Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Clear and sunny skies for today.
🧐 Did you know? Chennai’s history with football goes back to the late 1800s. In 1895, “The Sketch, a Journal of Art and Actuality”, published an article stating football was making rapid progress in the city. At the General Meeting of the Gymkhana Club, a request for a tournament was made and approved.
🌇 Development hopes for Chennai-Bengaluru Highway
Developers hope there will be a commercial upswing on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway.
What’s it about? As the Chennai port-Maduravoyal bypass project gains traction, developers are hoping for the same for the neglected Chennai-Bengaluru national highway (NH-4). Traffic congestion and poor roads have kept homebuyers and developers away from Poonamallee High Road beyond Maduravoyal.
- There’s some hope since the announcement that the work order on the elevated corridor will be awarded by June. Real estate developers believe infrastructure development will make the commute much easier with reduced travel times.
- Real estate consultants believe housing will pick up in areas like Nerkundram, Maduravoyal, and Poonamallee. Homebuyers may prefer to stay in the extended parts of the city on the highway to Bengaluru.
Potential: Developers say this area not only has residential potential but can soon be followed up with malls and industries. Affordable housing will increase as factories begin setting up on the stretch, and Maduravoyal will become a hub for the western part of Chennai.
🚶 T Nagar Skywalk to open soon
The long-delayed skywalk in T Nagar will be open to the public next week.
What’s it about? The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) skywalk in T Nagar will soon be open to the public in the first week of May. Built for ₹28.45 crore, it’s probably the longest in the country at 570 metres, according to its chief engineer S Rajendran. Some final painting work is being done, but the work is mostly complete.
- The Skywalk has approach staircases, lifts, and an escalator at the T Nagar bus terminus and the Ranganathan Street market road near the foot overbridge at Mambalam railway station.
- It has a CCTV surveillance system connected to the Mambalam police station, a public address system, and restrooms. Pedestrians can cross from the terminus to the station without passing through Usman Road, Natesan, or Ranganathan Streets.
Much-needed respite: Over the years, automobiles have taken over the area making it nearly impossible for people to walk. For residents and especially senior citizens, it’s a relief since there’s now pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
⚽ Breaking barriers
Thamimunissa Jabbar and her football team are breaking barriers and preparing for the state football championship.
What’s it about? Jabbar is busy training 20 girls, most of whom are from orthodox Muslim families, for the upcoming football tournament her academy, Talent FC, is hosting.
- She has emerged as a matriarch for the girls who come from conservative Muslim households, who want to find their identity through football but remain rooted in their values. Jabbar has fought for the girls to wear their headscarves while playing.
- Jabbar has been a coach for seven years and strives to help girls from underprivileged backgrounds. She has a sponsored boot camp for the team during vacations and even cooks them meals.
Journey: Jabbar’s love of football began when she was a student in Chengalpet. She went on to win a state-level tournament in Kanchipuram. Winning the state tournament in Ooty in 1999 and her coach’s assurances were a way for their family to know she had a future in the sport, or she would’ve been married when she turned 18.
⚕️ Cannabis clinic
Chennai gets its first clinic focussing on medical cannabis and integrative healing.
What’s it about? Cansaa is the city’s and India’s first integrative healing clinic, according to its CEO, Naveen Kumar. It combines functional medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture, and medical cannabis to change how doctors and patients think about treatment. Naveen expects this to follow the path of his tattoo parlour Irezumi which he launched 17 years ago, in becoming popular.
- Cansaa has a panel of doctors on its board. They’ll create personalised treatment plans using cannabidiol (CBD) derived from the cannabis plant and tinctures to supplement medication.
- 70% of their patients are 65 and above, with some of them familiar with cannabis or bhang. Part of the goal is to demystify the myths about cannabis as not just a recreational drug. CBD medication won’t give people a high since the psychoactive level is low.
Credentials: At the launch, the speakers included two doctors, Pune-based Dr Shruti Sridhar and Chennai-based Dr Visalam Ramanathan. Dr Visalam studied functional medicine in the US and was introduced to medical cannabis. Senior consultant and integrative cancer specialist Sayed Tahir Hassan will also consult for Cansaa.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Yummy Fest is organising an open mic for students this weekend.
- The Euphoria Night features live performances by playback singers and musicians this Saturday.
- The Greater Chennai Marathon is this Sunday to support National child abuse prevention month.
- Aagasam Live is music for a cause, with proceeds going to Vaazhvi, which provides grocery kits to the poor.
- Most Wanted is an evening of hip-hop artists showcasing their beats this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I own CSK merchandise: 15.4%
- I don’t own CSK merchandise: 84.6% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your go-to restaurant/cafe in the city?
Nirja: “Gossip Bistro”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!