British Council Division Holiday Camp from 27 – 30th December 2019

As a regular to BCD during my school days, it was nostalgic to be there to understand how it was working with different age groups with value added programs for children, youth and adults. BCD with its 70 years of existence has evolved from a library to a cultural hub of fun, learning and knowledge and entertainment. BCD in its effort to empower children with life skills conducts various courses including the upcoming Holiday Camp. Their IELTS course is very popular with people aspiring to go abroad for their studies and so are the “Study in UK” programs where students can interact with representatives of about 40 plus Universities in UK.

Raining Offers in Dineout app – Do not Miss it

Chennaifocus is a Dineout member and has benefitted quite a lot by using the app. The app offers 20% cashback when we pay through the Dineout Pay option. The process is not extensive and cumbersome. Having been a regular user of Dineout, we were thrilled to see exciting offers, guess it is running only for a few days. Knowing Dineout, we can expect good campaigns and offers from time to time. This is certainly our own personal review of Dineout as a user, and we have always been true to our experience.

Theater – Tamil Play Review – Gurukulam Boys 95’s Theedhum Nandrum By V P S Sriraman

Kodai Nataka Vizha (Summer Drama Festival) of Kartik Fine Arts is ON in the city and it is wholesome entertainment and drama time for theater lovers. The festival is happening at Narada Gana sabha, Alwarpet from April 22^nd to May 3rd. We witnessed the play by Gurukulam Original Boys 1995, Theedhum Nandrum by V.P.S.Sriraman on 1^st May at 7 PM. The title is a popular adage, “Theedhum Nandrum Pirar Thara Vaaraa” –  We do not beget the good and the bad from others. In short, it conveys that everything is within us and the way we see and adapt ourselves leads us to good and bad in life. The concept of adjustment was so beautifully handled in the play that we could connect with it instantly.

K. Vivekshankar’s BRAHMENDRAR, a Tamil Stage Play on the life of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendrar

K. Vivekshankar‘s Prayatna with the continued quest for providing  Theatrical  Experience  instead of  mundane entertainment has embarked on  “BRAHMENDRAR” a  Spiritual Tamil Play, a befitting  divine Intervention for the  landmark 25^th play  by  K.Vivekshankar on 24th and 25th February 2018 at Narada Gana Sabha, Alwarpet, Chennai.

The Playwright and Director has in all his plays displayed a penchant for painting the canvas of Tamil Stage with  lucidly  brilliant  thematic  content to enthrall the viewing audience  with more than a living experience on contemporary and historical subjects. The incredibly unique presentation style on stage has earned him accolades from all over in the last 2 decades.

Remembering Nasir Hussain

In the series to remember unsung heroes of yesteryears, Zee Classic presents the ‘Nasir Hussain Film Festival’ from 7th January, every Sunday at 12 noon

Best known for his evergreen movies, Teesri Manzil, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Nasir Hussain was amongst those few in the industry who seldom gave a flop. Father to director and producer Mansoor Khan, uncle to the perfectionist Aamir Khan, Nasir Hussain was a writer, producer and director par excellence. Commemorating his contribution to Indian Cinema, Zee Classic, with its proposition Woh Zamana Kare Deewana, has curated over a month-long festival titled ‘Nasir Hussain Film Festival’. Starting 7^th January, the festival will showcase his greatest hits including Yaadon Ki Baarat, Hum Kisise Kam Naheen, Teesri Manzil, Zamaana Ko Dikhana Hai, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Manzil Manzil, every Sunday at 12 noon.

It is December Season 2017 in Chennai

December season is here in Chennai and all the sabhas are buzzing with activity. Halls are filled with active saree clad women competing with enthusiastic dhoti clad men happily nodding their heads to the lovely rhythms of the who’s who of Carnatic music. This season sees the best of concerts and Sabha hopping is a common term for the rasikas. Each one carries a small handbook, a reckoner for the songs being sung with details of raga, tala and the composer. The young ones are much more adept, googling the song as soon as they hear it. Yes, the december music festival is here.  The picture says it all – Hall filled and music lovers sitting next to Shri. Sanjay Subrahmanyan during the performance.

