Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 37 ℃ | Low: 27 ℃ | Hot and humid for today.
🧐 Did you know? The Southern railway headquarters once was home to Adam’s Park. There was a large mound next to Central Station that was flattened to make way for the park.
😇 Practice unlearning
Kaushiek Pranoo gave up his corporate job to become an advocate for the art of unlearning.
His history: When he was 24, Kaushiek gave up his corporate career to embark on a journey of exploration. Realising he wasn’t doing something that fulfilled him, he decided to step back. Learning the art of unlearning led him to set up the Unlearning Ashram to help people re-examine their way of living.
- He spent a few years living with Adivasi communities in South India and observed their ways of connecting with nature. He also travelled to other parts of India and met people living life on their terms.
- Unlearning involves movement, breathing, and being aware of one’s body. Unlearning can be an effective way to adapt to nature. It’s a concept open to everyone from all walks of life.
Lockdown effect: Kaushiek believes the 2020 lockdown helped people slow down and break some misconceptions about health. He said the concept is steadily gaining popularity in Chennai as he facilitates online and offline sessions.
⚽ Football partnership
Chennaiyin FC and Norwich City Football Club have signed a three-year strategic partnership.
What’s it about? The partnership between the two-time Indian Super League champions and the English club will see Chennaiyin use Norwich City’s help for their grassroots development and other activities.
- The main goals are grassroots and youth development along with marketing and promotion opportunities. The senior team could have its pre-season training in Norwich.
- The Chennaiyin under-13 team is expected to participate in an academy tournament hosted by Norwich City. The club is launching the tournament in October, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea confirmed.
Learning opportunities: Staff from Norwich City will come to Chennai every year to conduct seminars, focussing on academy strategy, recruitment, and nutrition.
🧳 Summer travel
As election season and the summer heats up, Chennaiites are opting for shorter vacations.
What’s it about? The summertime means travelling and vacations. Travel and tour operators in the city have received several bookings and inquiries for international leisure travel till June. Most of these are from families and groups.
- The summer booking season has picked up with a 25% increase year-on-year. The booking window has also shortened to nearly 20-30 days for domestic travel and 30-35 days for short-haul destinations.
- Data from Booking.com showed that 40% of tourists prefer the Asia-Pacific region, 40% to Europe and the US, and 20% to the Middle East. The top searches are Dubai, Singapore, London, Paris, and Bangkok.
Keeping costs in mind: In many cases, travelling to international destinations like Singapore, Colombo, or Kuala Lumpur is cheaper than trips to Srinagar, Goa, or the northeast.
🛍️ Single-use plastics ban ineffective
Despite being banned in Chennai, single-use plastics continue to be used by the public and traders.
What’s it about? It seems people have forgotten about the ban on single-use plastics in the city. People, including shopkeepers and some commercial establishments, continue to use them regularly.
- With little intervention from the government, plastic bags, straws, and cups continue to thrive. While some people have switched to cloth bags, vendors continue to provide plastic bags.
- The Chennai Corporation’s health department has conducted raids and seized banned plastic products from shops. While some traders know how hazardous they are, the government doesn’t penalise them.
Legislation: In 2019, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) banned single-use plastic. The AIADMK government also banned the manufacturing of plastics.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Automobile lovers can head over to the Auto Moto Expo this weekend.
- Local artists and businesses will showcase their wares at the Night Market at Backyard this Saturday.
- Relax and connect with others for an evening of stories and discussions at The Oopar Unwind this Sunday.
- Catch the live concert of singer-composer Vijaynarain this Saturday.
- Food, cocktails, and music make a perfect combo at the Acoustic Afternoon featuring Orlando this weekend.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I like window shopping: 62.5% 🏆
- I don’t like window shopping: 37.5%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite tourist destination in the country?
Suchi: “Dharamshala”
Nirja: “Udaipur”
Kavi: “Tenkasi”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!