Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: A little cloudy but mostly sunny for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Madras Motor Race Track, previously known as the Irungattukottai Race Track, is India’s first permanent racing circuit. It’s owned by Madras Motor Sports Club.
🗑️ Dumping waste on riverbanks
Private vendors dump waste on riverbanks due to inadequate infrastructure for disposal.
What’s happening? At the banks of the Cooum and Buckingham Canal, private vendors have been dumping waste due to improper facilities to dispose of them. The Chennai Corporation found that 46 of the 76 vendors had no site to process garbage.
- Out of the 154 tonnes of wet waste and 93 of dry waste generated in the city daily, only 34 tonnes of wet waste and 60 of dry waste are collected by vendors. Despite residents spending ₹100-300 a month as vendor fees, the garbage ends up in bins or riverbanks.
- Near VR Mall, there are regular complaints with stationed trucks thanks to cameras along the river bunds. Other inspections showed that those claiming to process waste didn’t actually have the necessary infrastructure.
Unhappy residents: For residents, the burning of waste at the Cooum is a health hazard since some of it is medical waste. The heap of garbage and debris poses a risk, particularly during the monsoon. People want the Corporation to set up a mechanism to deal with vendors who collect from residential complexes and houses.
🏗️ Lean construction
IIT Madras is teaming up with companies to implement lean construction.
What’s it about? Lean construction is a technique that can reduce waste and construction time compared to conventional techniques. Using this approach, India will be able to meet the increasing demand for infrastructure projects. IIT Madras is partnering with companies like L&T and Godrej Construction.
- The term is borrowed from lean manufacturing to reduce wastages in inventory, overproduction, transportation, and human talent, among others.
- It involves structured techniques that identify and reduce waste to ensure faster and smoother completion of the process. It also covers logistical issues like the lack of timely procurement, which could lead to manpower lying idle.
Necessity: Projects get delayed due to inefficient planning and often go over budget. With the infrastructure boom in India, timely completion of projects is vital and requires alignment of people, processes, and technology. Lean construction integrates all these elements.
🍲 Showcasing Chettinad cuisine
Chef Murthi will present authentic Chettinad cuisine at an upcoming food festival.
What’s it about? Chef Murthi likes to take inspiration from the food and cooking styles of remote villages in India. At the ‘Chettinad by Aachi’ food festival this week, he’ll showcase authentic Chettinad cuisine. According to him, the preparation of Chettinad cuisine is unique compared to other parts of the state.
- Among the dishes that will be showcased are the Chettinad meen kuzhambu, Chettinad mutton kola urundai, and Chettinad chicken curry. The food will be prepared with freshly-ground homemade masalas.
Inspiration: The inspiration for the festival came when Murthi travelled to the home of Mangalam Aachi in the Sivaganga district. He was impressed by the region’s cooking style and decided to collaborate with Mangalam Aachi and her sister Solai Aachi for the food festival.
Details: The festival is from May 11-15 at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort & Convention Center.
🎦 For cinema and automobile lovers
The newly-opened AVM Heritage Museum blends movies and automobiles.
What’s it about? For fans of vintage cars and Tamil cinema, the museum is a haven. It has a collection of cars that appeared in movies dating back to the 1960s to the present day. It’s located at the AVM Studios in Vadapalani and was recently inaugurated by Chief Minister MK Stalin.
- Among the exhibits are the Suzuki RV90 that Rajinikanth drove in the movie Paayum Puli and the Buick Super 8, driven by Kamal Haasan in Sakalakala Vallavan.
- Visitors can also learn about the camera and sound equipment used in moviemaking in the pre-digital age. Among the ones present there are the cameras used for Murattu Kaalai and Mundhanai Mudichu.
Museum’s brainchild: MS Guhan of AVM Productions collects vintage cars and is associated with the Madras Heritage Motoring Club.
Details: The museum is open Wednesday to Monday from 10 am to 5 pm.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you attended the annual Chennai Music Season?
- Yes, I have attended the annual Chennai Music Season.
- No, I haven’t attended the annual Chennai Music Season.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite historical/heritage site or building in the city?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Development works have begun in North Chennai as officials identify issues that need immediate attention.
- Passengers demand improved amenities at MTC termini, like two-wheeler parking.
- Artists congregated at the Island Grounds for Chennai Vizha 2023.
- British High Commission in Chennai celebrated the coronation of King Charles III with special guests.
- Koyyathoppu block residents continue to wait for new homes as the construction of new blocks has been slow.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I keep a personal journal/diary: 25.0%
- I don’t keep a personal journal/diary: 75.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What part of the city do you think is the most picturesque?
Chitra: “The coastline”
Sri Nivashini: “Mylapore”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!