Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: High: 29 ℃ | Low: 24 ℃ | Cloudy weather for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Victory War Memorial, apart from honouring soldiers who fell during the two world wars, also commemorates fallen soldiers of post-independence battles like the 1948 Kashmir aggression, the 1962 China War, and the Pakistan War of 1966 and 1971.
⚕️ Honouring a healthcare pioneer
Colleagues and well-wishers gathered to celebrate Dr SS Badrinath’s legacy.
Who was he? Dr Badrinath founded Sankara Nethralaya, which went on to become one of India’s largest charitable hospitals. A year after his death, the hospital continued its work with about 600 employees, taking care of 4,000 patients, and performing 400 surgeries every day.
- The Memorial event hailed his vision, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence. He was credited with bringing the technology used globally to Chennai and making them affordable.
- He went to other speciality hospitals with no competitive spirit and helped develop ideas.
Carrying forward his legacy: Chief Guest N Ram paid tribute to his work and concentration skills. Dr P Namperumalsamy of Aravind Eye Care spoke about Dr Badrinath’s spiritual background and continuing to aim high.
👩💻 Human-Centric AI
IIT Madras launched the Centre for Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence (CHAI) to harness AI’s potential.
What’s it about? IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation launched CHAI to help harness AI for human potential. The Centre will facilitate technology, entrepreneurship, and human resource development and foster international collaborations.
- The Centre will also help identify risks to inform future regulations, given the concerns about safety among Indian policymakers and regulators.
- The areas of R&D will include language models, languages, especially Indian ones, and responsible and safe AI with privacy, biases, and ethical considerations.
For students: The Centre will offer internships across the country to develop skills in AI projects and solutions. IIT Madras students can pursue their UG, Masters, and PhD research projects and thesis with guidance from the Centre.
🌱 Sapling plantations
_(4318381544).jpg){kind=link}
Beneath the Chennai Corporation’s sapling plantations lie garbage and rot.
What’s it about? In 2022, over 14,000 saplings were planted along the Cooum, from Napier Bridge to the Quaid-e-Millath Bridge. According to the Chennai Corporation, over ₹13 crore was spent on planting 72,660 saplings along the Adyar River from Thiru Vi Ka Bridge to Airport Runway Bridge to the Nandambakkam Bridge. In many of these spots, garbage and waste continue to pile up.
- The Malligai Poo Kuppam stretch is littered with plastic bottles and garbage. According to residents, it’s been two months since the Corporation fogged the area as there are puddles dotting the lanes.
- Along Flag Staff Road, the stretch is littered with plastic bags and bottles. At Sivananda Salai, the stretch is littered with liquor bottles, newspapers, and plastic waste. The footpath is also encroached by overgrown plants.
What’s being done? At Island Grounds, the trees were last trimmed ahead of the Formula 4 race in August. While workers come to water the plants, no one cleans the waste.
🌊 Stormwater drain progress
Chennai continues to be unprepared, with several stormwater drains yet to be built.
What’s it about? Even with a new government at the helm, the issue of incomplete repairs and building new stormwater drains never ends. With more rains forecast, the city is bracing for flooding and water stagnation.
- While the civic body has completed the work in several areas, the same can’t be said for Madhavaram, Mylapore, and Velachery. Ongoing work wasn’t enough to prevent waterlogging during the first spell of rain last month.
- The work has been ongoing for over two years in Velachery’s Ram Nagar. In Madhavaram, it took over 10 hours for water to drain after the most recent spell. While the Corporation has completed most of it, some areas will be waterlogged unless it’s 100% done.
Relaying roads: In some areas, while the work on stormwater drains has been completed, the civic body failed to relay roads. In densely populated areas in Mylapore, it has become a hassle for commuters and residents.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you regularly use cab aggregators like Ola/Uber?
- I regularly use cab aggregators like Ola/Uber.
- I don’t regularly use cab aggregators like Ola/Uber.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which Indian city do you think has the best scenic views?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Chennai-based doctor took on the Himalayas at the Everest Base Camp and Lobuche East Summit.
- Chennai’s first boxing arena and training facility at Gopalapuram will be ready by January 2025.
- Being Human Clothing, the fashion brand by Salman Khan, expanded to Chennai’s Express Avenue mall.
- The workshop Science Stories delved into practical challenges and opportunities for educators.
- The Nanganallur metro station was renamed by the government to include Officers Training Academy.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I’m a member of a sports/recreational club: 16.7%
- I’m not a member of a sports/recreational club: 83.3% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which Indian regional language do you wish you knew better?
Suchi: “Malayalam”
Rangarajan: “Malayalam”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!