Author: Bhavani Prabhakar

Nursing was not as robust in the past as it is in the present. M Srinivasan, a mechanical engineer, felt the dire need of professional nursing care. This brought Srinivasan, K R Paramesvar, a retired management professional, C S Raghunathan, a mechanical engineer and Saraswathi Vaidyanathan, a retired nurse together and found Sarva Vidya, a not-for-profit organisation. It is working in several capacities to uplift women and children from several villages of Tamilnadu.

At a time when matters of mind and mental health are brushed under the carpet, here is our Nanganallur resident, a retired Army Captain, Lekshmy Natarajan and her friend Chaitali Shroff from Besant Nagar, run HEAL (Holistic Education and Adaptive Learning) Foundation that imparts social-emotional skills among parents, children and teachers. Through this the duo work towards nation building through children and help people become aware of their own emotions.

 In 1977, R Udayar from Chennai joined the government service. He holds pride in saying that he has served in the border areas across Burma and Pakistan. However, he was not a part of the defence, but has served on the vulnerable zones in India. So where was he? Unknown to many, Border Road Organisation (BRO), one of the organisations that work hand in glove with the armed forces was where he served for about 27 years.

As like any aspiring director, Ram Mahindra had his own share of battles to set his foot in the film industry. Being a fighter that he is, he endured the shackles and is all chuffed for his upcoming Hindi feature film Mansi.
In a tete-a-tete with News Today, the director-cum-writer traces the trajectory.

“As people, we have all the rights applicable for any human. However, our rights are being breached. It is happening right under the nose but many are unaware. Everyone, including people with disabilities, have all rights to dissent to any decision taken by the government,” said disability rights activist and Equals founder-trustee Meenakshi Balasubramanian.

Most often it is the life of Mother Teresa that flashes across when we speak about nurses. However, the nursing community is largely unsung as they tend to work silently behind the scenes, acknowledging their work just to themselves. Saraswathi Vaidyanathan is one such nurse who has been presented with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by Tamilnadu Nurses and Midwives Council recently, recognising her contribution to academics and service.

 In recent times, Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar has been subjected to a sea of controversies in national politics. However, his work, Thirukkural, is a work that still holds ground no matter how old it is. Tamil language and enthusiasts from the neighbourhood share their two cents on the saint and the Tamil festival ahead of Thiruvalluvar Day.

Although Nanganallur and Adambakkam are part of the metro city, the neighbourhood is old school during the times of festival. It is more so during Pongal, for we have several cattle herders along the streets. Although times have changed, they continue to keep up with their celebrations.

The market is yet again back to life with activities. This time it is for Pongal. Shopkeepers in the shandy are hoping to up the ante in the coming weeks. News Today takes a walk along the streets to find out what’s in store.