Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Feast your eyes on ice

— Photo: M. Karunakaran

People enjoy the snow shower at “Snow Ball 2008” in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The month-long “Snow Ball-2008” extravaganza began at the Island Grounds on Thursday.

Chennaiites who thronged the venue not only had a visual treat, but a cool shower of ice to beat the summer heat.

Christened “Panimazhai Kondattam”, the event is being organised by a Chennai-based Dance company, Spellbound, under a commercial tie-up with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC).

With no entrance fee on the inaugural day, the holiday crowd witnessed a rare treat with a shower of ice-crystals dropping out of ice-crushers positioned at a height in a special enclosure of 10,000 sq.ft area where more than 3,000 ice-bars form the ground platform.

The canopy shaped open enclosure is equipped with a dance floor where the dance troupe enthralled the crowd with high-voltage entertainment under sub-zero conditions.

A massive air-conditioned hall has also been set up in which 160 stalls dealing in consumer durables, souvenirs and food court would come up shortly to provide wholesome entertainment as part of the summer season activities planned by the TTDC.

Alongside, an exclusive kids corner is also getting ready where joy rides and video games would be available for children. An air-conditioned amphi-theatre is also being put up to screen Tamil movies.

Though the TTDC had planned for a formal inaugural ceremony with the Tourism Minister N. Suresh Rajan as the Chief Guest, the plan was shelved as its top brass was not happy with the preparedness of the private partner, sources in the Tourism department said. TTDC General Manager (Finance) S. Prabakaran inaugurated the show.

Talking to reporters M. Sekar, Coordinator of Spellbound Events and Redin, its Director, said from Friday, entry fee for the adults will be Rs.150 and children in the 3 and 12 age group would be charged Rs.100 each.

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