All geared up for Ganesh festival
The Hindu
Palpable excitement among idol sellers; many apartment complexes still wary
After a gloomy 2020, there is a broad grin on the faces of shopkeepers selling Ganesh idols in the Dhoolpet area of the city. Young men from different parts of the city talk animatedly among themselves as they try to match their budgets with the prices of Ganesh idols. Transport vehicle owners drive a hard bargain. There are drummers waiting to be hired. There are no masks to be seen and the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a thing of the past as the city looks forward to the 10-day Ganesh festival. “All the idols made at our workshop have been sold. They have bought the last,” says Vijay Singh as he folds a bundle of currency notes and locks it in the dicky of his two-wheeler. He reveals a secret. “Last year, there were mixed messages about whether people will be allowed to install idols. We made idols that remained unsold, so this year we are painting and selling them. The vaccine has changed the business,” he says. A row of 10-foot high unpainted idols stands parked outside. The 12-foot idol, the last among the 35 idols, is snagged by the Ambedkar Nagar Ganesh Committee from Ameerpet. “We bought this for ₹29,000. Last year, there was a ban. In 2019, our committee installed a 16-foot idol we bought for ₹42,000,” informs G. Ganesh, the organiser. Another idol seller Sunil Singh has a small notice stuck to the taller idols — ‘Booked’.Amid strike by some Loco Pilots, Railways is trying to ensure undisrupted service: Palakkad Division
The Palakkad Division of Southern Railway on Friday, said it was making all efforts to keep trains running in time amid a section of Loco Pilots continuing to strike from work with a demand for a 46-hour periodical rest.
After completing her Class XII a few years ago, Lakshmi Priya from Sivakasi faced financial constraints that prevented her from pursuing higher education. Despite her circumstances, she persevered by folding matchboxes to earn a meagre income. “I have always done this work – folding matchboxes. Many families in Sivakasi and surrounding areas do this work, from home,” said Ms.Priya who is now 19 years old. “I always wanted to learn something related to Computer Science. We did not have a proper teacher for this particular subject at school. But I managed to score 95%,” she said.
Ahead of the southwest monsoon, the officials from multiple departments were directed to carry out the standard operating procedure and ensure that all the parameters were adhered to as per the guidelines issued by the Disaster Management Plan of the Tamil Nadu government, said Theni Collector R.V. Shajeevana here on Friday.