwathi ChatrapathyVinamrata BowarnkerVinaya Ashok Kurtkoti

Swathi Chatrapathy

4 News Chennai routes

4 Beat the heat

5 NewsCommunity Radio

5 Chennai Super Kings facts

6 Cover story ! Different strokes

8 WellbeingDance your way to fitness

9 WellbeingHypnotherapy

10 ExploreMadras War Cemetery

11 Reviews11 Quiz

www.facebook.com/Life360Chennai

www.chennai360.tumbler.com

Blassy BobenCinthya AnandDK RiturajJyotsna RamanPoorvaja Sundar

Six Ways to Beat the Heat

In the age of smart phones and pocket inter!net, two young city entrepreneurs AshwinKumar and Bharat Somani, founded 'Routes'! a helpline to find your way in the city withjust a phone call. Routes will give you theinformation you need about bus routes, sub!urban trains, and MRTS."Even when everybody has a smart phonethis was happening. That is when my busi!ness brain started working," said Ashwin.With an initial investment of Rs. 15 lakh,they set up shop in a rented office inNungambakkam. Ten call centre executives were trained todirect in English and Tamil. Ashwin said, "Weplan to train the executives in other regionallanguages." The service uses the internet tocollect information on the routes but doesnot completely depend upon it.

Ashwin and Bharat have created their owndatabase by visiting bus terminuses, talkingto drivers, putting the available informationto test and updating it. They are confidentthat they can take on competition from dig!ital competitors. Justifying the service, hesaid, "Currently around 90 percent of theinformation provided is accurate and weplan to achieve 100 percent. However, youcannot ignore the possibility of an elementof human error."

Finding your �routes� in the

Today, they receive an average of 600 to700 calls each day and up to 2000 onSundays.

For quick travel information dial86 95 95 95 95.

Chennai SuperKings is the onlyIPL team to have

its own comicseries!

Suresh Rainais the only

cricketer to haveplayed in all the

matches for a teamin the IPL

Sir Ravindra Jadeja has the bestbowling figures in IPL for an all

rounder at 5 wickets for 16 runs

Chennai Super Kings is the only team to win the Indianpemier league and the Champions league in the same year

4 | April , 2013 | 5

Arc

Lost in the city? Vinamrata Borwankarfinds that helpis just a phone call away!

We dialed the 'Routes' helpline to see howwell it worked. Our question? "How do youget from Indira Nagar to Chennai CityCentre?" The executive answered immedi!ately, suggesting we take the MRTS trainfrom Indira Nagar station and alight atMylapore. However, he couldn't find how toproceed from there on. (The best way toreach the destination is to get off atLighthouse and walk for 5 minutes.) Afterprompting him and waiting for some threeminutes, the executive corrected himselfand asked us to walk from Lighthouse sta!tion instead. Total time: 5 minutes, 40 secondsTime on Google Maps: Less than a minuteThe Verdict: Innovative, but needs catch!ing up with online services.

Geeko

Summers in Chennai can be unforgiving. D.KRituraj shares six ways to cool off this summer.

1. Juice upWalk over to the closest juice stall you can see..Choose from water!melon, coconut, gooseberry, lime, cucumber ! whatever catches yourfancy. Gulp down a refreshing drink and the summer won’t seem sohot anymore..

2. Ice skatingNot a fan of the heat, no problem. March over to Ampa Skywalk mallin Nungambakkam and spend your time skating in the newly devel!oped ice rinks. The rink also has a video game arcade, a mocktail puband a dance bar. Skate, boogie and drink away!

3. Beach timeLie low till the sun sets and then go out for a rejuvenating dip in thesea. Spare yourself the misery of Marina and explore the beaches atBesant Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur and Covelong.The waves and the quiet are guaranteed toquell your heat!wrangled nerves.

5. Massage your nervesVisit the many spas in the city if you refuse to engage with the sum!mer at all. Opt for the ayurvedic massages and lie back as the herbsand aromatherapy oils work their magic to detoxify, de!stress yoursummer self.

