Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: More of the same with clear and sunny skies.
🧐 Did you know? The Kilpauk cemetery was the largest in the city. The 16-acre cemetery had a tomb dating back to 1903.
🎾 A dream tennis training session
Some young fans got a chance to train with two tennis legends.
What’s it about? 11-time grand slam winner Bjorn Borg and current Tamil Nadu Tennis Association President Vijay Amritraj conducted a tennis clinic at the SDAT Stadium with some young tennis fans. The two faced each other at the 1974 US Open and 1979 Wimbledon tournaments.
- The duo spent time with about 30 kids on the outside courts, watching them play and providing feedback. They had a brief Q&A session with the kids.
- Borg emphasised the importance of practice, spending time on the court, and being motivated. Amritraj spoke about how tennis can lead to better education if they’re good enough.
🧑🏫 New-age PG courses
Madras University will offer new-age PG courses based on requests from students and affiliated colleges.
What’s it about? The University of Madras will begin PG courses in multimedia and digital marketing to improve the employability of students. The courses will be introduced in the coming academic year, with demand for new-age courses increasing. The hope is this will attract more students to the universities competing with deemed universities.
- The university had received requests for courses in data science and AI. More than 37 affiliated colleges have applied. Faculty members will interact with industry experts and plan out the right courses.
- Officials said introducing new courses will help increase the revenue generated. The university has been facing a financial crunch for the past few years.
Who said what? Vice-Chancellor S Gowri said there’ll be an academic council meeting to finalise the new courses. She said the universities need to make use of the talent available at the universities.
🕋 Embarkation point for Haj pilgrimage
Travel agents are happy that Chennai is once again an embarkation point for the Haj pilgrimage.
What’s it about? Travel operators specialising in Haj and Umrah pilgrimages are relieved that Chennai is re-designated as an embarkation city to ease the movement of pilgrims from the state. Since the pandemic began, pilgrims have been asked to go to Kochi for their flights to Saudi Arabia.
- Until 2019, pilgrims from the state and Puducherry used to begin their journey from Chennai, but this was halted due to the pandemic.
- Chennai will once again be one of the 25 embarkation cities in India for pilgrims. Private operators have said the earlier allocation of pilgrim quotas will help accelerate arrangements for pilgrims.
Who said what? A Badruddin of Dolphin Air Service said prices have increased since the pandemic. Trips to Saudi start from ₹5 lakh as part of arrangements made for pilgrimages in Mecca and other Saudi cities. Nawaz, a private operator, suggested adding Tiruchi as an embarkation point due to its good air connectivity.
📋 NGT rules for sewage treatment plants
The NGT has outlined guidelines for sewage treatment plants to regulate discharges and tankers.
What’s it about? The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has released guidelines for sewage treatment plants on sewage tankers under local body limits and the discharge of untreated sewage into water bodies. It asked the Corporation, metrowater, and local officials to ensure they’re followed strictly.
- The guidelines are to prevent dumping raw sewage into stormwater drains and water bodies. The tribunal studied the issue of private tankers dumping sewage into drains and whether sewage is tested before being released.
- It also pointed out that the policies of different departments need to be coordinated to reduce friction and conflict. Without this, the government would struggle to improve services to citizens.
Previous work: The NGT had appointed a joint committee that included the district collector, TNPCB Chairman, the PWD superintending engineer, and a corporation official. Their task was to see if there were a way to fit GPS devices on vehicles that carried sewage to disposal facilities to monitor them.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Immerse with Jonita Gandhi, featuring live performances of favourite Tamil blockbusters this Saturday.
- Idli Soda, the Madras Fusion Music Festival this weekend, will feature live performances and workshops.
- “The Problem is…” is an hour-long stand-up special from Ashwin Bharadwaj this Saturday.
- “Never Odd or Even” from Theatre Marina is an English play taking a modern approach and a touch of minimalism, happening this Saturday.
- Native India Festival, organised by Market of India, will showcase locally sourced and organic food and products this weekend.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I prefer watching movies in 3D: 33.3%
- I don’t like watching movies in 3D: 66.7% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite hill station?
Rajkamal: “Kolli hills”
Kavimani: “Kashmir”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!