 

WedMeGood, an Online Platform helps to Plan and Organize our Dream Weddings

Weddings mark a significant milestone in our life. Be it our own marriage or wedding of our sibling or son or daughter, a wedding has never been associated only with the bride and groom, in Indian parlance, it is a marriage of families. The need to make it special is predominant in the families and they look at it as an opportunity to meet, greet and celebrate the occasion with family members and friends. Changing lifestyle has brought in innovation and creativity and couples look towards making a difference by making the wedding unique in every aspect.  Such weddings are not a common occurrence and parents look for guidance to get started.

Basics of any dream wedding can be broadly classified to address outfits, jewelry, makeup and hair, venue, décor, photography, accessories, cakes, mehendi designs, return gifts, wedding packing, unique ideas and invitations. There’s so much thought process that goes into each category and for the ones who is getting to celebrate a grand wedding the very first time, it can be so daunting. This is when online platform such as WedMeGood come to our help. It is an eye-opener going through the site and we are thankful for providing a platform to plan and execute such a grand event in an organized manner.

Free Dance Workshops from Swingers in Chennai

Love to shake a leg? Want to try out dance but unsure if you are cut out for it? Now is the chance to check it out.  Swingers, a well known name in western dance classes in Chennai is giving you free dance workshops at select locations and it is open for 3-60 years age group.  More details here –

Ramco Systems Redefines Work Place to Foster Employee Experience

Coming from an IT background, I know what it means to work sitting in front of the system utilizing mental energy and staying put for longer hours to accomplish challenging tasks. Having seen the travel from computer languages to mobile apps development today, the journey has not been smooth though people envy us for the money we earn but then the work the job demands is no easy task and carries with it stress, strain, fatigue and the additional overload of sitting in front of the system for hours together.   Moreover this is one field we can grow stale on the job if we do not keep us in tune with the latest developments and technology updates. The challenges are many and multifaceted but still it holds the interest of many youngsters aspiring to make it big in this field.

There were times when we aspired to make it to US to work for the environment the firms offered us. Today, in the times when the whole world is looking at India for its Make In India, and Startups, I was shocked and sad to note that the IT pass outs ambition lies in finding their dream job in MNCs who have made it to India to utilize the vast talent pool we have here.  On a deeper contemplation, it is the environment that induces them to go for such companies.  It is during this time that we received an invite to be a part of a Bloggers meet at Ramco systems to showcase Life At Ramco and their initiatives to improve employee experience and better employee engagement.  We went there to see the whole perspective from the Corporate and employee angle and here is our experience.

Food Review : Taste of Madras at YMCA Grounds, Perungudi (OMR)

Taste of Madras , an event by PS events with Krishna Sweets and  Desi Arena is happening at YMCA grounds, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, (OMR)  just opposite Maruti Suzuki Service Centre. Parking available in abundance.  Here is our review of the event for those who wish to visit it tomorrow.  The event is free but requires registration.  We could see lot of chairs and tables to sit and eat and for those cricket lovers who do not want to miss the IPL action, there is a huge LED screen showing the match.

There are stalls for Chinese, Burmese and Thai food but we saw it was predominantly non-vegetarian but Wangs  (Chinese) has both Veg and Non-veg options. We tested the Veg Momo and it was yummy at Rs. 20 each.  We skipped the Burmese and Thai food stalls.   Flubbers, the jelly pudding has come out with instant Oats, tea and coffee.

EWIT Discusses Hot Theme of Today – Gender Equal – the Work Place of the Future

Empowering Women in IT and ITES (EWIT Chennai) celebrated their 10^th Anniversary with an event in The RainTree Hotel,  Teynampet, Chennai , the theme being Gender Equal – the Work Place of the Future.  The attendees included women from various age groups and organizations gathering under one roof to participate in one of the trending topics of today.  Such presence of women from every strata of society coming together stands as a testimony to the evolving changes and expected transition of the future work place.

Fashion Premier Week 2016 Grand Finale – Glamorous and Glitzy all the way

Brand Avatar India’s Fashion Premier Week took place in Crowne Plaza (Adyar Park) and needless to say, it was a star studded affair. We were invited by Wedding Vows magazine, official lifestyle partner of the event to cover the unveiling of the 5^th Anniversary issue happening on the final day of the event.  Actress Simran unveiled the magazine and the grand finale had the fashion show by  global designer Indian duo, Falguni and Shane Peacock’s  bridal wear inspired by French Riviera. Showstopper turned out to be Actress Namita in the beautiful bridal wear of Falguni and Shane Peacock.