Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: Sunny with some cloud cover.
🧐 Did you know? Presidency College is the oldest college in South India. It has been in existence for over 180 years and was one of two British-established presidency colleges in India. The other one was Kolkata.
🛖 The Yurt craze
Yurts are becoming popular as a compact and portable contemporary living space.
What’s it about? The concept of a yurt has spread across the globe, especially after 2008, when the trade deficit between the USA and China resulted in an accumulation of containers. Some decided to repurpose them as homes. It eventually came to India as well.
- While these containers aren’t ideal for Chennai’s weather, some people insulate the metal walls to prevent heat from entering. The yurts seen today are more similar to the ones in Indian villages.
- Modern yurts are between 20 and 32 feet high. They’re built with wood, concrete, and metal frames. The roof has an opening for natural light. Chennai’s VGP Golden Beach resort has luxury yurts.
Origins: The yurt has been around for over 2,500 years in Central Asia. They’re mainly used by nomadic groups.
💉 Vaccination programmes
The Chennai Corporation will provide free vaccinations for infants and pregnant mothers.
What’s it about? Under the Mission Indradhanush 5.0 scheme, the Corporation will vaccinate infants and pregnant mothers to cover diseases like TB, polio, and jaundice. Chennai Mayor R Priya conducted a review meeting of the initiative.
- The first phase of the vaccination drive will happen from August 7 to 12. The second dose will be delivered from September 11 to 16, and the third from October 9 to 14.
- The Corporation already began identifying those eligible through a door-to-door survey. The vaccination camps will be set up at government hospitals, anganwadis, and urban primary health centres.
What’s the programme? Under the Indradhanush mission, which began in 2014, the Chennai Corporation has already held eight vaccination camps. The scheme’s goal is to reduce infant mortality, where residents can go to their nearest health centres and get vaccinated for free.
🏙️ Designing an inclusive Chennai
Architecture students provided ideas to build an inclusive Chennai.
What’s it about? Students from various city colleges presented ideas to transform areas to make them more inclusive. The design ideas were presented to experts and included proposals like better parking, pedestrian facilities, etc.
- Students from the Meenakshi School of Architecture worked on transit-oriented development (TOD) for a 3-km stretch of Anna Salai. It included parking on service lanes and near heritage buildings.
- For Santhome, students from the School of Planning, Architecture, and Design Excellence recommended pedestrian safety measures to encourage people to use the Metro. For Kodambakkam, students from the School of Architecture and Interior Design presented ideas to improve Metro patronage.
Why TOD? According to World Bank, TOD will help concentrate jobs, housing, and services around public transport hubs to help reduce a city’s carbon footprint.
🏃🏽 Nehru Stadium needs a makeover
The stadium’s athletic track needs maintenance as it’s the Khelo India host.
What’s it about? The Nehru Stadium is one of the country’s most iconic sporting arenas. It has hosted prestigious sporting events like the 1994 Asian Games and several All-India athletic meets. However, its athletic track, which is quite old, needs to be upgraded.
- The track was relaid ahead of the 2013 Asian championships that didn’t eventually happen. The first of the 8-lane track has deteriorated. At the start of the 100m point, footmarks are present.
- Some senior coaches like M Riaz and Victor Jebasingh said a new track needs to be relaid. While it remains intact in some places, in others, it has melted due to the heat.
What’s going to happen? It does seem like a new track will be laid since the stadium will host several high-level competitions. The track will be assessed by the Sports Development Authority of India (SDAT) before a decision is made. Meanwhile, new LEDs and civil renovation work will soon begin.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you think movie theatres charging a premium for food and beverages is justified?
- Movie theatres charging a premium for food and beverages is justified.
- Movie theatres charging a premium for food and beverages is not justified.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Where’s the best place to get Chinese food in the city?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Damaged Ramapuram roads are finally being fixed with relaying work.
- Prices of vegetables are expected to slowly reduce over the coming weeks.
- Light rain has been forecast for the city over the next two days.
- Dinesh Patel is one of the few non-Muslim traditional perfumers in Chennai in the business for three decades.
- Bask by Coffee is gaining popularity as the newest cafe in town.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!