Rich assortment

www.netguruindia.com

A COMPREHENSIVE guide to the metros of Chennai, Calcutta, Delhi and Mumbai, this site is aimed at Indians living abroad. Apart from giving information on the life in these metros, it has got a calendar as well as a facility for horoscopes.

Tickets and gifts can be purchased online. A sprinkling of information on film, travel, cuisine, as well as some book reviews make this site useful.

A special feature is the latest news available in video format in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi and Tamil.

The On Campus section chronicles campus life in the different metros, and has video clippings to go with it. The well-designed children's section has a whole lot of games.

www.MaMaMedia.com

MaMaMedia.com is a captivating e-park for children. The colourful site not only keeps changing the games every other day but also encourages children to improve their talents and knowledge levels.

Brain-teasers such as Wordplay Circus and Music Mania are peppered with zappy e-cards. And children can create a town of their own in the "Build Own Town" section. What more, they can learn about how children from other countries completed the project.

The mosaic of colours in pleasing patterns splashed on the screen and the musical opening to the 'Build Own Town' section are worth the attention.

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www.saranam.com

Our lives are more webcentric than we realise. Cyber words like browsing and surfing are heard rolling off the tongue almost everywhere. Then there is the ubiquitous e-mail. The latest word which is waiting to be ushered into workaday cyber parlance is "e-puja". Well, that's what you would think if you visited http://www.saranam.com.

At the site, you can book for pujas at your favourite temples, across the country with just a click of the mouse. For a price. There are over 250 temples and 25,000 dieties listed. The search facility helps you locate temples and dieties State-wise and in alphabetical order. There is also information relating to "sthalapuranam".

The pujas are performed through a network of franchisees, numbering over 600. The prasadam is delivered at your doorstep generally within seven to 14 days.

You can also perform "shrardha" for your dear departed. Again for a price. Mind you, e-commerce is as ubiquitous a word! "Homams" can also be performed. Worship items and traditional Indian goods can be purchased, too. Payment can be made online through credit cards. Those without credit can pay through cheques, demand drafts or SmartCC cash cards.

www.sangeetham.com

It is good to be in Chennai in December when the temperature lowers a little and strains of mellifluous Carnatic music greet the citizens. That is when websites such as sangeetham.com become significant. It is an effective compass for Carnatic music enthusiasts to navigate through the season. It provides cutcheri related news and views are also put out. Two maps of Mylapore and T.Nagar provide useful information on concerts (like artistes performing and the timings) in these areas.

One can have the schedules e-mailed to his account or to those of his friends. A free online newsletter is also available, that one can subscribe to. Sangeetham Talk provides you with space to respond to views on Carnatic music posted by visitors to the site. You can also post messages, kicking off an online discussion.

In the personalities section, you can read about the greats of Carnatic music. There are also links to other websites on Carnatic music, its exponents and related subjects.

(Compiled by K. Kirubanidhi and Prince Frederick)

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