Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: Sunny with some cloud cover.
🧐 Did you know? Tea became popular in Madras with the establishment of Kanan Devan tea plantations in 1897. Soon after, the city became home to planters from Ceylon who moved away from coffee plantations overrun by blight.
🏙️ Tackling urban heat
Town planning and building designs that are green-conscious can tackle urban heat.
What’s it about? As Chennai temperatures continue to soar, there’s increased awareness of tackling urban heat. How can you make your home cooler with adequate energy consumption that’s cost-effective? According to experts, it’s green-conscious urban planning. It means designing and using materials to keep homes cooler and brighter, reducing the need for lighting and cooling equipment.
- The features necessary are high ceilings, big windows for ventilation, renewable energy use, and greenery surrounding the buildings. The Government Omandurar Multi-speciality Hospital is a green building.
- A study conducted in Chennai showed that the width of streets also plays a role. Narrow streets with a low height-to-width ratio of 1.75 in areas around Ranganathan and Rameshwaram Street contribute to temperature differences in similar communities.
Constraints: For individual homeowners and buyers, green buildings are an expensive prospect. They’re more expensive than conventional buildings. The construction costs of green buildings are 25% more due to additional fixtures like solar panels and water recycling plants.
- The state government is looking to amend the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules to include green building norms.
🚰 Serving the community
Renault-Nissan invests in the community where its factory is located by restoring water bodies.
What’s it about? At the carmaker’s Oragadam factory, the company is investing in sustainable solutions for water in villages near the plant by revitalising lakes and ponds. It’s important since it’s a water-scarce region.
- The company is revitalising 10 lakes and ponds, with the Oragadam lake being one of them. This, along with other lakes, provides water to six villages. Overall, more than 21,000 people will benefit.
- The company has allocated ₹4.2 crore for the initiative working with NGOs like National Agro and Exnora. The next phase is to improve the groundwater table with plans for water harvesting and creating water bodies in low-lying areas.
Other initiatives: The Murugappa Group and TVS Motor Company’s social arm, Srinivasan Service Trust, have undertaken similar water conservation projects and assisted local farming communities during the summer.
🎶 Chepauk and CSK’s DJ
KC Senthil Kumar sets the mood for IPL matches at Chepauk with his DJing.
Who is he? Senthil Kumar, also known as DJ Zen, has over 15 years of experience and is the official DJ for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during their home matches at the Chepauk stadium. For him, the lyrics of a song should resonate with the audience and connect with specific players.
- It’s all about matching the song to the moment or player. For Ambati Rayudu, he played the Bahubali song. For Ruturaj Gaikwad, it was the Karthi song Naan Rocket Raja.
- For MS Dhoni’s comeback to Chepauk after four seasons, he chose a song from Kamal Haasan’s Vikram for the captain’s entry onto the field.
Taking suggestions: Senthil takes suggestions for entry songs on his Instagram. He said he values song choices and goes through them to carefully curate the perfect playlist.
🎨 Chennai on canvas
Artist Swathi Nahar’s latest exhibition showcases traditional and modern culture of the city.
What’s it about? The theme was connecting the roots of traditional and cultural values of Madras to modern-day Chennai. Swathi’s work was recently displayed at the Pacifica Tech Park under the theme ‘Namma Chennai’. She tries new techniques ranging from traditional, abstract, and contemporary.
- The two murals depict the evolution of the city like a story. The first is a crucible of the cultures of Madras and Chennai. The second traces its historical origins, including dances, festivals, and literary figures like Bharathiar and Thiruvalluvar.
- Showcasing her love for the city, the work also depicts famous city landmarks like the Egmore Museum, LIC building, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, and Valluvar Kottam.
About the artist: She was born and brought up in Chennai and has visited the places she has painted. For her, abstract paintings are feasible to channel her creativity which was especially suitable for the Namma Chennai project. She was the runner-up at the IIW She Inspires Award 2022 under the Bright Artist category. She’s currently planning her next exhibition in Paris next month.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Does your home run on renewable energy?
- Yes, my home runs on renewable energy.
- No, my home doesn’t run on renewable energy.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the go-to supermarket/store for your grocery needs?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Aavin milk sold in some city supermarkets is above the MRP.
- The Rotary Club donated pots of water for birds and stray animals.
- Read the history of how the famous Arun ice cream brand began.
- The Valluvar Vasagar Vattam is a book club formed by Puzhal prison inmates, providing them refuge.
- Actor Nayanthara has bought the Agasthiya Theatres building to be renovated into a two-screen facility.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I am a member of a sports & recreational club: 22.2%
- I am not a member of any sports & recreational club: 77.8% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite mobile/tablet game?
Kalaiarasi: “Candy crush and Subway surfers”
Chandhru: “Clash of clans”
Chitra: “Ludo”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!