Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 34 ℃ | Low: 24 ℃ | More sunny weather for today.
🧐 Did you know? The Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is one of the oldest such sanctuaries in the country. Documentary evidence of its existence is available from 1793.
🐦 Sparrow sanctuary
A group of volunteers are working to create a sparrow haven in the city.
What’s it about? Sparrows used to be abundant in the city, but their numbers have dwindled over time. A group led by eco-activist Hafiz Khan is looking to change that by raising awareness among residents.
- A team of 24 sparrow ambassadors includes students, teachers, and farmers. They’ll help spread information on the importance of conserving the bird species.
- The team will distribute 1,000 sparrow homes across the Kottivakkam neighbourhood and ensure there’s enough nesting space for sparrows.
What else? Last year, the volunteers covered about 400 homes. This year, the team will also work on geotagging every home where nests are placed.
🏊♀️ Everybody’s at the pool!
As schools begin to close and summer sets in, the city’s swimming pools are seeing increased crowds.
What’s it about? The number of people visiting the city’s public swimming pools has increased by 50%. Many parents also enquire about government and private swimming classes for their kids during the summer.
- During the summer, footfalls are around 80-100 people compared to just 50 for the rest of the year. At the Marina swimming pool, students from Corporation schools are trained for free.
- Private swimming classes train kids from the age of 5. However, at government ones, the minimum age is 10. Medical experts caution against drowning and the chlorine water affecting people’s skin.
Expenses: Government-run pools charge a nominal rate. Most parents prefer to send their kids to private coaching, which can charge over ₹2,000 plus tax for three hours a day.
🤝 Defence startup hub
IIT Madras teamed up with Starburst Accelerator SARL to set up an innovation hub for startups.
What’s it about? Under the new partnership, IIT Madras and the French aerospace and defence company will set up the hub with a 100 million Euro investment. It’ll enable Starburst to boost the aviation, space and defence ecosystem in India.
- Starburst will create a consulting team composed of IIT Madras alumni and experienced military officers apart from senior consultants from Starburst offices to help startups scale up.
- To boost the Indian aerospace and defence ecosystem, the partnership will provide access to innovators and entrepreneurs, and help them drive new technologies, business ideas, and models.
Process: There will be structured programmes by combining academic knowledge and practical guidance through workshops, seminars, and mentoring sessions.
🌡️ Hotter days ahead
As the peak summer season approaches, forecasters say the city and its suburbs will get hotter next month.
What’s it about? Many interior districts of the state are already experiencing temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius. In Chennai, daytime weather has been relatively normal for the month. That’s going to change next month as meteorologists say there’s likely to be a 2-3 degree increase across the coastal areas, including Chennai.
- On Monday, the Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam stations recorded 33.1 and 34 degrees Celsius, respectively. That’s slightly below normal, thanks to the easterly winds.
- Next month, the coastal areas will see higher temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. El Nino’s continued presence and higher sea temperatures could mean a harsher summer.
Previous records: The highest maximum temperature recorded in Chennai in the past decade was 38.3 degrees Celsius in 2021. The all-time record was 40.6 degrees Celsius in March 1953.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer small or large social gatherings?
- I prefer small social gatherings.
- I prefer large social gatherings.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What would be your ideal birthday celebration?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Kadhaigal Pala Kana exhibition showcased documentaries and photos of women photographers.
- The Basketball Federation of India has brought in a shooting machine operational from Chennai’s National Sports Centre to help players.
- Rang Raas Holi, the city’s biggest Holi concert saw over 6,000 revellers celebrate the festival of colours.
- The Chennai Corporation has teamed up with resident welfare associations and volunteers for an eco-friendly Panguni festival.
- IIT-Madras alumnus Pavan Davuluri will lead Microsoft’s Windows and Surface teams.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have experienced a solar eclipse: 66.7% 🏆
- I haven’t experienced a solar eclipse: 33.3%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
How do you like to keep cool in the summer?
Suchi: “Drink plenty of fluids.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!