Tamilnadu Government holidays for the year 2009

Thursday the 1st of January	New Year’s Day
Thursday the 8th of January	Muharram **
Wednesday the 14th of January	Tamil New Year's Day / Pongal
Thursday the 15th of January	Thiruvalluvar Day
Friday the 16th of January	Uzhavar Thirunal
Monday the 26th of January	Republic Day
Tuesday the 10th of March	Meelad-un-Nabi
Friday the 27th of March	Telugu New Year’s Day
Wednesday the 1st of April	Annual Closing of Accounts for Commercial and Co-operative Banks *
Tuesday the 7th of April	Mahaveer Jayanthi
Friday the 10th of April	Good Friday
Tuesday the 14th of April	Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's Birthday
Friday the 1st of May	May Day
Thursday the 13th of August	Krishna Jayanthi
Saturday the 15th of August	Independence Day
Sunday the 23rd of August	Vinayakar Chathurthi
Monday the 21st of September	Ramzan
Sunday the 27th of September	Ayutha Pooja
Monday the 28th of September	Vijaya Dasami
Wednesday the 30th of September	Half yearly Closing of Accounts for Commercial and Co-operative Banks *
Friday the 2nd of October	Gandhi Jayanthi
Saturday the 17th of October	Deepavali
Saturday the 28th of November	Bakrid
Friday the 25th of December	Christmas
Monday the 28th of December	Muharram **

Though the Independence Day(15th August 2009), Vinayakar Chathurthi, (23rd August 2009), Ayutha Pooja (27th September 2009), Deepavali (17th October 2009) and Bakrid (28th November 2009) fall on Saturdays and Sundays, they have been indicated in the above list for easy reference.

* Applicable only to Commercial Banks including Co-operative Banks in Tamil Nadu

** Muharram falls twice in the year 2009.

Andhra Pradesh Government Holidays for the year 2009

A harrowing day at the Passport Office

If you want to see a place worse than the fish market, you can see one at the Passport Office at Chennai. May be you feel you are highly educated and sensitive to listen from a watchman or a security man the documents you have to submit, don’t feel ashamed. See another one day celebrity. You are standing at the entrance of a room where an old woman official is sitting to find out mistakes at any cost in your application, without explaining you what actually is needed, don’t feel embarrassed It is after all India.
It was a harrowing experience right from the beginning. I had applied online for a passport and the system gave me the appointment at 10.30AM. Hoping that I will be welcomed by the pleasing officials to do the needful, I entered the Passport Office and within no time I thought that I had entered into a chaotic place. I was the last in the serpentine Q, of course after some time I had the satisfaction of seeing the continuing unending Q behind me.

This was not the final shock I had to feel. Except the person looking like a watch man or a private security man, there is no body else helping you what is needed. The Q becomes restless. If you feel that you have completely followed the instructions you have seen on the web site you are mistaken. They will tell you and inform you several things which are not available on the website or any other official notice board. Finally the lone lady leaves the room nonchalantly as it is lunch time for her leaving a lump in the throat of several persons anxiously waiting in the unending Q. All of them who were standing in the Q patiently without going for water, tea or food or not even for toilet lest they will loose their place in the Q had to wait for some more time. Finally madam arrives and I was ushered in. And she told to the shock of my life that I was a senior citizen as I am more than 55 years old and asked me to go upstairs. So I wasted all my time for the last 5 hours and went upstairs. The gentleman there tells me about some more requirements and finally asks me to come on some other day convenient to me. When I was moving hurriedly here and there several persons approached me to verify their documents whether they are correctly placed or not. It was a horrible experience all the way, leaving you think about the eternal Karma siddhanta of the Hindu philosophy. The final touch: A lady who had undergone the same expedience was heard commenting “I do not want to leave India (Mera Bharat Mahaan) by taking this type of passport”.
I feel that this is the most mismanaged place in the esteemed Ministry of External Affairs.