Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Clear and sunny skies ahead.
🧐 Did you know? According to a recent survey, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has the biggest fan base for any sports team in India, with over 40 million.
🚌 Public transport uptick
A new study showed that public transport patronage has increased in Chennai post-pandemic.
What’s it about? A report by the Ola Mobility Institute stated the number of people using public transport has increased post-pandemic with a corresponding decrease in private vehicle usage. Among the public transport options, the Metro has seen a big chunk of that growth.
- Personal mobility has decreased from 31% in 2018 to 25% last year. Public transport usage increased from 70% to 82% during the same period. Government data supports this report.
- Per experts, people prefer to buy two-wheelers to travel to the nearest transport hub and take a bus or train to their destination. Congested parking lots at the Tambaram and Central stations and the Koyambedu bus stand is evidence of this.
Fallout: The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) said it’s redeveloping its termini and depots to expand parking facilities. Improving first and last-mile connectivity can help further increase public transport patronage and keep a check on the number of private vehicles.
✈️ New terminal’s first trial run
The first trial run at the new integrated terminal was deemed a success.
What’s it about? The recently-inaugurated new integrated terminal building (NITB) at the Chennai Airport had its first successful trial run with US-Bangla Airlines. Both arrival and departure operations were carried out with the necessary facilities in place.
- The inbound flight arrived just after 1 pm with 191 passengers. The outbound flight departed after 2 pm with 192 passengers. The new terminal will first see narrow-body aircraft operators begin operations.
- IndiGo will likely begin with two trial operations on April 28. Similar trials will continue with other operators as operations will be scaled up in phases.
Feedback: Passengers gave the new terminal a positive review, and the trial operation went smoothly, according to airport officials and stakeholders.
👩🍳 Cafe doubles as PwD training centre
The Museum Cafe provides training for children with special needs.
What’s it about? Vidya Sagar, the foundation that works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, partnered with entrepreneur M Mahadevan for Museum Cafe. It’s located in the Lady Willingdon campus and doubles as a training centre for those with special needs.
- Technical support for the cafe is given by Hot Breads, and the kitchen staff from Winners Bakery provides training. Candidates are chosen by Vidya Sagar, and thanks to a partnership with the National Open University, they’re offered a one-year course.
- Six months of the course are spent as practical training at the cafe. There’s a teacher from Vidya Sagar at the cafe in case the students need help.
Details: The cafe is open from Wednesday to Monday from 11 am to 8 pm and offers a diverse menu of burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, and milkshakes. The profits generated from the sales are used to fund welfare initiatives of the State Commissionerate for the Differently Abled.
🌶️ Searching for spice
Chef Koushik S is on a quest to find the world’s hottest chillies.
What’s it about? The Chennai-based chef began exploring the world of chillies in 2015 to know which is the hottest and where he could find it. At the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), he learned about the flavours and aromas of different chillies.
- As he shared his learnings on social media, he came to know about other ‘spiceheads’ running online forums to discuss chillies. His followers gifted him seeds to plant, and he now has over eight varieties in his backyard.
- Through the online forums, he was able to get in touch with food historians, farmers, food technicians, and others with diverse knowledge of chillies.
Experimentation: He also experiments with chilli hybrids, like when he crossed the Bird’s Eye Chilli with the Maharashtrian Green Chilli. The result was a medium-sized chilli less spicy than the Bird’s Eye.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you own any CSK merchandise?
- Yes, I own CSK merchandise.
- No, I don’t own any CSK merchandise.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your go-to restaurant/cafe in the city?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Madras University will resume its B.Ed course in distance mode next year.
- 25 Scheduled Tribe families were evicted from Mayor Ramanathan Salai for the Cooum River Restoration Project.
- Chennai residents remain unimpressed with the responses to unresolved civic issues.
- The ‘Makkalai Thedi Mayor’ scheme will begin with Mayor R Priya’s visit to Royapuram on May 3.
- Koyambedu could become the next Metro rail hub linking three corridors.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I prefer Chennai: 72.7% 🏆
- I prefer Madras: 27.3%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your preferred mode of transport in Chennai?
Sanjay: “MTC AC bus and Chennai metro”
Chandhru: “TRAIN”
Nirja: “Metro”
Kalaiarasi: “Public transport”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!