Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny weather for today.
🧐 Did you know? The Madras Crocodile Bank was set up in 1976 by Romulus Whitaker and a few others. It began with just one natural pond and 20 mugger crocodiles. The Bank doesn’t release crocodiles back into the wild since the government regulated captive breeding in 1994.
😰 Rising temperatures
It’s going to get hotter in Chennai as temperatures are predicted to increase steadily after April 15.
What’s coming up? As daytime temperatures have begun to rise slowly over the past few days, it’s likely to increase further post-April 15. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of a 2-3 degree Celsius increase in isolated pockets across the state.
- Chennai and the suburbs will have partly cloudy skies with a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius. There’s likely to be dry weather across the state.
- Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded 35.1 degrees Celsius and 36.6 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Wednesday. These were 0.6 degree and 1 degree above normal with above-average humidity levels.
Who said what? IMD Director N Senthamarai Kannan said the expected increase in temperatures after April 15 is normal for this season. Blogger Pradeep John said temperatures would rise more in the inner parts of the city compared to places close to the sea.
🏅 Cricket lessons from Ashwin
Indian cricketer R Ashwin will train corporation school students in cricket.
What’s it about? Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, inaugurated the new coaching programme at the Saidapet school. The initiative will also include two classes for football.
- Classes will get City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain, and educational development special project funds from French financial agencies.
- R Ashwin will hold classes when he’s in Chennai. Other state cricketers will also be brought in. At the Saidapet school, the corporation has set up a multi-purpose turf that can be used for both football and cricket.
Who said what? Mayor R Priya said it’s necessary to eliminate the stereotype that girls aren’t equal to boys in sports and that they’ll be given equal opportunities. Stalin said the project had been a passion for Ashwin, who had been working on it for a while.
🗣️ Community for Poets
A shared love of poetry led to an exclusive poetry community in the city.
What’s it about? Roshni, Joel Sebastin, and Vidya met at an open mic poetry event and bonded over their shared passion for poetry and having a community for it. They set up Project Prodets to educate and inspire young poets.
- Project Prodets is a one-of-a-kind community solely dedicated to poetry. The focus is English poetry, but other languages are also welcome.
- They’re planning to organise a poetry session at Backyard, Adyar, specially curated for those interested in literature, poetry, and art to share their passion with others.
Who said what? Roshini said the community is meant to be a safe haven for artists, particularly poets, to showcase their craft. For Roshini, poetry is a way to break down barriers, be her true self, and connect with others.
- They’ve previously hosted a show in Bengaluru and plan to expand to other cities.
🐢 Meet the Olive Ridleys
Crowds gather during this time of the year to catch a glimpse of the hatching of the turtle species.
What’s it about? From February-end to the beginning of April, beaches along the East Cost Road draw crowds to watch the hatchings of Olive Ridley turtles, which are classified as a vulnerable species. If it weren’t for conservationists and volunteers, most of the hatchlings don’t survive. They’re often run over by vehicles or eaten by dogs.
- In the stretch between Borken Bridge and Urur Olcott Kuppam, a green enclosure incubates the small eggs. Thanks to conservation efforts, Chennai has one of the highest nesting populations of Olive Ridleys.
- Forest department officials and people travel the length of the city’s coastline to collect eggs and place them in four hatcheries. Marina Beach sees more nesting as other beaches have been affected due to port construction work.
Conservation work: The Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN), set up in 1987, is run by students of Madras Christian College. They help ensure the turtles make it to sea safely.
- SSTCN volunteers collect eggs on two paths from Neelankarai to Besant Nagar and Marina to Kauveli Estuary. They work two shifts – 11.30 pm to 3.30 am and 3.30 am to 5.30 am.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- “But Then, Who Did It?” is an English play that deals with the wants of children who belong to a royal kingdom.
- Masala Coffee, the acclaimed indie music band, is back in Chennai with a live concert this Sunday at Phoenix Marketcity.
- Here & There, A Trunk of Poems is a specially curated poetry session.
- The Recording Show will feature some of the best comedians in the Chennai Comedy Circuit this Saturday.
- Ziskakan, the popular Maloyan band, celebrates 40 years as a band in India with a live performance this Saturday at Hotel Savera.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I studied in a private school: 75.0% 🏆
- I studied in a government school: 25.0%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s the weirdest food you’ve eaten, and where was it?
Shiva: “Prosciutto di cavallo (Horse meat sliced, uncooked, just cured)”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!