5. Fiction For an enriching, pocket friendly experience this season, march overto the Anna Centenary Library at Kotturpuram. The mammoth publiclibrary has an entire floor for fiction !! novels, short stories, poetry,classics, drama, letters ! everything! Sit in the air!conditioned hallsand immerse yourself in a world far, far away.

6. Shots and shortsSleep through the day and wake up to low calorie shots in Chennai'spubs for a relaxed summer. These high!end, low!key bars in Chennaioffer nirvana on the rocks. The list of mocktails runs just as long ascocktails, supplying solace aplenty to those keeping their palate alco!hol!free in summer.

Things YouDidn�tKnow About The

A cricket crazy city, everyone here is immensely proud oftheir successful home team - The Chennai Super Kings.While everyone knows that CSK has won the IPL twice and the Champions League, we present a few lesser known facts.

In a 2008 match vsthe Deccan Chargers,Albie Morkel hit thebiggest sixer in IPL

history. At 124metres, the ball

landed outside thestadium

Chennai Super kings isthe only team to have

participated in theChampion’s LeagueT20 twice with the

same captain

Use the back cover to create your very own cube craft version of the Chennai Super Kings. Collect all eleven to make your own team!

"You know these sex workers... I spoke tothem, they had lots to say and over time weeven became friends," Jamila told me in ahushed voice, clearly anxious of discussingsomething taboo. She was talking about hernext show about HIV awareness on AnnaFM. Talking to sex!workers meant steppingbeyond boundaries for a conservativehousewife like her. Like Jamila, most of thewomen who work for the community radioare full!time housewives and part!time

radio professionals. Prior to

Anna FM, Jamilahad been cooped

up in her house despite having a post!grad!uate degree in English Literature. Anna FMwas her key to freedom even as she over!came all resistance from her husband andfamily. Anna FM was the first campus com!munity radio, established in February 2004by Anna University, Chennai, at its

Educational Multimedia Research Centre(EMMRC). The radio channel engages volun!teers from the nearby communities to pro!duce radio shows. Jamila has been associat!ed with the programme from day one. Nineyears down the line, she feels that the expe!rience has transformed her into a confidentwoman.

To this day, Jamila has done morethan 1200 shows and is confident that shecan produce a show on any topic. However,there are still issues when it comes to work!ing with other women in the community,many of whom are illiterate. For Jamila,pulling them out of their comfort zones and

making them produce radio shows is a greatachievement in itself. That is exactly whatJamila has been doing and a visit to theircommunity; Kannigapuram got us face toface with other 'Jamilas'.

Located a few kilometers from the AnnaUniversity campus, Kannigapuram is the oddman out in the Guindy!Velachery belt,

which is famous for its bourgeoisie crowd; anetwork of by lanes that would be easilyignored amidst the hustle and bustle of thecity.

Gracie is one of the producers in the ANNACommunity Radio. She was visibly happyabout the changes she has witnessed in herlifestyle after becoming part of the commu!nity radio. "I used to be shy and never usedto talk, now it will be difficult for you to stopme when I get started," she told with a wrysmile. One thing that is common among volun!

teers is that they are happy about learningnew things and being able to share their

knowledge. Almost every woman I met wasa housewife who lived in a shell until AnnaCommunity Radio happened. Jamila is confi!dent that she can inspire more and morewomen to join the community andhas great hopes for the future.

Hear Our Voices!

Radio jockeys and housewives. Seems like an odd combination? SrikkanthDhasarathy Rajendranspeaks to Jamila of India’s first campus communi-ty radio on Anna FM, where housewives rule!

