Good morning, Chennai!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 28 ℃ | Low: 24 ℃ | Overcast with rain.
🧐 Did you know? The Madras War Fund was created after World War I began and bought a ship called Madras and converted it into a floating health facility exclusively meant for Indian sepoys.
📷 Capturing and showcasing sisterhood
A new photo exhibition celebrates and showcases strength, courage and sisterhood.
What’s it about? Photographer Harshitha Parthasarathi photographed 24 girls as part of NalandaWay Foundation’s Project Sakhi for the “She Rises. Unseen to Unstoppable” photo exhibition. The exhibition, now open to the public, has over 40 small and large frames and polaroid walls.
- In 2019, 25 girls were chosen from Perambur’s Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School under the organisation’s guidance. The girls, aged 16-17, spoke to Harshitha about gender equality, mental health, and menstrual hygiene.
- The exhibition also celebrates Project Sakhi’s success, an 8-year holistic development programme for adolescent girls. It’s a long-term project where the organisation works with girls from underprivileged backgrounds to learn new skills.
About the programme: The programme has three phases. Girls between 13 and 15 are educated about menstrual health. Then, at 16 and 17 they’re taught sex education. As they enter adulthood, they’re taught financial planning.
🚢 Setting sail
The Netherlands-flagged Stad Amsterdam arrived at Chennai as part of its global tour.
What’s it about? The ship is owned by Randstad and arrived at the Chennai port recently as part of an initiative to promote international tourism. It has been on a global tour since August 2023 with 27 crew members and 8 passengers.
- The modern sailship operates without fuel and functions entirely on wind power. It’s crafted with a traditional maritime design and is 76 metres long with 31 sails covering 2,200 sq m.
- It’s used for training and as a charter ship for guests. It arrived from Singapore and will remain in Chennai until it departs for Mumbai on December 1.
Global tour: The tour is aimed at fostering business collaborations across several fields and strengthening cultural and historical connections between the Netherlands and host countries.
🏢 Hub for corporations
According to a new report, Chennai has emerged as the preferred hub for global companies.
What’s it about? The “Tamil Nadu: The Next Frontier for Global Corporations” report released at the GCC Next Summit 24 highlights Chennai’s solidified position as a preferred destination for global corporations. The city is expected to add 12-13 million square feet of premium office space between 2025 and 2026.
- Chennai is ranked third in leasing activity behind Bengaluru and Hyderabad for 2022-24. In the Global Capacity Centre (GCC) space, it has 11% of India’s GCC talent. It’s expected to grow to nearly 3.7 lakh by 2030.
- US companies made up 67% of GCC setups during 2022 and the first nine months of 2024. The key markets in the city include Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), PT Road, and Mount Poonamallee High Road.
State’s economic landscape: Tamil Nadu has an ambition to become a $1 trillion economy by 2030 by expanding its industrial and service base. Cities like Coimbatore and Madurai are emerging as manufacturing hubs.
🚇 Metro trains testing
The CMRL could test its new driverless trains along the sharpest curve in Porur.
What’s it about? The Chennai Metro achieved the unique feat of being the first metro project in India to design composite girders to carry rail tracks in a curved manner. The sharpest curve is 127.55-metre in radius at Porur on corridor 4. This is where the driverless trains could be tested before April.
- Following five months of testing, the Chennai Metro completed the erection of a composite girder on the elevated line in Porur. To prevent further land acquisition, the curved design was chosen at the junction over the Porur flyover.
- Steel composite girders help reduce the structure’s overall weight by 40%. They’re placed in a skew and positioned on either side of the Porur flyover without hindering traffic. Phase 2 of the metro has 300 curves. Porur has the sharpest, followed by Koyambedu.
Speeds: Once completed, the trains will be tested at 90 km/h. At the Porur curve, they’ll be tested at 45-50 km/h. The average commercial speed of trains in phase 2 will be 35 km/h.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you use a non-Google search engine regularly?
- I use a non-Google search engine regularly.
- I don’t use a non-Google search engine regularly.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite quote from a book or movie?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal caused strong winds along Marina Beach.
- A few hours of rain resulted in several streets and roads being waterlogged and traffic snarls.
- A work order was issued by the Centre for an ESI hospital in Sriperumbudur.
- The Little Theatre prepares for this year’s Christmas pantomime by bringing Gotham City to life.
- London-based Nothing has expanded its India service network with a new centre in Chennai.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have taken a loan to pay for something: 42.9%
- I haven’t taken a loan to pay for something: 57.1% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What breed of dog would you love to have as a pet?
Suchi: “Pug”
Rangarajan: “Rajapalayam”
Shiva: “Indian pariah”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!