Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 33 ℃ | Low: 25 ℃ | Mostly sunny for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Madras Literary Society was first housed in the College of Fort St George. It was then moved to the Connemara Library and then, in 1905, transferred as the Madras Literary Society to its current home.
🚚 Plight of city’s gig workers
Given how companies classify gig workers, they often have no benefits and face stressful working conditions.
What’s it about? While the government sells the state as a world-class investment destination, gig workers struggle to stay afloat. Companies classify them as independent contractors. Hence, they’re not eligible for health or accident insurance. The money they make in a day is enough to only get by.
- Despite the uncertainties, many gig workers have no option but to stay on. They lose a day’s pay even if they fall sick. For people with little education or skills, there’s no other stable work available.
- For women, the challenges are greater. They have to navigate societal expectations and safety concerns. The pressure to deliver items within a specified time is stressful.
Statistics: A report from this year showed that many unskilled workers in Chennai can’t save or invest in education and skill development due to limited incomes and high living costs. A 2023 report from the Ministry of Labour and Employment stated that over 78% of unskilled workers in the state are employed in informal or contract jobs.
🎨 Block-printing workshop
Artists and storytellers gathered for a unique workshop on stories and symbols.
What’s it about? At the Madras Literary Society, the First Nations Australian artists Aunty Deanna, Aunty Lynette, and Jacob Boehme led the workshop showcasing stories, symbols, and connections that broke boundaries.
- Participants introduced themselves and shared their ancestry and origins. They ranged from the state’s southmost districts, from Kerala, Assam, and countries like Spain and New Zealand.
- The artists shared a video they created to revive their language through song and dance that was recently screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Significance of block printing: Each design and symbol presented a story. People can use the blocks and are free to create their own narratives.
👷♀️ Worker shortage
The second phase of the Chennai metro is facing a labour shortage.
What’s it about? Several segments of the metro’s second phase are underway across the city. A labour shortage poses a challenge to the project’s timeline, raising concerns about delays.
- The shortage of skilled labour is attributed to the pandemic, which disrupted the labour supply chain and a competitive market for skilled workers in the construction sector.
- Contractors have struggled to meet the necessary demands to complete the project on time. The second phase has already faced delays due to tender contracts and land issues.
What’s being done? The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is improving labour conditions, offering competitive wages, and enhancing training programmes to attract and retain workers. It’s also exploring partnerships with educational institutions to build a pipeline of skilled labour.
🦺 Readying for the floods
Some Velachery residents are readying themselves for floods with boats and lifejackets.
What’s it about? Velachery is among the many areas in Chennai prone to flooding when the city faces the northeast monsoon. For Tansi Nagar Welfare Association residents, it means arming themselves with boats and lifejackets in anticipation of the worst.
- Residents complained that the Chennai Corporation sends only 25 boats. It also takes them over an hour to pick up residents and return for others.
- Residents have taken matters into their own hands and purchased three rubber boats for ₹15,000. They’re willing to spend more on permanent ones if things become dire.
Volunteers and preparedness: The Association has 10 volunteers on standby. Worried that the local body won’t be able to distribute essentials to everyone on time, they’ve arranged for milk and water to be distributed.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you usually tip delivery persons?
- I usually tip delivery persons.
- I don’t usually tip delivery persons.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What genre of music do you prefer listening to?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The Chennai Corporation has floated new tenders to build and renovate new stormwater drains across the city.
- Flight fares to Chennai from other cities have doubled following the Diwali break.
- The state government has decided to abandon the restoration projects of the Buckingham Canal in the Chepauk-Triplicane and Mylapore constituencies.
- Triolt Energy Pvt Ltd, an IIT-Madras-incubated startup, successfully closed a ₹71 lakh funding round.
- The Chennai-Trichy highway faced high traffic congestion as people returned from the Diwali holidays.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have bought environment-friendly crackers: 12.5%
- I haven’t bought environment-friendly crackers: 87.5% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Suchi: “Rasam saadam and potato roast.”
Preethi: “Veg Salad”
Shiva: “Dosa”
Rangarajan: “Biryani”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!