Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: High: 37 ℃ | Low: 27 ℃ | Mostly cloudy with a chance of some rain.
🧐 Did you know? St Mary’s School for European and Eurasian children, set up in 1715, is considered the oldest school in India. It was also one of the earliest adopters of the Gurukulam system of education.
🎷 Chennai’s tryst with jazz
From upscale bars and hotels to dedicated shows in cafes, the city is falling in love with jazz.
What’s the history? In the 1970s and 80s, several live jazz bands performed across the city. Former musician Ajit Diaz said this was the golden period. But it was always a niche and didn’t generate as much money or attention as rock or pop. However, hotels, bars, and cafes are helping the genre revive.
- Jazz isn’t a beginner’s genre and is generally associated with an older audience. A decade ago, it was Bangalore. Now, Chennai has a relatively lively jazz scene with many students interested.
- Youngsters interested in jazz are sometimes the children of parents who used to listen to jazz on vinyl records.
Where to go? Places like the 365 AS at the Hyatt Regency and Cafe Mercara Express at the ITC Grand Chola are among the upscale places that feature jazz performances. The Unwind Centre is where anyone can walk in and enjoy a performance.
🚍 Low-floor buses
The MTC has received new low-floor buses, a boon for persons with disabilities.
What’s it about? The new low-floor buses arrived at the Chromepet depot and will be introduced in the coming weeks. The two new buses are part of the 552 low-floor buses bought under the German funding agency KfW for operations in Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore.
- The arrival is a welcome sign for disability rights activists who were unhappy with the last batch of low-floor Volvo buses in 2018.
- The number of low-floor buses procured was increased to 552 following a Madras High Court directive. A petition filed by activist Vaishnavi Kumar of the Disability Rights Alliance (DRA) challenged the procurement of 1,107 high-floor buses.
Ageing fleet: About 50% of the fleet is overaged. The transport corporations have begun the process of buying over 8,000 buses. As of now, 1,088 new buses have been added.
🏞️ A new water body
The Chennai Corporation is building a new pond near the Villivakkam Lake with a play area and ample greenery.
What’s it about? Work on the new pond began last month, and the project has been handed over to a private contractor. Once it’s complete, it’ll be another water source for the locality. The total catchment area is 11,530 square metres with a water holding capacity of 52,000 cubic metres.
- Once the project is done, there are plans to build a play area, a 900-metre pedestrian walkway, and native plant species covering over 11,000 square metres.
- For visitors, there’ll be a butterfly garden, tree court maze, and seating with garden space. The Corporation will also build toilets and separate toilet blocks for persons with disabilities.
Preventing flooding: To prevent flooding during the monsoon, excess water from the pond will be diverted to the adjoining main water body. Geo Cell construction will stabilise the soil and control erosion in the embankment area.
👮 Keeping the city safe
Chief Minister MK Stalin announced several measures to beef up public safety.
What’s it about? The Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, made several announcements on public safety for the Chennai, Tambaram, and Avadi commissionerates. It included a vision document for Safe City Chennai to make the city safe for women.
- Among the announcements was a new citizens portal for people who need help from the Chennai Police, an ₹1 crore allocation to study traffic, crime, and law and order issues near educational institutions.
- To manage the crowd at the Kilambakkam bus terminus, a new police station will be set up. The Kalaignar Centenary Hospital in Guindy will also get a new police station.
Women’s safety: Kelambakkam and Senkundram in Tambaram and Avadi will get new All-Women Police Stations.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you ever performed in front of a live audience?
- I have performed in front of a live audience.
- I haven’t performed in front of a live audience.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite genre of TV show?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Substance abuse is an increasing concern among young kids in Chennai.
- Clogged stormwater drains have prompted Tambaram residents and experts to call for the return of bins.
- Light to moderate rainfall is expected for the city and suburbs over the next two days.
- An art exhibition chronicles Madras artists and their arrival on the modern art scene.
- LGBTQ persons in Chennai give their views and worries on inclusivity and progress.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!