Discipline Needed at Kapali Festival
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Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/18-20 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/18-20 Publication: 1st & 16th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) INSIDE Short ‘N’ Snappy Joseph Hooker in Madras Preparing for Antarctica Madras Girl for the US President Anonymous callers WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI Vol. XXVIII No. 24 April 1-15, 2019 Discipline needed at Kapali As summer dawns, the search for water begins and the tanneer pandals also come up. (Courtesy: Mylapore festival Times. Photograph by Ganesh Natarajan.) move, mobile tanneer pandals With so much of food being refreshments such as panakam by The Editor as they were. All of these, in made available, it naturally (a sweet drink) yes, but since the name of charity, cause lost its value as well. Several when did biscuits and aerated huge problems of waste, clean- well-to-do people had evidently drinks become part of our cul- he ten-day annual festival that tanneer pandals are put up liness and garbage disposal. decided that this was the day to ture? And why do these have to Tof the Kapaliswarar Tem- all around Chennai on the 8th The Police, to be fair to them, dine out. Many of these moved be distributed? ple has just got over. As in all day of the Kapali festival when have been very strict this year around the peripheral streets Lastly, does any category of its previous editions, this year the 63 Nayanmars come out in in issuing permissions for the in two-wheelers and sampled people in Chennai, other than too saw a grand spectacle un- procession with the Lord. setting up of tanneer pandals. food at the various kiosks. They those below the poverty line folding, with the deities being Except for a few historic ones, ate what they liked, packed really need food for free? In a brought out twice daily on The question is one of pro- no other kiosk was permitted up some for those at home no prosperous city like ours, surely various mounts. The temple portion. How many tanneer to be put up on the four Mada doubt and as for what they did there cannot be so many people authorities, the volunteers and pandals make for adequate streets proper. While this did not like, that was simply thrown desperate for a free meal. It is the police have more or less numbers and how many cause have a salutary effect, the down and ground underfoot by time those who organise such perfected the routine and it was an overdose? Currently we problem merely shifted to the the thousands who walked by. kiosks think twice before they a pleasure to see the way the en- appear to be veering sharply side streets. These narrow Add to this the plastic waste set out. It is best that the pan- tire event was rolled out. Thou- towards the latter. Anybody lanes, which are unable to even of cups, plates and bags and dals are reduced in number. If sands thronged the Mylapore and everybody puts up these handle routine traffic, became you have quite a monumental the urge to give food is still too area to witness the processions. kiosks and there are several hard-pressed for space when problem. There is yet another strong then it ought to be done It is these people who now need others who distribute food, these pandals began blocking question that begs an answer at old age homes and hospices to improve on their behaviour if water and cold drinks on the them off. – buttermilk, water, traditional that shelter the homeless. this celebration is to be really fit for the Gods. There was a time when tan- neer pandals would be set up at various places for the benefit of pilgrims coming in from afar. Can MPLAD not be revamped? What with the weather just beginning to hot up in March, he Members of Parliament diligence, approval, selection 4,11,612 works were sanctioned organisations give a contra- these kiosks are necessary for TLocal Area Development of implementation agency and and 3,84,260 works completed. rian picture. Serious doubts they also dispense cooling (MPLAD) scheme was intro- execution. The Government Overall, Tamil Nadu and West of corruption, nepotism and refreshments such as water and duced in 1993 to enable MPs of India releases directly to the Bengal are the best perform- collusion prevail over statistical buttermilk besides offering the to create useful community district authority the annual ing States. Both have average reports based on completion weary a place to rest. Such tan- assets in their constituencies. entitlement of Rs. 5 crores in proposal sizes of Rs. 3.5 crores. certificates. Gross violation neer pandals are also an integral Currently, each MP is allotted Across the nation the util- of the scheme’s guidelines in Rs. 5 crores per year, that is, part of Tamil culture, receiving by A Special isation to fund released per identification of “projects” that mention in the 12th Century Rs. 25 crores per term which is a centage is over 90 per cent and yield personal benefits or of Periya Puranam itself. It is said substantial sum of public money Correspondent almost all States have used the those that exist only on pa- that Appoothi Adigal, one of to be placed at the disposal of funds. That is the statistical per but have been certified as the 63 Nayanmars (Saivite an individual. two equal instalments of Rs. 2.5 picture of the MPLAD scheme completed and irregularities in saints), put up such pandals MPs are expected to recom- crores. performance. the selection “suitable” con- wherever Appar, one of the mend projects, based on local From April 2014 to end Findings of misuse and tractors for execution have senior most in the same canon, needs and the district author- of July 2018, out of 4,67,144 unfavourable reviews of the went. It is therefore no surprise ity is made responsible for due works recommended by MPs, scheme by government’s own (Continued on page 2) C M Y K 2 MADRAS MUSINGS April 1-15, 2019 MPLAD REVAMP? (Continued from page 1) over five years is susceptible to misuse. Stones in Books been cited. District Authorities Lack of fund provision for he Man from Madras Mus- be kept small, and the weight ous engineering colleges that do not inspect the required maintaining and operating Tings thinks it was Shake- just about enough for a Chief dot the State. These have of the assets created under the speare who said that there Guest to hold on with one course been using the original number of sanctioned works were sermons in stones and hand. Unfortunately, what document (which is now help- and do not render regular mon- scheme and absence of inde- pendent verification of project books in running brooks. That with leather covers, dust jack- fully on the web) and cribbed itoring reports. When sent, was the first quote that came to ets, gold trimming and art all of its contents for their own the reliability of the reports is completion are defects in the mind when MMM was asked paper, coffee table books end reporting. The only surprising questionable in the absence system that are repairable but recently to release a book up weighing quite a bit. There element is that while the orig- of verification by independent not the high susceptibility of the commemorating 90 years of was an event where a book of inal committee put together agencies. scheme in its present form for the oldest Rotary Club in the MMM’s was being released by a list of 468 buildings in a These shortcomings are misuse. The earmarking of close city. MMM, while preparing the highest in the land. The few months, the various stu- substantiated by reports of the to Rs. 4,000 crores of MPLAD for the speech, had a whale work commemorated the cen- dents of the numerous colleges in the annual Budgets, that is, of a time putting together the tenary of a bank and it did not have, even with the original Central Information Commis- various experiences he has had help that Chief Guest, owing report in their possession, sion. Lack of transparency and Rs. 20,000 crores per Parlia- ment duration of five years has in bringing out books and the to being rather dialectic in his managed to list just 60 build- accountability in the operation words of encouragement he English kept referring to the ings or so in the past 13 years. of this scheme have come in assumed the nature of a fixed has received at the end of each. institution as wank and con- Last week, a couple of for adverse comment also from perk. The longer it continues, Years ago, MMM sweat- gratulated it on its centenary young things called MMM. the National Commission to the harder will it become inde- ed himself to the bone and in wanking. The time came They had, they said, a few Review the Working of the structible, as it is voted upon by produced a tome of a book, for the book launch and two questions on two heritage Constitution (NCRWC), the the MPs themselves. his first. At the end of the people arrived on stage laden structures. They had originally Second Administrative Reforms The options are: either abol- book release event, the per- with MMM’s weighty work.