Registered with the Reg. No. TN/CH(C)/374/15-17 Registrar of Newspapers Licenced to post without prepayment for India under R.N.I. 53640/91 Licence No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-506/15-17 Publication: 15th & 28th of every month Rs. 5 per copy (Annual Subscription: Rs. 100/-) WE CARE FOR MADRAS THAT IS CHENNAI INSIDE • Short ‘N’ Snappy • Cleaning lakes, his passion • Satyamurti’s Sundara • PoochiVenkat’s ‘stars’ • Bharati’s poetic treasury Vol. XXVII No. 11 MUSINGS September 16-30, 2017 NEET A wake-up call for the State (By The Editor) he vexed issue of the Na- Do the political parties have Ttional Eligibility cum En- any chance of ensuring that our trance Test (NEET) for admis- State will get favoured treat- sion to undergraduate medical ment? This is highly unlikely. and dental degree courses just The only way out is for the Gov- refuses to go away, as we write. ernment to ensure that its Edu- At the heart of the issue is the cation Department gets crack- state of Tamil Nadu’s unprepar- ing on setting up counselling edness to cope with such a blan- and coaching centres where ket examination set for the en- students can get familiar with tire country. The political par- the NEET process and its meth- ties of Tamil Nadu are protest- ods of examination. Time and ing and the State Government money would be spent usefully has seen its attempts at ap- if this was done. proaching the Courts on the It is also high time the State matter sternly rebuffed. The woke up to the reality that its Centre, with its present attitude education standards are way of fishing in the troubled waters below par. We had earlier com- of the State, has been playing a mented on NEET in our May double game, now seemingly supporting the State and then (Continued on page 2) backing off when action is Making ‘stars’ of poochies is PoochiVenkat. Here she’s a Ladybird Beetle. (See page 5.) needed. In all this chaos, a student’s life has been lost. And that was an avoidable tragedy. The final year of school is a Riding the Metro, finding it costly stressful period for most chil- dren, what with the pressure to n Chennai, the Metro project tual so that people can plan validity and at 20 per cent dis- The ride itself was smooth perform being intense. The Iis in progress. The city’s land- their movement to be able to count for 60 trips. This covers a and comfortable, but noise level marks of the public exam are in- scape is changing. The first of arrive just in time to catch the month’s need to go to work and of the wheels was rather high terpreted to be life-changing the proposed four corridors of train. get back. Parking areas are making even light, short con- and at that vulnerable age stu- 16 km from Alandur to Central Before the check-in barri- available for cars and motor versation difficult; but this is dents tend to take extreme Station having been completed cade is the automatic touch- cycles. The charges are Rs. 10 not a major flaw and as such steps in the light of a failure. and made operational, there is screen ticketing machine to buy and Rs. 5 per three hours re- does not diminish the value of This is well known to the State expectation of tangible and tickets for casual travel from spectively. For a working day, it the service otherwise provided. Government, which for a few visible beneficial effects from The route signs were in Tamil years has been taking steps to the First Phase itself, as it is a and English, but types were not counsel students. In such a sce- forerunner of the full project. G by A Special Correspondent large enough to be read from nario, how is it that the girl who The stations are beautifully the seats without having to had impleaded herself in the laid out with clear directions. strain the eyes. The stations case that the State Government The service was available every any point to any other point on amounts to Rs. 30 and Rs. 15 were marked on the route map had filed against NEET was not 20 minutes at 11.15 am on a the line. Soon, we are told, it respectively – working out to by tiny bulbs each switching off paid special attention? Surely Monday. The frequency is 10 would be possible to buy the Rs. 780 and Rs. 390 per 26- when that station was reached. this was a high profile piece of minutes during the rush hour charge card from the machine working day month. No pam- That is quite imaginative. This litigation and merited some from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. and periodically re-charge it phlets containing details of fare electrified sign was not func- close watching? The death has and between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. also by the machine. Till then, charts and time schedule were tioning on some of the boards now become a political tool, and it was 20 minutes during it can be bought in the booth available, as advertised. It was but, again, it did not matter as with every party freely using the non-peak hours, although the situated at the entrance barri- reported that Chennai Metro there were announcements in girl’s photograph and claiming latter is advertised as 15 min- cade. The booth staff are help- Rail Limited (CMRL) had Tamil and English just before that it will see that justice is utes. Frequency of 15 or 20 ful and proactive. Smart card brought out maps to help reaching each station. done. This open attempt at minutes during non-peak peri- for travel to and from work- passengers identify routes From Alandur to Koyam- seeking publicity from a gross ods is not material so long as point, as nominated by the cus- faster. They were not available bedu it took only 13 minutes, tragedy is lamentable. they are predictable and punc- tomer, is sold with six-month at the Alandur station. (Continued on page 2) CMYK 2 MADRAS MUSINGS September 16-30, 2017 NEET Moving statues of Chennai hennai that was Madras is among actors, after one of his MMM chose to shut his eyes, – a wake-up call Ca very dynamic city. The hit songs, when he was bundled it being one of those warm af- local male population (and in unceremoniously on to a truck ternoons when a siesta man- (Continued from page 1) gan to opt for colleges outside this the Man from Madras and carted off to distant Adyar. ages to insidiously creep up. Musings does not include him- MMM, not that his opinion He awoke with a start on hear- the State and gave the go-by to self) may have a partiality to be matters in anyway, is quite ing applause and realised that 16th issue and expressed our the mushrooming private col- supine especially after imbib- happy that this has happened. the lugubrious introduction view that the fault for this leges here, all ostensibly gov- ing the libations of the local The statue was hardly a tribute was done. Assuming that it present impasse lies solely with erned by Anna University. The TASMAC outlet, but the stat- to the old man. Its gold paint was his turn to speak MMM successive State Governments result is that most of these insti- ues are forever on the prowl. was tacky and, as for the pos- got up and made for the lec- that have consistently aimed at tutions are facing empty seats Take for instance Cornwallis – ture, it was quite ridiculous, tern only to see another of the what a story his statue could making the actor look like the elders was hotfooting it to the lowering educational standards. and several have applied for clo- sure. The medical colleges are relate if only it could speak. average Madras resident, out same spot. He, the elder, dis- This made them popular, for it From Fort to First Line Beach enjoying the evening breeze. It playing an alacrity that none ensured that most students got now threatened by NEET and the consequence is likely to be to Connemara Public Library could be a statue to any uncle. would have suspected him of, extraordinarily high marks. The to Fort is quite a journey. Simi- And, moreover, it was a dis- managed to beat MMM to the entrance tests to medical and similar. larly, Lords Willingdon, Ripon traction at an important traffic lectern by a short head and engineering colleges also being At a time when the world is and Ampthill have all moved, junction. Kudos to whoever re- then having grabbed the mike under the control of the State linked and standards are no as have Kings Edward VII and moved it – the Corporation or in a manner that could have meant the system there was an longer national, forget local, it George V. Here today, gone the PWD. You guys rarely taught a thing or two to bar- extension of what was happen- is laughable that Tamil Nadu tomorrow is the motto by work, but when you do you nacles said that it was now his ing at school level. Everyone thinks it can continue to fix its which they have all stood make sure you leave your im- duty to say a few words about around. Even old Neil, not the press.