Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: A bit sunny for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The oldest existing photography society in India is the Photographic Society of Madras, set up in 1857 by Alexander Hunter and Walter Elliot. Its notes and events were recorded in the quarterly Madras Journal of Literature and Science.
🖼️ Immerse yourself in Van Gogh’s works
A new immersive experience showcases Van Gogh by blending art and technology.
What’s it about? The Real Van Gogh Immersive Experience will take viewers into the world of Vincent Van Gogh like never before. His paintings will come to life with high-quality projectors. It’s India’s first 20K lumens projectors immersive art exhibition organised by The Silly Fellows.
- The exhibition involves multiple themed rooms that offer people diverse encounters with Van Gogh’s art. His art was particularly chosen because of its emotional impact and universal appeal.
- His works make this an ideal opportunity for such an experience using modern technology. The goal is to bring his works to life and allow people to step inside them.
Similar exhibitions: Paris, Dubai, London, and New York have had similar exhibitions featuring other renowned artists. The primary aim of such exhibitions is to democratise art and make it accessible to a diverse audience.
Details: The Real Van Gogh Immersive Experience exhibition will be at the Express Avenue Mall from January 5 to 20.
⛑️ Special team to the rescue
District Disaster Response Teams (DDRT) played an important role in the rescue and relief efforts across the city.
What’s it about? As the monsoon settled in across the state, police commissioner Sandeep Rai Rathore formed a special team to focus on rescue efforts if there was widespread rain and flooding. The DDRT was formed and helped in rescue operations through evacuations and delivering essential supplies.
- Each team was equipped with rescue tools, including inflatable boats, stretchers, and life jackets. 150 police officers were identified and trained on personal safety, navigating snapped power lines and uprooted trees.
- The special teams helped distribute over 83,000 food packets and remove 954 vehicles. Each police district had 12 teams with equipment worth ₹75 lakh provided through the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
Rescue calls: City police data showed that between December 4 and 11, the North, South, East, and West Control Rooms received 1,739 calls. Based on these calls, over 8,200 were rescued and placed at relief camps across the city.
🧹 Where to dump the garbage?
Post Cyclone Michaung, the Chennai Corporation has no space to dump the collected garbage.
What happened? After the cyclone passed and the rain subsided, the Corporation had the mammoth task of clearing the streets of garbage and debris. There was a 50% increase in the waste collected, and there isn’t enough space in dump yards.
- The Corporation now collects about 9,000 tonnes of waste every day, compared to the usual 6,000 tonnes. With delays in door-to-door collection, localities like Royapuram and Choolaimedu continue to have waste on their roads.
- The Corporation is struggling to handle new waste like sofas and mattresses. Material recovery centres aren’t currently working. The civic body’s priority is not source segregation now but clearing the remaining debris.
Materials collected: 20% of the garbage collected by the Corporation comprised sofa sets, pillows, TVs, and spare plastic parts of damaged vehicles.
💉 Measles vaccine in flood-hit areas
The health department will provide measles vaccinations for kids in the city’s flood-hit areas.
What’s it about? The state health department announced kids aged between nine months and 15 years in the city’s flood-hit areas will receive the measles-rubella vaccine.
- People displaced by the floods or in crowded places may have difficulty accessing clean water and sanitation facilities. This increases their risk of communicable diseases.
- Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that mostly affects children. It can cause severe infection and pneumonia, especially in malnourished kids.
Vaccination camps: The government will organise mass vaccination camps for school kids and migrant children. They’ll also be checked for fungal infections, fever and other monsoon-related ailments.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Did you face prolonged power cuts during last week’s rains?
- I did face prolonged power cuts during last week’s rains.
- I didn’t face prolonged power cuts during last week’s rains.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What was your favourite TV show you watched this year?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Highway stretches connecting Chennai with other parts of the state and Bengaluru are riddled with potholes and craters.
- Sewage and sludge in many interior roads pose a health risk to pedestrians.
- India’s best grandmasters will compete in the Chennai Grand Masters Championship from December 15 to 21.
- Government departments have to deal with restoring important documents affected by the floodwaters.
- The recent floods present Chennai with tackling multiple causes and issues.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have bought alcohol from a TASMAC outlet: 42.9%
- I haven’t bought alcohol from a TASMAC outlet: 57.1% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What was your favourite movie you watched this year?
Suchi: “Kadaisi Vivasayi”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!