�India is advancing very fast. True. However, you have to make some corrections very soon. For example, when I went to one of your shopping areas, I found a Shoe Shop air-conditioned and the adjoining vegetable shop, non AC. This is strange. It should be the other way round�, remarked the Dutch Ambassador in India Bob Heinsch, while interacting with the media the other day in Chennai.

While speaking at the launch of the first Tamil News Service � SEITHI in Chennai, The editor of Kalki Seetha Ravi said that while the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister was actually born in 1922; as Anbalagan, he was born (rechristened) only in 1941. Gopulu, who has created the logo for SEITHI, came to Chennai from Kumbakonam in search of a job in 1941. Kalki was born in 1941. The first subscriber to Kalki was Vinayakamurthy from Chidambaram and the the second, Ka Na Subramaniam. That is why kalki has an eternal affinity to Vinayaka. And, Kalki is the maiden subscriber of SEITHI. Everything augurs well for SEITHI, she concluded.

I happened to go through a conversation between N Murali of the Hindu and exchange4media's B Judy Franko. Murali sheds some light on the print scenario in Chennai with the entry of The Times of India. I cannot reproduce the entire interaction here. However I will give you a short excerpt.
Q. With Times Chennai edition finally becoming a reality, what is going to be your marketing strategy? Are you looking at any circulation drive to boost circulation?
A. We have taken some intensive sales promotion efforts. Times took lot of hoardings, and so did The Hindu. However, the ban on hoarding is a setback. But the Times needed the hoardings more than us. I feel it's a good thing that the hoardings have gone in Chennai. The hoardings marred the city's skyline so much that they were haphazard, dangerous, and chaotic and came out in all sorts of places. In a way, these hoardings were so unregulated.
Q. Are you confident of retaining the leadership in the market?
A. Yes, we are confident. Nowadays, households do not buy just one newspaper. One paper might be the primary paper. For instance, The Hindu is the primary paper here. So, a household will buy not less than two English newspapers, which will contribute to the growth of the market and The Hindu will continue to be the market leader.


Very close to my residence, @ OMR, an exclusive beauty salon for men has opened. 'Do it manly, To get her around � You are judged by the manly appearance � You will get noticed', assures the flyer. It adds: The beauty clinic is all set to enthrall you into a world of beauty treatments with a touch of freshness, rejuvenation and extra care for the delicate skin...the vitamins and minerals soften the skin to required level and stops premature ageing....A trendsetting hairdo gives you a facelift too! The services are at a nominal cost....Come and feel the mesmerizing difference. Get noticed again and again and....
Well, I plan to visit the salon one of these days and get noticed!

Plus Two results have again proved that our rural youth are no less bright and brilliant than their urban counterparts. Many interior schools have done exceedingly well in the exam. We should be proud of them.

H Ramakrishnan