Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 36 ℃ | Low: 27 ℃ | A little cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The first memorial to come up at the Marina beach was that of Queen Victoria. It was unveiled in 1887 to commemorate the completion of fifty years as monarch.
🎨 Art workshop for kids
An art therapy workshop for kids will equip them with leadership and public speaking skills.
What’s it about? School teacher Maitreyi Sundar is conducting a workshop for kids and adolescents on using art and oratory skills to express themselves, build self-confidence, and gain leadership skills. The three-day workshop is titled Leadership And Public Speaking: Through The Lens Of Art Therapy.
- Art is used as a tool for introspection. The process of making art helps in knowing about the inner self. The workshop is a starting point of that process.
- The workshop will include guest speakers and sessions on movement therapy, painting, clay sculpting, and theatre to build public speaking skills.
Personal experience: Teaching has helped Maitreyi better understand and connect with problems kids face and how trauma can hold them back. The workshop was designed to be a safe space for them to be confident.
🌻 Gardening’s benefits
A group of women who live with different mental health conditions formed a rooftop garden at a shelter for mentally ill women.
What’s it about? Mary and three of her friends, all living with mental health conditions, formed and continue to maintain a rooftop garden of 150 vegetables and plants on the terrace of Anbagam, the government-aided shelter for homeless mentally ill women. It has benefitted them and the shelter.
- Gardening has helped these women with their mental health. They’re now stable and take their regularly prescribed medication.
- They follow a routine – water the plants twice a day, compost dried leaves, and tend to the garden daily. For them, gardening has become a part of the rehabilitation process.
A cool space: Thanks to the rooftop garden, the shelter remains cool. Per the monitors installed by the Chennai Resilience Centre (CRC), the temperature inside is only about 33 degrees Celsius.
🛣️ Ambattur roads in bad shape
The roads at the Ambattur Industrial Estate are riddled with potholes endangering motorists.
What’s it about? When the Global Investor’s Meet convened at Guindy, officials ensured the roads were relaid and repaired. However, at Ambattur, they remain a motorist’s nightmare.
- In particular, the stretch from Vavin signal towards Mogappair is cut up and poorly maintained. This is frequently used by people who work at commercial and automobile establishments.
- The roads have been in bad condition for over a year and a half. The rains and flooding in December made things worse. Despite several complaints from residents, officials haven’t done anything.
What went wrong? The Corporation has done a poor job in milling and relaying the roads. Also, illegal parking of vehicles has worsened the situation since there isn’t enough space for moving vehicles.
🌊 Desilting underway
The Chennai Corporation has begun desilting catch-pits of stormwater drains.
What’s it about? To prepare for the South West and North East monsoon, the Chennai Corporation has begun desilting catch-pits of stormwater drains. It has allocated ₹50 lakh for each zone.
- There are over 2,600 km of stormwater drains, and 1,731 km were desilted last year. The Corporation has begun work on the remaining.
- Desilting is usually done in cycles after checking the silt which is weighed. Then, contractors are paid. Chief engineer Radhakrishnan said the first round is expected to be complete by July 15.
How’s it being done? Officials were asked to study waterlogging and identify the causes. At the south and north part of the Buckingham Canal, a classic amphibian is being used. At Kodungaiyur, Mambalam and Nungambakkam canals, robotic machines have been deployed.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you learned to paint?
- I have learned to paint.
- I haven’t learned to paint.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What period of history would you like to learn more about?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Chennai doctors, in a world first, removed an insular brain tumour through an eyebrow keyhole approach.
- TN Digital Summit 2024 will take place in Chennai on May 25 and 26 to focus on digital transformation.
- The National Green Tribunal has halted the government’s beach development project.
- Individuals come together to offer stray dogs food and shelter amid a crackdown by officials.
- Co-living startup Truliv has outlined its expansion plans to add 3,500 beds in 2024-’25.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I use a desktop PC: 14.3%
- I use a laptop: 85.7% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s a good habit you wish to cultivate?
Lavanya: “Reading lots and lots of books”
Suchi: “To start journaling”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!