The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) has announced a week-long Navagraha rail-cum-road package tour of Tamil Nadu for Bangaloreans beginning this May, as part of its `Enchanting Tamil nadu’ publicity and marketing campaign all over the country.

M Raja Ram, Tourism Commissioner and MD of TTDC told reporters here on Tuesday, the Navagraha trip will leave from Bangalore every month.

The first trip would commence on May 26 by the Lalbagh Express (train no. 2608). “It would cover all the Navagraha temples--Vaitheeswaran Koil, Thiruvengadu, Keezhperumpallam, Thirunallar, Thingalur, Suryanaraya Koil, Kanchanaur, Thirunageswaran, Alangudi-- the Madurai Meenakshi temple, Trichy’s Srirangam temple and the cities of Chennai, Mamallapuram, Pondicherry and Rameshwaram.”

The visitors will return to Bangalore on June 1 by the Mysore-Mayiladuthurai Express from Trichy.

The other dates when the tour would commence this year from Bangalore are June 16, July 14, Aug 11, Sept 15, Oct 13, Nov 10 and Dec 15.  Call: 080-22286181.

Not materialised
The luxury train, `Southern Splendour’, planned a couple of years ago among the four Southern States on the lines of the `Palace on Wheels’ did not materialise due to non-cooperation within the group,  Mr Raja Ram said. 

KILLING KANNADA!
The announcement of the Navagraha tour to Tamil Nadu from Bangalore made a few Kannada journalists turn red when the translation of the words `Publicity and Marketing Campaign’ was badly done. Two Kannada words out of five words were written wrongly on the board which served as a backdrop to the briefing. “You may be inviting us to TN but you are killing Kannada,” said a journalist.  The tourism Department members apologised. It was learnt that  the Karnataka government’s translation Department had recommended a particular agency for the job.