Arc

6 | April , 2013 | 7

Think 'Chennai autos' and the first thing that comes to mind is theunending bargaining drivers subject commuters to. But Annadurai

seems far from the usual bunch.For the past 4 years., Annadurai has been operating a share auto downOld Mahabalipuram road and ferries passengers, most of whom work inthe software companies. Peep inside his share auto and you will find anassortment of 40 magazines, six newspapers, a music system and a smallvideo player."According to me, my customer is God. I wanted to do something differ!ent for them and make sure they have a pleasant journey" saysAnnadurai. He regularly hosts lucky draw contests and gives away giftvouchers as prizes.Annadurai's ambition however is to educate a young boy. "I want tochoose a boy from a corporation school and educate him in a good school.I hope to do this next year," he says. The steely resolve in his eyes doesn't waver. "Many people have come for!ward to help me with donations, but I want to do this with my money," heasserts. The share auto driver treats his customers with special offers fromtime to time. He charges 50 percent of the fare on former president AbdulKalam's birthday and exempts couples from the regular fare onValentine's Day. He doesn't charge teachers who travel by his share autoand deems teaching the 'noblest' profession.A few more people like Annadurai on the busy, congested roads of thecity can certainly make a difference!

One of the most intriguing sights you'll see on the busystreets of Mylapore is Mary, a bookseller, who can't

read. She seats herself atop a gopuram of books dishing outnovels, biographies, CAT and GRE books hurriedly to hercustomers. She can't read or speak English, but can dig out exactly thebook you ask for.Mary practically lives in this withering library, bathing in thewhiff of old books. She even receives couriers and phonecalls in the middle of the muddled temple street ofMylapore. As she hands me a set of five books ! the likes ofWodehouse and Archer ! for Rs.300, she inserts the moneyin a miniscule pouch at her waist, tucked in her sari.“Not one rupee less than 300. How am I supposed to marry

my third daughter off if you all bargain?” she asks.Mary is incredibly street!smart knows exactly which stringto pull when it comes to customers who bargain.

Ascrawny old man won't make heads turn. But Traffic Ramaswamy's confident walk, PILforms stuffed front pockets, large framed glasses, and crimson tilak smeared forehead

makes onlookers stop in their tracksThe hefty policeman following him makes Ramaswamy look like a troublemaker beingescorted by an officer. The policeman is, in fact, state!provided protection for the self!appointed traffic crusader.The 79!year!old former mill worker and government!endorsed traffic consultant, who

founded Tamil Nadu's Home Guard in 1963, complained that citizens were too scared tovoice their woes to government authorities. "Talk to them (government authorities) aboutyour problems. They are willing to help," he said.Born as K. Ramaswamy, he says the epithet 'Traffic Ramaswamy' was awarded to him bythe media. He claimed the politicians and corrupt officials, even those from the ruling partyare afraid of him. "They don't know my face, but they know my name," he declared proud!ly. "One doesn't have to be a politician to serve the nation, just a willing citizen." TrafficRamaswamy facilitated the demolition of many illegal constructions and initiated roadreforms that helped in the decongestion of traffic in Chennai. He is also called 'Anti AlcoholRamaswamy' for his crusade to ban alcohol throughout the state.Talking about the threats and attacks he faces given his work, Traffic Ramaswamy said hedoesn't fear death. "Death is a pre!defined event. It is destined to happen. You can't escapeit," he said. Working without expecting any rewards apart from a positive and helpful outcome is whatkeeps him going.

Different StrokesPhoto:!Ravichandran Ranganathan

The urban din of Chennai Central fades away as youwalk back half a century in history, at Nagamma's stall

