Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 33 ℃ | Low: 24 ℃ | A sunny day ahead.
🧐 Did you know? Addison & Co. were considered the pioneers in the city’s cycle industry. They also introduced autorickshaws in the city.
🚴 Run and cycle for a cause
The next edition of the Aalam Deepam Duathlon will donate cycles to people to help them commute.
What’s it about? The We are Chennai Cycling Group (WCCG) will conduct the fifth edition of the Aalam Deepam Duathlon next month. The annual event has been conducted since 2019 to benefit a specific cause with the tagline “Run-Ride-Donate”.
- The proceeds from this year’s edition will support the Humans of Cycling – Donate a Bicycle initiative. To encourage more participants, organisers have developed a virtual participation platform where they can take part in a single day and be tracked on the Strava sports app.
- The event has categories for individuals and teams. The Olympic category has a 10 km run and a 40 km cycle ride. The Sprint category has a 5 km run and a 20 km cycle ride.
For a good cause: Last year’s edition supported the Humans of Cycling Initiative, where bicycles were given to people and students of Sevalaya’s Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School in Pakkam village.
🎨 Discovering Van Gogh
Art educators and artists gathered for a workshop to understand and experience Van Gogh and his work.
What’s it about? The Art Edit Cafe was the venue for 25 artists to assemble and introduce them to the Real Van Gogh Experience, currently running at the Express Avenue Mall. It’s a chance for them to learn about his work’s textural qualities up close.
- Artists were able to understand and observe Van Gogh’s way of dealing with the canvas, capturing the mood, expressions, and colours used. Seeing his works in a three-dimensional space is a different experience than seeing it on a wall.
- Using digital technology to display his paintings is a unique opportunity for artists to understand his use of movement.
Cafe’s transformation: The cafe was transformed with the colours of Van Gogh’s work. Above one of his sculptures, his words, “I dream of painting and then I paint my dream” appear in bold white font on a blue background.
✍️ Sketches of Paris
Several sketches of Paris from production designer Thota Tharrani were displayed at a recent exhibition.
What’s it about? Thota Tharrani’s Paris collection included 69 black and white sketches of the French capital city. The drawings were captured across a year when he was in Paris for a fellowship in 1971 sponsored by the French government. The three-day exhibition was hosted by the Indian Institute of Interior Designers (IIID) – Chennai Regional Chapter.
- During his stay in Paris, Tharrani continued to develop his style. He began to paint and sketch daily to capture moments that were speeding away.
- The sketches included busy streets, cafes along the roads, and churches. Some of the drawings have faded over the years due to the ink used and exposure to sunlight. While the sketches are for sale, the prices haven’t been fixed yet.
A whirlwind journey: Thota Tharrani began drawing freehand from the age of four. At 10, he began helping his artist father. Yesteryear’s background artists for props and sets who took notes as line drawings were his inspiration as a production designer. The latest collection is dedicated to them.
🚙 Vehicle fitness testing
Three RTOs in the city will have new automated vehicle fitness testing centres.
What’s it about? Among the eighteen regional transport offices (RTOs) in the state, Tambaram, Sriperumbudur, and Red Hills in Chennai will get new automated vehicle fitness testing centres. This multi-crore project was established through a public-private partnership (PPP).
- These automated centres will issue fitness certificates to vehicles after rigorous testing on 40 parameters. These include braking systems, batteries, and speedometers.
- If a vehicle isn’t up to the standards, particularly in areas like the suspension or brakes, the RTO will deem it unfit. Vehicle owners will need to reapply for a fitness certificate within a month.
What are the norms? Per the new norms, commercial vehicles including autos, taxis, trucks, and buses should renew their fitness certificates annually. In many cases, these certificates are issued after owners pay a bribe through agents or brokers.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Given the chance, would you travel to space?
- I would travel to space.
- I wouldn’t to travel to space.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the most bizarre or unique food combination you’ve tried?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- IIT Madras has developed a new AI model to ascertain fetal age to help reduce infant and maternal mortality.
- A steady sea breeze has helped keep the city’s temperature in check.
- Project Vithai has helped transform the lives of kids with disabilities with doorstep pediatric therapy.
- Air Mauritius has big plans for India and will launch direct flights to Chennai next month.
- The Chennai Metro has partnered with SIMS Hospital to launch pharmacies in 40 stations.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I prefer to stay in an independent house: 40.0%
- I prefer to stay in an apartment complex: 60.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What historical heritage structure is on your bucket list to visit?
Suchi: “Angkor, Cambodia”
Nirja: “Ellora caves”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!