in Moore Market, where she tries to sell an 1892 Wehrlemusical!alarm clock.."Every morning, I go around big houses inNungambakkam, Mylapore, Alwarpet and R.A.Puram andrummage through their garbage. Everything that you seehere is from the rich men's garbage," says Nagamma. Thisis her twenty!fifth year on the Moore Market pavement."I got this from a house on Harrington Road," she says,pointing at the Wehrle, "I hope to get Rs 500 from it." An1896 antique clock fetches anywhere between Rs. 15000and Rs. 25000 at an auction house. When you informNagamma about the real value of her ware, she shrugsand says, "Don't fool me, amma. Why would they throw itaway if it were that valuable?" she asks.Her stall is abundant with many such wonders. You fishunder a fading white Kibler's typewriter and find a stack ofgramophone records from the golden fifties. Sinatracroons "Come fly with me" in your ear as your hands inchtowards Buddy Holly's "Maybe baby".Nagamma sits by, amused at your almost frenzied interestin her mundane life. A slow progression of music awaits,from vinyl records to the reel tapes encasing the goldenhits of ABBA, to a small heap of mangled CDs on the side,hiding Whitney Houston's magic voice, you lose yourself inan era gone by till the shriek of the passing train bringsyou back to the new millennia.

Four individuals who add a quirky twist to the city's ever!evolving fabric. Poorvaja Sundar, Swathi Chatrapathy,Jyotsna Raman and Ushna Mohan Iyer find out how theybring in the extraordinary to an otherwise mundane existence.

Photos: Rituparna Bannerjee

Cover Story Cover Story

Photo: Bing

Photo:!Swati Chatrapathy

April , 2013 | 9

The fascinating realm of past life wasbrought to the fore by Brian Weissin his book 'Many Lives ManyMasters.' It dealt with a case of past!

life therapy that changed both Brian Weissand his patients’ life. Kiran Relangi, a full timetherapist, believes that before the book, theconcept of past life was a taboo. "It wasn't myfirst choice as a career, but like most people find it, it was attrac!tive". He has recently moved to Chennai and started a therapeuticset!up that he calls 'The Purple Room' ("No particular reason forthe name," he tells us sheepishly). But if anything, past life talks are a touchy and taboo topic in Indiabecause of different belief systems in religions. Kiran says, "India isjust opening up to the idea that going back to your past is thera!peutic, however, if the patient is unwilling and does not believe inreincarnation, then the process is wasted on them."Relangi says, "A client comes to me with a 'presenting problem' ofan emotion. Some emotions are hard to let go of, like anger,resentment, jealousy, heartbreaks. But therapy works only if theclient is willing to move on." Past!life therapy and hypnosis isknown to cure emotional problems, psychosomatic diseases,addictions and phobias. In Chennai, Relangi's clientele has seen arise in "people who are going through relationship issues, but alsopeople with addictions and phobias." Recently a housewife came to The Purple Room with an unusualproblem. "She came to me with a lot of angst and jealously againsther husband's male best friend. After two sessions of hypnosis, I

could not evaluate the problem as her husbandhad various other friends he was even closer to.My client also firmly believed that the friend wasalso feeling the same jealousy and hatred forher; and was deliberately manipulating her hus!band to make my client more jealous and miser!able. Though that seemed more like imaginationon the part of my client, as a therapist I could not

disregard that possibility. "On the third session we had a surprising turn of events. Iregressed her into deep hypnosis and she started talking about herpast life. She saw herself as an obese, dark!skinned, middle!agedwoman of a lower!income group. Her husband in her current life!time was also her husband in that lifetime. She was a meat vendorand her husband did some menial job. One day her husband tookin a second wife who was slimmer and prettier. My client identifiedthis woman as her husband's friend in her current lifetime. Onceshe realized the root cause of her jealousy, the intensity of heremotions reduced considerably." "Past life therapy," says Relangi, "is based on the theory of karma."Karma or having skeletons in the past life closet, all of it is broughtout by therapists like Relangi. While most want to try this for thethrill of it, Relangi cautions that it is not for the faint!hearted.Unless there is an issue to solve, it could be dangerous. Relangioperates on all days of the week from Besant Nagar and goes byWeiss’ motto: 'For truly we are all angels temporarily hiding ashumans.'

SOULTALK

My

client

was

jealous.

I

regressed her

into past life to heal her.”

BODY

TALK

A little zumba, some quad& a slither of salsa totuck those pongal

bellies in. Harikumar J.Sand Vinaya Kurtkotitake you through thenew-age workouts .

Western dance forms and outdoor bootcampsseem to outrun the traditional indoor gymnasi!ums in the city. Chennaites are putting on their

dancing shoes as a way of blending fitness with fun. "Homemakers interested in losing weight attend the

morning sessions after sendingtheir kids to school. And IT pro!fessionals who spend all day infront of computers come hereto socialize and unwind," saysVinu John, founder and directorof The Verb, a popular dancestudio in Adyar.

The Verb is one of the manydance studios that have mush!roomed in the city over the

past few years.The Swingers,Miss.Fit, ShuffleDance andFitness, Step NTap Dance studioand Aerobics aresome of theother popularhaunts.

"You can burn500 to 900 calo!ries in an hour

with the Zumba dance form. You don't need to knowdancing to do it well. You just need to enjoy music anddance at your own pace," says Nandini Hande, instructorat Miss.Fit.

Dance me to FitnessZumba, a Colombian improvisational dance form,

combines peppy dance movements with intensive aer!obics and is designed for fitness enthusiasts of all ages.Zumbatomic is a sub!variety that is specially designedfor children as young as four.

Salsa, meringue, hip!hop, jazz, jive, cha cha, waltz,foxtrot, rock 'n' roll, line dancing are some of the otherpopular dance forms in Chennai.

"The focus is on social dancing. But hardcore danceforms really burn calories minus any dietary restrictionswithout you even realising it," says John.

The growing influence of Western dance forms inChennai has led to a waning interest from the ethnicdance forms. "10 years ago, there were no otheroptions and people would send their children only toBharatnatyam classes. Salsa was not heard of at all.

Now, children themselves hategoing to classical dance classes,"he adds.

Visithttp://chennai360.tumblr.com

for further details.

Walk in any time ofthe year for eight

sessions of dance fit!ness at The VERB,

Indra Nagar, Adyar. Call 9840063454

Trainers from UStake you throughzumba & group

dancing atMISS.FIT,Choolaime

du. Ladies only. Call 9790787813

Lose your calorieswith eccentric work!outs at THE"QUAD,

Bamboola PlaySchool, RA Puram.Prepare to sweat

through ropes, tyres,walls.

Call 9600096575

Jive, salsa, hip hop,belly!dancing les!

sons at ShuffleDance & Fitness

Studio, Nandanam. Call 9884113689

Where to go?

Karma, not a BITCH

Pendulums, dreams,past lives, reiki rulethe Purple room.Sanjana Prakashtakes you for anexclusive peek intothe psychic�s cham-ber.

New psy -chic in town

For booking a therapy session with Relangi call +919500117031

8 |

Wellbeing Wellbeing

10 |

Beauty in ruins

SANJANA PRAKASH

One of the lesser!known havensof peace in Chennai is theMadras War Cemetery.Located in Nandambakkam,

the cemetery is host to graves of soldierswho lost their lives in the Second WorldWar. Managed by the CommonwealthWar Graves Commission, the gardentransports one back to the colonialtimes, with its luscious arches and plushbougainvillas. Anglo!Indian soldiers whofought from the South and East of Indiahave been laid to rest here. The MadrasWar Memorial is situated at the rear ofthe cemetery. The memorial is modelledon the lines of a lawn cemetery. It hasplaques with the names of many Britishsoldiers who died in both the WorldWars, with the inscription “Their nameliveth for evermore”. Draped in lushgreen, the lawn cemetery, with its deli!cate white tombstones, awaits to be dis!covered amidst the hustle!bustle of thecity.

Top: Soldiers of the 2nd World War restunder white tombstones

Right: Summary arches give the place acolonial look

GETTING THERE:Open on all days

between 8am till 6pm.

5 kms from the airport1 km from

St. Thomas Mount

ExplorePhoto: Sanjana Prakash

Photo: Sanjana Prakash

reviews

Situated in KK Nagar's busiestcorner, Snack Shack! decoratedwith rustic bamboo, replicates aCaribbean theme that its namesuggests. The Shack! as regularscall it, is managed by polite andefficient staff, who deliver aclever menu which is a precisemix of crowd pleasers.

The word 'snacks' makes onethink of a light stomach quencher.But Snack Shack's wholesomechilli cheese toast, sandwiches,burgers, thirst busters and desisnacks are unpretentious, delec!table and reasonably priced.

Their most popularsnacks are the gor!geous and generousdouble deckergrilled cheese sand!wich, filled with twotypes of cheese,which goes perfectlywell with the choco!laty oreo shake.Snack Shack's hearty

food, speedy bites and excellentservice, beats other cafés in itsvicinity hands down.

Sanjana Prakash

Snack shackTamarind City ! Where

Modern India Began byBiswanath Ghosh is the newestaddition to the "I!love!Chennai"collection.

What puts a star on the 315page affair, is that Ghosh bringshis reporting skills and a breezy'outsider's' perspective toscratch the tradition!tough sur!face of Madras and debunk it toits gooey core.

A mélange of stories spanninghistory, religion, beaches, trains,people, cuisine, and cinemausher the reader to a pre!drawnconclusion that Chennai is theultimate mix of tradition andmodernity.

The flow changes briefly, butisn't noticeable to a non!fussyreader. Written in a chirpy, casu!al style with a bucketful ofcatchy one!liners and trivia, thebook is a treat for Chennaitesand a must!have for those lost inthe Tamil land.

D.K.Rituraj

Tamarind city

Bill Double Decker Grilled CheeseSandwich - Rs.49Oreo Shake - Rs. 50Total - Rs. 99

1. M.J.Gopalan was a cricketer whoplayed for the Madras Presidency from thetime the sport started taking shape here.He got the honour of delivering the firstball for his side of which tour-nament that began in 1934?

2. This place gets itsname from the Tamil for“Place of coconut trees” dueto the coconut groves that once existedthere. Which area/locality in Chennai?3. There was a memorial for Lord

Cornwallis situated at the junction ofMount Road and this road, which isnamed after the English word for “a mon-ument erected in honour of a dead person

whose remains lieelsewhere”. Namethe road.

4. KiruthigaUdhayanidhi,daughter in law ofStalin has started amagazine calledInbox 1305. Whatis the significance

of the number 1305?5. There was a significant change in thecredits of Dasavatharam when it wasreleased in the US becasue the producerran into trouble from a local lawsuit. Whatwas it all about?

6. What statue on Marina beach isreminiscent of a famous WWII photo-graph of the American Marines raising theflag on Iwo Jima? 7. In Tamil,

this delicacy lit-erally means‘pepper water’.It is also afavourite inEngland. Whatdish?

8. Which pub in Chennai wouldmakeU.K. Prime Minister David Cameron‘feel at home’?9. What honour did TIME magazine

bestow upon music composerA.R.Rahman?

10. This educational institute inChennai has its own pincode - 600036.Which one?

11 . If you asked your autorickshaw totake you to ‘Soundarapandian Angadi’,what is its anglicized name with which heand most of us would be familiar with?

12 . Chennai’s IPL team, the SuperKings, during the inaugural season in 2008had the distinction ofhaving played twobowlers who took hattricks. If one wasL.Balaji who was theother?

1. Ranji Trophy(Madras vs Mysore) 2. Teynampet3. Cenotaph Road 4. Latitude of Chennai5. Oscar Films was changed to Aascar Filmsdue to alaw suit by Oscars –Academy Awards of USA, 6.TheTriumph of Labour7.Mulligawtany (Milagu Thanni) Soup, 8.10 Downing Street9. The Mozart of Madras10.IIT Madras11. Pondy Bazaar,12.Makhaya Ntini

Answers

M. Ramakrishnan

Phot

o:Fl

ickr

Phot

o:G

oogl

e

Publisher - Tranquebar (2012)Price = 295